25. Ryder
25
RYDER
All of a sudden, I’m pulling up to a secluded area of the bayou, and an uneasy feeling washes over me. I’m no fool. I know why we’re here. We bring men out here to make them disappear; the alligators do the rest.
I take a breath.
This asshole is the spitting image of Jimmy. His twin. Either that or I’m hallucinating.
“You’re not Jimmy,” I say. “I killed him, and trust me when I tell you I know he’s dead.”
I don’t meet his murderous eyes, but I can feel them boring into me. He’s high, which doesn’t help matters, but I could use it to my advantage. If he’s high then he’s unstable, and if that’s the case, I can use that as a weakness. He hasn’t checked me over for weapons, and I might not be packing, but I do have a gun under my seat, and a knife in my boot. Call me superstitious, but I always carry a weapon.
“I’m not Jimmy. I’m his twin brother, Jarrell. I was inside when all that shit went down and you murdered my brother,” he goes on. “When I heard what you did to him, I knew one day I’d get out and pay you a visit. You killed the only family I had left.”
I snort. “What about what he did to my wife? He almost beat her to death, all because he couldn’t handle bein’ a real man.” I stare him down. “I guess that runs in the family.”
“Are you tryin’ to get your head blown off?” He cocks his head to one side, as if he’s trying to figure me out. Good luck, sunshine.
“I think if you wanted to do that, you’d get me outside first.”
He contemplates for a few seconds, glancing in the back.
Aidan, like the good boy he is, still has his headphones on.
“You really wanna hurt him?” I say. “He’s five. He’s innocent in all of this. Do what you wanna do to me, but leave my kid out of it.”
“Shut up! I’m tryin’ to think!”
“You don’t wanna do this. Killin’ a kid, it’s different. You might hate me for what I did, but that punishment is for me, not him.”
“But killin’ you both will hurt your woman. That is before I fuck her stupid, then pass her around to some of my friends before I bury her, too. You’ll all be together, which is kinda nice of me, considerin’.”
Sick fuck.
“What you really want is for me to suffer,” I say. “But my son doesn’t deserve this. Deep down you know that. If you have any decency left inside you, you’ll leave him alone.”
“You think you’re runnin’ this show now?” Jarrell points the gun at me, getting more agitated by the minute.
“It’ll only be a matter of time before the MC find me, we both know that. Crystal would have already sounded the alarm. She’s not stupid, and there’s no doubt she would’ve tried to call me again. You’d be better off dumpin’ us and makin’ a run for it. The MC is comin’, no matter what you do. They’re probably surrounding us as we speak.”
He turns to look around, and I want to knock the gun from his hands but it’s too risky. Not with Ade in the car. We need to get out, and I’ll take the first opportunity I have.
It crosses my mind that if I do get shot, that leaves him alone with Ade, and that is not an option.
If I’ve ever believed in a higher power, now is the time I pray. I need a fucking miracle. Or the MC to get here pronto.
“Shut the fuck up!” Jarrell bellows.
“Daddy?” Aidan calls. Fuck. He’s being so quiet that it’s easy to forget that he’s even back there. I don’t want him to witness any more trauma, but this could be a way to get my gun.
I hold my hands out, palms facing him. “I need to get my kid.”
“Daddy, I need to pee,” Aidan whines.
I use my eyes to plead with the maniac next to me, giving him a muted glance. I want him to feel bad, and he's already questioning if he can hurt a child. Somewhere, somehow, I’m hoping that he’s got a conscience after all.
“Kid has to pee,” I interject. “Gonna let me get out?”
“If you pull a fast one?—”
“Won’t be doin’ that.” I don’t say anything about being unarmed; it might make him realize he hasn’t checked me for weapons. “Just need to get my kid outside.”
“Go slowly.” Jarrell jerks the gun, motioning to the back.
I continue to keep my eyes downcast, holding my hands out in surrender. “Gonna go nice and slow. I just want to hold my kid.”
“Any last words while you’re at it?” he sneers.
I want to tell him I’m happy I took Jimmy’s life. That I reveled in it. If I could do it all over again, I would. Except I’d take my time. Drag out his pain, really make him suffer. That would give me an immense amount of satisfaction. I know I killed him far too fast, and I regret that. After what he did to my baby, there was no going back.
I shake my head.
“Nothin’? That’s a pity.”
I give him a chin lift. “What were you in for?”
“Some dumb fuckin’ bitch accused me of rape. Spent eight years locked up. Not like that stupid slut didn’t deserve it.” Jarrell has the audacity to smirk.
I want to carve his eyeballs out of his sockets.
“You sound like a real stand-up guy,” I say. I reach for the door handle. “Lettin’ myself out now.”
“Keep your hands where I can see ’em!”
I wave my hands at him once I kick the door open, my heart racing so hard in my chest it might just jump on out.
I don’t know why he doesn’t follow me out. Instead, he stays in the driver's seat — which is not what I wanted. I wanted him to come around to my side of the truck so I had a few precious seconds to reach for my gun before he could see. Now I won’t be able to do that. Then again, once I get Ade out of the truck, surely he’ll get out himself. He’s either very fucking cocky and thinks we won’t try and run, or he really is fucked up.
My hand is on the handle of Aidan’s door and I pull it open, reaching for him as my eyes meet our captors. It’s then Jarrell decides to reach for his door handle, eyes still on me, and I have a two second window if I’m gonna pull this off. I unbuckle Aidan’s seatbelt as he reaches for me, then the asswipe is out of the truck, running around the front to our side. I reach under the seat, pulling my semi-automatic into my grip and flicking the safety off. “Cover your ears,” I warn Aidan, pushing him farther back along the backseat, covering him with my body as I face the door. And I’m firing.
Two consecutive bullets hit Jarrell in the shoulder, the gun falling from his hand. The shock on his face is enough to make me smile, but I’m not out of the woods yet.
I fire again, and this time it hits him in the throat. Blood splatters everywhere as his hands clutch his throat.
“Stay here,” I tell Aidan. “Don’t come out till Daddy comes back.”
I don’t take my eyes off Jarrell, but I can hear my child’s cries. I can’t let him see me do this, and hopefully my body covered up most of what I just did.
I step out of the truck, slamming the door behind me. I kick Jarrell’s gun away, just in case he has a second wind, but judging by the way he drops to his knees, his eyes bulging out of their sockets, he won’t be getting up anytime soon.
Then I hear it; the sound of straight pipes. A lot of straight pipes.
I hold my gun at his head as he gasps for air, blood escaping from the giant hole in his neck. “Any last words?” I sneer.
He opens his mouth, but no sound comes out.
“This isn’t just for me, or my son. It’s for my wife, who your brother tried to fuck up. I hope you join him in hell, because there ain’t no place for you on earth anymore.” I aim it at his head and pull the trigger.
I close my eyes as he falls backward, landing at a weird angle on the ground. And it’s over. I pick up the gun he dropped, checking to see if it’s loaded, which it is. I switch the safety on, shoving it into the back of my jeans.
Then I turn toward the truck, reaching for the door as I swing it open. My child is curled up in a ball, with his little headset on, singing one of his favorite tunes. That right there breaks my heart. He fucking did this.
I pull him into my arms and his eyes shoot open. “Daddy!” I hug him tight, pulling his earphones off.
“It’s over.”
“I’m scared,” he stammers.
“Nothin’ to be scared about. The bad man is gone, okay? The club are here. Can you hear the engines?”
He nods, and I close my eyes as I hold him to my chest. I kiss his head. “I’ll never let anythin’ hurt you. Nobody will ever hurt you,” I tell him over and over.
He’s shaking, but his tears have stopped.
A few seconds later, the passenger door is opening and I’m staring at Harlem. “Holy shit,” he says. “Anybody else here we need to worry about?”
I shake my head. “Only one, behind me, and he’s dealt with.”
He nods. “Got it. Crystal’s in Casey’s truck, they’re comin’ now.” Before I have the chance to ask how that happened, he goes on. “Couldn’t stop ’em. They came with Pipes.”
I swallow hard. “Need to take him away so he doesn’t see what’s behind me.”
Harlem nods.
I pull Ade back. “You’re gonna go with Uncle Harlem to see Mommy while Daddy takes care of things here, okay?”
He nods. My little guy, always trying to be brave. I scoot him over towards Harlem who scoops him up into his arms. “Hey, bud. Mommy’s right behind us in your aunt’s truck,” I hear him say. “I bet you were a big brave boy for Daddy, weren’t you?”
I don’t hear Aidan’s reply, because behind me there’s a commotion. As I turn, I see Rock, Hawk, Riot, Bronco, Priest and Nevada all assessing the scene behind me, guns drawn.
“Fuck,” Riot says. “That looks exactly like?—”
“Jimmy,” I finish. “It’s his twin brother.”
“Holy shit,” from Nevada.
“He carjacked me. Wanted revenge for what I did to his brother.”
Hawk gives me a chin lift. “You had a piece on you?”
I shake my head. “I had it under my seat. Had to think fast.”
“You know Ade sent the signal.” Rock cocks his head. “Damn little genius.”
“I’m so proud of him.” I’m getting choked up. “He’s the one who saved us. Jarrell, Jimmy’s brother, threw out my cell, and my GPS tracker.”
“We figured,” Rock huffs. “Damn near gave Cash a fuckin’ heart attack with your kid in the truck.”
“Tell me about it,” I mutter.
“Ryder?” I hear my wife cry. “Ryder!”
I turn to see Crystal running toward me, tears streaming down her face. I move, but she’s already on me, slamming into my body as I lift her and she wraps her legs around me. “Oh, my God,” she cries. “I thought… I thought… Fuck, I was out of my mind trying to get to you.” Her body shakes with sobs as I squeeze her tight.
“I shot him,” I say. “Jimmy’s twin brother.”
“What?”
“Yep. He was gonna shoot me, and Ade, to get back at you.”
She cries harder. “I didn’t even know he had a brother.”
“He was in jail at the time.” It also makes me wonder why Jimmy never said anything, but having an identical twin could have its advantages. Especially when Jarrell got out.
She pulls back and I kiss her hard, needing her.
“You saw Ade?” I ask in between kisses.
“Yes, he’s with Casey now. I’m so sorry,” she starts.
I shut her up with another kiss. “Don’t start spoutin’ that shit. You didn't know. And even if he did have a brother, or any other family, nobody could’ve known he’d pull a stunt like this.”
“I was so scared,” she whispers. “How did you disarm him?”
“I’ll fill you in later. The important thing is, we’re okay. I made Ade put his headphones on and asked him to play Crocodile .”
“I’m so proud of him.” She tears up.
“Our child saved both our lives, babe. He did what I asked and even told me his tummy hurt.”
I wipe away her tears, thankful to have her back in my arms. “I think we need a vacation after this.”
I press my forehead to hers. “I think that sounds like a perfect idea.”
The boys dealt with Jarrell’s body; no doubt making it disappear deep into the bayou, and I don’t have one inch in me to feel anything for him. The emotional damage and scarring he’s potentially done to my child are unforgivable. I took a risk reaching for that gun, but he had that crazy glint in his eyes. It was kill or be killed.
I never in a million years thought something like this could happen. It makes me want to carry that semi on me at all times. I don’t even like having a gun in the car, much less anywhere else, but my viewpoint has shifted.
“You good?” Cash slaps me on the back.
“No,” I tell him truthfully. “Motherfucker was on somethin’, waving a loaded gun around. I had to think fast.”
“And you did. It’s why you’re VP,” Cash says.
“I thought it was because of that pretty boy face?” Nevada pipes up. “Or so Crystal always says.”
I flip him the bird and he laughs.
“Didn’t need the club after all,” Riot yawns. “Had it all handled by himself.”
I give him a pointed look. “You sound disappointed you didn’t get to shoot someone.”
He grins. “There’s always an excuse to kill some dumb fuck who wants to hurt someone in this club.”
“He won’t be gettin’ that chance again,” Tag grumbles. “Nice shot to the throat, brother. Bled out nice and slow.”
“Didn’t exactly plan it that way,” I admit. “I took him by surprise. The fact he was high probably helped me a lot, but I’ll take the compliment.”
“How’s Ade?” Harlem looks concerned, his eyebrows knitting together.
I nod. “He’s okay. Been quiet for a little bit. Wanted his momma. I’m worried he’ll be scarred for life.”
“Whatever you need, we’ll do it,” Cash says.” He’s one tough little nut, just like his old man.”
Pride swells through me. I don’t want my five-year-old to be tough, I want him to be a kid. But he did a great job nonetheless.
“Shouldn’t you be at the hospital?” I say to Nevada. “Your mom given birth yet?”
It’s taken Nevada a little time to come to terms with the age-gap between him and his new baby sister, but he’s happy his mom and Hustler finally got it together.
“Headin’ there now. Without Hustler this afternoon, had to fill in the numbers.”
“We should all be headin’ over there,” Harlem says. “Pay our respects. Another MC baby in the fold.”
I smile when I think about the babies me and Crystal have been trying to make lately. I hope we’re next.
“I better check on Crys and Ade,” I say. Even though Giggs and Pipes are still on watch at my place until I get there, I still want to be home with them as soon as possible.
“Go,” Nevada says. “I’ll text once the baby is born.”
“Thanks everyone.” I feel a lump in my throat as I stand. “Today reminded me exactly why we are a brotherhood; always helpin’ at a moment's notice. I just hope this is the last of all the goddamn threats to this club.”
“Me too,” Cash says. “I don’t think Jimmy has any other family members lurkin’ around. What this club needs is some goddamn peace and quiet.”
“Ride or Die.” Harlem bangs his fist on the table.
“Ride or Die!” everyone calls out.
I flick them all the bird behind me as I take off, eager to get home and be with my family. Today has felt surreal. I had my life flash before my eyes in an instant. I didn’t fucking like it. I never needed any reminder of what my family meant to me, but it’s brought everything front and center. Things need to change. And that change starts with me.
After tucking the little guy into bed, I move quietly out of the room.
“He’s asleep,” I tell Crystal. He wanted his mommy all night, and I get that because she’s the one he always runs to. But when he crawled into my lap on the couch and snuggled, the weight of everything really hit me.
“He’s exhausted,” Crystal says, folding into my arms. “How are you holding up?”
I shrug. “I’m okay.”
“You don’t have to pretend,” she says softly. “You can say whatever you want to say.”
“That I was so fuckin’ scared about what he’d do to Ade?” I shake my head. “I didn’t like not bein’ in control, Crys. That bastard was two seconds away from killin’ both of us.”
She cups my face. “But he didn’t.”
My eyes meet hers and my grimace softens. “Just shook me to my core,” I admit. “I don’t ever wanna feel helpless like that again.”
“You don’t give yourself enough credit for what you do any of the time. Why would this be any different?”
I bump her with my hips. “You bein’ a smart mouth?”
“No, but I’ll happily keep it up if it takes your mind off things.”
“I like what you said; about a vacation. We should take Ade to Disneyland or somethin’.”
She smiles. “A family vacation? I like the sound of that, he’d love it.”
“You think he’ll be okay?”
“We can talk to a counselor; I’ve got plenty of contacts from the school. I can ask around about the best thing to do.”
I nod, worry flooding through my body. “I felt this rage inside me, Crys. It burned a hole in me, so much so, I was ready to tackle him unarmed if that’s what it came down to.”
“I know you’d do anything to keep Ade safe,” Crystal says. “If I had any clue Jimmy had a fucking twin brother, I would’ve obviously said something.”
“I know that.” I kiss her nose.
“This better be the fuckin’ end of goddamn Jimmy. Sick and tired of him comin’ back to haunt us.”
“Jett and Rock already checked. Nobody else is showin’ up on the radar. He was the only family Jimmy had left,” I say. “We’re safe. Nobody is gonna hurt any of us again.”
“I love you,” Crystal whispers. “But I think I’m in trouble with Cash. He told me off in front of everyone for wanting to come find you.”
I chuckle. “I’m glad you listened.”
“Actually, I didn’t. I told Pipes he was taking me and Casey, or we’d basically be more of a problem than he could handle. Then Cash lectured me about staying in the car.”
“Which you would have done, right?”
She chews on her lip. “Just know I’d have used my gun if I’d been there sooner.”
I kiss her forehead. “I know that, and I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to. I love the fact you’re a feisty woman, but Cash was right in tellin’ you to take a beat. Runnin’ around with a gun when you didn’t know what you were up against could’ve been catastrophic.”
“I was willing to shoot him.”
“I know that.” I cup one side of her face. “I know exactly who you are.”
“I’m sure Deanna would do the same if the situation were reversed,” I grumble. “And Cash knows it. We’re not just ol’ ladies; we’re part of this club, too.”
I pull her closer. “I know that. You’re a big part of the club. The women of the club are what keep the wheels movin’ forward. They remind us of what it is we’re fightin’ for when shit goes down. That family is the most important thing.”
“I love you,” she whispers, emotion lacing her tone.
“Not as much as I love you.” I press my lips to hers.
“You’re my hero.”
I smile, rubbing my nose against hers. “Let’s just test that theory right now in bed, shall we?”