Page 5 of The Wayward Sons & The Vampires of Fortune (The Wayward Sons #4)

T here were very few things in the fucking world that could tear me away from dancing to Shake It Off while I showered but the intense panic smoothing its way over my skin was at the top of the list. With everything he’d encountered in life, not much made Ryder panic—genuinely panic.

Which was a red fucking flag.

I frowned, head tilting slightly as I leaned into the feeling. What was he upset over? It sure as hell wasn’t coffee or doughnuts, which was what he’d gone out for.

Leaving the water running and the music blasting, I slipped out of the shower and approached the door. Thank fuck it was cracked to make it easy for me to glance out into the main room.

Ryder sat with his arms duct-taped to the chair. The way his chin was tucked down to his chest had my heart jumping into my throat.

I was going to fucking kill someone. I didn’t have a clue who, but it was happening.

But Ryder’s head lifted slightly, and those baby blues caught mine. He gave the slightest of shakes.

Fuck that shit.

I’d argue my reasoning later.

“Who’s in the shower?” the stocky one asked, pulling me away from my inner ranting.

Fuck, I should probably figure out who the hell had Ryder. I wasn’t real good at this whole thinking ahead, especially where Ryder was involved.

One sweep. I could do one sweep. That was the smart thing. Better that than blasting my way through the room.

I really wanted to blast my way through the fucking room.

“Just a guy,” Ryder said. Rude, but I understood why he was playing it cool. The less they knew, the better.

The guy that stood to his right was stocky and clearly enjoyed his beer by the look of his belly, while the other was taller and more muscular but overall didn’t look all that intimidating.

My frown deepened as I assessed the situation, trying to make some sense of it.

How the hell had they managed to get the drop on my baby? That wasn’t like him at all.

“What guy?” the second demanded. Something glinted in the crappy motel lighting. A knife. Well, that explained that.

Fuck, I wasn’t allowed to run out of the bathroom half-cocked.

I snorted as I glanced down at my naked-ass self. Or full-cocked. I wasn’t allowed to do that either.

Probably.

Was beating up people naked appropriate?

Probably not.

Would I do it anyway?

You bet your damn ass I would.

And I fucking did.

Lord and Uriel help me, the looks on their faces were something else—like they’d never seen a naked man throw open a door during a kidnapping.

“What the—”

“Do you know what the fuck a headshake means?” Ryder snapped over the first guy.

“Oh, c’mon now!” I drawled. “I’m tryin’ to save your life here, baby!”

“You couldn’t put pants on first?”

“I’m savin’ your life here!”

“Without your fucking pants on!”

“I don’t need no fuckin’ pants to kick their goddamn asses!” I exclaimed. What part of that made no sense to him?

“You aren’t kicking anyone’s ass with your dick flapping around!” Ryder shot back.

“I can do whatever I damn well please!”

“Hey now—”

“Shut up!” Ryder and I interrupted, both pissed off and annoyed—probably for very different reasons.

Okay, definitely for very different reasons.

“Grab the other chair,” the second one ordered. He waved his knife around as he did—haphazardly like an idiot. “Put that one in it, and put some tape over his fucking mouth to shut him up. He’s fucking harmless.”

“Well now, boys,” I grinned, “that right there would be your first mistake. I ain’t all that harmless.”

I dug hard into my power, the room lighting up green as I did. The back wall exploded with roots, and chaos ensued.