Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Ry was nervous. No, she was scared to death. It had been years since she’d seen her father, and now here she was. Standing in a crowded festival in Los Alamos, waiting for him to arrive. She never liked the idea of her dad getting anywhere near The Refuge, and was relieved he chose the small town nearby. It still felt as if he was still too close to the one place she truly felt safe, but stepping foot on The Refuge property, he would’ve defiled it simply by his presence.
When she left The Refuge with Tiny earlier, she’d taken careful note of every detail…just in case. She’d heard Melba mooing in the barn, not happy she’d been brought into her stall early as a precaution, just in case her dad decided to make an unexpected appearance after all. The goats were probably eating their way out of their stalls already. The wind had blown gently through the trees, and the birds chirped merrily overhead.
It felt so surreal that things at The Refuge were as normal as possible, when there was every possibility this meeting could go sideways and she’d never return.
Now, surrounded by so many people, she was damp with sweat, both from running around earlier, trying to get everything in place before going to meet her father, and from nervous energy.
The women and children were holed up in Alaska’s cabin back at The Refuge, with Robert standing guard. The older man had volunteered, and when he’d brandished two of his cleavers from the kitchen, Ry wanted to cry. Everyone had been so supportive…and she was the one to bring this threat down upon them in the first place.
But no one saw it that way, which was baffling. If it hadn’t been for her, there wouldn’t be any cancelations, and none of the other shit that had happened in the last few weeks would’ve happened.
Well…this was her chance to fix it. And she needed to focus. Standing alone in the sea of people, she desperately studied the face of every older man she saw, looking for her dad.
Despite his warning that no cops be involved, Brick had arranged to fly in officials from the FBI office in Albuquerque. It was a risk, as her dad could be watching, but it was a necessary risk. The FBI wanted to get their hands on Harold Lodge almost as badly as Tiny and the rest of his friends did.
There were also officers hidden amongst the tourists and locals milling about, and Stone was standing by with the chopper, in case he needed to track her dad if he got away.
But what really allowed her to stand at the end of the long street where vendors were set up and people were happily going about their evening, enjoying the weather and eating anything and everything that had to do with green chiles, was the knowledge that Tiny was also out there. Watching. Waiting. If her dad tried anything, she had no doubt Tiny would rush in to protect her. He wouldn’t let her dad drag her away. He’d talked to her about what to do if her father pulled out a weapon. She wasn’t to engage, wasn’t to do anything but drop to the ground.
Tiny swore he’d kill him before he allowed Harold to hurt her.
And Ry believed him.
Though, she still couldn’t quite believe she’d come right out and said she wanted to make love with him. It was bold, so unlike her. But the last few nights of sleeping next to him had her craving more. She wanted to know what she’d been missing. She wanted Tiny to be the one to show her.
The trip to the women’s clinic had been embarrassing. No one had ever seen her…down there…in her entire life. She knew the appointment was way overdue, but the doctor had been kind and friendly, expertly helping Ry relax. She’d talked to her about her sexual history, or lack of it, and had a discussion about the pros and cons of different kinds of birth control. Ry had decided on the implant because it seemed like the most fool-proof method of contraception. Not that anything was one-hundred percent reliable, but there were a lot of things that could go wrong with pills or condoms.
Shaking her head, knowing she’d let her attention wander as a way of easing the stress she was under, Ry licked her lips and shifted, wishing her dad would just show up already.
Looking at her watch, she saw it was getting late. Her father hadn’t given them a specific time to meet him, so they’d arrived shortly after sunset. They’d left as late as possible both to give themselves more time to prepare, and also to give Robert time to serve an early meal to the guests at The Refuge. It wasn’t uncommon for guests to retire to their cabins after dinner on evenings when there wasn’t a bonfire, which was a blessing tonight, given the circumstances. Otherwise, they hung out together in the lodge. Spike had been left behind to keep watch over the guests, and to help Robert guard the women, if necessary.
Now it was fully dark, and with every tick of the minute hand on her watch, her stress level increased.
It took another ten minutes of standing there, silently freaking out, before a man slowly approached. Ry would have recognized him anywhere. He was older, and his face was lined with deep wrinkles that hadn’t been there the last time she’d seen him, but he still had that look of superiority he always wore. A look that told her without words how little he thought of her.
Her heart began beating a mile a minute. She was terrified of screwing this up. Terrified her father would somehow be able to grab her and spirit her away before Tiny or anyone else could stop him. The absolute last thing she wanted was to be alone with him, but she was doing this for her friends. And herself. So she could stop running and constantly looking over her shoulder. She wanted a life. A real life. And she thought she could have that here. At The Refuge. With Tiny.
Her father stalked closer and closer to where she stood, taking his time, smiling at everyone he passed, even stopping to talk to a vendor for a moment. He probably wanted to intimidate her, but in reality he was giving her time to get her equilibrium back. Her nerves.
He finally came to a stop a few feet away, looking around carefully as he did. Ry held her breath, praying the officers and Tiny and his friends were well concealed in their hiding spots. Thankfully, her dad didn’t seem to notice anything out of the ordinary.
“Good to see you, daughter dear. It’s been a while,” he said.
Ry swallowed hard. “Yes, it has.”
“What? No hug? No happy reunion?” her dad sneered.
Ry didn’t respond to the taunt, simply stared at him. That seemed to piss him off.
“We could’ve been unstoppable. We could be living in a mansion on the beach in Central America by now. Untouchable. Instead, you decided you were too good for me. I have news for you—you’re just as bad as me, daughter dear. If you think you’re above the law, you’re wrong. You’re pathetic . Nothing. You’re less than worthless. Look at you…you’re even uglier than you were when you left. I have no idea why anyone wants you, let alone trusts you. You’re going to turn on them just like you did me. You’ve got these people snowed, but I know the real you. The girl I raised. I taught you what’s important in life, and sooner or later you’re going to remember it and do what you were born to do.”
“And what’s that?” Ry couldn’t help but ask. She wasn’t supposed to engage him, simply give law enforcement time to take him down…but his words made her feel like she was a little girl all over again. Desperate for his approval. Fo r even one kind word. Something she never got then, and figured she wouldn’t get now. She knew that with absolute certainty…but the scared little girl who still lived deep inside her needed to know if she was ever anything other than a burden. A way to make money.
“You’re a thief. A good-for-nothing, uneducated thief. All you’re good at is taking . You’re the most selfish person I’ve ever met in my life. You could’ve had the world at your fingertips, yet you double-crossed me. The man who raised you. Fed you. Put a roof over your head. When your mother left, I could’ve turned you over to the system. Let someone else deal with you. Instead, I taught you everything I knew. And what’d you do in return? Betrayed me.”
Anger burned deep within Ry. She’d betrayed him ? What a joke. For the first time in her life, she wasn’t intimidated by this man. Didn’t cower from his harsh words.
“I wish you had given me to the state. At least then I would’ve had a chance at a normal childhood. I’m beginning to think you made Mom leave. That she didn’t want to, but you forced her away. You probably wouldn’t let her take me either.”
The look on her father’s face told her everything she needed to know. She hadn’t been sure what happened with her mother, but his look of surprise made it clear her guess was correct.
“I hate you,” she growled. “I wish it had been you who’d left, not Mom.”
To her surprise, her father laughed. Then his eyes narrowed, and Ry braced.
“She was weak! Just like you! ”
Ry flinched. It had been so long since she’d been yelled at like this, she’d forgotten how much she hated it. How it made her want to curl up in a ball and hide. Her face flamed, and with a quick glance, she saw a few people nearby staring at her father.
“She wanted me to stop training you. Wasn’t going to happen, and I made that clear. Yeah, I kicked her out. Told her if she ever came back, she’d fucking regret it. That I’d take it out on you .”
Ry’s heart broke. No wonder her mom had a heart attack. She’d been forced to leave her child behind, knowing if she did anything to try to get her back, her daughter would pay the price.
“You were nothing but fucking trouble. I hate you. I’ve always hated you! You were only good for one thing—making me money. But I own your ass now. Five years is a fucking joke. You owe me double that. Quadruple. You’ll stay with me and make me money until I’m good and goddamn ready to let you go, or everything you love and value will be gone. Poof! Gone! And don’t even think of fucking me over, Ryleigh. You won’t like the consequences.”
He stepped toward her, and Ryleigh instinctively backed away.
Just in time too, because even as he reached for her, two SWAT members who’d been boxing him in were tackling him to the ground. They’d come up behind him and taken him down before he could blink.
The scream that left his mouth was chilling. It wasn’t one of terror—it was frustration. Anger. And it made Ry’s blood run cold.
More officers appeared from the crowd, surrounding her father and keeping dozens of curious onlookers back while also making sure Harold couldn’t escape. Then Tiny was there. He and Pipe led her away, telling her what a good job she’d done, how amazing she was.
Ry could still hear her father yelling…threatening her, The Refuge, the officers who were handcuffing him.
She felt dizzy, glad that he was finally in custody, but scared to death that something would happen and he’d be released. Let go because the charges wouldn’t stick or because he made bail.
If he got out, he really would kill her this time. Of that, Ry had no doubt.
“Easy, hon, you’re okay.”
Ry heard Tiny’s voice as if she was in a long dark tunnel. She was moving by rote, not thinking about where she was being taken.
“She’s in shock.”
“I know. Let’s get her back to The Refuge.”
“FBI will want to talk to her.”
“Then they can come find her there,” Tiny growled.
“Got it. Send them to your cabin, I assume?”
“No, she needs her friends. I’m thinking the lodge. Will you call Alaska?”
“On it.”
Ry didn’t want to go to the lodge. She wanted to get in her car and drive. To get far, far away. Away from her father, from his threats. But Tiny ushered her into the back seat of his car and pulled her against him as Pipe drove them back to The Refuge.
When they arrived, Tiny led her through the front doors of the lodge, and she vaguely heard Spike telling the two guests lounging there that everything was fine. That she was fine .
Ry felt anything but fine.
She was urged downward until she was sitting. Forcing herself to focus, she saw Tiny crouched in front of her, looking worried, Pipe on the phone next to him. Then she realized where she was. In the kitchen.
For some reason, that struck her as funny. Tiny hadn’t brought her to one of the conference rooms, or sat her in one of the comfy leather chairs in the lobby. No, he’d brought her to the kitchen, of all places.
“He’s wrong, you know,” Tiny said. It was the first thing he’d said in quite a while. They’d driven in silence, Tiny giving her time to come to terms with what had just happened, and she appreciated it.
Ry looked at him in confusion. She felt as if her head was stuffed with cotton.
“You aren’t weak. Not in the least. You’re one of the strongest women I’ve ever met. And one of the smartest. Even without any formal schooling, you’re better than one of the best computer geniuses we know…and Tex has admitted that without any qualms. Your father tried to hold you down, and yet you were still able to fly. You’re too good for me. For this out-of-the-way corner of the world, but I want you to stay so badly it makes my heart hurt. We need you, Ryleigh. All of us.”
Before she could respond, tell him how much his words meant to her, the room began to fill. Then Tiny was brushed aside and Alaska was there, pulling Ry to her feet and hugging her. She was passed from one woman to the next, each one wrapping their arms around her and telling her how relieved they were that she was all right.
Then the others…Robert, Luna, Brick, Tonka…they all took their turn, as if they couldn’t function without putt ing their hands on her, seeing for themselves that she was unharmed.
Their actions, more than any words, made Ry finally understand that these people genuinely liked her. Were worried about her. Wanted her around for more than her computer skills.
Her dad was wrong, Tiny was right. She wasn’t weak. She’d not only beaten her father, she’d somehow found a home.
As happy as she was to have everyone there, she needed just one person right now.
Tiny.
Her eyes scanned the very crowded kitchen until she found him. He was standing by the door with Brick, watching her intently. Ry knew without a doubt if she gave the slightest indication she was uncomfortable, he’d be there, escorting her out in a heartbeat.
Licking her lips and offering a tiny smile, she tried to let Tiny know without words how much she appreciated him. How glad she was that he was there. How much she loved him.
The thought wasn’t startling in the least. She’d loved him forever. From probably the first week she’d started working at The Refuge. That’s why she hadn’t left. Why she’d made excuse after excuse to stay, even when she knew it might mean her father could find her. She couldn’t leave Tiny.
As if her thoughts drew him, he pushed off the wall and came toward her. When he reached her, he asked, “You good?”
“I am now,” Ry said honestly.
The look of approval in his eyes, the spark of desire in his expression, made Ry want to take his hand and drag him out of the kitchen and back to the cabin and insist he make love to her immediately. She’d held on to her virginity for this reason. To give it to someone she loved.
But she had obligations to take care of first. Talking with FBI agents, reassuring her friends, going online and making sure her father hadn’t set up any booby traps to go off if he didn’t return from his trip to escort her to wherever he was currently hiding out.
Later, all bets were off. Things might not work out between her and Tiny in the long run, but she’d make sure he knew how appreciative she was of everything he’d done for her. And the most valuable thing she had to give him…was herself.