Chapter 53
FIFTY-THREE
ryder
Fuck my life.
My head is pounding, and my mouth feels like I’ve been chewing on cotton balls all night.
Groaning, I roll over and check my phone. It’s just past noon, and I have three missed calls from Jax and a text from Claire, but nothing from Noia.
A little disappointed and strangely relieved, I drag myself out of bed and into the bathroom. My preferred brand of soap and shampoo are sitting in the shower niche and fluffy blue towels hang neatly on the towel bar.
I stand under the hot spray for a long time, still surprised at how my things suddenly showed up in my apartment. I had a feeling it would happen at the right time, but I never once thought it would be for the reason it did.
Wrapping a towel around my waist, I pad into the kitchen. The fridge is stocked with beer, almond milk, eggs, bacon, and other essentials. Coffee, cereal, and a few canned goods fill the cabinets as well.
It’s as if the universe knew exactly what I needed.
I scramble some eggs and take a couple of aspirin. After eating, I get dressed and head downstairs to the shop for my one appointment of the day.
My one o’clock is a long time client who wants a detailed sleeve using the watercolor technique—something that usually requires my full concentration. But halfway through the outline, I realize I’ve asked her to repeat herself three times because my mind keeps drifting back to Noia.
“Everything okay?” she asks as I wipe away the excess ink.
“Yeah, sorry. Just a little distracted today.”
I force myself to focus, but it takes twice as long as it normally would. By the time we finish the session and schedule her next appointment, I’m mentally exhausted.
“Sorry about today,” I tell her as she examines the outline in the mirror.
“No worries. It’s looking amazing so far.”
After she leaves, I clean my station meticulously, taking my time. With Jax out on a supply run and Claire handling paperwork in the office, the shop is quiet today.
Desperate for a hit of caffeine to help with my hangover, I head to the break room. The coffee machine gurgles as it brews a fresh pot, and I lean against the counter, rubbing my temples.
Suddenly, I realize I haven’t checked my messages since I woke up. When I go to take my phone out of my pocket, it isn’t there.
Shit. I left it upstairs in my apartment.
“Great.”
I fill my mug and take a long sip, wincing when I accidentally burn my tongue. Setting the mug aside to cool, I decide to head upstairs to grab my phone, stopping abruptly when Jax walks in.
“Dude, what the fuck was that about last night?” he demands, blocking the doorway.
“Don’t start with me right now, man. I’m not in the mood.”
“Cut the crap.” He crosses his arms. “You were a complete wreck, begging to go to your apartment. Then you don’t answer my calls all morning?”
“Sorry about that. My phone was on silent.”
“Seriously?” Jax narrows his eyes. “Claire and Lizzy were worried sick. We all were.”
Spreading my arms wide, I force a grin. “As you can see, I’m perfectly fine.”
Moving in closer, he lowers his voice. “Look, I don’t know what’s going on with you and Noia, but you need to get your shit together. You’re not acting like yourself.”
“I told you, I just needed some space to figure things out.”
“And how’s that working out for you?” Jax’s tone drips with sarcasm. “Because from what Claire tells me about how you’ve been acting today, you’re worse off than you were when you were drunk last night.”
“Fine. I’ve been distracted today, okay? Is that what you want to hear?” I rake my hands through my hair. “Can you just lay off? How would you like it if I gave you shit about you moping around after Sasha left, huh?”
Jax’s eyebrows shoot up. “I haven’t been moping. It was just one night, no big deal.”
“Yeah? And that’s not what Claire told me.” I push past him, heading for the stairs. “I need to get my phone.”
“Fine,” Jax calls after me. “But you’re going to have to come to terms with what you’re feeling eventually!”
Fuming, I take the stairs two at a time. The last thing I need right now is a lecture.
What I need... is Noia.
It’s only been twenty-four hours and I miss her. Only been a day, and I already miss her smile, her laugh, the way she curls against my body at night.
I grab my phone from the night stand, heart skipping when I see she called and left a message right after I left this morning.
“Hey, Rye. I just... I noticed all your things are gone, and I... Please call me back. Let me know you’re still…here.”
She sounds scared.
Guilt floods my veins. She probably thinks I’ve disappeared completely, maybe even thinks she deleted me from existence.
Fuck. I have to go see her.
Without overthinking it, I grab my keys and race back downstairs. Jax is at the front desk when I burst into the room.
“I’m taking the rest of the day off,” I announce. “Can you take me to your place to pick up my bike?”
Jax looks at Claire and she nods.
“Sure.”
Ten minutes later, I’m tearing down the road toward Noia’s cottage. The wind whips against my body as I lean into the curves, my heart pounding harder with each passing mile.
I should have called her back instead of just showing up out of the blue, but something in her voice made me panic. The fear, the uncertainty—it was all my fault.
When I pull into her driveway, I notice an unfamiliar black BMW parked next to her SUV. My stomach drops. Who the hell’s car is that?
I cut the engine and take off my helmet. Through the front window, I can see movement inside—two figures standing close together in the kitchen.
Too close.
My blood turns to ice when I realize one of them is a man in a suit, and he’s got his hands on Noia.
“What the fuck?” I snarl and climb off my bike, sprinting toward the house.
The front door is unlocked, so I don’t bother knocking, bursting through just as Noia drives her knee into the bastard’s balls.