Their boss’s gaze swept across them, and that devious grin returned. “Ryker will accompany you to do whatever it is you need.” He waved a hand. “But Ezra will be staying here withme.” Xan fixed her with a hard stare. “Make no mistake. If you try something to double-cross me, then he will die.”
A flicker of unease brought her brows together. “Why would you kill someone if they’re paying?”
“Because, sweetling,” he drawled, “the debt has been paid many times over. This is aboutsomuch more.” Xan leaned forward. “No one takes from me.Ever.”
“All I want is to get them out,” Willow replied coolly. “I could be rich and lounging on a beach any time I want. I choose to help other people, and I’m choosing to help them.”
“Very well,Ness. We’ll be speaking again shortly.” Xan’s gaze flicked toward Ryker. “Escort your ladylove.” Then, he stood and straightened his coat. “Let’s see if she has the bite to match her bark.”
***
Willow would hardly look in his direction as they meandered through the streets. How the fuck did she even get out here to his office? Had she taken an Uber?
“Willow,” he muttered as their feet pounded against the cold sidewalk. The air held a chill that sank deep into the bones, and a light breeze only made it go deeper. “Where are we going?”
“It’s near his office. My friend planted the devices already, but we need to get to the meeting point.”
Ryker reached out to take her arm, but she tried to wrench away.
“Don’t, Willow… just wait.” He got a light grip and pulled her into an alley. There weren’t many people around, so the likelihood of someone interrupting was slim. Her big blue eyes were filled with pain. “This is crazy, you know that, right?”
“I know!” she choked out. “I know. But I can’t let you go.”
He leaned in, pressing his body against her until they were flush with the cold brick. Ryker tipped her chin up and pressed his lips to hers in a slow kiss. The first test of his tongue was like a message to every muscle in her body, and he felt her go lax in his grip.
Perfect. He loved the way she responded to him.
When he pulled back, he could see tears in the corners of her eyes. He reached up and brushed them away with the pad of his thumb. “Oh, baby girl. Don’t cry for us.”
“The plan is that I won’t have to.”
A chuckle escaped him. She was dead serious about this, and he was too. “Tell me what I need to do, if anything. I’m not really a computer guy.”
Willow grinned. “Yeah, I figured. Like I said, my friend—”
“Your online friend?” he prodded, his tone only a little demanding. He couldn’t entirely say there was no jealousy, but this friend was clearly important to her.
“Yeah, he showed up when I disappeared. And again, he’s gay and taken.” She bumped her shoulder against him. “You wouldn’t need to worry anyway. I can have friends. Plus, how do I know you haven’t been fucking around?” she teased. “Your boss seems to think you two are a little slutty.”
“I guess you’ll just have to trust us,” he said, “We’ve been having a hard time getting over you.”
She sighed. “Then you’ll need to trust me, too.”
A disbelieving grumble erupted from his throat, but he worked to push it back down. “Fine. You’re right. So, what is your not-boyfriend doing?”
Willow clutched the fabric of his coat around his hips and yanked him forward so he was pressed against her. “He already planted devices for our plans. Now we just need to get to the rendezvous.”
The corner of his mouth hitched up. “You sound like a little criminal.”
She brought his face to hers again for another kiss, sweeping her tongue through his mouth and igniting that fire inside that made him want to pin her against the wall. “If you don’t stop, I might just drag you deeper into this alley and fuck you ‘til you forget your own name.”
“Once you and Ez are free, you can do whatever the fuck you want,” she breathed against his lips.
“Are you sure about that, pretty girl?” He reached down and cupped her ass. His dick was already straining against his jeans, and every second he wasn’t buried in her was torture.
“Yep,” she replied with certainty. “I want the two of you to fucking wreck me. Even more than when you had me pinned in the woods.”
His fingers tightened on her waistband. “Fuck, Willow.” He pulled back. Every nerve ending screamed at him to fuck her against this brick wall.
