Bully Payback (Taking Revenge on Her Bully Book 1) Page 12

  Bodies.

  There were bodies all over the floor.

  I carefully stepped around them, wondering what had happened to all these people or who they were. Maybe they were Ryker’s men or Calavera’s enemies. Either way, I didn’t think they had any weapons on them or anything useful, and I really didn’t want to touch them.

  The balcony. I had to focus on the balcony.

  Once I found my way to the door, I burst through it, taking a gulp of fresh air. Looking around me, I was relieved that no one was around to see me. Thick vines and tree branches were just next to the balcony, and I took a better look at them so I could figure out how I could climb down.

  But then I spotted one of the guards between the trees, and I crouched, trying to make myself as small as possible. I waited, holding my breath, but I didn’t hear anything. If the guard had spotted me, he would’ve sounded the alarm or shouted for help.

  They still hadn’t discovered I was gone from my room, but they could figure it out at any moment, so I had to move quickly. If I got caught now, there was no way I’d get another chance. They’d probably have me under constant supervision or keep me tied up or drugged.

  Once the guard was no longer in sight, I climbed over the railing. Holding onto the railing with one hand, I reached out for the vines with the other. When I was sure they’d be able to support my weight, I let go of the railing, and then I slowly started climbing down.

  Leaves tickled my arms and face, and my foot slipped a few times, but I always managed to find a branch strong enough.

  A shout made me freeze, and I wanted to disappear into the leaves, my stomach dropping. I waited for someone to fire their gun or try to get to me, but it looked like the shouts were coming from a different direction.

  They hadn’t figured me out yet. I breathed out a sigh of relief and kept climbing down.

  But before I could reach the ground, the branch I was standing on gave way under me. And then I was falling. I grabbed for the vines and branches, but it didn’t help.

  A grunt escaped me as I fell to the ground, pain shooting through my ankle like fire. I sat down, letting out a hiss. My ankle was throbbing. Shit.

  I’d hurt myself. Now how was I going to get away from here? I wouldn’t be able to run, not like this. Fuck.

  Something rustled in the distance, and I pressed myself closer to the ground. If I couldn’t run, then maybe I could crawl. I hadn’t seen a fence of any kind, and I hoped there wasn’t one hidden in the trees.

  Maybe Calavera thought that this place was remote enough that he didn’t need a fence, or maybe he’d just recently bought this house. I was grateful for all the bushes and greenery, though, because at least they offered me some protection.

  I crawled over to the nearest bush as fast as I could, ignoring the pain in my ankle. A guard came into view, and I ducked down. How could I get out of here?

  I supposed I needed to wait for the guard to move. But what if they realized I was gone by then? Would they know where to look for me? How many men did they even have here?

  I peered through the bushes again. And then I heard more shouts.

  “Find her!” someone yelled.

  Oh fuck.

  They knew I’d escaped, and now they’d send everyone to look for me. I pushed myself to my feet. No matter how much it hurt, I’d have to try to make a dash for the trees. It was the only way.

  But before I could do that, a man popped out from behind one of the trees. And he was looking straight at me. His mouth opened.

  It was over.

  It was all over.

  Chapter 31

  I EXPECTED THE GUY to shout and rush toward me, but a shadow appeared behind him and slashed his throat. A gasp escaped me as I backed away, unsure if anyone was here to help me or for some other reason.

  I couldn’t trust anyone. Calavera probably had plenty of enemies, and maybe someone had found him here. It would be crazy to think that I could count on them for help, especially if they also thought they could use me against Ryker.

  But the man with the knife stepped forward, his gaze on me. “She’s here!” he yelled, and I didn’t know what to think.

  He didn’t look like he was one of Calavera’s men, but I couldn’t see what was on his jacket either since it was too dark.

  I was about to run for cover when another man came into view. It took me only a second to recognize him. Ryker.

  What the hell was he doing here? Relief mixed with confusion and hesitation. He might not be here for me at all. Maybe I was just an excuse for him to attack Calavera.

  But then he broke into a run toward me, his eyes wide, his face overcome with relief. “Lexi!” Before I knew what was going on, he pulled me into his embrace, his arms tightly wrapping around me as if he was afraid that I wasn’t real.

  “Are you okay?” He looked me up and down as he placed his hands on each side of my face.

  I stared at him as I gave him a small nod, and then somehow, his lips were on mine, and it was hard to focus on anything else. His mouth moved against mine, his tongue pushing past my lips. I kissed him back, my arms snaking around him.

  For some reason, doing that felt just right.

  But then someone fired their gun, and Ryker pushed me behind one of the trees, shielding me with his body. I winced, and his brow furrowed.

  “Did I hurt you?” he asked.

  “No. I slipped and hurt my ankle. I guess it’s sprained.”

  “Okay. Stay behind me. I won’t let anything happen to you.” He had his gun out and he was looking around. When one of his men appeared, Ryker waved at him to move forward.

  “What are you doing here?” I whispered when I was sure that there wasn’t anyone nearby who was a threat to us. Judging by the sounds of gunfire, the fight was mostly on the other side of the house.

  “I came for you,” he said. “And I’ll get you out of here. I promise.”

  I blinked at him, wondering if maybe I’d fallen and hit my head, so all that was happening right now was a product of my delirious mind. But as I placed my hand on Ryker’s arm, I realized that he was real.

  Totally real.

  He’d come for me. Could it be true? Was that really the only reason he was here? And did it even matter if he was going to save me anyway? But he was right here with me, not with his men.

  He could be fighting Calavera right now and be a hero to his men, but still, he chose to stay with me. Why? It was so weird. Could he really care about me?

  “How did you escape them?” he asked.

  I pointed at the balcony. “Climbed through the window, reached the balcony, and then got down from there.”

  His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Impressive.”

  “What was your plan?”

  “You saved me a lot of trouble, actually. I was about to hand myself over to Calavera in exchange for you, and my men were supposed to find a way to get us both out of here.”

  “I thought Calavera wanted to kill you.”

  “Yeah, probably, but I was hoping I could stall him. If not, then at least you’d be safe. We had a plan to make sure of that.” His eyes met mine and I didn’t think he was lying about that.

  “Why? Why would you do that for me?”

  “Well, you ended up in this mess because of me.”

  “Yeah, but why risk your life for me?” I searched his eyes for an answer.

  “Lexi, when I said that I liked you, I really meant. And what kind of person would I be if I let you die because of me?”

  Um, you?

  You had zero problems putting me in juvie, where all kinds of things could’ve happened to me. So why care now?

  I bit down on my lip. Maybe he’d really changed.

  A man rushed toward us with a shout, but Ryker fired at him before he could reach us.

  “I’m really sorry about this,” Ryker said, glancing over his shoulder at me. “It shouldn’t have happened. You shouldn’t have gotten dragged into my shit. I should’ve warned
you just how dangerous being around me is.”

  “Boss!” one of Ryker’s men raced toward us. “We’ve got him.”

  “Calavera? Is he alive?” Ryker asked.

  “Yes, boss.”

  “Have you caught all of his men? We don’t want anyone to escape this place.”

  The guy nodded.

  “Okay. Help Lexi to the car and make sure she’s safe. If anything happens to her, I’ll blow your head off. Got it?”

  “Yes, boss.”

  “Lexi, Roy will take good care of you. There’s something I need to handle first, but I’ll be back as soon as I can. Okay?”

  “Yeah.” I didn’t really want him to leave, but what choice did I have? I didn’t want to watch him execute Calavera either, even though the dark part of me would find it satisfying.

  As Roy helped me to one of the cars, I couldn’t stop thinking about Ryker. He had come for me. He wouldn’t have let me die. Did I dare to believe it?

  Or was it all just a part of the elaborate game that he was playing with me? I didn’t think so, but maybe I was deluding myself. This probably meant that he hadn’t found out I’d planted a bug in his office or that I had collected evidence against him.

  And after tonight, I wasn’t even sure what I wanted to do with that anymore. What if he’d really changed? Or maybe he’d just started his path to becoming a better person? What if he was trying to do better but didn’t know just yet how to do it?

  What if I could help him with that. Maybe I should try that instead of ruining him.

  Or maybe that kiss was messing with my mind. I’d almost died tonight, and I needed some time to properly process things.

  I was stalling, wasn’t I?

  Chapter 32

  “ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE me home?” I asked Ryker.

  He and I were in the back seat of his car, but I had no clue where the driver was taking us. It didn’t look like we were going in the direction of his house or my apartment.

  “Unfortunately, I can’t do that.” His fingers brushed mine.

  “Why not?” I tensed. Maybe I wasn’t safe after all.

  “Dangerous people are still after me, and I don’t want something like this to happen again. Until it’s safe, you need to stay with me. We’re going to one of my safe houses. But if you’d prefer not to be around me after what happened, I understand. I can leave you with my men to protect you.”

  He was worried about my safety. Oh hell.

  “Okay. I get it. I don’t want to get kidnapped again either. But why don’t you tell me who those men are? Why are they after you? What do they want?” I tilted my head at him.

  He licked his lips. “We’re going to talk about that some other time.”

  Right. Always avoiding the most important topics. I glanced through the window and sighed.

  A few minutes later, the car came to a stop. Ryker quickly got out and opened the door for me. I took his hand and he pulled me up to my feet. But before I could take a step forward, he swept me into his arms.

  “What are you doing?” I breathed as I wound my arm around his neck.

  “You sprained your ankle. You shouldn’t be walking on it.” He offered me a small smile and carried me toward the entrance of a one-story house.

  After his men made sure that we weren’t in any danger, we entered the house. It was kind of nice and cozy. Simple. In dark brown tones. So much unlike Ryker’s mansion.

  Ryker laid me down on an incredibly soft king-size bed, and I rested my head on the pillows as I gazed up at him.

  “I’ll be right back,” he said, and headed for the door. I spread my arms and sighed. Maybe I didn’t have to think about anything for a few days. Maybe I could just be here with Ryker and observe him.

  He returned with a first-aid kit in his hand and he set it on the bed. “Let’s take a look at your ankle.”

  “It’s fine. I just need some rest.”

  “Yeah, you do, but I can still take a look.” He sat down on the bed and pushed the leg of my pants up.

  My lips parted as his fingers grazed my skin. He gently removed my shoe and my sock, and I was having trouble thinking as he wrapped up my injured ankle. His fingers moved up my leg, making my breath hitch.

  His touch was driving me crazy, and it looked like he was perfectly aware of it. After he removed my other shoe, he massaged my toes and rubbed my feet, which felt so damn good that I let out a content sigh.

  “Can I take off your pants?” he asked, his gaze focusing on my knees. My pants were torn in more than one place, so I gave him a small nod.

  Maybe that was a mistake, because when he got on top of me and unbuttoned my pants, heat pooled low in my stomach. I lifted my hips so he could pull my pants down my legs.

  Longing filled his eyes, but he reached for the first-aid kit. After he dipped a piece of gauze in antiseptic, he gently pressed it to the bloody scratches on my knees.

  “Tell me if it hurts,” he said, watching me carefully.

  “It’s fine.” I didn’t give a damn about the sting because I was enjoying way too much the way he was looking at me and touching me.

  “I blew it, didn’t I?” he said, and I blinked at him in confusion. “My chance with you. After this is over, I’m sure you’ll never want to see me again.”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t decided yet.” And I wasn’t even lying about that. “But I’m so tired.” I tried to get comfortable, but something was missing.

  “Wait, I’ll be your pillow.” Ryker put away the first-aid kit, and then settled on the bed next to me.

  Our gazes locked, and for a moment, I could pretend that we were just two regular people. He spread his arms, and I rolled over into his embrace, resting my head on his chest.

  “Wow, this is really comfortable. I like this pillow.” I patted his chest as I looked up at him with a grin.

  “I’m glad to hear it.”

  I closed my eyes, snuggling close to him. Was it stupid that I felt safe with his arms around me?

  I should be running away screaming.

  I should feel disgusted with myself for enjoying this.

  But maybe I was too exhausted for it. Maybe I just need some peace and quiet.

  Ryker pulled a blanket over me, and then he wrapped his arms around me. His mouth brushed the top of my head. I didn’t move, pretending that I’d already fallen asleep because a part of me was curious about what he was going to do.

  “I don’t know what I would’ve done if something had happened to you,” he whispered.

  Did he know that I was awake? Did he really mean it? And if he did, then what was I going to do?

  I had no idea if I could forget everything he’d done to me.

  I had no idea if I wanted to give us a chance.

  It was so weird to even think about it. It was something that just wasn’t supposed to happen.

  You like him, Lexi. He likes you. Why not see where that might lead you? Think of him as the new Ryker.

  One you still have to explore.

  One whose secrets you still have to uncover. You can always go back to revenge later if he fails you again.

  With those thoughts, I drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter 33

  “HEY, YOU’RE CHEATING!” I smacked Ryker on the shoulder, and he let out a laugh.

  We were playing video games, and it was so much fun that I’d forgotten the outside world existed. I picked up a spoonful of chocolate ice cream from the bowl that was on the floor next to me and nearly missed my mouth as I had to keep pressing the right buttons on my controller so I wouldn’t lose the game.

  “Okay. You win!” Ryker dropped his controller and lifted his hands up in defeat.

  “Of course I do.” I grinned at him.

  “You have some ice cream right...” He focused on my lips, dipping his head toward me. “Here.” He placed the softest of kisses on the corner of my mouth, licking off the ice cream. His eyes were full of fire when they met mine.

  I stared a
t him for a moment, desire building up inside me. And then I grabbed the bowl of ice cream and tipped it above my leg. “It looks like I have some right here too.”

  A smile spread across his lips, and he lowered himself so he could lick the ice cream off my leg. Oh hell. That felt so damn good, and so damn right.

  I pulled away from him, pushing myself up to my feet as I grabbed the bowl. After placing it on the bed, I pulled my shirt over my head.

  Ryker was looking at me with fascination, his lips parted.

  “No,” I said when he started to push himself up to his feet, and he fell back to his knees.

  Reaching behind me, I unhooked my bra and tossed it away. I knew exactly what I wanted, and I no longer wanted to deny myself.

  These past few days that we’d spent in this house had been different. We were just Ryker and Lexi. He wasn’t a gang leader, and I wasn’t the girl with a broken past who only thirsted for revenge. Maybe it was stupid to ignore all that, but I wanted him.

  I wanted him the way he was right now at this moment, with his hair ruffled and a boyish smile on his face.

  I yanked my pants and underwear down, and he gasped. Curling my finger at him in an invitation, I let myself fall down on the bed, and then I spilled the bowl of ice cream all over my body. It was cold and I shivered, but I didn’t care.

  Ryker climbed on the bed, his hungry gaze on me, and all of a sudden, I wasn’t cold at all. He lowered his mouth to my foot, leaving a path of kisses up my leg. His tongue darted out, licking off the ice cream and spreading fire through me.

  His mouth brushed my inner thighs, his nose nudging my center, but I buried my fingers into his hair and yanked him up. He winced, but he didn’t seem to mind. His tongue circled around my belly button, and when his mouth finally closed around my nipple, I let out a small cry.

  He nipped and sucked, his tongue twirling around my hard bud. When he focused his attention on my other breast, I toyed with his hair. His hands trailed up and down my legs, and his every touch sent tremors of delight through me.

  I grasped the soft strands of his hair again and pushed him down, spreading my legs wide for him. He grinned at me before dipping his tongue inside my wetness. My every thought fled me and dissipated as he pushed his tongue in and out of me, finding just the right rhythm.