Bounty Hunter [REWRITTEN VERSION]

Chapter 34: Explanations

MAIZE

When Alec left Maize internally breathed a sigh of relief, however, he did not do so without casting one last mistrustful glare at Ryder—who simply grinned like a cat and waved at the detective's back as he went away.

Maize had a feeling it would take a little more convincing for those two to begin seeing eye to eye with one another. It didn't take a genius to figure out that they clearly had a mutual disrespect for each other, after only meeting a short while ago.

It wasn't long after they heard Alec's footsteps reach far away out of earshot did Ryder's childishly fatuous demeanour fade away and replace with something colder and more guarded as he turned to her with a steel look in his eyes.

"Alright, he's gone now so talk," he demanded with a hard edge in his voice.

He was no longer playing nice anymore. Which was alright because Maize never expected him to anyway. Ryder just wasn't the type.

She knew inside he was most likely furious at her for doing this; showing up without warning, after—as he said—two years of nothing. She planned to explain to him that her choices had been limited, and that she wouldn't have come if she hadn't been desperate, but she also knew that wasn't going to be the only thing she had to explain herself for.

No, it would be much more.

Most likely regarding exactly what happened those two years ago when she 'disappeared', in his point of view anyway. The ending result of one of the worst memories and biggest regrets of her life.

The question was would he even believe her?

The person she thought she trusted most hadn't even...

She shook the memory away immediately.

But he's not here now...and he's not Ryder, she reminded herself stonily, before she gathered her resolve.

"Can we go outside for this?"

"Quit stalling Maize," Ryder responded instantly. "I don't have the patience left for it."

"I'm not stalling," she said quietly. "I just don't want anyone else around to accidentally hear what I know you're eventually going to ask me."

Ryder hesitated. "Alright..." he released a breath of air before he nodded once, a sign that he was willing to follow along with her wishes.

She led him wordlessly out to the back door, holding it open for him as they both stepped out onto the deck, facing the forest. Ryder took a stance beside her, his hands still lax in his pockets, but the muscles in his arms under his shirt were twitching in correspondence to the impatient expression he bore.

"Now explain," he demanded without vacillation, shooting her a steely look out of the corner of his eye. "What are you doing here and who the fuck said you could just show up out of the blue and break-in? Because it sure as hell wasn't me..."

"Believe me, it wasn't my original intention when we flew out here—" Maize began, but she was interrupted quickly.

"And who's 'we' exactly?" Ryder questioned with a raise of his eyebrow.