Playing Dirty (Risky Business, #2)(20)

Just then, I saw my mother and Parker come out of the building. My dad wasn’t there—probably paying the bill still—and they were talking. Neither had spotted me yet, not in the dark. Hoping I was doing the right thing, I scurried back to Ryker, squeezing through the men and putting myself as a shield between them and Ryker.

“Hey, honey, can you do your business later?” I asked. “My parents want to talk with you.”

Ryker looked furious and I knew I’d pay for interfering later, but I didn’t care.

“Who’s your girl here?” the man said. “You on a date, McCrady?”

I expected Ryker to correct the man, but he didn’t. “It’s none of your business, Leo.”

“Sage! There you are! Come here, dear.”

All of us turned to see my mother beckoning me.

“Am I interrupting a meeting with the parents?” the man asked, his sarcasm thick. His gaze turned to me.

“I don’t believe we’ve met,” I said stiffly.

“Pardon my manners,” he said, offering me a slightly mocking tip of his head. “I’m Leo Shea.”

“Sage Reese,” I replied, polite but not friendly. I still stood in front of Ryker, blocking them from him. If they took him, it’d be over my dead body. “C’mon,” I said to Ryker. “You can talk with your … friends … later.”

I tugged his hand, pulling him out from between where the three men had hemmed him in.

“Catch you later, Leo,” Ryker said.

“You can count on it.”

Parker and my mother were talking, but I noticed Parker’s sharp eyes were watching the exchange. Leo and his guards got into a waiting car and pulled away from the curb. I let out a breath of relief once they were gone.

“What the hell were you doing?” Ryker hissed in my ear.

Yeah. I’d been right. He was seriously pissed.

“What was I supposed to do?” I hissed right back. “Let them put you in a car and dump you in the river?”

“You were supposed to do what you were told and go inside.”

“Wasn’t that Leo Shea?” Parker asked, and I realized he’d come up behind us. I glanced at him.

“Mind your own business, Parker,” Ryker snapped.

“Wasn’t Shea indicted for drug trafficking a few years ago?” Parker asked, ignoring him. “But the case got tossed, right?”

Ryker’s hand was nearly crushing mine as he stared at Parker. I winced as his hold got even tighter. Parker’s gaze flicked to mine, then our joined hands.

“Ease up there, buddy,” Parker said. “Sage needs both her hands to type.”

“I’m not your buddy, so f*ck off,” Ryker shot back, but his grip immediately eased. “C’mon, Sage. I’ll drop you off at home on my way in to the precinct.”

Parker and Ryker were staring daggers at each other. I could practically feel the testosterone aggression pouring off both of them. With an internal sigh, I left them to it and hurried to my mother just as my dad exited the building. I gave them both a kiss and hug good-bye and thanked them for dinner.

“Shall we take you home, dear?” Mom asked, pressing her lips to my cheek.

“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.”