Ryder (Sinners and Saints, #1)

by Piper Davenport

  “That’d be really nice.”

  “Okay.” He smiled. “Love you, Sadie.”

  “Love you too.”

  He gave me a gentle kiss and I headed back to my room.

  * * *

  Ryder

  I sat back on the bed and pondered what Sadie had just told me. If Cameron had Michael on the inside, it was better I didn’t know. Plausible deniability, but part of me wanted to beat the shit out of the guy for being that close to Sadie, especially knowing what I knew now.

  If Cam did have Michael on the inside, it was a brilliant play. The Catholic Church closest to the club headquarters “supported” the club. Cameron knew that, and he knew it because I had told him. Sadie’s church wasn’t far from that one, so if Michael went in as a priest, it would be the perfect way to get in. The churches did a lot together and the Spiders wouldn’t have thought anything of it.

  “Ryder?”

  I turned and found her standing in my doorway again. “Hey.”

  “I don’t want to sleep alone.”

  I smiled and held out my hand. “Come here.”

  She jumped on the bed and slid under the covers while I stretched out beside her and pulled her close, kissing her. “’Night, baby.”

  She burrowed closer. “’Night, honey. I love you.”

  “Love you too, baby.”

  I kissed her again and we slept.

  Sadie

  “SADIE?” RYDER WHISPERED. “Baby, wake up.”

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, sleepily.

  “I need you to get up. I need you to get into the panic room.”

  “What?” I sat up and scrambled out of the bed. “What’s going on?”

  “Just need you to get in there with the girls, baby. Don’t have time to explain.”

  “Can I pee first?”

  “No.” He grabbed my hand. “Go, now.”

  He helped me to the stairs since it was so dark, but I had to navigate them alone. I saw the light to the panic room and headed toward it. “Sadie, hurry,” I heard Scottie call from inside the room.

  “Just a second.”

  “What are you doing?” she hissed.

  “I’m sorry, sweetie, I have to pee.”

  “Sadie,” she hissed, but I didn’t hear the rest of what she said, closing myself into the bathroom. After doing my thing, I made a mad dash for the panic room door and Scottie pressed the button to close it.

  “Maybe we install a bathroom in here for next time,” I retorted and flopped on the sofa by the wall.

  “I really hope there isn’t a next time,” Scottie said. “But there is a bathroom, Sadie.”

  “What?” I squeaked.

  Scottie smiled and pushed at the wall. A panel pushed in to reveal a toilet and a sink. I groaned. “Well, that would have been good information to have earlier.”

  “I don’t think Ryder expected we’d be in here,” she said.

  I sighed. “You’re probably right. Is there a bed in here too, you know, in case we end up sleeping here?”

  Scottie pointed to a string above her head. “Yep. Murphy bed behind the wall. The string pulls a queen-sized bed down and this sofa collapses.”

  “Wow,” I whispered.

  “Wow, impressed, or wow freaked?”

  “Both,” I admitted, and held my hand out to Molly. “Are you okay, Molly?”

  “I’m really scared, Sadie,” she whispered.

  “Come here, sweetie.”

  Molly climbed onto my lap and curled into a protective ball. I slid her braid aside and stroked her back. She was so small for an eleven-year-old.

  Scottie opened the mini fridge and grabbed bottled waters, handing a couple to Molly and me. She took a remote off the coffee table and pressed a button. A panel across from the sofa popped open and four television screens powered up. I leaned forward, totally freaked out by the sudden realization I was trapped in what had earlier felt like a movie plot... now, it was all too real.

  “Why don’t I see anything?” I asked.

  “Because nothing’s happening,” Scottie said.

  “Then why are we in here?”

  “Because Char is here.”

  “What?” I snapped. “I thought he didn’t know where you lived!”

  “He didn’t,” Scottie said. “But he does now, I guess.”

  I shifted so Molly was on the sofa and I was on my feet. “Crap!”

  “Sadie, it’s fine.” Scottie nodded pointedly toward Molly. “Ryder’s got it under control.”

  “How could he possibly have it under control if he thought Char didn’t know where he lives and now the man is here?” I paced the small space, my hands waving erratically in the air. “And we are here in a tiny little room wondering what the heck is going on out there!”

  “Sadie?”

  “What if he’s in trouble?” I ranted as I continued to pace. “What if something happens and we don’t know because we can’t see what’s happening on the screens, so we don’t know we’re supposed to call someone?” I spun to wave to the screens and caught sight of Ryder leaning against the frame of the panic room door, his arms crossed and a goofy grin on his face. I let out a squeal of relief and ran for him. He caught me, pulling him close. “You’re okay!” I grabbed his face and then began to check him for injuries. “Are you okay?”

  “Baby, I’m fine.” He took my hands and pulled them to his chest. “We’re all fine.”

  “What happened? Where’s Char?”

  “He was stopped about a mile or so away.”

  “What do you mean—?”

  “Let’s take this upstairs.” He squeezed my hand. “Molly, you and Scottie sleep down here still, okay?”

  “Can we sleep in here?” Molly whispered.

  “If it makes you feel safer, honey, you absolutely can,” he said.

  She bobbed her head up and down.

  Scottie smiled. “Let’s pull the bed down, Moll.”

  “Ollie’ll be close, Scottie,” Ryder said.

  “Thanks, Ride.”

  Ryder took my hand and tugged me up the stairs. “You’re sleepin’ with me.”

  “I have no problem with that,” I said quickly.

  Instead of heading to his room, Ryder led me into the kitchen.

  “I thought we were going to bed,” I said.

  “Are you sleepy?”

  “Not in the least.”

  He smiled, releasing my hand, and grabbed a tub of Häagen Dazs pecan praline ice cream. He handed it to me with a spoon.

  “You bought Häagen Dazs?”

  “Yeah, baby,” he said, grabbing a beer for himself.

  “How did you know I love Häagen Dazs?”

  “Your freezer’s stocked with it.” He smiled. “I figured now would be the time you’d be lookin’ for it.”

  “It’s six a.m.”

  “Do you want Häagen Dazs?”

  “Like someone in the desert wants water,” I retorted.

  “Then have at it.”

  I set the container on the counter and threw my arms around him, rising on my tiptoes to kiss him. “I love you.”

  He chuckled. “Love you too.”

  I stepped away. “So, are you going to fill me in?”

  “Yep.” His hand went to the back of my head and he guided me closer. “But first, I need to hold you a bit.”

  “Okay, honey.” I burrowed into his chest and held him tighter.

  “Char wasn’t as close as I thought.”

  “He wasn’t?”

  “No. Bennie was at the abbey, and he’d given Char a general idea of where I live but he didn’t know for sure.”

  “The girls?”

  “All good, baby.”

  “So, why the room?” I asked.

  “Because he was in the general vicinity. He’s never been close before. Better safe than sorry.”

  I shivered as I whispered, “Yes.”

  “Have some ice cream and then I’ll give you whatever details you want. I’d
rather not share, just FYI, but I will if you want me to.”

  I smiled against his chest. “I’ll eat the ice cream and then decide.”

  “Sounds good.”

  I grabbed the tub and spoon and followed Ryder to the sofa, sitting down beside him and snuggling against him. “You’re going to get me fat.”

  “Not possible.”

  “Are you still gonna want to marry me if I gain a thousand pounds?” I asked, and shoved a spoonful of ice cream in my mouth.

  “Absolutely.” Ryder grinned, snaking his arm around me and giving me a squeeze.

  “Liar.” I took another bite.

  “Baby, I honestly don’t care how much weight you gain. I like a little somethin’ to hold onto.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’ll explain on our wedding night,” he said. “Keep eating.”

  I shoved another spoonful in my mouth with a grin.

  “That’s my girl.” He kissed my temple and then took another swig of beer.

  “I can’t believe I’m eating ice cream at six in the morning,” I whispered, taking another bite.

  “Since we’re goin’ back to bed, consider it a midnight snack.”

  “Okay.” I set the ice cream on the coffee table and shifted to face Ryder. “I want to know everything.”

  “Okay.”

  “No, wait. I don’t,” I countered.

  “Okay.”

  “But I don’t want to be caught unawares again. So tell me.”

  “Okay.” Ryder tugged gently on a strand of hair that had escaped my hair band.

  “But filter.” I bit my lip. “No, don’t filter because then I won’t know everything.”

  “Okay.”

  I crossed my legs in front of me and scooped my hair back into my scrunchy. “Okay, I’m ready.”

  “Yeah?” He finished his beer and set it on the table beside him.

  “Yes.” I nodded and then frowned. “No.”

  Ryder took one of my hands and lifted it to his lips. “I’m here, baby.”

  “I know.” I scooted closer and linked my fingers with his. “Okay.” I nodded. “Tell me.”

  “Char and Bennie are on their way to holding cells.”

  “That’s it?”

  “That’s it, baby.”

  “No drama?”

  “There was drama, but I’m filtering. It’s nothin’ you need to worry about. For the moment, it’s done.”

  “Will Char go back to prison?”

  “I can’t imagine how he wouldn’t, but we’re keepin’ an eye on him.”

  “So we’re all safe?”

  He ran his knuckles down my cheek. “We’re all safe.”

  “And the girls?”

  “They’ll stay at the abbey for a while, but they’re safe as well.”

  I smiled and let out a sigh of relief. “Can we sleep now, please?”

  “Yeah, baby, we can sleep.”

  After putting away the ice cream and brushing my teeth again, I climbed into Ryder’s bed, opting to snuggle against his chest instead of spooning (it was a tough choice, believe me), and fell asleep almost immediately. I wasn’t looking forward to only one more day before I was back in the real world, but for the moment, I had nothing to complain about.

  Sadie

  I NEVER DID go back to my apartment. Ryder met with the manager and must have presented a very convincing case for me, because I was able to get out of my lease without any penalties.

  Ryder invited me to move in with him, and although I was tempted way more than I’d care to admit, he must have used up all his magic with my apartment managers, because he was unable to persuade me. Instead, I moved in with Laura and Bethany, who had an extra bedroom and, although I shared a bathroom with Laura, our schedules were different enough to avoid conflicts.

  My bedroom had been the “bonus room” in the house, large enough to fit the majority of my furniture. I didn’t have a whole lot, but I did have a few things that didn’t fit, so I stored them at Ryder’s.

  Char was in the wind. No one knew where. We were still totally sideswiped that he’d managed to avoid jail and get away, but Cameron was investigating, and Ryder was confident he’d find him. Bennie was locked up for now and apparently, there was evidence and an eyewitness who could corroborate that he was the one grabbing girls from the club.

  Michael did in fact turn out to be the FBI “plant,” however, only a handful of us were privy to that information. Michael... badass FBI agent and not a priest... I still couldn’t get my mind wrapped around that one. I didn’t even know for sure whether or not he was Catholic, but he preached with such conviction I knew his messages from the pulpit couldn’t have been far from his own personal beliefs. And even after everything that had gone down, his cover hadn’t been blown. Talk about a skilled (or very lucky) spy.

  Scottie insisted on attending Taylor’s memorial service, so Ryder and I went with her. We kept to the back of the church, but when Taylor’s mother saw Scottie, there was all sorts of drama. She pointed a finger across the sanctuary and accused Scottie of dragging her daughter down the dark path that had taken her life. Ryder flipped out, which meant I got the joy of ushering him and Scottie out of the church before Ryder could tell Taylor’s mom what he thought of her in front of her friends and family.

  Then my temper kicked in. “Can you believe the nerve of that woman?” I asked as Ryder drove us away from the church. “Cameron told her everything, and she still blames Scottie! Scottie, honey, none of this is your fault. In fact, I have half a mind to call her—after the service of course—and let her know—”

  Ryder patted my leg, fighting a smile. “Babe. We’ll sort it out.”

  I flopped back against the passenger seat and crossed my arms, but Ryder tugged my arms free, so he could link his fingers with mine. “We’ll sort it out, baby.”

  I sighed with a nod and forced myself to relax.

  Scottie’s cast came off a few weeks later, and Ryder and I settled into a rather mundane routine. Not that I was complaining, because it was awesome now that he wasn’t stressed about his sister or working overtime to make sure girls weren’t getting abducted by his psycho father.

  It was nice to do normal “couple” things like go out to dinner and a movie or play a game of pool (which I was getting pretty good at, if I do say so myself).

  Thanksgiving was rapidly approaching, and the plan was to invite my aunt and several of our friends over to Ryder’s. I couldn’t wait to cook with him in his home, especially when we’d be cooking for a huge group.

  A few weeks later, I’d been home for less than an hour before my cell phone rang. I glanced at the screen and couldn’t help but smile. “Hi, honey.”

  “You okay? You sound off.”

  I bit back a yawn. “Yes, just tired.”

  “Have you eaten?”

  “No, why?”

  “Because, I’m here to feed you, so come answer the door,” he said.

  “You’re here now?”

  “Yeah. On the porch.”

  I rushed downstairs and pulled open the door. “Hi,” I said, my day markedly better.

  “Hey, baby. You look wiped.”

  “I am.”

  He held up bags of food and my stomach rumbled. “And starved.”

  “Good thing I bought extra broccoli beef then.”

  “Yes, it is.” I followed him to the kitchen. “What are you doing here?”

  “Had a lull, so I thought we might have dinner.”

  “Have I mentioned how much I love lulls?”

  Ryder chuckled and held his hand out to me. “Come here and kiss your man and then I’ll feed you.”

  I went to him immediately, lifting my head for a kiss. He smiled against my lips, gave me one more gentle kiss then stroked my cheek. “Awake yet?”

  “Most definitely.” I grabbed plates and dug into the food. “What time do you have to be back?”

  “Not until ten.”

  “I have you f
or a whole four hours?” I asked excitedly.

  Ryder chuckled. “Yeah, baby, you do.”

  “Did you bring the car?”

  “Yep.”

  “Feel like grocery shopping?” I asked. “I know it’s not particularly romantic—”

  “Anything with you is romantic, Sadie,” he quipped.

  “You’re such a good liar.”

  He grinned as he set his plate at the table. “I’m happy to take you.”

  “This is why you’re my favorite.” I kissed him quickly and then sat at the table beside him. “Thank you.”

  I’d gotten my driver’s license two or three weeks ago, but hadn’t yet found a car I liked, so was still bussing it to school unless Laura was going my way. Ryder generally picked me up after school and we’d either go to my place or his, but mornings were tougher for him. It wasn’t the ideal situation, but the plan was to look for a car this weekend, which I wanted to do about as much as having my eyeballs plucked out by crows. But, it couldn’t be put off any longer, so I had to just suck it up and deal.

  I grabbed shopping bags and held them up. “Ready.”

  “You’re drivin’.”

  I grinned. “You make that sound like a bad thing. I love your car.”

  He handed me the keys. “Then why don’t you keep it?”

  “What?”

  “Babe, you’ve looked at how many cars now?”

  “I don’t know, around six.” He raised an eyebrow and I wrinkled my nose, adding with a grumble, “Twenty-six.” It was closer to twelve, but it felt like twenty-six.

  “You hate everything except my car.”

  “That’s probably because I can’t afford your car.”

  Ryder chuckled. “So, borrow it during the week. I have the Harley and the truck, so I’m covered.”

  “What about Scottie?”

  “She’s got a car.”

  “I know, but I don’t want her to feel like she’s stuck with a Honda while I get the Bimmer.”

  Ryder pulled out his phone.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  Ryder put his phone on speaker.

  “Hey, Ride,” Scottie said as she answered.

  “Hey, sissy. If I loan Sadie the Bimmer indefinitely, do you care?”

  “Why would I care? I have a car,” Scottie said.

  “Just checkin’.”

  Scottie chuckled. “Weird question, which leads me to believe it’s Sadie that’s asking. Tell her I really don’t care.”