Page 98 of Redemption

“You just got here,” Seven continued her protest.

But Ryder held on to Victoria’s eyes. “You okay with this?”

“Sure.” But after everything he’d just admitted, she decided she wanted to tell him about Lenora and Vashchenko, what she’d found out about Mikhailov. That was a delicate subject, though, because it wasn’t as if she could just throw out that she wanted to chase down sex traffickers and stop them. She needed a plan. Hewas a planner. But so was she.

There was a distinct difference between what she wanted to do and the act of private investigation or bounty hunting. What did she want to do? She hadn’t decided yet. The only goal was to make sure she could stop others from being trafficked from around Sweet Hills or in Iowa. Not exactly a one-person job.

“You don’t sound convinced,” he followed up.

“I wanted to bat some ideas around with you, but I can do it later.”

“Or with me,” Seven volunteered.

“Or with you,” Victoria said, which was true. Seven knew Mayhem better than maybe even better than Lenora. If Mayhem was her ticket to the Russian runners, Seven might be the answer.

Ryder’s gaze narrowed. “What are you girls up to?”

“Oh, please don’t ruin my fantasy of how awesome you are by being a patronizing, overbearing—”

“Seven,” Victoria snipped.

Seven rolled her tongue out, revealing a new stud. “Okay, I’ll just leave it atholy-shit-worthy, crazy, wild monkey sex.”

“No monkeys,” Ryder corrected her.

“Kangaroos?” Seven asked.

“You have a thing about Aussies, don’t you?”

“You have a brother?”

He laughed. “‘fraid not, no family.”

“Oh, he’s wounded and emotionally fragile.” She feigned clutching her heart.

Ryder turned to Victoria. “Somehow, this is not who I would’ve picked out for your best friend.”

“Yet, you are exactly what I would’ve designed to deliver the goods to my girl.”

Victoria’s face lit on fire. “Seven.”

“It’s true.” She rolled her eyes. “Hey, what’s the deal with the coffee?”

His grin went stratospheric. “You told her?”

“I kind of had to.” Victoria cringed, hating to be in the middle of coffee wars. “It’s kind of awesome.”

He crooked his finger to Seven, and her eyes went wide.

“Please, dear Lord, tell me we’re going to have a secret.”

“Oh, come on. I want to know.” Victoria crossed her arms.

“Shove it, bounty girl. You use a Keurig.”

“And there’s nothing wrong with that,” she snapped back.

Ryder whispered in Seven’s ear, and Victoria watched her jaw drop.

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