A reply came almost immediately, muffled but affirmative. Ryder exhaled a shaky breath. "Good… I'll send you my location," he murmured, ending the call.
He lowered the phone from his ear—and only then did his gaze drop to the handkerchief still clutched loosely in his other hand.
Soren's handkerchief.
The pale fabric stained faintly with the blood he'd tried to hide.
Ryder stared at it in silence.
For a moment, an unreadable expression crossed his face—somewhere between discomfort and relief, torn between wanting to hide the truth and strangely grateful.
He exhaled a shaky breath and slipped the handkerchief into his other pocket before heading toward the nearest flower shop.
A few minutes later, he emerged with a fresh bouquet of white lilies in hand. Only then did he send his location to Oliver.
It didn't take long for Oliver to arrive.
