by Lia Ellison
Still, I hoped it wouldn’t come to that. Ryker had placed silent alarms everywhere around the house, so as soon as someone stepped close to them, the alarms would be triggered, even if it was just a cat.
Ryker would go check it out as soon as the alert popped up on his phone.
“Won’t he just go through the front door?” I asked. Maybe Easton would simply pull over in the driveway.
“Not if he wants to get away with it.”
“So you still expect Easton to come here to kill his wife? Maybe he loves her.”
“It doesn’t matter how he feels about her. His ego will be hurt, and he’ll want to make her pay. He’s not a very patient man. But he won’t want everyone to know he was the one who killed his wife.”
I shifted so I could get more comfortable. “What if he sends someone else to do it for him? An assassin? What if he brings his men with him?” I had no idea how safe it was for us to even try something like this.
It sounded like a good trap, but something could always go wrong.
“I don’t think he’ll bring anyone with him because too many people would bring attention or someone might make a mistake, and that’s not what Easton will want. He’ll also want to deal with her himself because she’s his wife, and he’ll want to see her face before he pulls the trigger.” Even in the darkness, I could see Ryker’s face was serious.
“Is that what you would do?” I finally asked.
“No, of course not,” he scowled. “Do you really think that low of me?”
“No, I don’t, but you seem to know an awful lot about how he’s going to react, and I just don’t know how you can be sure. What if Easton does something unpredictable?”
“Quiet,” Ryker hissed, and I realized there was movement very close to the house.
The lights came on in one of the rooms, but only briefly. Then it looked like someone was leaving.
Was Cassie going to run? Had someone warned her about Easton coming for her? What if he’d been so angry when he’d seen the photos that he’d called her first?
But the person moving in the shadows didn’t look like Cassie.
It was the guard. It looked like he was going somewhere.
“Easton got rid of the guard, didn’t he?” I whispered. It certainly looked that way.
“Yeah, which means he’s probably nearby.”
I hadn’t expected it would really work out that way, but it seemed Ryker had been right about how Easton’s mind worked.
But then again, he’d spent more time around men like Easton than I did, so I supposed it was easier for him to predict their moves.
“Whatever you do, just don’t put your life at risk. Please,” Ryker said, and I gave him a small nod before he pushed himself up. “I mean it.”
“Yeah, I know.” I supposed he knew me well too, but I was going to try to stay here and wait for him to handle this.
But if he was in danger, I didn’t think I could just do nothing. I’d find a weapon somewhere, even if it was only a garden gnome that I could use to hit Easton over the head.
Ryker moved through the shadows, staying hidden behind the bushes, and soon, I lost him out of my sight.
I waited and waited, but no one was coming.
Then finally, I heard something rustle and what sounded like a muffled cry. My whole body tensed, and I was ready to jump out and go check what it was, but I did my best to remain hidden.
I didn’t know what was going on, and I couldn’t see where the sounds were coming from. The last thing I wanted was to run into Easton.
But where the hell was Ryker?
When my phone vibrated in my pocket, I nearly yelped, my heart jumping into my throat. But even before I pulled it out to check it, I knew there was only one person who could’ve sent me a message right now.
Ryker.
He was supposed to text me when he had Easton, so I slowly and carefully got to my feet, and then headed toward the spot where our car was hidden.
I kept to the shadows so that no one would spot me and report me to the cops. Once I reached the car, Ryker was just closing the door.
Something was in the back seat.
Something big.
Or better said, someone.
“Is it done?” I asked.
“Yeah.” He wiped his palms on his pants. “He didn’t even see me coming. The good thing is that he’s alive. I gave him a sedative. But we need to get out of here before it wears off.” He opened the passenger door for me, and I got in.
While Ryker was getting in the car, I glanced back at the unmoving form in our back seat. Easton was tied up, and if it wasn’t for the rhythmical movement of his chest, I’d think he was dead.
When Ryker started the car, I couldn’t help but feel weird about the whole thing. We had a tied up, drugged man in the back seat of our car. Just the thought of it sounded so damn weird.
I didn’t even know how I felt about it. Sure, the guy was a criminal and he was probably about to go kill his wife, but I didn’t know if that only scared me more or if it was a relief. I definitely didn’t think I’d be part of kidnapping someone.
“Are you okay?” Ryker asked.
“Yeah,” I said, but as I finally tore my gaze away from Easton, I wondered what was going to happen next.
Chapter 15
“HE’S WAKING UP,” RYKER said. “You should leave.”
“No.” I crossed my arms, unwilling to move from my spot.
After we’d brought Easton to the house we’d rented, Ryker had taken him to the basement and tied him up to a chair. He’d said no one was going to hear Easton scream from there.
“Lexi, please. You don’t have to be here.” Ryker’s pleading eyes met mine, but I still didn’t want to go anywhere.
He was about to torture Easton, and I needed to be here for it. I definitely wasn’t going to enjoy it, but I needed to know what Ryker was going to do.
I needed to see him.
Maybe it was silly. But if I wanted to be with him, then I needed to accept all the aspects of who he really was.
I couldn’t just pretend that this side of him didn’t exist.
“Lexi,” he said.
“I’m staying right here. You do your thing. If it’s too much, I’m going to leave. Okay?”
He pressed his lips into a tight line, and then he sighed. “Yeah, okay.”
Easton let out a groan, and as soon as he opened his eyes and took in the room, he started thrashing against his restraints.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t free himself.
“Let me go!” he yelled. “Who the fuck are you?”
Ryker stepped forward with a chilling smile on his face. “Hello, Easton. Remember me?”
Easton’s face paled as recognition flashed in his eyes, but then anger filled his gaze. “You! You son of a bitch! You killed Denzel!”
“Yeah, I killed Denzel, so I’m sure you know what I’m capable of,” Ryker said, still smiling. “Now why don’t we make this quick and you tell me everything you know about Zavarelli. Where is he?”
“I won’t tell you anything,” Easton said, baring his teeth. “You can go fuck yourself.”
“Are you sure that’s the only thing you want to say to me?”
“Fuck you!” Easton yelled louder, but it wasn’t going to help him.
There was no one around to hear him.
Ryker had picked out this house with special care.
I flinched when Ryker punched Easton so hard that Easton’s nose made a sickening crunching sound.
Easton wailed in pain, blood welling up from his nose.
“Where is Zavarelli?” Ryker asked.
“Even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell you,” Easton spat out. Ryker hit him again, and again. Soon, Easton was pitting blood, his face barely recognizable.
“Come on. Don’t be like that. Do you really want to be dying in agony for days?” Ryker asked as he yanked at Easton’s hair.
“Fuck you,” Easton
choked out.
“Is that how it’s going to be?” Ryker made his way across the room and pulled out something from a bag that was in the corner of the room.
I didn’t want to go any closer to see what it was, but Easton’s eyes were bulging and it looked like he was frantically trying to free himself or even just topple over the chair he was tied to.
“Tell me where Zavarelli is or I will cut off your finger,” Ryker said, his voice so damn cold that it scared even me.
“I don’t know anything! I swear!” Easton said, and then he screamed so loudly that I almost had to cover my ears.
There was blood everywhere, and something fell to the floor in a pool of blood.
One of Easton’s fingers.
I thought I was going to be sick, but I was too shocked to move. Yeah, I’d always known that Ryker was capable of terrible things, but seeing it somehow made everything worse.
“Are you sure you still don’t know anything?” Ryker asked.
“Please!” Easton cried. “Don’t do this. I don’t know. Zavarelli only comes when he wants to. You know how he is! Please!”
Another chilling scream split the air, and then I couldn’t take it any longer.
I hurried for the door, my chest heaving. When I was outside, I pressed my back against the wall. Easton was still screaming, and he was only getting louder.
How could Ryker stand it? How could he just cut off the guy’s fingers as if it didn’t bother him one little bit?
Maybe because it didn’t.
Maybe he was so used to it all that he didn’t care anymore.
I closed my eyes for a moment as screams and shouts continued. I had no idea how long it had been going on when Easton finally went quiet. But then I heard a shot ringing out through the room, and I broke into a run.
All I wanted was to get as far away as possible from there.
Away from that damn room.
Away from Ryker.
Who had I been fooling? I couldn’t handle this, could I? This was all just too much.
Maybe Easton had never been a good person and maybe I didn’t feel a whole lot sorry for him, but what about Ryker?
Didn’t it cost him a piece of his soul every time he did something like this? Didn’t it take a piece of humanity from him?
I could still picture the cold look in his eyes. It was as if he’d become a completely different person.
What if one the coldness overcame everything else? What if he’d never be my Ryker again?
I found myself going to the terrace.
I needed some air to clear my head.
It was so damn peaceful outside, but Easton’s screams were still ringing inside my head. I leaned on the railing, listening to the soft murmur of the sea.
Once again, I wondered if I could really accept all that came with Ryker’s position in the Scarlet Cobras.
What if one day he turned against me? What if something happened and he came for me the way Easton had tried to do?
I knew I shouldn’t think about any of that.
Ryker was different.
He wasn’t weak like that.
But he was also the man who’d just killed and tortured someone. Was I ever going to be okay with that?
Sure, I could always bury my head in the sand and pretend none of it was happening. Ryker would just do it somewhere else, far away from me and I’d never find out about it.
He’d wash the blood off his hands and clothes, and I could pretend that other side of him didn’t exist.
But could I really do it? Did I even want to?
I stared into the darkness, and I wasn’t sure what the answer to any of those questions was.
Chapter 16
I HAD NO IDEA HOW LONG I’d been standing on that terrace, but when Ryker finally came, there was no trace of blood on him anywhere.
His face was perfectly calm as he stopped next to me. But when he reached out for me, I moved away from him. I didn’t think I could stand his touch right now.
Not when he’d just used those hands to torture and kill someone.
It was all still too fresh in my mind, and Ryker’s knuckles were bruised. He let his hand drop to his side and let out a small sigh.
“I told you, you shouldn’t have stayed there,” he said softly.
“Do you really have to do things like that? Do you really have to torture people?” I asked, meeting his gaze.
“You know who I am. It’s part of what I do. If I want to keep my men and their families safe, I sometimes have to do things that aren’t nice or pretty.”
“Yeah, I get that. But why do you even have to stay in the Scarlet Cobras? Why not just leave? You can have a legit business somewhere. Hell, your legit business that you’re using as a cover isn’t doing all that bad. Why isn’t that enough? Leave the Scarlet Cobras behind, or hell, change the way you operate.”
“Lexi, it isn’t that simple.”
“Really? Isn’t it?” I crossed my arms. “Why do you need to rule the whole city? Why? For power? For money? What is that you really want? Do you really believe you’re doing something good? Your men and their families wouldn’t even need protection and for you to hunt down your enemies if you weren’t involved in all this mess. And hell, if they want to be gang members so badly, let them. You don’t have to be a part of it.”
“You don’t understand. You can’t just stop being a gang member. You can try, but it will all catch up with you eventually.”
“So what? A lot of things can catch up with you anyway. Hell, you’re even gain new enemies. How is that better?”
He leaned on the railing, taking a deep breath. “Maybe it’s what I want. Have you ever thought about that? I’ve been a gang member maybe even before I even knew what it meant. The Scarlet Cobras have always been a part of my life. A very important part.”
“But that’s only because your father was a member, isn’t it? What if you had a choice? What if you could change everything? Would you really pick this life for yourself?” I searched his eyes, but his expression was guarded and he was giving me nothing.
“Maybe I don’t want to change anything. Maybe I like who I am. You can either accept it or not.”
“Doesn’t it bother you? To take someone’s life? Not even a little?”
“I’m not a stone, Lexi, but there are things that need to be done, and I’m willing to do them. Do I wish things were different? Maybe I do. Do I wish you weren’t looking at me like I was some kind of monster right now? I do.”
“No. I’m not... I don’t think you’re a monster, but I’m just having trouble understand why you want to keep doing this.”
“Are you going to leave your club?” he asked. “Its existence is illegal too.”
“Don’t compare my club with your gang. No one is getting hurt in my club. No one is dying. Well, no one is getting hurt unless that’s what they came for, but you know what I mean.”
“You do realize that if you stay with me, your club could become a target, don’t you?” he said, his eyes boring into mine.
“I have guards, and I can always hire more.”
“Ah, but why don’t you just sell it or leave it to someone else so you don’t put everyone’s lives at risk? Why do you expect me to leave the Scarlet Cobras when you don’t want to do the same with your club?”
I stared at him because I didn’t know what to say to that.
“You’ve been fighting like hell to get it, didn’t you?” he said. “Well, that’s what I did for my gang too. I went through hell and back to get where I am right now. Do you think it was easy? Do you think I should just throw away my whole life?”
“I don’t know. I guess I didn’t realize how much the Scarlet Cobras meant to you. Or maybe I did and I just didn’t want to fully accept it. Does that mean you’re always going to put them above everything else?”
“No, it doesn’t. I can care about more than one thing.”
“And what if it all came down to one choice? Would you
pick me or your gang?”
He licked his lips, averting his gaze. “Are you making me choose? Is that it?” he asked when his gaze met mine again.
“No, Not right now. I’m just asking.”
“I hope it won’t come to that, but you need to know that I’m always going to protect you and do everything to keep you safe. You don’t even have to know anything about what I do. I’m not asking you to carry any of my burdens. That’s all on me.”
I turned away from him, wondering if this whole thing had been a mistake.
Maybe I shouldn’t have come here with him at all. Maybe I shouldn’t have stayed and watched him become a man I didn’t recognize. Maybe I should just grab my things and leave now while I still could.
But when I glanced at Ryker, I couldn’t deny my feelings for him.
“Did he tell you anything?” I asked after a long moment of silence.
“Not much. He probably really didn’t know where Zavarelli is, but I think I might have an idea where he might be hiding.” His face turned serious.
“Does that mean we’re leaving?”
He nodded. “As soon as I take care of everything. We’re going back home.”
I assumed by taking care of everything he meant getting rid of Easton’s body.
This time, though, I didn’t want to know anything about how he was going to do that. I was so damn tired, and I just wanted to forget about everything.
“I’m going to bed,” I said, and then I brushed past him.
When I glanced back at him, he raked his hand through his hair, his gaze focused on the darkness in front of him.
Could I find a way to keep him away from the darkness that might swallow him whole one day? Or was it going to swallow me too eventually?
I had no idea.
Chapter 17
“SO WHERE ARE WE GOING next?” I asked as we were on our way to our hometown.
Surprise flashed through Ryker’s eyes.
We hadn’t really spoken much during our trip, but I’d been thinking, and I’d decided that, despite my dislike of pretty much everything related to the Scarlet Cobras, I still cared about Ryker.
Maybe with time, I could accept what he was doing, or maybe he’d change his mind about it on his own. Hell, maybe I’d change my opinion about the whole thing.