To my mortification, Ryker was there, handing me a damp washcloth as my stomach finally eased. I flushed the toilet, then sat on the lid. My hands were shaking as I wiped my face.
“Why don’t you shower and pack up the things you’ll need from the bathroom,” he suggested. “I’ll pack your clothes.” There was an empathy in his voice that made me feel a little better about losing it like that.
I nodded, deciding a man packing my clothes was a better alternative than me being in the same room where Hanna’s blood still stained the sheets. “Okay. Thanks.”
I showered, blew my hair dry, and packed my makeup as quickly as I could. By the time I was done, Ryker had loaded my suitcase. I followed him out into the living room, appreciating the way he kept his body as a buffer between me and the bed as we left the scene of Hanna’s death behind.
“How much did you pack?” I asked, staring at the bulging suitcase.
“Enough,” he said with a shrug.
I didn’t ask how long I’d be staying at his place. I just knew I needed a few days to figure out what I was going to do, if I’d stay here or move into another apartment. Part of me wanted to move out—how could I ever sleep in that bedroom again? But the other part of me loved my apartment and hated to think I’d have to move, which also seemed somehow an insult to Hanna’s memory. I didn’t know how to feel, so I was just grateful I’d been given some time to figure it out.
I was reaching for the front door when it suddenly burst open, startling a squeak from me. I was jerked back and shoved behind Ryker. His gun was in his hand as he faced the intruder.
But it was Parker who came through the door.
Chapter Fourteen
Parker didn’t even seem to notice Ryker, just took one look at me and stopped in his tracks.
“Sage,” he said, his voice a heavy rasp. “I thought you…” But he didn’t continue. He was pale and dressed haphazardly in jeans and a button-down shirt that hadn’t been tucked in and wasn’t even buttoned all the way.
His eyes drank me in, so intent I couldn’t look away.
“Whatever deal you made to protect her isn’t working,” Ryker said, his tone hard. It broke the spell and Parker’s gaze shifted from me to him. “You’ve fucked something up, or they think you’re going to. They thought they’d make their point by killing her.”
“Fuck off,” Parker growled at him. “This is none of your—”
“Wait a second,” I interrupted. “You told me to stay in my apartment all weekend, and that’s where they came. Right here.”
Neither Parker nor Ryker said a word, but I swore the temperature dropped ten degrees.
“You told her to stay in her apartment,” Ryker repeated, his voice ice cold. “How convenient.”
“I wanted her to go to her parents’,” Parker bit out. “She refused to go.”
“So it’s her fault that you’ve put her in danger?”
Parker didn’t answer. Instead, he turned to me and said, “Come with me.”
“Fuck that, dipshit. She’s staying with me until this is over.” Ryker sounded angry and looked like it wouldn’t take much for him to attack Parker. Parker’s fists were clenched and he was staring at Ryker as though hoping looks alone could kill. I swallowed hard.
They both looked at me, waiting for me to make a decision. I glanced first at Parker, then at Ryker. I knew which one I wanted to choose, and I knew which one I should.
“Parker, I appreciate you coming here, but Ryker’s a cop. I should stay with him.”
It was logical, but also maybe a little part of me was still hurting from Parker’s rejection and I wanted to hurt him back. Not big of me, but it was there nonetheless.
“There you go,” Ryker said, satisfaction lacing his voice. Slotting his fingers with mine, he slid on his sunglasses, grabbed the suitcase, and pushed past Parker.
Parker’s eyes were on mine as I went by, and I couldn’t hold his accusing gaze. All I could see inside my head was the picture of Parker, Ryker, and Natalie, and wonder whether history really did have a strange way of repeating itself.
* * *
I’d changed into shorts and a T-shirt, not having any idea what Ryker had planned to take my mind off things. I definitely needed a distraction. Choosing Ryker over Parker had me feeling a guilt that