Which, fair… but that wasn’t the point.
“These guys turned up asking about you, and all I’ve had is your bloody voicemail!” Her glare cut to me.
Violet opened her mouth to reply, but I gave a subtle tug on a strand of her hair in warning. The more people she told, the more lives she’d drag into danger. And if I’dlearned anything about Violet, it was that putting others at risk was the last thing she’d ever want.
Fucking hell, look at me, being all thoughtful. Maybe I should call Roman, have one of his doctors check me over in case I’ve come down with something. I’ve never poured this much effort into anything that didn’t end with my dick getting sucked.
Which was a joke, because with a face and personality like mine I rarely had to put any effort in.
“Violet, what’s going on?” Bug demanded once more, having lost some of her earlier bravado. “Men came and destroyed the place. They only left when the police turned up.”
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t know…” Violet finally looked around, as though the destruction was only just registering. “Is everyone okay?”
“We’re all fine, we’re just worried about you.” Bug pulled Violet into her arms, as if the casual touch was the most natural thing. “What’s going on? Are you in trouble? Why are you dressed in men’s clothing?”
Violet squeezed her friend, her spare clothes slipping from her grasp to land at their feet. “It’s complicated,” she whispered. “You have to trust me.”
I glanced outside, noticing the sun setting. “Come on, blondie, we need to get a car before it turns dark.”
“Seriously, what the fuck’s going on?” Bug screeched, holding onto Violet like she was leaving forever. “Violet, please. Do you need help? GREEN!” she began to scream before Violet slapped her palm over her lips.
“You can’t tell anyone I was here. Please.” Violet turned to look at me like she was begging for help.
But what the fuck did she expect me to do? Tie her friend up and gag her?
Because, honestly, I was game.
Bug frowned, attention darting between us before she pried Violet’s fingers away from her mouth. “You’re scaring me, Vi. What’s going on?”
“I love you, but I can’t say anything.” Violet pulled herself back before reaching for the clothes. “I’ll call you when I can,” she tried to assure her.
Bug’s eyes darted to me, sharp with suspicion. She dug into her pocket, pulling out her keys, and held them out. “If anything happens to her, I’ll find you. Do you understand?”
I plucked the keys from her grip with a wink. “Don’t frown. Wrinkles won’t suit you.”
Violet hugged her once more, then followed me out. Waiting at the curb was a vintage Volkswagen bug, green of course. The thing groaned like it was on its last legs when I shoved it into gear and pulled away.
Violet twisted in her seat, staring back at Bug, who stood framed in the doorway of her studio, watching us disappear in defeat.
Chapter 23
Violet
“We can’t just sit here and do nothing.” I threw the pictures onto the table, hard enough that it skimmed across the surface and almost fell off the other side.
Ryder pressed his finger to one, pushing it back towards the centre. “That’sexactlywhat you’re going to do.”
I wanted to scream, to figure out what everything meant. The pictures. The articles of missing children and young women. Why on each one mum had drawn a flower eerily similar to the design on my necklace.
“I can’t just sit here. I won’t.” My voice cracked. Energy rattled against my ribs like a trapped animal, and hiding in Ryder’s flat wasn’t helping. “Mum needs to get out, and?—”
“And what?” Ryder snapped. “There’s nothing you can do.” He seemed just as agitated as I was, playing with his butterfly knife like it was a toy. The knife opened and shut in a restless rhythm, the light catching the blade like he couldn’t decide whether he wanted to show off or stab something.
“She isn’t safe there,” I said quietly, my mind still reeling.
“Safe?” he laughed. “She’s in a padded room and constantly monitored. There were six cameras on the corridor before we even got to the door. Nobody’s walking in.”
“There were men outside, waiting.”
