Ryder's reply was an ultimate convo-ender so the guys ate up their words. Jay was disturbed and pessimistic about going against the Cariannos, but he'll never let Ryder do it alone. So he was in, regardless of his fear.
Fred was more torn between being rational and throwing caution in the wind and stirring up a war with the Mafia. But no matter how he felt, Ryder had his complete loyalty. And that's never gonna change.
"Hey man, uh. A quick one." Jay started with a mischievous smile on his face, breaking the icy silence.
"Sure." Ryder was heading to the door, and they tagged along, trailing at his sides in slow, counted steps. "What is it?"
Jay had a full-blown smirk. "If it was me who'd lost his memories and was in danger, would you also wager everything to come save me?"
Fred broke into a muffled wheeze, keeping it in with a hand clamped over his mouth.
"Now why would I do that?" A thin line of amusement stretched Ryder's lips. "You a pain in the ass. I'd give anything to make you go away forever." He ended his words with a croaky chuckle.
"Ouch, that hurts." Jay placed a hand on his chest with an innocent pout. This time, Ryder couldn't just hold it anymore so he laughed out loud.
"Quit being such a wimp, Jay. Of course, I'd come for you." Ryder assured, rubbing his shoulder firmly. "Don't even doubt that for a second."
"Even though I'm a fucking pain in the ass?" Jay nuzzled closer to Ryder with a childish grin.
Ryder groaned, shrugging him off. "Yeah. Even though you fucking childish. A pain in the ass. One hell of clingy…"
"I know, right." Fred scoffed. "You gotta grow up, man."
Jay was laughing heartily at the tease but the smile vanished in a split as the door opened. He quickly turned around with a low groan.
Ryder spotted the female who just walked in. A smile surfaced on his face. "Tiffany!" Years have come and gone. Seasons have changed. But not his friendship with Tiffany. Hara had also built a sort of bond with her. That made it spicier.
"Hello, Ryder." She kissed his cheek, wearing her signature, bubbly smile. "Fred." She nodded at him.
"Good to see you, Miss Tiffany." Fred gave a brusque nod. He tugged at Jay's shirt, forcing him to turn around.
"Hey, Jay." Her tone was a sexy whisper, as she twirled a hair around her finger. She was biting her lower lips.
Jay barely nodded in reply, lowering his gaze. "Good to see you." It was a grouchy mumble.
Ryder, irked by the awkward situation, stepped in abruptly.
"Tiffany, why don't you and I go have a chat, hmm?" He grabbed her hand, forcing her to walk with him.
"But I'm not done talking to Jay–" She gave a hushed protest.
"Don't talk to him. You make him uncomfortable. Haven't you noticed?" Ryder snapped in a whisper, still dragging her along.
"Yeah. I've noticed. But I'm not sure why."
"You fucking with me right now?" Ryder snorted. His strides increased. He needed to keep her a thousand miles away from poor Jay. "You really don't see why?"
Tiffany shrugged. "Nope." She tripped over from how fast he was walking but he caught her before she could hit the ground. "Slow the heck down."
"Not until we're out of here,"
"Just tell me why Jay feels uncomfortable around me!"
"Fine, I'll tell you why." Ryder stopped inches closer to the door. A group of young werewolves were strolling by so he waited till they left before he spoke. "First off, you're seven years older than him. You might be a sucker for younger guys, but he has an intense disgust for older ladies…"
"It can't be that serious."
"Trust me, it is." Nodding his head with a sarcastic grin, Ryder continued. "You clearly just wanna fuck his dick. You hit on him every chance you get. You flash him stupid, flirty winks…"
"They are not stupid…"
"Oh, I'm sorry." Ryder made a facetious surprise gasp. "But those were Jay's words, not mine." Another sarcastic grin.
"That arrogant bastard!" Tiffany huffed angrily, storming out of the gym.
Ryder laughed at her silly display of anger. It always ended like this. Tell her some mean words from Jay and she'll throw a tantrum. But the next day, she'll be back, picking up where she left off. He was getting tired of the repeated drama. One of them had to put an end to this, for fuck's sake.
"Hey, Tiff. Wait up!" He jogged out of the gym, running after her, still laughing.
She was already fitting her keys into her car when he got to her.
"Hey, c'mon," He held her hand from entering. "You can't possibly be pissed at Jay, can you?"
She squirmed her wrist away from his grip and opened the door. She took out a big box and forced it into his arms.
"That's the teddy bear Blair requested. I can't see her anymore cause I need to leave, so help me give it to her. And for the record, I'm not mad at Jay. I'm mad at you!"
"What?" Ryder gasped at the twist. "Hey, wait the fuck up." He called out, stopping her from getting into the car.
"What do you want?" Tiffany sighed, crossing her arms.
"Why are you mad at me? Jay said those words. I only conveyed them to you."
"Yeah, that's why I'm mad at you. Why did you tell them to me? You couldn't have just shut up?"
"What?!" Ryder was in the middle of laughing and getting pissed. This was ridiculous. "I thought telling you was a good idea. That way, you'll know what he thinks of you and you'll stop disturbing him."
"I don't care what he thinks of me. I'll still chase after him, and I don't want you to convey any more mean words from him."
"You've lost it, Tiff." Ryder shook his head in disbelief. She was being a complete idiot. But then again, it was hard to judge her, recalling how much of a simp he'd been for Hara. He still was.
"Say hi to Blair and Hara for me."
"I will." Ryder nodded. "Thanks again for this." He gestured at the box. "You're the best aunt in the world. No one could ever do it better than you do."
"Flattering me won't make me forgive you," Tiffany said, but she was already a burst of red shade and a smile was taking over her beautiful face.
"But it'll make you less angry, so it's worth a try." Ryder chuckled. Then he fell silent almost immediately. "I need you to do something for me, Tiff."
"Sure. What's that?"
"I need you to set up meetings with the other prestigious Packs in the region. There's something I need to talk about with them." Ryder requested.
He might have shut down the club and started up a company instead, but Tiffany was still his assistant. He couldn't do away with her. She felt like family already.
The tension in his voice was enough to make her figure out what was about to go down. It sent quick chills down her spine.
"Are you sure about this?" She gulped, rubbing his arm. "Think it over, please. You do not want to start up a war you might not be able to end."
"I could think for 365 days and I'll still come up with the same decision. To fight for my Beta."
"He's no longer your Beta…"
"I don't trash people aside that easily. I don't forget bonds that easily either. Once my family, always my family. Jason is my Beta and I need him. You can't understand how badly."
"Still, you'll be shaking the world with this. A bloody war with the Mafia? That'll be a crazy transition. It could alter our lives forever."
"I'll try to nicely ask them to give him back, but I'm 99% sure they won't. So fighting them is the only way. It's sad but it's true."
"Have you told Hara about this?"
"No, not yet. I'll find the right moment to tell her. But please, set up those meetings. I can't waste any more time."
Tiffany was pale and nervous but she still managed a nod. Tears threatened to fall down her eyes so she quickly got into the car.
"Tell Jay I'll be back for him!" She yelled, poking her head out the window. "He can't get rid of me so easily."
Ryder laughed, stepping back so she could ride off. He glanced at the box and started down the path that led to the main building.