by Aden Lowe
"Remember what I said, Elena. Do not leave this spot under any circumstances. I'll be back in a few minutes. Understand?"
I nodded.
He took my shoulders in a firm grip. "I need the words, Elena."
"I understand. I'll stay here."
"Good girl." He handed me the bag he'd brought his clothes in from the fights. "If you're hungry or thirsty, there's water and a protein bar in the side pocket. I'll be back soon."
And just like that, he disappeared from sight. The sound of his footsteps reached me for a couple more minutes, but then that was gone, too.
Fear made my mouth painfully dry, so I searched his bag for the water he'd mentioned. After a few swallows, I took a careful look around. The darkness hid things I'd rather not think about, but I could make out the path that brought us to the middle of nowhere.
A long time later, Ryker still hadn't returned, and I tried to decide what to do. Surely he didn't mean me to stay there forever? What if something had happened to him? I couldn't just sit there and hope for another rescuer. I made my way to the edge of the path, but quickly turned back when the sharp rocks cut into my bare feet.
Discouraged and scared, I went back to the bike and dropped to sit beside it. The damp grass chilled my legs, but I stayed put. If he never came back, I would die there, anyway. What difference did it make if I caught a cold?
Tired as fuck from the stress of the last few days, I put his bag beside me and lay down, using it for a pillow. At the moment, just curling up to die seemed like as good a choice as any. I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew, a warm hand stroked over my cheek.
"Come on, Elena, time to rise and shine."
There for just a second, I thought the whole damn mess might have been a bad dream. But then I moved a little and a rock dug painfully into the side of my thigh.
"That's my girl. Come on, got you some clothes." He helped me stand with gentle hands, and didn't let go until I'd stretched and steadied myself. "Here, put these on. They're not much, but better than that dress."
I nodded and shoved my legs into blessedly dry, warm jeans. They were too big, but it didn't matter, they felt fantastic. He handed me a pair of sneakers and turned to do something at the back of his bike. I put the shoes on and managed to tie them tightly enough they might not fall off my feet.
"Here. I don't have an extra belt, but this should help with the pants." I held my dress and shirt up while he bent to fiddle with something at my waist. "There. That should do it." He stepped back. "Why don't you ditch that dress and I'll find you a hat?"
It grew a little lighter with every passing minute, and the trees all around were full of chirping birds. Morning.
I pulled the dress off and happily dropped it to the ground, then put his shirt back on, and took the baseball cap he offered.
"Pull your hair through the back of it. That'll help keep it out of both our faces on the road." He got on the bike while I followed orders. "Ready for breakfast?"
My stomach answered for me with a loud growl.
He grinned. "I'll take that as a yes. Come on, let's go."
I climbed on and held on tight as he took us back over the bumpy trail, which I saw had once been a railroad. They'd removed the rails and the ties, leaving the rock base with deep gouges where the ties had once been.
Thankfully, that ended, and in ten minutes or so, he pulled into a fast food place and parked. I climbed off as soon as he stopped the bike, not at all steady. In the near full light, he took a long look at me, then looped his arm around my waist and led me toward the door.
"The ladies room is just inside the door. You'll want to stop in there first. I'll wait for you, and we'll go on inside together. Understood?"
Memory flashed back to the last time he issued orders, and I spoke instead of just nodding. "I understand."
"Good girl." He pulled me tight to his side for a moment, then opened the door for me.
In the restroom, I got a glimpse of my face in the mirror as I rushed for the toilet. Damn, no wonder he wanted me to go there first. I'd be ashamed to be seen with me, too. I flushed and went to inspect the damage.
I couldn't do much about the fresh bruise on my jaw, or the fading one on my cheek. Wet paper towels took care of the dirt that caked the side of my face, and the blood dried over my lip and chin. With no hope of getting rid of all the heavy makeup, I used a damp paper towel to try and even it out a little. I even managed to blend a little over the bruises. Satisfied I'd done all I could, I went back out to find Ryker right where he promised he would wait.
He nodded approvingly. "You clean up pretty good, Elena." With his arm around me once more, he held the inner door open and guided me to the counter. "Get whatever you'd like."
The prices were fucking ridiculous. Even though I felt like I could eat two of everything on the menu, I forced my eyes to the dollar section. "Um, just hash browns and coffee, please."
Ryker gave me an odd look for an instant. "She'll have the pancake breakfast, too, with bacon, and scrambled eggs. I'll have the same, and coffee. Add two large OJs, too."
I squirmed uncomfortably while he paid and accepted our tray, then followed him to a table. The coffee smelled delicious and I took a careful sip as soon as he handed it to me.
He put our food on the table and dropped the tray on the neighboring table. "One rule, Elena."
My heart thundered at the sternness of his voice. I waited, too scared to ask.
"While you're with me, you eat. Understood?"
"I-I understand."
He winked at me. "Good girl. Now dig in. We have a long day ahead of us."
Chapter Seven
Ryker:
Elena ate like she'd never seen breakfast food before. That, combined with the memory of her eating the steak that night at my place, made me think she probably didn't eat too regularly. Her story must be a harsh one. Those bruises on her face said life hadn't been too nice recently.
"Tell me a little more about yourself, Elena." Of course, I only asked to make conversation, not through any real curiosity.
She shrugged a little. "There really isn't that much to tell."
It was going to be like that, huh? "Why don't you start by telling me how you became involved with Royse in the first place?"
She pushed the food around on her plate a little. "It isn't a pretty story, Ryker. I'd rather not go back through it all."
"I get that." I paused, trying to think of a gentle way to get her to tell me. Since I'd taken her from him, her problems were now mine. "Look, if I'm going to help you get out of that, I need to know a little. Don't worry about details. Just the general facts."
Dark eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them away with determination. "Okay, don't say I didn't warn you." She went on to tell me about her mother getting sick, about surviving on the kindness of strangers, and then Royse. "That was my last resort. I looked for work, everywhere. But no one hires a seventeen-year-old high school dropout. The shelters here only take in men. They'd have to have better space and stuff for women and kids, and they just don't. So, I did what I had to do. And I'm still doing it."
As she spoke, my heart broke a little for her. My earlier thought about how my sister could have ended up in a similar situation was right on the mark. "Now tell me about those bruises."
"I was going to get out of the life. Make a new start. I found a real job, at a store, but I had to keep working for him for another two weeks, until I got my first paycheck." She paused and shook her head. "I don't know how, but he must have found out. He sent me on three bad dates in the last week, and the last one was going to kill me. Then last night."
I stayed quiet and ate a little. Definitely not what I was supposed to have, but these were extreme circumstances. "Okay, here's what's going to happen. You're going to disappear. You'll stay at my place until we make other arrangements."
A stubborn tilt of her head served as my only warning. "I can't. Royse has my mom. If I don't go bac
k, he'll have her killed. If he hasn't already."
Well shit. That put a new monkey wrench in the works. By now, Stella would have passed on what I told him at the trestle, and Kellen would have taken other steps to stop Royse's interference with Raiders business. Most likely violent steps. Which would put Elena's mother in even greater danger.
"If you're finished eating, we'll go back to my place, and I'll call some friends and have them find your mom."
She grabbed the tray from the next table and started piling our trash on it. "Let's go."
As we rode, I tried to think more than one step ahead. Royse would have men looking for us both, at least until I made things clear to him, so we had to stay out of sight. I needed to get in touch with Luke and tell him to lay low for a while, too, just in case they decided to go after him in order to get to me.
The parking garage had a rarely used, and mostly unknown, rear access, and I chose to go in that way, just in case Royse had someone watching my place. The tight alley leading to that entrance presented no problems with my bike, but for a car it would have been nearly impossible.
We made it upstairs and I paused to arm the alarm system I'd installed as an added precaution. The building's security would keep out, or at least slow down, most people, but I didn't know what kind of skills Royse's men had. No need to take unnecessary chances.
A hot shower sounded great, but I couldn't yet. Too much shit to take care of. Elena would probably like one, though. "If you'd like a shower, I can probably find a T-shirt and some drawstring shorts for you. Doubt I have anything else that wouldn't fall off of you."
"I need to be doing something to find my mom." The worry on her face struck a chord in me.
The need to reassure her and offer comfort came from nowhere, blindsiding me. "Let me work on that for now. You won't be any good to her when we find her if you're hurting and exhausted." I led her to the bathroom. "Get started, I'll find those clothes for you."
She nodded and went to follow orders, while I started the search for something for her to wear. Memory of the last time she'd been in my apartment tugged at my cock, and the temptation to not find the clothes failed to surprise me. I wouldn't mind if she just stayed naked, but she probably would. I sighed and dug out a T-shirt I hoped wouldn't entirely swallow her, and a pair of long shorts with a drawstring at the waist.
Temptation hit hard when I stopped to leave the clothes in the bathroom for her. She'd already started the water, and the pebbled glass of the shower doors offered a tantalizing hint of naked body.
"Leaving these with the towels for you, Elena." I dropped the shirt and shorts and beat a hasty retreat. In the kitchen, I grabbed a protein shake, hoping to undo a little of the damage from breakfast, the headed for the couch to start making calls.
A vague pounding started in the back of my head. Looked like I'd gotten myself into a real mess this time. Just another day. I dialed Kellen first, and updated him myself.
To say my president was unhappy was like comparing a pissed off tiger with a sore tooth to a fluffy house cat. "What the fuck were you thinking, Ryker? Some stray piece of tail can't interfere with business. You know that shit."
Ever since I rolled out of the parking lot of that abandoned factory, sweaty from the fight and still way underdressed, with Elena on the back of my bike, I'd been thinking of what to say when Kellen asked. "I know, man. I followed my gut, and maybe I should have found another way. But there's something up with Royse, something bigger."
Kellen grunted. "What do you mean, something bigger? What the fuck is bigger than stepping in Raiders business?"
"I think he's fronting for somebody." There. I'd said it.
"Who? And why?"
"There's always at least one of a couple different dudes at the fights with him. Kinda hanging back, but a presence, you know what I mean? The fucker there last night, I've seen him a bunch of times. He was dragging the girl around, had hit her a couple times already. She said they call him the Russian. And he's a VIP, gets his pick of Royse's girls, even though those girls never come back. And that made me think of Vicki's Russians." I knew in my bones that man had his hand in Royse's business, one way or another. If he had connections to the Russian mob, they could possibly be the same crew Kellen's old lady ran up against when they first met.
"A'ight, Ryker. We'll get somebody else inside. Meantime, you make that bitch disappear, and get your shit together. You're the only one we have that can get close, and you're already inside. Make peace and get your ass back in there."
"That somebody else that gets inside, I need him to look for something."
"What's that?"
I explained about Elena's mother and held my breath. He could easily tell me to forget that shit.
"Okay. I'll see what can be done." He hung up, having said all he intended to on the matter.
I took a deep breath and busted the burner phone. For the next call, I used my regular phone. "Yo, Luke." The line went dead. Guess he was pissed. I dialed again.
"Why the hell you callin' me, you little bastard?" Yeah. Pissed.
"Guess Royse told you, huh?"
"Yeah, he tol' me alright. While a couple of his boys pounded on my head."
"Shit. Man, I'm sorry, Luke." Guilt sucker punched me in the gut. Luke was a good guy. He didn't deserve that shit.
He sighed. "I just hope she's worth it, Ryker. You burnt some big bridges."
I thought about that for a second. Maybe I was wrong about Royse putting money from my fights above revenge. Was she worth it? "You think I could talk to Royse? Apologize, or some shit?"
A pained laugh echoed in my ear. "Sure, man, you could do that. If you want your hands busted. Ryker, you didn't just grab some whore from a spectator. You took the bitch a big backer wanted. And you made Royse look like he didn't have his shit under wraps. Made him lose face."
I ran a hand through my hair as that sunk in. "Fuck."
"Yeah. Fuck." Ice rattled in a glass on his end. "Look, kid, best thing you can do is disappear. No more underground fights. Even if another organizer would touch you after that, any time your name comes up on the circuit, he's going to be gunnin' for you. And he won't stop at anything to break you."
"Well, man, that don't work for me. I have to make peace with Royse and get back in the cage."
"Didn't you hear a fucking word I just said, kid? What, you got a death wish or something?"
I took a gamble. "I heard you, Luke. But I've got other business with him. And to take care of that, I have to be there."
"Shit."
"Yeah."
"Okay. Lay low for now. I'll try to smooth things a little for you to make a sincere apology." I could imagine him shaking his head at the thought. "Give me a couple days. I'll get back to you."
"A'ight. Thanks, Luke. Means a lot, man." I hung up and pocketed my phone, then collapsed back on the couch. Telling Luke I had other business with Royse was a big risk. Even though I hadn't told him the nature of what I had to take care of, he could still choose to rat my ass out.
Elena came in. "Thank you. I feel almost human again." She stood there, her damp hair in loose waves around her shoulders, my shirt concealing her curves, and the marks of violence on her pretty face.
I forced my thoughts away from what her body looked like under my clothes. Something about her wearing my stuff made things shift around in my brain. It had hit a little last night when she pulled on the shirt from my bag, but this was different.
"Good." I patted the couch beside me. "Have a seat."
She complied, not in the least hesitant. A scent I recognized as uniquely hers surrounded me, mingled with the smell of soap and shampoo.
"I hope you like TV, or books. We're going to stay out of sight here for a couple of days. I contacted somebody about finding you mom."
Big tears filled her dark eyes before she could blink them away. "You did?"
"Yeah. Not sure how long it'll take to dig in, but it's underway."
The te
ars spilled over. "Thank you. I didn't think you actually meant it."
A knot of foreign emotion tightened in my belly. I brushed her tears away with my thumb. "Of course I meant it."
She sort of collapsed against me, and I just sat there, unsure what to do. Finally, I put my arms around her and held her close while she sobbed into my chest. What did I know about comforting an upset woman? Absolutely nothing. All I could do was let her cry and hold her.
Chapter Eight
Elena:
Part of me didn't care that I looked like a complete idiot to Ryker. The other part hoped like hell I didn't leave a ton of snot all over his shirt. No matter how embarrassed I was, I still couldn't make it stop. It seemed like the stress of the last few days, worry about my mom, and the fear, all decided to come out at once.
And through it all, he held me close and stroked my hair, even though I had the feeling he wasn't sure what to do. It worked, anyway. Gradually, I managed to bring my tears under control, or I ran out. Either way, it slowed to sort of shuddering dry sobs.
"Better?" The low rumble of his voice caught me off guard and I pulled away a little.
I nodded and covered my face with my hands. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"
"Shh, nothing to be sorry for. You've had a rough time." He smoothed a warm hand down my back.
"Yeah, but… Excuse me, I must look terrible." I lunged to my feet and ran for the safety of the bathroom. What the hell brought that on? I never cried, not since that first night when I went to work for Royse. And most especially not in front of anybody. I felt like a fool. Ryker probably thought I was one of those women that turned on the waterworks to get her way, when nothing could be farther from the truth.
A deep shaky breath later, I finally looked at myself in his mirror. My eyes were red, swollen nearly shut, and red blotches stood out on my skin. The bruises I collected over the last few days stood out like new ones. My head hurt like I'd been on a three-day bender.
I soaked a fluffy washcloth in cold water and held it to my face, hoping to ease some of the swelling, at least. Finally, I looked a little better and gathered my courage to go back out and face Ryker.