The loading bar on the screen stuttered, then glitched into an error message.
“For fuck’s sake,” he growled behind me, low and irritated.
“What are you doing?” I snapped, every nerve in my body on high alert. Uncomfortable, confused, and yet… still not moving.
“Trying to unlock Cedric’s phone. But it’s encrypted,” he explained as if I wasn’t still sitting on him. Not even trying to escape, apparently.
“And… what does that mean, exactly?”
He let out a low growl of frustration, the vibration of it humming against my back. “It means I’m a thief with decent computer skills, not an expert hacker. Give me a physical lockand I’m your man. But software this complicated? Nope. Especially not on something that’s locked tighter than a nun’s knickers.”
Reaching forward, he unplugged the phone.
“I have no idea what you mean.”
Ryder exhaled heavily, his breath brushing my ear. “It means,” he muttered, “I need to call in a favour.”
Chapter 15
Ryder
Violet stilled on my lap, and I purposely pulled her tighter against me before my unhinged brain realised and reacted violently. A therapist would say it was a trauma response, but what do therapists know?
It wasn’t like this was an intimate situation. Firstly, she was clothed, which already put a damper to everything. And secondly, she wasn’t actually touching me. Her hands were very clearly clutched around the edge of my desk.
If she wasn’t going to give me the USB drive, then I would make her so uncomfortable she’d hand it over just so she could run away with her tail between her legs.
Honestly, having her here was a complete fucking inconvenience. Especially when she rocked slightly forward to look at the screen and accidentally pressed harder against my cock.
No. Down, boy.
Plan A was to force her to spill everything she knew. Seduction was Plan B. It would’ve been Plan A if she wasn’t already so suspicious of me. Things would’ve been a hell of a lot easier if Cedric hadn’t shown up. I could’ve charmed myway out of it, but not even my handsome face could save me this time.
So now I was without the USB drive… and possibly had a bounty on my head. Which meant I was stuck with her until she either cracked, or I figured out a way to slip out of this mess alive.
Violet shifted again, and I had to swallow a groan as her arse rubbed against me in a way that shouldn’t be a turn-on. But clearly my cock didn’t seem to care because he was already prepping for something that wasn’t going to happen. At least not yet.
Plan A, remember?
“Careful, blondie,” I muttered, leaning forward to try and ease a little of the pressure. “Move like that again, and I’ll think you’re coming on to me.”
Violet jerked up, and I threw my head back laughing at the blush darkening her cheeks. Her eyes darted to my crotch, but my jeans disguised the majority of my hard-on. Which was a small mercy, because I didn’t want to scare her away just yet.
Or maybe I did?
With a deliberate wink, just to piss her off, I stood and slipped a hand into my jacket for my personal phone. Hendrix answered on the second ring.
“What do you want?”
“What? Not even a hello?”
He sighed, as if he was done with my shit. Which was honestly just rude.“What do you want, Ry?”
“I’m calling in my favour.” Leaning back in my chair, I patted my leg for Violet to come sit back down. When she just glared at me in return, I blew her a kiss.
“You’ve called in that favour five times already.”
“Yeah, well. This will be it, I promise.” A lie, andHendrix knew it just as much as I did. “Come on, be a dirty cop for me one more time.”
