Ryder

by Ali Parker

  Jason would end up in jail, someone's bitch or dead.

  And once again... it would be my fault.

  Chapter 4

  Dani

  Two Weeks Later

  It seemed impossible to find any joy in getting out of the bed in the mornings. Two weeks on probation duty, and I wanted to turn in my badge and find a different way to make my mark on humanity. Surely there were organizations that I'd worked with in the sex crimes area that needed someone like me. Someone who was fearless and willing to go into the darkest places to bring young girls and women out of the bowels of hell.

  I fixed myself a cup of coffee and padded around the kitchen while it cooled. A new group of delinquents would be mine later that day.

  "Oh joy," I mumbled and leaned over, pressing my forearms to the cabinet. I blew on my coffee and tried not to think about how good it would feel to put Tanner King out of his misery. It'd been a long time since I had to use my gun, but I wouldn't hesitate next time I saw him. He'd ruined more lives and desecrated more women than any of the villains I knew of.

  I picked up my cup and walked to the kitchen table where I had files laid out and my laptop set up. Captain had been good enough to let me make the transition to this new division at home instead of at the station. It was probably better for all of us seeing that I kept losing my shit every time I turned around.

  This new job wasn't me. Not in the slightest.

  Babysitting fucked up dope heads that flipped off society and their parents weren't exactly my cup of tea.

  "Or coffee," I mumbled and opened my laptop to find a new file for review. Most of the kids I had to deal with were following their probation just fine, keeping themselves in line and hoping to get out from under the stern eye of the law.

  "But this little fucker." I reached up and pressed the screen, opening the file. "Jason Moretti. What a piece of work."

  After reading through his profile a couple of times, I flipped over to his family information. It was always so damn interesting to see who was raising the little shits. Usually their grandmothers, as if life should have allowed such a travesty.

  Not only were most of these women dealing with losing their own kids in some manner, but now they were being taxed by their grandkids and their horrible choices. It hurt my heart, but then again, most things did.

  My phone rang, pulling me from my thoughts. "Markum."

  "Danielle. It's your father."

  I sat back and smiled. "Dad. How are you?"

  "I'd be better if you were in one of these pews in front of me." He cleared his throat. "Is there a reason you're not at church again this week?"

  "Yeah. I'm hiding from a bad guy right now, dad. I'm not sure Jesus would appreciate me bringing him and his guns into the middle of your beautiful church."

  "I think you underestimate the power of God to protect you."

  "Right." I stood and let a breath go that I didn't know I was holding. "Seth was here today. He was looking for you."

  "What?" I moved to the window just above my kitchen sink and reached up to jerk it open. It felt incredibly stuffy all of a sudden. "Why didn't he just call?"

  "He was hoping to catch you. I think you need to pay him a visit. He has some paperwork he needs signed."

  "I'm not interested in giving him all of our assets. He's not playing fair because he has the money to bend me over."

  "Danielle. Jeez." The disgust in my father's voice was palatable. It always was. "You have to finish this. You can't just leave the man hanging. Sign the papers and move on."

  I closed my eyes and tried to hold back the scream building in my chest. "Okay. Thanks for calling dad. Enjoy your afternoon." I dropped the call before he could say another word. There was once a time not too far in the past that we'd been close and taken care of each other.

  Everything changed the day my sister's body was found. It destroyed both of us.

  I walked back to the table and sat down. My hand shook as I clicked through the rest of Jason's file and tried to block the memories of me and Seth making love. Of us walking in the park and buying a puppy and sharing a life. A life he'd destroyed with his infidelities. I wasn't adventurous enough. So, he found someone who was.

  The bastard just forgot that his ring meant more than a financial commitment.

  "I hate you," I whispered roughly as I moved through Jason's file. I wasn't talking to the kid, but to Seth, or maybe even to myself. I stopped on the information about Jason's guardian. It wasn't an older woman, but a blistering hot bad boy.

  "Shit." I leaned forward and let my eyes run across the man's face. Deep blue eyes framed by long black eyelashes looked back at me. The depths of them forcing me to lean in. High cheekbones, a Sicilian structured nose, full pink lips and a thick black beard that was cut close to his face. My nipples hardened and I grew warm as lust swelled in my stomach.

  My eyes moved down to his thick neck and the tanned, flawless skin there. I wanted to see under his tight black shirt. He was ripped no doubt. The swell of muscle was more than obvious.

  "Wow." I leaned back and sucked my bottom lip into my mouth. "Maybe I need to pay Mister-" I leaned forward again to search for his name. "Mister Johnny Moretti a visit."

  A knock at my door surprised me.

  Fear raced through the center of my chest, and I bolted up and jogged to the bedroom. After grabbing my gun, I walked to the door and slid the gun into the back of my pants. I'd been trained to survive in any situation, but that didn't make me any more willing to run toward danger than any other woman on the planet.

  "Who's there?" I leaned forward and tried to make out the face on the other side through my peephole. Useless.

  "It's me, Dani. Seth. I need to talk to you for a minute."

  I groaned and opened the door. "What do you want? Make it quick."

  "Can I come in?" He stood at the door wearing his Sunday best. The thick file in his left hand let me know pretty quickly what he wanted.

  Without giving him a second glance, I turned and walked to the kitchen. "Do whatever you want. That fits your style best."

  My heart ached in my chest. The life I thought was mine was a faded memory, and all I had to show for it was a career that I had to fight for every inch of the way. No family. No kids. No house on the hill. No fucking dog.

  "I'm sorry to come over without calling."

  I turned to face him and extended my hand. "Give me that and get out. I'll read it when I have time and then I'll sign if it's fair."

  He tilted his head a little to the side and lifted his eyebrow. "You won't read it. I know you. Just sign the papers and let’s be done with this."

  "Am I getting on Cindy's nerves?" I took the packet from him and walked around him back into the dining room. "Or is it Candy? Randy? Mandy? Sandy?"

  "It's Cynthia, and you know it." He followed me.

  I breathed in the scent of his cologne and tried not to let my emotions get the best of me. He was the only man I'd been with, and the only one I wanted to be with. But I wasn't enough. He'd turned me in for a slut from the bar he met on a business trip. And now she lived in my house and slept in my bed. I bet she petted my damn dog too.

  "Nope. I don't know. Nor do I care." I sat down at the table and glanced up at Johnny again. I couldn't help but wonder what his story was. Had life dealt him a shitty hand, or was he a taker like Seth? Everyone walking around on the streets in their business suits were just one deal away from being homeless. All the happy couples at the park were one mistake away from being single, alone, destroyed.

  "Just sign the papers, Dani."

  "I will." I glanced up at him and forced a facade of indifference on my face. "I'll get them to you by the middle of the week."

  "Promise?" His expression softened a little.

  So many questions pressed against the back of my front teeth as I clenched my jaw. Was she worth it? Did she make him happy? Was he really the boy that took me to prom and promised to be mine forever when we were just in fifth g
rade?

  Where did that guy go? Did he leave first, or had my sister’s death changed me to the point of pushing him away?

  Was it my fault?

  "Yes." I nodded and turned back to the packet of papers as my eyes filled with tears.

  "Dani."

  "Go. Please." I lifted my hand as he reached for me. Fuck me if my voice didn't break. "Get out."

  "I'm sorry that-"

  "Get! Out!" I screamed from deep inside my chest as my body clenched. He had too much power over me, but he wouldn't for much longer. I turned my attention to Johnny Moretti's picture and reached up to wipe at my eyes. I'd find a way to break Seth's spell.

  Even if it meant falling for the wrong guy for a little while.

  Relationships never lasted too long anyway.

  At least not in my world.

  Chapter 5

  Ryder

  "You're almost late." Axel glanced up from his bent over position beside a new car we were working on.

  "Almost isn't late." I walked past him toward the office. "Move before you fuck the project up. Your part is done. It's my turn to do the touch ups and such."

  "You're right."

  "On both accounts." I ran my fingers through my hair and winked at Ellie, one of the girls that worked in the shop. She was a better grease monkey than most of the boys. If Axel weren’t hiding a hard-on for the pretty thing, I'd have already laid her out and made her scream my name a few times.

  "What shit are you already starting this morning, Moretti?" She glanced up from the pile of paperwork Axel had scattered across his desk.

  "Just making sure everyone knows their place." I reached for the schedule and ran my finger down the long list of jobs we had to get through. "Who's coming in today for pick up."

  "Nancy Morgan is due in around nine this morning for her Cadi." She gave me a quirky smile.

  "What?" I stood up straight and lifted my eyebrow. "Got something to say?"

  "Yeah, but maybe I should moan it, so you'd understand it better." She laughed and turned her back to me. "You know Axel would be pissed if he knew you were fucking the customers."

  "Would he?" I dropped the schedule back on the desk and walked to the door. "Let Miss Morgan know that she needs to see me to get her keys." I grabbed her keys off the rack by the door and walked out. She was a rich bitch with a horrible laugh, but she could suck a dick like nobody’s business. I was more than happy to give her a little bit of practice.

  "Fuck." Axel walked around a Mustang we had jacked up four feet into the air.

  "What's up?" I slipped the keys in my pocket and gave my closest friend my attention.

  "Ellie keeps leaving her tools all over the fucking place. I almost busted my ass thanks to her wrench being on the ground. The damn thing is covered in motor oil."

  "She's trying to kill you." I nodded. "It's the way women tell you they're interested nowadays. Used to be a little light flirting, maybe a room key, or a subtle foot in your lap to play with your dick, but things have progressed."

  "Fuck you too." He rolled his eyes and walked around me. "She's not interested, and even if she were… I’m not."

  "Okay." I followed him, wanting to push a little harder just for the fun of it. "Then if you're not into her, then move outta the way. She's beautiful. I'd love to spread her taut little thighs and-"

  The quickness of his attack threw me off guard. He popped me in the throat two times in quick succession and the pain of it stole my breath. "Shut the fuck up about her, Johnny. Now."

  I lifted my hands as I gasped for air. "Got it. Damn it, man."

  "Sorry." He ran his fingers through his hair and let out a long sigh. "I can't stop thinking about her. I tried to take a girl out last night and I barely got the rubber on before I called out Ellie's name."

  I rubbed at my throat and tried hard not to return pop him in the mouth for hitting me. I'd deserved that shit, but I was the upper dog in the fight, and would easily win should it come to something like that.

  "Stop fucking around and tell her." I popped him in the gut. "And don't hit me again. I'll fuck you up."

  "You wanna go, old man?"

  "Old man?" I reached for him as someone cleared their throat behind us.

  "I heard you had my keys, Johnny." Her voice was sweet like sugar.

  "That I do." I winked at Axel and spun on my heel. "Damn, Miss Morgan. And I thought your car looked good all dressed up and pimped out."

  She smiled and bit at her lip as she eye-fucked me. Oh yeah. She was going on her knees.

  "I have a little bit of time before I have to get back to work. Maybe you could show me a few things about the car. It's new to me, you know."

  I nodded. "Your daddy buy it for you?"

  "Something like that." She walked closer to me and pressed her hands to my chest. "I always forget how sexy you are in your uniform."

  "I look better with it laying in a pile on the floor." I slid my hands over her hips and gripped her ass tightly as I leaned down toward her. I paused just before pressing my lips to hers. "Axel?"

  "He's gone." She pressed her big, fake tits to my chest and smiled. "Where can we go?"

  I licked at her mouth before moving back and grabbing her hand. "Come on, kitten. You look thirsty."

  She purred softly, and I couldn't help but chuckle. The woman was too much for a regular guy like me, but she was more than willing to let me have a few moments of hope. It was all I needed to make the day better than the one before.

  "Why don't you get cleaned up and come to one of our events? You'd look so fine in a suit and tie, Johnny." She pressed herself to my back as I worked on the door to the supply closet. Long red nails pressed into the bulge at the front of my black dickies before stroking my budding erection in a slow, sensual way.

  "That's not at all the kind of man I am." I walked in and turned, pulling her in and wrapping my arms around her. The creamy white dress she had on would be smudged with the oil on my fingers, but something told me that she didn't give a damn.

  "I'm so glad you're not." She pulled me close and leaned in to consume my mouth.

  I slid my hand into her curly blonde hair and pulled her down into my lap as I fell onto an old office chair someone must have put out there for inventory. "Suck me off, Nancy."

  "God yeah." She kissed me a few more times and moved to her knees, tugging at her skirt as I worked myself out of my pants. It was one thing to have a slut like Candace on her knees, but an entirely different experience to have a woman like Nancy Morgan willing to service my needs. She was money. Old money.

  I touched the side of her face and gave her a wicked smile. "I know you're a good girl, but try and expand your horizons for me this morning? Make sure your lips touch my balls, hm?"

  She growled and moved in, sucking and licking at my shaft until I was covered in the wetness of her mouth. Her hands worked me in long tight strokes, and within a few minutes, she had me panting hard. The idea of pulling up her skirt and fucking her tight slit for the next hour was all I could think of, but I knew better.

  Oral sex was about as far as I'd let things go with a woman like her. She'd get possessive and shit. Or worse... want a relationship. There was no damn way. Not after the shit with Candace. Besides, the guys were my focus when I wasn't worried sick over my fucked up nephew.

  Nancy gagged a little, bringing my concentration back to her attack.

  I moaned and lifted my hips, fucking her mouth until the world exploded around me. I came hard and fast, wishing I had more to give her as she drank me down and licked greedily at my cock.

  "I love how you taste." She smiled up at me. "Fuck me today."

  "Not a chance, Angel. Come on. Your car is ready." I gripped her arms and stood up, taking her back up with me. "You couldn't stand a dick this big anyway. Not for your first time."

  "It's not my first time." She gave me a sexy pout.

  "Yeah, it is." I pulled my pants up and worked to zip and buckle them as I moved around her
. I pulled her keys from my pocket and handed them back to her. "It's in the lot and it's cleaned up and ready to go. See you next time you come in."

  "Wait. That's it?" She sounded hurt.

  Damn. She was my favorite toy and here she was fucking things up for us.

  "Excuse me. I'm looking for Johnny Moretti?" A feminine voice caught my attention. I couldn't see her face, but something in the tone of her voice worried me.

  "Johnny!" Nancy yelled behind me.

  I turned to face her. "What? You know how this works. Don't get things mixed up, kitten. Just go about your business and when you need your car serviced again, you know where to come." I winked and turned as Axel walked toward me with someone in tow. The woman was too small to see around Axel's big ass frame.

  "But you didn't even taste me," Nancy whined as I walked away. I ignored her. She'd disappear and come back for more eventually. They all did.

  "Taste her?" Axel gave me a look and moved back, letting the woman in tow walk around him. "Do I even wanna know?"

  "Mr. Moretti?" A petite brunette with a cute button nose, full lips, and thoughtful brown eyes extended her hand. "I'm Detective Markum from NYPD."

  It took me a minute to hear what she said. She had to be the prettiest woman I'd seen in a long time. Naturally pretty. The kind of woman that made men stop what they were doing to grab one more glimpse of her. The khaki's and button-down shirt were all wrong on her and hid what I assume was a soft, curvy figure.

  Fuck me. Maybe I was still turned on by Nancy sucking me off so well, but something about the cop had my pulse spiking. Maybe it was because she was so small. She barely came up to my chin.

  "NYPD, hm?" I nodded and walked past her. "Not sure what you're doing here, but make it fast. I got shit to do."

  "Shit or random women that stop by the shop?" She followed me, as did the sound of Axel's voice.

  "Ha! I like her already. Detective Markum is it? Please. Stay as long as you like."