“Fuck you, Alex. You might think I’m an asshole, and you’re probably right, but I’m not enough of an asshole to send you in there by yourself with God knows what’s waiting for you. So suck it the fuck up, buttercup, because I’m going in there with you.”
Shit. His glare could rival mine. “Buttercup?”
He shrugged. “It rhymed.”
I snorted a half-laugh. The tense moment seemed to have passed. Neither of us moved for a second as our gazes locked. “Thank you,” I managed eventually.
He nodded once. “Well, if we’re about to get our asses kicked, I guess we should get it over with, huh?”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
RYDER
Okay, so I’d never been in a physical altercation with another person. Never taken or thrown a punch outside of a gym and a heavy bag. Fighting wasn’t my thing. In my world, money was a weapon far more powerful than fists. But I wasn’t weak, I wasn’t a coward, and I wouldn’t abandon Alex no matter what he thought of me.
“Fine, but don’t blame me if your pretty face gets fucked up,” he said with his customary frown.
“Aww, Ally, you think my face is pretty.”
“Don’t call me that,” he said as he shoved the door open and stepped outside.
After toasting my ass on my heated seats and being surrounded by the sublime heat pumped from the vents, the cold was a brutal smack to the face.
“Trevor calls you Ally.” I followed him out into the cold, zipping my coat up to my chin. Any chill I could block out was worth the effort.
“Trevor’s like a small rodent. Cute but annoying as fuck, and he does whatever the hell he wants.”
I chuckled. “Oh, man, I’m so telling him you said that.”
Alex’s shoulders bounced even though his laugh was quiet. Joking at a time like this might seem stupid, but a corny one-liner was the only way I could think of to distract him for a few seconds.
I left the car running in case we needed a quick getaway, but I made sure to lock it. The last thing we needed was to come outside and find my Range Rover missing. I pocketed my keys and followed him up the short, dark walkway to the front door. An outdoor light mounted to the side of the door should have provided some light, but it was either broken or not on because we had zero illumination besides the dim light of the thumbnail moon.
“Careful here.” Alex stopped and turned around after traversing an uneven chunk of cement where a tree root had raised the walkway. Expression tight, he watched until I’d made it safely past the perceived danger.
I blinked at him, then cleared my throat. “Thanks.” The word rasped out through my cold vocal cords. My insides turned to goo. The man who hated me had stopped in his quest to rescue his brother to ensure I didn’t trip on a crack in a walkway.
He nodded. “Don’t engage with anyone in there, okay?”
“Stop worrying. I’m a big boy, Alex… as you well know.” I winked, which made him roll his eyes.
I’d call that a victory.
“All right, I’ll stop with the mother-hen routine. I’m just not used to having another person to think about when I do this. Not that I’m not grateful, I am, but it feels like you’re a bit of a wild card right now.”
Now, it was my turn to roll my eyes. “What is it you think I’m going to do exactly?”
His shoulders moved up and down. “I don’t know. Whip out your black Amex and start flashing it at anyone who looks at you.”
My jaw dropped. “You are a dick,” I said as I flipped him off.
Snickering, he turned back around and continued to the door. I couldn’t keep the grin off my face as I followed.
Before we could knock or even reach the crumbling front stoop, the door swung open, and a man in nothing but jeans and tattoos stood in the doorway. “Are you here for this guy?” he asked as he gestured with his vape pen to a man sprawled on the bottom step of a long, steep staircase leading to the second floor.
“Holy shit, is that Kenny?” Alex asked, concern marring his features. The guy on the step didn’t so much as twitch.
“Yep.” The man sucked from his vape and exhaled a plume of acrid smoke. “He ain’t dead. Didn’t overdose or nothin’. Think he’s conscious, but he’ll sure feel like shit tomorrow.”
