Page 28 of Abundance of Obsession

“You look like shit,” he says to me, casting a bored glance at Nelson. “How long have you been playing with him?”

I shrug because it doesn’t matter. It could be two hours or two weeks. What matters is whether the message I’m sending reaches its target.

“Don’t tell me you mind the blood on my hands. I clearly remember the mess you leave behind when you play with your victims,” I finally say.

My psycho friend grins, amused. “I meant you seem tired.”

Now I explode with laughter too. I love this bastard. Only he understands me so well.

However, I can’t deny the fatigue he accuses me of.

I even feel a little sad that it’s time to end this fun. Now I’ll have to find something else to take my mind off a certain black-haired girl and her sassy mouth.

“Did you have an excellent date?”

“I did,” Ryker says. “I do. Ash is waiting in the car outside.“

The vision of his wife waiting for her husband’s return makes me smile wide. “You’re aware you don’t have much time, do you?”

“You don’t have to tell me. I’m sure ideas are already forming in her pretty little head that I came to torture someone and left her behind.”

Typical Ash.

“What do you have for me?”

“Not much. Nelson continues to idolize your father and demonize you. That’s Aiden’s doing. This guy here is a small fish.”

My brother nods. “There are and will be more of them. Matthews will try to undermine my authority—and yours.”

“We expected that.”

“Yeah… We have to cut this short or we’ll all be dead. For now, everything’s being done in hushed tones, but the more people they pull over to their side, the worse it’ll get.”

Nelson’s head hangs, and if it weren’t for the faint rise and fall of his chest, I would suspect he’d kicked the bucket too soon. That would piss me off even more. There’s nothing worse than plans going to shit.

“I think you should do the same. Target the most influential players; secure their interests. There’s nothing more loyal than someone who gets even richer thanks to you.”

“Or one whose life and the lives of their loved ones depend on me,” he adds.

I shrug again. “Sounds great to me. Give them what they need, and they’ll serve you well. But something big is coming, Ryker.”

His head turns, and now his full attention is on me. “What do you mean?”

There’s no other option. I have to tell him the truth. It’s an important piece of the puzzle. “A few days ago, I saw my father with Aiden and his father. And a couple other members of the Pact.”

“Eli, I thought your father was no longer involved with the Pact.”

I snort at those words. “You know better than anyone that the only way to leave the Pact is in a coffin. I knew he’d come back to town, but I don’t have a clue what he’s up to.”

“When was that?” he asks after a moment’s thought.

“About a week ago.”

“And you’re only telling me now?” Ryker’s eyes narrow, his eyebrows almost meeting. “Don’t you think that’s important news I should have known? What were you doing there?”

That last question is what I’ve been trying to avoid. I can’t tell him about the thing with Zoe. It’s impossible to explain the kiss I had to share with her to keep us from getting caught. And I certainly can’t tell him the truth—that while kissing her, I’d completely forgotten about the people across the street.

But I have to give him something, so I decide to skirt around the truth. “I picked Zoe up from a club and drove her home. They were at the restaurant across from her apartment.”