Page 128 of White Raven
“Noshit,” Brandon ground out.
“Get some clothes on, we really need to talk. I’ve been waiting way too long to sit down with you, Northwood. But for once, I’m glad St. James is in my corner when it comes to Ryan Sykes. Don’t worry about them. Not yet. It really is Ryan we need to be focused on.”
“And why the fuck is that?” Rhaena growled.
“She’s your cousin, Gloves.”
“Should I come to you, sir?” Ryan asked, taking a drag from her cigarette as she stood at the bus station outside Richmond. Sarah and the redhead had already rented a car andwere well on their way to Baltimore now. Ryan called to the raven, but he refused to comply and followed after the woman he seemingly decided for himself to pledge allegiance to.
“No. You’ve done as you were asked. If she’s coming for me, then you may not be safe anymore. You’re…free.”
Free…it sounded so good, but so prickly.
“And my father? My family?”
He was silent for a moment.“If you’ve thought me a fool and undermined me…there will be grave consequences. I’m choosing to believe you’re not that foolish. As soon as she steps into this room, the clock on your father’s sentence runs out. Not a moment before.”
Ryan nearly choked. “Thank you, master.”
“Ryan…”
“Yes, sir?”
“I have eyes on every single one of them. One word from me, and they perish. If you deceive me…you damn them all.”Her spine curled under the weight of the chill that slowly crept down it. But he continued,“And you damn the little side interest you assumed I didn’t know about in Boston.”
Leigh…no.
“Please…” she choked, dropping her cigarette. “She’s innocent in all this.”
“Did I not warn you to keep your promiscuity to a minimum? You should have learned by now not to collect any collateral. Her innocence no longer matters. The fact that you’re begging for her life leads me to believe that you’ve done the opposite of what I asked of you. How disappointing.”
“I’ve never betrayed you. You never told me I couldn’t indulge myself.”
“That’s an interesting choice of words, Ryan. The clock is ticking. Bide your time wisely.”
He hung up, and Ryan slowly lowered the phone from her face, staring blankly forward, and then at the bus routes. She was a very long way from Boston. Taxis lined the terminal outside the bus station, and she rushed toward one, flagging it down.
“Airport, please. Step on it.”
CHAPTER 24
THE CHOICES WE’VE MADE
Brent had convinced her to stop in for a bite to eat, but the idea of this being a date seemed stupid as hell now, as he watched Wren push her food around her plate with the screech of her fork.
“Is the ‘nails on a chalkboard’ technique my punishment for dragging you out to a rich-boy restaurant?” He smirked, chewing his food. Wren paused her scraping, and her mouth curved into a smile that suggested she hadn’t thought about that part.
“Well…when you put it that way,” she grinned, scratching the fork harder into the plate, and making his teeth hurt with the sound.
Brent winced and pointed his fork at her. “There she is.”
Wren huffed a laugh through her nose. “Sorry. I’m just—still trying to understand the load that just got dumped on my chest.”
“Might understand it better if you read whatever is in that envelope. You were brilliant, by the way,” he nodded backward towards the entrance to the eatery. “Back there? With Ambrose?”
Wren chuckled and shook her head. “Nah, see…she politely handed me myass, and as I’m not accustomed to that, I suddenly feel the urge to take back what I said, and go shit on all her sterile utensils.”
Brent cackled, nearly spitting out his food, and catching it with his hand. Wren exploded, leaning over her plate and slapping a hand to her mouth.
