“Kelsey, look at me.”
I do as he says, slowly turning my head to face him.
“You’re ok, baby. You’re safe.” He says, but my body—my mind—tells me otherwise. I’m shaking uncontrollably.I’ve been in dangerous situations before, but never like this. Whoever this is wants me dead. I have no choice but to trust Hayden in this moment. If I want to get home, I have to do what he says.
“Who w-was that?” My voice shakes as my teeth clatter. I glance around the Ferrari to find that every window is busted out. If they wanted to kill us, they would have while they had the advantage. This was meant as a warning.
“I don’t know.”He’s lying. “I made a mistake bringing you here. We’re going to Ryder’s.”
No.The word is on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t seem to say it. If these guys found us here, then they would find me at home, too. I know I can’t risk that, but I still say, “I want to go home. I need to go home.” Ryder’s is probably the safest, but it’s the last place I want to be.
“You don’t understand, Kelsey.” I watch his throat bob as he works on a swallow. “You can’t go home.”
“But…”
Hayden cups both of my cheeks, forcing me to hold his gaze. “They will kill your parents, and then…” He sighs, shaking his head. “You’d be begging them to kill you, Kels. The things they would do…” His eyes squeeze shut, almost as if it pains him to say this, “There are worse things in life than death.”
The tears come fast, and I don’t fight them. His thumb swipes across my cheek, then his lips press against my forehead. When he pulls away to grip the wheel, I shiver at the loss of his warmth, and my body begins to tremble again.
13
RYDER
Pacing the living room floor, my hands remain interlaced behind my neck to keep from beating the shit out of Hayden.
What the fuck was he thinking?
The second they walked through that door, I saw red. Kelsey was covered in blood and embedded glass. Jessie rushed her upstairs to clean her up. If Kelsey had needed stitches, Hayden would be in the ground. He’s my brother, but he allowedmyLittle Bird to get hurt, and that’s not something I can brush off.
“Ryder, man—” My head whips toward him, and my glare could burn holes through his head. He could have gottenmygirl killed. I don’t give a fuck what happened between me and my Little Bird. That girl ismine!
“Save it!” I hiss.
“Just listen.” He pleads, arms held out wide in surrender.
“I trusted you to keep her safe!” I bite out, my hands now fisting at my sides. “Not take her somewhere they could reach her and become distracted!” He flinches at my bitterness. I’ve always had damn good control over my temper, but not when it comes to her. Nothing about me is in control when she’s around. She’s my mind spiral.
Kelsey stands next to him, head down, chewing her lip like a kid in trouble waiting for their turn to be yelled at.
None of this is her fault.
Hayden knew the risk the second they walked into that bar. He should’ve brought her straight back here—not down a dead-end road like a damn idiot.
“I’m going out to clear my head. Don’t come looking for me.” I don’t bother looking at them. If I stay, I’ll do something I’d regret. Yanking my keys from the hook, I remote-start my Noire in the garage and have the door open and ready.
“Ryder!”Here the fuck we go. “Where in the hell do you think you’re going? Those guys could still be out there!”
“I’ve got it,” I say, sighing heavily as I crunch forward, sliding into the seat of my car. I reach for my door to close it, but a small hand holds it open. “Jessie—” I growl in warning.
Popping out her hip, she crosses her arms and steps into the door, further preventing me from shutting it. “It’s either I leave and clear my head, or I bash Hayden’s head into the wall,” I run my hands down my face. “Which, I really don’t want to do to my brother.”
My sister’s face softens, and I can tell she wants to hugme, but refrains, knowing I’m not a touchy person. You could blame the severe lack of affection I experienced growing up. I’ve always said that if I were to have kids, I would spend every waking moment with them and make sure they know what love feels like, but children aren’t in the cards for me. Not in this life.
“I’ve made a call. There’s extra security around the property.” Right after I received Hayden’s text, I called Teegan and had him assign more men to the house for the night.
Biting the inside of her lip, she hesitates before stepping out of the way. “Don’t do anything stupid.” She eyes me pointedly. She knows me too well. My answering smirk only made her glower at me harder.
There’s one place I always go when I need to get out of my head. It’s about a forty-minute drive from here, but it always does the trick—the speedway. Something about driving top speed frees all the built-up frustration.
