Page 174 of Wanna Play A Game?
I shake my head, running my hands through my hair. “You were supposed to give me three months.”
“That’s too long,” Sawyer snaps.
“No, it isn’t! What are you afraid of? That she’ll forget you?”
A tick runs across Sawyer's jaw. Miles looks uncomfortable. So that’s it. They’re afraid that because she ran, she doesn’t want them.
A pang of guilt hits me hard.
I growl, “What if you bring her here, and she fights you for the rest of her life? Would you still want it?”
Sawyer answers immediately, “Yes.”
I glance at Miles. He shrugs. “She wouldn’t. We fucked up before. We won’t again.”
I see the conviction in both their eyes. They won’t give this up. I tried, and they won’t.
Miles’ voice comes out soft, “If we bring her here, you won’t have to worry about her betraying us. There’s nowhere for her to go. No one for her to talk to.”
I clench my fingers tighter. “There’s always that possibility.”
“So get to know her so she doesn’t!” Miles says. “Not everyone is like your family, Ryder. We won’t lose her.”
The room is full of silence. My heart pangs. I don’t want to lose anyone. I want to hold my men so close they can’t get themselves killed.
Miles asks softly, “Safety concerns aside, do you have anything against her?”
Do I? I’ve been torn on this all week. She’s feisty, opinionated, and reckless. Beautiful and strong and continually runningaround in my head. But…she’s not in my routine. I didn’t vet her. All of a sudden, she was there, in my house and my room, destroying my stuff. Turning me on without even trying.
Miles looks so fucking scared of my answer it makes me want to reach out and give him a hug. Promise him I’ll never leave him, regardless of what psycho he brings into our home. Hot little psycho.
I suck in a deep breath. I can’t believe I’m about to do this. “There’s something you need to know. About when Cali ran."
Chapter 88
Cali
Ipace the length of my room for the five hundredth time today. My legs buzz with energy, and walking does nothing to get rid of it.
I shake out my hands and glance at the bed. “Should I?”
Halloweiner ignores me. He just twitches his tail and continues to pretend to sleep.
“Ugh. I’m doing it.” I snatch up some cash and my fake ID. I glare at the phone Ryder gave me. Will I want it? It was completely new - still in the cellophane - and there’s nearly nothing on it. I spent the first day creating a fake email and making social media accounts for my fake name.
I snatch it up. No one goes without their phone anyway. I don’t want to stand out. It’s weird how quickly I got used to not having it when I was with the boys.
No! Fuck, Cali. Stop thinking about them.
I square my shoulders, checking myself in the mirror before I go. Ryder left an obscene amount of money with me. On thethird day, I finally got out of my own depressed filth and bought all new clothes. It didn’t even make a dent in the cash.
I readjust my shirt. It’s uncomfortable. I miss the oversized shirts that smelled like them. I catch a glimpse of the hair care on the counter. The same exact things I asked Miles to get.
My throat clenches.
Christ! Get it together, woman. We’re happy now. Smile.
I plaster on a fake grin and march downstairs. There’s a hotel bar here, and it’s been on my mind endlessly. I’ve told myself I won’t go. Then I’ve told myself that I will — that I’m my own woman and can decide what to do.
