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No He can’t be Ryder wants rets how he treated me When he looks at me, touches me, kisses me … I know he means it He Wants Me

I stop and look out at the street, watching the taxis go by Rushing to the curb, I hold upone of them down so that he pulls over to the curb with a squeal I open the back door, sliding inside so I can collapse against the torn vinyl seat I offer hily noise carrying on in ry and I swipe at them with the back of my hand, furious at the weak show of emotion

They aren’t tears over the loss of Zachary They aren’t tears over the confusion with Ryder, either

They’re sad little tears just for me

Chapter Twenty

Ryder

I’m just about to leave when a key sounds in the deadbolt onPilar standing there, dressed to kill in a slinky black dress on a sunny spring Sunday afternoon She looks like she’s on her way to a funeral

Mine,the security chain up I regret ret, though? That I gave that bitch a key to er to leave" She shuts the door behind her and glides intoroom like she hasn’t a care in the world, the sht and cheery "Where are you off to?"

"Nowhere special" I can’t tell her where I’ Where I’ve wanted to be since I left Violet alone Friday night The regret that seized me from the moment I fled Violet’s apartet est obstacle coets off on screwing me over

"Well, you look delicious" She patsto the fabric of my shirt, and I step back from her touch A little pout crosses her lips and I’er She’s too old for that shit

But I don’t want to start a fight, so I let it pass

"Did you need so? Because if it can wait …" My voice drifts and she sends me a pointed look, one that says she has her suspicions and she doesn’t care if I want to get out of here in a hurry or not She’s going to get around to tellingit

"It can’t wait And I do need so just how irritated she really is with rimace "You need to end it with Violet"

If she’d come here yesterday, I could have told her I already had At that precise moment I would have believed every word I said, too