He grabs the severed dick from Ben’s chest. He rounds over Ben’s head. “Small things do come as a choking hazard. Open his mouth.”
Ryder complies.
Miles shoves the dick in Ben’s mouth and pinches his nose.
Ben thrashes. Miles calmly holds him down, keeping him from spitting it out. “Shhhh, choking on your dick is a merciful way to go, believe me. You deserve much worse, but I don’t want to traumatize our girl too much. You can thank her. Say: thank you, Cali.”
All three men surround Ben like lethal killers. The black ink of their tattoos runs all up and down their arms, and I realize just how big they are compared to him. For the second time, warmth fills me. They’re fighting for me. In the most fucked up way possible, but they’re still fighting for me.
Tears prick behind my eyes. This is so fucked up.
Eventually, Ben stops moving. They continue to hold him for a bit. Then, Sawyer puts the plate on his body and wipes his fingers on Ben’s shirt. “Well, that was fast. What’s for lunch, Ryder?”
Chapter 65
Ryder
I’m tasked with making everyone a meal, so I throw some sandwiches together, bristling. They look at Cali like lost puppies.
They used to look at me like that.
I throw some barbecue sauce in the middle of Cali’s sandwich and pour myself a healthy glass of whiskey from the office. I move to the couch to reach out to Wyatt. We knew him from the club we all met at. If we’re forced to move out of the country, I know he’ll have the resources to get us out under the radar.
As I’m typing, something black moves in the corner of my vision.
I stiffen, gaze locking onto the object. A black cat hops onto the couch, sauntering over to me.
What in the actual hell? For a second, all I can do is stare.
The cat arches its back, curling its tail down my arm.
I’m frozen. When I was seven, a stray cat attacked me. I came home with the claw marks, and my mother told me for weeks I was going to die of cat scratch fever.
The cat makes a little purring sound and climbs in my lap. I completely stop breathing.
“Weiner!”
The shout is sharp, and I jump. The little claws dig into my pants momentarily. Instantly, I’m stiff as a board, and my mom’s concerned face flashes in my mind.
I blink to clear it away. This is stupid. It’s just a fucking cat.
“Weiner, where are you?” Cali comes darting into the living room. She slides to a stop and freezes when she sees me, her hair wild around her face.
“Sorry, I was looking for…” Her gaze darts to the animal in my lap. “Oh.”
She stares at me quizzically for a second.
I return the look with a glare and ask through clenched teeth, “What in the absolutefuckis a cat doing in my house?”
She just stares at the animal in my lap. Her stare turns to a glare, and she hisses, “Traitor.”
The cat starts rumbling, and I jump. I glance down at it. I can see its little gray claws in its paws.
“Would you get your stray?”
Cali looks at me for a second longer than I’m comfortable. “Yeah.” She walks up to me and then pauses. She brings with her a fresh wave of coconut. She smells just like Miles. It makes my dick twitch.
“I will if you give me a glass of that.” She nods at the whiskey by the couch.