Page 27 of Ryder's War

Sighing, Hickory caught Abby’s eye and pointed to a small recliner with a stack of clean bed clothes. “Let us know if you need anything.”

“I’m sure I’ll be just fine,” she assured him quietly.

“Get the fuck out.” Darkness kept his voice low, but his tone was deadly.

Ryder immediately grabbed his woman’s hand and headed for their private room upstairs. Stopping briefly in front of Abby, he looked her in the eyes. “Everything I said before still applies. This room is wired for security, and the camerasare being monitored. If you come anywhere near our president, we’ll shoot first and ask questions later.”

Grinning, the woman asked teasingly, “Are you afraid that I’m gonna sweet talk my way right back into his life?”

Taking a step closer, Ryder tilted his head sideways, letting his enforcer's mask slip just enough to show the predator underneath. Club protection wasn't just about guns and muscle. Sometimes it was about making sure threats knew exactly what lines they couldn't cross. “I’m afraid you’re just about crazy enough to think you can finish the job the Seven Devils sent you to do, and you think throwing my friend’s baby into the mix is gonna help you when things go bad.”

The smile slid from her face and was immediately replaced by a dirty look that was fit to kill.

“I see we understand each other,” Ryder stated flatly.

Pulling Tiffany out of the room behind him, Ryder walked straight to the spacious utility closet the brothers had turned into a security room. There, sitting at a long desk, were two brothers. One was Peb, the only brother who could possibly be described as a techno geek. He spent most of his waking hours in the security station, and it showed. His pale skin was slowly taking on a translucent quality, or maybe it just looked that way in contrast to his jet-black hairand ice-blue eyes. The other brother was his actual brother, Cork.

The more normal of the two jerked his chin at Ryder. “You don’t have to say a word. We’re not taking our eyes off the monitors tonight. I don’t trust that bitch any farther than I can throw her,” Cork said.

Peb spoke from the far side of the desk where he was sitting with his feet resting on the edge, so he could balance his tablet on his lap. “Why is he letting her stay up here? She’s a stone-cold killer at the worst and a security threat to every one of us at the very least.”

Shoving his fingers roughly through his hair, Ryder looked from one brother to the other. “Hell, I don’t know. He’s probably afraid his little one will wake up, and he won’t be able to calm her. Darkness doesnottrust that bitch. I can tell you that much, with a hundred percent certainty.”

Tiffany squeezed his hand, giving him a gentle reminder that they were on their way to bed. “Lock down the security system,” he instructed. “Monitor his phone, and if she tries to make a call, let her. I want to know who she called and have a recording of what they’re talking about in real time. Call me, and then push it to my tablet. If she’s stupid enough to try to geta call out, do not allow them to compromise our system.”

Peb shoved a handful of long hair out of his face and peered up at his Sargent at Arms. “I am not going to let the club down. You can sleep well knowing me and Cork are standing watch.”

Nodding, Ryder almost felt embarrassed for worrying. But that was the thing about brotherhood—it meant sharing the weight, trusting others to stand guard while you slept. Even if sleep felt like luxury with a snake in their nest. “Don’t forget the outside monitors. Make sure the prospects are walking the perimeter.”

Cork jerked his chin again. We’re on lock-down, brother. The prospects know their jobs. I’ll check behind them every step of the way.”

“Sorry, guys. This whole situation has me jumpy as hell.”

“You ain’t the only one, brother. Don’t worry, we got this.”

Ryder stepped back and shut the door. It took him a few seconds to move away because his feet just would not move. Everything inside of him urged him to stick around and make sure that things didn't go south, but he knew his brothers were more than capable of handling the job. Trust went both ways in the club - you had to give it to get it.

Turning, he forced himself to put one foot in front of the other. Behind him, monitors glowed like electric eyes in the darkness, keeping watch over their wounded president and his newfound family. The question wasn't whether Abby would try something…

It was whether they'd catch her in time when she did.

~ Ryder ~

Something was eating away at his gut—not uncertainty, but the weight of too many certainties colliding at once. Club business wasrarely simple, but this felt like watching multiple fuses burn toward the same powder keg. The cold, hard fact of the matter was that there were so many things going on at once, it was nearly impossible to pin it down to just one.

He didn’t bother to stop for brothers or whores but snagged a couple of cold beers along the way. Tiffany seemed embarrassingly eager to get away from everyone. When they made it to their room, Ryder couldn’t calm down. Flipping on his tablet, he signed onto the security feed and cracked openhis beer, but he was too wired to sit long enough to watch the screen and began to pace.

“You’re not going to sleep tonight, are you?”

Tiffany’s quiet voice stopped him in his tracks. Turning, he walked over to her and sat on the edge of the bed. “I’ve got a dozen questions all buzzing in my head at the same time. How is it that the one person in the entire world gunning for Darkness is his batshit crazy ex? Why do the Seven Devils suddenly want him dead?” he asked, pouring his thoughts out. “I think it’s to do with some property we’re buying, but something feels off. Of all the people they could get to snipe Darkness, why pick Abigail Fucking Andrews? Maybe they thought she could get close to him if she missed her first shot and he’d let his guard down with her?”

The Devils weren't known for subtle plays, but using Abby felt calculated. Like they were trying to wound more than just flesh. They were aiming for the heart of club loyalty itself.

Tiffany’s brows knitted together. “Does he still have a soft spot for her?”

Ryder shook his head emphatically. “No, and that’s why Abby had to know we’d never let her within a hundred yards of Darkness after she tried to kill him. The smart little bitch brought the kid into it and wormed her way right in. It almost feels like she was saving the kid as her ace in the hole.”

His woman tended to try to find the best in everyone, but she was a smart cookie, and Ryderknew she’d reach the same conclusion he had if she gave it enough thought.

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