Chapter 308: Maybe⦠she needed to be more directâ¦
âGuess I couldnât hide this from you after all.â
The lighting in the fire escape was a bit dim, though Ryan wasnât sure if it was just his imagination. To him, Miaâs eyes seemed to carry a mysterious glint, something hard to put into words.
Mia and Alice had a lot in commonâlike their scarily sharp intuition.
But the difference was, when Alice figured something out, she wouldnât say it right away. Sheâd keep it to herself, waiting for the right moment to drop the bomb.
Mia, on the other hand, was still a kid in that sense. The second she thought of something, she had to confront you about itâlike now, where she immediately came to face Ryan as soon as she had a hunch.
âSo, whatâs your goal here? Why are you doing this?â
âFrom your perspective, wouldnât it be better to get this over with as quickly as possible?â
Mia huffed in annoyance when Ryan admitted it so easily, but she didnât react much beyond that.
It was a good thing Ryan was being honest this time. If heâd tried to hide anything from Mia at this point, she wouldnât have hesitated to make his already swollen face look even worse.
âMy goal, huhâ¦â
Mia had been sitting close to Ryan the whole time. Now, she turned and leaned into him even more, slipping effortlessly into his arms like sheâd done it a thousand times before.
Her small face pressed against his chest, and she took a deep breath, clearly enjoying the familiar scent. It was the kind of smell that made her feel safe.
Like a spoiled cat, she seemed to think that her spot in her ownerâs lap should always be reserved for her.
âMy goal, huhâ¦â
Ryan used to try to push Mia away when she did this. After all, they were a guy and a girl, and Mia was still youngâshe might not understand, but he definitely should.
But now, with his face still stinging from earlier, he didnât have the energy to resist.
Mia not understanding? Yeah, right. If she didnât get it, then probably no one did.
As long as Mia didnât push things too far, it was probably better to just let her have her way. Maybe that would make things easier in the long run.
Mia squirmed in his arms, and Ryan had no choice but to wrap his hands around her slim waist, just like heâd done before when sheâd fallen asleep on him. That seemed to calm her down a bit.
Ryanâs goal was actually pretty simple. Everything he was doing right now was tied to the main mission: keeping Alice safe and making sure she survived the three Dangerous Events the system had warned him about.
Heâd been confused beforeâwhy was the second Dangerous Event centered around him? Could it really be that Aliceâs high Favorability had caused a glitch in the system?
But after thinking it over, he realized that wasnât quite right. Favorability could only affect how Alice felt about him, like making her more obsessive or something.
He had a strong suspicion that the bugged-out Favorability was the reason for the hidden microphones and GPS trackers.
The systemâs warning had been spot onâthis situation was definitely dangerous.
On the surface, the second Dangerous Event seemed to revolve around Ryan, with his gang connections being exposed and everyone turning against him. There was even the risk of him getting arrested and thrown in jail.
But in reality, this was just as dangerous for Alice. The gang had always operated in the shadows, out of sight from the public. If Ryan got caught, it would mean everyone would know that a real gang was operating in the city.
As long as it stayed hidden, things would be fine. But if it got out, the authorities would have no choice but to crack down on the gang, and Alice would be in serious danger.
Once Ryan understood that, it became clear that clearing his name wasnât the most important thing. Or at least, it wasnât the top priority.
Alice had already managed to get him a fake driverâs license that looked real enough to fool anyone. And now, with the Langston familyâs help, clearing his name would be a piece of cake.
But even if they managed to get through this, the people targeting Alice would just find another way to come after her. Theyâd always find another opportunity.
After the party last night, Ryan had taken a moment to talk to Alice about this. He told her not to bother clearing his name.
Right now, Ryan was the target in the eyes of Aliceâs enemies. If he cleared his name, theyâd just come up with another plan, and it would be even harder to track them down next time.
Instead of backing down step by step, it was better to keep the heat on him, draw their attention, and use the clues they left behind to find them first.
âI think I get it now. So, youâre doing all this for Alice, huhâ¦â
Mia listened to Ryanâs explanation, nodding thoughtfully as she tugged harder on his shirt.
From Ryanâs perspective, this was the smartest move. By making himself the target, he could keep the people after Alice occupied and increase their chances of success.
If Mia were in Ryanâs shoes, sheâd probably make the same choice.
But even though she understood, her tone was still a little sour. Sure, she could see the logic in it, but there was no denying that Alice was a big part of the reason behind his decision.
Mia couldnât wrap her head around what was going on in Ryanâs mind. Just yesterday, heâd found out that Alice had planted a tracker on him, and now here he was, wagging his tail for her again.
What had Alice given him to make him so loyal, so willing to follow her without question?
Mia pondered this question, though she already knew the answer. To her, Ryan and Aliceâs relationship was deeply twisted, built on the foundation of Alice kidnapping Ryan in the first place.
But why had Ryan ended up becoming Aliceâs close friend? Why was he so recklessly devoted to her?
It didnât make sense. No matter how much Mia thought about it, she just couldnât understand.
Even though she was curled up in Ryanâs arms, her back to him, her expression had turned dark. She bit her nails, and it wasnât until she felt a sharp pain that she realized sheâd bitten hard enough to leave marks on her fingers.
âDid you tell Alice about the tracker?â Mia asked suddenly, her voice sharp. She no longer called Alice âsisterââjust âAlice.â It was like she was desperately trying to grasp something, her eyes locked onto Ryan as she asked the question.
âThat⦠can wait a bit,â Ryan replied, rubbing his nose, clearly feeling guilty. âMiss Alice has been under a lot of stress lately.â
Miaâs mood visibly darkened at his words. Was she disappointed in him?
âUnder a lot of stressâ¦â Mia repeated, her voice filled with disbelief.
She had thought Ryan had his own sense of independence, that he longed for freedom. But after everything Alice had done to him, he still forgave her?
Why? Why was Alice so special? Why did Ryan treat her like this, without even considering himself?
Did Ryan like being treated that way? Or⦠orâ¦
What about her? If she pushed the boundaries a little more, would that work too?
Had she been too careful with Ryanâs feelings all this time? Was that why her attempts to get closer to him had always seemed so⦠harmless? Was that why Ryan never saw her as anything more than just a friend?
Maybe⦠she needed to be more directâ¦
A small, twisted smile crept onto Miaâs lips, her eyes wide open. Even though Ryan was holding her, she felt no warmth at all.
Out of Ryanâs sight, her beautiful eyes slowly clouded over with a gray mist, a cold, calculating malice that seemed far too mature for her age.
After hearing Ryanâs plan, Mia fell silent. Ryan had hoped sheâd offer some advice, but after waiting for what felt like forever, she still hadnât said a word.
The fire escape was already cold and damp from being closed off for so long, but now, as Ryan waited for Miaâs response, the chill seemed to seep into his bones.
The fire escape wasnât ventilated, so Ryan had no idea where this cold was coming from. His body shivered involuntarily, and he instinctively tightened his hold on the girl in his arms.
âMia? Mia?â
âWe donât have much time⦠we need to move fasterâ¦â
âMia? What are you talking about?â
Ryan shook her shoulders, snapping her out of whatever trance sheâd fallen into. She blinked, as if waking from a dream, and slowly pulled her fingers away from her mouth. Her delicate fingertips were now bruised and bleeding from where sheâd bitten them.
âNothing⦠I didnât say anythingâ¦â
âMia, itâs getting cold in here. Letâs head out. Weâve still got a lot to do.â
After Ryan snapped her out of it, the cold seemed to ease a little, but it still left him uneasy. He gently took Miaâs small hand and helped her to her feet. Just like he said, there was still a lot to take care of at the hospital.
Throughout the whole process, Mia obediently followed Ryanâs lead, not saying a word.
She glanced down at her bruised, bitten fingers from time to time. She knew very wellâthis was the first time she had⦠lost control.