Thirty-Three
H is brothers were right. He was taking a dangerous risk, by trying to give me what I needed. It wasn’t fair to keep doing that to him. I just didn’t know if I could manage to walk away. He was everything to me. It had happened pretty suddenly, but I knew it was real. The real thing.
After they left, Ryder got a call from his President, and had to go see him. He promised me he’d be as quick as he could, but some alone time, after that awful discussion, was actually a good thing. Suddenly I was able to see clearly; I WAS harming him, and I had to leave . The longer I stayed, the more harm I’d do to him.
When he was just a nameless, faceless victim, it was easy. He was just a body to play with, and then I never had to think of him again. I didn’t have to care how he felt about it. I didn’t have to care about the effects of the drug on him, or how he’d feel when he realised what I’d done to him.
But this… this was the worst thing I’d done to him. The worst thing I could do to him. Messing with him in that way? Allowing him to subject himself to being drugged by me. It was dangerous, and if his President found out? If anyone outside of his group of brothers found out? He’d be ruined.
I wouldn’t have long, but having no guard on the door was a luxury that I had to take advantage of. I found a backpack in Ryder’s wardrobe, and I threw a few clothes into it, some toiletries, and other odds I couldn’t do without, and then I headed for the door.
I peeped into the hallway, and there was nobody in sight. Were they all in some meeting? What was it called? Church? I made it all the way down to the bar before I bumped into anyone.
“You okay, Tori?” Tommy, the young guy wearing a Prospect cut was watching me.
“Yeah, uh… just popping outside for a bit. I need fresh air.”
He nodded, not missing the backpack on my shoulder, I’m sure.
“I’ll come with you. Ryder’s in with the Pres at the moment.” Shit .
I shook my head. “I’m fine. I… I haven’t been alone in a while, I just need some quiet, you know… girl reasons.” What the hell am I saying? That made no sense, but he grimaced anyway, and waved me on. I hoped the poor guy wouldn’t get into any trouble over this.
Making it outside was easy, but leaving the compound wouldn’t be as simple. The gates were closed, and there were two prospects monitoring them. As I approached, I saw the one who’d let me in that night, leaning against the gate.
“You’re Tori, right? Ryder’s old lady?” I sighed, wishing that I could say yes, and actually mean it.
“Yeah, I have to run an errand for him. Well, for Reacher really. Can you let me out? It’s time sensitive.”
He glanced at the other prospect warily.
“Nobody advised us.”
“And if it were any of your business, I guess they would have, or do you want to ring your potential President, and ask him about his private business? He’s in a meeting, but I guess he wouldn’t mind being interrupted.”
“Shit.” He and the other prospect exchanged frustrated glances.
“You on the level? We’ll get our asses handed to us if you’re lying.”
I shrugged, trying to keep up my bravado.
“You’ll probably get your asses handed to you, if I’m not back with what he needs by the end of his meeting. Tell you what, I’ll ring him and tell him that you’re being good little gate guards, and won’t let me out.”
“Fuck. You better not be fucking us, lady. I’m two weeks from a fucking vote to get patched in.”
I grinned. “Then this can only go in your favour.” I was starting to freak out. If they took much longer, Ryder might get back, and start looking for me. I had to be away from here, before he finished. He’d never let me leave, even though I was a danger to him. He just couldn’t see it, and he’d keep putting himself at risk for me.
“Jesus, brother. Let her go, or we’ll all get our butts kicked,” the other guy said, and he cursed.
“Fine. If this comes back on me, I’m gonna have issues with your old man, yeah?”
Is that what they call it? Or did he just mean ‘old man’ in general, like anyone outside of the biker world would say it?
“Thanks. Anything you guys want me to bring back? I’m only going to the high street.” It was a gamble, but it worked, and they both seemed to relax.
“Sure you don’t want someone to give you a lift? We have the van here.”
I shook my head, fighting the urge to snap at them, because they were delaying me for too long.
“I’ve been indoors for weeks, and I need the exercise. I’ll get a fat ass.”
They both immediately checked me out, and then looked away, realising that any response would be a mistake.
And then, regrettably, I was free . Once I made it around the corner, I broke into a run, hoping like hell that I’d make it to the bus station before Ryder realised I was missing. My eyes started blurring with tears, at the thought of never seeing him again.
Ryder
R eacher finished updating me about his latest call with the mafia, aka, my old lady’s daddy, and we were done. He’d already assured me that he’d ignore any opposition to Tori as my old lady, because the objections weren’t about her, but about her family. Seems he agreed with the unfairness of that situation, or maybe he was just paving the way for his own announcement.
“When you gonna make it official?” He asked, as he followed me to his office door. Hell. I hadn’t even thought of that.
“Uh… soon. I need to explain the process. She doesn’t know everything yet.”
He was smirking. “Yeah, I can imagine. Keep me posted, just so I can make sure everything is in place. Can’t believe you’re the first of us to claim an old lady, you know… out of the newer generation of members. I know Jock did, but he hasn’t been the same since he lost her.”
It was a sobering thought. Now that I had Tori with me, now that she was mine… I couldn’t imagine going back to the way things were. It was almost too horrifying to consider.
I walked through the bar, making the decision to go and fetch her, and bring her down for our evening meal. A change of scenery would do her good. Plus, everyone had to get to know and like her, if she was going to be sticking around.
“Tommy, what’s on the menu for tonight?”
He stepped around the bar, meeting me halfway across the bar.
“Lasagne.”
“Nice. You can count me and Tori in. I’ll go tell her.”
He cursed, shaking his head slowly.
“She’s not there, man.”
My blood ran cold in my veins.
“What the fuck do you mean, kid?”
He frowned, pointing at the door.
“She said she was going outside for fresh air, and something about women’s troubles. I thought it best to stay back and let her go, but it bothered me, so I was just coming to tell ya.”
Fuck! I grabbed the front of his cut.
“Get outside and find her. NOW!”
I ran for my room, checking around, just in case she’d made it back without him seeing her.
“Tori!”
Fucking hell. She really was gone, and so was my backpack, so likely some of her shit was gone too. I glanced around for anything that might tell me where she’d gone, even a fucking note. There was nothing.
I ran back down the stairs, crashing back into Reacher’s office without bothering to knock. I was in too much of a rush to care about that.
“Fuck’s sake!” He moved fast, Alicia almost falling from his lap, while he adjusted himself in his jeans.
“She’s gone!” I yelled at him, not waiting for a chewing out for interrupting him and his future old lady.
“What?”
“Tori! She ran. She left. She fucking left me,” my voice cracked a little on those words.
Alicia looked worried. “What did you do to her?”
I couldn’t get my head around that question, because how the fuck could she ask me that? I’d never do anything to hurt her. Did I? Did I fuck up and just not realise?
“What did I… what? Are you out of your fucking mind? Nothing. I was here, and she… Jesus, Pres. I need to find her.”
He nodded, dialling a number on his phone as he followed me.
“Prospect! If Tori tries to get out, don’t let her leave,” he barked down the phone. “Fuck’s sake! How long ago?”
I was already running into the yard, and Tommy turned to look at me, already walking back my way.
“She’s nowhere around.”
I reached the gate, grabbing the first prospect I saw by his throat.
“Where the fuck is she?”
He cursed, using both hands to pull at my arm.
“I fucking knew it!”
“Knew what, asswipe?”
“She said she was running an errand for… for you, Pres .” Reacher had joined me at last, and he took his fucking sweet time.
“And you didn’t think to check?”
He closed his eyes for a second, his breathing halting as I squeezed too tightly.
“Ryder, cut that out!” I was dragged away from him, watching him cough, doubled over, while I realised I didn’t give a single fuck if I’d hurt him.
“She told us to check, if we doubted her. Said you were in a meeting, and if we wanted to interrupt you, that we should go ahead,” the other prospect muttered from behind us.
“Fuck’s sake. She played them ,” Reacher muttered, just as Stitch ran up beside us.
“What’s going on?”
“Tori got out.”
“Got out?”
“Yeah, she ran. Packed some shit, and got out. Jesus, why the fuck would she go now?”
My mind was racing, and one factor kept coming back to me; a conversation that two of our brothers had had with me right in front of her. Their concerns for the danger of our situation. Fuck. She’d run to protect me from her, and her depravity.
“Fuck!”
“What is it?” Reacher looked way too fucking interested, but I wasn’t going to tell him a fucking thing about our private business.
“Which way did she go?” I was glaring at the prospects again.
“High Street. She went left.” They were both pointing as one of them spoke.
“To the fucking bus station.” I forced the gates open, and ran down the street to look for her.