Page 98 of Ryder
“I merely want to know who to thank. While I wish I’d had the retribution for myself, I’m glad the bastard is dead, and can never hurt my little girl again.”
Reacher gestured to me. “Ryder is the one who sought her out, killed the bastard, and brought her back. He saved her.”
Tori was looking at me again, and those fucking eyes of hers could just drown me in the depth of the emotion I could see in them. How the fuck could anyone willingly hurt this woman?
“You okay?” I tucked a few silky brunette strands behind her ear, and she smiled, turning to look at her father.
“Ryder saved me, and I love him.”
Wow. She really said that.
Thirty-One
It was strange tobe sitting in this place, with Ryder and daddy at the same time, and nobody had killed anybody yet. I’d never told daddy who raped me back then. In fact, I never told him much of anything. I told the doctors some of it when I was in therapy, and I talked about a little more of it with the few therapists I trusted later.
I’d even kept a diary on my computer where I’d detailed what had happened. It was part of the therapy they’d suggested, as if writing about it could help me work through it, and maybe even distance myself from it. Like making it words on a page could in some way reduce it from being something real that happened to me, but when it came to daddy, I’d told him as little as I could get away with. I didn’t want a war between our families, especially not when Dom had made me believe that his family could destroy mine. It was just me and daddy, and I couldn’t bear to lose the only person I had.
Ryder was stroking my hair as he held me against him, and for the first time in, maybe as long as I could remember, maybeever, I felt relaxed and safe with a man holding me. Every now and then, he pressed his lips against my hair, like he was making the most of having me close to him.
How was it possible that this man, this man who’d barely had a chance to know me, because of the fact that we hadn’t really even met until after we’d had sex, could care enough about me to want to hold me and comfort me?
“Victoria?”
My father had always insisted on using my full name, but I was more comfortable as Tori, always had been, but he was a traditionalist.
“Daddy, this is where I need to be right now.”
Ryder made a grumbling sound against my hair, before he pressed his lips against my forehead again.
“Not just right now, baby.Always.”
That word. It felt right. It sounded like something I really wanted.
“Hold on, just back up for a moment. I appreciate your club being there to save Victoria, and to keep her safe, but I’m here now. She’s coming home with me, and I can get her the help she needs.”
“She has me,” Ryder snapped and I sighed. This wasn’t going to get us anywhere.
“Anyone mind if I speak for a damn minute?” I jabbed my elbow into Ryder’s chest, hearing him groan.
“Jesus, woman. How pointy are those damn elbows?”
I felt my lips curving into a smile.
“Shush. All of you just be quiet. I’m a grown woman, and I make my decisions, especially now. Especially after another man tried to take away my decisions, and my choices, and my damn consent. This is my life, and I choose where I’ll be.”
My father raised his eyebrows, draining the last of his drink.
“And?”
I glanced at Ryder, my confidence dissipating almost as quickly as it had built up, but then he smiled at me and nodded. It gave me strength, at least enough for this.
“I love Ryder, and I’m staying here with him.”
I saw Reacher rubbing at his face, and the VP guy sighed.
“The lady has spoken, Mr Rossi.”
Ryder pulled me back into his chest, kissing my forehead.
