Ryker

Sittin’ on the couch inside the cabin with Rosie beside me, Kat takes her favorite spot—the chair. An hour ago, when I went to scope out the fucker who scared the hell outta my old lady, he was gone. To be safe, I cased the area and swept the truck for anythin’ out of the ordinary before I brought Kat home for her protection. Now I’ve got Rosie here with me so Katrina can tell us what this dead man walkin’ looks like. The club’s got some huntin’ to do.

Poised, hands clasped in her lap, Kat begins. “He was tall. Maybe as tall as you.” She lifts her chin in my direction. “Long dark hair that curled at his jaw. Not sure what color his eyes were. But I can say for sure he was either very tan or biracial. Medium build. Wore what all bikers wear. And he had a lot of tattoos. I don’t know what they’re of, but he had one on his cheek, and his neck was covered. Sorry. That’s all I can remember.”

“That’s great, Kat. Thank you,” Rosie says, leg bouncing. She’s pissed. I can tell. It might be subtle, but I know Rosie takes her jobs seriously, and she was home when this went down. If she wasn’t, it’s a good chance the rival piece of shit woulda been caught, tortured, then killed after we beat as much info outta him as we could. Unfortunately, as much as I wanna laze around and forget about our epic screw up, I’ve gotta call Big first.

Pushing off my knees to stand, I walk by Kat’s chair and drop a kiss on the top of her head. “I gotta make a call, babe. You good?”

She tilts her face up, dazzling eyes on mine. “I’m fine. Go do what you gotta do. Rosie and I need to start dinner anyhow.”

Trailing a knuckle down her cheek next to the scar that’s forming, I soak up her beauty a beat longer. “I’m just gonna step outside. Don’t worry. I ain’t leavin’.”

Kat’s lips part in disbelief. “You’re staying for dinner?”

Offerin’ my lady a flirty smirk, I nod. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

“But you always miss it.”

“Not tonight, I’m not. We’re eatin’ as family. I need it.”

“O-oh okay.” Kat exhales in a rush.

Fuck. I dunno how I ever got so lucky.

“Be back in a minute,” I reassure, then glance at Rosie to double check she’s got things covered here. By her slow blink and chin lift, I know she does. I return the lift before exiting the cabin via the backdoor.

Straddlin’ my bike parked next to the wall, I extract my cell and make the dreaded call.

Big Dick answers after the third ring. “Tell me you ain’t callin’ to ask for another favor.”

Smartass.

I snicker, unamused. “Someone was outside the doc’s office today. They’ve infiltrated Red Fort somehow, or they sent a scout. It’s only a matter of time before shit goes down.”

“You’re sure?”

“No, Big. I’m lyin’. Of course, I’m sure. My old lady saw him.”

“And he wasn’t one of ours?”

“He wasn’t,” I confirm.

There’s no doubt that I believe Kat saw what she saw. My fearless woman tried to protect me by drivin’ me back into Dr. Shipley’s instead of gunnin’ the wussy little cunt down. Who the hell comes to town, shows his face to one of their marks, then vanishes before he can finish the job? If he wanted Kat dead, he could’ve shot her on the spot, and nobody, not even me, could’ve stopped him. Fuck. That can’t happen again. She can’t leave the cabin. No more exposure. This is the safest place for her and the kids. The mere thought of somethin’ happenin’ to any of them has my insides twisted all up. This war has gotta end sooner rather than later. Blood will be spilled, and I’ll be damned if it’s hers.

Big replies, “None of Vanessa’s texts were linked to a doctor’s office. Unless—”

“They were sent last night or this morning. I told her before I left last night that I was gonna be busy today. She could’ve put two and two together,” I finish for him.

“You know what you gotta do.”

“I know,” I clip, hating the idea so fuckin’ much my chest physically hurts. I rub it to ease the ache. It does jack shit.

“Good. Send me updates in the mornin’,” Big commands and cuts the call.

Smart choice. We’ve been at each other’s throats all week. Let’s just say Big Dick and I don’t see eye to eye on how to handle family. My loyalties lie in different circles than his does. Not that I don’t see the bigger picture here. I do. The difference is, I don’t give a damn how this affects the club. I give a damn how this is gonna blow back on Katrina, Roxie, Scarlett, and my unborn daughter. Not even my pops matters at this point. If I had to hold a gun to Kade and Katrina’s heads and only one could live, I’d pick my little Tiger each and every time. The nice thing about that is Kade would expect the same. He’d tell me to end his life to save hers. So would Pops and Ghost. That’s why I gotta do what I gotta do. She ain’t gonna like it. Hell. I’m not gonna like it. But when it comes to her safety, there’s not a goddamn thing I wouldn’t do. I’ve been protectin’ Kat since the moment I laid eyes on her. Sure, I slipped up, ‘cause if I was really doin’ my job, I wouldn’t have fallen in love with her and put three babies in her belly. Nevertheless, not a single day goes by that I regret any of it, aside from breakin’ her heart and missin’ out on my kids’ lives. If that was the price to pay so this wouldn’t have happened sooner, then so be it. You can’t change the past. There’s no use in dwelling on it. Right now, I’m gonna forget about what tomorrow brings and spend my final moments with family, where I belong.