“Firstly, I want you to know that all I ever wanted was to be able to take care of you. Everything I did, I did because I couldn't stand to see that scumbag take advantage of you.”
Okay, now I’m really worried.
“I paid Tony to leave you alone.”
“You what?” I gasp. My eyes widen in shock. Am I hearing him correctly? “When? How much?”
“The week before I came back here. I called him up and arranged to meet him. I paid him two hundred grand to stay out of your life forever.”
“Are you insane?” I screech. “I can't believe that—especially after I told you that I wanted to handle this myself.”
“I'm sorry, but I couldn't sit back and watch him ruin your life,” he says. “And I hardly think you’re in the position to judge me.”
He frowns, hurt shadowing his eyes, and for a moment I feel bad. But then I remember that while he was paying Tony off, I was paying someone to take care of him.
God, I feel sick. I shiver as my body goes from hot to cold. This isn't good. This is really, really bad.
“There’s, uh, more,” Ryder says, embarrassed.
“More? Awesome. Hit me with it.” Sarcasm rolls off my tongue.
“Hey, there’s no need for the attitude, Scar. I was worried about you. These last few days you've been distant. I thought maybe he'd been in contact with you again. So I tried calling him.”
“And?” I press, not liking where this is headed.
“The, uh, police answered.”
“The police?” I whisper. I can feel the blood drain from my face.
“They wouldn't tell me much, other than the fact that he's been pretty badly hurt and they’re keen to talk to you.”
“Me?” I gasp.
Oh God, they know. Fuck, they know everything. I sit forward as I struggle to breathe. The room begins to spin. No, no, no, no, no, this can’t be happening.
“How badly is he hurt?” I whisper.
“They wouldn't say.” He takes a deep breath. “It's not going to take much for them to find out that I paid him off, Scar.”
“I told you to leave it alone,” I cry, frustrated.
I’ve got no right to be angry with him, but I need to let it out, and he’s the only person around me right now. His eyes cloud with hurt, and I feel bad. I know he’s just trying to help, but having him messed up in this is not what I need.
“I’m sorry. I thought I was helping.”
“You have no idea what he’s like, Ryder. The money wouldn’t deter him one bit. As soon as that was gone he’d be back for more.”
“What other option was there, Scar? Did you have a better plan?”
I blush and avoid his eyes.
“Scar,” he says slowly. “Please tell me you didn’t do anything stupid.”
I pause and wet my lips, my heart pounding. “Define stupid,” I say delicately.
“What did you do?” he asks, his eyes flashing.
I feel myself breaking. I have to tell him. He’s going to find out anyway, and there’s no way I’m getting out of this without his help.