Ryder: #4 (Allen Securities) (3 page)

Irene winced.

Todd glared at Taylor from the floor. “I should call the police.”

“Go ahead.” Taylor leaned over him. “I’ll be happy to tell them how you put your hands on me, and I defended myself. You’re a long way from home, and the church isn’t going to protect you here.”

Irene stepped between the two before it escalated even more.

“At least one of you has some sense here to know her place,” he said to Irene.

Something snapped deep inside.

“I’m not the one on the floor,” Irene said as she looked down at him. “Get out.”

“What?” Todd stood and dusted himself off.

“You heard me. Get out,” she said and stepped forward. “I’m the owner. I told you to leave. Now get out, or I’m calling the police.”

Victoria stepped out from the backroom and glared at Todd. She moved toward Taylor and Irene.

For the first time, Todd took a step back. His face went red with rage.

“So, that’s how it is? You’ve been totally corrupted by the outside now,” he said. His lip curled as he spoke, and the more he did, the less she was able to see the person she had loved.

“I guess I have,” she said and took another step forward, each one pushing him closer and closer to the door.

“And to think, I was going to offer you another chance,” he said. A harsh laugh followed. His face twisted into pure hate as he made his way to the door. “Now I wouldn’t even have you do my wedding cake.”

“I don’t want another chance with you,” she laughed. “And I don’t think I should design your cake since the only thing I can think to put at the top it R-U-N.”

“You cunt,” he seethed.

Taylor and Victoria stepped up next to her.

“Ah-ah,” Taylor said, waggling her finger. “Language.”

Todd stared at them for a moment before storming out the door.

Irene stood, stunned for a moment as she watched him through the window.

“Well,” Taylor began. She clicked the lock in place. “I think that’s about enough of that.”

Irene walked over to a table nearby and sank into a chair. She really didn’t want to let him get to her, but he had. There was no question about it.

“You okay?” Victoria sat on the other side of her.

Irene looked at the younger girl. She really was very sweet. It was no surprise she was going to be a teacher in just a year.

“I’m fine,” Irene said.

Taylor plopped down into the chair across from her.

“You’re not,” she said firmly. Something metal slid across the table and hit her hands. “But you will be.”

“What’s this?” Irene picked up the tin.

“Whiskey.” Taylor grinned.

Irene gasped. “You aren’t even twenty-one yet.”

“’Kay, mom.” She rolled her eyes. “Couple months, and I will be. Just take a drink and you’ll feel a little better.”

Irene unscrewed the cap and put the flask to her mouth. The harsh smell of alcohol hit her, but she ignored the urge to put it down. It burned like fire as she swallowed a few large gulps.

It wasn’t like she hadn’t done shots before, but whiskey wasn’t something she was really familiar with. She coughed a little as she put the lid back on and handed it back.

Taylor grinned at her. “Better?”

Irene sighed and leaned back. She could already feel the effects and smiled.

“Ask me again in thirty minutes.” She grinned.

* * *

Ryder climbed off his bike when Cage pulled up behind him. He could tell Cage was still pissed about his remark, but his baby brother needed to grow the fuck up. He couldn’t spend the rest of his life chasing after that vet woman. Not that Ryder was one to talk.

He sighed.

“Find out where she volunteers at,” he grumbled.

“What?” Cage said when he got closer.

Ryder stared him down. “Woman like that is going to volunteer in her spare time,” he said. “Find out where and plan a meeting. Maybe if she sees you’re more than a walking dick, you might have a chance.”

“Hey!” Cage frowned.

Ryder snorted. “Whatever. We got shit to do.”

He turned to look at the bright yellow building in front of him. Big red letters that read PAWN were sprawled on the top of the building and clashed with the banana yellow.

His stomach twisted. Fuck, how he hated this place.

He hated Charlie Jones and his lying fucking face. Ryder didn’t even know what he was doing here other than to make Reed happy. When he’d come a year before with Olivia, it had been under duress. There hadn’t been another option, and, in the end, things had worked out well. Charlie hadn’t recognized him, and Olivia had gotten to Reed.

The loud doorbell went off as they walked through the door. The same old smell of armpit, tobacco and old things. It nearly choked him, but he breathed slowly through his mouth. Charlie stood at the counter.

“What can I do for you, boys?” he asked.

He really wasn’t anything special, just an average middle age man with thinning gray hair, beer gut and a stained t-shirt.

Ryder frowned.

“We’re looking for information,” he said. The faster he got the job done, the faster he could get out of there.

“Oh?” Charlie held out his hand.

They knew the drill. He didn’t start talking for less than one hundred. If he knew something, it was going to cost more.

Ryder slammed the bills on the glass counter.

“Lot of weird break-ins going on,” he said. “Vandalism and theft. This the Russians?”

Charlie's eyes widened. Ryder held his breath, hoping it was some other crazy reason than simple recognition.

“You’re the one that was with Olivia,” Charlie whispered. He nodded to Cage. “Who’s he?”

“Part of the team,” Ryder said and watched as Charlie pocketed the money. Apparently, there wasn’t such a thing as a family favor in his book.

Charlie shrugged when Ryder looked down at him. “Man’s got to eat.”

“You seem to be doing just fine,” Ryder said.

Charlie ignored his comment and leaned forward. Cage, likely feeling antsy, moved to stand beside him.

“It’s not Russians,” he said quietly. “I really don’t know who it is. These fellas seem to be from all over and from different groups. All motorcycle gangs but nothing to really tie it all in.”

“Is there a rally or something?” Cage asked.

Charlie shook his head. “Nothing. It’s like they all just showed up for fun.”

Ryder frowned. “But that doesn’t make sense.”

“That’s what I keep saying,” Charlie said with a shrug. As much as he didn’t want to agree with Charlie, there was something going on. “What’s even weirder, no one knows where they are going at night. It’s like they just ride off into the sun.”

Cage snorted. “Sounds like a metal song.”

Ryder shot him a look. This wasn’t funny. This was bad. Biker gangs could be some of the worst. Most didn’t care about women or children and had no problem leaving a path of death and destruction in their wake.

Ryder flipped out another hundred onto the counter and his card. “You call if you hear something?”

Charlie nodded and pocketed the wad. Ryder didn’t have much hope, but it was better than nothing.

They had nearly made it out the door when Charlie spoke up.

“You know, I remember you from that night.”

Ryder froze.

“I didn’t know that was going to happen,” he said. “She was such a crazy bitch, that Niki. Never much liked her.”

Ryder turned to look at him. He didn’t know what he was expecting, but it wasn’t that.

“What?” His voice was low, and he knew that if he spoke any louder, it might give away the emotion he was feeling.

“When she came in and told me about the shipment, I should have known something wasn’t right,” Charlie said.

Ryder stood and stared at the other man for a moment. He shook his head.

“We all should have known something wasn’t right,” Ryder said and turned to the door again.

Charlie gave a hollow laugh. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, I lost out on the deal.”

“How much?” Ryder asked without turning back.

“Ten K,” he said. “Make you feel better?”

Ryder turned and gave a small smile. “A little.”

Chapter Three

Ryder rolled up to the front of the shop and was glad to see that Irene had listened to him. She was so good at avoiding him that sometimes he wasn’t certain if she even cared what he had to say. The sign was turned to closed, and the front was empty, so he took that as a good sign.

He climbed off the bike and walked past the old beat-up car she shared with her cousin. The fact she drove around that old car ate at him, but there wasn’t much he could do. If she wouldn’t let him near her, she certainly wasn’t going to let him take a look at her car. One of these days, he was certain it was going to break down in the middle of the night, and either she or her cousin would be stuck on the side of the road, the last place he ever wanted to picture either of them.

Taylor popped in front of the window when he stepped up to the door. He frowned at her sly smile.

When she opened the door, he could hear music playing loudly from the back.

“What the hell is going on?” he shouted over the stream of dance beats as he stepped into the dining area.

Taylor just grinned and locked up the front. She nodded to the back. He followed. The music grew louder, and he ground his teeth.

For two fucking months, as part of efforts to keep an eye on the Russia mafia, he had been subjected to that crap music at Cortex, the club Jess used to manage for the leader of the Irish mafia, Finn.

After the death of Jess’s father, Ando, she inherited a huge amount of money that freed her from having to work at the club to help support herself and her sister. Sure, Ando’s money was probably dirty, but she was safer, and Ryder didn’t have to be subjected to shitty music anymore.

Ryder had more than his fill during that time, and he’d be damned if he had to listen to it any more.

He followed Taylor into the kitchen and stopped at the door. It was like a damn bomb went off in there. Flour coated just about every surface of the kitchen, and on top of that flour sat tray after tray of cookies.

His attention shifted to Irene, who stood in the center of the mess. Her hips swayed seductively from side to side to the beat, and for the first time ever, Ryder was glad to have the hot rhythm pumping in the air. It called to him. She called to him. Every part of him ached to press up behind her and grind his aching cock into her taunting ass.

She turned around, red pipette in hand and smiled broadly at him. “We’re going camping.” She grinned.

“Camping?” he said.

She nodded eagerly.

“Hiking, camp fires, s’mores, skinny dipping.” She bounced around as she spoke, and he couldn’t help but get excited as well.

“Skinny dipping?” He grinned.

Taylor snorted.

“You in on this?” he asked her.

Taylor grinned. “I’m the one that suggested it.”

He sighed. There was no two ways about it. Irene just wasn’t the kind of woman that did that sort of thing.

“Want a cookie?” Irene said and shoved a cookie into his hand.

“What the hell is this?” he asked and held up the cookie. There were x’s on the eyes and mouth. The chest had several red spots, and he was seriously starting to wonder if his gingerbread man hadn’t been taken out.

Irene shrugged.

“Ex-boyfriend cookies,” she said slowly. A torrent of giggles followed.

He narrowed his eyes. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think she’d been drinking, but that would be very out of place for her.

His mind caught up to his eyes. “Ex-what?”

Irene sighed and picked up one of the strange gingerbread men. “Asshole,” she read and sat it down. The next she picked up, so he could clearly see the writing, DICKLESS.

He choked on the laugh that came out and took a bite. Still, the same fantastic cookie he was used to. “Are you going to sell these?”

Irene shrugged. “Why not? Don’t all women have a bad ex they would like to rip in half?”

Ryder looked between the two other women in the room for some help.

“Todd came by,” Taylor said after a bit.

Ryder frowned. She never talked to him, so this Todd was new to him.

“And did he get her drunk?” he asked quietly.

When Irene poked him in the chest, he looked down. He was surprised to find her glaring at him.

“No.” She leaned in. “She did that after he left.”

He stared at her for a moment. The alcohol left her cheeks pink and rosy. The hair that was normally tucked up fell in loose blond tendrils around her face and made her only seem more kissable than she already did.

Ryder looked over to Taylor. “Did you drink?”

Taylor shook her head, and he wondered if she felt the intensity that always seemed to spark between himself and Irene.

“Good,” he said. “Take the car and head home. I’ll help clean and take her home.”

Irene frowned. “What if I don’t want to ride home with you?”

Ryder leaned down to her ear, his mouth just barely brushing the tender shell. “Be good, or I’ll get out the chocolate,” he growled.

He could feel her shiver and knew she remembered earlier.

Irene watched as Victoria and Taylor raced around the room, gathering their things. She tried to catch her cousin’s eye a time or two, but the rat was good at avoiding her.

What was she even doing? The cookies had been a nice release after the crap Todd pulled. Coming in here like that and acting like he could just push her around. She wasn’t the kid she used to be, and there was no way she was going back to being told what to do like that, especially not by somebody like him.

Irene frowned when her cousin and Victoria stood in the door whispering quietly.

“Well,” Taylor said loudly. “I think we’re going to go grab supplies for the camping trip tomorrow.”

Irene opened her mouth but closed it when Ryder’s large body came in front of her.

“I’m going to walk them out,” he said quietly and leaned down. “Be good.”

She nibbled her bottom lip. Something about the way he talked to her just made parts of her shiver that she didn’t know could even feel that way. His eyes fixed on her mouth, and for a moment, Irene wondered if he was going to kiss her right there. The clouded voice in her head said it wouldn’t be a good idea, but her body still swayed forward despite what her head had to say.