Page 23 of More than Need

“What doIwant? What are you still doing here?”

“None of your business.”

“Wrong. You’re still parked at my police station.”

“Do you own it?”

Riley refused to answer that childish response.

Dawson sighed. “My car won’t start. Happy?”

He’d be happier if Dawson would leave him alone. And based on thegamehe played on his phone, that didn’t look to be happening any time soon.

“You didn’t think to call someone for help?” His car wouldn’t start, so he’d… decided to sit in it and play some strange word game on his phone?

“I tried. They didn’t answer. Now go away.”

“Try them again,” Riley said firmly. “You need to leave.” The sooner he did, the sooner Riley could be on his way.

“Can’t you just, like,pretendto be nice for once in your life?”

“No.”

“You didn’t even ask me what was wrong with my car.”

“Because I don’t care.” Riley didn’t know a lot about cars himself. He could change a tire, his oil, and jump-start his car if the need arose. Everything else he left to the professionals. Hehad insurance, his brother Kellan—who had been his primary mechanic for a long time—and Roadside Assistance.

Dawson sighed and leaned his head back against the seat. “I already told you; they’re not answering. They’ll call back when they get the message. Until then, I’m staying here.”

“Get out of the car,” Riley said, moving out of the way so he could.

“Am I under arrest?” Dawson asked sarcastically even as he complied. He tipped his head up and winced at the sun shining down on them. “Don’t you have to read me my rights first?”

“Do you have Roadside Assistance? RACV, AAMI, I don’t care who.”

“RACV. And no, I didn’t call them. Right now, I just want a ride home. I want another shower, a nap, and a juicy fuckin’ cheeseburger. Except that I’m late for a job I’m supposed to be on, and even my bosses aren’t answering their phones—it feels pointed and coordinated at this point—though one of them’s probably not answering because he’s cursing my name and preparing to do ritualistic things to me in some horrific murder and—”

Riley put a hand over his mouth, effectively shutting him up. “Be quiet.”

Heat flared in Dawson’s eyes, and Riley’s body responded, a shiver racing down his spine. He didn’t need to be attracted to this man on top of everything else. Whatever his body felt, it would be denied this. It had been lucky enough to get a taste of Gideon. He’d never been greedy, and he wouldn’t start now.

“My brother is a mechanic. We can leave your keys at the front desk, and he’ll check it out for you. In the meantime, if you promise to keep your mouth shut and not say even one more single goddamn fucking word today, I will give you a lift to wherever you want to go. Within reason; if it’s outside of Sydney, I’ll take you to the nearest train station.”

“Where would I be going outside of Sydney?” Dawson asked the second Riley lowered his hand.

“You didn’t even last five seconds,” Riley said in irritation.

“I’m sorry, are we starting now?” Dawson said sarcastically. “How can I tell you where I need to go if I can’t talk?”

“Fine,” Riley bit out. Did the man even knowhowto shut up? Riley had ways he’d like to do it. “Where do you need to go?”

The place he mentioned wasn’t outside of the city, at least, and not even all that far away. Small miracles. “What time were you supposed to be there?”

“I guess that depends what the time is now.”

Jesus fucking Christ. Riley leaned into the car and took the keys from the ignition before shuffling Dawson out of the way and closing the door and locking it. “Go sit in my car. And don’t touch anything.”

“Wouldn’t want my fingerprints used as evidence.”

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