Ryder’s lips pursed as he roughly raked his fingers through his hair. “I haven’t got time for this. Where is she?”
I swallowed, weighing my chances of reaching the door before he caught me. Judging by the mess I’d already made of things, the answer was a hard no. “She’s gone.”
Ryder stepped forward, then stopped short when I recoiled. “What do you mean she’s gone?Fuck!”
“Oh my God, have you been stalking me to get to my mum?” I couldn’t decide which was worse, Ryder breaking in with a suspicious amount of rope, or the fact it was meant for her.
“You make it sound pervy.” He rolled his eyes. “I’m not?—”
Ryder and I froze at the distinctive sound of the front door slamming shut, eyes locking.
“Please tell me that’s your overprotective lizard friend,” he whispered, leaning to peek through the doorway. He jerked back, thrusting the knife into my hand and snatching the pan from the floor. “Don’t stab me.”
With a sharp look he stepped back to hide behind the bedroom door, leaving me to stand there dumbfounded as footsteps approached.
Chapter 13
Ryder
Violet’s eyes widened at me as I moved behind the door, and I not-so-subtly told her to look away. She was glaring at me like I was hiding, which I wasnot. I was waiting out of sight; there was a difference.
After a flurry of silent hand signals and threats, mainly me pretending to slice my own throat then pointing at her, she finally glanced away, just as the door creaked and a presence loomed on the other side.
Oh fuck.
Ofcoursethis guy was here.
“You’re not going to need that,” Cedric said, the twat taking a single step into the room despite Violet holding a knife. “I’m looking for Geraldine Hoffman.”
Like me, Cedric was a thief, but he was an impulsive brute and didn’t have a single decorous bone in his unnecessarily bulky body. Sometimes he took on wet-work, which made sense considering his jobs usually ended wet, sticky, and about as subtle as a brick to the face.
“I don’t know a Geraldine Hoffman,” Violet said, her grip so tight around the knife I was surprised she hadn’t broken the handle.
“Oh, but I think you do.” He took a threatening step forward, and I slipped out from behind the door.
“You need to leave.” Violet glanced at me.
Seriously, zero instincts. Luckily, Cedric was too busy with his ringing phone to notice.
“Yeah?” he grunted into the receiver. “No, she isn’t here. Only the girl.” He waited a moment, listening to the instructions at the other end of the line. “Dead or alive?”
Shit.
Violet’s face lost all colour. What the fuck has this family got themselves into?
Cedric silenced his phone, placing it back in his pocket. “There’s a pretty price on your head, darling.” He lurched forward, grabbing her wrist and disarming her so fast it was almost embarrassing.
“You alright there, mate?” I asked, causing Cedric to freeze as I finally made my presence known. “Didn’t think you were into force. Makes sense with a face like that, I suppose.”
Cedric’s jaw clenched, a muscle ticking in his temple. In one rough motion, he yanked Violet behind him and drew a gun. “You know how it is, Ryder,” he said, voice low and rough as if we were sharing some private joke.
I tilted my head, forcing my tone to sound casual. “Hmm. No, not really. Feel free to elaborate.”
His mouth curled into a humourless grin. “What fate you’re here. There’s a bounty on your head.” Cedric aimed, but I was already swinging.
The frying pan hit his hand, the gun going off somewhere over my shoulder.
Cedric hissed, taking aim again. “Oh, I’m going to fucking enjoy this.”
