He scooped a set of keys from the counter, metal clinking sharp in the silence.
“Where are we going?” I asked, pulse quickening.
Ryder’s smile this time didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Out.”
Chapter 20
Violet
“What do you mean we’re walking from here?” I demanded, eyeing the garage tucked away in the corner, half-swallowed by trees. Beyond it, the Thames stretched dark and restless, the wind carrying spray that slapped against my face the moment I opened the door, as if nature was intent on punishing me.
The garage was open, with a few men working without acknowledging us. One car was suspended high on the lift, while another was being rolled carefully out of the way, the scent of oil and metal heavy in the air.
“We need to get rid of the car,” Ryder said as if that was a suitable explanation. I must have pulled a face, because he immediately added, “It’s got our prints and your… bodily fluids.” He smirked at that, while I prayed for the earth to open and swallow me whole.
“What do you mean get rid? I thought this wasyourcar?” The red Ford was infinitely better than his stupid, bloody bike. And yes, a man like Ryder owning a hatchback felt wildly out of character, but then again, I didn’t drive, and I’d never understood people’s borderline obsession with vehicles in the first place.
“Seriously, do you have selective memory or something? It’s stolen. I couldn’t exactly risk taking you on the train with your little thing for exhibitionism.” Ryder shook his head and strode toward the man in overalls waiting just inside the shop.
“No, my lack of memory must be a trauma response!” I shouted after him, because clearly, I must have an issue with impulse control.
Ryder froze mid-step, lifting a finger toward the man in a universalone momentgesture. Then he turned back to me, closing the distance with unhurried purpose. I locked my spine, refusing to retreat.
“Keep telling yourself that,” he murmured, lowering his head until his lips hovered a hair’s breadth from mine. His voice slid into a chuckle, dark and mocking. “But your cunt still came around my…” He paused, eyes glinting with cruel amusement before correcting himself with dripping sarcasm. “Oh, wait…yourfingers.”
“Do we have a problem?” growled the man in overalls, his expression that of a pissed-off bear.
Ryder held my gaze a moment more before he stepped back. “Don’t worry, Mikhail, we’re all good here.”
I stayed by the car, my skin erupting in goosebumps against the wind. After a moment Ryder returned, brow raised as I rubbed at the skin on my exposed arms. Rolling his eyes, he shrugged off his leather jacket, throwing it at me. I managed to catch it before it smacked me in the face, and my first instinct was to drop it in a puddle. But then the warmth settled over me, carrying Ryder’s grounding scent of woodsmoke and spice, and I begrudgingly pulled it on.
“Where are we going?” I asked as he began to walk, expecting me to follow.
“I need to speak to a friend.”
“No, I need to speak to my mum.” I went to grab his arm, but he pulled back before I could reach. “Ryder…”
“Look, hospital visitations aren’t even open until three.”
I stopped walking, Ryder taking a moment to realise I was no longer following him. “How did you?—”
“You talk in your sleep.” He shrugged. “Snore, too.”
“I donot.” Shit, did I?
“Good plan putting your mum in the crazy ward. It’ll make it harder for whoever’s hunting her if she’s being watched, but also more annoying for us.”
“She’s not crazy,” I snapped. “Don’t call her crazy.” So many people looked at her like they were afraid of what she might do, but she wasn’t crazy. Her brain was just… different.
Ryder clicked his tongue. “Deranged, then.”
I took a long breath, trying to calm the scream I wanted to let out in frustration. Ryder’s opinion meant nothing to me, and yet he still managed to get under my skin. His deep voice was clinging to me like smoke.
I hated it, hated him. And worse, I hated the treacherous spark that burned when he gave me that devious smirk.
Stop it.
I needed him for one thing, and after that I could walk away, free of him and his shallow, hedonistic games.
