Chapter 13
RYKER
I wrapped my arms around my daughter and felt her sigh into my stomach.
My girl. My sweet, beautiful princess. The second I’d seen her shadow coming down the steps, I knew I didn’t have a lot of time.
All I wanted was to see her. To hold her.
To feel her in my arms and hear her breathing and feel her heart beating against my own.
I dipped down and picked her up, feeling her wrap her legs around me.
She whimpered into the crook of my neck, wrapping her arms tightly around my neck.
“Ariel,” I whispered.
“Don’t leave me again, Daddy. Please.”
Her words broke my heart. So many terrible decisions.
So many “bad daddy” moments. I didn’t deserve a daughter like her.
I didn’t deserve the love she had for me.
I buried my face into her shoulder, kissing her and tightly clinging to her small frame.
My Ariel had always been small. Petite, even as an infant.
For a while there, doctors had been concerned.
The ones I could afford to see told me to keep upping her caloric intake.
They made her drink these loaded protein children’s drinks with all sorts of nonsense in them.
Shakes I eventually had to put into ice cream and mix up just so she could get past the texture.
She’d always been headstrong, though. Powerful.
Like the red head of hair, she had framing her face.
And feeling her body shake against mine broke my heart.
“Are you all right? Are you okay?” I murmured.
She nodded. “Can we go home now?”
“I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure we can.”
“Why did you leave?”
“I had to, sweetheart. I wasn’t sure taking you from that soup restaurant was safe.”
“Why not?”
I sighed. “There are some bad guys doing some bad things right now. Daddy’s playing a very delicate game.”
She perked up. “I like games.”
I chuckled. “Not board games, honey.”
“Board games?”
I’d completely forgotten Kaylynn was in the room. And the second she piped up; I saw her peeping over her shoulder. She had her back turned to us, providing me with an opportune moment.
“Get behind me, Ariel. And stay there,” I said.
“Why?” she asked.
“Just do as I’m asking, okay?”
“It’s just Kaylynn. She’s not—”
“Now,” I said curtly.
Ariel sighed as she wiggled out of my arms and I stood in front of her.
I postured, rolling my shoulders back as I watched this young woman slowly turn around.
She looked unfazed by my growth, though.
Unfazed by the broad shoulders and the jagged scar that split my face in half. In some ways, it was unnerving.
And in other ways, very telling.
Her lack of fear told me she’d experienced worse.
And not simply experienced but had gotten used to worse.
That punched me in my gut, too. Hard. On the outside, she seemed beautiful.
A wonderful smile. A nice laugh. Kind enough, from my impression of her at the shop.
Definitely had no personal ties to whatever it was she’d been mixed up in.
I didn’t get the impression she worked for Lars. She didn’t have that swagger about her.
But something behind her eyes told me a different story.
The sadness filling her eyes juxtaposed the strong stance she had.
Every move I made, she mimicked. But the sadness continued to drop her features.
Her eyes grew tired. The bags underneath her eyes became more prominent.
Within the span of a few seconds, she seemed to melt and rise in front of me.
A metaphor for the juxtaposition of strength and weakness I saw harnessing her to the ground.
I ran my eyes over her, taking in her short stature.
Her milky skin. The redness of her cheeks as she held back glistening tears that somehow ignited her gorgeous eyes.
What have you experienced, pretty girl?
Sympathy welled in my gut. And the second my shoulders dropped, I postured again. I was growing weak against her, and that didn’t sit well with me. I still needed to get my daughter out of there. I still needed to get her to safety. I needed to get her out of this fucking house.
Only, part of me wanted to reach out and hug this woman.
You can’t have sympathy for her. Not now, Ryker.
I stuffed the feeling away and made myself blind to her sadness. I balled my fists up, feeling Ariel grip the back of my leather jacket. Wait. Shit. Holy fuck. I was still wearing my leather jacket!
“Dead… Souls?” Ariel asked.
Her fingertips ran along the stitching of my leather cut. Kaylynn’s head fell off to the side as her brow furrowed with confusion. In a flash, the sadness abated. Replaced with unasked questions as her mouth stayed muted.
“Is that a… skull, Daddy?”
“We can talk about it later, princess,” I murmured.
“Is this new?” Ariel asked.
“Not now.”
“But Dad—”
“I said, not—”
“Maybe you should talk to her instead of brushing her off all the time,” Kaylynn said.
My eyes hardened on her. “What did you say?”
She shrugged. “It’s obvious she loves you. It’s also obvious that I'm not going to attack you unless it’s in self-defense. So, why don’t you answer your daughter’s question instead of brushing her off because she’s a girl?”
Venom laced her words. She practically spat the last few words at me.
The heat in her eyes rose, abating the confusion and swallowing the sadness.
Fire roared behind her stare, matching the deep red tint of her hair.
It seemed I’d been surrounded by that fire all my life.
It burned within me. I saw it in the flaming hot body of my daughter’s mother back during my teenage years.
I saw it every morning and heard it every night in Ariel’s voice.
And now, I stared at it. The physical embodiment of the fire that had followed me all my life.
A kindred flame.
I’d read about that somewhere. In some book I’d come across in a trash can, back when I was eating out of dumpsters.
Something about twin flames. Or soul mates.
Or some such, well, trash. I brushed it off then, listening to my stomach’s need for bread instead of giving much thought to bullshit like love, romance, or natural puzzle pieces.
Until now.
“Princess?”
“Yeah, Daddy?”
“Yes, that’s a skull,” I said.
“What’s it for?”
I drew in a steady breath. “It’s a motorcycle crew I ride with. They’re called the Dead Souls.”
“So, you have friends who ride bikes, too? That sounds like fun. Can I come sometime?”
“Maybe when it’s safe.”
“Why wouldn't it be safe?”
Then, Kaylynn piped up. “Because sometimes, there are bad people out there that want to harm good people for no reason.”
“Well, that sounds dumb. We should have a cookout instead,” Ariel said.
And the statement made Kaylynn snicker.
“She’s got a point,” she said.
Her eyes fell to my daughter and I could’ve sworn she winked. Ariel giggled as her small hand slipped into mine. Whatever bond she’d formed with this woman, it was about to end. This Stockholm Syndrome attachment was done. Over. No matter what I had to do.
“I’m taking her with me now,” I said.
And just as Kaylynn parted her plush lips to respond, headlights flashed through the windows.
I watched her rush past us, into the living room. She rustled the curtains and parted the blinds, trying to see out. She gasped. I watched her grow pale. She looked white as snow when she turned toward us, tumbling over her words.
“It’s—it’s my—uh, Alex. You guys have to—”
“Your brother? Alex?” I asked.
She paused. “How do you know that?”
Ariel clung to me. “Don’t let him take me again. Please, Daddy.”
“He won’t,” I said.
And, shockingly enough, Kaylynn said it in unison along with me.
“You have to get out of here,” she said.
“I’m not leaving without my daughter,” I said.
“If she’s gone, I’m dead.”
“And if she stays, she might be dead.”
“You don’t know what’s at stake here. She’s not even supposed to be with me. She’s—”
A door slammed outside, and I knew we didn’t have much time.
“Back door. Where is it?” I asked.
“I’m not telling you,” Kaylynn said.
“You’re not getting my daughter.”
“And I don’t plan on dying tonight. If you leave, we’re both okay and you can come back.”
“If he doesn’t take you both first.”
“Don’t let him take me,” Ariel whispered.
I rubbed her back. “I promise you, I’m not.”
My hand gravitated toward my gun. Kaylynn’s eyes fell to my hand as footsteps sounded on the porch. She lunged for me, gripping my wrist and tugging me toward the steps with Ariel in town. And as she slung me up the steps, she picked up Ariel and handed her to me.
“Upstairs. Don’t come down until he’s gone. Either of you. Got it?” she asked.
I held Ariel against my hip as my free hand fell against my gun.
“Got it,” I said.
My daughter whimpered into my neck as we headed quietly up the stairs. Just as we got to the top, a knock came at the door. An even knock. A solid knock. A knock that had purpose, but little haste. That was a good sign. Though, we weren’t out of the woods yet.
“I need you to be quiet, no matter what. Okay, princess?” I whispered.
She nodded against me, and I kissed her forehead.
“Good girl. It’ll all be over soon. Okay?”
Then, I slipped into the bedroom at the end of the hallway. Making our way for a massive walk-in closet that had multiple corners for us to tuck ourselves away in.
Though, I didn’t like how far away we were from Kaylynn.
Especially if her brother had come here for nefarious purposes.