“What the hell?” I snapped.
“We’re gonna get her brother,” Reese said. “But we’re gonna do it right. Without you losing your shit.”
A burn hit my chest and I laid a hand over my heart and took a deep breath.
“I got your back, brother,” Cameron said. “You know I do.”
“Off the record,” I said.
“As much as I can keep off the record, I’ll keep off the record,” Cameron said.
I heard pipes and turned to see Blake and Axel, along with six of the Dogs, riding into the lot. For the first time in my life, I hated the noise of the Harleys. I wanted nothing that would tip Char off to their presence.
Cameron opened the back of his SUV and started throwing Kevlar vests to everyone. “Put these on, then stick behind me.”
“Like hell,” I snapped, although I did don the vest.
“Plausible deniability, Ride,” Cameron said.
“I’m getting her out.”
“I hear you, but if this goes south, I need to tell my superiors we did everything by the book.”
“Fuck the book!” I snapped, and started toward the warehouse.
I heard Cameron swear, but it wasn’t lost on me that the Dogs, along with each of my brothers took my back and stayed silent as we rushed toward the building.
“You brought back-up?” I accused in a whisper when I saw two men in black approaching.
“You got your crew, I got mine. They won’t get in the way,” Cameron promised.
“Six inside,” the taller of the two men informed Cameron. “Including the woman.”
“She’s alive?”
“Seems to be. She’s in the northwest corner of the room. No exits or entrances near her.”
“Thanks, Hunter,” Cameron said, and turned to me. “Equally matched. Take it slow.”
“There are only two entrances to the building,” I said. “The rollup door will be locked from the inside, so it’s the street entrance we’ll have the best luck getting in through.”
“We’ll be exposed, though,” Reese challenged.
“There’s always the skylights,” Ollie countered. “Remember we used to sneak in when we were kids?”
“Little harder now that we’re twice the size,” I said.
“I’m game if you are.”
“We can watch the doors while you try,” Cameron said. “If it means you can get to the rollup and unlock it, we’ll have both areas covered.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
I followed Ollie and Reese up onto the roof of the building and over to the skylights that covered the ledge wrapping the warehouse. It was a shorter drop than the ones in the middle, which we’d discovered all too quickly when we were kids and Reese had nearly fallen to his death. I had grabbed him just in time, but it took both me and Ollie to pull him back up to safety.
Slipping virtually silently through the windows, I led the men to the stairs over the makeshift office. As we approached the first stair, I heard Sadie scream and then all hell broke loose. I ran toward the sound, Reese at my back, Ollie heading for the rollup door, and then men were running and shouting as gunplay exploded in the cavernous building.
I shot at a man running toward me, gun raised. The guy fell, and I kicked in the door that kept me from Sadie. Brick stood over her, her hands and feet bound and blood pooling from her head. Brick swore as he faced me and raised his gun. I didn’t think, just reacted, pulling the trigger and rushing for Sadie.
Brick fell in a weird position, his arm covering Sadie’s face. I shoved him away from her, checked her pulse, and began a sweep for injuries.
The blood was from a nasty gash on her head, but it had clotted, so I untied her and lifted her, cradling her against my chest. Her left eye was swollen and bruised, and I had to bite back the panic seeing her so beat up. “Baby? I’m here. I don’t know if you can hear me, but I’ve got you.”
Reese cleared the debris from the shattered door and stood back for me to pass him. The shooting had stopped almost as quickly as it had begun. Reese checked Brick. “He’s still alive.”
“More’s the pity,” I grumbled.
“Cameron’s got ambulances on the way.”
I heard the sirens and carried Sadie toward the sound.
“Is she okay?” Cameron asked, jogging toward me.
“Out cold. I don’t know the extent of her injuries.”
“I’ll meet the paramedics,” Cam offered, and stepped outside.
“Someone call for an ambulance?” a female voice asked from the door a few minutes later.
“Here,” I answered, and settled Sadie on the gurney. “She has a gash on her head. I don’t know what else.”
“Okay, sir, we have it from here.”
“I’m coming with you.”
The paramedic cocked her head. “You family?”
“Fiancé.”
“Okay, follow me. We’ve got another bus comin’.”
“Ryder, keys!” Reese called, and I threw mine to him, then stepped into the ambulance.
“Give me some space, sir.”
I did as she demanded, but I slid my hand to Sadie’s and held it. She didn’t respond. No movement, no words, nothing. I felt the burn in my chest again and I forced myself to stay calm. “Sadie, baby, wake up for me, honey.”
The ambulance moved forward as the paramedic hooked Sadie up to an IV and bandaged her head. As the needle went into her arm, she came up swinging. Her scream didn’t seem to faze the paramedic, which was good, because it freaked the hell out of me.
“Baby, it’s okay. I’m here.”
“Ryder?” she whispered. “Where am I?”
“Just stay still, ma’am. I’m going to give you something for the pain.”
I stood as best I could and leaned over Sadie, pushing her gently back onto the gurney. “You’re in an ambulance, baby.”
“My head hurts,” she rasped.
“How about now?” the paramedic asked.
Sadie started to answer, but passed out again. I swore, squeezing her hand again.
“She’s okay, sir. Just resting now. Her pulse is strong, and I think her wounds are superficial. Doc’ll take good care of her when we get to Legacy.”
When we arrived at Legacy Mt. Hood, I followed Sadie out of the ambulance, refusing to relinquish her hand until I was forced away from her by the emergency doctor.
A hand on my shoulder squeezed and I found Cameron and Reese behind me.
“Let’s talk,” Cameron said.
“I need to find out what’s happening with Sadie.”
“We won’t go far, but I need to tell you something.”
I nodded and we moved to an isolated area still within sight of the emergency room doors.
“We know why Char wants the girls. Well, four of them, to be exact.”
“Why?” I asked.
“They’re material witnesses in the Azhishchenkov trial.”
“Shit, seriously?” Reese asked.
Cameron nodded. “Yeah. The trafficking was the cover. They would have gotten a decent amount of money for the rest of them, but the witnesses would have been killed before they could testify.”
“Which girls are the witnesses?” I asked.
Cameron shook his head. “Can’t tell you that. Honestly shouldn’t be telling you this much, but I figure you need to know a little more than you do, so I’m sharing.”
“Damn. What the hell did Char get himself into?”
“Who the hell cares?” Reese snapped. “We just gotta make sure he doesn’t find those girls.”
I nodded. Cameron had to report back, so he left. Reese stayed with me until he had to take care of business at the club, giving me the chance to focus on Sadie.
* * *
Sadie
Someone was jack-hammering in my skull and I was none too happy about it. Almost as though I wasn’t attached to my body, I heard myself groan and then a strong hand was gripping mine and fingers were stroking my c
heek. “Hey, baby.”
I forced my eyes open and winced, closing them again. I snuggled a little closer to Ryder who was stretched out beside me. “My head.”
Ryder shifted on the bed and then I was suddenly relieved of all my pain. I smiled. “That’s nice.”
“Baby, don’t go back to sleep. I’m gonna get the nurse.”
I grabbed for his hand. “No, don’t go.”
“I’m not going, baby, just getting the nurse.”
I put my hand to my head and something sharp caught me. “Ouch. Oh! My ring. You found it,” I rasped. He must have slid it back on my finger while I was unconscious.
“Yeah, baby, it was on the car floor.”
“I didn’t know if I was going to be robbed, so I dropped it there in case.”
“Next time just worry about you, okay? I can replace a ring.” He leaned over and kissed my forehead and I sighed.
Then he went and got a nurse.
Sadie
Thirteen months later...
I LAUGHED AS Ryder carried me over the threshold of our tiny fishing cabin in Maine. It was our one-year wedding anniversary, and we’d returned to the place we’d spent our honeymoon, a trip Ryder promised we’d do every year.
The snow had started, so I knew we had limited time to set up our love bubble before we’d be snowed in. “We have to get the food out of the car, honey.”
“I know, but first this.”
I squealed in laughter as he shifted me so I was over his shoulder. He smacked my bottom as he carried me into the bedroom and flopped me onto the bed, straddling me to keep me pinned so he could kiss me. I kissed him back and gripped his hips as we rapidly approached the point of no return.
He broke the kiss first and rolled onto his back. “Okay, food first. I’ll eat you later.”
“Huh-uh,” I countered. “I want a quickie.”
Knifing off the bed, he pried off my boots, yanked off my jeans, panties and all, and buried his face between my thighs. I immediately lost my ability to breathe, let alone worry about needing to get food and luggage out of the car. I slid my ankles over his shoulders and arched my hips as he sucked my clit and slid two fingers inside of me. “Ryder,” I panted. “I need you.”
He unzipped his jeans and pushed them down over his hips, kneeling between my legs and sliding gently into me. I wrapped my legs around his waist and rolled him onto his back so I was straddling him. “Did no one teach you never to come to bed with your boots on?”
“You said quickie, baby, I’m obligin’.”
I giggled, lifting so I could lower slowly, eliciting a delicious little hiss from his mouth. “More?”
Ryder grinned. “Yeah, Sadie, more. But, I want access to the girls.”
I pulled off my shirt and unhooked my bra, freeing “the girls,” and Ryder’s hands immediately cupped my breasts, his thumbs running over my ultra-sensitive nipples. Dropping my head back, I let him work my body into a frenzy as I rode him, but in pure Ryder form, he let me have that for about two minutes before I was on my back again and he was slamming into me, his hand between our bodies, his fingers working my clit.
I cried out as I climaxed almost immediately, weaving my hands into his hair and kissing him gently. “I was enjoying that!” I complained.
He chuckled. “Baby, you said quickie. We gotta get the shit out of the car. Don’t worry, you’re gonna have ten more of those before the night’s over.”
He slid out of me, grabbed a washcloth from the bathroom and cleaned me up, then we got dressed (well, I got dressed, he pulled his pants up) and we headed back out to the car. We dragged our groceries into the cabin and as we put them away, I reflected on our crazy year.
I had been released from the hospital the day after my abduction. I’d required a few stitches in my scalp because I’d sliced it when I tried to fight Brick off and slammed it against the sharp corner of the desk on my way down. I quickly realized I was lucky I’d been knocked unconscious, because Brick had put several cuts on my legs before Ryder had arrived, but only one required stitches. Ryder held back all the details of what he saw when he got to me, but I was okay with that, because Brick had given me a rundown of what he planned to do to me. I had been assured he wasn’t given the chance.
Char was back in prison (as was Brick) and this time it would stick. Cameron made sure of it, and with my testimony and that of two other witnesses, it was an airtight case.
Because the Spiders were still actively seeking the girls, as was the Russian mob, the plan had been made that all the girls would stay hidden. Since no one would divulge who the witnesses were, Ryder and Cameron chose to hide them all. Disguised as nuns in fact. They joked that their lives had turned into a version of Sister Act. The three girls under the age of eighteen were transferred into the care of my aunt, so she had a full house, but loved every minute of it.
Once the drama calmed down, so did Ryder. He was far less possessive and outrageously protective. Don’t get me wrong, he still held onto his fetish, but he did it a lot more respectfully and we’d even started attending church together... not every week, but it was a start.
Reese and I had become besties. How the heck that happened, I have no idea, but we’d settled into a comfortable sibling-type relationship. I’d found out that one of the reasons he didn’t ‘date,’ was because he’d lost the love of his life (my words, not his). He’d made mention of a woman named Alexa, so I’d grilled Ryder about her. I didn’t get much, but I planned on asking Reese more about it when we got back.
Much to Ryder’s worry, Scottie had flown the nest, her counseling helping to heal her mind, while the ever-watchful Ollie helped her to feel safe. She’d moved in with two friends she’d met at work and seemed to be loving the arrangement.
Our wedding day had been idyllic. We ended up having to wait close to a month for the church, but in the end, it was a good thing. Who knew even a “simple” wedding would take a little time to plan?
My A-line dress was a dream. It was made of lace and tulle, and had a halter neckline and beaded sash, and the back had a double keyhole-type cutout. I had been a little concerned about the bust (a tad tight around my breasts, giving me more cleavage than I was used to), but Bethany and Laura told me if I tried to alter it or return the dress, they’d maim me. I’d swept my hair in a pretty bun at the side of my head, but low, with daisies wrapped around it. A lace veil topped off the perfection and I’d never felt so beautiful in my life.
Auntie gave me away and when I took Ryder’s hand, his wet eyes told me everything I needed to know. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered before we stood at the altar and said our vows.
Ryder slipped a white gold band on my finger and I slipped a black-and-white gold band on his. The day was capped off with a party to end all parties at our new home, until Ryder took me to a hotel for the night before we flew to Maine, leaving our family to clean up.
Sex was, how do you say, mind-blowing? No, that’s really not a good enough description for me. I could not get enough. Bethany’s parents had suggested we put a quarter in a jar every time we had sex during our first year of marriage and we thought it would be fun, so we did. Ryder took it a step further and (in pure Ryder fashion) insisted we put a quarter in for every orgasm he gave me. Even without counting our premarital naughtiness, we quickly graduated to one of those humongous water jugs Ryder had at the bar (yes, he was that good). I guess the tradition is to take a quarter out every time you have sex in your second year of marriage, but we decided we’d just keep adding to it. “Our kid fund,” he called it.
So here we were, getting ready to buckle down for our annual love bubble trip, putting groceries away, and taking a break to get fully naked this time.
“I have an anniversary present for you,” he said as we lay in the bed.
“Really?” I grinned. “I have one for you too.”
“You first.”
“Huh-uh, you first.”
“Same time?” he suggested.
<
br /> “Okay.” I sat up and slid off the bed, waiting for him to do the same. “Go!”
We made a rush for our bags and grabbed the gifts. I’d wrapped mine intricately with pretty paper and ribbon... he handed me a gift bag from a jewelry store. I didn’t care. It was jewelry, after all. We knelt, facing each other on the bed.
“Ready?” he asked.
I nodded.
“Go.”
We tore into our presents and I opened a leather box to find a diamond anniversary band that matched my engagement ring. I slid it onto my finger just above my other two rings and sighed in pleasure. It was perfect.
“Oh, honey, it’s amazing.” I glanced up at him when he said nothing and scooted toward him so our knees touched. “Are you okay?”
He held up the pregnancy test, his eyes damp. “Seriously?”
I nodded. “Yep. I took four this morning.”
“You’re shittin’ me.”
I giggled. “Nope. I’ll call the doctor when we get back and schedule an appointment.”
“Holy shit, Sadie, we’re gonna have a baby!” He let out a hoot and jumped off the bed, pulling me with him and dancing me around the very tiny room.
“I know! I can’t wait.”
“Me neither.” He pulled me closer, cupping my cheeks. “I love you, baby. More than anything in the world. Thank you.”
“I love you, too.” I grinned up at him, laying my hand on my still-flat belly. “And this little one’s going to worship the ground you walk on.”
“Nah, he and I’ll save that for you.”
“Girls tend to love their daddies more than their mommies.”
“But boys always love their mamas more.”
“We’ll make sure we have one of each then,” I said.
“Or four of each.”
I giggled. “Let’s start with two and go from there.”
“Sounds good.” He laid his hand over mine. “Are you feeling okay? Any nausea?”
“Not yet. Don’t worry, honey, it’s all good.”
“Okay. Well, we better take it easy this week.”
“Uh, no way, Jose! It’s love bubble time! We’re not taking anything easy... at least in the sex department.”
Ryder (Sinners and Saints, #1) Page 23
