Playing Dirty (Risky Business, #2)(49)

“I was going to help her, *,” 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?”

“Far from it.”

My gaze met his as he studied me for a moment. “Listen,” he said, “why don’t you come with me after work. I was going to go work out before I go to that fundraiser tonight. You’re still going, aren’t you?”

Shit. I’d completely forgotten about it. “Yeah, sure. I didn’t bring a dress to change into, though.”

“It’s okay. We’ll swing by your place so you can change. But back to my point. Come with me and I can show you some pointers. Self-defense things.”

“Really?” I asked, surprised. “You’d show me that stuff?”

He nodded. “It’s not something mastered overnight,” he warned. “But it’s a start, if you want to feel more capable of defending yourself.”

That sounded good. Really good. “Yeah. Yeah, I’d like that.”

Parker’s lips lifted slightly. “Good. Then it’s settled. We’ll leave at four-thirty.”

I left his office feeling like I was actually doing something about Leo and taking control, which was way better than how I’d felt when I’d walked in.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have workout clothes with me, so I hit up Megan. She always had some. Though she was smaller than me, her clothes would do in a pinch, though they might be a little tight.

“You’re working out?” she asked.