Page 3 of Ryder

I hadn’t gotten to see Divinity again since the first meeting at the hospital. After going in with my brother and cousin, we’d left emergency and gone straight up to maternity just in time to find out that Bailey had given birth to a big nine-pound baby boy. Even just born you could tell the kid was going to be a clone of Richard, with blond hair and big blue eyes.

Little Sebastian almost overshadowed what my brother and cousin had done and that I’d gotten them fixed up. My mother was stilled pissed at me for taking over and not contacting her. She became furious when she found out what Oakley and Andrew had done to Divinity that caused Arron to beat them up. I had debated if I should tell my mother what Divinity was to me, but I wanted to see her again before I told anyone.

My mother was making my brother and cousin do an elaborate apology. I smirked, because even my mother was having trouble getting in contact with Divinity, but she had a plan. And if there is one thing my mother, or any Silverman for that matter, is good at, it’s planning things. So, I figured if I couldn’t see Divinity again before Monday, well then, I would just gatecrash whatever my mother was going to think up.

Rich people were not only arseholes, they thought the rules didn’t apply to them. I’d had the gate security call me so many times over the weekend, I was sure they were now at the stage where they were getting pissed off. I giggled when Arron told Kyle—one of the men posted at the gates this weekend—that the next time a Silverman asked to see, or speak, with us to give them our father’s Skype information and contact him. Our dad wasn’t someone who was happy to have his time wasted on what he called ‘silly childish bullshit.’ He wouldn’t reply kindly to what any of the Silvermans had to say and he wouldn’t care who they were.

Getting off the sofa, I went to my brother and hugged him, careful of his cast. He had a broken wrist and nose. Micky hadn’t been happy with Arron, but I’d worked my charm. The old man was wrapped around my pinky and after taking to him, I’d convinced him not to punish Arron too much. Micky was still teaching him, but Arron had to devote time now to teaching children twice a week. I loved my brother, but he wasn’t what I would call a role model, or good with children in anyway, so I thought his punishment was fitting. He’d been complaining since Friday, and three days later he was still whining, no matter how many times I told him it could have been worse, that Micky could have quit training him altogether.

Thanks to the harassment from the Silvermans we hadn’t left the house all weekend. Neither myself, nor Arron, had wanted to run into any of them, not that he was allowed to leave the house because I’d grounded him for the weekend for his actions. I wasn’t happy though about the Silvermans. I had planned to go out clubbing with some of the girls from my work, or even my bestie Lucy, but no, I’d spent Friday night in hospital and last night and tonight I was reading.

“Monday, I’ll go into the school and we’ll get everything we need so you can move schools.”

Arron’s good arm came around me and he leaned his chin on my head. “Thanks. I know I only have a little over a month left, but I just can’t be around them. I love ya sis. You’re the best.” He sighed. “You good to deal with Dad? You know he won’t be happy about the money he paid for uniforms and fees.”

I squeezed Arron’s waist. “Don’t you worry about that. I’ll sort out Dad. You just get by until we can get you transferred to a new school.”

“Thanks, sis.”

Giving Arron one last squeeze, I let him go and sat back on the sofa and picked up my Kindle. “No problem. Go play some violent game on Xbox. I’m reading.” I snuggled into the sofa and didn’t even bother turning to see if my brother did what I told him to.

I tried to get back into my book, but I had a sinking feeling in my stomach that this weekend was just the beginning of my dealings with the Silvermans.

I HAD PUT ON MYarmor today with care. My heels were my highest, adding five inches to my height. My killer outfit was Calvin Klein skinny black jeans, my best push-up bra with my Hell Bunny fitted classic blue fifties style top. My hair was straightened to perfection and my make-up was flawless.

Ignoring the whistles as I walked into the school with a tense Arron on Monday, I calmed my nerves by breathing deeply. I was sure that when I made it into the office I’d find at least one Silverman. There’s no way a family hounded you all weekend and didn’t leave you alone at the one place they had access to you.

Arron’s fingers gripped my arm as we walked through the office door and they tightened as I saw a group of people that I just knew were the cursed Silverman. “Oh for fuck’s sake,” I muttered. There wasn’t just one or two of them. There were frigging seven.

The big giant I’d met at the hospital was there. He was hard to miss. He was huge and stood out like a sore thumb. Ryder. I’d learned his name from Kyle, one of the guys that manned the gate this weekend. I could have looked into them on the internet, but I didn’t want to know anything more than I did about the Silverman family. I had no intention of seeing them or having anything to do with any of them again. Unfortunately, I wasn’t that lucky and they obviously didn’t get the hint from me ignoring them on the weekend. The dipshit kids that started all this shit were there along with two older women and men. What looked to be bodyguards covered the windows and exits of the office and I had the urge to turn and run. Holy crap. Who the hell did these people think they were that they needed this much security? It was a damn school for Christ’s sake.

The older lady, dressed in what I considered older people’s designer wear, stepped forward. She eyed me up and down and raised her eyebrow. She seemed to be fighting a smile. I learned thanks to my father to watch for even the slightest movements or emotion. He wasn’t one to show any.

“Miss Stamon?” Her eyebrow fell when I nodded. “You’re a hard woman to get in contact with.” I still didn’t say anything, waiting for her to continue. “I believe my son Andrew, and nephew Oakley, owe you an apology.” She huffed a very delicate sound. She held out her hand. “I’m Gillian, Andrew’s mother. I would like to personally say I don’t condone my son’s behavior and he’s being punished for it. We Silvermans would like to personally apologize.”

I shook her hand. “Thank you.”

The two dipshit kids stepped forward and both apologized. I just bet the cocky one who tried to give me a hug was Gillian’s son Andrew. I spun when I heard a growling noise when the little shit got close to me and saw Ryder glaring at his nephew.

Even after the apologies the Silvermans stood around, still staring at me and Arron. I wasn’t sure what else they wanted me to say or do. There was no way I was going to get Arron to apologize, not when he only did what he did to protect me. So I pasted a fake smile on my face and thanked them again, making sure I caught all the Silvermans’ gazes, bar the big guy, Ryder. “Well, thanks. Now all that’s done, if you’ll excuse us, we’ll get out of your way.”

I gripped Arron’s hand in mine and tried to go around the group to the office ladies, who I noticed had watched the whole scene with interest. It was Gillian’s delicate cleared throat and, “I beg your pardon.” That had me stopping and turning back to the Silvermans.

These people were really starting to annoy me. Narrowing my gaze, I glared at Gillian. “You are pardoned.”

Gillian’s gasp wasn’t delicate and I couldn’t hold back my small giggle when I heard a deep chuckle, and I just knew it was Ryder. My giggle stopped though and a shiver ran through me when, in that same deep voice, I heard, “That’s my woman. Mine.”

Holy crap, that deep voice was dangerous. My pussy pulsed and I hoped my face wasn’t red.

The other woman stepped forward, a huge smile on her face, and she beamed at me like I was the Goddamn sun. “Oh, you don’t know how long I’ve waited to meet you!”

What the hell? “Um, well, I don’t think a weekend is that long to wait.” I shrugged, but maybe for rich people it was like, forever. “Look, I forgive everything. Arron is going to get transferred to another school, so nothing like this can happen again and we won’t have to have any issues, or meet, again.”

Ryder growled, “No. Mine.” His arms wrapped around me and on instinct my years of training kicked in. I stomped down on his foot trying not to think of how this was wrecking my shoes, elbowed his rock-hard stomach and spun and kicked him in the family jewels.

The two teens that apologized broke out into hysterical laughter. “Oh, man. I love this woman,” howled Andrew.

“Bro, she got you good,” the other said.

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