Sadie
I STARED OUT the windows of Ryder’s family room, a glass of Guiness in my hand, finally left alone to my thoughts after arriving to chaos at his home. I’d showered and was blissfully lounging in a pair of yoga pants and a T-shirt, drinking beer. I could certainly get used to looking at this view every day. It rocked.
Apparently, today was the day to meet “the crew.” Well, the majority of it, anyway. What I didn’t realize (because Ryder didn’t mention it... shocker) was that his basement was where the men congregated when something big needed to be dealt with. He didn’t go into detail about what might constitute something big, and quite frankly, I didn’t ask. I just didn’t have the emotional capacity for answers at the moment. I had been shown the panic room, which nearly did me in, but it was secure, had a direct line to the cops, and had a way to escape through the backyard if need-be. Good lord, I hope there’d never be a need.
Ryder said he’d chosen his house for a specific set of reasons, the biggest one being he could hide. His name wasn’t on the deed... he technically owned it, but the house was held by a shell company he said he’d set up to hide certain assets from his father.
The house was also hidden from the road. You’d have to know it was there in order to find it, and then you’d have to be admitted through the gates or know the code to get in. You could find it by flying over it, but Ryder wasn’t concerned about that, figuring the Spiders wouldn’t go to that much trouble. I hoped he was right.
Before I’d been left to my thoughts, I’d met Axel and Blake (Ollie was also there and he was awesome). The one woman introduced in this ragtag band of men was Sandy. She’d worked for Ryder for a long time and she treated him like a son. I warmed to her instantly. She obviously loved him and looked out for him, and I liked her for it.
Axel was tall with dark hair and piercing blue eyes. He was a little more on the Portland hipster side for my liking, but he was certainly pretty. He also smiled a lot, but wasn’t a big talker.
I don’t think Blake was quite six feet tall, but he held himself like a much bigger man and had long silvery black hair he’d pulled back. The thing that stuck with me the most was that he had an Anson Mount look about him, complete with full beard and smirky smile. He made me a little nervous and it might have been because he appeared to be tattooed everywhere, including his neck, which was alien to me. I kept having to force my gaze away from his tattoos (Blake referred to it as “ink”). Ryder mentioned he was the oldest of the crew and I figured he had at least fifteen years on all of them.
Ollie, on the other hand, I liked. Adored. From the second he arrived, he treated me like a long-lost sister (as he did with Scottie), keeping me included in every conversation, asking questions so I wouldn’t feel left out. He was the same when he’d come for dinner, but tonight he seemed a little more on alert. He was a little taller than Ryder and had dark-blond hair and hazel eyes. He was all lean muscle and had a few tattoos on his arms, but nothing like Blake.
Reese and the rest of the guys were handling business this weekend so Ryder could stick around home, but Ryder promised he’d introduce me to them another time, and I was grateful it was a small group for tonight’s meeting.
Before the guys commenced their meeting, Ryder cooked. And, boy did he cook. Pork chops, garlic mashed potatoes, and cheesy asparagus were served without any assistance from me, and what I found most interesting is how normal this seemed. The men may not have been blood, but there was a brotherly bond there that was probably closer. They seemed to welcome me into the fold... and it was a fold I was really happy to be welcomed into.
Stories were flying around the table, everyone joking around since they’d pretty much known each other since birth, and I simply sat back and watched. It was awesome.
“Did you ever tell Sadie about when we were in those dirt biking trials?” Ollie asked.
“So, Scottie, how are you feeling?” Ryder asked in an obvious attempt to divert attention.
“What happened?” I asked, and then frowned. “Wait, don’t tell me if he got hurt. I won’t be able to handle it if there was blood or broken bones involved.”
Ollie chuckled. “Only his pride was hurt.”
“Ooh, do tell, then.”
“Ollie, man, shut your mouth,” Ryder ordered.
“We were fifteen, sixteen, something like that, and Ryder figured he’d do something ‘dangerous’ to impress some club princess—”
“What’s a club princess?” I asked.
“Daughter of another club’s prez,” Scottie said.
“So, Ryder decided he was gonna wheelie by her.” Ollie chuckled, and Ryder leaned over me to shove him on the side of the head.
I grabbed his arm and held onto it. “Continue,” I said.
“We had a time to beat, but Ryder’s problem wasn’t speed, it was balance.”
Ryder let out a rather rude expletive and I squeezed his arm as Ollie continued the story.
“So, he does his first lap, smokes everyone else’s time, then he’s coming up to the girls and rolls up into a wheelie... and flips his ass over, almost taking out the object of his affection at the same time. It was classic.”
“She wasn’t even that cute,” Axel provided.
“She was smokin’ hot!” Ollie said.
“You’re a dumbass, Ollie,” Blake snapped, nodding toward me.
I giggled. “I’m okay, Blake. But thanks for looking out for me.”
Ryder’s arm slid behind me and pulled me closer to him. “Ignore Ollie,” he whispered.
“No way,” I countered.
As the topic moved from childhood to talk about the bar and life in general, Ollie asked Scottie for the butter and she blushed so red, I thought she might be having some kind of allergic reaction. When she pulled herself together, she handed him what he’d asked for and dinner commenced, but I wondered how long that little crush had been going on.
I was staring out the living room window when arms wrapped around me from behind and I started a little. Ryder kissed the back of my neck. I leaned against him as he whispered, “How ya doin’?”
“I’m good, honey.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes.” I craned my neck to smile at him. “Is everyone gone?”
“Ollie’s hangin’ for a bit, but the rest have stuff to do.” He turned me to face him. “Reese’ll be here later.”
I frowned.
“You don’t like Reese, do you?” he asked.
“It’s not that I don’t like him, it’s just...”
“Just, what?”
“He’s kind of a jerk.”
He chuckled. “I’m kind of a jerk.”
“Well, I’m not kissing him.”
Ryder sighed. “Break it down for me, baby. If he’s said somethin’ I’ll talk to him.”
“I already tried that.”
“Yeah? You’re brave.”
I grimaced. “Not that it made any difference.”
“Now who’s being vague?” he accused.
So, I “broke it down” for him. I told him every offense Reese had ever committed from the airport conversation to the driving me to my aunt’s even when I didn’t want him to.
“He did all of those things because I asked him to.”
“Yes, I heard you,” I snapped. “But it’s like he dismisses me when I talk to him.”
“Like you’re the little woman and he’s the big man?” he asked, paraphrasing my words. “You’ve said the same about me.”
“Okay, he’s like you... sort of,” I conceded. “But why would he need to call you if I want to go to Savannah? I’m an adult... if I want to fly to the moon, he doesn’t have the right to stop me.”
“No, but he did have to find out where I was at with everything so you weren’t walking into a shit storm.”
Well, crap, that was probably true.
“And he knew the club was watching us. We’d gone to great measures to hide much of the trip and movements around town, but we can never be sure who to trust. He didn’t want you ending up in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Oh.”
Ryder slipped a lock of my hair behind my ear. “He and I were talking constantly, Sadie, and anything he did was to make sure you were safe. He made sure you and your girls were safe on your night out—”
“I’m sorry?”
“And it was a good thing, since you had issues.”
“Ryder, back up. You had him follow us, didn’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“You didn’t tell me about that! I knew it! He made me think I was nuts.”
He rolled his eyes. “Well, him trying to keep my secret notwithstanding, he was looking out for you.”
“I will concede it was nice he took care of the guy in the other club, but you should have told me,” I said. “Actually, he should have.”
“Okay, baby. I’m not gonna rehash the stuff about lack of information with you, because I’m enjoyin’ our peaceful interlude, but he isn’t gonna share shit with you unless I say it’s okay. You’re my woman, not his, so it falls on me to do so.”
I bit my lip. I hated it when he was logical. “Still don’t like him being a bully.”
“I will talk to him about that.” He gripped my chin gently. “I can tell Reese not to come, honey, but he’s family and he adores you, so it’d be great if you can deal.”
I let out a quiet snort. “How could you possibly know he adores me, Ryder? The man only has twelve words in his vocabulary arsenal and the F-word seems to be his favorite. How he manages to use it as a noun, a verb, and an adverb is beyond me. Admittedly somewhat clever, but still a rather disappointing testament to the educational system of America.”
Ryder dropped his head back and laughed. “This is exactly why he adores you.”
“I don’t get it.”
“Baby, whether you know it or not... and, if I’m being honest, I think a part of you does know it... you’re funny. But you’re that wicked-smart kind of funny that makes people stop and wonder whether or not they were just insulted.”
“I certainly don’t mean to insult anyone.”
“You don’t think? Not even Reese?”
“Okay, well... maybe him a little.”
“Exactly.” Ryder smiled. “But Reese doesn’t limit himself to one person. He wants to insult everyone. He’s had it rough, baby, and that’s all I’m gonna tell you because it’s not my story to tell, but he likes you. Trust me. So if you could just ignore the tough outer shell and try to get—”
“To the ooey gooey center?”
“No, Reese doesn’t have an ooey gooey anything,” Ryder said. “But he does have a moral compass and it’s the same as mine, so if you can get past my shortcomings, I really hope you can get past his. He’s my brother, Sadie, but you come first, so if you want him gone, he’ll be gone.”
“Nuh-uh.”
“Yeah, huh.”
“Honey, I am not going to be the Yoko to your little band of misfits.”
Ryder roared with laughter as he pulled me against his chest. “John broke the Beatles up, Sadie, not Yoko. Poor Yoko just got dragged into shit.”
“Oh. I don’t really know that much about music.” I set my glass on the coffee table and wrapped my arms around his waist. “I will try to like Reese.”
“I’d appreciate that.” He kissed me, then asked, “Scottie wants to watch a movie. You feel up to it?”
“Only if there’s snuggling.”
“Honey, I’m not a monster. Of course there will be snuggling. But if Ollie isn’t feelin’ it tonight, you and I can.”
I couldn’t stop a giggle. “You’re insane.”
“Crazy for you,” he said, and kissed my nose.
Tugging me into the kitchen, we grabbed snacks, soda, and more beer and headed downstairs to watch some shoot ’em up movie. I couldn’t tell you what it was because as soon as I was curled up next to Ryder, I fell asleep. I remember waking up at some point in the middle of the night, finding myself in Ryder’s bed, his body curled around mine. I liked that. A lot, so I fell back asleep, a smile on my face.
* * *
A gentle kiss on my cheek, then my lips, awoke me and I blinked my eyes open to find Ryder standing by the bed grinning. “Good morning, Sleeping Beauty.”
“Good morning. What time is it?” I asked as I stretched.
“Ten.”
“And you’re waking me before eleven on a non-school day... why?”
He leaned down and kissed me again. “I made breakfast, but if you want to sleep more, feel free.”
I sat up. “Is there bacon?”
“Babe, is that even a question?”
“Hash browns?”
“Yeah, baby, I made all your favorites,” he said.
“I’ll be right out.”
Ryder chuckled. “I’ll pour the coffee.”
I nodded and slid off the bed. My bag was in the guest room, so I grabbed a few things and headed to the guest bathroom. After changing and brushing my teeth and hair, I joined Ryder and Scarlett in the kitchen. “Morning, Scottie.”
“Hey, Sadie,” she said then shoved a bacon strip in her mouth.
I took the mug of coffee (and the kiss) Ryder offered and sat at the island. “How’s your leg?” I asked Scottie.
She wrinkled her nose. “Itchy.”
“Sorry, honey.”
She shrugged. “It is what it is.”
Ryder slid a plate piled high with food in front of me.
“Thanks,” I said, rubbing my hands together.
He chuckled. “If you can’t eat it all, I’ll eat the rest.”
“You don’t think I can eat it all?” I challenged.
He raised his hands and shook his head. “Don’t doubt you in the least.”
“As it should be.”
Ryder leaned against the counter, sipping his coffee, while I dug into the food.
“When do I get to get out of my cell?” Scottie asked.
“When this shit’s dealt with.”
She dropped her fork on her plate. “So never.”
“Baby girl, I thought we talked about this,” Ryder said.
“You talked.”
He took a deep breath. “I want you safe, Scottie. So, I’m sorry you’re stuck for the moment, but it won’t be forever.”
I continued to eat, impressed with Ryder’s self-control. He hadn’t yelled once... so far.
“Um, since Dad’s always going to be a dick, I’m pretty sure it will be forever.”
“Can’t disagree with you there.”
“What kinds of things do you like to do, honey?” I asked, pausing in my pig-like consumption of breakfast goodness (for the moment).
“Shopping,” she said immediately.
“Wow, you needed to think about that, huh?”
She giggled. “You’re funny, Sadie.”
Ryder cocked his head, giving me his ‘I-told-you-so’ look and I smiled at Scottie. “So, besides shopping, what else?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I miss my friends, but...”
“But?”
“Never mind, it’s dumb.”
I stroked her back. “What’s dumb, honey?”
“I guess I just feel like we have nothing in common now.”
“In what way?”
“Well, for one, none of them have been drugged, kidnapped, raped, and beaten to shit,” she snapped.
“Scarlett,” Ryder warned, but I held up a hand.
“No, they haven’t,” I agreed. “This has all been really horrible for you, sweetie.”
She dropped her head in her hands and groaned. “I hate this. I hate that I can’t get it out of my head. I want to go back... to when I didn’t know better. Back to when I knew there were bad people out there, but didn’t know there were, you know?”
I rubbed her back gently and nodded.
Ryder leaned across the island, tugging Scottie’s hands away from her face. “Baby girl,” he whispered.
“I’m sorry, Ride,” she rasped. “You have bigger problems right now.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for.” He moved to our side of the island and gently pulled his sister off the stool and into his arms. “I love you, sissy. You can talk to us about anything anytime, and you’re gonna see that counselor on Tuesday, okay?”
She nodded into his chest and he held her until she stopped crying. In that moment, I didn’t think I could love him more.
“This isn’t gonna take long, Scottie,” Ryder promised.
“I really hope not.”
“Do you want me to ask Ollie if he can pick Molly up? Maybe Sadie’s aunt will let her stay over.”
Scottie’s face lit up. “Do you think she will?”
“I’ll call her, honey,” I offered.
“Thanks, Sadie,” she said, and pulled away from Ryder. “I’ll go get dressed.”
I took one more bite of my hash browns, then grabbed my phone and called my aunt. Ryder called Ollie and we hung up almost at the same time.
“It’s all set,” I said.
“For me too,” he said.
I grinned. “I’ll text Auntie the details of who’s picking Molly up after I finish breakfast.”
“Sounds good.” He grabbed my empty coffee mug. “Want more?”
“Is the Pope Catholic?”
“Well, you’d know better than me,” he retorted, pouring me another cup.
I giggled. “You’re wrong there, you know, considering you’ve corrupted me and all.”
He set the coffee in front of me and then leaned down and kissed me. “I’m having fun corrupting you, FYI.”
I licked my lips. “I kind of like it too.”
He stroked my cheek. “Finish your breakfast.”
I did as he ordered and enjoyed the heck out of it.