This Cruel Love

She infuriated the hell out of me, and for the first time in my life, I truly cared about what happened to someone other than myself.

“Damn. That girl could not be more obvious if she tried,” Cill said in his usual cryptic way.

“What? That she hates me?”

“Err, no. I think the lady does protest too much.”

I didn’t have time for his weird comments.

“What are you even on about?”

“What I mean is, she’s using her sarcasm to cover up her real feelings for you.”

I had to admit he’d spiked my interest.

“Which are?” I hadn’t a clue what was going to come out of Cill’s mouth next. I’d known the guy for years, ever since we were teenagers from the streets, and he could still surprise the hell out of me.

“That given the chance she’d ride you hard, like a cowgirl rides a mechanical bull at a rodeo.”

I almost choked on my whiskey. Where the hell did he get this stuff?

“Admit it.” He smirked. “You’re picturing that too, right?”

I had to laugh. Most of the time I found Cill juvenile, irritating and irresponsible. But I kept him around because he always lightened my dark moods and reminded me where I’d come from and why I was the man I am today. He’d stood by me through life on the streets. Listened to me talk about my father, and why it was so important for me to have my revenge on the man who’d wronged us all those years ago. He also understood why things had changed since Ryley had walked into our lives. He just got me, and not many people did.

I didn’t like how powerless I felt these days. The way her demons manipulated my own. I had to pull her out of this hell hole she’d dug herself into. I berated myself most nights for letting it carry on for as long as I had. I knew she’d had her heart broken, but he wasn’t worth it. He wasn’t worth destroying her whole life for. I just hoped I hadn’t left it too late.

Cill and I sat at the bar, chatting about what we could do to support her, to get her the help she needed. I felt responsible for a lot of it. I’d pushed Justin to the brink of insanity using Ed as my weapon, I knew that. I’d instigated my revenge plan, but now it all felt totally pointless. Everything I’d planned to do before I met her was just nothing now. She made everything else in my life seem irrelevant. She was my everything, and she didn’t even know.

They’d just started calling people through to take their seats at the tables ready for dinner. I looked around to see if I could spot Ryley in the crowd, but she was nowhere to be seen. Then I recognised Ben, the mayor’s son, bursting into the room as if the foyer was on fire. He saw me and pushed his way through the guests, his face red and sweaty.

“I’ve just seen Ryley being carried out of the building,” he said between breaths. “She’s off her face.”

“What do you mean carried out? Who took her?” I jumped off my stool at the same time as Cill. I wanted to grab this kid by the scruff of his neck and shake the words out of him.

“She couldn’t stand up. Mason took her.”

The blood froze in my body.

“Mason Lovall? He has Ryley?”

I looked over at Cill, who was thinking the exact same thing I was. Mason Lovall had a reputation that no amount of his dad’s money could kill in our circles. He was a monster of the worst kind. A predator who hid in plain sight. We’d all heard the stories about the women, but nothing ever went to court. If you had enough money, you could make anything disappear in this city. He’d chosen the wrong victim tonight though. He might be a wolf, but I was a fucking lion, and this time he’d taken what was mine. No amount of money would brush me under the carpet.

“Where the fuck is he? Where did he take her?” I dragged Ben along with me as we made our way to the exit.

“He’s got a room at a hotel for the night. The Clarendon, I think he said. You don’t think he’d hurt her do you?”

Ben was a clueless fuck. I clenched my fists to stop myself from knocking him out. I was wound up so fucking tight, I felt murderous.

“He’s a fucking animal,” was all I could manage to say in response.

Ben led us to his car. He wasn’t drinking tonight, thank God. I barked at him to put his fucking foot down as he drove the three of us to the hotel. All the way over there I tried calling Ryley’s mobile, but it kept going to voicemail. The knot in my stomach warned me I’d need to be on my A game tonight. That devil she liked to paint me as, the one I’d kept hidden from her since the day she’d moved into my apartment; he needed to come out to play.

RYLEY

Thirty minutes earlier…

I left Jackson to his brooding, caveman ways and headed out to the entrance hall of the event. A smaller bar was set up and fewer people were milling about. I preferred to be out here, away from the crowds. I needed the space to clear my head and get some alone time.