by Lexie Davis
“Who is importing these weapons into Atlanta? How are they getting into the city?”
Ryker wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. “What makes you think I fucking know?”
“Because you know everything going on in the black market.” Pat’s beefy presence was less than intimidating to Ryker. He wasn’t scared of the cop. He knew without a doubt that if anything happened, Ella would be devastated. Pat didn’t want that. “Or at least your father did when he was club president. If you’re half the leader he was, then I assume you know what I need.”
He just had to bring up Ryker’s father. “We’re not exactly friends. Why would I tell you anything if I did know?”
“Give me the fucking info, and I’ll offer you immunity for crimes prior to your Roaming Devils leadership.” Pat leaned forward. “Ella won’t have to watch you walk away in handcuffs to spend the rest of your life in jail when we find your father’s body floating in the river, or wherever it is that you put him. Did he go up in flames like your grandfather?”
Ryker stared at him. “You can’t offer me shit.”
“No, I can.” He pulled out a piece of paper in the folder he had sat on the desk. “Right here. You give me the info, you cannot be held accountable for the Roaming Devil’s past sins. Because right now, it’s not looking so good for you and your club.”
“Mmm.” Ryker laughed. “You’ve got nothing. You’re so desperate for information that you’re grasping at straws hoping that you’ll find something to make me bite.”
“What about my daughter?”
“What about her?”
“You really want to do that to her? Let her get attached to the monster you are just so she can pine away after you’re locked up for the crimes you’re guilty of? Give me something on the guns, and Ella doesn’t have to see you behind bars for now.”
“Ella’s not going to see me behind bars because you’ve got nothing on me.” Ryker glanced around. “And since you’ve got nothing on me, I’d like to be released.”
“Goddamn it.” Pat slammed his fist on the table. “These men are using these weapons to terrorize women on the streets. What if they went after my daughter? What if they shot and killed her? You can be first-class scum on your own time, but every decision you make affects her.”
Pat pushed the folder toward Ryker. The woman was pretty. Blonde hair. Skinny. Ryker could see the profile he had on her. She was a former beauty queen who’d gotten hooked on coke. If he had to guess, she couldn’t pay her bill. And when she couldn’t pay her bill, she’d paid with her life. But it didn’t explain why the gun had been left behind. He stared at the bullet hole in her head. It was a horrible setup if someone was trying to pin a suicide on her. The hole was too far back to be self-inflicted at that angle.
Ryker rubbed his swollen lip. “What’s the profile you’ve got on this?”
“That’s none of your business.”
Ryker glanced up at him. “Then undo the fucking handcuffs.”
Pat blew out a breath. Ryker was pretty sure it killed him a little inside to share what he knew with Ryker. “We’ve got a few deaths where the women are posed the same. The wound is the same. The gun is the same make. The women are all former successes. This one was a beauty-pageant winner. Former Miss Alabama, to be exact. We’ve had a brilliant scientist show up on the streets with the same profile. And we’ve had an attorney.” Pat stared at him. “What’s stopping them from going after a doctor next?”
“And you want to get the guns, not the one’s doing this?”
“The guns lead us to the ones doing this.” Pat collected the papers in the folder and closed it. “Who are they? What is their motive?”
Ryker shook his head. “I don’t know.”
Pat sighed. “You’re a fucking worthless piece of shit.”
He stood, leaving the small room. Ryker thought about all the connections he had and who would have the most info about this. The gun wasn’t branded, but it was unique. He’d never seen it before, but it stood out enough that if he did, he would remember. The shiny metal was a stark contrast to most guns’ muted steel color. It was almost as if they’d polished it to be noticed.
The door opened and a uniformed officer came in. He undid the cuffs. “You’re free to go.”
Ryker rubbed his wrists. “I’m assuming I get to find my way home.”
“There is a payphone out front.”
Ryker stood and walked out the door. He didn’t like how Pat wanted to play this game. Arresting him for crap he had no proof of was breaking the law. Trying to con him into helping him solve cases was a pathetic attempt at justice. He had nothing, and Ryker wouldn’t bite.
He walked over to the payphone and dialed Vampire. If they got to the troublemakers first, then it would save everyone a lot of time and a headache. No burden on the justice system, just a quiet elimination of the problem.
“Yeah?”
“Come pick me up.”
“Where are you?”
Ryker glanced around and rattled off the street name.
Vampire didn’t say anything immediately. “Your girlfriend stopped by. She’s worried about you.”
Ryker blew out a breath. “Yeah. I know. Come pick me up.”
He hung up and stared across the street at the warehouse where they processed their coke. Pat had brought him dangerously close to the exact thing he was looking to find. While Pat had given no indication that he knew where the plant was, he did know the Roaming Devils had ties to it. If they got some fucking judge to give them a warrant to search the place, then everything would spiral out of control. Ryker pursed his lips and walked away from the phone. It was just a matter of time. He was fairly sure of it.
Chapter Two
Ella sat up in the recliner, watching as Ryker came inside their apartment and closed the door. He’d been gone nearly four hours but thankfully didn’t look like he’d been tortured. The longstanding disagreement between Ryker and her father had been going on since she’d been a teenager. It didn’t help matters any when Ryker had accidentally elbowed her in the face. She could still remember the anger in her father’s eyes as he’d gone after Ryker. Ryker had simply stood there too, thinking he deserved it.
The men were polar opposites of each other yet in some ways were the same. Ryker wanted justice in his own way while her father fully believed in the laws of the land. Pulling a soft blanket around her, she waited for him to say something.
“Ah, shit.” He glanced around. “What are you doing in here? You should be in bed.”
Ella snorted. “Not knowing where you are doesn’t make for a peaceful night’s sleep.”
“I’m fine.” He rubbed his hand over his face. “You don’t have to worry about me.”
She stood. “Don’t.”
He tried to judge her tone. “Okay.”
Walking over to her, he pulled her into his arms. She looped her arms around him and laid her cheek against his shoulder. She’d been worrying about him ever since high school, but he already knew that. He kissed her cheek and pulled back.
“Are you hungry? We can get breakfast.”
She nodded and he moved away. He patted his sides and cursed.
“Your phone is on the nightstand. You didn’t take it with you.”
He smiled at her. “I love you.”
She studied him, taking in his swollen lips. “Did he punch you?”
Ryker scoffed. “Baby, don’t worry about it. Let me get us some breakfast.”
Ella waited while he went to get his phone. She didn’t say anything while he ordered some prospect to get them food. When he hung up, he went to the kitchen and she followed him. She didn’t have to say anything to get his attention; she knew he knew what was on her mind.
“Yes, he punched me.” He kept his attention on her. “But I smarted off to him about you. So I deserved it.” He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. “Please stop looking like your puppy died. Everything is okay.”
“No
, it’s not.” Ella sat on a barstool across from him. “How long is it going to be before one of you kills the other?”
He leaned on the counter in front of her. “You’re being a little dramatic. Nobody is killing anyone.”
“I don’t believe you.”
He tilted his head to the side. “I saved his ass for you. Why the hell would I kill him now?”
“Because it’s never going to end.”
He twisted the cap of the water bottle. “We’ve been over this before. I love you, Ella. More than I can put into fucking words. You’re what matters to me. He matters to you. It’s not even a question.”
“What if I stopped caring about him?”
Ryker frowned. “You care about a hurt little bird that fell out of a tree, Ella. You are incapable of not caring about your father.”
He was right. Ella propped her chin on her hand. Her life would consist of her being pulled back and forth between the two men she cared about.
“You’re just mad.” Ryker stared at her. “You need to talk to him.”
“He won’t talk to me.”
Ryker picked up his phone. Ella watched as he waited for whomever he’d dialed to answer. “If you want my help with your little situation, then I have a condition that has to be met.” He waited a few seconds. “I want you to fix the bullshit between you and your daughter.” He waited a few more seconds. “She wants to talk to you and it needs to be done in person.”
He hung up the phone just as someone knocked on the door. “He’s coming over.”
Ryker opened the door and grabbed the food from the prospect. After a short conversation, he closed it and carried it back to kitchen bar. Ella watched as he sorted through the order. He’d gotten her favorite and pushed it toward her and stepped back to make her some coffee.
“He still thinks you beat me up.”
Ryker didn’t look at her. “I figured as much.”
“He thinks I’m protecting you and all your criminal activity.”
Ryker snorted. “He doesn’t know you very well, does he?” He glanced over at her. “Talk it out. He may be a stubborn asshole, but he loves you more than life. It’s the only thing we have in common.”
Once her coffee was made, they sat at the table together and ate their breakfast. Ella didn’t like the butterflies swarming in her stomach. The past few months had been hell, and she didn’t even know where to begin with him.
Ryker reached for a biscuit and held it out for her. “Eat.”
She refused it and kept her attention on her food. “What did he want you to help him with? Is that why he arrested you on bogus charges?”
He chuckled and bit into the biscuit. “You never turn that brain of yours off, do you? You’re too fucking smart for your own good.”
“It’s better than being stupid.”
A knock sounded at the door, and Ella reached for her fork. Ryker didn’t say anything as he went to answer it. Her father came in and stood in the foyer, waiting for her to acknowledge him.
“Come on.” Ryker came to the kitchen and pulled a seat out at the table. “Have a seat.”
Ella lifted her coffee to her lips. She didn’t know what to say. Everything she came up with, she wanted to scream at him.
Ryker watched them for a moment. “You two are so much alike. How the fuck can I love one and despise the other?”
Pat folded his arms over his wide chest. “Love is relative.”
Ella snorted. She lifted her food to her mouth and took a bite. Actually talking to him was not possible.
“I didn’t hit her on purpose. It was a complete accident.”
“I hear about fists accidently ramming into faces all the time.” Pat looked over at Ryker finally. “How’s the lip?”
“He didn’t hit me with his fist.” Ella narrowed her eyes at her father. “It was his elbow.”
“Is that supposed to be better?” Pat asked.
She shook her head. “I can’t do this anymore.”
Her father shrugged. “Then don’t.”
Tears fell to Ella cheeks. She didn’t know how to make things right again. The hole in her chest ached. She’d been so close with her father, and now he acted like he didn’t give a damn.
“Ella.” Ryker reached for her, and she pulled away from him.
“Stay away from me.” She stared at her father. “Don’t ever come near me again.”
Ryker kicked Pat underneath the table. “Talk to her, asshole.”
Pat narrowed his eyes at Ryker before turning back to Ella. “It’s for the best.”
“I’ve done nothing wrong!” She felt the dam breaking inside her. “You’re the one that blames me for everything you resent Ryker for. He doesn’t give in to you and you take it out on me. I’m your only daughter and you would rather push me away…” She stopped, her voice breaking. She shook her head as sobs threatened to consume her.
The coldness in her father’s eyes didn’t waver. She was talking to deaf ears. Instead of continuing, she left them sitting in the kitchen while she went to her bedroom.
Sometime later, Ryker found her in the bathroom, huddled on the shower floor with the hot water streaming down on her, she sobbed and sobbed, her heart shattering with every breath she took.
Ryker turned the water off and reached for a towel. He knelt in the shower with her, wrapping the towel around her before he pulled her into his arms. He held her, not saying a word until she stopped crying. She closed her eyes and clutched him tight.
“He doesn’t love me.”
Ryker smoothed her hair from her face. “Yes, he does.” He leaned down to kiss her. “Sometimes you push the people you love away. I tried with you, remember? It’s a defense mechanism.”
She pushed to her feet and turned toward him. “Defense against what? What reason would he have to push his daughter away?”
“Maybe he knows it won’t end too. Maybe he doesn’t want you to choose all the time. Maybe he doesn’t want you between us.” Ryker smoothed his hand along her back. “He worries about you. Much like you worry about me. It must be something that runs in your family.”
“It’s not funny.”
He pulled her closer, tightening his arms around her. “What’s really bothering you about him?”
She sniffled. “It’s stupid.”
“Nothing about you is stupid.”
“I miss eating breakfast together.” She shook her head. “He used to call me and bring me a donut or a chicken biscuit—whatever I could fit in on my break. He’d stop by and we’d chat a few seconds about what we’re doing that day and then he’d tell me he loved me and leave.” She pushed away from him. “Some days, it was the highlight of my day. Especially when I had to deal with traumas where nobody made it.”
Ryker kissed her cheek. “You are a beautiful woman, inside and out. I love you so much, Ella. And I promise you, this crap with your dad is going to blow over. You’re too fucking lovable to hate. I don’t care what happens.”
She wrapped her arms around him. He felt good against her cold, clammy skin. She laid her cheek against his shoulder and held him to her.
“I love you,” she whispered.
He cupped his hands underneath her ass and stood. “You are the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
She gave him a small smile. Tracing her finger along the line of his jaw, she took in the harsh gash on his lip. “What did you smart off to him about to make him punch you?”
“It’s not important.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Tell me anyway.”
He grinned, not quite looking at her. “He made a comment about me sticking my cock in prostitutes, and I came back with you being the only woman I stick my cock into He punched me.”
“You’re proud of yourself, aren’t you?”
Ryker shrugged. “I like pissing him off, sure.”
She leaned forward to kiss him lightly. “Will everything really be okay?”
“It will.” Ryker tilted his head.
“He dropped everything and came to see you, didn’t he? Even after our little ordeal. He loves you, Ella. That’s never going to change.”
“So what do I do?”
“Give it some time.” He kissed her. “Then you can try again.”
****
Ryker walked into the club and smiled at the blonde woman standing at the bar. The short skirt she wore revealed long, shapely legs that fit nicely around a man’s hips. “What the fuck did we do to get a visit from you?”
She turned and smiled at him. “Rizzo and I were stopping through on our way back to Louisiana.”
Ryker came up beside her. “Yeah? Where is the dirty bastard?”
“Bathroom.” She pointed to the men’s room.
Ryker glanced over just as the beefy Rizzo walked out. “You talking to my girl?”
“Of course.” Ryker grabbed his hand, and the two men slapped each other on the back. “And since when is she your girl? She can do better than you.”
Rizzo snorted. Ryker glanced over at Beth who had yet to take her attention off him. “We’re staying in town for a night or two. You mind if we crash here?”
“Nah.” Ryker glanced toward the hallway that lead to the back rooms. “Make yourself at home.”
Rizzo nodded. “Does that include your chicks?”
Ryker chuckled. “I don’t have chicks anymore, but if you find one willing, I’m not going to stop you.”
“Oh, yeah.” He propped his foot up on the barstool. “The skinny prospect told me about the doctor.”
“Ella.”
Rizzo glanced over at Beth. “And that’s an exclusive thing?”
“Very.” Ryker glanced over at Beth who looked away finally. “Ella is my life.”
Rizzo shook his head. “Pussy-whipped.”
Vampire came in the room with one of the club women behind him. “Hey, Riz. What the hell are you doing here?”
