~ Ryder ~
Ryder spent the next couple of hours mulling over his options. The one inescapable fact of his life was that he simply could not stay here after the light of the coming day. He needed to get his wallet and get the fuck outta town, taking Ace with him. The only way to keep Tiffany safe at this point was to put distance between them.
A plan slowly formulated in his mind. He’d pretend to settle down back in his emergency room bed when she came for him. Once she was out of the building, he’d discharge himself whether they liked it or not. Members of his club did it all the time. It was called leaving against medical advice. They could advise all they wanted, but in the end, it was still his choice to stay or leave.
Once he was out, he’d buy a gun at a local pawn shop and hunt Ace down like the mangy mongrel he was. When it was all over, he’d come for Tiffany. No matter the time, the expense, or the protesting on her part, he’d make her fall in love with him. Hell, the pretty little witch was already halfway there. If there was one fuckin’ thing he was competent at, it was wooing women.
Before he knew it, she was standing over him again. “Time to wake up, mister sleepyhead. You don’t look very comfortable wedged in that tiny chair. Ready to get back to your comfortable bed?”
“I need to get outta this joint, doll.”
“I hear they’ve lined you up a bed at Mercy. Transport should be here for you within an hour.”
Grabbing her by the hips, he pulled her down into his lap. “I was gettin’ worried that you forgot all about me back here.”
Smiling warmly, she brought a bottle of water to his lips. “You’re too tasty to forget.”
His eyes shot up to hers. “Is that a fact? Ain’t no woman ever told me that before.”
“I thought you might want to know.”
“Gobbled a lot of dick in your day, princess?”
Biting her bottom lip, her face heated and she shook her head.
“I didn’t think so. You seem kind of shy about it. You gonna be shy about me returnin’ the favor?”
Her eyes shot wide open. “Get your mind back on staying alive, will you?”
“The coast is clear? You didn’t see our guy, did you?”
“No, maybe he’s not coming back.”
“I’m not getting my hopes up. He’s pretty tenacious.”
She slipped back and off his lap. He followed her until they were standing face-to-face.
“I honestly don’t know what to make of this situation. It’s getting progressively harder to believe all this is actually happening.” Before he could respond, she turned and headed through the door.
Grumbling as they headed out, he did a mental assessment and felt as if his body was stronger. “Unfortunately, it happens to me all the time. Don’t worry, I’m hard to kill.”
“He needs to leave you the fuck alone.”
“Careful, doll, you’re starting to sound like a woman who gives a shit. Those are in short supply in my world.”
He climbed into bed, noticing that the sheets had been changed. She quickly covered him with a blanket that had been heated. Next, she tenderly changed out his bandages. He liked how she held down his skin when she pulled tape up and smoothed her hand over his skin as she cleaned him. Hell, this must be what it felt like when someone gave a shit about you. Instead of just demanding shit from you constantly like the club whores, they were kind and gentle. It felt wonderful, and Ryder desperately wanted more of it.
Pulling over a tray, she murmured, “Try to eat a little something. You need to keep your strength up.” Fidgeting with the front of her shirt, she asked anxiously, “Are you going to be at Mercy if I come and visit you tonight?”
Sighing, he waved her over. “Look, doll, you stay away from wherever I’m supposed to be, ‘cause you know it ain’t safe.”
Nodding, she whispered, “Take care of yourself. I left my number on a little piece of paper in your shoe. Call me if you need anything.”
Cupping her chin, he tilted up her face to look into her eyes. “I don’t know what’s going on between us, but I want more of it. What do you say I give you a jingle when it’s safe, and we’ll see where this goes?”
She nodded to him. “I like you, unlike your little friend with the stringy hair. He’s kind of an asshat. Do you have any idea why he’s gunning for you?”
“I killed his brother,” Ryder choked out in a hoarse whisper.
Her gaze held tight to his, searching his face for some clue as to why he would do that. The poor woman honestly looked shocked shitless by his abrupt admission.
Cursing under his breath, he stated flatly, “Hey, babe, I never said I was a saint.”
She began to scoot back. “I don’t know how I feel about that.”
“You’re too trusting, Tiff. You warmed right up to me, even though I look like leashed carnage.”
“I’m not mentally deficient.”
“I’m all too aware of that fact. You should be commended for not assuming the worst of me, but I’m not like most people.”
“It was your eyes,” she blurted.
“My what?”
“You can tell a lot about a person by looking into their eyes.”
Ryder swallowed thickly. “What about my eyes caught your notice?”
Moving a little closer, she spoke softly. “Your eyes are very honest and a little haunted. I don’t know if you realize it or not, but you’re very direct. I’m thinking you don’t bother lying very much because you could don’t care what people think of you.”
Her insight shook him up a little. He wasn’t used to being read so clearly by another person. Trying to get back to the point, he insisted, “I’m just pointing out that most people aren’t very nice, doll. You need to be aware most people you are going to meet are pretty selfish and self-absorbed.”
The look on her face told him she wasn’t buying his attempt to redirect the conversation.
“Why’d you do it, Ryder? You’re a decent person. If you killed someone, there must have been a reason.”
“It was self-defense, but I’ve done other bad things. I’m not technically what you’d call decent.”
“I refuse to believe that you’re a bad person.”
For some reason, her insistence that he was a decent person provoked his anger. “Well, you better get your head around the fact that I am damn sure not a hero. You know, not all of us had parents at home checking our homework and teachin’ us to be God-fearing little girls and boys. Some of us came from truly shitty circumstances. We had to do things nobody wants to in order to survive from one day to the next.”
“I can’t see you hurting me.”
“There is a world of difference between being capable of and willing to hurt a woman than being a decent human being.” Running his hand through his short, spikey hair, he spat out gruffly, “Shit, girl, I’m trying to give you a piece of advice in case I don’t make it. There’s no goddamn nice way to say that. Just do me a personal favor and don’t be so trusting.”
The empathy on her face nearly took his breath away. “I promise to be more cautious in the future. Does that make you happy?”
“Sure, babe. It thrills the fuck outta me.”
“You’re going to be fine. You’re hard to kill, remember?”
Her gentle teasing took the edge off, causing him to smile.
“Look, I’ve got to go give a report. Stay put and be safe.” She pushed away from the bed and started for the door.
“I ain’t used to a woman tellin’ me what to do,” he grumbled.
“Think of it as a suggestion,” she teased. “I’ll call your room once they get you to Mercy. You’ll be needing some jammies and stuff.”
His expression snapped back to angry in a heartbeat. “You’re gonna stay the fuck away ‘til I say otherwise, just like we talked about. Got it, doll?”
She froze in place just inside the doorway. He could tell she was shocked by his anger. Fuck, why couldn’t he dial it down a notch?
“Any idea why you’re suddenly so annoyed?” Her head was tilted to the side and her expressions more curious than angry. Most chicks would be running for the hills. This one at least had enough of a heart to cut him some damn slack after everything he’d been through. That spoke volumes about the kind of woman she was.
His eyes held hers as he tried to articulate what was eating at him. “’Cause you’re not listening to me, and I don’t like repeating myself.” The words were tossed out with no heat this time. Glancing away, he finished, “If you keep sticking your nose in my business before I’m at full strength, you’re likely to wind up dead.” His voice broke. “You can’t be dead, sugar. You just might be my one, and I’d die if that bastard put so much as a scratch on your skin.”
She nodded, a small smile forming. “I get it. You’re being protective in your own screwed-up way.” Fuck, her voice sounded almost cheerful. “Just remember, you catch more flies with honey.”
“Work with me here, doll. I can only take so much stress.” If Ryder could hear the desperation in his own voice, so could she.
Nodding, she headed out of the bay with that little smile still playing on her face. Shit, that woman was something else, and he was circling back around to her as soon as it was safe.
The pretty little thing was in and out several times in rapid succession before dropping a kiss on his lips and heading home for the day. He gave her fifteen minutes to be sure she was gone and then headed to the nurse’s station. Twenty minutes of ruckus later and he was strolling out the door. Well, it was more like hobbling with dignity, but at least he was a free man again.
Ticking off his priorities kept them clearly in mind on a day when he was not only limping but light-headed. First, he needed to stay out of sight as much as possible. Second, he needed to buy more ammo. For some reason, when they gave back his gun there were no bullets in the clip. He always counted his shots. According to his calculation, he should have had at least four bullets left. Even though he hadn’t gotten off a shot during the altercation with Ace that landed him in the damned hospital, he had earlier that day. The bottom line was, carrying an empty gun was no kind of protection at all.
The one and only silver lining in an otherwise shit situation was the knowledge that the pretty little nurse was miles away.