“A date? Who the hell are you going out on a date with?” He bites the inside of his cheek like he’s thoroughly annoyed by my push to be left alone.
“A guy.”
“What guy?” he says gruffly, his shoulders tight. “Do I know him?”
“No,” I snap. “You don’t know him, and you don’t need to know him.”
“Okay, well, if no one knows where you are tonight and something happens, then what?”
“What’s going to happen?” I say, rolling my eyes. “I go out all the time. It’s no big deal. If I get murdered tonight, I’ll make sure to come back as a ghost to let Benny know you did your best. Okay?” I land my hand on his hard shoulder, and a weird buzz of energy rushes through me, catching me off guard. Clearly, that drink has me off balance. “I have to get going.” I turn and walk down the street, half expecting him to pull me back into the bar, sit me down, and chain me to a table until he can properly walk me home.
Instead, when I turn back, he’s gone.
I’m not sure which is scarier. At least I knew where he was when he was following me. Now, he could be anywhere. I wouldn’t put it past him to be sneaky. Last week, he followed me all the way to the Springs. It wasn’t until I got to the DMV that I noticed he was tracking me.
What’s the danger at the DMV, aside from hidden fees and cranky, underpaid employees?
Actually, that does sound pretty scary.
That said,I really need to talk to Benny and have him call off his henchman. I need some space to live my life, some space to make mistakes, some space to be an adult, instead of some kid with a massive Viking shadow.
Tugging my phone out of my back pocket, I dial my brother’s number as I walk down Main. The line rings, and I make note of all the flowers starting to spring up in the window boxes outside of the shops. I love this time of year, when everything gets a fresh start.
“Hey, baby sis. What’s up?” He sounds distracted, and I regret calling immediately. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, well… kind of. I just… first, how are you?”
“I’m good. I’ve got a case strategy session with a client in five but what’s up? Something wrong?”
“No, nothing is wrong, really. I just…” I sigh and wonder if maybe this conversation could’ve waited for later. I know Benny has been under a ton of stress since he moved his law office to the city. “Sorry to bother you. It’s just… it’s Ryker.”
“Ryker?What’s wrong with Ryker? Everything okay at the bar?”
“Yeah, yeah. The bar is doing great. I just… I need you to call him off. He’s on me about everything. I can’t even look sideways without him questioning it. It’s driving me crazy.”
“Call him off?”
“Yeah, tell him he doesn’t need to watch me anymore. I know you want me safe, but I can’t take it. He followed me into the bathroom today when I was throwing up.”
“You were throwing up?”
“I had too much whiskey,” I sigh. “Benny, you’re missing the point. I know you told Ryker to look out for me, but I really need you to tell him to stop. I’m fine.”
“Ivy, I didn’t tell Ryker to look out for you. I figured you’d lose your shit if I did that.”
“Oh,” I pause as a loud truck passes, “he said you asked him to keep an eye on me.”
“He’s always been protective of you. You know that.” I hear the shrug in my brother’s voice. “I’ll talk to him.”
“Sounds good. Sorry to bug you.”
“No worries. Love you. I’ll talk to you later.” He disconnects the line and I pull open the street level door for my apartment, checking over my shoulder for my shadow before climbing the stairs.
Why would Ryker tell me Benny asked him to watch over me?
My mind reels with possibilities, then gets stuck on the one everyone sees but me.
Maybe it’s true.Maybe my brother’s best friend does have a thing for me.
