Page 23 of Redemption

He pulled a hand overhead, readjusting his pillow, then ran it over his face. “Morning.”

She moved from his wandering hand. He’d been asleep, maybe not knowingwhohe’d been asleep with, and he didn’t need that kind of awkwardness. Out of reach, she propped herself against the backboard. “I’m so sorry.”

His low, sexy laughter didn’t sound annoyed, only tired. “Stop apologizing.” He almost seemed to find some kind of amusement in her panicked awakening. “How are you feeling?”

Other than her racing heart, which was easily explainable as she woke up clinging to the tan, muscled Aussie with great hair and sweet things to say, she was… better.And hungry. That was a huge improvement from that last time she’d been awake. “How long was I asleep?”

“I conked out after a couple hours, so—”

“Oh, God. I’m so sorry.” She’d held him captive?

He picked his head off the pillow, eyebrows up. “What for?”

“I’m just, um, I had you pinned. I feel bad you couldn’t leave.”

His hearty chuckle fell easily from his lips.Nothing quiet about that bit of laughter.

“What’s so funny?”

He turned on to his side. “I wouldn’t call it pinned.” He poked her arm, and she tipped sideways an inch or two. “Point proven.”

“Oh, well.” She stumbled for words. “You know what I mean.” Her stomach growled. “If not by holding you down, then by guilt.”

“Ha. Hungry?”

“Mia left me a plate.” She swung her legs away from him. “I’ll—”

“So am I. You’re the best excuse I have to raid her fridge. Let’s go.”

“I don’t want to be more of a burden than I’ve already been.” She searched for the plate, but it was gone.

“Mia took it hours ago.”

“Oh.” And that meant Mia also saw her clinging to Ryder like a needy lunatic. Classy. “I really should get going anyway.”

He laughed. Again. “Sure thing. After you eat. Then you can walk back to wherever you came from.”

She bit her lip. Maybe to the closest ATM and from there she could—no. That wouldn’t work. She could call her bank, but it wasn’t like they’d wire her cash. She could call Seven, and her best friend would send the closest motorcycle army to swoop for a rescue. Then she’d have to explain something to Seven about where she’d been and to Ryder and the Winters about the gang of bikers. There’d likely be police to deal with since she was a missing person. So much to talk about that she didn’t want to. Her head began to spin.

“Come on,” Ryder quietly said, taking her hand. “We can deal with everything in pieces. Don’t let it overwhelm you. First, we eat.”

The overwhelming totality hit her like a landslide. Again. This time, she didn’t cry. It wasn’t Ivan’s face that held her in place. It was the reminder that eventually she’d have to go back to Iowa and deal with the fact she was a sham. There would be so many questions, and her face would be the centerpiece of the eleven o’clock news for the foreseeable future. None of that brought tears, but it did bring paralysis.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, tugging her to the side of the bed. “Mia’s kitchen is like Shangri-la. You want that.”

He had her unsteadily on her feet. She wasn’t sure she remembered the last time she’d been there except for the rare trip to the bathroom. “I don’t know.”

“I do. Let’s go, warrior woman.”

“Don’t call me a warrior. If you even knew who I was, you’d know it never should’ve happened.” Her face twisted in disgust. “Happened?Happened. God, I can’t even say it.” Victoria groaned dropping her head back before bringing it back up, along with the truth and all the pain. “He raped me.”

Ryder sobered. All laughter dissipated into the dark. “You know what I do. I know what happened out there. You don’t have to say it.”

“More than once, and then I couldn’t pull the trigger. He took his time, and I couldn’t end him.”

Ryder braced a hand on her bicep as she faltered.

“They kidnapped me.”

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