“The store’s barely a block away. I can walk.”
“Not up for discussion, Sadie.” He released me and headed to his desk area in the kitchen. “He’ll be at your place whenever you want him to be.”
I groaned. “I should have kept my mouth shut.”
“I hate that you don’t drive, babe,” he said distractedly as he rummaged through papers on his desk.
“Well, that’s not changing anytime soon, so you might as well get over it.”
“Don’t need to get over it. Reese’ll drive you.”
“This kind of protectiveness, I’m not a fan of, FYI,” I retorted, leaning against the island.
“Well, that’s not changing anytime soon, so you might as well get over it,” he parroted.
“How does Reese feel about being forced to chauffer your girlfriend around?” I challenged as I followed him toward the back of the house.
“It’s what he gets paid for, so I’d imagine he doesn’t feel much one way or the other.” He sighed. “Humor me, Sadie. At least until some of this shit is over, yeah?”
We walked into a large master bedroom and I couldn’t stop the tiny breath of surprise as I caught sight of the view. Where the great room overlooked the city, the bedroom seemed shrouded in trees. I couldn’t see another house anywhere near his.
Ryder grabbed a bag from the closet and started to throw clothes into it.
“How is your house so clean?” I asked, heading to the window.
“It’s not typically. Cleaners come on Fridays and I haven’t been home much.”
The window overlooked a small backyard also surrounded by trees. I felt a bit like I was standing in a treehouse. “Your house is incredible.”
Ryder emerged from the bathroom, a leather bag in his hand that he quickly shoved into his overnight luggage. “Thanks.” He pulled out his phone again and put it to his ear. “Hey man, Cam found Scottie. Yeah. Yeah. You good with watching the bar for a couple days? Cool, thanks, man. I’m dropping Sadie home now, then heading to PDX. You got time to take her on some errands tomorrow? Yeah, I’ll give it to her. Thanks. Yep. Okay. ’Bye.” He slid his phone into his pocket and glanced at me. “Reese’ll be at your place at eleven tomorrow.”
“What if that doesn’t work for me?”
“Babe, don’t be difficult right now, yeah? If it doesn’t work, you can call him, but it’s happening, and he knows it, so don’t dick around with his schedule just because you’re pissed at me.”
“I wouldn’t say I’m pissed at you,” I grumbled.
“Fine, irritated. Whatever.” He swung his bag over his shoulder. “Reese has to pull bar duty as well as watch out for you.”
“I’m perfectly capable of watching out for myself, Ryder. This is my point.”
“Humor me.”
He left the room and again I followed him back out to the kitchen. Once he grabbed his wallet and keys off the island, he handed me my purse and led me to the garage. After entering in a code, he locked the door between the house and car and threw his bag in the trunk.
“Here’s a key to the house,” he said, handing me a key ring with two keys on it. “The smaller one’s for the mail, but I doubt you’ll need it. The alarm code is 4122.”
“4122, got it.” I grabbed his arm as he unlocked the BMW doors. “I’ll humor you, honey, okay? We can have a rip-roaring fight about it after you bring Scottie home.”
“Appreciate that,” he said, and finally cracked a smile... albeit, a small one. “I promise we’ll talk more when I get home, yeah?”
I nodded.
“Okay, let’s get you home.”
I climbed into the car and, with my mind a jumble of thoughts and emotions, we headed to my place.
Sadie
MONDAY MORNING, I awoke to the shrill peal of my cell phone. I’d kept the sound on in case Ryder called and it would appear four a.m. was the earliest he could. Probably a good thing, considering I’d been awake until past midnight worrying. “Hello,” I rasped, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
“Hey, baby,” Ryder said. “Just landed.”
He sounded wrecked.
“Flight go okay?” I asked.
“Yeah. Can’t talk, though. We’re heading straight to Scottie.”
“Okay. I’ll keep praying.”
“Thanks. I’ll call when I can.”
“Okay.”
“You okay?” he asked.
I smiled. Even when he needed to go, he was taking time to make sure I was good. “Yep. Just sleepy.”
“Go back to sleep. I’ll call soon.”
I nodded. “Okay. Stay safe.”
“I will, baby.”
He hung up and I took a few minutes to pray for him and Scottie before succumbing to sleep again.
* * *
Ryder
I followed Cameron through the Savannah airport and into a taxi waiting at the curb. Cameron gave the driver the address and I pulled a bottle of water out of my bag, taking a swig. “How far’s the place?”
“Not far,” Cameron said as he studied his phone. “Dalton’s meeting us there.”
“You’re sure she’s there.”
“As sure as I can be.”
I didn’t respond. There was nothing I could say. Cameron couldn’t control whether or not Scottie had been, or might be, moved between the time he’d found out her location up ’til now. I wiped my sweaty hands on my jeans, attempting to keep my worry buried.
The taxi pulled up to a nondescript building in a rundown area I assumed was on the outskirts of Savannah, and after Cameron paid, we climbed out and headed inside. The cavernous room was dark and empty, and for all intents and purposes, appeared to be abandoned. I followed Cameron toward the back where he paused long enough to enter a code into a panel hidden behind a brick facade. A hidden door popped open and Cameron glanced at me. “This way.”
I followed him down a long hallway where, after Cameron entered another code into another panel, we were admitted into a room that looked like what I imagined an FBI war room would look like.
A man about my age walked toward us. “Cam, you made it.” His southern accent, along with his voice, was deep.
“Hey, Dalt.” Cameron shook his hand. “Dalton Moore, Ryder Carsen.”
I shook the man’s hand, forcing down the desire to demand to see my sister. I knew and understood there were protocols. Knew I had to be patient... even if I didn’t like it.
“So, we’ve got a lock on your sister, and we’ll get her out, but we’ve hit a snag. There are about ten other young women with her, so we don’t want to barge in guns blazing until we know we can get them out safely.”
“Fuck,” I breathed out. “You’re sure she’s in there?”
“Yeah, man. Visual confirmation.”
Well, that was something at least. I dropped my bag on the ground and paced the room while Dalton’s team of six men and one woman did whatever the hell they did.
Cameron stood in the corner with Dalton and studied a computer screen as I walked from one end of the room to the other like an idiot unable to help. I was entirely impotent, and it pissed me off. My phone buzzed, and I glanced at the screen, my mood lifting to see a text from Sadie.
Hey, honey. Woke up suddenly. Hope you’re okay. Remember, you got this. I believe in you, so does Scottie. Be at peace, sweetheart.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, taking her words to heart. Beautiful didn’t begin to describe her and I smiled inside at her sweetness.
“Ryder?” Cameron called.
“Yeah.”
“Ready?” he asked.
I nodded.
“We’re driving, but getting out a block away,” Cameron informed me.
“Okay.”
“You’ll stay in the car,” Dalton ordered, before leading us around the corner then through a battered wooden door.
“Hell no.”
“He’ll hang back,” Cameron argued. “Won’t you, Ride?”
I scowled, but gave a nod.
I agreed somewhat loosely. If anyone came between me and getting my sister to safety, I would not hesitate to put them down. I fisted and unfisted my hands as I followed the men into the black SUV. I desperately wanted to hit something... or someone, but I was stuck for the moment. They drove in tense silence for less than five minutes, pulling behind a brick building, the area around it vacant.
“Stay with the vehicle,” Dalton ordered, as they climbed out of the SUV. Before I could so much as argue, Dalton led his team around the corner, disappearing from view.
Gunfire came from within the building. Unarmed, I wasn’t sure what I could do, but I had to do something. I needed to find Scottie. What if my sister became collateral damage? What if she was shot in the fray?
Fuck it, I was goin’ in. Hugging the house, I slid through the ratty screen door, nearly tripping over a body. Bending down, I checked for a pulse. Nothing. I was relieved that the dead man wasn’t one of Cameron or Dalton’s men, so that was at least one less threat. Lucky for him, the shithead had a gun. I took it and crept toward the dark hallway. It was eerily quiet between rounds of gunfire coming from deeper within the house. I could hear creaking from above me, along with scuffling of feet and a din of men yelling between gunfire.
I inched along the hallway, circumventing trash (including needles and food) on the ground. I stalled when I heard female voices on the other side of the wall. I stopped in front of a door that was slightly ajar and gripped my gun tighter. Taking a deep breath, I turned the doorknob, planted my feet, and aimed into the room.
“I can’t move, Molly, I think my leg is broken. But as soon as you can, go.”
“No, Scottie, I won’t leave you,” a young voice argued.
“You have to. You have to get help.”
Glancing inside, I observed a window barred by iron allowed a little light into the room, but not much. A scream bounced off the walls and I stepped further into the room.
“Shhh,” Scottie hissed. “Molly, quit screaming. Please.”
“Scottie, it’s me,” I said.
A whimper and another “shhh” from Scottie.
“Scottie?” I said again, heading to what I assumed was a closet door. “It’s me.”
“Ryder?”
“Yeah, sissy. Come out.” I reached for my phone, engaging the flashlight and sweeping it around the room before pulling open the closet door. The light fell on my sister, and I swore. Her face was so swollen, had I not heard her voice, I might not have known it was her.
With a groan of pain, my sister burst into tears and reached for me. I fell to my knees and pulled her into my arms. “You came for me,” she sobbed.
I stroked her hair. “Baby girl, of course I came for you.”
“I thought you hated me.”
“Never. I could never hate you, Scarlett.”
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I was stupid. I should have listened to you.”
“I forgive you, baby girl. I’ve got you.”
She continued to sob, and I pulled her close. “We need to get you out of here, sissy. I need you to pull yourself together for a minute. Can your friend walk?”
“Molly, her name’s Molly.”
I nodded. “Molly, can you walk?”
“Yes,” the little girl rasped.
“I can’t, Ride,” Scottie said.
I took a deep breath, shoving my rage deep inside. It wouldn’t help them right now. I needed to get her out of there and to the hospital. “Your leg is broken?”
“Feels like it,” she said.
“How many people are here?” I asked. “Do you know?”
“Usually there are three or four,” Scottie said.
“Okay, I’m gonna lift you. Then we’re getting the hell out of here. Molly, you need to keep up.”
I lifted Scottie easily in my arms, an indication she’d lost weight, which pissed me off even more as I moved as quietly as possible back the way I came. Molly’s tiny hand gripped my jeans and I felt her hold on as I tugged her with them.
The gunfire had stopped for the moment and we made it out of the house without further incident. Walking quickly out to the front of the house and to where the cars were waiting, I got the girls to safety.
“I’m going to be sick,” Scottie warned, and I set her down and held her hair back.
“Ryder!” Cameron bellowed.
“Here,” I called back. “I’ve got Scottie and another girl.”
As Cameron and Dalton approached, I heard Dalton let out a series of curses and then give Cameron a blistering about his “buddy” and his issues with boundaries.
Cameron talked Dalton down and I focused back on my sister. I held onto my anger as they loaded the girls (thirteen in total) into ambulances. I rode with Scottie and Molly (barely eleven years old) while Dalton and Cameron debriefed the local law enforcement. I held onto my anger while my sister whimpered in pain as she was poked and prodded by the doctors, and I held onto it when I was informed that not only was her leg broken, she had a fractured eye socket and three ribs that had been broken days ago and not treated.
Without warning, one of the nurses made an urgent call for a doctor while another stepped in front of me. “Sir, we need to take your sister into surgery.”
“What’s going on?”
“As soon as I know anything, I will come and find you. A nurse will bring you some forms to sign,” she said, gently. “Please. Let us help your sister.”
I was shoved out of the room and left to pace the hallway alone.
* * *
I’d been in the waiting room for almost an hour when my phone rang, and I answered without looking at the screen. “Ryder.”
“Hey,” Sadie said. “I’m sorry, are you in the middle of stuff?”
I let out a deep breath. “No, baby. It’s over. We found her.”
“Oh, honey, I’m so glad. Are you bringing her home?”
“Not right now. She’s in surgery.”
Sadie gasped. “What happened?”
“I don’t know, they shoved me out of the room and took her into surgery.”
“What do the doctors say?”
“I don’t know, Sadie. I’m waitin’ for them to find me.”
She sighed. “Sorry.”
“Mr. Carsen?”
I glanced up to see a nurse standing at the edge of the waiting room. “Sadie, I need to go.”
“Right. Of course. I’ll check in with you later.”
“Thanks, baby.” I hung up and rose to my feet. “I’m Ryder Carsen.”
The nurse smiled. “The doctor asked me to update you. Scarlett has hemorrhaged after a miscarriage, but surgery is going very well, and the doctor is confident there won’t be any permanent damage.”
“She was pregnant?”
“Yes. About six weeks along.”
I crossed my arms in an effort not to hit the wall. “Shit.”
“We’re going to take really good care of her.” The nurse squeezed my arm. “I’ll come and get you when she’s in recovery.”
She walked away, and I settled myself into a waiting room chair. It was gonna be a long wait.
* * *
Sadie
I hung up and flopped back onto my mattress, messing up the bed I’d just made, but I didn’t care. I didn’t like the way Ryder sounded. Defeated. Angry. Sad. I didn’t have time to dwell on the phone call though, because my doorbell rang. I checked the peephole. Reese stood on the doorstep, waiting. I pulled the door open. “Hi, Reese.”
“Hey, Sadie.”
“I need to go to the airport.”
“Come again?” he asked, walking inside.
“Ryder found Scottie, but she’s in surgery, so I think it’s bad. I think he’s going to be stuck in Savannah for longer than expected.”
“Babe, I don’t know that that’s a good idea.”
I shrugged. “I don’t care.”
“When’s the flight?” he asked.
“I haven’t booked one yet.”
/>
“You’re tellin’ me you’re goin’ but you haven’t booked a ticket.”
“No, but I will.”
“Sadie, you can’t go to Savannah.”
“I’m going, Reese. I’m a grown woman and you don’t get to make that call.” Reese swore, looking ready for a tirade, but I held my hand up. “You’re not going to scare me off this road with your gruff facade, buddy.”
“Damn it, Sadie, if I let you go to Savannah, Ryder’ll lose his shit.”
“No he won’t.” I crossed my arms. “He found Scottie, so the dangerous part is over. His sister’s really hurt, Reese. He needs a friend.”
“Cam’s there.”
“He needs me.”
Reese dropped his head back and stared at the ceiling. I was pretty sure he muttered the F-word a few times to the sky, but I chose to ignore that fact and headed to my room to pack. I heard him talking on the phone as I grabbed a bag from my closet and threw it on the bed, then I stepped to my doorway and called, “Don’t you dare tattle on me, Reese!”
He swore again and then my front door opened and closed and I was left to my own devices. Instead of packing, I opened my laptop and searched for a flight. No matter how big and frightening Reese was, if I had a ticket in hand, he couldn’t object.
I started calling random airlines until I found one that had a flight.
Fifteen minutes later, I had the last seat (in first class which was going to put a dent in my savings but was worth it) on the red-eye out of Portland.
My front door opened again, and Reese’s heavy footsteps clomped down the hallway. “You decent?” he called.
“Yes, of course I’m decent,” I called back.
He stepped into the room and handed me his phone. “It’s Ryder.”
“Really, Reese? You tattled? Of course you tattled. What are you, like six?” I snapped.
Reese shook his head and left the room, but I didn’t miss his slight smile.
“Hey,” I said apprehensively.
“What’s this about wanting to come to Savannah?” Ryder asked.
“I don’t want to come. I am coming. I arrive in the morning.”
“You got a flight?” he asked, surprised.
“Yes. It was the last seat on the plane.” I bit my lip. “I really want to be there with you, Ryder. If you don’t want me, I’ll cancel it, but it was really expensive, and I think I’m past the refund point, so...”
Ryder (Sinners and Saints, #1) Page 10