The Lost Sister (Sister Series, #8)

by Leanne Davis

  Ryder held his gaze. Tristan didn’t flinch. He didn’t need the comparison spelled out, he got it. “Like Tara Aderly. Family trait, huh? Lying. Taking advantage. Covering up. Even the same cover story?”

  “You heard what she went through, right? Do you think she was lying about that?”

  Ryder recalled all the fear and blatant avoidance of eye contact with him and his gun that she had first displayed. “No. I think she told the truth now.”

  “You’re a cop. I wouldn’t come near you if I were her. Doesn’t that say something? Look, I didn’t know she was homeless, on drugs, or desperate enough to sell herself on the streets. I also didn’t know she was held at gunpoint and sexually assaulted by a fucking cop. I feel guilty for what happened to her. I own a slice of it and I won’t forget that. So what if she had to lie about that? Tell me, would you have hired her with that kind of history? So she fudged an employment application, all because she had no real address for five years. She had an arrest record and she didn’t want anyone decent to know about it. Do you blame her? Aside from your hurt feelings. She wasn’t hiding violent crimes from you but something she felt most normal people couldn’t accept or look past. And now you’re proving she was exactly right.”

  Ryder’s jaw locked and he scowled at Tristan, who continued, “Let me ask you something. Before you knew her, if you’d known all of this, what would your reaction be? Would you consider her a possible woman to date? A potential employee? Would you even want to be friends with her? I highly doubt it. She was trying desperately to change. And she did, from all I’ve observed. I had no idea who or what I would find. A drug addict? Alcoholic? A loser living in disgusting circumstances? Honestly? That’s what I thought we’d find. Not her. She’s trying to move past it all and advance forward and live differently. You seemed to be included in that. Don’t send her back to it or punish her because the first person she tries to be honest with can’t handle it or forgive her or move past it. She was a stupid, lost kid, without anyone to care for her. She survived and is still a nice, sweet, shy woman; she’s the Tara I used to know and that’s the biggest shock. Who wouldn’t have concealed things that were revolting about their past? She despised her history and therefore, she was afraid decent people would find her despicable. Now, Ryder, I think you fucking well know by now that she’s about as decent as women come.”

  Ryder nodded but it took awhile. “How did your girlfriend manage to get over what your brother did? And what you went after her to do?”

  “I honestly don’t know. She thought she knew me. The real me. At the time, I don’t think I fully was or envisioned the person she saw, but now I strive to be that person every day. If I could undo the reason why I met her, I would. But I wouldn’t undo meeting her. I think Tara would claim the same towards you.”

  Ryder nodded, suddenly lost in thought. All of it came as such a shock. But her lying stuck with him. He spent three years erroneously hating a woman whom he thought lied to and left him. He thought she was cruelly playing games and hurting him with it. He just didn’t want to live that way anymore. He wanted honesty twenty-four/seven and to trust that someone’s word really did mean their word.

  But Tristan pointed out some relevant facts. Tara had been just a kid. And he wouldn’t have let Chloe hire her if he’d known or even caught a whiff of her past. He’d never have allowed her around Wyatt either, much less start dating her. So Tara was right. Ryder would have judged her and never gotten past it.

  Maybe she hadn’t had a choice.

  He pushed his coffee away. “I investigated the cop who assaulted her.”

  Tristan’s gaze sharpened on him and his mouth was grim. “Funny, that was next on my list.”

  “He was fired two years ago.”

  Tristan’s eyebrows rose with obvious interest. “So then you believe her at least?”

  “I believe her. She had an uncanny fear of my gun and even me when I first met her.”

  “Sympathy to her plight alone didn’t stimulate the urge to comfort her? I would think you’d do that instead of kicking her out.”

  Ryder shuffled his ass around, growing uncomfortable at Tristan’s sarcasm. “I didn’t kick her out. She chose to leave and call you.”

  “This is the first time in years when she’s even had that option. You assume she chose to run away, but in many ways, she had to leave in order to save her life. She wasn’t strong enough back then to stop my mother’s deplorable behavior; and my mother nearly killed her. If not literally, she killed her spirit by all the pressure she insisted on putting her under. Tara almost died of anorexia. She ran away because she knew she’d end up dying young. So hate me. Detest me. I could and should have gotten her out of there when she left the hospital. But I didn’t. So she had to take herself out of there. Can you understand how alone she’s been? How necessary she must have found it to lie? When I lied about my name, I was doing it to deliberately hurt someone. When she did it, she was simply trying to protect and save herself. She wanted to start over. She wanted to start fresh.”

  He held Tristan’s gaze. Tristan scowled back at him hard and long. Ryder eventually rose to his feet and dropped the napkin in his hand on the table.

  Tristan looked up at him. “Where are you going now?”

  “I have to talk to Tara.”

  Tristan followed him. “If you hurt her, I swear to God…”

  Ryder whipped around and glared at Tristan, his hands resting on his hips, right above his gun. “What, Tristan? What are you going to do? Are you planning to arrest me?”

  Tristan shot daggers at him with his angry eyes but he closed his mouth and fell silent. Ryder drove to the café, finally feeling ready to confront Tara with the whole truth.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “GET OUT! LEAVE! I won’t have you here.”

  Ryder walked in the front door and heard Chloe’s voice screeching across the diner. He glanced at Tristan, who stiffened. The café was empty, thankfully. Surprised, Ryder wondered why. It was long past noon. Business should have been booming. The voices coming from the kitchen instantly told the story.

  “Hold it!” Petra’s signature accent called out.

  Who was she talking to? Tara or Chloe? Ryder rushed through the eating area and into the kitchen. Tristan was hot on his heels. The entire staff was gathered in Chloe’s office. They didn’t realize he and Tristan had stepped into the prep area. Tara was standing in the doorway, obviously just turning back towards the crowd. Petra had hold of one of her arms. “Just hold on, Tara. You’re not leaving.”

  “The hell she isn’t! I won’t have her here another second.”

  Ryder started to cross the kitchen, ready to lay into Chloe when Dok’s voice stopped him dead. “You will. Or you won’t have any staff.”

  Dok and Chet never spoke up to Chloe. Ryder stopped dead. What was happening?

  “What do you mean?”

  “If you fire her for no reason, we’ll all leave too. How can we trust you not to fire us too?” Chet spoke this time. His tone was almost soft, and his reluctance to speak dripped off his words.

  “No reason? I have every damn reason. She lied. Her name was fake. Her Social Security number a total fraud,” Chloe ranted.

  Ryder could see over Tara’s shoulder and Petra’s head. Chloe was glaring laser beams at Chet, standing with her hands on her hips. She screamed right into his face.

  “You are still hurt over your sister’s death. You are angry that Tara is alive and sharing Ryder and Wyatt’s life and Ebony isn’t. That is no cause to fire her. We… all of us, we won’t allow it,” Petra spoke defiantly. Her tone was calmer now and sounded almost soothing after Chloe’s yelling.

  “Allow it? This is my place. I’ll do whatever I damn well please. Fire and hire whomever I fucking want to. And what about this? Tara lied on her employment application. That automatically invalidates her and I can fire her for any damn reason I choose. No matter what you all think.”

  “I did lie,” Tara
said, hanging her head down. “Just… I think this is for the best. Chloe can’t deal with me. It would be miserable… for both of us.”

  “No,” Dok spoke. “You lied. We heard, Tara Tamasy. That isn’t why she’s firing you. She used to rave over what a hard worker you are, and how good you are with the customers, not to mention all the sales and fat tips.”

  “I call bullshit. This is about Ryder,” Chet interjected.

  Chloe smacked her fist down on her desk. “It isn’t about Ryder! God! I don’t want to fuck my brother-in-law or anything. I definitely don’t want this white trash influencing my sister’s son.”

  “Good. ‘Cause he doesn’t want to fuck you. And I decide who influences my son. It isn’t your decision. Nor will it affect your future business decisions.”

  All eyes turned towards Ryder. Tara’s entire body straightened as if someone just zapped her with the end of a bare, hot wire. Her shoulders stiffened and she spun around. Ryder stepped into the overly crowded office. It was only twelve by twelve. Chloe’s desk faced the door and was close to the center. The staff stood at the sides and in front of it when she stood behind it.

  He stepped inside. Tara’s eyes were wide, and her mouth open while her cheeks exploded with pink hues. He touched her arm with his hand.

  “Ryder!” Chloe’s tone was both outraged and shocked.

  “Yeah, Ryder. I’m still half-owner. You’re not firing Tara. Not for this. And she isn’t white trash and she hasn’t, nor will she ever, negatively influence Wyatt.” He let go of Tara’s arms after a soft squeeze. One thing at a time. He walked past Petra, who stepped back to make room for him. She slid behind Chet, who was leaning on the desk. He glared at Ryder.

  Ryder slid up to Chloe and, without any hesitation, fully embraced her. Her body folded up into his arms. He patted her back and stroked her soft hair. “What are you doing here, Chloe? You’re not ready. It’s too soon. Petra’s got you covered.”

  She gripped his shirt in her fists and started to cry. He glanced around. “No one is getting fired. Why don’t you all go open for lunch and get the kitchen up and running?”

  They all just stood there, staring at the unfolding scene. He raised his eyebrows. “Please?”

  After some muttering and nodding, they finally left. Tara was last and she stared at him before she slipped out and gently shut the door.

  Ryder pushed Chloe back until she flopped onto the chair. She leaned her head into her hand on the desk. “I never considered fucking you, I never even wanted to. I was just being dramatic.”

  He sat down on the edge of the desk. “I know, Chloe. But Tara and I have become intimate and that isn’t changing.”

  She winced. “Gloves are off, huh? You don’t talk like that too much.”

  “Yeah. Honestly, she lied. She did. I ran a full background check on her and it’s not pretty. Charges for drug possession and prostitution. But it only hurt her, not like burglary or violent crimes that would raise a red flag for us. But she’s also been living here long enough that we both know she’s clean and trustworthy. You know it as well as I do.”

  Chloe shook her head and looked down. “I just want Ebony back. I wish she were still alive.”

  Ryder gently set his hand on her shoulder. “I know,” he said softly.

  She glanced up. “But you don’t anymore. You want her.”

  He held her gaze, steady and sure before he replied, “I do. I wish Ebony were back. I want her to be the mother of our son, her son, as she’s supposed to be. But I can’t deny that I want her… Tara. However, that doesn’t change anything regarding Ebony. If you only knew how often I wish this had never happened to her and how much I grieve for her still. Don’t ever doubt that. But I did grieve for her, Chloe. My mourning for Ebony was over years ago. Tara didn’t just show up in my life and I started fucking her. It was much more than that, and was also a long time coming.”

  Chloe sniffled and kept shaking her head. “I can’t believe she’s dead. My sister. My other half. I’m all that remains of us… our unique relationship…”

  “I’ll be here for you, Chloe. Always. No matter what.”

  She snorted. “As if she’s going to let that be. Not after what I did and said to her.”

  Ryder wanted to answer that Tara was actually pretty damn nice and sweet, so yeah, she would have let it be, Ryder had realized. But he knew that would have only inflamed Chloe so he kept it to himself and set a hand on her shoulder.

  “You realize now that what you said and did was wrong. She won’t hold it over your head. Just go home. And don’t come back until we’ve figured this out, okay? I’ll help you. I’ll always be there. I hope you know that now. Just as you have always helped me with Wyatt.”

  She rubbed her eyes. “Will you still let him be around me as often?”

  “All the time.”

  She rose to her feet. “Okay. I guess…”

  “I’ll talk to the staff. Just take care of yourself. Let me call your mom…”

  Chloe shook her head to the negative. “No. It’ll just upset her more. I got this, Ryder. I just need some time alone.” She slipped the light coat over her arm. “Thank you, Ryder. For stopping me here. I’ll… I’ll go work on a better way. I just need some more time alone.”

  “Take all the time you need. And when you’re ready? Wyatt and I will be waiting right here.”

  Her lips barely smiled as her eyes shut and she tried to ignore the pain she felt. Turning, she opened the back door and slipped out of the restaurant and past the staff. No one said anything. Ryder fully believed they’d all forgive her and understand the extreme stress and pain she was reacting to. Her identical twin sister had been found murdered. When you shared the same womb and the same DNA, it wasn’t something easily processed.

  “Petra? You okay to keep acting as manager?” Ryder asked her.

  She nodded. “Yes. Just needed to talk some sense into her. She needs more time. Poor dear.”

  “She does, and she’s taking it. Anything comes up in the time being, come to me.”

  “Will do.”

  “Otherwise, it’s all up to you. I trust you implicitly.”

  Petra beamed as he walked through the kitchen door. The place was already filling up with the lunch crowd and Tara was busily scribbling down an order.

  Ryder came up right behind her. Tristan was sitting at another table, frowning as he stared at Ryder, and curiosity shone in his eyes.

  Ryder took Tara’s arm when she started to turn and she smacked into him. With an “Oomph!” her gaze was temporarily riveted on his chest. When she finally raised her head up, she explained, “Dok thought I should keep on serving since they’re getting so busy. I wasn’t sure.”

  “You should keep on doing what you’re doing. Chloe was taking out her anguish on you. You’re not fired.”

  She nodded. “I thought so. But I did lie on my employment application.”

  “I know. And you lied to me and her and Wyatt and everyone else here for months.”

  Shame filled her cheeks with color. She jerked her arms from his. “Yes. It’s unforgiveable,” she mumbled, and started to pass around him.

  “No. Nothing is unforgivable.”

  She stopped dead and paused before turning back towards him. People were beginning to stare at them. Why the hell not, he figured? All the regular patrons had already pretty much witnessed their relationship from their first introduction to their courtship. Everything almost entirely occurred right there, so why not have it end there too?

  He withdrew his hand from his pants pocket and stepped forward, taking her hand. “I don’t like knowing your last name was such a secret. And since you don’t seem to like being called Tara Tamasy, let’s just change it to Tara Kincaid and I won’t have a problem anymore.” He slipped the ring he bought for her onto her left ring finger.

  Tara’s mouth dropped open like a well-oiled hinge and stayed like that. Shock sparkled in her widening eyes. Audible gasps escaped from the m
ouths of the patrons around them. Ryder smiled as he glanced at her and waited for her answer.

  “What did Tristan say to you?” was the first thing that popped out of her mouth.

  Ryder grinned. “I was already coming here to do this after what you said to me.”

  Her mouth opened and closed and opened again with visible wonder. An almost soundless squeak escaped through her lips. “I don’t understand.”

  “I love you, Tara. I was hurt and confused when I thought you didn’t think you could trust me with your secret history. I’m sorry I didn’t handle that very well. Or my discovery of Ebony, but mostly, I’m sorry for how I let it affect us. I promise you I’ll work on that. I’m sorry for the way you lived before you came here. But look at what you created when you got here. And in so short a time. Did you know the entire staff was ready to quit? They were all willing to give up their jobs for you, in solidarity with you, and they all came to your defense when Chloe attacked you. That says a whole hell of a lot about the woman you are inside. Much more than your damn name.”

  “I appreciate that, but I don’t want to cause Chloe anymore pain.”

  Ryder grazed her face with the backs of his knuckles. “You are not responsible for hurting Chloe simply because you are here in her sister’s place. You’re not replacing her, does that make any sense? What I shared with Ebony was entirely separate and very different from what I share with you. Like someone having two kids and losing one. You can’t replace the lost child. My heart and life have just expanded to include you now too.”