Chapter 32
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
RYDER
I dial Jake’s number knowing he can get to us fast.
“Fuck, Ryder. The sun just came up,” his sleepy voice fills the car.
“Eve’s mom took Ryland from her bed this morning. We are following the tracker to a motel about ten minutes away. I need you to meet us.”
“What?” His voice is wide awake now. “She’s gone? How the hell did that happen?”
“I don’t know. The door was locked, and we had the monitor the whole time. I’m going to send you the location. Can you meet us?”
“I’m on my way.” I hear him running before the sound of the car door shuts. I ping him my location. “Got it. What if it’s not her mom? Have you called the police yet?”
I glance over at Eve, and she’s chewing her bottom lip. I worry about her and the baby. She was seconds from passing out from a panic attack earlier. She needs this closure with her mom, though. She’s been walking around, worried her mom will show up at any moment, and this is our time to get some answers.
“It’s her mom. I have her on video. My gut is telling me she’s been here all along, watching us and waiting for the right moment to take her. Eve thinks she’s punishing her for putting her dad away.”
“Shit. She’s crazier than I fucking thought.”
“I’m pulling up now.” I turn into the motel on the edge of town. It’s run down and has seen better days.
“I’m right behind you. Wait for me, Ryder. You don’t know what you’re walking into, and you have to think of Eve and the baby.” I know he’s right. There’s no telling the state she’s in, and having both of us there means more protection for Ryland and Eve.
“You have three minutes, and then I’m going to get my daughter.” I hang up and glance at the tracker. It’s in the same spot it was earlier.
“She’s probably so scared,” Eve whispers in a small voice. “She barely knows my mother. How did I let this happen? I left her alone.”
“This isn’t your fault. You are not going to blame yourself for this. No one could have known she was going to do something this crazy.” I take off my hat and run my hand roughly through my hair before putting it back on. I can’t just sit here any longer.
“I’m going to go get our daughter. Once I know it’s safe, I’ll…” She cuts me off with a shake of her head.
“No. I’m going with you.” She opens the door to the car, and I follow her. Jake pulls in and parks before quickly getting out. He’s just as pissed as I am as he meets my stare. He pulls Eve into a hug, and I see her fight back the tears to remain strong.
“Let’s go get our girl.” Jake releases Eve, and her blue eyes meet mine.
“I’m coming.” She stares me down and I can tell there’s no use arguing with her on this one.
“Fine. But we go in first. You stay behind us until we know it’s safe.” She opens her mouth to argue, and I stop her. “It’s non-negotiable, Eve. We don’t know what your mom is going to do, and I won’t put you and our baby in danger. If she wants to hurt you, she will have to go through me and Jake first.”
She sighs and nods her head. I take her hand in mine and lead us up the stairs to the door at the end.
“This is it,” I say quietly. I pull Eve behind me, and Jake takes her place by my side. He nods at me, and I try the door knob finding it unlocked as I open it. Relief hits me in the gut when I see Ryland sitting on the bed, eating something out of a bowl.
“Ryland!” Eve pushes past me and runs to pick up our daughter.
“So much for listening.” I clench my teeth and quickly scan the room for any sign of her mother. There is expensive-looking luggage in the corner that sticks out like a sore thumb in this outdated room. The maroon carpet is worn and thin as I walk over to the small round table and open the purse that’s sitting there. I find the wallet and see Gayle’s face on the ID.
“Someone’s in the bathroom,” Jake says, walking up next to me.
“It’s definitely Eve’s mom.” I show him the ID before throwing it back down. I hear Ryland giggle and glance over my shoulder to see Eve giving her kisses all over her face. I walk over and smile when she sees me.
“Daddy,” she grins and holds out her arms. My heart is in my throat as I take her and hug her tightly. I breathe in her baby smell and close my eyes tightly. I’ve never been so scared in my life than when I found her bed empty. It was a paralyzing fear that gripped me all the way down to my bones. I never want to feel that feeling again…ever.
“Hi, Rybug. Daddy’s here and loves you so much.”
“Well, isn’t this a cute family picture moment,” I whip my eyes open to see Gayle standing there by the bathroom door. I immediately go on high alert and give Ryland back to Eve before blocking her with my body. Jake does the same.
Her blue eyes hold no light in them as she coldly stares at us. She’s wearing her blonde hair pulled back in a bun at the nape of her neck. Even now, no hair is out of place as she stands there in her black pantsuit. She would be a beautiful woman if her heart wasn’t so cold.
“You can tell your guard dogs to stand down, Eve. I’m not going to physically hurt you. Although they are nice to look at, seeing the two of them side by side is definitely a sight to see.” I feel her eyes roam over my body as I fist my hands at my side. Jake’s body tenses as she lingers on him.
“What do you want, Mother? You took our daughter. How could you do something like that?” Eve’s voice filters behind me as she steps in between Jake and me.
“Ah, she speaks. You always were such a scared little thing. Always doing what you’re told…always pathetically waiting for someone to come along and love you.”
I feel Eve flinch beside me, and something snaps inside me.
I quickly take a step forward, and her mom’s eyes widen when I back her up against the wall.
“Let’s get one thing real straight. You will never speak to my wife like that again. Ever. The only thing pathetic around here is you and your lousy attempt at being a parent. If it were up to me, you would be rotting in a jail cell right now for what you pulled this morning.”
She studies me before answering. “And why didn’t you? You could have just called the cops and let them handle it.”
“Because even though you and Richard are pieces of shit, Eve still finds it in her to love you. You are the only parent she has left, and she needs closure. I won’t have her looking over her shoulder the rest of her life worried that you are going to come in and take everything from her again. Make no mistake, though,” I step closer and get in her face. “You took Eve from me. For three fucking years, I had a child I didn’t know about. You threatened me and my family. You came into our home this morning and took our daughter. If, for one second, I think you are a threat to me and my family, you will be the next person to go missing, and you will wish I had made the call and let the cops handle it. Now sit your ass down in that chair and answer my wife’s questions.”
It takes everything in me to reign in my anger. I’ve never once laid a hand on a woman before, and I’m not about to start now. In the end, she’s still Eve’s mother, but that doesn’t mean I have to like her. I watch her glare at me before she sits down.
I turn to Jake, and he lifts his brow at me. He hates her just as much as I do right now, so I know he thoroughly enjoyed that. “Can you take Ryland back home with you? We won’t be too far behind. I think Ryland has had enough excitement for the day.”
“Of course,” he walks over and grins at Ryland. “Do you want to go get a muffin with Uncle Jake, Rybug?”
“Muffin.” She reaches for him, and he hugs her tight. I think we all are still shaken about what happened earlier. He walks her to the door, and Gayle’s voice stops him.
“Don’t I get to say goodbye?” Jake looks at her over his shoulder with a stare that causes her to pale and keep her mouth shut.
“No.” He meets my eyes. “Call me if you need anything.”
I nod my head and watch him leave before walking over to Eve and gathering her in my arms.
“You are in control here. We leave when you say the word. She can’t hurt us anymore, Eve. No matter what happens, our family is the only thing that matters.” I whisper softly in her ear. I feel her nod her head against me. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” She sits down on the bed, and I sit next to her. Grasping my hand, I give it a squeeze. “Why did you do it? Why take Ryland?”
“Can’t a grandmother just want to see her granddaughter?” Her smile doesn’t reach her eyes. It’s hard to believe someone so cold could be related to someone who has the biggest heart I know.
“Cut the bullshit. We both know you never wanted to be a mother, much less a grandmother.”
“I’m surprised you found me so fast. Except for the grocery store, I thought I’d done a pretty good job of hiding myself. I have to say I was a little hurt when I saw you get married. I’m assuming my invitation got lost in the mail?”
I grip Eve’s hand tighter. She’s been watching us longer than I thought. All this time, she’s been right under our noses. “How did you get in? The door was locked.” I need to know what I did wrong…where I failed to protect my daughter.
“Easy.” Her eyes move to me. “You guys are always down at the beach playing family. I just waited until the right moment to have a spare made. I was in and out before anyone knew the wiser.”
“So you took Ryland to what? Punish us somehow? How was this plan of yours going to go.”
“I wasn’t going to keep her, obviously. I just wanted to have a little reunion before I have to say goodbye. It hurts to have something taken away that you love, doesn’t it.” Her cold stare hits Eve. “You have no idea the mess you caused when you handed over that thumb drive to the FBI.”
“Father did that to himself. All I wanted was to get back home. If you would have just let me stay none of this would have happened.”
“I was protecting you,” she seethes. “I was making you stronger. You need to realize that the only one you can count on is yourself. Your father destroyed me. Love is a weakness, not a gift. I learned the hard way, trust me.”
“My father…”
“is dead…” She finishes the sentence, and the room goes eerily quiet.
“What? I don’t understand.” Eve shakes her head. “Did something happen in prison?”
“Richard?” Her laugh is laced with disgust. “No, I’m sure that weak bastard is still surviving in there somehow.” She looks Eve dead in the eye without a trace of emotion. “Richard’s not your father, dear. I think it’s time you finally know the truth, and then you can decide for yourself if you are leaving with me.”