I heard him sigh. “Baby,” he whispered.
I blinked back tears as my heart broke a little. He didn’t need me. I was useless to him. “It’s okay. I’ll cancel the flight.”
“No, don’t,” he rushed to say. “God, Sadie, you have no idea how much I need you right now, but I don’t want you to feel pressured into coming. You sure you’re okay with being here for this? It’s not a good situation.”
“Yes, of course I’m okay with coming.” I forced myself not to do a happy dance. “I can see this might take some time for you to really get, but I’m here for you, Ryder. In the good times and especially in the bad.”
“You’re amazing.”
In that moment, as I heard the relief in his voice, I knew I was in love with him. “I don’t know about that, but I’m happy for you to think it.”
He chuckled quietly. “Text me your flight info and I’ll pick you up.”
“No, I want you to focus on your sister. I’ll grab a cab or an Uber to the hospital.”
“Not up for discussion, Sadie.”
“Your sister needs you.”
“And I need you, so I’m picking you up.”
I sighed. “Okay. But if something happens and she needs you more, text me and I’ll take a cab.”
“Sure,” he said, unconvincingly.
“I have a while until I have to be at the airport, so if you need anything, let me know, okay?”
“Yeah.” I heard relief in his voice as he added, “Sadie?”
“Hmm?”
“Thanks, baby. You have no idea...”
I laid my hand on my chest to calm my heart. “I think I do.”
“I hope so.”
“Okay.” I smiled. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“’Bye.”
He hung up and I took a minute to revel in my brilliant plan.
“You done?” Reese asked.
I jumped at Reese’s question. “Um, yes.” I handed him his phone. “I’m not happy you went behind my back, just so you know.”
“Don’t much care,” he retorted.
“I’m picking up on that,” I grumbled.
“Look, Sadie, I’m not tryin’ to be a dick, but Ryder and I are tight. You, I don’t know, so if he wants you to stay put, you’re gonna stay put.”
“To clarify, you’d kidnap me?”
He swore again, then leveled me with a stare. “No, I would not kidnap you, Sadie, but I might hack into the airline’s ticketing system and cancel your ticket.”
I gasped. “You wouldn’t!”
“If Ryder wanted you to stay put, I would.”
“Well, FYI, he doesn’t want me to stay put.”
“Yeah, he told me.”
“Right.” I squared my shoulders in an attempt to brush off his coldness. “Well, I need to pack, then clean, then catch a cab, so for now, you’re off duty.”
He shook his head. “I’m taking you to the airport.”
“You don’t need to do that.”
“Yeah, I actually do.
“You must have stuff to do between now and ten tonight.”
“Yeah, I’m gonna grab some lunch.”
My stomach rumbled, and I covered it with my hand.
Reese raised an eyebrow. “You want me to pick you up something?”
“Where are you going?”
“Probably Chinese.”
I swallowed. Wow, that sounded so good. “Would you mind?”
“Not a problem, Sadie. What do you want?”
I led him back out to the kitchen where I grabbed paper and a pen and jotted down my order. I tried to give him money, but he refused it and walked out the door.
Relief covered me when he left. I liked Reese, sort of, but he put me on edge. I knew he was wholly loyal to Ryder, so I didn’t feel unsafe, but I also didn’t like feeling as if I were being monitored. His whole “report back to Ryder” thing needed to stop. Better yet, Ryder’s need to have him watch me needed to stop. As soon as Scottie was home safe, I planned to have a conversation with Ryder and sort it out.
Reese drove me to the airport two hours before my flight. I’d never been on a plane, and even though I watched a lot of movies and television, I still didn’t really know what I was doing. I wanted all the time I could get to figure things out.
“You got your boarding pass?” Reese asked as he drove.
“I have it on my phone. I hope.”
“You didn’t check?”
“Yes, I checked, but since I’ve never done this before, I am leaving room for my ineptitude,” I snapped, sarcastically. Good lord, he seemed to forget I was a relatively intelligent grown woman.
“Babe,” Reese ground out and then grumbled something else under his breath and I was glad I didn’t know exactly what he said. My stomach churned, and I felt suddenly like an errant child at his disapproval. I had begun to despise “babe” when said by Reese (and Ryder, for that matter), because it was usually said with an irritating tone, and said to admonish rather than endear.
Reese drove into the short-term parking and I frowned. “I thought you were dropping me at the curb.”
“Sadie, you don’t know what the hell you’re doin’.”
“I’m sure I can figure it out,” I snapped.
He took a deep breath and I noticed his jaw lock briefly. “I’ll walk you in, make sure you make it through security, then we’ll be all good.”
“I’m not a child, Reese!”
“I’m aware, Sadie, but you are Ryder’s woman and he’s asked me to make sure you’re safe.”
“Have you ever considered you don’t get paid enough to babysit me this closely?”
“Every moment of every frickin’ day.” (He didn’t say ‘frickin’’... he used his standard F-bomb).
I crossed my arms and stared out the window as we maneuvered the parking lot.
After we parked, Reese held out his hand. “Phone.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Give me your phone.”
“Please let me see your phone, Sadie,” I directed.
He scowled at me but didn’t adjust his attitude, so I slapped my phone into his hand.
“Do you know what you’re doin’ with this?” he asked.
“I pull up the boarding pass, rub my phone under my arm... three swipes... sneeze on it, then hand it to the flight attendant.”
His lips twitched slightly as he handed the phone back. “You don’t hand it to the flight attendant, Sadie. You have it ready for the security people then hand it to the gate attendant.”
“Got it.”
“You sure?”
“Holy mother of God, Reese, I’m not an idiot!” I let out a frustrated squeak. “I will give Ryder some leeway when it comes to his protectiveness and occasional tendency to be a bully. I know he does it because he cares about me and he’s seen the worst humanity can offer. But you don’t get to do this with me. I will figure this out.”
“Right,” he said, and climbed out of the car, leaving me in my seat without so much as an acknowledgement he’d even heard me.
I stowed my anger, mostly because it was only affecting me at the moment and, after he grabbed my bag, I followed him inside the building.
He walked with me to security. In fact, he walked as far as he could before he had to step out of the line. I chose to ignore him the rest of the way, but I knew he waited until he couldn’t see me anymore... he probably did it just to irritate me. I might find him sweet if he wasn’t such a jerk.
I made it onto the plane without incident and forced myself to forget about Reese and his overbearing nature.
Sadie
THE PLANE TOUCHED down in Savannah early the next morning, and I had to admit, flying first class didn’t suck. I hadn’t checked any bags, so I took a minute to stop in the ladies’ room and freshen up a bit, texting Ryder as I left the bathroom.
I headed toward the end of the secure area, but instead of finding Ryder waiting outside baggage claim, he stoo
d just beyond the security barriers, holding a bouquet of orange roses. His face lit up when he saw me, and I took a running leap at him, throwing myself into his arms.
He lifted me off my feet, kissing my neck and then my lips. “Hey, baby.”
“Hi,” I whispered, hugging him tight.
He lowered me to my feet and stroked my cheek. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
“Ditto.” I leaned into his touch. “How’s your sister?”
“She’s better. She came through surgery well, but she’s going to be in the hospital for most of the week.”
“That’s great,” I said, relieved. “Shall we go there first?”
“Visiting hours are over, but it’s okay... she’s asleep. They’re gonna call me if she wakes up. She’s also heavily guarded, so she’s safe.” He smiled. “How about we head to breakfast, then I’ll take you to your hotel.”
“Oh, shoot, I forgot to book a hotel room!”
Ryder chuckled. “I’ve got it covered, baby.”
“You do?”
“I booked the room adjoining mine.”
“You’re amazing.” I leaned against him with a smile. “Thank you.”
“Before you put on the hero worship, I debated on telling you the hotel was full, so you’d be forced to sleep with me.”
“You’re ridiculous.” I giggled. “Still amazing, but also ridiculous.”
“I’m gonna want to keep the door between our rooms open as much as possible.” He grabbed my bag, handed me the roses, and then wrapped an arm around my waist. “You’ve been warned.”
“I can live with that.”
“Good answer.” He kissed my temple and led me to his rental car. “How was the flight? Did you navigate the airport okay?”
“You mean, did Reese hold my hand and lead me around like a child?” I retorted. “Yes.”
“I didn’t ask him to do that, Sadie.”
“Well, he did it anyway,” I said with a frown.
“I’ll talk to him.”
I sighed. “No, don’t. You have enough on your plate. I’m just a little tired. I’m sure Reese was just trying to help.”
“Yeah, baby, he would have been. Let’s get you something to eat and maybe a nap.”
“Probably a good plan.”
After breakfast, Ryder drove me to the hotel. He’d checked in with the hospital three times while we were at the restaurant and Scottie was still sleeping on and off and barely lucid, so there was time for me to unpack and maybe even shower.
He pushed open the door and I took in the space. A king-sized bed sat against the west wall, a sofa and coffee table next to it. Around the corner was a marble bathroom, and the window overlooked Savannah. It was beautiful to say the least.
“The room’s really nice,” I said as he followed me inside. “A little fancy, don’t you think?”
“I’m a fancy guy.”
I smiled. “Right, I forgot about that.”
He chuckled, taking a moment to kiss me thoroughly before opening the door between our rooms.
“Tell me what happened with Scottie,” I said as I opened my bag and pulled out my bathroom supplies.
He filled me in, although I had a feeling he was leaving a few details out. What he told me was horrific enough, but I wanted him to feel like he could tell me everything if he needed to.
I bit my lip as I asked, “Eleven years old?”
“Yeah,” he breathed out. “Just turned eleven and she’d been in the house about a week. The reason Scottie was so badly beaten was because she’d gotten between one of the men and Molly in an effort to protect her.”
I gasped. “Oh, honey, that’s awful.”
He nodded, running his hands through his hair as he sat on the edge of the bed.
“How many girls were there all together?”
“Thirteen.”
I made my way to him, sliding between his open legs and wrapping my arms around his neck. “I don’t even want to think about what might have happened if the authorities hadn’t found them.”
He shook his head, settling his cheek to my chest, pulling me closer. “Me neither.”
I ran my fingers through his hair and took a minute to pray. “You did good, Ryder.”
“Not good enough to find her sooner.”
“You helped rescue twelve young girls and Scottie. You absolutely were good enough.”
He dropped his head back to meet my eyes and studied me, sliding his hand to my neck and drawing me close, nose to nose. “Do you know how beautiful you are?”
“Ryder.”
“You calm me, you make me feel safe, as weird as that sounds. I don’t feel out of control when I’m with you. You steady me. You make me want to be better... a man worthy of you. A man worthy of your world.”
“Honey.” I blinked back tears as I stroked his beard.
“Thank you for coming, baby. I seriously think I’d go off the rails if you weren’t here.”
“I’m happy to be the third rail so to speak... keeping you electrified and on course.”
He burst out laughing, pulling me to him. “Damn, you’re funny.”
“I needed to get off the heavy subject,” I admitted.
“Okay, baby, I get it. Apparently, I’m the romantic in this relationship.”
I slid my hands back in his hair. “I don’t have a whole lot of experience in this department, but I think that’s a good assumption to go with.”
“I’ll be your romance guide, baby.”
“Thank you.” I kissed him gently.
Ryder shifted and pulled his phone out of his front pocket, keeping me anchored to him. “Ryder Carsen. Yeah. Be there in five. Okay, thanks.” He hung up and kissed me quickly. “Scottie’s waking up. I want to get there before she’s fully lucid.”
“Of course.” I smiled. “Do you want me to come with you?”
“Always.”
“Ryder.” I squeezed his shoulders. “It’s okay if you want time alone with your sister. I don’t mind.”
He rose to his feet and lifted my hand to his lips, kissing my palm. “I’m gonna say this once, yeah? There will always be a place for you with me, Sadie. You never have to question whether or not it’s the right thing. I like you. I like being close to you, so considering the fact I have to go and see my baby sister who’s been beat to shit, I’d really like my train conductor there to make sure I don’t touch the third rail.”
“No, honey, I am the third rail... I keep you electrified.”
“Oh, right. Okay, third rail, electrify me.”
I couldn’t help but giggle. “Okay, Shakespeare. I’ll come with you.”
“Thanks, baby.”
He kissed me one more time then led me out to the car and drove to the hospital.
* * *
Once inside, Ryder gripped my hand as we walked down the hallways and into ICU where his sister was recovering. I bit back a whimper at the sight of the tiny woman in the large bed. Her face was swollen, a bandage around her head, her leg elevated, also wrapped in copious amounts of bandage. I’d seen women broken and bruised from domestic violence before, but nothing as bad as this.
“You okay?” Ryder whispered, turning to face me.
“Yes. I’m okay.” I blinked up at him and hoped I sounded convincing. We hadn’t had time for a nap, so my exhaustion added to my general emotional-ness.
Ryder kissed my forehead then approached his sister’s side. “Scottie?”
It took a few minutes, but Scottie finally opened the eye that wasn’t swollen shut and burst into tears.
“Hey, baby girl. None of that,” he crooned, and kissed her fingers (pretty much the only part of her body not bandaged).
“I’m sorry, Ride.”
“Shhh. You’re okay.” He smiled. “I want to introduce you to someone.”
“Ryder,” I objected. “I’m not sure—”
“It’s okay, Sadie,” he interrupted.
I widened my eyes, then tried a glare, but
he gave me nothing. The poor girl was not at her best and if I were her, the last thing I’d want, especially if I were in the hospital, would be to be introduced to a stranger. Ryder ignored my facial cues and waved me over.
“Ryder,” I whispered.
“It’s fine, Sadie.”
I stepped to the bed and smiled down at Scottie. “I’m sorry, Scottie. I hope I’m not making you feel more uncomfortable.”
“Scottie, this is Sadie.” Ryder wrapped an arm around my waist. “Your future sister-in-law.”
“What?” I said in shock. “He’s joking.”
“I’m not,” he corrected, and an obnoxious smile covered his face.
“Ryd—”
“No point in arguing.” Scottie reached her hand out to me. “If he said it, he means it,” she rasped.
That freaked me out a little more than I expected, but I soldiered on.
“It’s nice to meet you.” I gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I’m sorry I’m invading your space right now.”
“It’s okay.” She yawned, shifting on the bed with a groan.
“You’re in pain,” Ryder deduced.
“I’ll get a nurse,” I offered.
“No. I got it,” Scottie said, and pressed a red button next to her. Her body sank into the bed as she let out a sigh of relief.
I made my way to the chair by the window. Ryder sat on the bed beside her and held her hand. They chatted quietly as I tried not to listen.
“You must be Ryder,” a soft, southern voice said, and I glanced up to see a pretty blonde nurse walking into the room.
“Yeah,” he said.
“I’m Andi. I’m your sister’s nurse for the next eight hours, so if you need anything, let me know. I’m just going to check her out real quick.”
Ryder nodded and stepped away from the bed, sitting on the window seat next to my chair as Andi ran through vitals with Scottie.
I took Ryder’s hand and gave it a squeeze. His face was pinched tight with worry, but he relaxed a bit and smiled gently.
“She’s okay,” I whispered.
He gave me a slight nod, but nothing more.
“Everything looks good, Scottie,” Andi said. “When you’re feeling up to it, Molly’s been asking if she can visit.”
Scottie sat up a little. “Is she okay?”
Ryder (Sinners and Saints, #1) Page 11
