Chapter 9

Ryder

I was sick with worry as I drove out to Jason's normal spots. I'd played it off in front of the cop, but knowing that Cade had Jason was enough to make me want to puke. He was Tanner King's right-hand man and a big motherfucker. He'd do anything Tanner wanted. Why the hell did they have my nephew? What did they want?

Was Dani that ignorant that she would let the kid go with a stranger? Or were they that good in pulling one over on her?

I knew the answer. Maybe it was a bit of both.

She wasn't a parole officer. She didn't fit the bill. Most of those guys actually cared about saving the kids they were paired up with or seemed to. It was a mixture of a social worker and a cop, Danielle Markum wasn't either. She was a bleeding heart from what I could tell.

What drove her to become a cop? Was her father one? Did he get killed on the force?

I pulled up to the playground where Jason usually was and paused for a second to check his usual spot one more time.

Dani pulled up beside me with her window down. "If you would have left me go first, we would be there. Follow me and stop being a dick."

"I like the way you bare your teeth when you say dick." I winked at her and turned back to the field. "If you know where he is, then lead the way, Princess."

"Oh, now I'm a princess?" She laughed sardonically and drove off, leaving me in a cloud of dust.

"Bitch," I growled and moved in behind her, riding her ass. It was her fault we were in the middle of the shit we were in. I was supposed to be at home drinking beer, eating tacos and then jacking off to the thought of her fucking me reverse cowboy, but instead, I was looking for my fucking nephew -- again. And with a cop.

The guys would lose their shit if they knew I involved the law. Unfortunately, there was no other way to find the fucking kid so quickly. She had the tracking device, I didn't, and Jax's contact had turned up useless.

We pulled up to a warehouse near the city, and I parked the bike. I put my helmet up and got off before pulling my gun from my back pocket.

"Johnny."

"It's Ryder, cop." I glanced over at her and nodded. "Don't play the good guy tonight. If you want to do that, then leave and come back in about ten minutes. I live in a world where good and evil don't exist. Good got its ass whooped a long time ago."

The look on her pretty face almost caused me to chuckle. She was torn between two worlds, which was a little odd. Did the good guys struggle with wanting a taste of the dark side from time to time? Were some of them less than straight laced?

Seemed like she was.

She pulled out her gun and moved up toward the building, ignoring me and my comments.

There was something insanely hot about her courage, her confidence that she was going in to take care of whatever was happening with Jason with or without me. Without backup.

My cock thickened in my jeans, but I forced myself back into the moment.

Jason was in danger, and as much as I couldn't stand the little prick, he was still mine.

"Just take one hit, you dumb fucker." Jason's voice was faint, but I could hear it from under the door of the warehouse door where we stood in silence.

"I've got this." She glanced over her shoulder.

"No. I do." I pulled her back and lifted my gun before walking into the warehouse. "Hey, bitch. Party time is over."

Cade glanced over his shoulder and scrambled to his feet. "Ryder."

"Get up," I barked down at Jason. "Now."

"Fine. Shit. I was just having some fun." He scrambled to his feet and fell back over. "Cade is a friend of mine. You know him, Uncle J?" He chuckled. The little shit was teasing me.

"Yeah. I fucked his mom a few times when I was a kid." I smiled over at Cade.

"No, you didn't. Take that shit back." He moved toward me.

I lowered the gun and fired. It skimmed his thigh like I wanted it to and he screamed and knelt down.

"Fuck you, Johnny. I'm going to get you back for this. You can't run forever, you bitch."

"I'm not running anywhere." I pointed my gun at Jason. "Get on the fucking bike, now. You and me are going to have a talk when we get home. You're not hanging out with these assholes. You have no clue who you're getting involved with."

Jason crawled toward the door, sniffling. The little shit was crying. Excellent.

I glanced over to see Dani help him up and walk back outside with him.

"Tanner's going to fuck you up, Johnny." Cade laughed loudly and dropped on his ass before rolling on his back.

I walked over and dropped my knee against his chest as I leaned down. Pressing the barrel of the gun to the bastard's head, I gritted my teeth and narrowed my eyes. Fury raged through me. Tanner King was a sickness that our city had endured for far too long. Where there were mafia, drug Lords and every other kind of villain in the world walking the streets, Tanner took the cake.

Selling women on the black market was unforgivable.

"You tell Tanner that I'm coming for him, Cade. He's been playing with the wrong people for far too long. Tell him his time is up and I got his fucking number."

"Tell him yourself." He spit at me and laughed.

I reared back and smacked him in the face with my gun, knocking him out. The ugly bastard slumped on the floor in front of me. I wiped off my face and found his phone, dialing Tanner's number from Cade's contacts.

"You got the boy?" Tanner's voice filled my ear.

"No, mother fucker. I got the boy."

A soft laugh. "Ryder. Of course. I was hoping that you'd come out to play soon. It gets so dull without you."

"I'm done with your shit. We'll be coming for you soon. Just a fair warning from an old friend."

"You were my best friend. Not just any friend. You were supposed to be my brother."

I snorted and stood up. "Enjoy your last few days, Tan. I'm going to finish this thing between us."

"Yeah, I get it." He cleared his throat. "Don't delay, okay? I've got plans for Jason to bring him into the fold as one of our kidnappers, but even better, that hot little piece of ass standing out by the cop car with him?" He laughed as he paused and my stomach grew sick. "Danielle Markum. Oh yeah. I know her well too. She's cost me a lot of money and time. I'm going to take it out on her myself. I need a new toy."

"See you soon, Tanner." I dropped the call and walked out of the warehouse. Of course, he had eyes on us. Of course, he had someone trying to woo Jason into their organization.

Dani glanced around as Jason lay in the dirt by the car. Her lip was busted pretty bad. "I had to knock him out. He went a little crazy."

"Did he hit you?" Fury raged from the bottom of my stomach as I growled and moved closer to her.

"Yeah, but it's fine." She moved back as I grabbed both sides of her face to examine her. Fuck me she was beautiful up close. I wanted to feel her hair wrapped around my fingers. It was long and chestnut brown from what I could tell. She had it in a tight bun like she had every time I'd gotten close to her.

"Sorry punk ass kid." I moved back and picked him up. "Put him in the car and follow me back to my place."

She gave me a leery look. "Alright."

"Hey. I can't help that you wanted to be a parole officer and helped fucked up kids with their choices. This is one of those moments. Help or get the fuck out of the way."

The indecision on her face made me feel a little bit better funny enough. She wasn't an idiot at all, simply placed in the wrong division for some reason. I wanted to know why.

"Fine. I'll follow you back to your place." She opened the door, and I loaded the kid in the backseat. He was out cold. I snorted and moved out of the backseat before turning to her.

"You got him good."

"I am a cop, Johnny or Ryder, or whatever the fuck your name is."

"Daddy." I pressed my hands to the top of the car and watched her as she walked around to the driver's side. "You can call me Daddy if you want."

She laughed, and the sound was beautiful. "I hate you."

"No, you don't, but I wish you did." I turned and walked back to my bike as her headlights filled up the night.

I gave the warehouse one more look before getting on my bike and following closely behind her.

We pulled up to the house a little while later and were greeted by darkness.

"Let me get him." I parked the bike and walked to the car as Dani tried to lug Jason out of the back seat.

"Gladly." She moved back, and the smell of her shampoo or maybe it was the scent of her skin, filled my senses, and set my blood on fire. Fuck me, I was going to fall for this woman. I didn't even know who the hell she was or what her tie up with Tanner was, but she was in trouble. Big fucking trouble.

I couldn't let anything happen to her. Her or Jason.

"God, Jason. What have you been eating, you fat ass." I dragged him up the stairs, and she ran in front of me to get the door. "Dani, go open his bedroom door and pull down the covers. Last one on the left."

She moved around me without a word, filling the air around me with the same sweet vanilla flavoring. I had to reposition Jason and carry him like I would a drunk woman instead just to make sure my damn erection didn't get bent in half.

I got him into the bed and moved back.

She leaned over and covered him up, putting her back and ass to me.

I reached out and ran my hand down her lower back carefully. "Thank you. You don't have to help us. I can do this shit on my own. I always have."

She tensed and moved back, turning to face me. "I need to go, and it's my job to help you."

I nodded. "Yeah. You do."

Walking toward the hallway, she stopped and glanced back. "You need to close that window. He's just going to leave again."

"I know. I will." I walked up behind her and followed her down the hallway. "How do you know Tanner, Dani?"

She froze and turned to face me. There was almost a palatable need in her expression. What was her story? When was the last time a man made her feel like a queen?

"Tanner who?" She took an unsteady step back.

"Tanner King." I reached out and wrapped my fingers around her upper arm, pulling her back toward me. Her breath caught in her chest, and she reached out, pressing her hand to my chest.

I flexed unable to help myself. My cock was pulsing between us, begging for her attention. What the fuck was it with this woman? She was tough enough to protect herself and not at all my type, and yet I found myself wanting to ravage every inch of her, to explore her and for the first time in my long life, to be soft about it.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She pushed against my chest. "Don't do this."

"Don't stop me. Let me fuck you the way you need to be fucked." I leaned down and wrapped her in a tight hug before consuming her mouth. She was stiff and unyielding at first. I pulled back and ran my nose by hers. "Give me your tongue. Now."