“I hope this is okay,” James said. “I like making the supply runs because it gives me a little more freedom.” Rhi didn’t respond, but she did tap her fingers to the beat, using her thighs as drums. James made small talk, but Rhiannon ignored him so she could count the songs. When James announced they had arrived, Rhi smiled inwardly. Not counting the seconds in between when the deejay spoke, there were nineteen songs, which meant they had been gone approximately an hour. She wasn’t sure how far in miles that was, but it was farther than she could walk without James or Josiah catching up with her if they figured out she’d left. She didn’t think she could walk that far without giving out. Sure, she walked everywhere she went, but their community wasn’t that large. She doubted she got in half a mile per day. No, she’d have to figure something else out.
“Go ahead and remove your blindfold,” James instructed. Rhi slid the fabric off and blinked against the brightness of the afternoon sun, taking a look around. After a few more turns, the town came into view. It was larger than she’d expected, and there were all kinds of new stores she’d never heard of. A lot could happen in ten years, and judging by the design of cars, the marquees on the storefronts, and the updated clothing people wore, she had missed all of it. She focused on the women walking around and the way they were dressed.
Couples strolled together, holding hands, laughing about some secret only the two of them were privy to. Moms corralled their children, smiles mixed with flustered expressions. Teenagers joked with one another, being young and enjoying their lives with no rules keeping them from speaking to one another. People went about their lives freely. This. This was what she was missing. Rhiannon almost wished she’d not made the trip with James. Seeing how others were able to go about their days the way she did when she was young was a painful reminder of the way things had been before her mother died.
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” James said, breaking Rhi out of her rumination. “We’re going into that restaurant and have dinner. Afterwards, we’ll go gather the supplies.”
Rhi frowned, wondering if this was a test. Josiah hadn’t said anything about them eating while they were gone. She crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head.
“Brother Josiah isn’t here. You and I can’t get to know one another if he and his wife are always there watching over us. Consider this our first real date. If you behave, I’ll bring you to town on all my runs. And you can stop with the silent treatment. I know you can talk. You just choose not to. If you’re going to be my wife, I’ll expect you to address me appropriately when I speak to you. I’m also looking forward to hearing you cry my name after we have sex. Because Anna? We are going to have sex. You’re as good as my wife already. Now get your ass out of the truck.”
Rhi looked around, taking in all the different stores. If she played her cards right, she might be able to—
“Now, Anna.” James came around to her side of the truck and opened the door. She unbuckled and slid to the ground. When James reached for her hand, Rhi cringed. James wasn’t overweight, but he was slightly balding and sweaty, even in the brisk autumn air. He practically dragged her into the sandwich shop. If this was his idea of a date, he was lacking in the romance department, but she already knew that about him. When they got to the counter, he ordered for them both. Plain sandwiches, no chips, and water to drink. The least he could have done was to get her a cookie, but sweets weren’t allowed. Goddess, what she wouldn’t give for one of the fresh-baked, double chocolate treats.
For whatever reason, James always chose the small deli. He never ordered anything other than the plain sandwiches. She figured it was because money was tight. Or maybe James was cheap. Although it was suppertime, Rhi wasn’t hungry. She nibbled on the sandwich anyway, not wanting to give James a reason to rush through their meal. James had chosen a booth, sliding in opposite instead of sitting next to her. Her back was to the door, so all she had to look at was the hallway leading to the restrooms. And the back entrance. Yes. Rhi pointed to the hallway, indicating she needed to use the facilities.
“Yeah, okay. But hurry it up. We’re going to be late as it is.”
Rhi nodded in agreement. She rushed down the hallway, knowing he was watching. When she opened the door to the ladies’ room, she glanced back. Rhi could no longer see James, which meant he couldn’t see her. She ran to the back door, flung it open, and took off down the pavement behind the buildings, not caring that it was pouring rain. Rhi knew she didn’t have much time before James figured out she was gone.
Chapter Two
Ryker
The wind pushing against Ryker’s face was chilly. It should have been exhilarating. Should have been enough to break him out of his shitty mood. It wasn’t. It had been two months since he found out his lover was using him, but he couldn’t shake his anger. He needed to find a way to get over it because it was affecting everyone around him. He had been a surly bastard for the last twenty years. Ryker had chilled somewhat when he found out his baby girl was alive, but seeing the scar marring her beautiful face reminded him how he failed both Mac and her mother. Juliette had been the love of his life, and he hadn’t been home when she’d been taken.
Ryker couldn’t take away the scars. His daughter’s face wasn’t the only place damaged. Her heart had been ripped apart from having her baby sold to a strange couple. Her soul shattered when her boyfriend had been shipped off to another cult. Ryker couldn’t fix Mac’s face, but he’d find Elijah for her. Or die trying.
Other than Mac, the only bright spot in his life was Maveryck’s twins. Major and Marshall had a rough first four years, but now Mav and Natalia were giving the boys their best life possible. The kids were so damned cute, and they never failed to make Ryker smile. The little dudes had taken to biker life naturally, and if they had their way, they’d never ride in a cage. They had their own sidecar, tricked out by their Uncle Hayden. The Hounds took a group ride a month back, and the boys had waved at every car they passed. When they stopped for gas, one couple had been so enamored they wanted photos of the twins. Maveryck, being the papa lion he was, had bristled. He was overprotective of his cubs, but Natalia had soothed the beast. Ryker wasn’t jealous. Okay, maybe a little. He was glad both Mav and War had found their perfect mates, but his heart ached at not having that connection. That bond with a female who had his back.
He’d had that for a short while with Juliette, and damn if he didn’t long for it again. Living hundreds of years as a Gryphon, Ryker didn’t want to go the rest of his long life alone. But he had responsibilities to both the MC and his family. Responsibilities that included finding a new organization to work with, which led him to the trip he was currently making. Nexus, the underground organization of assassins he contracted with the last twenty years, had been corrupted from the inside by Ryker’s lover. Cassandra had fooled Ryker into believing he meant something. What he meant to her turned out to be a means to an end.
Sutton, Ryker’s father, had turned over the MC to Ryker so Sutton could focus on helping people get out of the cults the Hounds disbanded. Not all cults were part of the Ministry, the worldwide group responsible for the near apocalypse that brought the world to a halt some thirty years ago. Some of the groups were harmless folks who wanted nothing other than to live off the grid, away from the “sins of society.” But others, which were part of the Ministry, were no better than the Nazis of old or the white supremacists whose goals were to rid the world of anyone who didn’t fit their idea of a perfect civilization.