“No,” I admitted softly.
He nodded, half to himself. “I did.” He paused as if he wasn’t sure he wanted to continue, but then he took a shaky breath and said, “Our mother was fond of gin and full of rage. Never laid off the stuff, not even after Dad left, which is why he left. For some reason, she always went after me and not Royal. I figured out early that nobody was coming, not even to check the bruises.”
A hush settled over us. I wanted to cross the space, to take his hand, but I sensed he needed to tell the whole story before I interrupted. He kept going, his voice flat but not bitter, as though he’d rehearsed it a million times.
“By the time I hit sixteen, I was sleeping on park benches and fighting anyone dumb enough to give me a reason. Met a recruiter in juvie who said the army would pay for my GED. I figured getting shot at for a living sounded better than waiting to get murdered in my sleep.”
He sank into the chair across from me, elbows on his knees. “I was good at it. Too good. They put me on special teams because I could disappear into any crowd and pick up a skill by watching it once. It felt like magic the way I could change shape, forget who I was.”
He cleared his throat as if the words were raw inside his mouth. “After the service, there’s not a lot left. Royal signed up with a crew that did black ops for whoever had the cash. I followed, because…” He trailed off.
I finished for him. “Because of family.”
Ryker looked at me then, really looked. “It’s the only thing I ever wanted.”
We sat in silence. The only sound was the wood stove crackling and the wind outside rattling the windows. I reached across the table and took his hand in both of mine, holding on tight. “Thank you for telling me.”
He squeezed back, voice rough. “I want to be better for you, Lily. Not just the guy who knows a thousand ways to kill a man, or who can live off a can of beans for a month. Just… better.”
I shook my head, a trembling smile on my lips. “You’re already more than enough,” I said. “And for what it’s worth, I never had a real family either. My dad left before I was born, and my mom passed away when I was three, and we ended up in foster care.”
He sat in silence watching me as I continued.
“As I grew up, I got lost in every book I could find. Every day after school, I’d hide in the city library and pretend I lived in one of those big, happy families in the stories.”
“They’re overrated,” Ryker said, a hint of laughter breaking through.
“I know that now,” I replied. “But I do know what it feels like to want to belong to someone. Or somewhere.” I stopped then, not trusting myself to keep talking.
He grinned as he looked up at me, a warm and dangerous look was in his eyes as he said, “You belong to me now. Even if you run, I’m coming after you.”
I laughed, and said, “I won’t run.”
And I meant it.
Chapter 15
Ryker
Two weeks to the day I decided it was time to check in with Royal. But this time I wasn’t leaving Lily behind to fend for herself. We packed up and made our way down the mountain to where we had parked the Prius. After tossing our stuff into the trunk we made our way to the closest town, the last time I had a signal on my phone.
‘Sugar Beach Convenience’the sign read above the store as we pulled up. I parked it by a weeping willow and asked her if she wanted to go inside while I made the phone call.
She said sure, and hopped out, stretching in the dappled light. I watched her cross the lot, hair pulled back, eyes alert. When she disappeared inside, I pulled out the phone and dialed Royal’s number.
He picked up on the second ring, the sound of seagulls and car horns in the background. “Make it quick,” he said. “I’m feeding the cat.”
“Feeding what cat? You were supposed to drop her off at Sarah’s?”
“Of course I did. Mabel rode shotgun with her front paws on the dash the whole time. I think I’m falling for her.”
“The cat or Sarah?” I laughed, for real this time.
“The cat. Although Sarah is a riot. You want the rundown or the bad news?” I caught the shift in his tone, straightening. “Bad news.”
“I think I’ll need to adopt a cat. Unless of course, Lily doesn’t want Mabel. I could fight her for visitation rights.”
“Fuck off,” I grumbled with a grin on my lips. “So, what’s the good news?”
