Password Incorrect

14. Into the Fire . . . Literally

Nicky's POV

"In my defense . . ." I trail off, suddenly at a loss for words. I wished for the devil and now he's here.

"Yes?" He questions sarcastically as he stands in front of me, arms crossed over his chest and his entire body tense.

Finally, I just shake my head, which does nothing to help the pounding. "Nope. I haven't got one." I shrug. "I've got nothing."

For whatever reason, this just appears to make him angrier. My bad.

"How the hell did you find me?" I narrow my eyes at him. "And I seriously expect an answer this time. I covered my tracks better than before."

"Yes, I know," He growls out at me. "You had me running all over the damn country."

"And yet somehow you still ended up here."

Ryder just glares at me with his arms still crossed over his chest. While his expression is angry and frustrated, there's something else that he's trying to keep hidden. I narrow my eyes as I start thinking over my time with him.

Nothing's changed. Everything's stayed the same. No. That's not true.

"You bastard," I grumble as I pull the glasses off my face and raise them above my head, fully prepared to throw them to the ground and stomp on them until they're nothing but a broken heap of plastic and glass.

Ryder catches my wrist before I can throw the glasses to the ground. He takes the glasses from my hand and puts them back over my eyes. "I'd rather not have to deal with a blind you for the unforeseeable future."

I curse him out, calling him every name I can think of in both English and French. He just watches me with boredom showing on his face.

"You-"

"Pretty sure there isn't anything left for you to call me."

I glare murderously at him. If I were a cartoon character, I'd have smoke coming out of my ears. "You put a tracker in the glasses!"

"It took you longer than I thought to figure that one out. I'm disappointed. I lost a bet with Damien because of it."

"You vile little-"

"I don't care to listen to the rest of your insults," He says as he starts to pull me after him forcefully. "I'd rather get out of here before we have even more problems."

I dig my heels into the ground, making it harder for him to pull me. My anger spiking dangerously. "I'm not going anywhere with you. You're-"

"I'd stop talking if I were you," He growls as he spins around to face me, pulling his sunglasses off his face, his eyes blazing murderously down at me. "I'm barely keeping it together right now. As a matter of fact, I'm about this close," He holds his fingers up and there's a space barely big enough for a needle to slip through. "to using you as a human shield to get myself safely out of this mess you've dragged me into."

I open my mouth to protest but one more glare from him causes me to snap my mouth shut. He's really angry this time.

Personally, I don't see how it's any different than the other times I got away from him . . . I mean, except for the use of a taser and handcuffs.

Okay, maybe he has a little bit of a right to be angry. But just a little.

I stand my ground though and cross my arms over my chest. "The tracker still doesn't explain how you found me the first few times."

He continues to glare at me. "I happen to have a talent for doing that."

"Doing what? Pissing people off?"