With each word, she hit his cheek.No, she was slapping the fuck out of him.
Ryan swallowed and his lips trembled, his eyes wide and panicked, frightened. He knew what the fuck was up.
If the girls took him, they’d keep whatever they needed to confront him about to their fucking selves, so Christopher waited. The only waytoget to the bottom of this shit was to see what the fuck happened next.
“We need his help, Reb,” Mattie reminded his girl, her smile still pasted on her face. “If he’s unconscious, he can’t—”
“I know, cousin,” Rebel cooed, never taking her icy blue gaze from Ryan.
“Reb—” Ryan started.
“Shut up!” Rebel punched Ryan in his fucking mouth. “You’re a foul motherfucker,” she snarled.
CJ started forward but Christopher shook his head. IfCJknocked Ryan the fuck out, discovery would be delayed, too.
“I’m sorry!” Ryan said, touching his bloody lip, his fingers trembling.
Rebel, Mattie, and Harley looked at each other. But it was Harley, her expression haggard and defeated, her shoulders slumped, that sent unease through Christopher.
“Can you just come with us, Ryan?” Mattie asked. “We just need to borrow you.”
“No, we need to gut this motherfucker,” Rebel yelled, snatched her crutch from Kaia and swung, but Ryan ducked, lucky motherfucker that he was. “I will fuckingkillyou—”
Mattie clapped her hand over Rebel’s mouth.
“What the fuck’s going on?” Christopher wished Kaia asked fucking questions instead of jumping to do whatever the fuck Rebel told him. If he had to stay in her fucking face, he should at least make himself fucking useful. Frustrated, he crooked his finger at his daughter. “Come here.”
Folding her arms, she tossed her hair, pretending nonchalance. But Christopher saw her fury. She was fucking ready to pop.
“This is a cousin matter, Daddy.” She threw a hateful look at Ryan. “Now that we have this motherfucker, we’ll leave.”
She dug her nails into his jaw, drawing blood and laughing at his yelp, then she grabbed his ear and twisted, trying to drag him forward, but her injury hampered her. When Ryan dug hisheels in, she stumbled and CJ hurried to her side, placing an arm around her shoulder to steady her.
Val cleared his throat. “What did the motherfucker do, Reb?”
“Tell us now what’s going on, Matt,” Grant said.
Ryan, Rebel, Harley and Mattie clammed up. Christopher noted Rebel’s uneasy glance at Diesel but pushed it aside because of the current fuckery. She should’ve been more concerned aboutChristopher’sresponse. Or Kaia’s since they shared halves of a goddamn dog.
“Tell me what the fuck’s goin’ onnow,” Christopher ordered, “or I’m gonna have Stretch look at surveillance.”
“There’s nothing on surveillance, Daddy.” Rebel’s look at Ryan promised a violent death. As long as it wasn’t directed at him, Christopher loved it. “How fucking unfortunate we only recently got fucking cameras on the second floor. It might’ve caught miserable fucking spies who are unfortunately related to me.”
Christopher turned those words over in his head. Repeated them under his breath. Picked apart each one, then reassembled them. He narrowed his eyes. “You fuckin’ sayin’ Ryan put fuckin’ cameras in your fuckin’ room?” He studied Mattie. She was involved for one of two reasons. Either Ryan got to her, too. Or she’d used her skills and detected the unknown fucking signals.
Or both.
Rebel punched Ryan’s head. “And, somehow, that same fucking spy broke into Mattie’s room.”
“I’m sorry, Mattie,” Ryan started.
Swiping at a tear, Mattie turned her head and hugged Harley. They were devastated. But his girl? Even if she was hurt and betrayed, she wasn’t showing it. She picked up a glass ofsomethingand threw it in Ryan’s face.
“Fuckhead. Dirty, conscienceless motherfucker. You didn’t have to break and enter with Harley. She was right there. Howcouldyou? You took videos of her and sent them to Willard!”
Mattie winced, but Rebel didn’t see. She was too busy defending Harley to realize the full fucking truth. That motherfucker probably sent videos of her and Mattie as well to that motherfucker.
“Tell me you didn’t do that, Ryan.” Val sounded stricken.
