Page 40 of Keeping What He Wants

Ryker tilted his head to the side. “So now you have anxiety over money?”

“Yes.” She blew out a breath. “I don’t know. I don’t like spending. It’s difficult for me to justify material things.”

“I’ll be honest. I don’t think I’ve ever met a woman that didn’t like money.” He scratched his jaw.

She folded her arms over her chest. “You’re making fun of me now?”

He didn’t respond to her question. “Okay, here’s the new deal. In an effort to mesh our lives together better, I’ll take over the finances.”

“No.”

“Yes.” He ignored her feeble protest. “Money is something couples usually fight over. I’m not fighting with you over this anymore. It gives you anxiety, and it pisses me off. I’ll take over the bills. You can have a debit card that you’ll never use. It’s win-win.”

She shook her head.

“Yes, Ella.” He glanced over at the desk. “Get your bills together and put them on the desk. I’ll go over them tonight while you’re at work. It’s called being in a relationship and working out a compromise.”

She licked her lips. He leaned in to kiss her. “Just think about how much fun we’ll have when we share the same last name.”

She watched him leave and tried to push aside the thought of her becoming Ella Dennison. A silly smile crept across her face before she could stop it. Maybe she’d hyphenate her name. Dr.Ella Hawkins-Dennison. She let out a pent-up breath and turned to stare at the desk. They’d only lived together a short while. And she had told him their lives needed to mesh better.

Would it really be a bad idea to let him take over the finances? It was a big step. He did spend money, but he’d proved to her with his investment account that he saved it as well. She thought about her trust for him. She trusted him with her life. Being vulnerable with any other person was out of the question. He saw her good side and her bad side. She needed to figure out what that meant long-term.

****

“Where the fuck did you get that?” Vampire asked as Ryker dumped the package on the table in front of him.

“Someone left it at my apartment. On my fucking doorstep with Ella in the next room.” Ryker did his best not to look at Mad Dog. “Who the fuck is running this shit on the streets?”

“So this is personal?” Superman asked. “They know where you live and it’s a beef with you?”

“How does that explain the women they’ve killed?”

“They all fit Ella’s profile.” Rooster’s comment had all the men looking toward him. “Blonde. Gorgeous. Successful.”

Ryker sat back in his seat and stared at the gun on the table in front of him. Who had a beef with him? A club member? The cut had been seen where it shouldn’t have been. Maybe the Young Bloods, but he doubted that. They were still scared of the Devils from the last go around. He didn’t think Rizzo had lied to him about it. He didn’t think that Mad Dog had either.

Who the fuck had a problem with him?

“I’m only going to say it once. If you’ve got a problem with me, now’s the time to step up and confront me like a man.”

Vampire sat back in his seat. “I don’t believe it’s one of us.”

“Yeah. Well, it has to be someone that knows a little more than they let on. Prospects have been to my apartment. Members have been to my apartment. Young Bloods not so much. So who am I supposed to believe is doing this?”

Superman folded his arms over his chest. “We’ll start with the prospects first. Mad Dog usually runs the normal background check we do, but I’m going to dig a little deeper. See if I can find anything else on them.”

“Yeah.” Ryker looked over at Mad Dog finally. “Trust is earned not given. Once it’s broken, you can’t get it back.”

Mad Dog glanced down at the papers before him. “I didn’t do anything. I don’t know anything about it.”

Ryker hoped that was true. In the meantime, he was going to do a little digging on his own. Unfortunately, that meant that he needed to talk to Pat. Quite frankly, he’d rather stick stakes in his eyes than ask the man for a favor.

“Everyone’s dismissed.”

Ryker grabbed his phone from the bucket outside the room and dialed his favorite police officer. Pat answered on the third ring.

“Have you talked to your daughter?” Ryker asked, starting the conversation.

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