First up, though, a shower. Ryker smelled rank and couldn’t wait to wash the sweat and a pound of sawdust off his body. Tonight he’d eat well. Tomorrow, he’d be on a job. One Ryker wasn’t looking forward to.
A missing child.
His mother guessed the ex-husband had somehow taken him from school while the boy was waiting for the sitter. The police released an amber alert, but Mom was concerned the ex would flee the country or hole up in a private militia in the states. She described him as bitter, disturbed and a believer in antigovernment groups, which made the asshole three times as scary and dangerous. The divorce had yielded next to nothing for her, so hiring a private detective was out of the question.
Dex had done a preliminary deep search and suggested several areas in Florida the father had ties to for Ryker to look into.
He shook his head and let out a long exhale. What was wrong with parents that they couldn’t get along in the child’s best interest? To take and hide a child from either parent was a form of torture he couldn’t abide.
Enough negativity.
The water was hot. Ryker stripped and threw his clothes on the floor. He’d put them in the hamper later.
He washed his hair and soaped his body, paying particular attention to his cock, which was hard. It had been a while since he had bedded a woman. Reaching down, he began rubbing his balls and stroking his cock. Then rubbed faster and faster until the semen erupted. He moaned and immediately felt more relaxed. For a fleeting moment, he wished he were coming inside a warm pussy, but that passed quickly. Someday, just not today.
After washing off again, Ryker dried himself, put on a pair of sweats, and grabbed his steak and a beer. He had no patio furniture to speak of. There were a couple of sad-looking metal chairs around a TV tray. Those would do for now. It wasn’t like he entertained.
The steak sizzled on the grill, and his mouth watered. Three long gulps of beer and the bottle was empty. The steak was done and ready for him to devour.
Ryker returned to the kitchen to grab another beer. He set the bottle on the TV tray. That first bite of steak, with its slightly charred crust and the red interior, was heaven. Night had fallen, and the lamp from the kitchen threw off enough light for him to see around the patio. Crickets chirped in the distance, and the flutter of enormous wings moved the air overhead.
The house next door to him was dark, the couple probably eating out or working late. The house on his other side was lit up. Ryker said hello to the blond-haired woman once. He’d been in a rush, so maybe it was more of a grunt. She probably thought him rude. He’d been away or in his woodshop, so he didn’t know her name or where she was from. She was a quiet neighbor.
At some point, he should go over and say hello or welcome to the neighborhood. Or maybe not. He wasn’t the Welcome Wagon. He waved to most of his neighbors and only stopped to chat with Mrs. Bittner when she was outside. Mrs. B. said nothing about the new neighbor.
Bah, what did he care? He had a job to do and a business to build. He wasn’t looking for a relationship. In weak moments, he remembered coming home to a loving woman, a delicious meal, and lots of sex.
It had been nice—until it wasn’t.
CHAPTER SIX
“Okay, girls, one more time.”
Groans from ten young girls reached Dani’s ears. She’d been teaching at this after-school program for disadvantaged youth for a month. Next week was a performance for their parents or caregivers and teachers. More importantly, if it went well, positive feedback would ensure her reputation when she released her dance video.
“Miss Dani.” Jasmine plopped down on the wooden floor and moaned. “My legs feel like spaghetti.”
“Mine too,” claimed her twin, Jade, as she also dropped to the floor. It was difficult to tell them apart, but their mom was smart and put different colors of beads or barrettes in their hair. The two girls were adorable but always the first to stop.
Dani pressed her fingertips into her temple and closed her eyes. Inhaled. Exhaled. She opened her eyes and smiled at the girls. Their optimism and enthusiasm more than made up for the run-down gym with its off-white concrete block walls, the basketball hoop missing its net, and the rough wooden floor. The kids deserved more than that.
The girls were working hard, although the first fifteen minutes of each class were always chaotic, getting rid of their excess energy. Then they had a half hour to practice, and the last fifteen minutes of class were for winding down and talking.
She’d learned a lot from the kids; they loved to talk about their lives and tell stories. Dani knew whose mommy was divorcing, who was having a baby, who was dating who, which family members were in prison and who was in looove. Dani wondered if ten years old was too young to fall in love, but what did she know? Jack thought girls were yucky, and that made her smile, so that was that.
It was an interesting and challenging time. Dani wanted to be the constant in their lives, expose them to another form of art and not to criticize. She prayed she was doing it right.
“Spaghetti legs, uh?”
The little girls laughed and got up.
She turned to the class. “Next week is the performance, and we’re going to be great. Right?”
“YES!!!” screamed ten little girls.
Dani threw her head back and laughed. Class was over. There were lots of hugs as the girls left class to meet their parents. Dani picked up the remains of someone’s lunch that had been squished into a corner. Another person left their jacket, which she’d return to lost and found. And in another corner, Dani found a hamster cage—empty. Good God. She didn’t want to know why. The cage would also go to lost and found.
Satisfied the gym was clean, Dani found her bag, pulled her purple hoodie over her head, put on her favorite cap and pulled her hair through the opening. Then slid on a pair of black yoga pants and sneakers. It was hot in the gym, but outside would be cool. The hall was quiet now. Dust motes danced in the sunlight coming through the windows.
“Step up, step down. One, two, three. Repeat.” Ms. Bonito swayed her hips to show the girls. “Dani, come here, sweetie, and lead the group.”
Her heart was pounding. The practice she did at home was paying off. Ms. Bonito didn’t ask just anyone to lead the group. Mom would be proud. And Mrs. Ward thought she had no talent. Ha!
Dani shook her head. Enough memories. The after-school program had given her confidence. Her mother could never have afforded to send her to dance class.
She walked out to a sunny but chilly day. The warmth of the sun felt good on her face and arms. Dani took a deep breath and let it out. Quiet. Peaceful.
She walked out to her car, got in and twisted the ignition key. The car groaned.
Nothing. Dani groaned in sympathy and tried the ignition again.
The engine coughed once and started up. The day was looking up.
Thankfully, Jack’s school was only a half hour from her house. Mrs. B. had been a lifesaver, picking Jack up from his after-school activities and watching him until Dani got home. Jack was more than okay with that. Dani suspected Mrs. B. indulged him a lot. She remembered Mrs. B. telling her that she and husband lost their son when he was two. Unimaginable.
Her dance classes at Spiritual Bliss were going well, too. She and Mallory decided to offer them in between Dani’s yoga classes, which meant she could still be home Tuesday and Thursday. The timing was perfect because Dani was enrolled in an online business and video class. It would be a while before she could get her idea up and running. There was that small problem of not having extra cash to buy equipment, but it would happen. She always believed dreams come true.