If he's telling the truth about this, does that mean that he's being honest about everything else? I wasn't anywhere close to forgiving him, but I can't deny the fact that I was happy, elated even, that we were in the same room together after so many years apart, even though we were yelling at each other.I hadn't really let it set in entirely that he was really here, and it was now sinking in that we were this close to each other again after thinking for so long that this would never happen in this lifetime. I lost count of how many times in the beginning I imagined just this happening. How many times have I wished to wake up from the nightmare and realize that it was all just a dream until time passed by, and I gave up hope and stopped wishing?I won't deny to myself that I liked having him here, that being this close to him was the most alive I've felt in too long to remember. I won't lie to myself about the way it makes me feel, but no way in hell will I let him see or know it.I'v
I was as nervous as I was the first time I touched her. Back then, my nervousness stemmed from the newness and, yes, the fact that I was so in awe of her that it was like a fairytale come true just to breathe her in. This time my hands shook with emotion because I never thought I'd be here again.I know I have a long way to go and that there's so much more that needs to be done on my part, but the truth of the matter is I've never been able to keep my hands to myself when it comes to Elena, and it used to be the same for her. This was always the one place we were compatible, and I'd missed this closeness more than my next breath.With each bit of her flesh, I revealed I held my breath, waiting for her to stop me and hoping with everything in me that she didn't. Earlier, she'd said that it was just sex, but for me, it was so much more. I needed desperately to reforge the bond between us, the bond that I'd thought was so irrevocably broken.And when she trembled beneath my hands, I sent
Shit, shit, shit, what the hell have I done? How could I be so stupid? In all my daydreams, I never imagined things turning out this way. Killing him on sight, yeah, but not once did I ever imagine jumping into bed with him the first chance I got. I wish I was the kind of woman who'd see this as getting some of my own back.I don't know all the particulars of their divorce, but I'm almost certain that something sinister is going on or that nut would've been all over the news having killed someone, either him or me. The fact that she hadn't come knocking on my door tells me that something strange was at play.I don't think Ryder would've lied to me about the divorce, so my guess is those men he told me about had a hand in whatever was going on here. I should've asked more questions, but it's too late for that now, isn't it? As soon as he disappeared into the bathroom, I high-tailed it to the guest bath down the hall.Well, I moved as fast as I could since muscles that had lain dormant f
She's finally asleep again, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I felt a bit uneasy as I lay there beside her thinking about my next move. When I insisted Zak and Tyler bring me here, they weren't exactly on board, but they understood my need to get to her. Their reason for not wanting me to rush things is that there was no set plan in mind.But I couldn't not come to her once it came to light that Janie and her dad, along with Mary and the others, were planning to not only harm her but take her life. The fear I felt in that moment overshadowed everything else, and all I could think about was getting to her, if only to stand in front of her, protecting her from the danger.They weren't planning to rush right out and harm her, but for me, it made no difference; even a second more away from her after hearing that would've been too much for me to bear. But as usual, I didn't think about what came next; I just couldn't ignore the need in me to be next to her.Tyler and Zak had offered to ha
"Ryder?" Her voice sounded groggy with sleep."I'm here baby girl.""I thought it was a dream." For a few seconds more, she held on tight until she came fully awake and reality set in. Then she tried easing away from me, but I wasn't yet ready to let go.I knew that once I did, the fear would be back in her eyes, and it was killing me that, once again, I'd handled things so poorly. I should've waited until things were settled, but still, how could I have done that, knowing she was in trouble?There was no threat of immediate physical danger, and I knew I had to take things slow and be extra careful with the way I handled things in the next few days. I came here knowing that I would have to leave her physically for a few days at least, but I couldn't wait to reforge the bond that had been broken. Now I was having second thoughts about my strategy.There was no hope for it, though, no turning back, and all I could do was make sure she knew that I won't ever leave her again, that I was he
As expected, she wasn't handling the news of Rachel's betrayal very well. I held her through her crying jag, which broke my heart into pieces, and then I had a time of it getting her to calm down and not do anything rash once the tears were over.She wanted to confront the other woman as soon as she returned in a day or two, but I had something better up my sleeve, something I was hoping she'd agree to not only for her sake but for my own peace of mind as well.Since I couldn't stay here with her just yet, there was no way I wanted her here alone, so when she took a trip to the bathroom to wash her face, I made a quick call to the guys with my suggestion, but since we didn't have a lot of time before she got back I didn't exactly get an answer from them, not that I needed one in this situation. As long as it was about her safety, I wasn't about to take any chances, and I was almost certain they'd see things my way. So I waited for her return to put my plan into action and hoped for th
"So, I don't understand; how did you come to be here? Do you know Ryder's new friends?""Yes, of course, come on upstairs and have a rest, I bet you have a million questions, and we didn't get to talk a lot the last time we met." I felt very calm in her presence, almost like you'd expect to feel after a long day spent at the spa being pampered.When she led me up the grand staircase to the largest master suite I'd ever seen, which seemed to be the only room in the house that had been decorated in any way, I followed without complaint. This room was gorgeous, and I noticed that it had many of the things I would've liked and chosen myself, which meant Ryder had done this. But how did he know that I would agree to come here?"Your young man told us what you liked, and we had it taken care of. It's a bit rush, and he did say that you would be redecorating at some point, so don't mind if it's not exactly as you would've liked.""Are you kidding? It's gorgeous; I love it." Even the green cur
"Where's Ryder? I want Ryder.""I'm sorry, ma'am, but you're not allowed any visitors at this time.""Well, has he called? Has anyone?""I'll have to go check in a minute." I don't even remember how I got here or what happened after I collapsed on the floor.My hands were tied to the hospital bed and bandaged, probably to keep me from tearing at the flesh on my face, which was only now starting to settle down from that awful itching and burning that was driving me insane.I'd already answered all the questions the doctors had asked, like where I'd been in the last few days or if I'd tried anything new and such, all to which I'd answered no, and their seeming ignorance as to what was happening to me was only adding to my fear. I tried to tell them about the flowers, I even tried to get them to read the message on my phone, but it was gone. Now they probably think that I had indeed lost my mind.I'd heard them whispering about closing off our home as if it were contaminated or something,
I saw it as soon as I saw her walking towards the car. Even from this distance, her eyes gave it away. It’s amazing that after all that time apart, I can still read her so well. I knew from the looks of things that she’d spent the day worrying about someone who didn’t deserve it; in fact, I knew it would be like this even before I left her because that’s just who she is, and still, I’d let her go to work like that. I have to do better than this. This was one of my many failings from before, not protecting her even from herself. She’s so brilliant in everything else, always knowing the right thing to say or do, that it was never really needed, except when it came to herself. For everyone else, she’s a champion of causes, the one you want next to you in a fight. As long as the fight is for someone else.I’d seen it, time and again, the way she’d put herself last to take care of others and had taken advantage of that fact a time or two myself. Something I am now grievously ashamed of. Of
“You’ve got the wrong guy. Don’t you people know who I am? Hey, I’m talking to you; answer me, dammit.” They ignored me again like they had the last ten times I said the same. I’ve been repeating that refrain or some variation of it since they threw me back here with cuffs on and no regard for my comfort. At first, I tried telling myself that it was because of my disheveled appearance that they didn’t recognize me, but then I remembered that they’d called me by name in the alley, and that line of thought went nowhere, but only worked to heighten my fear and desperation.I was trying hard not to shit myself while worrying about the cameras that were bound to meet us as soon as we reached the station. “Hey guys, give me a break here; you know I’m not good for this; you should be out there looking for the real killer. At least let me get cleaned up before you take me in. I can’t let my fans see me like this.” Nothing, it was as if I wasn’t even there.I haven’t even had time to digest th
In moments of clarity, I kept telling myself I could bounce back from this, that things were not as final as they seemed, and then my head would become filled with all the ways I’d been wronged, and I’d get so mad I could throw up. All the way back to my childhood home with the two strange men upfront, silent as the dead, ignoring my questions, all I wanted to do was scream.One moment, I felt hopeful and ready to fight for what was mine, and the next, I didn’t have the energy to keep my eyes open. I knew it was partly because of the long drive the night before and partly the drugs messing with me, and still, I couldn’t help taking a couple more just to numb the pain.All I could think about was how hard things were going to be, how people were going to laugh at me, how low I had fallen. No matter how much I told myself to think positively and not give up, those were the only thoughts that seemed to want to hang around, and so they lingered.It wasn’t long before the pills started to d
“Do you want to call out today? Tell them you’re not feeling well?”“No, I can’t do that to the others, they have lives too, you know, and they didn’t sign up for my personal drama. I’ll be fine, Ryder, don’t worry about me.” I had to say those words because what else was I going to say? But deep inside, I was a mess and trying very hard to hold onto my sanity.I find myself caught up in a melee of troubling thoughts that don’t sit well with me, and there was no time to think it all through because I had to go to work and be my best in front of the cameras, not giving away any of what I was feeling. It's enough to make me throw up.If it were up to me, I’d go back to bed and pull the covers over my head until it all passed, but I don’t have that option. I thought I would be happy to see my enemy brought low. I’d imagined it a million times over the years, every time I hurt, each time I thought of him with her. I’m only human, after all, and someone else was married and living with the
“We’ve got sound.”“What, they let you back on the island?”“They don’t know we’re back in.”“I’m pretty sure Russo had a hand in this.”“You would be right; only he could pull off something like this. That’s why we need him on our side.”Another ingrate. “You still haven’t told me how you found every one of us.”“Well, I was doing your job.”“I’m not looking for fuck.”“You found Lorde.”“He found me.”“If you say so.”“I’m not in the mood for your hoodoo bullshit.”“It’s the law of attraction, Lyon; they’re all coming home. Don’t you find it strange that the kids in Cali all found each other without knowing about their ancestral past? We should talk to Catalina about this; I’d love to hear her take on it.”“You talk to her. I ain’t saying shit to that kid.”“You’re just salty because she’s your carbon copy but in a cuter package.”“Kiss my ass. By the way, if she has those lions on that island, I’ll leave the whole lot of you there to get eaten, dumb ass.”“They were taken back to wh
What in the world is going on? Am I having an episode, or is this really happening right now? Things seem to be moving very fast one moment, only to slow way down the next, and everything is all out of place. My head was still spinning from my earlier rush of anger, and I could tell that any second now, I was going to lose my breath or have a total meltdown.Ryder looked just as confused as I was, and the hand that I’d used to slug her with stung as he held it gripped tightly in his. There was way too much to unpack here, not least of all the things Janie had revealed in the video we’d all just watched.My chest felt tight as I fought the urge to attack her again, but I knew as much anger as I felt, she was not the only one to blame here. I could lay it all at her feet for sure since she was the idiot who couldn’t take no for an answer. But I have to ask myself, had it not been her, would they have found someone else? From what I see, they would’ve used anyone to serve their purpose; s
I should’ve seen it coming, but even I didn’t think she was this stupid. Janie flew up from the chair in a rage and went after Elena, talons bared and teeth gnashing like something out of the wild. And before I or either Jared or Travis could reach them, Elena swung and knocked her down with a punch to the face. The screeching was almost unbearable in the empty room as it bounced off the walls like an echo.Elena, my little angel who I believe has never hurt a fly, stood over her and pulled her hair back hard with her hand raised, ready to wail on her again, but then she suddenly stopped and jumped away from Janie as if she’d been prodded by something. Unfair as it was, I was about to let Janie have it for whatever it was she had done to hurt her, but then Elena spoke, and it was the horror in her voice that had me stepping forward to take a closer look.“What the hell? What happened to your face?” I almost laughed at Elena’s question, thinking she was being facetious since she was the
“Where are we going?” She whispered the question as we were being driven through the quiet early morning New York streets by the two very stoic men up front.“I have no idea; they didn’t say. Are you nervous?” She turned to look out the tinted window while keeping her hold on my arm, where she had hers wrapped around my elbow.“Not really. Isn’t that strange?”“I know what you mean. I was thinking the same thing earlier.” I don’t feel this at ease around men I hire myself and have known for years.“Have you noticed, though, how quiet the street was when we left the apartment?”“It’s early.”“Yeah, but this is New York; there’s always someone outside, no matter how late or how early it is. I don’t think there was even a pigeon on the sidewalk.”I’d noticed that, too, and didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to spook her, but I was pretty sure the two men up front had something to do with that. I wouldn’t be surprised because all of Lyon’s men seem to have some sort of tactical trai
The phone rang just as I came out the shower. I’d been in there for much longer than was necessary, thinking about the way my life had changed so drastically in only a few short weeks. It seems impossible, and I still find myself having these moments where I want to pinch myself to make sure that it’s real.In that space of time, I’d gone from wishing for death to wanting to live more than anything. From living in the worst kind of hell imaginable to being the happiest I’ve ever been in my existence. The only thing plaguing me now was how easy it had been for me to lose everything the last time and worrying about how not to let it happen again.I doubt I’d be such an ass twice, but I hadn’t expected things to go south the last time either, and that’s what’s worrying the hell out of me. How blind I was to the people and situations around me. Drugs had played a part in it, sure, but I won’t use that as an excuse for the mess I’d made of our lives.I wasn’t in any hurry to answer the phon