Page 68 of Ryder

I feelhis arms wrap around me and surrender.

His voice. I hear his voice.It’s like music to my soul.

Even if I can’t make out the words, I know it’s Ryder. He’s here. He found me, just like I knew he would.

I fight through the pain, unsure of where I am as I dip in and out of consciousness. The beating Jimmy gave me was severe, even if I was out of it for most of what he put me through.

I swear I feel his arms around me, but maybe I’m hallucinating. “Hold on, Sugar, I’m here. Help is on the way.”

“Holy fuckin’ shit,” another man says.

“Hawk, she needs a fuckin’ doctor, can’t wait for an ambulance,” Ryder barks. I’ve never heard him sound so panicked.

“Get in the back and buckle up,” Hawk says. “Ochsner isn’t far from here.”

“Fuckin’ Razor. He’s to blame for this.” I think it’s Cash, but I can’t be sure. “Well, he’s gonna have some unhappy criminal friends when they come back to find their shipment in the hands of the feds.”

“Rifle is a slippery fuck,” Ryder says. “Ran like a goddamn coward.”

“Your focus now is on your girl,” Cash says. “We’ll find Rifle, and when we do, we’ll save him for you to finish off. That’s a promise.”

Ryder grunts, but puts an arm gently around me. “He better run as far away as he can while he has the chance.”

“How’s she holdin’ up?” Hawk asks. “She breathin’?”

“Yeah, she’s breathin’. The girl in her cell, Gia, said she’d just been brought in a few hours ago. She tried to help her, but nobody came when she called for help,” Ryder says. “They just shoved her in there after a beatin’ like that and she was left to suffer.”

“What the fuck did they do to her hair?” Cash drops his voice.

My hair?

I try to blink my eyes open, but they won’t cooperate. Maybe I didn’t hear him properly? Why would my hair be an issue?

“I d-don’t kn-know.” Ryder’s stuttering. That can’t be good. He only stutters when he’s nervous. Then again, I could be dreaming. Maybe I’m back in the cell, waiting for my miserable end.

I part my lips. “Am I alive?”

All the talking stops. “Yeah, Sugar, you’re gonna be okay,” Ryder soothes.

“Water,” I whisper.

Ryder shifts, cussing under his breath as he cradles my head, then holds a plastic water bottle to my mouth. “Take a sip, baby. That’s it, that’s a good girl.”

It stings, but I manage a few mouthfuls. I realize I can’t open my eyes because one is glued shut. The other partly opens and everything is a blur. “I can’t see.” I wipe the back of my hand over my mouth. “Ryder, why can’t I see?”

“I’m here, Sugar. Never gonna let you go again. Nobody is ever gonna touch you again.”

“Why can’t I see anything?” I plead again.

“Gonna fuckin’ rip his fuckin’ eyeballs out,” Cash mutters.

Ryder shifts again, my head lolling against his shoulder. “You were hurt. You just need to rest, angel. Goin’ to the hospital, they’ll take good care of you.”

“I want to go home.”

“We will soon, baby. I promise. I called Luca and your parents, they’re on their way with Casey.”

“My p-parents?”

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