Ryder

by Patricia A. Rasey

  It was better that you got her out of there so we had a clean shot at Raúl.

  “My uncle is dead?” Gabby had trouble catching her breath. “I was a part of a mission to you, so you and your friends could kill my uncle?”

  Lightning took a fall. Hawk wants you back in Oregon in 2 days so we can give him a proper send off.

  She looked up at him, feeling more shocked by this news than the unbelievable truth of what he was. This other realization hurt more than she could bear. “You never loved me, did you? That’s why you wouldn’t answer me. I was just part of your assignment.”

  Watch your back, dude, stay safe. See you back at the clubhouse.

  Ryder grabbed the phone from her now slack grip and read through the texts. His face paled. Glancing up, he reached for her arm. Gabby stumbled backward, away from him, snatching his phone in the process. She quickly punched in Adriana’s cell number and waited for her to pick up.

  “It’s me, Adriana.”

  “Gabs? Are you okay? I don’t recognize this phone number.”

  “I’m fine. I need you to come pick me up.”

  Gabriela looked at Ryder, who rattled off how to get to town from the cottage and the name of a small eatery she could meet Adriana. She repeated the directions to Adriana, asking her friend to come alone and to tell no one, that she would explain everything once she got there, then ended the call.

  “Gabby, listen—”

  “No, you listen. I don’t ever want to see you again. Adriana is coming. I’m no longer your problem … your mission. But you need to leave Mexico.”

  “Christ, you may have started off as a mission to me, but—”

  “But what, Ryder?”

  Her anger hit a high note. She had never been so furious. Ryder had used her. The exact reason she didn’t do relationships. And now? She was responsible for the death of her uncle.

  He managed to get a grip on her wrist and pulled her to him. She slammed against his solid chest. Struggling in his grasp, her efforts proved futile.

  “Damn it, Gabby, I’m trying to tell you that I love you.”

  She laughed hysterically. “Now you suddenly find the words. That’s just great. Well, guess what? They’re insincere and you have rotten-fucking-timing. Let go of me.”

  Ryder did as she asked, his gaze filled with sorrow. Lord, she wouldn’t do this … couldn’t do this. She wouldn’t be played for a fool a second time.

  “Ryder Kelley, you’re dead to me.”

  A muscle in his jaw ticked. “I can’t allow you to leave here knowing about vampires, what I am.”

  Gabby shook her head and repeated, “Dead. To. Me. Your secret is safe. That is, unless you feel the need to kill or have me killed, too.”

  He placed his hands on his hips, drawing her gaze down his shirtless torso, then back to his face. She should’ve known no one like him would ever be interested in someone like her. Where he had the body of a Greek god, she had curves he couldn’t possibly appreciate. Gabriela looked away, feeling ashamed. How had she been so stupid?

  “They’re not just words, ángel.”

  “Then prove it to me.”

  Ryder’s brow furrowed. “How?”

  “By letting me go. I promise I won’t tell anyone what you are. Your secret is safe.” Gabby licked her lips. “If you really love me, then let me go.”

  Ryder took a step back, turned, and headed for the ocean. Sobs tore through her as she watched his retreating back. Gabriela ran into the cabin, gathered her things, then slung her backpack over her shoulder.

  She returned to the deck. Ryder stood by the ocean, overlooking the horizon. Gabby wiped the wetness from her cheeks, circled the little cottage, and headed for town.

  Chapter 21

  “Where the fuck is he?”

  Vlad’s mighty roar shook a nearby vase on a pedestal, sending it crashing to the floor. Tiny shards of porcelain tinkled about the marble. Ignoring the mess, Vlad stomped off in the direction of the kitchen. Most of his servants would be gathered there sharing a morning meal, knowing that he was rarely up at this hour.

  When he entered the room, all talk ceased as everyone turned to look at him. He could see it in their fretful gazes that the thunderous look on his face caused trepidation among his people.

  He took a deep breath, hoping to calm this rage. Anger will get you nothing … anger will get you nothing. He didn’t care how many times he repeated that line in his thick skull, it wasn’t going to help. Not today, not with Mircea missing.

  “Please tell me my brother has gone for a stroll on the beach and is not missing altogether. Can anyone explain to me why the locked room I last left him in is now empty?”

  It was obvious by the way they all turned and looked at each other that none of them knew Mircea had even flown the coop. Wait … the little redhead, Nina, was missing from the fray. He knew she had taken a liking to his brother, Mircea having said as much. If the gossip he had been hearing in his bed from his own dalliances were true, then Nina had been spending a considerable amount of time the last couple of days with his brother.

  He doubted that both gone missing was a fucking coincidence. Christ, he had been made a fool. Vlad would bet if he searched the entire island, they would both be long gone, along with one of his prized yachts.

  “Where is Nina?” He looked at the young blond who had been friends with her since their coming to the island. “I don’t see her this morning.”

  She wrung her hands in her lap. “She wasn’t in our quarters when I woke this morning.”

  “And you didn’t think to tell me this?”

  “I thought she was with your brother. After all, she was quite taken with him.”

  “I’m sure she was.” He looked around the room no one moving and rolled his eyes. “Seriously? Do I need to fucking ask you to get looking for the pair? I want him found!”

  The servants jumped up and scurried from the kitchen. Vlad didn’t bother, knowing full well Mircea would be long gone. Unfortunately, Mircea was damn good at hiding when he didn’t want to be found and Vlad would likely have to wait until he popped up from going underground, so to speak.

  Vlad would need to make immediate plans to head for Oregon and let his grandsons know that Mircea was out, likely gunning for them. Kane and Kaleb would need to be prepared. And this time? They had his fucking blessing to take Mircea’s fucking head should he try anything.

  * * *

  Gabby sat with her face in her hands, sobbing in the front seat of Adriana’s car as they headed north toward La Paz. Her uncle was dead, along with a good share of men left at the estate. Adriana relayed everything Gabby had told her to Mateo, who had gone to Raúl’s and found the carnage. He couldn’t positively identify Raúl’s remains, but it looked as if he had been torched in the en-suite bathroom.

  Set on fire, for crying out loud!

  No one deserved that.

  Mateo had warned Adriana to take Gabriela to her apartment and not allow her to go home. “It’s a fucking mess,” had been his exact words. And Gabby had been the one to blame. Her uncle and his men were dead because she had fallen for Ryder, who had used her to destroy the last of her family.

  Thankfully, Mateo had been with Adriana at the time and not with Raúl or Gabby would’ve been consoling her best friend over her fiancé’s death as well. No way could she have faced Adriana, knowing his death had been on her shoulders.

  Anguish crushed her.

  Gabriela knew what her uncle was and what he was responsible for. Something like this could have happened at any given time knowing the enemies he had made in business. But the death strike coming from someone she loved? How could she have been such a fool?

  And yet, not only did her heart ache for her uncle and all the men who lost their lives, it ached for Ryder, already missing him. When she had fallen in love with him, she had fallen hard. Nothing had changed that fact. It certainly was possible to hate and love someone simultaneously.

  Adriana patt
ed Gabby’s knee before taking her hand and lacing fingers with her. Gabriela looked out across the passing scenery, not really seeing it. She could think of only Ryder’s devastated expression as she’d told him to let her go if he truly loved her. He had walked away without another word.

  Wasn’t that what she’d asked for?

  “If you really love me, then let me go.”

  And he had done it without question. My God, he had loved her. More tears streamed down her face as she hiccoughed. After taking back her hand and grabbing a tissue, she blew her already sore nose. The sound filled the silent car. Adriana was giving her time to mourn, to let her express herself, when what she really wanted was someone to tell her everything would be all right.

  “What am I going to do, Adri? I feel so lost.”

  “You love him.” Of course, she did. “And he loves you?”

  She nodded. “I believe so.”

  “It sucks what he did, Gabby. I would never pretend to justify it. But your uncle probably had it coming. You must know that. Did you even bother to ask Ryder why?”

  Gabby shook her head. “I was so mad, so damn disappointed in him. I told him I never wanted to see him again.”

  “And yet, you really don’t want that. That’s why this”—she patted the center of her chest, over her heart—“hurts so much.”

  “What am I going to do?”

  Adriana glanced at her briefly before turning back to the road. “If your uncle had died at the hands of anyone else, would you be so distraught?”

  “Yes and no.” Anger itched up her spine. She welcomed it, anything but the grief threatening to consume her. “I knew who Uncle Raúl was. I know he was responsible for the death of so many. I truly despised that man. But yes, I would be sad because despite who he was, I loved him. He was all I had. He gave me a home and cared for me after my father was killed.”

  “Raúl wasn’t a nice man. Hell, let’s be honest. He was evil.”

  Gabby hung her head. As long as she could remember, she’d lived in fear of someone using her against Raúl. Or worse, being kidnapped, tortured, and killed because of his enemies. He had caused so much grief in so many lives. Yet, it was as if he’d owned Mexico. Even the police were afraid of him.

  “He was a bastard of the worst kind,” Gabby whispered.

  Adriana didn’t reply, allowing Gabriela to process it. Ryder may have been responsible for what had happened, used her so the men who had taken her uncle’s life had easy access to him while making sure she was far away from the carnage.

  Leaning her head against the seat rest, she groaned. He had even protected her from Sergio, who had turned out to be downright certifiable, killing Luis and wanting to pass the blame to Ryder. Had she not gone along with framing Ryder, Sergio would have killed her as well.

  She sighed and repeated, “What am I going to do, Adri?”

  Her best friend gave her hand a squeeze. “Nothing right now, sweetie. We’re going back to my apartment and we’re going to rest. Nothing needs to be decided. Soon enough, you’ll need to plan your uncle’s funeral. I’ll make sure when the police are through, your house is scrubbed clean before you return. You can either sell it or keep it. It’s really up to you. With Raúl dead, it all belongs to you. Where you go from here is also up to you.”

  Gabriela leaned back again, returning her gaze to the horizon. Her head swam, no closer to answers than she had been when Adriana had picked her up in Todos Santos. The one thing she knew, though, was her heart ached for Ryder. Being used by him didn’t change that fact. And she’d bet he felt the loss as well. The question wasn’t what she was going to do about her uncle’s funeral and his estate, but rather what was she going to do about her damn heart?

  No longer bound by her uncle, Gabriela could go anywhere in the world. She thought about Adriana and Mateo, wishing she could take her friend with her, as far away from her fiancé as she could. But then, that was Adriana’s choice. She’d have to make her own choices in life. Ryder, however, and what to do with him was Gabriela’s decision to make. No one could make that choice for her.

  She longed for the right answers.

  Her head filled with thoughts of Ryder and the way he had used her, but mostly the way he had loved her, Gabby closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, exhaustion claiming her.

  * * *

  The clubhouse was strangely dormant. Not that Grigore was complaining, but it wasn’t the norm. He wasn’t sure where everyone had run off to, though most were likely catching up with their mates. Alexander and India were settling into their new home, leaving him and Ryder the clubhouse’s exclusive residents at the moment. With Peter gone, he couldn’t help but wonder if Constantine might want to move into Alexander’s old room. The house they shared would be a hurtful reminder of the friend Constantine had lost, the friend they all had lost.

  Grigore leaned back and took in the peace and quiet. He wasn’t in any big hurry to offer up the space and further take away what privacy he had. Too many times the clubhouse was splitting at the seams with members and their families, more so than he liked. There was a time to party, and then there was a time to go the fuck home so he could enjoy his seclusion once again.

  Why the hell did I move into the clubhouse?

  He knew the answers. Because he needed chaos in his life to quiet the memories, to help him move beyond his troubled past and forget who he had left behind. Sometimes you just had to let go.

  Ryder was due back shortly. Even though Grigore was enjoying the silence, he’d be glad to see his brother. He wondered how well he was handling the fallout from their mission. Ryder had texted and let them know he was on his way back … alone. Grigore’s return message to him had gone ignored.

  Stretching his legs and plopping his bare feet on the coffee table, Grigore crossed his arms behind his head. He knew all too well what Ryder was going through. Sometimes, regardless of how much you love someone, you had to do what was best for them. It didn’t really matter how much you liked it.

  And sometimes, it fucking sucked.

  He was pretty sure Ryder was going to be of that frame of mind and Grigore would be there for him, whether Ryder felt like talking or not. He wouldn’t push, he’d let Ryder do the speaking. Sometimes, you just needed someone to listen. Because sure as fuck, Grigore didn’t have any answers.

  His cell rang. After digging it out of his pocket, he looked at the unknown numbers stretching across the screen. He had half a mind to ignore it, to send the call to voicemail, but his past always kept him from ignoring them.

  What if she needed him?

  Of course, that would be a cold day in hell. Over fifteen years had gone by and none of the unknown callers had ever been her. Still … he hit the green answer button and brought the phone to his ear.

  “If you’re selling something I ain’t buying.”

  “Is this Grigore Lupie?”

  He rolled his eyes, ready for the sales pitch sure to come. “Depends on who the fuck wants to know.”

  “Good.” The caller seemed a bit nervous but jovial that he had found him.

  “You have about two seconds to tell me what the fuck this is about, dude.”

  Something about this didn’t sit well with him. Call it a sixth sense, but Grigore always listened to his gut intuitions. They proved right more times than not. He dropped his feet onto the wooden floor and sat forward, suddenly antsy. Pulling the phone away from his ear, he hit the SPEAKER button.

  “Talk to me. Who the fuck are you and why should I care?”

  “Does the name Caitlyn mean anything to you?”

  Grigore went cold. It was as if his entire body temperature had dropped ten degrees. His ears rang and his throat constricted. He hadn’t heard or mentioned her name in years. There had to be a damn good reason this caller had looked him up now.

  “Cait Summers? What about her?”

  “I should have introduced myself.” The man cleared his throat. “My name is Ryan Baxter. I’m Caitlyn’s ma
nager. We’re just about to go on tour, and well, we can’t exactly cancel the dates. People are counting on her. Her shows have been sold out across North America for months.”

  “And why would you want to cancel?” He rubbed a hand down his beard. “What the fuck does this have to do with me?”

  “She’s received some death threats.”

  Rage dug its talons into him, prickling his skin. If anyone harmed her, they wouldn’t live to tell about it. “From who?”

  “That’s just it, we don’t have a clue. It all happened so quickly. She’s never been threatened before. Everyone loves Caitlyn and her music.”

  “How exactly did she bring my name up?”

  “She didn’t. Caitlyn doesn’t know I’m calling you.”

  Of course, she didn’t. “So, who do I have to thank for this call?”

  “Her mother. She told me the other day while I was waiting for Caitlyn to get out of the shower—”

  “Are you fucking her?”

  Why it mattered, Grigore refused to examine. Surely, she’d had many boyfriends over the past fifteen years. She wasn’t his problem anymore, and he should tell her manager as much, but still…

  “What? Fucking her? No!” Ryan grumbled something about an insecure ox. “Look, her mother liked you, said if there was anyone who could protect her little girl, it was you. That we should hire you to be her personal bodyguard.”

  “Why should I care?”

  Ryan chuckled. “Pardon me for saying so, but I think you already established that you do, due to your earlier accusation. I’m her manager. I’ve hired bodyguards for her in the past, but most weren’t worth the money we paid them. Her mother is staking Caitlyn’s life on you. She says that if you agree to go on tour with her daughter, she won’t insist the shows be canceled. I don’t have to tell you, Grigore—”

  “Wolf.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “It’s Wolf. No one calls me Grigore but my mother and Cait. My mom passed quite a few years ago.”

  “Okay, Wolf. We need to put this show on the road. Canceling the shows this late in the game would be detrimental to Caitlyn’s career. We can’t let that happen.”