Chapter 33
Davis was holding court in a smaller room off the lobby reserved for VIP group check-ins. Cal Wallingford, Phil Harris, and the Speaker, Fred Wise were all standing around, making calls, and trying to figure out who could be behind something like this.
Vic opened the door and marched in.
“Invicta,”her uncle said as he came over to her.“I’m so glad you’re okay.”He made the mistake of trying to hug her. She stomped on his instep with the spike heel of her shoe.
“Ow! What’s wrong with you?”he snarled as he limped a few steps away.
Ryker, Archer, and a few other men she didn’t recognize followed her into the room and stood sentry by the doorway. She met Ryker’s gaze, and he gave her a small nod.
Rage filled her heart.“I’ll tell you what’s wrong with me. You! That’s what. You’re what’s wrong!”She turned to Cal and the others.“You want to know who is responsible for this?”She pointed to her uncle.“He did. He set up the whole thing. He did it to get my money because at midnight I inherited a shit ton from my family. Happy fucking birthday to me!”
“Invicta,”Davis said in a warning tone. He turned toward the others and slapped on the fake drawl.“She’s obviously been through a traumatic experience and isn’t handlin’ it well.”
Bile filled her mouth at the sound of his excuses.“How the fuck am I supposed to handle it when I find out that my uncle has been planning my death for months.”Her voice almost broke but she pressed on. “All the long nights of endless work with no help or encouragement, and all the scoldings. All the times you told me I wasn’t enough without telling me I wasn’t enough.
Every ounce of her pent-up rage was flooding out now and she wasn’t about to stop it.
She pointed.“He hired a man to build a bomb so he could kill me at my birthday party where he’s ever-so-conveniently supposed to confirm his run for Vice President. What would play better in the press? Poor Senator Davis, lost his only niece and his girlfriend.”
Her voice did break on that, and she swallowed hard. Marilee did not deserve what happened to her.“Marilee is dead because of you, but that’s exactly what you wanted. What better picture? A man carrying on in the face of grief to serve his country. I can hear the fucking speeches now. You know just how to play to the cameras. What could be better? You get all my money and the sympathy vote.”
“Invicta, stop it. You don’t know what you’re saying!”Davis’s face was turning a dull red and his eyes were filled with hatred.
“I know exactly what I’m saying! I’m finally telling the truth about what an insane bastard you are. You are a danger to the world. It should’ve been you who died in that explosion. The world would be a better place!”
Vic’s body swayed slightly. At her back, Ryker put his arms around her to steady her, but she brushed him off.“I hope you rot in hell.”
Cal Wallingford stared at Vic and then turned to Ryker and Archer.“Is this true?”
Both men nodded.
“Every word,”Ryker added.
Harris, Wise, and Wallingford all backed away from her uncle.
“You can’t believe them,”her uncle yelled.“They hate me. They’re setting me up.”Her uncle hurled the accusation at the other two men.
Cal shook his head.“Davis, you went too far.”He stood.“It’s over. You won’t be running as the VP.”
Davis snarled,“It’s not up to you. It’s a done deal. You can’t change it now.”
Cal just shook his head. He came over to Vic.“I am so sorry for any part I might have played in this.”He touched her shoulder and headed out of the room with Harris and Wise on his heels.
“Let’s get you to the hospital, Vic,”Ryker said.
She wanted to scream at her uncle for hours but suddenly her energy was gone. She put her arm around Ryker, and he winced. She pulled her hand away and there was blood on it. “Ryker, you’re bleeding.
He gave her a quick smile.“It’s fine, Vic. I’ll get it taken care of.”
She moved behind him and sucked in a harsh breath. His back was a mass of cuts and still had glass shards sticking out of it.“We need to get you to a hospital.”
Her uncle’s cell went off and he answered it. His face turned a deep shade of purple. He started to say something, but the line must have gone dead. He stared at the phone and then threw it across the room.
“You ungrateful little bitch!”he yelled and lunged at Vic.
Ryker moved her out of the way and met Davis head-on. He grabbed the senator by the throat and slammed him up against the wall.“You brought this on yourself, you piece of shit. I’m going to enjoy squeezing the life out of you.”
He was closing his hand and her uncle’s face was now the color of a pomegranate. She should be horrified, but somehow, it just didn’t seem to bother her.
Archer came to stand beside him. He had his cell to his ear.“Yes, Mr. President. No, sir, Davis is alive. Yes, sir. He will stay that way.”Archer hit Ryker’s shoulder, but he didn’t stop. Archer hit him again but Ryker wouldn’t let go.
“Ryker,”Vic said,“stop! The president wants you to stop. I want you to stop.”
Ryker glanced at her and then let go. Davis fell to the floor, coughing and gagging.
Ryker sneered at him.“You are so fucking lucky right now that I don’t kill you. You come anywhere near Vic and I’ll rip you limb from limb, the president be damned.”
* * *
“Is he okay?”Vic asked as she peeked her head in the hospital room.
Archer nodded.“We were just leaving.”He, Rush, and Cash nodded to her as they left.
“Hey,”she said quietly.
Ryker was sitting up in bed. He was still wearing his tux pants, but his chest was bare. His back was a mass of bandages that she could see the ends of as they came up and over his shoulders and around his ribs.
“Are you in much pain?”The thought of Ryker being in pain was a hard one to swallow.
“No. They give good drugs here.”He gave her a quick smile.“How about you? Are you okay?”
She nodded.“Yeah. A couple of small cuts but that’s about it.”
“Good.”He was studying her.
She purposely stood about halfway across the room. She knew if she went closer, she wouldn’t be able to do what she had to do.“Ryker, I…I can’t thank you enough for saving my life. I…you…you were amazing. I owe you my life.”
He smiled at her.“I can think of a way you can pay me back,”he said with a slow sexy smile that made her nipples pucker while her heart was shattering.
When she didn’t respond, the smile slid off his face and a coldness crept into his blue eyes.“You’re leaving, aren’t you?”
She nodded.“Yes. I…I need to go. I have to process everything that happened. I always planned on leaving and I need a clean break now more than ever.”
“I understand.”His face was a mask of blandness. It was as if they were discussing the weather.
“Do you? I…care about you Ryker but I…I just need some time. I have a lot to figure out.”
He nodded.“You’ve been very clear since the beginning. You said you had nothing to stay for in D.C. I understand that. Good luck, Vic. I hope it all works out for you.”
“Ryker I?—”
“I’m tired, and my back is on fire. I’m sure you have a flight to catch. Please close the door on your way out.”He eased back onto the pillows and closed his eyes.
Vic was grateful at that moment that he couldn’t see her because her heart was in a million pieces, and she was sure it was written all over her face.