Ezra was quick to follow. The expression on his face was probably a mirror image of his own terror. They couldn’t let anything happen to her.
“Know what this is about?” his friend prodded.
A low sound escaped his throat. “Our pretty girl got herself in trouble.”
Ezra’s jaw clenched as he stepped forward and banged a tattooed fist against the door.
They waited in the painful silence for the voice on the other side to welcome them in.
It was almost a shoving match as Ezra grabbed the knob and twisted it, trying not to fling it open and give away their desperation.
The lump that had formed in his throat tightened. Willow was there, seated in the chair across from Xander Coughlin. Tentatively, she glanced in their direction.
Xan grinned. “As you can see, there are no other seats, but I’m sure you wouldn’t want to sit anyway.”
“What did you want to talk to us about?” Ryker asked, his tone careful.
A note of amusement danced across Xan’s features, the lines in his face deepening ever so slightly. “This sweet little thing here wants to free you meatheads.”
He didn’t think it was possible for that lump to get any bigger, but now he could hardly breathe.
Ezra spoke up. “Is that right?” Somehow, he managed to keep a cool and calculated tone.
“Yes.” He shifted excitedly, like this was the most fun he’d had in years. “Not quite surewhyshe is so intrigued by the two of you, however.” The tilt of his head said more than the words in his mouth.
“We had some fun with her,” Ryker replied. “That’s all.” If he played it nonchalant, maybe they could protect her from the worst.
Xan shook his head incredulously. “No, you wouldn’t spill your guts to some girl like this unless it was important. I know the two of you get around, and not once have any of your conquests come knocking.”
He expected Willow to show some sign of discomfort over the accusation of them fucking around, but she was stoic to her core.
“I know what you want, Mr. Coughlin,” Willow said softly, “and I can deliver it.”
Xan’s eyebrows flew up. “And how could you possibly know what I want? These two owe me time, and I’m not sure how you can deliver that. Except…” A threat twinkled in his eyes as he cocked his head to the side and let his gaze sweep across her. Ryker had never known Xan to pimp anyone out—that’s what Davidiuk would do. Was this just a way to get a rise out of them?
Willow breezed by the comment like it was nothing. “I know what Davidiuk did.”
The hint of amusement flickered briefly, but he wasn’t one to give everything away so quickly. “Oh? Care to elaborate?”
She nearly rolled her eyes. Damn it, she needed to be careful not to upset him, or it would be bad for all of them. “It’s not like it’s really a secret. I read all the articles about the rivalry between you two.” With a deep breath, she continued, “I can take him down.”
A dry laugh escaped him. “How is a little girl like you going to do that? Fucking him won’t do anything. He would probably just kill you after sharing you with his friends.”
The dig at her made Ryker and Ezra tense up even more than before. How was she so unbothered by this?
“I extorted two million from Smithton Care and AxisHealth each.” As she continued to rattle off her accomplishments, Xan’s expression hardly faltered, but there was a change.
Once she had finished, he laced his fingers together on his desk and stared off into the distance. Finally, he said, “And what’s to stop me from ordering these two to take you as a captive? If you’re as dangerous as you say, then why not make you a member of my team?” The grin was venomous as he leaned back in his chair.
“If I don’t give the signal to my partner in a specified window of time,” she said, “then you go down. Everything you’ve worked for will go to Davidiuk.” Willow straightened her spine, and he noted the slight shift of discomfort as she tried to rest her elbow on the arm of the chair.
“A partner now? And who is he?”
“Doesn’t matter,” she replied quickly. There were no nerves in her tone, but she was trying to maintain the upper hand. “If you agree to let Ryker and Ezra go, I will destroy Davidiuk. All of his assets and whatever else will belong to you. I can even plant some shit on him if you want—bring the feds in since the local police are in his pocket. If you try to take me hostage or something, though… everything you have will go to him instead.”
Xan drummed his fingers on his chin as he mulled it over. “You are a bargainer, that is for sure.”
Ryker and Ezra exchanged glances. The possibility of him going through with this had to be close to zero, but he really looked like he was considering every word she’d said.
