Mason and Lucky broke into peals of laughter. What the hell? What was he missing? Because Ryden was definitely missing something. Mason wiped a tear from his eye as he stood, Lucky following.
“You’re right, Marine.” Mason wrapped his arm around Lucky and pulled him in, popping a kiss on his lips. “I don’t know any fellas ’round here in long, healthy relationships who push each other’s buttons.”
Lucky poked Mason’s side, his grin wide. “Cabrón.”
Oh. Well, shit.
“We’ll talk to Jack on our way out,” Mason said.
Lucky paused at the door. “Talk to Jay.”
“He can’t,” Mason said. “Jay’s not in the office.”
“Where is he?” Ryden asked.
“Um….”
“Mason?”
Mason’s expression was apologetic. “He’s out on a date.” He walked out, and Lucky met Ryden’s gaze.
“Don’t wait too long to figure things out, bro. Jay isn’t going to wait around forever.”
Who said Jay was waiting around at all?
Before Ryden could answer, Lucky was gone, closing the door behind him. As much as Ryden appreciated the support, whatever was going on between him and Jay was far more complicated than whatever had happened between Lucky and Mason. They might have had a rough start, but they were meant to be together. The two were more alike than they thought. Jay and Ryden? They had nothing in common.
Jay wore trendy outfits and drank fancy coffee. He read more books in a week than Ryden did in a year. Ryden wore nothing but T-shirts, took his coffee black, and fell asleep on the couch watching TV. Jay was a romantic who wore his heart on his sleeve, and Ryden sometimes wondered if Jay refused to believeRyden had a heart. Whatever Mason and Lucky thought, they were wrong. Jay and Ryden had no future together, so why risk his heart knowing it would only lead to heartache?
Ryden turned off everything in his office and headed out, making his way toward the elevator. Everyone who wasn’t on a job had gone home for the day. He’d just hit the button when his phone rang. With a grin, he answered.
“Hey, Frank. How’s?—”
“You need to get over to the Urban Unicornnow.”
“The fuck is an urban unicorn?”
“It’s one of those fancy burger places. I’m on my way there. Joshua messaged me. He was having dinner with Jay and?—”
Ryden stepped into the elevator, confused. “Wait, Jay was on a date with Joshua?”
“What? No. Jay canceled his date and asked Joshua to meet him for dinner.”
Jay canceled his date? Ryden’s pulse quickened at the possibility that Jay might have canceled because of what had happened between them.
“I texted you the address.”
Wait. Why did Frank sound rattled? Frank was not the kind of man who got rattled. Not unless someone he loved was in danger. “Frank, what happened?”
“Someone tried to kidnap Jay.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
earlier that evening
“Thanks for meeting me,babe. I appreciate it.” Jay sipped his berry vodka crush and hummed. Yummy. This was exactly what he needed. Tasty cocktails and good company.
The trendy upscale burger place was packed, just as it was every night. Some people thought the Urban Unicorn was pretentious or too hipster, but Jay loved it here. It had great food and a cozy atmosphere. He loved the industrial chic aesthetic, the brick walls, weathered wood, black metal features, and exposed pipes. It was soothing in a way he couldn’t explain.
