“Oh?” Ezra asked.
“Yes. A friend.”
“What kind of friend?” Ryker drew closer, pinning her body to Ezra so she couldn’t wriggle away.
“Online. I’ve never met him in person.”
Ezra chimed in. “And some guy you’ve never met is the first person you talk to?”
A frustrated sound bubbled from her throat. “He’s my only friend, okay? The only person I’ve been able to confide in and who gives a crap about me.”
“Why?” Ryker asked, his wild hair falling into his eyes.
“I met him when I was still recovering and playing a game. I was miserable and lonely, and everything was crashing down on me at once.” The tears forming at the corners of her gorgeous eyes sent a pang of guilt to his chest. “He’s the one who got me into hacking and is the only reason I’m not bankrupt.”
Ry’s frown deepened. “And what did you have to give him? Does he have a bunch of pictures of your tits?”
She shoved at him. “No. He’s never demanded a thing from me. I’m not stupid, and I know how men on the internetandreal life are. If he’d ever acted like a creep, I would have blocked him.” She shrugged. “And he’s gay anyway.”
“What does he get out of it then?” Ezra asked carefully.
“I don’t know, maybe he likes being my friend,” she replied.
“So, what is it you do? You give people money?” Ryker asked to change the topic.
The tension in her shoulders eased. “Yeah. I find other people who are struggling to pay medical bills. It’s usually through donation sites. Some people are full of shit and making it up, but I can usually find out who is a fraud. Sometimes those things are set up by other people, though, so I will track down the careprovider and pay directly. The person I’m trying to help now is a coworker who busted her knee last year.”
“Why spend all this money on them?” Ezra asked. “Don’t you want to stop working?”
“Because it’s the right thing to do. I have no need for millions, and the companies I take it from definitely don’t. Sometimes it’s their own employees they’re fucking over.”
Ryker scoffed and shook his head. “You’re a saint, pretty girl.”
That got a dry laugh out of her. “I don’t think a saint would have appreciated being fucked by two guys in the dirt.”
Ezra pulled her into another embrace. “We weren’t made for saints. You’re still better than us, though.”
A flicker of something passed in her eyes as he said that, something he didn’t want to face.
Chapter 30
Willow
“Okay, but for real… Do you not like kimchi?” Willow asked with incredulity.
Ezra backed her into the counter and boxed her in with an arm at either side. He leaned down and brushed the tip of his nose against hers. She liked being this close without hiding.
His lips ghosted over hers, and she felt her breath catch in her throat.
“I don’t like rotten cabbage,” he whispered.
“Oh, bullshit,” Ryker scoffed from the table where he was setting out their dinner. Ramen, as promised, with soft-boiled eggs, frozen vegetables, and some steak they had found in the chest freezer. “I’ve seen you eat sauerkraut.”
“That’s different,” Ezra retorted with a finger pointed in his friend’s direction. “Sauerkraut isn’t spicy and doesn’t have any of that other stuff.”
Willow sighed. “It’s okay to be wrong.” She took his hand as soon as he attempted to make an indignant noise at her comment. “I’m just kidding.”
As they sat down, she couldn’t help but wonder what the day-to-day would look like if she were somehow able to be with both of them. They got along well, but that didn’t mean it would translate to sharing a girlfriend.
