The look on his face and tone of his voice said he wasn’t going to take no for an answer, so I didn’t argue, even though I wasn’t dressed for riding on the back of his motorcycle.
A few minutes later, he’d tossed on his shirt and jacket and I was hiking up my skirt to climb on behind him. I had no time to change into jeans or I’d be late. Since it was getting colder, I had on nylons and I prayed I wouldn’t get a run in them. Burying my face against the leather jacket covering Ryker’s back to shield me from the wind, I closed my eyes and hung on.
Ryker had looked carefully around before we’d taken off, wanting to see if anyone was following us, I’d assumed. But we made it to my work without incident, pulling up right outside the door. People turned to look and I felt my face get hot. Being the center of attention wasn’t really my thing.
The motorcycle had barely stopped, engine still running, before I was hurrying to get off so Ryker could be on his way. My skirt was so far up my thighs, I knew I was flashing people as I struggled to climb off the bike, then suddenly a hand was there to help me. Glancing up, I saw it was Parker just as Ryker turned off the engine.
“Classy way to bring a woman to work, Ryker,” he said, his sarcasm thick. “Did you buy her the blue plate special for breakfast, too?”
“I was going to help her, asshole,” Ryker retorted. “She didn’t wait.”
“It’s fine,” I interrupted, righting myself and jerking down the hem of my skirt, though not before both of them had gotten an eyeful.
“Take her inside and don’t let her go anywhere today,” Ryker said to Parker, whose eyes narrowed at the order.
“Why?”
I rolled my eyes. “He’s overreacting,” I said.
Ryker ignored me. “Because Shea knows she works here, and where she lives. He sent someone last night with a message for me. I don’t want her going anywhere alone.”
I couldn’t really disagree with that—the thought of that guy made me shudder—but neither did I want to be a burden or danger to anyone else.
“I’ll be careful,” I said, trying to placate him.
“I’m not into taking chances,” Ryker said. “And if there’s one thing I know you’ll do, it’s obey your boss.”
The tension between the three of us grew tenfold with that little pronouncement and I glared at him.
“I’ll make sure she’s okay,” Parker said.
I glanced up at him, but his face was unreadable and his eyes hidden behind sunglasses.
“I’m late for work,” I said to whoever cared. I was going to walk away, but remembered Ryker and his appointment with Leo today and I paused. Leaning over to where he still sat on the back of the motorcycle, I hugged him.
“Be careful,” I said in his ear. His hand curved around the back of my neck and I felt his lips brush my cheek, then I stepped back. Parker tugged me onto the sidewalk as Ryker fired up the bike. He sent one last glance our way, then shot down the street.
Parker took my elbow and guided me into the building. I put on the brakes in the lobby.
“Wait, I need to go get your breakfast,” I said. “And your coffee.”
“It’s fine,” he said. “I’ll take an early lunch. And there’s coffee upstairs.”
Sensing that there was no point arguing, I followed him into the elevator. I knew what was coming and I was right, though he waited until we’d settled and had gotten coffee before calling me into his office.
“What happened last night? Who accosted you? What did they do?”
The questions were rapid-fire as Parker leaned back in his chair. His gaze was intent, his expression grim.
I didn’t like being treated like a fragile flower to be locked inside a cabinet for safekeeping, but I didn’t see that I could not tell Parker what he wanted to know.
“It was nothing,” I lied, walking toward the windows so I didn’t have to look at him as I told this whopper. “Just this guy being all scary and telling me that my boyfriend was wanted by the great Leo Shea. I was supposed to pass on the message.”
“And if you didn’t? Did he threaten to hurt you?”
I swallowed, staring out at the gray sky. “He said he’d kill me.”
Silence.
“Did he have a weapon?”
“A knife.”
More silence, even heavier than last time. Reluctantly, I turned around.
“Ryker’s going to meet with Leo today,” I said. “He said he and his … chief … had a plan, but he didn’t tell me what it was.”
“He’s right. You need to have someone watching over you,” he said.
I didn’t reply, instead sinking onto a chair opposite his desk. “It made me angry,” I confessed.
“Ryker?”
“No. Leo. How dare he send some flunky to do that? Try and scare me? And … I couldn’t do anything about it. The helpless feeling … just made me angrier. I couldn’t fight back, didn’t know how.”
“You shouldn’t have to,” he said.
“In a perfect world, I guess,” I said with a shrug. “But it’s not a perfect world, is it?”