“How do I look?” she asks, playfully striking a pose. The way Riley’s eyes glide over her body sends a wave of heat flooding her veins. The sensual way he licks his lips, watching her with an almost predatory intensity causes her breath to hitch.
“I get it now,” he says, stepping into her. His hands instinctively grip her hips, pulling her closer. She peers up at him. Tilting her head back, Liz lifts herself onto her tip toes, praying she has enough skin exposed to kiss him.
“Will you two cool it?” a voice like thunder calls from across the garage, followed by footsteps that match.
Liz jolts away, ripping the mask from her face before turning her anger on Alex.
“What is your issue today? I thought we were friends, but you’re still being a dick,” she practically yells, ignoring her guilt for being so mean.
“We are, but I’m not going to pretend I’m not pissed. Neither of you will listen to reason and only care about being together,” he snaps back. Alex glares at Riley who is moving to position himself between them.
“Yet you get to be with Tyler at all times? No one ever says a fucking word about you two being inseparable, but when we want to stick together, it’s a problem,” Liz barks, stepping around Riley.
His hands wrap around her once more. Riley may let her fight her own battles, but it will be a cold day in hell when he lets her give into the anger and actually swing at Alex.
“Scott doesn’t care about catching us! He wants Riley!” Alex shouts back. The other two men finally find their way over, looking ready to jump in if it comes to blows.
“Okay, smart guy. What’s his number one way to get Riley? Me. And if I’m with him, they won’t need to keep hunting. You two will still be out there fighting to end things. If I’m with you, we get caught, then they will end up with all five of us and you fucking know it. You have the willpower to leave us behind and do what needs to be done, but he won’t leave me, and you know damn well that I won’t leave him,” she says, leaning into the muscular arms snaking their way fully around her waist, morphing from holding her back to holding her close.
“You know she’s right, Alex,” Tyler finally says, speaking up for the first time since they started arguing over what route to take.
Liz softens, giving him the smallest amount of grace whenTyler slips his hand into Alex’s. None of what is happening is easy on any of them. She can only assume Alex is still grappling with the switch from their confident leader, back to his position under Riley’s command.
“If you get caught, I won’t bail your asses out. I’m not risking everything for your mistakes again,” Alex seethes, turning on his heels, and storming away.
Riley’s arms tense around her. Liz can feel how much that hurt him.
“He, uh, he has a lot going on right now,” Tyler says, clearly trying to smooth things over.
“He’s not the only one. Maybe getting space will do him some good, but he can’t keep snapping like this. We’re supposed to be a team, man. It’s getting harder to trust that he will have our backs when he fights every decision Ry makes,” Mikey explains.
Her heart sinks into her stomach. Tensions between the guys must be worse than she picked up on if Mikey is the voice of reason.
“Let’s just get going. What route does he want us to take?” Liz asks Tyler, hopeful that following Alex’s preferred route for them will ease the anger simmering within him before it erupts. She misses the tight pressure around her when Riley releases her from his grip.
They scan the map again, watching Tyler point to the lowest line drawn across it. Mikey gives him a curt nod before rolling the paper back up and handing it to Tyler.
Liz watches him go to Alex, seeming to argue quietly before getting into their blacked-out SUV and driving away. She hopes Tyler is right and things will go back to normal within the group once their names are cleared. Or, at least, what she knows as normal.
Maybe he had always been like this, butting heads with Riley’severy order. Both men had admitted to having a complicated relationship. Even after Alex explained some of their past, she didn’t expect to find jealousy at its root.
With a deep sigh, Liz goes to their own vehicle, helping load the bags into the trunk. Standing in a silent circle, the remaining three double check their weapons before climbing in. Insisting on driving, Riley gets in the front. Liz settles in next to him while Mikey clamors into the wide back seat, ready to take on the long road ahead.
CHAPTER 34
Three hours into the grueling, eleven-hour drive, and the tension still hasn’t eased from Riley’s body. Not wanting to make his mood worse, Liz resists the overwhelming urge to pry and get him to talk about his feelings. That much-needed conversation will come when their thirty-three-year-old child isn’t groaning in the back seat, complaining about being bored. They have taken to ignoring him, but he is relentless.
The car goes quiet. The hairs on the back of Liz’s neck stand at the feeling of being watched. She glances up, making eye contact with Mikey in the rearview mirror.
Liz pinches her lips together, trying to stifle the small laugh fighting to come out at the sight of Mikey raising his brows at her like the lead heartthrob in an old movie. Giving her head a little shake, she tries going back to watching the road ahead, but that only stirs him on.
The staring doesn’t stop until Liz meets his gaze. Every time she does, she is met with another childish gesture. A wink. A kiss. Waving at her under his chin like the Little Rascals, Mikey does anything he can to hold her attention. Meanwhile, she can seeRiley fighting for his life to keep quiet and let them do whatever stupid thing they are doing. That is, until her phone buzzes in her pocket.
Hey, good lookin. When are you going to get Ry to make me a mask?
Um, what? Since when do you want one?
Since always. Why does he get to be the only super cool, scary mask guy? Trauma? I can be traumatized too.
