“That’s okay. Ryker will take me.” I absently motioned with my hand toward his motorcycle as I turned to see if Parker and Ryker had come to blows. Not yet, but they didn’t look far off, if body language was any indicator. They were actually talking, though, which I took as a good sign.
“Please tell me you’re not pointing to that motorcycle,” Mom said. The dismay in her tone had me whipping back around as an oh shit went through my head. Probably shouldn’t have mentioned the bike …
“Uh, well, um, yeah,” I stammered. “But it’s fine. It’s safe. Ryker’s a good driver—”
“You’ve ridden on it before?” she asked, appalled. “In the city?”
“I can take Sage home,” Parker interjected from where he stood. I hadn’t realized our conversation had carried to them, but now I saw both Ryker and Parker looking at us. Ryker’s expression was carefully blank. “It’s on my way,” Parker added.
On his way where, I had no clue, because Parker’s apartment was the opposite direction from mine, but before I could say anything, my father spoke.
“Thanks, Anderson. Knew I could count on you.” Dad led my mother to where their car stood waiting. In the next moment, they were in the backseat and the car was pulling away, leaving me with an angry Ryker and a Parker who was …
Yeah, I couldn’t gauge his mood at all.
“Let’s go,” Ryker said to me, beckoning.
I avoided Parker’s eyes as I hurried to Ryker, but Parker latched on to my arm as I passed him.
“Her parents think I’m taking her home,” he said.
“And they’re gone now, so it doesn’t matter,” Ryker said, taking my hand.
“So you’re going to lie to her parents, ten minutes after you’ve met them?”
“I didn’t lie to them. You did.”
Both of them had a hold of me and neither one was letting go.
“I’m taking her home,” Parker said. “I told them I would.”
“That’s too bad. Looks like your mouth got ahead of you. As usual.”
“Stop it! Both of you!” I said, irritated. “Tonight has been a disaster from start to finish and the last thing I want to do is put up with you two in a pissing contest.” I turned to Ryker. “Go on and go. It’ll be thirty minutes out of your way to take me home and you said you had to get in to work.”
“You’re my responsibility,” he stubbornly persisted. “I’ll take you.”
My already frayed temper lit up. “I’m not anyone’s responsibility,” I retorted, slipping off his jacket. “Least of all yours.” I thrust his coat at him before spinning on my heel and stalking off. After a few steps, I stopped and glanced back. “Parker, you taking me home or what?” I could get a cab, but from here, the fare wouldn’t be cheap and it was much preferable to ride in the clean confines of Parker’s BMW.
Parker shot Ryker a look that may have been triumphant, but I didn’t care. Ryker had pushed me too far tonight and I wasn’t about to become the bone between two alpha dogs.
Nothing tonight had gone like I’d wanted it to and now it seemed like a huge mistake to be dating Ryker at all. He was a dangerous kind of guy, with honey-come-get-me looks and sharp edges all around. Were we one of those couples where the only place we really fit well together was in bed?
Parker and I didn’t say much until we were on the road, then I took the opportunity to quiz him about Leo. Parker had acted like he’d known who he was and I didn’t see a better chance to find out, especially since I had significant doubts that Ryker would be forthcoming with information.
“So you knew that guy?” I asked. “Leo Shea?”
Parker glanced at me, then back at the road. “Yeah. Supposedly, he runs a drug trafficking ring that helps get narcotics into Chicago and distributed. They arrested him a few years ago, but the case got thrown out on a technicality. It was a big deal at the time.”
I vaguely remembered something about it, but watching the news had never been one of my favorite pastimes.
“He called Ryker ‘McCrady,’ ” I said. “I kept waiting for Ryker to correct him, but he didn’t. Instead, Leo said something about how he thought Ryker was supposed to be dead.”
That earned a sharp look from Parker. “What happened?”
“I intervened because Leo said something about taking Ryker for ‘a ride.’ ”
Parker was silent for a few moments and I waited impatiently. “Well?” I said at last. “What do you think it means?”
His gaze was steady when he replied. “I think it means that Ryker has a past he hasn’t told you about. And I think it’s extremely unfortunate that Leo Shea knows you’re involved with a man he knows as McCrady.”
Yeah, that’s what I’d been afraid he’d say. “You think maybe Ryker worked undercover or something? And that’s why Shea knows him?” We’d both been thinking it. I just put it into words.
“Yes, I do.”
“I wonder if Ryker had anything to do with him getting arrested then,” I mused.
“Probably.”
We pulled into the lot of my building and while I’d expected Parker to drop me off, he parked instead.
“You don’t have to walk me up,” I said. “I’ll be fine.”