Chapter Twelve
Riley
I don’t know where I’m at. I don’t know what I feel. I don’t know what to do.
I’m lost.
“Come on, Riley,” Spike says. “I need you to eat something. Anything, baby. Just, please, eat.”
Glancing down, I watch as fresh tears fall onto the sandwich.
“Throat hurts,” I admit.
The plate disappears, and in its place is a spoon filled with applesauce.
“Open up, baby,” Spike says softly. “This is easier to swallow.”
I stare at the spoon, my body heavy, my mind blank. Everything feels distant, like I’m floating outside myself, watching a life that isn’t mine.
“Riley,” Spike presses, his voice softer now, almost pleading. “Just one bite.”
I don’t know why, but I open my mouth, letting him feed me. The applesauce is cold, smooth, and easy to swallow, but I barely taste it.
“There you go, baby,” he murmurs, brushing a stray piece of hair from my face. “Just a little more.”
I take another bite, then another. It’s slow, but he doesn’t rush me. Just sits there, steady, patient, feeding me like it’s the only thing in the world that matters.
And maybe to him, it is.
Tears well up again, blurring my vision. “I don’t know how to get him back,” I whisper, my voice barely there.
Spike goes still, his jaw tightening. His hand clenches into a fist on his thigh, but when he speaks, his voice is deadly calm.
“I do.”
Something in his tone sends a shiver down my spine. A promise. A threat.
He’s not just saying it to make me feel better.
He means it.
***Spike***
After making sure Riley is settled and asleep in my office, I head straight to the war room.
“Who do you want in on this?” Tank asks as I step inside.
“Just the officers, Maverick, and Mike,” I say, scanning the room.
Tank raises a brow. “You trust him?”
I hesitate for half a second before nodding. “Yeah.”
Ten minutes later, Mike’s sitting in one of the chairs, his hands clasped together, tension rolling off him in waves.
“Was Maverick able to get your sister transferred?” I ask.
Mike exhales, shaking his head in disbelief. “I don’t know how, but she’s being released. She’ll be under house arrest for a year, but at least she’ll be home.”
“That wasn’t me,” Maverick says. “It was the Obsidian.”
“I’ve got news on that front, too,” Skip chimes in, flipping through a folder. “Knox found someone to fill the tech gap we’ve got. Guy’s name is Zane Foster. Thirty-seven. No family. And according to Knox, smart as fuck.” He smirks. “Was arrested last year for hacking into the Secret Service database. They had him dead to rights, but all proof of his involvement disappeared, so they had to let him go.”
Knuckles lets out a low whistle. “Why the hell did he do that?”
Skip shrugs. “According to Knox, just to see if he could.”
The room falls silent for a beat.
I lean back against the table, crossing my arms. “And he’s looking for a job?”
“Yep,” Skip nods. “He was a firefighter but they refused to hire him back after he got released. Knox says he was bored.”
A guy like that being bored? Dangerous. But useful.
“Set up a meeting,” I say. “Let’s see what he can do. Mike, I know things didn’t go as planned, but did you meet up with Chuck?”
“Yeah,” he nods. “But he was flighty. Felt like he was in a rush to leave.”
“Did he say anything?”
“Not really,” Mike says. “He just wanted an update on any incoming shipments.”
“He gets his hands on a single transport, and we’re fucked,” Tank says. “Maybe we should back off for a little while.”
“Agreed,” I nod. “Let’s focus on our legal businesses and leave the rest alone for a few months. When can the tech guy meet us? I have his test ready if he’s really looking to join.”
“In an hour,” Skip says a minute later. “Or, I can have him come tomorrow.”
“An hour is fine,” I say, standing. “I hope he’s as good as the Obsidian says. His first task is to help us find Asher.”
“Oh, uh… forgot to mention,” Tank says, rubbing the back of his neck. “Your brother called again. Decided not to wait until next month. They’re driving up tomorrow. And he’s bringing your sister.”
I freeze. My jaw tightens. “My sister?” My voice comes out low and dangerous. “Why the fuck is he driving? He’s not hauling her ass across the country in a damn car. She’ll freak the fuck out. Call him back. Arrange air transport. Now.”
Tank exhales. “He said it was something about having to travel for work,” he says.
Fuck.
Abigail wouldn’t stay alone for more than a day, no matter what. She may be twenty-five years old, but life has done a number on her, leaving her afraid of damn near everything. I’ve been trying to convince her to move into the compound for over a year, but the trip itself was always the thing stopping her. And now my dumbass brother thinks strapping her into a car for hours on end is a good idea?
Not fucking happening.
Once she’s inside these walls, I’m not letting her leave.
I square my shoulders, forcing down the weight of yet another fucking problem. If I were a weaker man, I’d buckle under all this pressure.
But I’m not.
“Set up the house next to mine for Abigail,” I say, not caring who handles it. Someone will.
“Which one do you want prepared for Riley?” Max asks.
I slowly turn my head, pinning him with a glare that has him shifting uncomfortably.
Tank smirks, catching on quicker than Max. “We’ll set up Asher’s room across from yours,” he says. “Max, think before you speak. I’d rather not take over your responsibilities because you got yourself killed.”
I don’t bother responding. My mind’s already moving ahead.
“Order everything a baby needs,” I tell them. “Once Riley’s feeling better and we get our boy back, she can add whatever else he needs.”
Before I can say anything else, a scream rips through the compound.
Riley.
I don’t think.
My chair crashes to the floor as I lunge to my feet, already halfway to the door, before the others even react.
“Handle this shit, Tank!” I bark over my shoulder.
I don’t wait for an answer.
My woman needs me. And that’s exactly where I plan to be.
I rush into the office to find Riley awake and crying. Shaking, her face pale, eyes wide with fear, and it breaks my fucking heart. My body moves without thinking, rushing to her side.
“Baby,” I whisper, my voice rough and full of pain. “I’ve got you. You’re safe now. You’re with me.”
She looks up at me, and I see the exhaustion, the terror, the weight of everything she’s been through. It’s all there in her eyes, that silent plea for relief. But I don’t care. I’m gonna take every last bit of that burden from her. I’m gonna carry it all. I won’t let her bear it alone anymore. I’ll protect her from every single thing that hurts, every fear, every bit of pain that makes her feel small and broken. I’ll carry it for her.
“I’ll make sure nothing ever hurts you again, Riley. When we get Asher back, I’m not letting either of you out of my sight. You’ll never have to face another day alone. Not while I’m still breathing.”
“Spike…” Her voice is so soft, barely above a whisper, but it hits me like a freight train. Her pain, her loss, it’s suffocating. She’s not just hurting; she’s unraveling, piece by piece, and I’ll be damned if I let her fall apart like this.
Falling to my knees in front of her, I reach up, pulling her into my arms. I hold her tightly, her face pressed against my chest as she shudders with every sob. I can feel the heat of her tears soaking through my shirt, and it guts me. She’s not just crying; she’s breaking. The woman I’ve come to care about more than I ever thought I could is falling apart in my arms, and there’s nothing I can do to fix it. Except carry it for her.
“Shh, it’s okay,” I whisper, brushing the strands of her hair away from her face as gently as I can. “We’ll get through this. I swear I’ll get Asher back. And I’m never letting either of you go.”
Her grip on my shirt tightens as though she’s trying to hold on to the last piece of herself, the last shred of something solid in a world that’s turned upside down. But she doesn’t say anything. She doesn’t need to. I know what she’s feeling. I can feel it in the way her body shakes against mine.
I can feel her fear, her sadness, her heartbreak…and I’m gonna take it all.
“Give it to me, baby,” I murmur softly, my lips grazing her ear. “Let me carry everything for you. Let me take all of it, Riley. Everything that hurts, everything that scares you, everything that breaks you, give it to me. I swear I won’t let you face it alone.”
I feel her body go still for a moment, and I know she’s holding her breath, fighting the battle between wanting to let go and not knowing if she can. But I’m not letting her keep this weight. I’m not gonna stand by and watch her destroy herself. I’ll carry it for her, even if it crushes me. I’d do anything to take her pain away.
Slowly, she lets out a long breath, the tension in her body easing just a little as she finally, finally allows herself to lean on me completely.
I lean down, my lips barely brushing her forehead. As my lips move from her forehead to the soft skin of her temple, she closes her eyes, and I feel her tremble. This isn’t a kiss for desire. It’s not a kiss of passion. It’s the kiss of someone willing to take her grief, her heartache, her soul-crushing fear and make it their own.
I taste her tears. Salty and fresh. And I take them in, feeling the weight of her sadness seep into me. My heart aches as I swallow her grief, and I promise, in this quiet, intimate moment, that I won’t ever let her feel this fear again.
I pull back slightly, my breath shaky. “I’ll get him back, Riley,” I whisper, my voice rough. “I swear on everything I have. I’ll make Chuck pay for what he did to you. And I’ll get our son back, no matter who I have to kill.”
Yes, our son.
My fucking son.
She nods, her fingers curling into my shirt as she lets the last of her sobs fade away. The weight of her pain is still there but a little lighter. Just a little. And I’ll keep taking it, piece by piece, until she doesn’t have to carry it anymore.
I’ll make sure it’s the last time she ever faces anything like this again.
Leaning down, I seal my silent promise with a barely there kiss on her lips.