Starting a Ryot (The Hounds of Zeus MC Book 3)

by Faith Gibson

  “Goodnight, Rhiannon.”

  “Night.” She watched him walk to the door with no indication he’d been shot. She was admiring the way his butt filled out his jeans until he turned out the light and closed the door behind him without looking back.

  Rhi sighed into the dark room, a smile spreading across her face as she pressed the knuckles he’d kissed to her own lips.

  Chapter Eleven

  Ryker

  Ryker wanted to stay with Rhi. Now that he had accepted the possibility of having her in his life, he wanted her by his side. Wanted to spend time getting to know the young woman. Sutton’s words had shaken him. Made him see he was being obtuse. When Rhi placed her hands on him, pushing her energy into his body, it was as though she was sharing her soul with him. Ryker had never felt anything as magical. It was the only way he knew to describe the sensation. He likened it to when Juliette informed him she was pregnant, and even that didn’t compare.

  Juliette.

  He had loved Mac’s mother with his whole being, and she would always be his first love. She would forever hold a special place in his heart. That didn’t mean he couldn’t love again. Love someone completely different than the wildcat Juliette had been. There was so much more to Rhi than met the eye, and he wanted to find out everything about her. Mac had chastised him while Rhi was in the shower. Had practically given him her blessing to pursue Rhi. Ryker had already made up his mind to allow himself to do just that, but hearing his daughter tell him she was more than okay with it made him feel better about his decision. But first, he had to ensure Rhi’s safety, and that meant dealing with James and the Ministry. He also had to find out what Rhi wanted.

  When Ryker reached the basement, things were quiet. James was still tied to the chair, but he was staring off at nothing. “What’s going on?” Ryker asked Sutton.

  “Just waiting on you. I didn’t want to start the interrogation until you were here to listen, but I got tired of his threats, so I voiced him to be quiet. Everything okay upstairs?”

  “Yes. At least it will be once this shit is all over. Let’s get on with it.” Ryker gestured for his dad to proceed.

  Sutton moved to stand in front of James. “You will only speak when spoken to, and you will tell the truth calmly. How long have you been part of Haven?”

  “Eight years.”

  “And what is your role within the community?”

  “I’m a recruiter.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Brother Josiah gives me names and addresses, and I go speak to the person or family and convince them to join us.”

  “Where does Josiah get this information?”

  “From David.”

  “What else does David do for Haven?”

  “He uses his computer to hide our existence. Gives people new identities. Moves money around.”

  “Where does Haven get its money?”

  “Mostly from the men who have jobs on the outside. David takes their paychecks and invests them.”

  “How many men have jobs on the outside, and what is it they do?”

  “I’d say ten? Not sure exactly. Other than David, I know one’s a banker, one’s a retired doctor, and one is a former cop.”

  “Where do you get your weapons?”

  “David brings them in, but I’m not sure where he gets them.”

  “What is the purpose of Haven?”

  “To raise a community of likeminded men who want to see the world changed for the better. To ensure future generations are the leaders the world needs. Ones who are Godly and lead the communities in weeding out the criminals and less-than-desired.”

  “What makes someone less-than-desired?”

  “Someone who doesn’t walk the path to Heaven. Someone who doesn’t believe in God. People who live immoral lives, thinking it’s okay to lead others astray.”

  “You mean someone like Josiah who kidnaps women and gives them to his brother to use? Someone who holds young men and women against their will? Someone who sells babies to another family so his flock doesn’t know the mother was already married?”

  “Brother Josiah says sometimes you have to get your hands dirty doing the Lord’s work.”

  “Rhiannon didn’t want to marry you, yet you continued to pursue her against her will. Is that Godly?”

  “Anna had the devil in her. It was my task to show her how a righteous man behaved. To show her the error of her ways. To get her to believe in the one true God.”

  Ryker took a step towards James, but Sutton held up his hand. “You’re saying a righteous man takes a woman against her will? Did you touch Anna?”

  “No. I was courting her. I wasn’t allowed to touch her because we weren’t married.”

  “Why would you want a woman who doesn’t want you?”

  “She didn’t know what she wanted. She was raised by a sinful mother who told her lies about how real men behave.”

  “But David is her father. Are you saying he wasn’t a real man?”

  “David was weak. It took a righteous woman to show him his path.”

  “Tell me about Haven. Where is it located? How many live there? How many guards do you have?”

  “It’s twenty miles east of New Roseville. There are about three hundred members right now. Most of the men are guards. The boys are in training.”

  “Other than the guards, are there security measures in place to keep people out?”

  “David keeps watch over the area with drones. He has them programmed to alert Josiah if someone gets too close to the perimeter.”

  “Where is David’s office?”

  “In New Brunswick. Sometimes he has to fly to New Washington for meetings, but mostly he works out of New Brunswick.”

  Sutton turned to Ryker. “Anything else you want to know?”

  “Ask him about Eli.”

  “Do you know a young man by the name of Elijah?”

  “There are two Elijahs. One is a boy of about six, and the other came to Haven a few months back. Brother Josiah told us he was a troubled young man and we were to stay away from him.”

  “What is the older Elijah’s role within the community?”

  “Nothing really. He’s held in solitary most of the time for causing trouble. When he’s let out, he works cleanup, but that only lasts for a few days until he’s put back in confinement.”

  “Where is he held when he’s in trouble?”

  “There’s a holding cell under the smallest barn.”

  Ryker growled low in his throat. When he found Josiah, he was going to make the bastard pay.

  “Is he treated badly when he’s in this cell? Is he fed?”

  “He’s fed once a day but otherwise left alone.”

  “Is he the only one who is confined to a cell?”

  “Now he is. There was another boy, but I haven’t seen him around in about a year.”

  “What do you think happened to this other boy?”

  “Brother Josiah took him away. Probably to his father-in-law’s community. That’s where the more troubled souls end up.”

  “Who is Josiah’s father-in-law?”

  “Abraham Goodman. He’s the leader of the elders.”

  Sutton turned away from James, his expression between elation and a quiet storm. This name meant something to his dad. When he composed himself, Sutton turned back to James. “Why did you come back here after the others left tonight?”

  “Because I knew Anna was here.”

  “How did you know?”

  “By the tracker.”

  “What tracker?” Ryker strode to stand in front of James and tipped the chair back, leaning forward until their noses were almost touching.

  “The one her father had put in before they came to Haven. Brother Josiah convinced David to let me have the device it’s linked to since we’re going to be married.”

  Ryker’s beast pushed against him, wanting to tear James apart. He was close to turning it loose.

  “Where is this device now?�
�

  “In my pocket.”

  “Get it. Now,” Ryker shouted. With James’s arms tied to the chair, it took him a second to dig it out of his back pocket. Ryker watched James carefully to make sure it wasn’t a trick. When the man pulled out a small, black box, Ryker grabbed it, dropped it to the floor, and smashed it under the heel of his boot. “Are there any more of these devices that can track Rhi?”

  “Who’s Rhi?”

  “Anna. Are there any more?”

  “Not that I know of.”

  Ryker paced the room that used to be Lucius’s lab. He had to get his beast under control before it tore James apart one limb at a time. He was aware of the Hounds tracking his movements, but he also felt their ire. None of them liked the fact that innocent women were treated the way they were in these cults, but when that woman was family? They liked it even less. And Rhiannon became family the moment Ryker pulled her from the dumpster.

  “One last question.” Ryker stopped pacing in front of James but kept a few feet between them. “Do you know who David’s mother is?”

  “Sure. She’s Abraham’s wife.”

  “That can’t be right. Abraham’s last name is Goodman. David’s is Spencer,” Sutton said.

  “Abraham isn’t David’s father. He married Ruth after his first wife died.”

  Sutton motioned for Ryker to follow him up the stairs. “I think we have everything we need to form a plan. Do you want to send him back, or…?” Sutton was silently asking if Ryker wanted to take the man out, but this wasn’t a mercenary contract. Did kidnapping warrant a death sentence? As much as Ryker wished it did, he couldn’t in good conscience kill the man. “He did shoot you,” Sutton reminded him.

  Ryker ran a hand down his face. When he was on a job as a mercenary, he had no trouble taking out the mark. So why was he hesitating now? Rhi’s pretty face came to mind. Would she want him to kill the man? Would she think less of him if he did? Since she was standing outside the door listening in, he held up his hand, silencing his father. Sutton smirked, and they both turned to see if she would remain hidden or join in the conversation. They didn’t have to wait long.

  “If you can’t shoot him, I will,” Rhi said from the doorway leading to the kitchen. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I couldn’t sleep.”

  “You could shoot James?” Sutton asked.

  “Yes. He tried to kidnap me, and he shot Ryker. He intended to kill him. That’s not okay.”

  Sutton grinned at Ryker with one eyebrow raised as if to say, “See? She’s strong.”

  “What would your goddess think?” Ryker asked.

  Rhi sighed. “You’re right. If I killed him, that would return to me threefold, if not more. I’ve had enough bad to last a lifetime.” She cocked her head to the side. “But you don’t answer to the goddess, so do what you need to do.” She gave Ryker a tight smile and walked off toward the stairs. When she was out of sight, Ryker turned to his dad.

  “Let him go, but give him instructions to leave town and not return to Haven. Make sure he never speaks to anyone about what happened tonight, about Rhi, about anything related to her or the Ministry.”

  “I can handle that. Why don’t you go see if you can’t help your female get some sleep?” Sutton winked.

  “Sleep is going to have to wait. We need to get the tracker out of Rhi. Just because I smashed the device doesn’t mean there isn’t another one out there. I’m going to find Rev.”

  Rhiannon

  Rhi hadn’t been able to sleep, so she unpacked her bags, again, then decided to get something to drink. When she overheard Ryker’s conversation with Sutton, she paused to listen before making her presence known. No, her goddess wouldn’t want Rhi to kill anyone, but the man had tried to kill Ryker. Shouldn’t he be punished for it? If she hadn’t known Ryker was good before that, she did now. He was willing to let James go, but not before wiping his memory of what he’d seen. Ryker said he used his Gryphon voice on her when she was hiding out, but had that really been the only time? She hoped so. She couldn’t think of anything she’d said or done that was out of character.

  Flopping down on the soft bed, Rhi closed her eyes. She’d never had trouble sleeping before, but she’d also never had as crazy a day like this one either. The most exciting part was Ryker admitting to wanting to be with her. Rhi didn’t know what to do next. She had no experience with men. Not the kind that mattered in this situation. Other than the chaste kisses Bobby Carmichael had given her when she was thirteen, Rhi had no idea what went on between two people in a relationship. Couples at Haven weren’t allowed to show affection other than holding hands. Her mother had talked to her about sex, but it had only been to tell her to give her body to someone who cared for her deeply. She didn’t know if Ryker was that man. He said he was done fighting his feelings, but did that mean he wanted a relationship or something more casual?

  Rhi hated her father more in that moment than she ever had. If he hadn’t taken her to Haven, she would have had a normal life where she and her friends would have fallen in love with cute boys at school. Gotten their hearts broken but learned from the experience and tried again. She would have gone on dates. Real ones where the guy picked her up and took her to a movie. Took her to prom. Made out with her in the garden while her dad was inside watching television. Or maybe her father would have been overprotective and refused to let her be alone with boys. She didn’t blame her mom for dying. It wasn’t Daisy’s fault she got sick. If her mom hadn’t died, Rhi’s life might not have been perfect, but it would have been a lot better.

  Then again, if she hadn’t been taken to Haven, she never would have had to escape and be rescued by Ryker. Daisy always said everything happened for a reason, so maybe Ryker was the reason Rhi had to endure ten years at Haven. She had to see the bad to appreciate the good that was the Lazlo family. And they were good, even if they were Gryphons.

  Gryphons!

  Holy crap! Ryker could turn into a gorgeous lion. That should scare the crap out of her, but it didn’t. It was exciting. And sexy. The way he’d gone all growly when he lunged for James. The Gryphon part wasn’t nearly as sexy, but that was probably because Ryker had been hurt and couldn’t fully shift. She had to admit she wanted to see him at least once in his Gryphon to know what it looked like. Rhi giggled. She couldn’t help it. Her life had gone from miserable and mundane to exciting in less than a day. She might not like James, but she was glad it had been him to set his sights on her or else she might never have had a chance at escaping, since he was one of the few men she was aware of who left Haven with any regularity.

  When her stomach twinged, Rhi knew what that meant. Her periods were like clockwork. She climbed off the bed and went to the bathroom to find the pads Rory had bought. Unlike the cloth ones she’d been forced to use at Haven, she found the pack of disposable ones like her mother had bought her. She’d tried tampons, but they made her cramps worse. After putting one on, she returned to bed and thought back over what happened with Ryker. He said Rhi’s hands helped with his pain. Rhi had tried using her gift on herself, but it never worked. Maybe it was because both the energy and pain were on the inside, and to use her power, she had to push the energy outward the same way she’d done when she focused on Ryker. Or maybe it was a gift from the goddess she was supposed to share with others and not use for herself.

  She had just about nodded off when the door opened and Ryker stalked in. “Sorry to barge in, but this can’t wait. Do you know where your chip is?”

  Rhi sat up and pulled the covers up under her arms. “Chip?” She looked at Ryker, frowning. “What’re you talking about?”

  Ryker swiped his hand through his hair. “Your father had a tracking chip implanted somewhere under your skin, and we need to get it out of you. Come on, let’s go downstairs.” Ryker turned his back, and Rhi climbed out of bed, grabbing her clothes. She went into the bathroom and changed.

  When they got downstairs, the dining room was full of people. Ryker pulled the
chair out for her. “Do you remember going to the doctor for anything before you went to Haven?”

  “Yes. David said I needed some immunizations. He took me to some doctor I didn’t know. He had a chip put in instead?”

  “Yes. That’s how James knew you were here. He gave me the tracking device, and I destroyed it. We aren’t sure it was the only one, so we need to find the chip and remove it. What do you remember about where the doctor stuck you?”

  Rhi touched the back of her neck. “He gave me a shot in the arm, but then he said he needed to remove a mole from my neck – here,” she said, pulling her hair over one shoulder so she could show Ryker the spot below her hairline. Ryker’s breath was warm on her neck when he leaned closer to look, running the pads of his fingers over her skin.

  “I’m sure it’s miniscule. I can’t feel anything.” He sat back up in his chair. “Rev is going to remove it before we hit the road. I won’t have anyone able to track you to Xavier’s.”

  “You’re going to have it cut out?” Rhi wanted it out, but there had to be a better way.

  “Depending on the size, he might be able to extract it with a needle,” Lucy said.

  “That’s not much better. But…” Rhi blew out a breath. She could do this. She had to do it. “Yeah, okay.”

  “Good girl,” Ryker said, kissing her temple. Everyone was staring at them. Mac was smiling, Kyllian was smirking, but Hayden was frowning. “Rev is waiting on his wife to get here to help, so we have a few minutes.”

  “Would you like some water?” Lucy asked.

  Rhi didn’t know if she could keep anything down, so she shook her head. “No, thank you.” Knowing her father did that to her without her knowledge made her nauseated. How could the same man who had been there for the first thirteen years of her life become this stranger? Ryker placed his hand on Rhiannon’s neck and rubbed. She wanted to smile, but she just couldn’t. Rhi pushed back from the table and stood. “I need some air.” She took off out the back door, not stopping until her feet touched the ground. Rhi squatted and spread her hand over the grass, letting the earth’s energy flow through her. She hadn’t been outside long when the back door opened, and Ryker and Rev stepped outside.