Page 51 of Ryder

He laughed good-naturedly.

I could feel myself disconnecting, so I plastered on a bright smile, which lasted right up until Sloane told me what had happened to her.We’d moved away from the alphas and gone over to the window, where we stared out at the strip.

“You were unconscious when they took you out,” I said.“It was the worst moment of my life.I’m so sorry that I called the Dawn Agency.I didn’t know what to do.”

Her hand closed over mine.“It’s not your fault, Em.How could you have known?I woke up on a gurney, some sick alpha fuck asking to inspect me.”She shuddered.“I was out of it still.I hit the bloody fire alarm and ran, with no idea where I was running to.I just kept going.That’s when I bumped into Art.”

“Art, as in the barman who makes amazing cocktails?”

“I don’t know about that,” she said.“I didn’t get to drink any cocktails after I woke up.I was pretty distracted.But yeah, Art.After he helped me escape the alpha zone, he had no job here.I have a weird feeling about that guy, like he’s a plant or something.”

“For the government?”

She shrugged.“No, I don’t think so.Maybe he’s working independently for someone else.Anyway, he helped me escape, then Jace picked me up and beat the shit out of the other alpha that wanted me.That’s when I went into heat.”

“Sloane, that is so freaking scary.The worst I got was being kicked out of the apartment.”

“Fuck,” she said.“Those bastards.”

“Yeah, I got a message yesterday saying the case had been reviewed.They signed it over to me as the surviving family member.Although, between you and me, I suspect Jude’s boyfriend, Derek, called in some favors.You know he works for that independent news agency—the one that keeps exposing government corruption.I think he has friends in positions of influence, not that I’m complaining.”

“Thank fuck for that,” she said.“What are you going to do now?It’s only two days until your graduation.”

“You can’t go,” Jace said, coming over to join us.“You know that, right?”

Her face softens.“I know.I want Jude to video it.I want to see everything, and you can come back and visit me, right?She can come back and visit, can’t she?”

“Of course,” Jace said.“Any fucking time she likes.”

I could sense Ryder’s eyes on me.It seemed like my cue to leave.

“I’m going to call Jude,” I said.“To see if he’s free.Would you—” I turned toward Ryder, noting the tension around his eyes and the way a tic began thumping in his jaw.“Would you walk me to the gate?”

“Sure,” he said easily.“Anything you want.”

It was time for me to go back home.I felt it.This entire experience has been surreal, but I needed some normality.I was still a beta, and he was still an alpha, so it was never going to work.The more time I spent around Sloane and Jace, the more this dawned on me.

“I’ll sort everything out at home.”Only it wasn’t Sloane’s home anymore.“Send me a list of stuff you want me to bring back, and I’ll come back after graduation.”

“Did you get any job offers?”she asked.

“Yeah,” I said.“I got the grades I needed, and Cartwrights offered me a job.”

“Oh, my god, that’s fantastic,” she said.“That was the one you wanted, wasn’t it?Your first choice?”

“Yeah,” I agreed.“They want me to start next week.”A week ago, I’d been hoping for this offer, but now I felt flat.

I shot a message to Jude, who texted straight back, saying he was picking up Jewels and would be straight over.

“I’ll see you in a few days,” I said as I rose and gave Sloane a hug.

Then I was leaving, Ryder walking beside me like a looming presence.

“You don’t need to go,” he said.“You can come back whenever you like.You could stay, if you wanted to.”

I stopped before the gate, and my eyes searched his, noting how his face hardened.

“But I understand,” he said, a note of bitterness in his voice.“Who would want to live here?”

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