Chapter 31: Ryker

Sam stepped into the light from the streetlamp overhead. "Trying to sneak out?" He cracked his knuckles, and I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from reacting.

Nikki tensed at my side, and her grip on my fingers went slack, so I tightened my hold on hers. I didn't have to glance down to see her looking up at me. Her hand shook in mine, and I could hear her ragged breaths.

I stopped a few feet from the men in front of us. The two I didn't know had stepped up behind Sam, putting our mode of transportation and escape route behind them. They now formed a triangle, and the two in the back put their hands on their hips. It was an odd display of choreography that showcased the guns in holsters on their belts. Blindly, I used my arm to maneuver Nikki behind me. I wasn't dumb enough to believe that a bullet couldn't go through my body to hers, but she had a better chance of survival if I got hit first.

I crossed my arms and straightened my back. "Not at all. I've been waiting to hear f