Chapter Twenty-Four
Ellie
The day of the book signing had finally arrived. Everything was going great so far. There had been a steady stream of customers in the bookstore all morning. A few came in just to see me and then left, but most browsed through the store.
Ryder had been busy nonstop at the register. Around ten that morning, Avery came in to see if she could help. Ryder didn’t hesitate, putting her behind the counter to ring people up so he could move around the floor helping customers find books, journals, and other odds and ends he sold.
At noon, we closed the store for forty-five minutes so we could get a bite to eat and refresh my book stocks that were getting low.
“Is it always like this?” Mimic asked.
“For the most part, yea. If I book during the week, it is a little less hectic, but not by much,” I told him.
“Hard to keep track of Sam with all these people here,” he muttered.
“Is she still in any danger?”
“There’s always danger,” Mimic replied, walking off to find Sam before we opened the doors again.
He wasn’t wrong. Danger was subjective. There were threats to your life, your happiness, your well-being. Mimic had a bond with Sam that showed he was there to protect her anyway he could.
Everyone was here today helping, and the day was almost over. Beck, Rachel and Sam, along with Lily, who I met just this week, Lily’s mom, and Grace, had helped to keep everything on track. Jessie was my gopher, as usual. Just hanging around to get me whatever I needed.
Mark and Abby had Chrissy and Tabby today, like Sam suggested. They had brought them in now that things were winding down.
The Silver Shadows were in charge of crowd control. King had the guys working in shifts in the bookstore and around town to keep a brother, his family, and his business safe.
Last night, Ryder told me King had been trying to get him to join the club. We had decided together that he would finally accept his cut.
We had officially run out of signed copies of my newest release—a first for a book signing. Sam had just brought me a new stack of books to sign when someone caught my eye.
The Silver Shadows had been in and out of the store all day. I met a few, while others I only got a glimpse of and would meet another time. This one though, looked strangely familiar.
“Sam, who is that?” I asked, seeing a tall blond biker talking to Cash.
“That’s Jingles.”
“Jingles?” I asked, never taking my eyes from him.
“Yea, he got his club name because he’s so quiet he can slip in and out of places and never be detected. One of the guys said they should put a bell on him so he would jingle when he walked. Handsome, right?” she asked, nudging me with her shoulder.
“Yea,” I replied absentmindedly as I continued to stare.
“You should see him in a suit,” she commented.
“A suit?” That got my attention, and I turned to look at her. “He wears a suit?”
“Well, I’ve only seen him in it once, but I knew he was comfortable in it. Tailored perfectly to his body, and expensive, too.”
“Son of a bitch,” I hissed, leaving the table I had been sitting at all day and stomping over in his direction.
When I marched past Ryder, he must have noticed the look on my face because he handed Tabby to Zero and followed me.
“Ellie?” Ryder called.
I ignored him, marching right up to Jingles and standing before him. I was furious with the giant biker, and I was about to let him know.
“You goddamn son of a bitch!” I yelled loud enough for the entire store to hear, right before I punched him in the gut. Hard, if the oomph that came from his lungs was any indication.
Jingles’ eyes got huge when he looked down at me.
Every sound in the room ceased.
No one moved until King rushed over.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing? I loan you my men and this is how you repay my fucking kindness?” he bellowed.
Jingles put his arm up, blocking King from getting closer to me.
I ignored the irate man, too angry to be afraid.
“Is this where you have been? In Nebraska? For thirteen fucking years? You disappeared without a trace, you never said goodbye, you didn’t even leave a fucking note!” I screamed. “I hate you, Sebbie!”
I kicked him in the shin and ran outside.
I turned into the alley next to the store—the one Ryder had gotten shot in weeks ago—and slammed my hand against the wall before bending over, my breaths coming fast and shallow.
I was going to be sick.
“Ellie, are you ok?”
I heard Ryder’s voice, but I couldn’t answer.
Not yet.
I put my hand up, telling him to stop, and moved further into the alley where I threw up.
“Baby, what’s wrong? What happened inside?”
Ryder was asking me questions I couldn’t yet answer, while he held my hair back for me.
“BELLIE!”
I stood up, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.
“Bellie!”
I turned around to look at my brother. I had been here for two months, been all around town and never once saw him.
Until today.
“No! You don’t get to call me that! You are an asshole!”
I could feel the tears running down my face. I didn’t care. Sebbie walked forward, and Ryder stepped in front of me.
“Back off, man,” Sebbie warned, standing taller.
“Not a chance,” Ryder countered, not backing down.
He reached his hand behind him, searching for mine.
I stepped up, grabbing hold of it like a lifeline.
“Stand down, Jingles,” King said.
That was when I noticed everyone had followed us. I buried my face in Ryder’s back. This couldn’t be happening.
“Blade, tell your boy to move. Before I have to move him,” Sebbie said.
I heard the warning in his voice. I knew what he was capable of thirteen years ago. I didn’t imagine being in an MC had tempered that at all.
I moved around Ryder, hoping to prevent something from happening. When I stepped forward, Ryder put his arm out, stopping me from moving closer to Sebbie.
“Take your hands off her.” My brother’s voice sounded calm, but I knew the truth.
“Jingles, stand down,” King ordered, putting a hand on Sebbie’s shoulder.
Sebbie didn’t move.
Blade and Jack moved in front of us. Blade standing between Sebbie and Ryder.
“Back off, brother,” Blade growled.
“Jingles, you need to take a breath, man,” Jack said. “Let’s go back inside and talk, ok?”
Jessie moved closer, putting her arm around me.
“Someone want to tell me what the fuck is going on back here?”
The sheriff walked down the alley, getting between Jingles and Blade.
“Tell him to get his fucking hands off my sister,” Sebbie hissed.
“Sister?” Ryder turned to me. “Jingles is your brother?”
I nodded.
Ryder turned back to Sebbie and pulled me out of Jessie’s arms and into his.
“Someone better answer my fucking question or you’re all spending the night at the station. I don’t care who the fuck you are,” the sheriff said, staring at King.
“Dad, calm down,” Beck said, walking into the fray. “Apparently, Jingles has a little sister he has been hiding from. And well, she’s a little pissed off at him right now. As anyone would be,” she explained, glaring at Sebbie.
“I wasn’t hiding from her.”
“Really?” I argued, slipping between Blade and Jack to get in his face again. “I must have missed your calls, letters, texts, voicemails, and visits over the last decade. Not to mention the note you didn’t leave when you left.”
“Bellie, I’m sorry. I had to leave. I couldn’t stay there anymore. You don’t know what happened.”
“No. YOU don’t know what happened. You don’t know how I found Bianca with Preston, or how they blamed me for screwing everything up. Or how they forced me to get a degree in something I hated so I could get my trust fund and finally get away. You have no idea what I endured ALONE because you left,” I yelled, stabbing him in the chest with my finger, as he slowly took a few steps back. “You don’t know how I have been hiding the past two years because Father is trying to force me to marry Preston’s friend Jeremy!”
“What?” Sebbie whispered.
“Ellie, let’s go. You can’t do this out here,” Ryder said, putting his arm around me and turning me into his chest. “King, get him the fuck out of here. When she’s ready to talk to him, we’ll come to the clubhouse, but right now, I’m taking her home.”
“Beck and I will lock up,” Blade said, still standing guard between Sebbie and Ryder.
“Bellie, wait,” Sebbie called out, but I ignored him.
Ryder was right, I couldn’t do this right now.
The day after the book signing, I woke up in Ryder’s bed, alone.
After the confrontation with Sebbie, Ryder and I went back to his apartment above the store. He held me while I sobbed into his chest until I fell asleep.
Leaving Ryder’s bedroom, I ignored the voices I heard in the kitchen and slipped across the hall into the bathroom. Flushing the toilet, I washed my hands and took a deep breath before facing whoever was in the kitchen.
“Morning.”
“Jessie, what are you doing here?” I asked, rushing over and putting my arms around her.
Jessie wasn’t a hugger, but she made exceptions for me. Especially after such an emotional day. Jessie had been my sounding board for years now. She supported me in my search for my brother. Hugged me every time a lead went cold or we hit a dead end.
“Morning, Ellie,” Ryder said, kissing my temple. “I invited Jessie to stay over. Thought you might need her.”
“Thank you.” I looked around, but we were the only three people here. “Where are the girls?”
“My parents kept them last night. Mom thought you might need some quiet time.”
“Oh, can you ask her to bring them home?”
“I will, but we need to talk first,” Ryder stated.
I turned from Ryder. I didn’t want to talk about yesterday. I wanted to hide away and not think about it at all. Despite how long I had searched for my brother, having him show up the way he did threw me for a loop.
It was too much.
“Ellie, what you said to Seb, was that true? Are your parents trying to force you to get married?” Jessie asked.
“Yes,” I admitted.
I walked over and sat on the couch, pulling the blanket Jessie must have used last night over me like a shield.
“Why didn’t you tell me about that?” she asked.
I looked at my friend. I knew keeping that from her hurt, though she would never say it.
“How about I make some breakfast, and we can talk?” Ryder said.
Thinking about food made my stomach roil. My nerves were just too raw right now.
“I’m not hungry,” I said.
“You need to eat, baby,” Ryder argued.
“I can’t. Yesterday was just too much. I need some time.”
“Ok, but tell us about this marriage,” Ryder pressed.
Before I could object, Ryder’s phone rang. He looked down at it and swore. He stood up and walked to the island before answering.
“What?” he barked.
I knew it wasn’t Abby. Ryder would never talk to his mom that way.
“You aren’t my fucking president, so I’ll answer however the hell I want,” he growled.
Ryder looked over at me, then turned back.
“No. I’ll come, but she’s not ready,” he said into the phone.
He paused, listening to who I assumed was King on the other end.
“He can fucking wait. He’s ignored her for thirteen fucking years. He can wait a few more goddamn days.” Ryder balled his fist against the counter. “Yea, I’ll be over soon,” he said before disconnecting the call.
“King?” I asked.
“Yea, he wants us to come to the clubhouse, but you aren’t going. Unless you really want to.”
I shook my head. I wasn’t ready to talk to Sebbie.
Not yet.
I thought I would be so excited when I finally found him. But I was angrier than I realized.
“You stay here with Jessie. I’ll be back soon.”
I stood from the couch and walked into his arms. He leaned down and kissed me like we were alone.
“Alright, alright. Enough of that,” Jessie whined.
“Can you bring the girls home with you, please? I want to spend the day with them. We can talk tonight after they’re in bed,” I asked.
“Ok, I’ll pick them up when I come home.”
“Thank you.”
“I love you.”
I knew I would never tire of hearing those three words from him.
“I love you, too,” I said, smiling.
I watched Ryder walk out the door, and with a sigh, I turned back to Jessie.
My smile only grew when I saw her with her hands on her hips and she said, “Lucy, you have some ’splainin’ to do.”