I had a day to gather all of the information that would paint Ryker as the good guy, the one that had always helped anyone that he could, including myself.
I needed to sell this story to Elle if I wanted her to take the story to the paper she worked for. She was curious, and while everyone else in Coronado seemed to be steering clear of all bikers, I had a feeling she would jump on any opportunity to set herself apart. It was a good plan. Especially because I would need some firepower to make sure Herold couldn’t unravel everything I was trying to do.
I practically had a confession tape from the mouth of a Hell Riders biker, and I planned on using it as soon as I had the chance. This was a long shot, especially with how hated the bikers were around town, but it was the best I could do right now. I hoped it would be enough.
But first, I needed to loop Ryker in on what I was about to do. I called him, my knees bouncing nervously as I waited for him to pick up. He needed to hear this as soon as possible. It was going to require contacting Lucifer to get any remaining information that was going to help my case.
“Hello, Anna?”
“I’m sorry to bother you so early. I know you went home really late last night, but I have an idea that I want to run by you before I dive off the deep end with it,” I said.
“I’m listening.”
I told him the plan, every detail of what was going to unfold over the next few days as we tried to do whatever we could to either get the case thrown out entirely, or come out on top. I was determined to make this work.
Once the chief learned what I was doing, he would be breathing down my neck about it, and would likely try to get me fired. I could hear the words coming out of his mouth, the air of disappointment in his voice while he told me how I was supposed to be the different one. The one that was supposed to fix all of his problems for him.
Now, I was after something entirely different, and my heart was entangled with a biker that didn’t deserve to serve a single minute of jail time. The lines were blurred around what Ryker actually did to survive, and he was a good man.
I was falling hard for Ryker, in a way that I had never done before. My heart being involved was going to make things more difficult regarding his case, but I couldn’t help how I felt. We had a connection I never expected to be this loud, conspicuous, and an absolute ride. He made me feel alive, and there was no way I could walk away from that. I needed to do this for him, and for us. If I wanted to see where this could go in the future, then I had to do everything possible to keep him from spending the rest of his life behind bars.
“Anna, I don’t know. This could go to shit really fast, and you know that,” he said, and while he had a point, it was a risk I was willing to take.
“What does the public think of you right now, Ryker?” I asked.
“They hate us. They want us off the streets, and think we’re nothing but criminals,” he replied.
“So, what do you have to lose?” I asked again. This time I could hear him thinking about it, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before he let me run with it.
“Okay, but I need you to be careful. The media is a circus, and I’ve seen them do some pretty questionable things.” He warned, but I smiled to myself.
“I have a friend that will be able to help me out with this, but I believe this might be the lead we were looking for. Coupled with the evidence we have, it looks like a slam dunk to me.” I chuckled.
Our conversation continued for a moment, and I felt good for the first time in a while, like I was finally getting somewhere. But that quickly came to an end when I heard a loud noise in the kitchen. It sounded like someone had dropped a glass, and it shattered onto my kitchen floor. I went absolutely silent, gulping.
Ryker’s voice rang through my phone. “Anna, are you there?”
“Ryker, I need you to get here quickly. Someone’s in my apartment,” I whispered and hung up.
I grabbed the lamp on the side table, inching closer to the kitchen. I’d left my gun in my bedroom and if someone was in my kitchen, I’d never make it around the corner fast enough to get to it.
I caught sight of a Hell Riders biker before I’d even made it around the corner. He had a gun pointed directly at me. I was frozen.
The only thing on my mind was that Hope was still asleep in her room. I prayed she wouldn’t take this moment to wake up and walk down the hall.
My front door swung open with a loud bang, and five more bikers, all with their guns pointed at me, came barreling in.
“What do you want?”
“Well, let’s see. Ryker beat the shit out of some of my guys, and I heard you were working with him to keep the bitch out of jail. I couldn’t resist coming to pay you a visit. Sit down,” he shouted.
I sat down, thankful I didn’t hear a peep from Hope. I just hoped that she stayed asleep. If they hurt her it would shatter my heart into a million pieces.
“What do you want?” I asked again, through gritted teeth.
Before he could answer me, Hope’s bedroom opened and she stumbled into the room, rubbing her eyes. As soon as she looked up, I could see the fear in her eyes. Everything was moving slowly, and I could barely think straight, but I knew that I had to keep her safe.
“Hope, go back to your room and lock the door. Now!” I screamed. She did as I said, clutching her teddy bear close to her. I clutched my phone behind my back, quickly dialing 911 before I dropped it into the armchair behind me. It was the only way that they were going to be able to hear what was going on, and the chief would never be able to say this didn’t happen.
“Don’t think I won’t bust down that door and kill your fucking daughter! You want to know what I want? I need you to stop snooping into people’s business. Stop helping Ryker get off. He has to go to jail. That’s the only way we get to stay. If I find out that you’re still investigating this case, I will put a bullet right through your little girl’s head while I make you watch.”
My heart sank into my stomach, making me feel sick with disgust. “Are those your words, or the words of someone else? Did he tell you to make sure that nothing got in the way of Ryker’s conviction? Huh?”
Dammit, I wanted to name the chief, but I couldn’t risk accusing him directly without hard evidence. If I got out of this alive, I’d have enough time to leak the call to the press, and that would seal the deal before Ryker’s case hit the courtroom. I tried to calm myself by taking a deep breath. I stared down the barrel of the gun that was pointing at me as the biker inch his way into my face.
“You think you got all of this figured out, don’t you? Let me break it to you, bitch. You ain’t gonna win this fight. The chief promised we would walk, and we’re gonna do whatever he asks so we stay outta jail.” he said again.
I smiled at the same time the sound of the 911 operator’s voice sounded through my phone. It took him a moment to realize what was going on, but I saw the anger return to his eyes.
He cocked his gun back and yelled, “You fucking called the cops!”
“It sounds like the chief is your friend, right? Surely he can sort all this out for you,” I said.
He dropped his gun and grabbed me by the throat. All of his buddies gathered around him, cocking their guns back. His hands tightened around my throat, and the world around me started to slip away.
I focused on Hope. I couldn’t leave her, not like this, not after everything she’d already been through. It would destroy her if she lost her mommy.
I tried everything I could to fight back. I tried to claw at the biker’s eyes, or grab hold of something that I could hit him with, but it was no use.
He had me right where he wanted me, and I was seconds from passing out.
Please, Ryker. Please get here soon. I need you.
15
Ryker
I drove down to her apartment as fast as I could. The blood rushed to my head as I whizzed past cars on the street. Almost every car honked their horn at me when I cut them off. I knew I was driving like an
idiot—a crazy person—but I didn’t care. Anna needed me.
I promised her I would keep her safe, and I had no intention of failing her now. I never should’ve let her get involved with me. This case put her in the line of fire, and she didn’t deserve that. She was one of the good ones.
I thought she’d be safe at home, but I was wrong.
I gripped the handlebars of my bike. My heart raced as I remembered the first night I met her. Even in fear, she was stunning. I knew as soon as I came to her rescue, I’d find a way to have her in my life.
The night of the almost attack, she hadn’t been far from her home, and I imagined it didn’t take the Hell Riders long to figure that out.
I was preparing for a bloodbath, and I was ready to do whatever it took to make sure both Anna and Hope were safe. I knew it was a bad idea to let her get close to the Hell Riders. It was stupid of me to think she could ask all those questions without being recognized. It was next to impossible to forget a beautiful face and body like hers. I should’ve listened to my gut and shut it down when I had the chance.
I pulled up to her building and leaped off my bike. I didn’t bother to make sure it was safe or hidden from view. Every second counted. I ran up the stairs and slammed the elevator button a hundred times until it dinged, opening up for me.
Come on. Come on. I grabbed my gun from its holster and cocked it. I was ready to shoot without hesitation. I didn’t care what kind of consequences I could face this time. I just needed to get there in time, and make sure she was safe.
I rushed down the hallway, and my heart sank when I saw her door was busted open.When I entered, a Hell Riders biker stood over her with a gun pointed at her face.
“Hey, asshole.” He turned to me, and I fired off the first shot before he had the chance to react. I wasn’t going for the kill. Instead, I hit him in the knee which was all I needed to make sure he dropped to the ground fast. I rushed inside, just as a shot fired at me but I ducked. I hit the guy who fired in the gut with my shoulder and knocked him into the other bikers in the apartment. Thankfully, it was hard enough to cause the other men to lose their grip on the guns and they flew across the room.
I rose, kicking the gun at my feet closer to Anna, before I proceeded to aim my gun at all of their asses. With one down, and the rest unarmed, they didn’t dare make a move.
Anna glanced up at me with tears in her eyes. I nodded, letting her know that everything was going to be okay. With gunshots fired, someone had to have called the cops. If they were doing their job, they’d be here any minute now.
“Didn’t I tell you fuckers once before to leave her the fuck alone?” I yelled. I held my gun directly to them ready to put a bullet in each one. Their faces were scared and they didn’t look nearly as affected by my threats as they should. Then again, the Hell Riders probably sent their best men for this job. They wouldn’t waste time by sending their weakest men. Not if they really wanted to take care of Anna.
They scrambled to their feet, two men grabbing a hold of the man I shot and rushed out of the apartment. Maybe I should’ve stopped them, but I didn’t care. I only cared that Anna and Hope were fine and safe. One day, soon, the Hell Riders would get what was coming to them.
“Ryker!” Anna screamed, pointing at the door.
I held my hand up to her to tell her to stop. “It’s okay, Anna. Let them go. There are cameras all over this building, and someone is bound to see them leave. Coming here was a stupid move in their part. I’m guessing they don’t know who you really are or else they wouldn’t have come here. They’ll get what’s coming to them.”
“How did they know that I’m helping you,” she said, running into my arms.
I squeezed her close, holding her so she would know that no one was going to hurt her. “If they know, so does the chief. He’s probably had eyes on you this entire time, Anna. The man is willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was somehow involved in this.”
“Well, it’s time I move on what I have. This incident, as traumatizing as it is, may be the one thing that will sell your story to the press as the man that saved one of the city's finest detectives.” Anna smiled as she clenched her fists in my shirt, the signs of fear fading.
Then her mouth dropped and she left my arms. She rushed one of the bedroom doors and called for Hope. Crying and trembling, little Hope fell into her mommy’s arms. Anna scooped her up and kissed her head. “It’s going to be okay, Hope. Mommy’s got you. You see? The nice man Ryker came to save us. He protected us.”
Hope dried her eyes with the small palms of her hands, just as the police sirens started to sound outside of the window.
“I’m right here with you both. I’m not going anywhere,” I said. A small smile curled up on Hope’s face right before she buried her head into her mother’s neck again.
Me being here was going to draw additional questions from the cops, but I didn’t care. If I left now, it would only make things worse. They had to know I was here, and that I helped Anna. I hated thinking about how this might affect my case, and I hated that it was on Anna’s mind.
She really wasn’t going to give up on me, and that warmed my heart.
“Ryker, I need you to do something for me. All of the files on my coffee table, scoop them up and stash them in the closet. The police can’t see these files. It could jeopardize your case.” I rushed back out to the living room, doing exactly what she said.
Once there were no signs of any of the information she collected, I prepared myself. I would have to answer a bunch of questions. It may look bad on Anna, a new detective, to have someone like me in her apartment, but I couldn’t leave.
I learned a lot from Anna, especially how she handled herself, and if we were going to do this, we had to do it together. I believed in her the way she believed in me, but I wasn’t going to allow her to put her life on the line anymore.
This had to end. Once she went to the press with what she had, the chief would have no choice but to acknowledge it as well. This was our last chance to keep me out of jail, and clear my name. More importantly, to make sure that the Black Souls continued to roam free without the worry of the cops on their backs. There would be no more faked stories and planted evidence.
This was it. Either this went our way, or we were going to have to accept that we did everything we could to make sure the truth was out there.
Let’s do this.
16
Anna
After this was all over, there was a good chance that the charges would be dropped and Ryker would never see the inside of a courtroom. I didn’t want Ryker to have to go through a trial, especially because he was an innocent man.
We endured a long night of questioning. The police took photos of every blood stain on my furniture, the walls, and even some of Hope’s toys. Ryker sat next to me, answering questions of his own. He never once let go of my hand, squeezing it tightly for support. I held Hope on my lap, and she clutched her teddy bear to her chest for dear life. She was worried something bad was going to happen again, and I hate that for her. I felt it in my gut that we were safe for now.
If there was going to be a fight later, I would be the only one defending myself. This had to be settled internally, and I had no doubt the chief was one step ahead of us. He probably had a hand in sending the Hell Riders to my door. They could have followed me home, but I’d put money on Harold giving them my address.
Once the questions concluded, I called Aunt Fern. I didn’t want to tell her what happened, but this wasn’t something I could keep a secret. It would be all over the news before the sun came up. My heart thumped loudly as the phone rang, and it didn’t calm down once during our conversation.
She rushed right over more than willing to do whatever she could to help us. As soon as Aunt Fran walked through the door, Hope ran into her arms.
“Oh my God, Anna. Thank God you’re okay!” she exclaimed, rushing over to embrace me with Hope still in her arm
s.
“I’m alright, Aunt Fern. Is it okay if Hope and I stay with you tonight?”
“Like you even have to ask,” she said. She handed Hope off to me just as the police were getting ready to leave and turned toward Ryker. “Ryker, when you first stepped foot into this house, I had my doubts about you. If I’m honest, I still do. But you saved Anna and Hope, and for that I’m so grateful that Anna has a man like you in her life. I’m sorry for not seeing how wonderful of a man you are sooner.”
He smiled warmly. “I’ll always look out for her, not to worry.”
“Thank you.” Aunt Fern took Hope down to her car so I could have a moment alone with Ryker before I had to pack an overnight bag and make my way to her house.
He embraced me, and I felt safe enveloped in those warm, bulging muscles of his. I breathed in his musky scent and it brought me ease. It was the first time that I’d been able to relax since those assholes busted into my apartment. It wasn’t going to last long, though, because once I met with Elle, I’d convince her that she had a story she needed to tell.
“Thank you for everything, Ryker.”
“You don’t have to thank me, Anna. You know I would do anything for you. I know it feels like we only just met, but I care about you, Anna. I couldn’t live with myself if something ever happened to you.” He pulled me close and caressed my cheek. I inched closer to him and pressed my lips up against his.
“And I couldn’t live with myself if all of this was for nothing. So, I’m going to take my files, and my clothes down to Aunt Fern’s house, give Elle the news she needs to leak, and head into work. If everything goes to plan, Harold will have no choice but to admit you were charged wrongly and petition to have the charges dropped. The last thing he wants is a scandal, especially one that paints him in a negative light,” I said.
“I don’t know how to thank you for this,” he said.
“Just promise me you’ll stay safe until this all blows over.”
Ryker: MC Romance Page 12