Thirty
R yder looked concerned when he came back from the door, and he crouched by my side of the bed, reaching for my hand.
“They need us downstairs, babe, but you’re gonna be safe, okay? I won’t let anything happen to you.”
I had this bizarre urge to pull him back into bed, and hide there with him. Why would his brothers need me down there? What were they planning? Was there going to be retribution for what I did, after all?
“What’s going on?” I asked, my voice a weak whisper.
He smiled gently, reaching out to slide a curl of hair away from my eye.
“He just said we have visitors, and we can’t keep them waiting, so get dressed. No need to worry about anything else, just pick what you feel safe and comfortable in.”
I knew instantly what I wanted.
“Can I wear something of yours?”
His face brightened, a big smile his response.
“Anything you want, darlin’. You just go nuts. What’s mine is yours.”
I felt a rush of warmth for this man, my man. This tough guy, who left all of that side of him at the door, to be as gentle, and kind, and unthreatening as I needed him to be. Despite how we’d met, and what I’d done to him .
“Come on, woman. Get a wriggle on.” He grabbed my hand, and dragged me from the bed. Suddenly I was holding him tight against me, my arms wrapped around his back, as I pressed my face against his warm chest. I could feel his body heat through the thin t-shirt, and it didn’t scare me. It comforted me.
His arms had wrapped around me after just a moment of hesitation, and he let out a slow sigh, as if this moment might just feel as relaxing and soothing for him as it was for me. His chin rested against my head, and then he moved, and I felt his lips press against my forehead.
“Trust you to pick this one moment to want to hold me. I mean, now I don’t want to fucking let go, but if Reacher has to come back for us, it won’t be pretty.”
I reluctantly pulled away to look at him.
“It’s not going to be the only time I want that. I feel safer with you now, and I don’t really get why, but I like it.”
“That makes two of us, Tori. Now, do you want the bathroom before me? No time for a shower, but I know you like to freshen up, and I badly need to do the same.”
I let him hurry me into motion, and we both got freshened up and dressed quickly. I wore a pair of his thick grey sweats, and a t-shirt that had a rock band logo on it. I didn’t recognise it, nor could I make out the strange, jagged words across it. It didn’t matter though. It was his, and I felt safe in it. I had on a bra underneath, and he handed me a zip up hoodie of his too. This one had the club logo on it.
“Should I be wearing this?”
He gently touched my shoulder, and his eyebrows raised when I didn’t flinch.
“You’re my old lady, Tori, so you get to wear the club logo. You can even have a cut of your own too, but we can discuss that later, when we make it official with the others.”
I didn’t argue, although I had a feeling there was a little more to it than he was letting on, but the idea of being his made me feel safe. Protected. Not only by him, but by his family of grizzled biker brothers too.
Whatever we were about to face, we’d face together. How bad could it be, right?
Once we were both ready, Ryder reached for my hand, and I willingly took it. He walked us to the door, and we stepped into the hallway. There was no prospect waiting outside, which was a surprise. I thought they had someone there watching over us, but then maybe it was better not to have one there, in case they’d overhear what we were doing. Ryder had said that it was dangerous for anyone else to know about that.
I still couldn’t believe how much safer I felt with him, since he’d given up his body that way. If he could debase himself enough to go through that, to make me feel better, what right did I have to not trust him?
“Just through here, baby.” He led me into the large clubhouse bar room, which was like a hotel lounge, only a little rough around the edges. There were chairs and sofas with pub tables dotted around, with a scarred wooden floor, and a weathered looking bar, with one man behind it, wearing a cut that declared him to be a prospect.
There were a lot of men in the room, and I tried keeping my eyes away from them, watching the floor, as Ryder led me through the crowd. I had no idea what has happening, but there were too many men, too close, and they were all around me now.
“Victoria?” I blinked, and lifted my head in a rush at the voice I hadn’t expected to hear. Not here.
“Daddy?” I heard Ryder curse quietly, and his hand slipped from mine. When I turned to look at him, he was firmly focused on my father. I hadn’t seen my father in about nine years. He’d aged, but then, hadn’t we all? He wasn’t looking anywhere but at me.
He was dressed in a grey suit, with a white shirt, and a dark tie, and he looked as intimidating as he always had. The two men flanking him were just as unnerving, and they were completely unfamiliar to me.
“No hug for daddy?” He asked, and in that moment, all of the tension and fear dropped away, and I threw myself at him, his arms holding me tight. It felt like home, safety. It was my father .
His cologne smelled the same as it always had, and with that added safe familiarity, I found myself crying huge, heaving sobs against his chest, and he soothed me through it, whispering to me, as he tried to calm me.
When we broke apart, Reacher gestured to the area where they had a few sofas crammed around a low table, and I let my father lead me there, while his goons stayed where they were, their hands at the ready, in case there was a threat.
Ryder followed us, joining Reacher, and the guy with the longer blonde hair, who I couldn’t remember the name of, but I knew he was their VP. There were two guys following Ryder, like they were backing him. I remembered one was called Has-Been, because I remembered thinking what a strange name it was. The other I wasn’t sure about, but caught sight of his name on his cut, as I sat down. Torch .
“Firstly, I want to thank you for advising me of my daughter’s safety. I’ve been trying to find her for quite some time now.” Daddy looked at me with a smile, keeping me close to him. I wanted Ryder beside me too, my eyes finding him every few moments, to make sure he hadn’t disappeared on me.
Reacher cleared his throat. “Yeah… well, we made a bit of a mess when we went in, so we needed your support too, and appreciate what you did for us.”
Daddy smiled in that reserved way he did for anyone but his little girl.
“I’m always happy to make alliances. It’s never a bad thing in my line of work, you understand.”
It felt like the most tentative and awkward gathering ever. Everyone was practically on the edge of their seat, and I was pretty sure, if one person spoke out of turn, it could all turn nasty really fast. I loved my daddy, but I also knew what he was capable of. What he’d had to do to build his empire, and although I knew he’d never hurt me, I still knew he was a very dangerous man.
“So, we can leave you in peace to catch up with Tori, of course,” Reacher said, resting his hands on his knees, to stand up.
“Uh… no need for that,” Daddy said smoothly. What? I saw everyone frown at his words.
“Daddy?”
“You’re coming home with me, Victoria. No need for any more running and hiding. You’ll be safe with me.”
“Fuck that!” Ryder snapped, on his feet in an instant. I got up quickly, before anything could escalate.
“I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure, son.” My father was nothing if not a charmer, but I knew the danger surrounding us in this moment. One word from him, and this place would descend into a deadly bloodbath, and I couldn’t let that happen.
“Mr Rossi, I think what Ryder is trying to say, is that he’s rather attached to Tori.” The blond guy was standing too, and trying to ease the situation.
“Ryder? That’s a road name, I’m guessing?”
Ryder glared at him, his chin lifting as he spoke in a firm tone.
“My name is Ryder Carlson, but yeah, it’s also my road name. That’s completely fucking irrelevant right now. You’re not taking her away from me .”
I glanced at daddy, whose eyebrows had climbed a little higher than I thought was safe for Ryder. Don’t let this turn nasty, please. Don’t hurt him!
“Ryder, please, calm down. We can talk about this without it escalating. Please .”
“Darlin’, you’re not fucking going anywhere. I don’t care who your daddy is.”
“Ryder! Stand the fuck down,” Reacher demanded, and now everyone was on their feet, and it was tense, and I was so afraid. I felt intense panic . I felt this terrifying, paralysing dread washing over me, and suddenly I couldn’t breathe. All I could do was gasp, and claw at my throat, and I felt like I was about to pass out.
“ Baby . Baby, I’ve got you. It’s okay, you’re safe.” Ryder was suddenly holding me, and we were sinking to the floor almost in slow motion, as he cradled me against him, practically rocking me in his lap like a child. My breathing finally started to ease, as I clenched Ryder’s t-shirt in my fists, and let his warmth soothe me.
“Clear everyone out of here,” I heard my father barking at someone, probably Reacher. There was movement all around me, and then the room fell quiet once more. When the Mafia Don demands, people acquiesce without argument.
“Come here, love,” I heard my father mutter to me, but I couldn’t move. Not only because Ryder had me practically in a death grip, but also because I needed Ryder to help me breathe again.
The silence grew longer, and more tense.
“Ryder.” That was Reacher. I felt Ryder tense, and then he moved, easing us back up from the floor, but I wouldn’t let go of him, I couldn’t.
“Someone tell me what the hell is going on here.” That was my father, never one to ask when he can demand.
I finally looked around, and noticed it was only my father, Ryder, Reacher, and his VP in the immediate area now.
“Unhand her, please .”
I swallowed hard, turning to look at my father, noticing that Ryder’s arms tightened around me instead of releasing me.
“Daddy, this is Ryder.”
He nodded briskly. “I heard that part. What I don’t understand is why he has his hands all over you.”
Reacher sighed. “Can we sit again? We’ll explain everything, but I think she needs to be close to him right now.”
My father must have agreed, but I noticed he was the last to sit down. A clear power play, and nobody missed it.
“Daddy…”
“You were gone for almost nine years. I’ve had people looking for you. Why did you run? If you were afraid of something, or someone…” he fixed Ryder with a glare then, “you know I’d have protected you. You’re my daughter.”
“Why didn’t you do something about the fucker who raped her, if you care so damn much?” Ryder snapped, and my father’s face seemed to pale.
“The person who did what to her?” His tone was oh so cold. Icy, even. It made me shudder, and I wasn’t usually afraid of him.
“Are you saying that you were unaware of what had happened to your daughter before?” Reacher was trying to sound respectful, but he also sounded frustrated.
“I’m waiting for an explanation,” daddy said in that dangerously quiet tone.
I turned to look at him, finally telling him what I should have told him back then.
“Dom Casetti had been hunting me, ever since he raped me ten years ago.”
Ryder
T he guy was like a fucking statue. He didn’t even look like he was breathing, and it was unnerving. Creepy as hell. It was almost as if he didn’t know about any of it, and how the fuck was that even possible? Big fucking Mafia Don, my ass.
“Why didn’t you keep that bastard away from her? Huh? Why didn’t you tear him limb from limb after the last fucking time?” I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. Daddy’s a big fucking deal, but somehow he let some bastard attack his daughter, not once, but twice .
Reacher cursed, and ran his hand over his face, probably wanting to chew me out, but he didn’t get a chance to speak though.
“Casetti? Victoria, this is who attacked you back then?” Oh hell .
I glanced down at Tori, who was still snuggled into my chest, her fists twisting the fabric of my t-shirt.
“Victoria, I asked you a question.” Her father used a firm tone that made me bristle, because he had no right to speak to my woman like that.
She swallowed hard though, and nodded.
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me that? You never gave me details or a name, or you know I’d have dealt with it.” He turned to look at Reacher then, probably wanting to try and prove that he wasn’t a fucking waste of space as a leader and a father.
“Believe me, all I wanted was the damn name, and I’d have made sure they paid with their life.”
Holy hell. Maybe I’d misjudged the smug bastard, just a tiny bit.
“Maybe she was worried about the fallout if you took out the head of another family,” I finally muttered, pressing my lips against Tori’s forehead. She nuzzled my chest, and that made me feel like a fucking god. This woman. This woman who’d been through so much, and had every reason to fear closeness with a man, was practically trying to fucking burrow her way inside me.
Her father leaned forward in his seat, watching his daughter.
“Victoria, why would you keep this from me? There are always ways to make someone disappear without a trace.”
The stern look he gave me then felt like a threat, a warning that he could just as easily make me disappear, and I felt a chuckle rumble through my chest, as Tori tilted her head to look at me.
“What? I’m starting to like your dad.”
She was still sitting in my lap, but she pulled back a little to look at her father properly.
“He was a monster, daddy. I believed him when he said he’d come after you if I told.”
He sighed, pulling at the tie around his neck.
“Any chance of a nice bourbon? I could do with something.”
Stitch got up, and returned with a bottle, and enough glasses for all of us, pouring a measure into each glass. Ugh. I was pretty sure he knew I fucking hated bourbon, and his smirk as he passed me a glass, was my proof that he remembered all too well. Smug bastard .
Massimo Rossi, the fucking mafioso, sat and drank a bourbon with us, and he was quiet while we drank, but finally he spoke again.
“Who finished off Casetti?”
“Why would you need to know that? It’s done, isn’t that enough?” Reacher asked, nursing his glass as he spoke.
“I merely want to know who to thank. While I wish I’d had the retribution for myself, I’m glad the bastard is dead, and can never hurt my little girl again.”
Reacher gestured to me. “Ryder is the one who sought her out, killed the bastard, and brought her back. He saved her.”
Tori was looking at me again, and those fucking eyes of hers could just drown me in the depth of the emotion I could see in them. How the fuck could anyone willingly hurt this woman?
“You okay?” I tucked a few silky brunette strands behind her ear, and she smiled, turning to look at her father.
“Ryder saved me, and I love him.”
Wow. She really said that.