by Faith Gibson
Wanting to know more about the male, Ryker called Lucy. “Hey, Little Dove. What can you tell me about Rhi’s father?”
“Honestly, not much. When I was at the GIA, I wasn’t privy to what the other hackers were working on. I had been told we were all doing the same job, and if that were the case, he was probably working with Josiah, giving him all the information the rest of us dug up on the Ministry. I did my best to keep my head down and stay off anyone’s radar.”
“Do you think it’s possible he’s undercover?”
“Not if he’s supplying Haven with guns.”
“I’ve heard Sutton talk about agents who had to get deep in their undercover persona.” Ryker knew he was reaching, but he wanted to understand Rhi’s father and his motives. “If that’s the case here, ten years is a long time to be undercov— Luce, I need to go. I see movement outside.”
“Be safe.”
“I will.” Ryker disconnected but kept his eyes on the two men walking toward the hotel. “We have company,” he told the Hounds.
“While we were waiting, I found the stairs to the roof. We can strip in the stairwell and shift as soon as we get through the door,” Spyder said.
“Or, we could go down to the bar. They’re not going to attack in broad daylight,” Sultan countered.
“Both ideas have merit, but I think I’d like to meet them head-on. See if they approach us. Let’s take the back stairway. If they’re looking for us, they’ll either use the front stairs or the elevator. We can bypass them and head to the bar.” In less than a minute, the four Hounds were on the lower level of the hotel sitting at a high-top table. The bar wasn’t busy, so they were served quickly. Their waitress – Emberlynn – did her best to flirt with them, and Spyder, being single, soaked it up. He winked at the pretty woman, flashing straight, white teeth.
When Josiah’s two men stuck their heads in the door, their eyes widened when they found the Hounds. Ryker stood and walked in their direction. The two men looked at each other, obviously surprised to see the man they were looking for coming toward them. “Won’t you join us?” Ryker asked, using his Gryphon voice. If he had to, Ryker would eliminate Josiah’s guards two at a time. Spyder and Sultan stood, and Ryker motioned the men onto the vacated stools.
“What can I get you to drink?” the waitress asked, standing closer to Spyder than was socially acceptable for someone who was working. If the glint in his dark eyes was any indication, the Hound was enjoying himself.
“We don’t drink,” the human closer to Ryker sneered.
Spyder took the server by the elbow and pulled her gently away from the table. “This is a business meeting, Emberlynn. If you wouldn’t mind giving us a little privacy? I promise to make it up to you.”
“Oh, of course…?”
“Spyder,” he said, tapping the name patch on his kutte.
“Spyder,” she repeated. “Got it. But if you need anything, just whistle.” Emberlynn sashayed off with Spyder’s eyes on her ass. Ryker rolled his eyes, then turned his attention back to Josiah’s men.
“What are your names?” Ryker asked the one closest to him.
“I’m John. This is Paul.”
“Where are George and Ringo?” Spyder asked. Hawk rolled his lips inward to keep from laughing. Sultan crossed his arms over his chest, but he was looking at his feet. Ryker loved Spyder’s smartass nature, so he let the joke go.
“George is at Haven, but we don’t know a Ringo,” Paul said.
“Why are you here?” Ryker asked, toying with the label on his bottle.
“Josiah told us to find the Hounds,” John answered.
“Well, here we are. What are you going to do with us?” Ryker sat back on his stool, crossing his arms over his chest.
“We’re supposed to take you out.”
“On a date?” Spyder quipped. Even Ryker couldn’t hold back his smile at that one.
“What? No. We’re not queer. That’s wrong.” Paul scrunched his nose like he smelled shit.
“Says who? I happen to think I’m a great catch. Any woman or man would be lucky to land my ass,” Spyder taunted.
“You should come with us. Let Brother Josiah teach you the true path to righteousness.”
“I think I’ll pass. My god is perfectly fine with how I conduct myself. Why does Josiah want Anna so bad?”
“Because she belongs to James.”
“Actually” — Ryker leaned forward — “she belongs to me.”
“You? But you’re a heathen. Anna is pure, and she should be with someone who leads a clean life.”
“How do you know I don’t? You know nothing about me other than what Josiah has told you, and he doesn’t know me either. As a matter of fact, I bet you don’t know who he is. Who his brother is. But I’ll tell you. He’s the man who kidnapped my wife. My pregnant wife. Then he gave her to his brother, Gideon. Gideon took my baby and gave it to his family to raise so his flock wouldn’t know he had a married woman living with him. Josiah is the one who took my daughter’s boyfriend away from Gideon’s compound just because one of the guards wanted my daughter for himself. My daughter who was in love with another man and pregnant with his baby. Gideon then took her child, my grandchild, and put it up for adoption. Do those two sound like holy men to you? Because let me tell you something, if they do, you will burn in Hell right along with them.”
“That can’t be true,” Paul muttered.
“Oh, but it is. I have no love lost for your so-called preacher. He uses the Bible to hide behind his true agenda. Why would a peaceful compound need to be so heavily guarded? Why train boys into killers if there wasn’t a hidden agenda? Why send you to kill four unarmed men? That doesn’t sound very Christian-like to me. But from what I understand, Josiah doesn’t preach Christ’s message of love, tolerance, and forgiveness. He focuses on the old text because it suits his needs.”
“How do you know about what’s in the Bible?” John asked.
“I’m not as much a heathen as you believe. Now, here is how this is going to go. You are going back to Haven. You are going to get Elijah out of solitary, and you are going to bring him back here.”
“How are we supposed to do that?” John asked.
“You look like smart men. You’ll figure it out. While you’re doing that, you’re also going to grab a case of guns and ammo. When you get back to the compound, you will not tell anyone what we’ve spoken about other than to say we want to make a trade, and that is only if you get caught. Otherwise, say nothing to anyone. Get Elijah. Get the guns and ammo. Bring them to me. If you aren’t back here with what we’ve requested, we’ll tell Josiah you let Anna get away. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” both men responded in unison.
“Good. Now get out of here.” Ryker reached for his drink and downed it after the two humans left the restaurant.
Spyder let out a whistle, and Emberlynn turned his way, grinning. “Another round, Doll,” he called out.
“Do you really think that plan will work?” Hawk asked.
“Probably not, but it’s worth a shot. If we can get Elijah without having to go to Haven, I’d prefer it. As much as I would like to take the bastard down myself for what he did to Juliette, Sutton convinced me we’re up against a group of hostile men with guns. My revenge isn’t worth risking all our lives. If John and Paul bring the guns, we’ll record the transaction on video, get them to confess, and turn it all over to the feds. They have both the manpower and firepower to go up against Josiah where we do not.”
“I agree. We’ve never come across a compound this heavily guarded.” Sultan moved out of the way for Emberlynn to set their new drinks on the table.
“You fellas hungry?”
“Oh, shit. We ordered room service. Can you call to the kitchen and have them bring it in here instead?” Spyder asked.
“Sure. What’s your room number?” she asked with a sparkle in her eyes.
“Three fourteen.” Spyder looked down at Emberlynn’s chest
and licked his lips. Then he leaned in and whispered, “How do you feel about spankings?”
The waitress’s cheeks turned red, but fire flashed in her eyes. If Ryker hadn’t seen it for himself, he never would have believed it. Sultan was looking back and forth between the two of them, probably trying to figure out what the fuck was going on. He must not have been privy to Spyder’s and Hawk’s lifestyle outside the club.
“Close your mouth, Sarge,” Hawk said to Sultan.
“What is going on right now?” Sultan looked over his shoulder where Spyder was following the waitress to the kitchen door. He leaned in and whispered something in her ear, and Emberlynn threw her head back, laughing. She slapped Spyder on the arm and pushed through the swinging door.
Spyder returned to the table with a little more swagger in his step than usual. For one of the smaller Hounds, his attitude made up for his size.
“I think I’m in love.” Spyder had a dopey grin on his face.
Sultan narrowed his eyes but didn’t say anything because Emberlynn returned with their food. After setting their plates in front of them, she asked if they needed anything else while looking at Spyder. He surprised Ryker when he traded his flirting for politeness and told her they were all set. Ryker just shook his head. Jude “Spyder” Sterling was an enigma, and with every new piece of information Ryker found out about the Hound, the more he realized he really didn’t know the male at all. They had been friends and fellow Hounds for many years, but Ryker had kept to himself for most of those. When he thought about it, he didn’t know any of the Hounds, other than his brothers, as well as he should.
“Is settling down something you want?” Ryker asked.
“Of course, but I’m not going to until I’m sure the female is perfect in every way.”
Sultan wiped his mouth on his napkin before asking, “What type of female is perfect in your eyes?”
“She would have to have a sense of adventure, because my female will want to ride on my bike everywhere we go, unless it’s to a fancy restaurant. She will need to love kids and dogs because I want lots of both. She has to have a bit of a wild streak when it comes to sex, because I… No, you don’t need to know that part. And she has to get along with my mom.” Ryker had to agree with Spyder’s assessment, especially when it came to his mom. Rory’s opinion mattered. War had learned that the hard way.
“So, when you asked the waitress about spankings, you weren’t kidding?” Sultan asked.
“Nope. It’s better to get certain topics out there immediately. If she had bristled at the thought, I would know right away there’s no need to continue flirting with her.”
“That does make sense.” Sultan stared across the room, his eyes unfocused. Ryker understood his friend’s silence. Spyder might seem like a wild child, but his wisdom was sound. With the exception of Emberlynn bringing more drinks, the rest of the meal was eaten in contemplative silence until his phone rang.
“Xavier? What’s wrong?”
Chapter Sixteen
Rhiannon
Rhi woke to loud, angry voices. One was a voice she never wanted to hear again. She tried to sit up, but gentle hands pushed her back against the bed.
“Easy, Rhi.” Elizabeth brushed Rhiannon’s hair back from her sweaty face. At least she wasn’t freezing any longer.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Your father is trying to get past Xavier.”
“I don’t want him here. Please, don’t let him anywhere near me,” Rhi begged.
“You’re an adult, Sweetheart. He can’t make you go,” Elizabeth assured her.
“I have the paperwork saying I’m her power of attorney as well as her medical proxy. My daughter is in no state of mind to make decisions!”
“And how do you know what is wrong with your daughter? No one called you,” Xavier countered.
“The hospital called since my name is listed as her medical emergency contact,” David said.
“Mr. Spencer, no one from this hospital called you,” a third voice stated. “Rhiannon isn’t in a coma. She isn’t in distress. We have the situation under control, and if you don’t leave peacefully, I’ll be forced to call security.”
“This is bullshit. I want to see my daughter.”
“But she doesn’t want to see you,” Xavier growled. Rhiannon had heard that tone when Ryker was pissed. It was nice to have someone stand up to her father on her behalf.
“Get your hands off me! Rhiannon! You cannot keep me away from my daughter.”
“I can, and I will. She is an adult capable of making her own choices, and it’s her choice not to see you.”
David’s voice was loud even though it sounded farther away than it had initially. “I’m calling the police.”
“You do that, but do it somewhere else. You’re disturbing the patients,” the third voice said.
“You have no right to keep me from seeing her.”
“As Chief of Staff, I have every right. My hospital, my rules. Now, unless you want me to call the police, you need to leave. Quietly.”
“This isn’t over,” David snarled.
The voices quieted, then Xavier came into the room looking calm. He was joined by an older man who was anything but calm.
“Ah, Rhiannon. You’re awake. I’m Dr. Chastain. How are you feeling?”
Rhi looked down at her hand where a tube was sticking out. Her left leg was numb, but the pain was gone. “Better. Uh, what happened?”
“We removed a chip from your left ankle, and we are giving you both pain medication and an antiserum for the drug.”
“My father drugged me?” Rhi couldn’t breathe. She knew he had turned dark, but…
“Rhi, look at me. Breathe with me,” Xavier commanded. She looked up at his handsome face, which was blurry from her tears. “That’s it, breathe in and hold it. Good, now let it out.” Xavier urged her to inhale several more times, and finally she didn’t feel like she was going to pass out. “We don’t know that for certain. What we do know is the chip either malfunctioned or was triggered.”
“Rhiannon, the drug in your system wasn’t enough to kill you. That might not make you feel better, but we do have it under control. You’ll feel the effects for a while. Numbness in your leg and possibly your hip. Once the antiserum runs its course, you’ll be able to walk.”
“What kind of drug was it?” Not that she knew anything about different drugs, but she wanted the truth of what her father had done. More importantly, why?
Dr. Chastain looked at Xavier, his face unreadable. “Please, just tell me,” she begged.
Xavier took Rhi’s hand. “It’s a rare paralyzing agent. One that most humans don’t have access to. If enough of the drug was introduced into your system, it could have rendered you immobile. In other words, you would have been completely paralyzed. Given the small amount present, we believe it was only meant to cause panic and bring you to the hospital. Since your father arrived soon after we did, he had to have known the drug had been triggered, because like Dr. Chastain said, no one called him. Since you’ve never been a patient at this hospital, they had none of your records. No authorization or medical contact. I explained a little of your history to Dr. Chastain, and we were able to keep your father away from you.”
“He’s not going to stop,” Rhi whispered.
“You don’t need to worry about that. I’ve called in some friends of mine, and they will guard the house and property until it is deemed safe for you to leave.” Xavier didn’t have to say what kind of friends. He meant Gargoyles. Gargoyles whose skin was impenetrable to bullets.
“When can we go back to your place?” Rhi wanted to be surrounded by Gargoyles. Protected from her father and Josiah and anyone else related to Haven.
“We will need to monitor you closely. The drug should be completely out of your system by this time tomorrow, so until then, you’ll need to remain here,” Dr. Chastain explained.
“Have you called Ryker?” Rhi asked Xavier.
/> “Yes.”
Rhi sank back into the pillow and closed her eyes. The doctor spoke with Xavier in low tones, but Rhi didn’t bother trying to listen. Her leg wasn’t the only thing that was numb. Her heart was trying to freeze inside her chest. How could her father do this to her? He had all but ignored her for ten years, so why was he so interested in her now? It had to be her gift. That was the only thing that made sense, and even that was far-fetched.
“She needs to rest,” Dr. Chastain said. “I’ll allow you all to remain in here with her because of the circumstances, but please don’t upset her. That will slow the healing process.”
“We’ll make sure she sleeps,” Elizabeth assured the doctor.
Once Dr. Chastain was out of the room, Xavier stepped up to the bed. “I told Ryker what was happening, because if I were in his place and no one informed me my mate was in trouble, I would tear the world apart. I did convince him you are safe and he should remain where he is. The sooner he takes care of Josiah, the sooner the two of you can be together. He left you in my care because Lucy trusts us to take care of you. There is nothing Ryker can do for you that isn’t already being done. It took a bit of arguing and assuring him you’re going to be okay, but he agreed. I promised him I would keep him updated on your condition. Now, like the doctor said, you need to get some rest.” Xavier dimmed all the lights in the room and closed the blinds. Mac was sitting in the corner biting the side of her thumb, but when she looked at Rhi, she smiled. Xavier sat on the small sofa and pulled Elizabeth down next to him.
Rhi’s eyes, even though they were already closed, got heavier. She didn’t try to fight sleep. If that would help her heal faster, then she welcomed it.
“David, that’s crazy.”
“I know what I saw, Daisy.”
“No, you don’t. What you saw was my daughter caring for a wounded animal. Nothing more.”
“Oh, now she’s your daughter?”
“You know what I mean. The only thing special about Rhiannon is the size of her heart.”
“Look, I’m not the only one who knows. My mother… We have to protect Rhi.”