Page 17 of Keeping What He Wants

He gripped her shoulders. “I’m serious, Ella. One bullet to your head and you’re dead.”

She pushed him away. “You can’t keep me from living my life because you’re paranoid. I’m fine. I haven’t had anyone threaten me or noticed anyone watching me. I know how to take care of myself and I’m smart about my surroundings. You act like I haven’t been a cop’s daughter for the past twenty-nine years of my life, or that I’m not a fucking biker’s girlfriend. Do you even remember anything I’ve gone through? Men broke into my apartment while I was in the shower. I fought them off.”

“They almost raped you.”

“They didn’t. Almost doesn’t count. Maybe doesn’t count. What if doesn’t count. I deserve to have a life of my own. I only get a few days off, and with everything that’s been going on all I do is catch up on sleep and housework. I want to have fun once in a while. Most boyfriends do not dictate to their girlfriend what they can and cannot do. Nor do they follow them around under the guise of protecting them from monsters in the city.”

Ryker blew out a breath. “I’m not most boyfriends.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not a helpless woman.”

His phone rang, and he answered it. “Tell me what you’ve got.”

“Nothing, really. It’s not Tido. The cops picked him up for possession a week ago. You know he doesn’t allow his second to do any of the big business deals with his contacts. They fuck up too much. The only other person that could be dealing these guns is Cramer, but he’s not an importer. I have no fucking clue where he’s getting them if it is him. With Razor and Tido out of the picture, there really isn’t another option. The usual informants aren’t talking either so it’s a dead end.” Superman huffed a breath. “I know you wanted definite answers, but right now, the threat doesn’t seem to be club related. Maybe it’s gang related?”

“I’ll check into it. Thanks.” He hung up and rubbed his forehead and focused on his conversation with Ella. “I never said that about you. I’ve been trying to get you to learn how to defend yourself properly since before we met.”

“I think I can do fine on my own.”

“Fine. Go.”

“What’s the point? It’s over now.”

“I doubt that.” Ryker went over to the door. “I’m not going to follow you. I’m not going to do anything. You are completely on your own.”

“You could say you’re sorry.”

Ryker pursed his lips. “Make it back in one piece and I will.”

She smiled at him before leaning in for a kiss. “I appreciate the protective streak you have for me, but I’m an adult, not a child. You didn’t listen to me when you stabbed yourself. Surely you can understand where I’m coming from.”

He did. “Noted.”

She reached around him and pulled his wallet from his pocket. After grabbing his credit card, she replaced it. “Thanks for the new purse.”

He shook his head as she walked out of the apartment. “I thought you didn’t like me buying you fancy things.”

“The purse is for you being an dickwad.” She smiled again before blowing a kiss at him.

Ryker watched her leave. His gut clenched at the thought of anything happening to her, but she claimed she could take care of herself. He’d never worried so much about someone’s wellbeing in his life. He cared about people, but Ella went beyond that. She was in a category on her own, and she fucking knew it.

****

Lunch turned into drinks, and Ella couldn’t believe how much spending time with friends did for her. They went shopping at the mall and she bought herself an expensive name-brand purse and nothing else. She’d been eying it for a long time and couldn’t bear the thought of paying so much money for it. But she splurged and only put half the total on Ryker’s card and paid cash for the other half. She enjoyed her day off and drove home with a big smile on her face.

When she opened the door to her apartment, Ryker was laughing along with another male she’d never met. She stopped in the foyer, taking in how the man sat on the sofa like he belonged and a woman sat beside him with a hunger in her eyes unlike anything Ella had seen. And she wasn’t staring at the stranger. She was staring at Ryker, who seemed to be laughing at something she’d said.

“Hello,” Ella said, by way of introduction.

Ryker turned. “Oh, hey.”

She swallowed. The woman looked over at her and frowned. Great. She really didn’t need to deal with some biker chick tonight.

“Ella, this is Rizzo and Beth. Rizzo is president of the New Orleans chapter.”

“Hi.” Ella stared at the woman who didn’t take her eyes off Ella. She didn’t know who the woman was, but she didn’t like her. Ella had Ryker’s credit card in her hand, and she handed it to him.

“You’re buying Gucci purses for her, Ryker?” Beth asked.

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