Chapter Ten
Ellie
I could not believe he just said that to me. He had no problem fucking me behind the bar Saturday night, and now he wanted to keep things professional.
A bit late for that!
I guess I had no one to blame but myself. I went to the bar looking for an asshole, and I certainly found one.
“Excuse me,” Ryder said, before grabbing a stuffed animal and walking out the door.
“Asshole,” I muttered as he passed by.
I stood there, staring at the door Ryder just walked through and wondered, was it really that easy for him to just walk away? Could a guy really just have sex with no feelings involved and then walk away like nothing happened?
Turning toward Avery and the girls, I took three steps before I heard a loud bang.
Avery and I looked at each other.
“Was that a gunshot?” Avery asked.
“Chrissy, Tabby, where are you?” I yelled.
Both girls came running, and I lifted Tabby into my arms as Chrissy reached for my hand. Walking them toward Avery, I asked, “Can you take them into the office and lock the door?”
Hearing sirens approach, I looked over my shoulder at the door, when Avery suggested, “I can take them home.”
“No!” I spun around and faced her. “You can’t go outside.”
“They live upstairs. There’s a set of stairs in the office.
“Ok, good. Go now,” I muttered, handing Tabby to Avery.
Chrissy whined about leaving me, but I told her she needed to keep her sister safe. That seemed to do the trick, and she puffed up her little chest like she was inhaling all the courage she could muster.
When Avery had taken the girls to the office, I turned and faced the door again.
I couldn’t help but worry about Ryder. Despite my anger toward him, I knew he loved his girls. He would have come back for them, unless he couldn’t.
Cautiously, I stepped forward. Logically, I knew I should stay inside, but I needed to know what had happened.
Curiosity was definitely a bitch as I pushed the door open and peeked out into the street. Seeing deputies run toward the alley, I followed without thinking.
Moving along the front of the store, I peered around the corner as an ambulance pulled up and paramedics ran to the man lying on the ground.
I stood there frozen, watching them work on him.
He had to be ok.
His girls needed him.
His parents needed him.
His friends needed him.
I needed him to be ok.
“Rayne.”
I watched the paramedics roll him out of the alley and load him into the ambulance.
“Rayne.”
Was he alive? I could see his blood on the ground from the gunshot he sustained.
“Rayne!”
Hearing my name, I jumped.
I quickly blinked my eyes, clearing my thoughts.
“Rayne, where are the girls?” Beck asked.
“Avery…” I looked back at the store. “Avery took them upstairs.”
“Ok, good. Stocks, go upstairs, and stay with Avery and the girls.”
I stood there staring at where the ambulance had disappeared. There were deputies, paramedics, and bikers everywhere.
“Rayne, would you like to come with me to the hospital?”
I looked at Beck. “What?”
“The hospital. Come with me,” she urged.
Taking my hand, she led me to a police car. A deputy helped us inside and the sirens blared, ensuring we reached our destination as quickly as we could.
Pulling up in front of the hospital, Beck and I rushed in. The nurse at the front led us to a waiting room, and we had just sat down when Mark and Abby rushed in.
“Beck, what the hell happened?” Mark asked, pulling her into his arms.
“It’s a long story, but in a nutshell, your stupid son jumped in front of a bullet that was aimed at me,” she cried.
Mark held her while she sobbed.
“Ellie, are you ok?” Abby asked, placing her hand on my arm.
I looked at her hand. Then my eyes raised to her face.
“I shouldn’t be here.” I shook my head, looking at the sliding doors they had just walked through. “I don’t belong here.”
“Nonsense. Where are the girls?” she asked.
I turned back to Abby, tears threatening to fall.
“Avery has them. She… she took them upstairs, through the office.”
“Good, I will call her and check on them.”
“Stocks is with them,” Beck called out.
“Ok, he can take Avery and the girls to our house. Avery has a key,” Abby informed, digging in her purse and producing her phone, then she stepped over to a corner of the room and called Avery.
I found a seat and sat. I believed what I told Abby, that I didn’t belong here, but I couldn’t leave. Not until I knew he was ok.
Another woman rushed in with tears streaming down her face. Bikers followed close behind her. She was beautiful. A pang in my chest reminded me I knew nothing about Ryder Thomas.
Was she his girlfriend?
Oh God, did he cheat on his girlfriend with me?
Was I the other woman?
It couldn’t be the ex-wife, not with the way Ryder’s dad wrapped her in his arms like he did with Beck. She was someone close to him. I closed my eyes, leaning my head against the wall.
I sat there quietly, watching the interactions of everyone there. Mark and Abby appeared at ease with the bikers. More than I was, but then maybe it was just my frazzled nerves from worrying about Ryder.
“The family of Ryder Thomas?” a nurse called out.
“That’s us,” Mark said, stepping forward.
Everyone gathered around the nurse, eager for any information. Except me, I stayed in my seat. I wasn’t a part of this circle. I didn’t belong here.
“Ryder was unconscious when he came in, but he is stable now. He is in surgery to repair his shoulder. The doctor will come out and give you an update as soon as they are done.”
“Thank you,” Abby said, leaning against Mark.
I sat there for what felt like hours before Beck and the woman who rushed in walked over.
“Hey, how are you doing?” Beck asked.
“I’m ok.”
“This is my friend Rachel. We both grew up with Ryder.”
“Hello,” I said, and the pretty woman smiled at me.
“Um,” Beck started, looking at Rachel and then back at me. “I heard Abby call you Ellie. But Sam told me your name was Rayne Perry.”
I looked at my hands and sighed.
My secret was out.
“My name is Ellery Livingston. Rayne Perry is my pen name.”
“Oh, that makes sense. Do you have a preference?” Rachel asked.
“Ellie is fine. When I conduct business, I always use Rayne. But I was considering settling down in Diamond Creek, so I’ve been introducing myself around town using my real name. Now, though, I’m not sure.”
“Oh, don’t let today change your mind. It isn’t usually like this. This town is one of the safest in the entire country,” Beck insisted.
“Really? Cause Trudy at The Bake Shoppe told me just a few months ago that the sheriff killed a woman that tried to kill his daughter, and she was that woman’s daughter too.”
Rachel chuckled. “She’s right, Beck, this place has been drama city since you moved back here.”
“Shut up, Rach.” Beck chuckled.
“Oh my God, that was you?”
Beck smirked and nodded. “It was, and it is a long story that I will tell you about someday.”
Another biker walked in with a box under his arm.
I remembered seeing him in the alley with Sam.
“How is he?” he asked.
“He’s in surgery. We’re waiting to hear from the doctor,” Mark explained.
“How are Charlie and Samantha?” Beck asked.
“They’re both doing well, considering. Charlie is telling anyone who will listen that her Uncle Derek is a hero.”
“You told her?” one of the bikers asked.
“He did. He needed her to trust him,” the man said.
He shared everything that had happened and told us Sam and Charlie were both safe now.
I was thankful for that. I liked Sam. I could see us being friends. And her daughter Charlie was a pistol. Chrissy would have been sad if Charlie had gotten hurt, or worse. I didn’t want to think about what could have been worse.
“I offered him a room at the clubhouse for a few days until he heads home,” he said, looking at the other men.
I didn’t know the name of these men. It made it difficult to follow along, so I just sat back and got lost in my head.
I thought about Chrissy and Tabby, knowing they had to be terrified. I should have stayed with them. I shouldn’t be here.
We sat in the waiting room for what felt like hours when finally, the doctor walked in, and we all stood.
“Family of Ryder Thomas?”
“We are his parents,” Mark said. “These are his friends.”
“He came through surgery with no issues. We expect him to make a full recovery. He may need a few months of physical therapy for his shoulder, but there shouldn’t be any long-term disability. He is in recovery now, should be about an hour, and then you can see him.”
“Thank you,” Mark replied.
“Mark, Abby, I am so sorry,” a man said.
Beck leaned into him, and I guessed he was the boy in the story Trudy had told me.
“Micah, this wasn’t your fault.” Abby placed her hands on each side of the man’s face. “That’s what we get for raising a good man. I know my son. When he saw that gun pointed at Rebecca, he wouldn’t have thought before jumping in front of her. Just like I know, you and your brothers would have done the exact same thing.”
She kissed his cheek and sat back down, and Beck walked over to sit with her.
“Abby’s right, Micah. I know my son. He wouldn’t want anyone to make a big deal, but I also know you and Rebecca. I know you won’t let his humility prevent you from showing your appreciation.”
“He’s still pissed at me,” Micah admitted, his eyes on the floor.
I wondered why Ryder was angry with him.
“He’s hurt, not mad. I’ll be honest, son, we’re all still a little hurt. Give him time. He’ll get over it,” Mark advised.
We waited another two hours before the doctor finally came back and told us Ryder was in a room and could have visitors.
“Ellie, we are going to see Ryder,” Beck said. “Are you coming?”
I looked up at her and shook my head.
“Oh no, you are all family. I just wanted to make sure he would be ok.”
Beck looked at me with a smile. “Ok,” she said and walked down the hall with Ryder’s parents and the bikers.
I watched them until they disappeared, but I didn’t leave.
I couldn’t leave him.
Not yet.
I sat, and I waited. What I was waiting for, I didn’t know. Before long, Mark and Abby were walking back down the hallway with Beck and Rachel.
“Ellie, you’re still here,” Abby said.
“Yea, um…”
“It’s ok, honey. You stay as long as you need to. The boys won’t be up there long. Then you can go see him,” she said with a wink. “We are going home to be with the girls. Why don’t you stop by in the morning? I know the girls would love to see you. It will make them feel better.”
“Um, I’m not sure.”
“I won’t take no for an answer,” she insisted.
Abby wrote her address down and handed it to me. She and Mark walked outside, and I stood there, staring at the piece of paper. The paper that also included his room number.
Beck and Rachel turned to walk back to Ryder’s room when three of the four bikers met them in the hallway.
That meant one was still in there with him.
I sat back down in the corner, hoping no one would notice me.
When the fourth man walked down the hall and outside, I knew it was time. Even so, I still hesitated.
I gathered all the courage I had and walked out of the waiting room. I had a choice to make. Turning left would take me outside, away from the man who didn’t know I was here. I could go back to my trailer and forget him. Keeping my pride intact.
Or I could turn right and walk down the hall to his room. Confront him about Saturday night and maybe get some answers. I could put myself out there and risk getting my heart broken.
It wasn’t an easy decision, but I knew it was the right one.