Page 33 of Ryder's War

Pulling out his cell phone, Ryder made quick work of texting his father asking if it was okay forRose to take care of the baby and if he’d talk to her about it. “Done.”

Barking a gruff command to Abby, Darkness continued to devour his food like a starving man. “Let Tiffany hold the baby while you eat.”

Without thought or question, Abby handed over her little one and dug into her food. Tiffany’s eyes lifted to Ryder’s, and he jerked his chin. No one really knew what to make of the situation.

Darkness leaned forward to speak directly to Abby. “I’m going to give you one chance to tell me what the hell Devil wants from me. I’ll have the boys take you out back if you lie to me.”

At the blatant threat, she stopped eating mid-bite and stared at him. “You ain’t my ex on paper. You know that, right?”

“You want a divorce. Hell’s bells, girl, you could have mailed me that shit.”

“Devil wants cold, hard cash. We took out an insurance policy on you for a quarter of a million. He wants you dead, or you can just pay him the same amount in cash.”

“Why in the fuck would I do something like that, when I could just kill you and be done with it?” The casual way he delivered the threat carried more weight than rage ever could. In their world, the deadliest promises were made in conversational tones over breakfast.

Ryder knew well the kind of storm that was likely brewing beneath the surface of his president’s carefully collected demeanor.

“Devil is the secondary beneficiary,” Abby said with a self-assured air that Ryder would love to knock right out of her. “If anything happens to me, he’ll still get the payout if anything happens to you. He says you’d always be looking over your shoulder, and he can get to you when you least expect it. Maybe when you’re riding down the highway, when you’re shopping, or just walking down the street. For that kind of money, one of his brothers would kill you, claim it was self-defense, and risk doing a little time.”

“Why didn’t he just take out a policy on you?”

“We aren’t related, and I’m married to you. Insurance companies aren’t stupid.”

And this kind of thing was exactly the reason men like Ryder and his brothers hesitated when it came to that little piece of legal paperwork. It was easy to get into and hard as hell to get out of.

“This whole scheme is a little complex for the likes of you and Devil to concoct,” Darkness observed, pieces clicking into place. Some plans had too many sharp edges to be crafted by amateurs. They needed old hands used to drawing blood.

“His old man got out of prison and took the gavel back. Ratchet has been looking to make some quick cash.”

“Well, darlin’,” Darkness drawled, “I’m still not understanding what in God’s name makes the man think I’ll just give you a quarter of a million dollars for no good reason.”

“You will if you want me to sign over sole custody of your daughter.”

“I can just wait for the paternity test and file for custody.”

“Yeah, but I could tie things up in court for a long time. Also, she’s mine in the meanwhile, and if I go back empty-handed… Well, let’s just say Devil and his dad can get real spiteful.”

A muscle under Darkness’ left eye twitched. “Did you have sex with me just to make a baby?”

Putting down her fork, Abby looked right at him. “Don’t ask questions you don’t want to hear the answers to, babe.”

“You ever call me babe again,” Darkness gritted out, “and I’ll personally break your fucking jaw.”

Jerking back slightly, Abby closed her eyes. “I never wanted any of this.”

“Don’t pretend to be the victim now. You had a choice, and you made it.” Turning to Hickory, Darkness jerked his chin. “Call in our attorney. I want him to begin drafting divorce and custody papers immediately.”

Hickory nodded. “You got it.”

Ace walked back in, edging his way past Hickory in the doorway. “Sorry, boss, but the owner of that boarding school said your little one got dropped off there when she was a month old,and Abby’s made two short visits in the last three months.”

Shooting Abby a curious look, he asked, “Who took care of her for the first month?”

Without batting an eye, she replied, “The girls at Devil’s clubhouse passed her around. He got tired of hearing her crying all the time.” The words hit like body blows—not just for their content but for the emptiness behind them. Some betrayals went deeper than bullets, and using a child as currency was one of them.

What kind of mother… Ryder grit his teeth to stop from saying something he shouldn’t—yet.

Darkness was seething. When he spoke, the words were laced with loathing. “Why in the fuck was my child crying all the time?”

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