Chapter Fifteen
Irene clung to Ryder as they raced along on the snowmobile, followed by another snowmobile carrying Jess and Kace. It had been nearly a month since they had made it off the mountain, and yet here she was, back on that damn rock again. Not only that, but she was back in the damn snow.
Well, at least this time she had her warm fuzzy pink coat. Taylor had teased her saying that she looked like a giant piece of cotton candy. Ryder had then asked if he could gobble her up. She couldn’t stop the blush that followed.
They leaned to the left to avoid a branch, and she grinned as she tightened her grip on him. Maybe this snow business wasn’t so bad if she got to feel him up like on his bike.
“Behave,” he shouted.
Irene frowned.
She looked over to her right and gave a little wave. Jess and Kace hadn’t been hard to convince to come. Much like her sister, Jess believed that actions spoke louder than words, and Ando had managed some impressive actions. Irene was a little surprised to find that Jess already knew about her father being alive. Of all the things to keep secret, it was the one Irene hadn’t expected, but then Jess had never thought something like this might happen either. She assumed that he’d make his exit and ride off into the sunset, never to be heard from again.
Her heart sped up a little when the cabin came into view. It had been their fortress in the storm, but it had also been the beacon to Kert, the man who had become Wolf. Most of all, it represented a final chance for Ando, a man who had wronged his children.
They pulled up out front, and she stepped off the snowmobile. The snow pushed clear up to her knees.
“I hate snow,” she mumbled.
Ryder chuckled as he guided her to the door.
Before they could even knock, Ando had the door open and stood waiting. She held her breath, waiting to see how things would go.
Ando stared awkwardly between Jess and Kace. Irene wondered how Ando felt about his daughter’s future husband being an ex-cop.
“I hear I’m to congratulate you,” Ando said. He scratched his eyebrow “You’re with child and getting married here soon.”
Despite Kace and Jess’s plan to elope, Irene and Ryder’s little adventure resulted in Jess and Kace returning home without getting married, thus giving Kace’s mother her beloved chance to put together another wedding.
Jess climbed the stairs and stood just steps away from him. She studied him for a long time.
Ando ran a hand over the back of his neck.
“Look, I know this is weird…” he started.
His words were cut off by his daughter’s arms wrapped tightly around him.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “For watching out for them. Thank you.”
Jess cried quietly against her father’s chest. It was the first time Irene had seen her react to anything like that, but then, it was the first time her father had actually been an active parent.
Ando pulled back and dried his eyes. He smiled when he looked down at her.
“You have turned into an amazing woman,” he said. He opened the door wide, and Irene was surprised to see Charlie when they came in.
“How is your sister doing?” he asked from the couch.
“Better,” Jess said, taking a seat in a chair. “The break wasn’t as bad as we thought. It did get some muscle, but the infection is all gone now, and they don’t think the damage will be permanent.” She turned to look at her father. “We’re not going to tell her,” she said. “Vic isn’t stable right now. This would all be too much. The money was one thing, but this…” She shook her head. “I’m sorry.”
He nodded slowly, and Irene felt his pain. He wanted more than anything to know the love of both of his children.
“I understand,” he said. “She’s been through a lot. You all have. Because of me.”
Irene couldn’t help but nod. They really had been through quite a bit, though she blamed Kert and not Ando.
“I have to know,” Jess said quietly. “The man in prison. The one they thought was you. Who was he?”
Ando shrugged. “I really have no idea. It was chance. The boiler exploded, exposing a small sliver of freedom, and I took it. I didn’t set it up, and I didn’t kill him.”
Jess let out a sigh of obvious relief. Irene knew it had been weighing on her. Ando hadn’t been a good man, but he hadn’t been a stone-cold killer either.
Irene grinned. “I think you should show your collection of art.”
Ando shot her a confused look, but Jess seemed excited.
“You collect art?” Jess said to her father.
Ando shook his head. “I really don’t.” He furrowed his brow.
Irene waved a hand. “Of course you do. Here, let me show you.”
She led them down the hall to his bedroom.
“Ando has the finest collection of art I’ve ever seen by two little girls name Jessica and Victoria,” Irene said with a grin.
Ryder stayed behind while the others looked at the pictures Jess and Vic did as kids. He had business of his own here. Kert let the past consume him and turn him into a monster. Ryder had been given the opportunity to let his soul heal, to let Irene heal his soul, but there were still a few loose ends.
He pulled a chair in front of Charlie and sat down.
“For years I’ve been carrying around this hate,” Ryder started, “for what happened the day I got my scar.”
Charlie frowned and opened his mouth, but Ryder held up a hand.
“I was angry at my brother, and you and even Niki,” he said. He shook his head. “Furious. I didn’t do any good holding on to that anger. All it ever got me was more anger.”
He took a deep breath. This was harder than he ever thought it would be.
“I stopped trusting anyone,” he said, “Even my brother. And you can’t live a life without trust.”
Charlie nodded, and Ryder stuck out his hand. “So, I want to say, thanks for teaching me to trust again. Without you, we would have never made it out of here, and I owe you my life.”
Charlie took his hand and grunted. “You talk too much,” he said. “I think next time I’ll just let you die.”
Ryder laughed at the somewhat sour man.
“How’s that idiot brother of yours?” Charlie asked.
Ryder shook his head. Cage had been a little worse than Charlie had let on. He was never near death, but his knee was badly damaged, and the doctors thought he’d walk with a limp the rest of his life. It was a blow to his ego and, more so, to his pride. Ryder wasn’t sure how he was going to get past this.
“The surgery went well,” he said. “They were able to get the pins in, and the chances of him losing the leg have gone away completely.”
“Damn shame about Carlos,” he said. “But your brother was lucky he was there.”
Ryder nodded. The details were all still a little sketchy, and Cage wasn’t helping much, but from what they had gathered, Carlos had also been out there in the woods helping Cage and Reed. The why still wasn’t clear, but when one of Paco’s loyal members fired on Cage, Carlos tossed Cage out of the way, saving Cage, but at the cost of his own life.
He thought about Havoc. The huge biker had been a big help. Apparently, he only stuck around long enough to make sure Victoria got to the hospital and then took off, which was probably for the best.
As far as the police were concerned, it was just another gang issue.
He looked up when the others came back into the room and smiled at Irene. Their time this last month had been the best he’d ever had. Life was full, and for once, he was happy.
She nodded to the door, and he followed her out onto the porch. He stopped behind her as they stared out at the serene white beauty.
“Things are going well,” he said quietly in her ear. “I think Jess and her father might actually have a relationship after this,” she said.
He nodded.
Irene turned in his arms and looked up at him.
“I’ve been thinking,” she said. Her cheeks tinted pink, and she glanced away. “Taylor is graduating here soon and moving. How would you feel about moving in?”
She nibbled her lower lip.
Ryder grinned. “I’d love to.”
Irene looked up with surprise. “You don’t think it’s too soon?”
“Baby, I’d marry you tomorrow if I didn’t think you’d freak.”
Irene stared up at him in shock.
“Don’t let your mother hear that,” Jess said from the door. “She’ll have the wedding planned before you can even run off to elope.”
Ryder grinned. “Maybe I should just tell her and let things happen from there.”
Irene frowned. “You do, and you’ll be a very lonely man in the future.”
Ryder sat back up. “Right, let’s just trying moving in together then.”
Irene grinned.
“Oh,” Kace said. He moved to stand by Jess. “I heard that radio host talking about your cookies again.”
Ryder frowned. “More Ex-Boyfriend cookies?”
Irene shook her head. “Boyfriend cookies.”