Chapter 18 Royce #2
Why would they be watching Ford? Unless they had eyes out on everyone.
“Yes, I plan to patch her.” Ford replied, his voice tight.
My dad scowled deeply. “And does she know what will happen to her dreams as soon as you do?”
That had me freezing in place. My blood went cold. Was my dad going to make me leave again?
“How about you both tell me what the hell is going on?” I argued.
Dad and Ford stared at one another for a loaded moment before Johnson appeared at the door, swinging it open.
“There’s movement on the perimeter of the city. We should get to the club.”
Dad dipped his head. “Royce, get your things. You’re coming home.”
“She’ll be riding with me.” Ford said forcefully.
I stared between the two of them until my dad’s jaw clenched tightly. “Consider how it will look to have her on the back of your bike, Ford. I once had to make the same decision, and I’m warning you that you’re not protecting her by painting a target on her back.”
Dad always made it seem like dating a club member would be disastrous, but it really felt like he was going too far with Ford.
There were plenty of girls who dated members, and they were fine.
Maybe because he was related to a Stone, and the threat delivered was specifically toward the Stone family.
Callie would be all that was left of that, but Simon Stone raised my father as if he were his own, so the man threatening us would have to know that.
“Killian, she stays with me. End of story.” Ford held my hand, pulling me behind him as we entered his room and he shut the door. He began sifting through his drawer for a shirt, then a pair of jeans. His movements were jerky and quick.
I walked over and slid my hand up his back, then wrapped my arms around his waist.
He froze and then placed his hands over mine.
“My dad means well.”
He laughed, but it came up more like an angry scoff. “I know he does, but he’s really starting to piss me off.”
Stroking his abdomen, I didn’t reply. I kissed the wild rose inked into his back, and hoped we’d all be okay. It wasn’t until we were riding away, my chest glued to his back, that I processed how Ford declined a direct order from my father. Did that mean he’d get in trouble or kicked out?
Or was the warning in my gut right, and my father wasn’t the one calling the shots at all anymore.
Despite what Ford argued with my dad, he pulled up in front of my house and parked behind Dad’s bike. My mother was already near the front door, pushing her fingers into my father’s hair, while the two of them talked.
She looked worried.
“Are we going into lockdown?” I glanced back at the gate near the entrance to our drive, and saw a few Stone Riders parking there as sentries.
Ford glanced up at the sky, but his sunglasses were on, so I couldn’t see the way the sun hit the hazel. “Yeah, Rose, we are.”
My stomach dropped as my mind went back to a time when I was nine, and my father was kneeling in front of me telling me I had to pack a bag, that we were headed into the clubhouse and we’d have to stay there until it was safe again.
Ford’s hand gently cupped my face as he turned it away from the direction of the club, “You’re with me. No matter what, you’re with me, which means you’re safe.”
I tried to let that take root in my heart even as my hand wound around his. He slid off his bike, helping me get off as well. My legs felt shaky as I stood in front of my childhood home. I already knew my father wouldn’t allow Ford to come in, and that’s what made me feel nervous.
Squeezing his hand, I walked toward the house and Ford paused at our front porch. “I need to tell you something.”
“Royce!” Taryn burst through the door, ignoring Ford and our parents. She looked different. Her blue eyes were wide, her mouth was tense. She was panicked and frenzied.
I released Ford’s hand and went to her. “What’s wrong?”
“I need to talk to you.” Her anxious gaze bounced between Ford and me.
“What about?” I asked, confused at her insistence.
“Uh, just something, but it’s really important.” She shifted, and that’s when Nova made her way outside. Her dark hair was braided to the side, her blue eyes striking as always.
“Hey, Nova.” I waved. She glanced at Ford, then back at me.
“Can we talk in private, Royce?”
Ford dipped his chin, but I caught his smile. “Don’t think I can do private during a lockdown, Rose.”
Nova folded her arms over her chest. “Are you suddenly Royce’s keeper?”
His laugh slid against my neck as he stepped closer, then pressed a kiss to my hairline. “I’ve always been her keeper, Nova. Now, it’s just not as frowned upon because she’s aware of it.”
Heat swarmed my chest as I processed that he’d been keeping tabs on me far longer than I ever realized. The memory of skimming my fingers over each of his tattoos seared my mind as I smiled at him.
“So that’s super cute, but this is girl talk, and it’s private.” Taryn’s eyes flicked over to Nova then quickly back to me, and I knew she was trying to tell me something. I knew my sister well enough to know when something was important, and whatever this was needed to be kept private.
I squeezed Ford’s hand and faced him. “Come find me later?”
He considered me, then glanced at Nova and Taryn. He seemed to be struggling with his decision, but he leaned in close and rasped, “Keep your phone on you. Keep a weapon on you. Don’t go with anyone, anywhere for any reason. The second you’re done, text me. Understand?”
I nodded, but it was cut off by his kiss. “I’ll be back.”
He turned back to his bike, and while it started, I followed my sister inside.
Mom was packing one of her cloth grocery bags with food, which meant she was planning on staying over at the club.
I wanted to resist the idea with everything inside me.
Not because I hated the club, but I hated this feeling of fear that gripped my heart and swelled in my stomach.
I hated the memory of being stuck in that club, and pretending the sky wasn’t about to fall.
The memory of watching my father ride off into the dead of night, unsure if we’d ever see him again snapped back like a painful flash.
I ignored how tight my chest felt, and followed Nova and Taryn upstairs.
Once we entered Taryn’s room, she secured the door. I perched against Taryn’s desk while my sister took the chair that was off to the side, and Nova sank onto my sister’s mattress.
“So you and Ford?” Nova raised her eyebrow at me.
I nodded.
Nova smiled brightly. “I always thought you two made more sense than you and Connor. No offense.”
“None taken. Connor was a great boyfriend, but I had a crush on Ford long before your brother ever asked me out.”
Taryn was busy staring at her phone, completely disengaged from the conversation.
“Anyway, so I started asking around about the video thing. I know a guy who has connections, and while everyone was busy hacking and looking at where this originated from, I looked at which club was responsible.”
Holy shit. No wonder they wanted to talk to me in private, she’d just dropped a bomb.
Taryn crossed one leg over another, leaning back. “How do you know it’s a club?”
“Because she’s Killian Quinn’s daughter.” Nova deadpanned like it was obvious.
She had a point. “Okay, so which club was responsible?”
Nova tucked her hair behind her ear. She seemed nervous, even more so when she wet her lips and cleared her throat.
“So this is the part where I really can’t have this information leave this room because you’re going to be upset, and rightly so, but my contact is a good friend of mine.
Even if they’re part of a shit for brains club. ”
“Just tell us, Nova,” Taryn snapped.
“It was the Murdoch Devil Riders.”
My ears perked up, which had me shoving away from the desk.
“Murdoch?”
Taryn turned her head toward me, but neither of us spoke.
“You guys can trust me. Tell me why you’re looking at each other like that, what’s wrong?” Nova asked.
“You have a friend in this club, the Murdoch Devil Riders?” Taryn asked.
Nova’s face flushed. “We’re dating. It’s new…and complicated.”
Taryn scoffed. “Fuck, Nov. Do your parents know?”
“No, and neither does Connor. I’d like to keep it that way.”
My voice was cold as I shot off my own reply. “I would hope so. You dating anyone outside of the Stone Riders is bad enough, but someone who leaked a video of me?”
“Dad is going to freak.” Taryn shook her head while releasing a sigh.
If my gut was right, then it wasn’t my father who was going to be upset, it was Ford. Hell, he’d probably start a war over this.
“You can’t say anything.” Nova shot to her feet, bringing her hands together. “I’m begging you guys. I wanted you to know so you could put it to rest. I was able to convince them to take the video down, so it’s not up anymore.”
I rubbed my forehead, feeling frustrated. “Should we thank you, Nov? Fuck, they took an extremely vulnerable video of me and blasted it on the internet. I was harassed, nearly assaulted because of that video.”
“I know, it’s unforgivable. I know.” Nova held her hands up. “But it wasn’t Matt who did it. He just knows someone in the club who did.”
“Nova, we love you, but you cannot be serious about dating someone from a rival club. Especially after Dad forced everyone to leave Rose Ridge. The threat from Max is still hanging over our heads. I mean, shit, we’re in lockdown as we speak.” Taryn argued, tossing her hand out every so often.
Nova waved her off. “That’s Matt and a few of his friends. They rode to make sure I was okay. I’ll tell Uncle Killian once I’m no longer within range of being held hostage by my mom and dad.”
“So you’re telling them then?” I asked, trying to catch up.
Nova pulled her fingers tightly together. “I’ll tell them I’m dating Matt, but it can’t ever get out that they were the ones behind the video…”
My sister slowly stood from her chair and let out a sigh. “The men who came here with you are a danger to us, Nova. Surely you can see that, otherwise what motive did they have to release that video of Royce?”
Nova seemed shocked by Taryn’s statement with how her brows curved in, and her lips thinned. “Matt isn’t like that…”
“But you can’t speak for his club.” Taryn laughed, but not in a way that would be considered funny.
“You don’t even know if they’re somehow connected to the Destroyers do you?
That asshole who came here and threatened us as kids, the one who’s related to your best friend…
which, by the way, what does Ryle think of all this? ”
Nova’s grimace was answer enough.
“He doesn’t know?”
“We’re not as close as we used to be, mostly because he fucking disappeared. Have you two tried talking to Rook lately? It’s impossible to get either Silva brother to respond to texts, DMs, phone calls, or anything.”
I hadn’t really thought about the Silva brothers in a while, outside of what I read about when I was cleaning their house. I had a bit of a bone to pick with Rook.
“So we’re supposed to let you leave and ignore the danger this club poses to ours and lie about it all so your boyfriend stays protected?” I asked bluntly.
She was going to pretend like we didn’t need to be in lockdown, and downplay who was here, but really, they were extremely dangerous.
“Can you just trust me? They don’t want a war,” Nova begged.
I argued right back just as vehemently. “But a war is exactly what they’re going to get, Nova. You’re being stupid and reckless. You know exactly who they’ll use as bait when the time comes.”
Her eyes slammed shut as she turned her head to the side. “Matt isn’t like that. He would get me out if it ever came to that.”
There was no use in arguing with her, she had her mind set. Taryn must have figured that too because she tipped her head back, catching my gaze.
“Thank you for telling me, and for getting the video taken down, Nov. I truly appreciate that, I hope you know that. I just love you like a little sister and want you to be okay.”
“I know, but honestly, Royce, I don’t think a war will start over this.” Nova joked.
My resolve was starting to wane, and something like a rabid animal began burrowing through my chest. I stepped closer, hissing in reply. “If Ford ever finds out that they’re linked to releasing that video, I promise you there will be a war.”
“Dad wouldn’t allow him to, Sis,” Taryn added her thoughts, but she didn’t know what I felt deep in my gut.
“The second Ford becomes president, he will.” If he wasn’t already.
“So we don’t let it leave this room.” Nova suggested with a shrug of her shoulder.
Taryn checked with me first, but all I did was give her a nod. “It doesn’t leave this room.”
Nova finally stood, concluding this. “I better go, so they’ll leave the area.”
Taryn pulled her friend into a hug first, and then Nova came over to me. “I have a feeling our entire world that we grew up with is about to be tossed on its head, Royce. I’m glad you and Ford stayed. I never knew why he did, but it seems like maybe it was because of you.”
She pulled away, and I couldn’t help but let my mind wander to the possibility of that being true.
Ford had an entire plan in place for college, and to become a mechanical engineer, and then out of the blue, two months before he was set to leave, he decided to stay.
I had never asked him why, nor had I cared, but now it seemed it was all I could think about.
Maybe Nova was right. Perhaps everything I knew was about to be tossed on its head.