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It was my turn to choke. I wasn’t sure if I was ever letting Ryder back there. He’d probably do irreversible damage.

“Or…” He chuckled, and I loved the way it sounded. I liked how, for a minute, he made me forget about Ben and him attacking me. “We can do other things. I like hanging out with you. Plus, there’s always oral.”

“There is that,” I agreed.

“I’ll be at the Windsor. It’s probably not as nice as what you’re used to, but—”

“Do you have to stay there?” If I was going to go on a vacation or run away from my ex, I wanted to stay somewhere nice. There was no doubt in my mind the hotel he was staying at would be fine, but I wanted luxury.

“Does that mean you’ll come?”

Did it?

“Only if we don’t have to stay at whatever hotel they have set up for you.” I was itching to start searching for a place. Was I really going to run off to Rio with Ryder for the week?

“I…I don’t think they’ll shuttle me to the locations if I’m not staying at the hotel, but I don’t think it’s mandatory I stay there. I am an adult.”

“Fine, I’ll rent a car too. We’d need one, anyway. What time does your flight leave?”

“At five-thirty, I…let me look. I get in at six forty that night. It’s a long flight, but if I have you waiting for me there—”

“Cool your jets, big boy. Your enthusiasm is infectious, so when I get home, I’ll look into flight times. Why don’t you text me your flight info, and I’ll do the same once I have some information to give you?”

“You’re really going to come?” he asked in awe. “Is it bad that I’m kind of happy you were attacked so I can see you again?”

Laughing, I answered. “Yes, it absolutely is.”

“I’m sorry, Lexie. I really am. I’m just happy to spend more time with you. You know I’m not happy you’re hurt, right?”

“I know,” I reassured him. “Don’t worry about it. I should probably let you go so you can get some sleep. Enjoy your last day in Moscow, and I’ll see you in a couple of days.”

“Now that I know you’re okay, I am about ready to fall on my face, I’m so tired.” He laughed like a drunk person down the line, making me smile. “Good night, Lexie. I’ll see you soon.”

“Thanks for making me feel better. I appreciate it more than you know.”

“Hey, Lexie,” he called as I was about ready to hang up, “if you need anything, call me. I’m here for you.”

He was, until he wasn’t.

11

Ryder

RIO

2 Days Later

For the last forty-eight hours,I’d been a mixture of worried and elated. Lexie’s situation with her ex was troubling, to say the least, and I couldn’t do anything to help her. I hated how much I missed while I was gone, but I knew if I wanted to be able to help my parents, I needed to make money by taking pretty much every job that was offered to me. Lexie’s advice about getting sick and burned out ran through the back of my mind. I knew she was right, and after this year, I would slow down and analyze each offer, but until then, I had to keep pushing and fulfill the obligations I already had.

Stepping out of baggage claim, I couldn’t hide the grin that I’d been pushing down for the last two hours of my flight. While I’d be busy for some of the time, I was excited Lexie had agreed to spend the week with me. It was lonely being a tourist in a city where you couldn’t speak the language, and what better way to enjoy the sights than with a beautiful woman at my side. In actuality, I was surprised she took me up on my offer.

Looking around, I searched for Lexie. She wouldn’t be hard to spot with her turquoise hair and inked skin. Maybe this time I would ask her if her tattoos had any meaning. They were beautiful watercolors that fit her perfectly. She had been my inspiration for finally getting inked for the first time. It also wasn’t a coincidence that the stars I got along my side were the color of her hair.

When I finally spotted her, Lexie’s head was down, and her hair was a curtain hiding her beautiful face, with her arms wrapped around herself. She moved to the side as someone passed by her, and I could see her eyes shifting from side to side as if she was afraid that at any given moment, someone in the airport might assault her. In the past, she was always so self-confident, but in that moment, she was broken. While I knew the attack on her was going to affect her after hearing her voice, I had no idea it would crack her tough exterior.

I made sure to walk up to her as slowly as possible so that she would see me coming. Scaring her first thing wouldn’t do her any good. Adjusting my duffle on my shoulder, I wasn’t sure how to address her. I shouldn’t have been nervous, though. The second I was within reaching distance, her head lifted, and her bright blue eyes twinkled up at me.

That was when I saw the long red mark on her neck, the evidence of the knife wound her ex had given her. There was a butterfly bandage on one part, probably where he’d dug the blade in, and the rest had glue covering it. Her wound was worse than I’d imagined. Worse than she had led me to believe over the phone, but I should have known it was bad after how upset Raine had been when she told me about it. Maybe she was self-conscious about it, and that’s why she’d been looking down, but I didn’t think that was it. I thought my first hunch was correct, and she was afraid. I wasn’t going to let her know that it bothered me to see her beautiful skin marred and how I hated I hadn’t been there to protect her. It would heal, and so would she.