by K. M. Scott
“Serena told me she met someone named Michael who worked as the gardener here. She said you were a friend of Alita’s.”
“I wouldn’t exactly call myself her friend, but I care about her. Is something wrong?”
I turned to look into the house again and then faced him. “I think someone’s coming for her right now. If you care about her, you need to get her away from this place before he gets here.”
Michael dropped the shovel and ran past me through the back door. I followed him to the front of the house where Alita sat in a chair in the living room.
She looked at him and then me and opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Michael pointed at me and said, “He knows Serena. He says someone’s coming for you tonight.”
“Now,” I corrected him as I stepped toward where Alita sat. “I’m Ryder, and as much as I wish we could take the time to get to know one another, at the moment we don’t have the time. He’ll be here any minute, so if you don’t leave now, you won’t have a chance. Have you seen Serena tonight?”
“No. I called her to tell her Robert had been here to see me and was furious. He knows she and I have been meeting. She told me she’d call me later, but I never heard back from her.”
Standing, she looked out the front window as headlights from a car driving toward the house began to draw closer. Unable to tell if they were from Serena’s car or Jesse’s, I pushed Alita and Michael toward the back door.
“You need to get her out of here now. Do you have a place to go or at least some money to hide out for a while? Do you have a car to use?”
He nodded and smiled. “I’ve been planning for this what seems like my whole life.”
“Go now. Go as far as you can, and then wait for me to call you. Only answer if you see Serena’s number, understand? He will find you if you don’t lay low. I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that doesn’t happen, but you have to go right now.”
Alita reached out to touch my arm and smiled. “Thank you, Ryder. Thank you for taking care of Serena and us.”
I pushed them through the kitchen and opened the back door. “Thank me later. Now just go. Get as far away as you can.”
They ran down the dirt path to an old garage, and in seconds Michael raced away with Alita. Now I just had to worry about Serena.
A knock at the front door made my heart skip a beat, and I slowly walked to the front of the house to answer it. Pulling out my gun, I slowly opened the door as I held my breath, hoping it would be Serena I’d see instead of Jesse.
Outside in the dark a figure stood off to the side, and I only needed one look to know it was her.
“Ryder, what did you do? What did he order you to do?” she asked as she marched into the house and began looking for her mother.
“She’s not here, Serena. She and Michael left already.”
Her shoulders sagged. “Why? Is that what he ordered you to do? Send them away so I wouldn’t be able to see her ever again? Why would you do that to me, Ryder?”
I pulled her close and hugged her as she began to sob. “No, that’s not what happened. I think your father sent Jesse to kill her, so I drove up here as fast as I could to stop him. I got here in time and told her and Michael. She’s going to be okay, Serena.”
She tilted her head up to look at me, clearly confused. “So she’s okay? You didn’t…”
It broke my heart to know she thought I had come here to hurt her mother. I deserved it, though. After all I’d done, why wouldn’t she think that?
“I’d never do that to you, Serena. I’ve done a lot of bad things, but I’ve never hurt a woman. Not even for Robert.”
Cradling my face in her hands, she kissed me sweetly on the lips and shook her head. “I’m sorry. I should have known you wouldn’t hurt my mother. I just worried my father was threatening you with something, and you didn’t have a choice. I should have known better. Please forgive me.”
Before I could tell her I loved her and she never had to ask for my forgiveness for anything, I saw headlights coming down the road toward the house. Jesse. My stomach tensed as I knew what would happen next. I couldn’t risk Serena being there for that.
As she stared up at me, fear reflecting in her eyes, I kissed her and hoped I hadn’t made the biggest mistake of my life.
“I want you to go. Run down the path to the road and get into the car. Drive away as fast as you can back to the house and wait for me.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to go, Ryder. I don’t want to leave you here with him.”
“It’s not me he’s here for. He’s here for your mother. I need you to leave now.”
“Then why do I have to go?” she asked in horror. “Why can’t I stay here with you? He won’t hurt me.”
Taking her hand, I directed her toward the back door. I couldn’t tell her the truth—that I worried her father had told Jesse to take care of her along with her mother. Even I didn’t want to believe Robert could be that kind of monster.
“I just want you to go now, Serena. I don’t want you around this. Go, and I’ll follow in a few minutes.”
I opened the door and guided her out onto the porch, but we’d run out of time. Jesse stood there on the path looking almost surprised to see us there.
Pushing Serena behind me, I whispered to her, “Run to your car. I’ll keep him busy.”
“Don’t bother running. I’m here for her mother, not her.”
“She already got away, so you failed. Go back and tell my father he won’t get her tonight,” Serena snapped.
“You need to go, Jesse. She’s not here. Go tell him she was gone when you got here.”
His eyes opened wide in terror at what we both knew Robert would do when he found out Jesse failed. He walked through the kitchen door and shut it hard behind him.
“I can’t do that, man.”
Serena and I took a few steps backward toward the living room. I felt her squeeze my hand in fear and wished to hell I had gotten her away from this.
“Yes, you can. You can do it and you have to because she’s not here.”
Wincing, he took a step toward me and shook his head. “You know what he’ll do to me if go back and tell him I failed. Just tell me where she is and you won’t have to be involved in this anymore.”
“You know I can’t do that, Jess. I can’t let you hurt Serena’s mother. I don’t care what Robert ordered you to do. Just turn around and go back. I’ll do whatever I can to help you with him, but I can’t let you hurt her.”
He reached behind him and pulled out his gun. Waving it around, he sighed like this was all too much for him. “Why, man? Why did you have to get involved with his daughter? Jesus, didn’t he warn you like he warned everyone else? Why couldn’t you just keep your hands off her?”
The way he talked about Serena pissed me off. I gripped my gun until my palm hurt. “Don’t say another word about her. Not another fucking word. Now turn around and leave here before you get hurt.”
“You told me yourself about how he called you a stray that first night he brought you to the estate. He can claim you’re his adopted son all he wants, but when it comes right down it, Ryder, you know you aren’t one of them. You and I aren’t like them.”
Serena leaned around me and pointed her finger at Jesse. “You don’t know anything. You’re just like my father.”
I pushed her back behind me and hoped I could somehow get through to him. “Jess, I know how you’re feeling. I’ve been there. But you don’t have to do this. Go back and tell him she was gone when you got here.”
Frowning, he shook his head. “I can’t do that, Ryder. I’m sorry. I’m going to find her and when I do, I have no choice. You know that as well as anyone else. Just accept this is how it has to go.”
Nothing Jesse said was wrong. I knew he had no choice. None of us did in Robert’s world. That didn’t change the fact that I’d sooner die than let him hurt Alita.
“I’m sorry, Jess. I can’t let you do th
at.”
“You don’t have a choice, man. Don’t fight this. You have the girl. Let the mother go and he’ll be happy.”
I pointed my gun at him and hated that I knew what he said wasn’t true. “No, he won’t. He’ll never be happy, and there’s nothing you and I can do to change that.”
There was nothing more to say. I never wanted to hurt Jesse or anyone else. I didn’t have a choice.
None of us did.
I squeezed the trigger and felt the shot explode out of my gun, and then a second later I heard a second shot. Had I pulled the trigger a second time? Serena let out a terrified scream behind me. I wanted to turn around to see if she was safe, but I couldn’t. All I could do was watch as Jesse collapsed onto the floor in what looked like slow motion before my legs gave out and I fell.
“Ryder! Talk to me! Please, say something!” Serena begged over and over, each time her voice sounding farther and farther away.
Until all I heard was silence.
RYDER AND SERENA’S STORY CONCLUDES IN
IF WE FALL (CORRUPTED LOVE #3)
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About the Author
K.M. Scott writes contemporary romance stories of sexy, intense, and unforgettable love. A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, she’s been in love with romance since reading her first romance novel in junior high (she was a very curious girl!). Under her Gabrielle Bisset name, she writes erotic paranormal and historical romance. She lives in Pennsylvania with a herd of animals and when she’s not writing can be found reading or feeding her TV addiction.
Be sure to visit K.M.’s Facebook page at facebook.com/kmscottauthor for all the latest on her books, along with giveaways and other goodies! And to hear all the news on K.M. Scott books first, sign up for her newsletter today and be sure to visit her website at www.kmscottbooks.com.
Books by K.M. Scott:
If I Dream (Corrupted Love #1)
If You Fight (Corrupted Love #2)
If We Fall (Corrupted Love #3)
Crash Into Me (Heart of Stone #1)
Fall Into Me (Heart of Stone #2)
Give In To Me (Heart of Stone #3)
Heart of Stone Volume One Box Set
Ever After (Heart of Stone #4)
A Heart of Stone Christmas (Heart of Stone #5)
Unforgettable (Heart of Stone #6)
Unbreakable (Heart of Stone #7)
Heart of Stone Volume Two Box Set
Temptation (Club X #1)
Surrender (Club X #2)
Possession (Club X #3)
Satisfaction (Club X #4)
Acceptance (Club X #5)
The Complete Club X Series Box Set
SILK (Volume One)
SILK (Volume Two)
SILK (Volume Three)
SILK (Volume Four)
SILK Box Set
K.M.’S BOOKS ARE IN AUDIOBOOK TOO!
Books by Gabrielle Bisset:
Vampire Dreams Revamped (A Sons of Navarus Prequel)
Blood Avenged (Sons of Navarus #1)
Blood Betrayed (Sons of Navarus #2)
Longing (A Sons of Navarus Short Story)
Blood Spirit (Sons of Navarus #3)
The Deepest Cut (A Sons of Navarus Short Story)
Blood Prophecy (Sons of Navarus #4)
Blood Craving (Sons of Navarus #5)
Blood Eclipse (Sons of Navarus #6)
The Sons of Navarus Box Set #1
The Sons of Navarus Box Set #2
Stolen Destiny (Destined Ones Duology #1)
Destiny Redeemed (Destined Ones Duology #2)
Love’s Master
Masquerade
The Victorian Erotic Romance Trilogy
