“How can you say that? He won’t stop until he gets what he wants from me.”
“Scott won’t lay a finger on you, Ev. You are so protected that he won’t ever get within a mile of you,” Danni replied.
I rolled my eyes and said, “Yeah, just like Trish was ‘so protected’. He had to have been watching and waiting for his chance to get her. As far as actions Scott might be stupid but he’s not a complete idiot. Hell, for all we know he could be in New York City right now looking for me.”
Danni was about to say something but her cell phone started ringing. She looked at the caller ID and frowned. “I’m going to take this, I’ll be right back.” It was obvious that Beau was calling her since the truth about Trish was more than likely out now. Even though he was probably the last person she wanted to talk to right then, I know she left the room and answered the phone so Ryder could try to comfort me.
He stood up from the floor and took Danni’s vacant seat next to me, pulling me back into his arms. “Everleigh, I know you are terrified right now and after what Scott has done there probably isn’t much I can say to take your fear or guilt away,” he said, practically reading my mind. “All I can really do right now is just keep you close to me and do what I can to help keep you safe.”
I should have felt safe after hearing his words, but I didn’t. The truth was no matter what Ryder, John, or the rest of the guys tried to do to keep me protected nothing would stop Scott from ultimately getting to me. I knew Scott was an asshole and possibly had some kind of mental health issues, but I truly never thought he would ever be so desperate to actually murder someone, especially a completely innocent woman.
I was so wracked with grief and guilt that I didn’t even have the strength to reply to him so I just did what I did best and cried a river of tears. What the hell had I ever done to deserve this? None of this would have happened if I hadn’t gone with Danni to that concert and met Ryder. I found a deep, pure love in the most unlikely of places and because the ghosts of my past wouldn’t let me go, Trish was dead and all of our lives were in danger.
For one split second I considered running away from all of this, from the only family I had left and the one man that I loved beyond measure just to keep them safe but I knew I would never be able to do that. Kris, Jude, and Beau were my brothers. Danni and Jessie were my sisters. John was the protective uncle I never had. And Ryder…he was my soul. I knew that I’d be broken without the rest of our little family but without Ryder I may as well be dead. Besides, if I left to keep them safe Scott would attack them anyway as a way to hurt me. I knew I was safer, if I could even really call it that, if we were all together.
I lost all track of time and everything else around me as Ryder held me in his arms, stroking my hair, and letting me cry. The last thing I remember before exhaustion finally took over was hearing him humming a song into my ear in his deep, soothing voice.
The next thing I knew I was waking up on the couch wrapped in a blanket and I couldn’t feel Ryder anywhere near me. Panic was starting to set in and as I opened my eyes I heard John saying, “I don’t want Everleigh to be afraid but I really don’t know what to do here. No one has seen Scott since before he broke into the house yesterday and that was over twenty four hours ago. He very well could be in New York City by now.”
“Let that fucking prick try to get her. He won’t get far, trust me,” I heard Ryder say in a terrifyingly calm voice.
“We are all going to do what we have to do protect Everleigh but this isn’t just about her anymore, man,” Jude said. “As long as Scott is out there roaming the streets, Jess and Danni aren’t safe either. The fact that he went after Trish, who was nowhere near Everleigh when she was killed, makes this whole thing really fucked up.”
“Jude’s right. Until Scott is caught we have to not only up security but we need to pull the whole family together,” Kris said. Something in his voice made me take notice.
I opened my eyes and peeked at the five of them all sitting around the kitchen table. I eyed Kris looking at Beau with a hard stare. Beau’s eyes widened and he snapped, “Who, Sadie? No fucking way.”
“Beau,” Jude began but he was quickly cut off.
“Scott is already a danger to Everleigh, Danni, and Jess. He probably doesn’t even know Sadie exists. Why would I intentionally fly my little sister here and into the path of a psychotic killer?” Beau asked.
“Beau, we’re a famous rock band. If Scott wanted info on us all he would have to do is get on the internet and search. Sadie is safer here with us than in Chicago, you know that,” Jude said.
“She’s in her final semester of college, Jude. How can I force her to fuck up everything she’s worked for only four months before her graduation? Besides, have you met Sadie? She’s not just going to do what anyone tells her to do, even if it’s for her own good. How am I supposed to convince her to come here now?” Beau asked.
Jude nudged his arm and said, “You’re Beau fucking Cavanaugh. You will do anything for her, including throwing her over your shoulder and bringing her here kicking and screaming. Don’t stress, man. Sadie might be stubborn but she’s not stupid. If you tell her the truth about what’s going she’ll be here with no hesitation.”
I felt even guiltier now. Beau’s sister, whom I’ve never even met, would have to fly here and might have to miss out on her remaining few months of college now because of me. She was having to uproot her life for a girl she didn’t know. She would hate me because of this. The thought made me want to start crying yet again.
Ryder looked at Beau and said, “Call Sadie and tell her to pack whatever she can and to get on the next plane out here.”
“Fine,” he grumbled. He took out his phone and started to dial her number but stopped. “I swear to God Ryder, if anything happens to our girls…”
“It won’t,” Ryder said. “I am going to do whatever, and I do mean whatever, I have to do to stop that fucker before he even blinks in their direction.”
“This is just so fucked up,” he said, dialing her number. He put the phone to his ear and he walked out onto the balcony.
I realized then I was too tense to try and fall back to sleep so I sat up, throwing the blanket off me. I looked at Ryder and when he saw me he immediately stood up and walked over. “Hey baby,” he said, “did we wake you?”
I shook my head, which was pounding. “No, I woke up on my own.”
He sat next to me and pulled my hair back from my face. He kissed my temple and said, “Did you sleep okay?”
I shrugged my shoulders and answered, “As good as can be expected, I guess.”
“You want me to get you anything?”
“I need some aspirin. My head is killing me,” I said, leaning against him.
Jude stood up from the table and said, “I’m on it, sis. I’ll make you some coffee, too. It helps me when I get headaches.”
“Thank you, Jude,” I replied and he nodded at me.
“Where’s Danni and Jessie?” I asked.
Kris came over to us and sat in the recliner next to the couch. “Jess is in the shower and Danni’s still sleeping.”
“What time is it?” I asked, rubbing my eyes.
“It’s almost two o’clock. You’ve been out for almost ten hours,” Ryder said.
“I have?”
Ryder kissed my hair and said, “Yeah, you cried yourself to sleep around four and I didn’t want to risk waking you so I let you sleep here.”
“Where did you sleep?”
“Right here with you,” he said. “After what happened there was no way in hell I was leaving you alone so I just leaned back and let you sleep on me.”
“Now I feel bad that you had to sleep sitting up.”
Ryder shook his head and said, “Evie, don’t worry about it, I slept just fine. I had you next to me. I’m good.”
“Thank you for that, Ryder. You are going to need your rest too for what’s about to come,” I said weakly. I felt tears burning my eyes agai
n and I said, “I’m so sorry about this.”
“Oh, Everleigh, baby, you have to stop-”
Ryder didn’t finish his sentence because just then Jude came back into the room carrying a glass of water and a bottle of pain relievers. “Here you go, sis,” he said, handing me the medicine. He set the water on the coffee table and said, “Coffee’s on. It should be ready in a few.”
“Thank you Jude,” I said, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand.
Jude immediately sat down and placed his large warm hand protectively on the small of my back. “Everleigh, I’m so sorry about your friend. Listen, we’re going to stop this cock sucker from hurting anyone else, okay?”
The tears started to fall and I shook my head. “I wish I could believe that, Jude, I really do, but this is Scott we are dealing with. He is so beyond mentally unstable that I don’t think anyone can know what he will do next. This won’t end without more people getting killed,” I cried.
I could feel Ryder’s anger radiating off him as he said, “Baby, he is not going to kill anyone else. We are going to find him and I will put an end to him once and for all.”
I tensed up. “Ryder, you aren’t going to kill him, are you?”
“Hell yes I am! If he shows up here after what he’s already done and tries to even breathe near you I’m going to blow his fucking head off.”
“Ryder, you can’t do this. You can’t stoop to his level,” I begged, afraid that I would lose him too. If he killed Scott he would end up in jail and I couldn’t bear to be away from him for even one second.
“Don’t try to talk me out of this, Evie. It’s a done deal. I’ve had a gun for a while now. I’ve never felt the need to carry it because John was always with us but now he’s not enough. I will do what I have to do to protect you and everyone we love, no matter what that means.”
The tears continued to fall as I said, “It scares me so much that you have a gun. I don’t like them and I can’t help that I feel that way.”
“Well, I’m sorry you feel that way, Evie, but what’s done is done. I am going to carry it with me wherever I go and it’s staying on me until this is over. I also had John buy one for you too,” Ryder said.
I gasped and shook my head. “No, I am not carrying a gun, Ryder.”
His jaw squared and he said, “Normally I wouldn’t force anything on you, but I am standing my ground on this. You can hate me all you want but you are going to have a way to protect yourself, Everleigh. End of story.” As I looked into his eyes I almost cowered back. I’d never seen this side of Ryder before. He’d been protective of me since day one, but it always came with patience and understanding too. He was in full warrior mode and it was a little intimidating.
Deciding that this issue wasn’t worth fighting over since he was only trying to cover all the bases and make sure I had a way to protect myself if I needed to, I sighed and said, “I have never held a gun before and I don’t know the first thing about them!”
“I already thought of that. John got you a G26 9 millimeter handgun. It’s really small and can be easily concealed. It only holds ten rounds and it’s got a pretty excellent firing accuracy,” Ryder said.
I stared at him as if he had just lapsed into Chinese. “I have no idea what that all means. All I understood was ‘really small and easily concealed’. Besides, I wouldn’t even know how to shoot the damn thing!”
A ghost of a smile quickly flashed across Ryder’s lips and he said, “We can go to the gun range and I’ll teach you how to shoot it. We got you one of the easiest handguns to handle, gorgeous.”
I frowned. “Do I really have to carry it all the time?”
“Every time you leave this apartment you will have it on you,” he said sternly.
I groaned and said, “I still don’t like this.”
“Well, believe it or not, I don’t like it either but that’s the way things are right now. You can’t stay cooped up here until he’s caught and I’m not about to let you leave here unprotected,” Ryder said. “Have I ever done anything that I wasn’t sure would ultimately keep you safe?”
I shook my head and sighed. “No.”
“There you go, then,” he said, pulling me closer into him and kissing me.
Jude moved his hand from my back and gave my shoulder a slight shake. “I’m with Ryder on this one, sis. Take your aspirin and I’ll go check on the coffee.” He stood up and walked back into the kitchen.
Beau came walking back into the room while putting his cell phone back into his pocket. “Well, Sadie’s pissed, but she’s on the next flight out here,” he said. Guilt burned through me again as his eyes landed on my face. “Oh, hey, Everleigh. I didn’t know you were up yet. How are you feeling, sweetheart?”
“Guilty,” I answered honestly.
He drew his eyebrows together. “Why are you feeling guilty? You know that none of this is your fault, right?”
Ryder sighed, clearly frustrated, and shook his head. Before he could say anything, I replied, “Of course it’s my fault. Scott won’t get over me and just let me go and now because of it I was almost raped, Trisha is dead, and your sister has to leave college for who knows how long.”
“You know about Sadie coming here?”
“I was waking up and I heard you all talking. She’s your sister, Beau, and she’s having her life turned upside down because of my psycho ex. She’s going to hate me for this,” I said.
Beau came walking to the couch and took Jude’s place on my other side. “Sweetheart, she’s not going to hate you. She’s worried about you too.”
I looked at him puzzled. “How can you say she won’t hate me? You just said she’s pissed off.”
“Aw, Everleigh,” he said, taking my hand, “she’s not pissed because of you. She’s pissed off because of Scott. Sadie is very opinionated when it comes to violence against women in any way.
“Our mother didn’t set a very good example for us growing up. She was the kind of woman that always needed a man in her life to make her happy, even if that meant getting the shit beat out of her and then in turn taking it out on me and Sadie. We both tend to get a little hot headed when it comes to things like this, but it affects Sadie a little bit more. Believe me, from what we’ve all told her about you she loves you already.”
I breathed a sigh of relief…my first one since last night. “Good. I couldn’t bear it if she hated me. I love you guys too much.”
“We all love you too, sweetheart,” Beau said, and he looked sad. “Look, I know Danni’s your best friend and this might be bad timing, but I am really, really sorry about what happened last night at the bar.”
“Forget about it, Beau. You both have been so stubborn and I knew something like this might happen. I hoped it wouldn’t, but it did. Nothing can change it now,” I answered. “Don’t worry, I still love you.”
He gave me a weak smile. We sat quietly for a few seconds before he squeezed my hand and said softly, “I’m in love with her, Everleigh. I know I’ve fucked this up beyond repair but I hope she knows that I’m not giving up on her. I’ll make this right.”
“I hope you can,” I said.
“Listen, I’m going to leave you two alone and try to catch some sleep before Sadie’s plane gets here.”
“Use one of the extra guest rooms here, man,” Ryder said.
“Thanks, bro,” he said, and they bumped fists. “I’m here if you need me, okay, sweetheart?”
I nodded and said, “Thanks Beau.” As he walked away, I felt a sudden surge of emotions and I called out, “I love you!” with fresh tears in my eyes.
He turned around and his eyes were tired as he answered, “I love you too, Everleigh.” He continued to walk down the hallway and into the spare room to catch some sleep.
With John on the phone, Danni and Beau sleeping in separate rooms, Jessie still in the shower, and Kris and Jude in the kitchen, Ryder and I were left alone on the couch. The quiet in that moment was almost deafening and the reality of everything
slammed into me at once. In the past month I’d lost my father, my friend, and now all of our lives were in danger. Everyone was doing what they had to do to protect me but despite all of their efforts and the fact that I was now being forced to carry a gun I still couldn’t shake the feeling that Trish’s death was only the beginning.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the front door. I immediately tensed up and Ryder stood up from the couch. “Stay there, gorgeous,” he said, and he pulled out a gun from behind his back. He followed John to the front door and I sat in fear as Jude and Kris came out of the kitchen.
John peeked through the peephole and looked at Ryder, nodding. “It’s the doorman,” he said. “Keep your weapon drawn.”
Ryder kept his gun locked and loaded behind his back as he opened the front door. “Can I help you?” he asked.
“I’m sorry to bother you, Mr. Matthews, but someone just dropped off a letter for Miss Stone in the lobby. He said it was urgent.”
Taking a large yellow envelope from the doorman, Ryder said, “What did he look like?”
The doorman shrugged and said, “Oh, I don’t know, he was wearing one of those winter hats that made it hard to see his face. Is there a problem?”
“Maybe, we’ll let you know,” Ryder answered, and he bid the doorman goodbye. After he shut the door he turned to me. “Do you want me to open this?” he asked.
Shaking, I stood and said, “No, let me see it. Whatever it is I need to face it head on.”
Ryder reluctantly handed me the envelope and with shaking fingers I tore open the end. It looked like a picture but it was turned over. The back of the picture had a handwritten note on it…in Scott’s handwriting. It read,
See what happens when you try to run from me, baby girl?
I felt nauseated as I held the picture in my hands and when I turned it over, I screamed. It was Trish’s beaten and bloodied body lying lifeless on my kitchen floor. My knees gave out and I collapsed to the floor.
Renegade (Bad Blooded Rebel Series) Page 9