“Ryker, I—I know I’m not supposed to call.”Sky stumbled over her words and paused so long that he wondered ifhe got cut off.Sky continued, “I needed to hear your voice.”
She’d been crying, he realized with a shock.The overwhelming urge to hunt down whoever caused her to shed tearstook him over, but he reeled his anger.When it came to her, Rykerhad no rules.He’d do anything for her.Hearing her voice againtriggered the emotions he’d learned to suppress over the years.
Seeing the other members of the Familia withtheir women made him yearn for the same thing.Ryker turnedtwenty-six this year.Giovanni kept encouraging him to find awoman, to settle down, but the only face he pictured waking up towas Sky, and Sky had always been off-limits.
Sky needed him now, he reminded himself.Ryker needed to find out what was plaguing her.He never told her,but he kept tabs on her.Giovanni saw her as part of the Familia,and they even chatted once a week on the phone.Ryker wanted totalk her many times, but he knew if he heard her voice, he’d driveall the way to where she lived and take her back with him.
Ryker nearly blew it when he found out she’dstarted living with her boyfriend, Rodney, but Giovanni made himpromise to keep his distance.Ryker made his decision two years agowhen he flat out told her they’d never be anything but family.
“Sky, I’m here.I’ll always be here for you.Now tell me what’s wrong.”
****
Sky clutched the phone to her ear, her heartthumping the moment she heard Ryker’s deep, commanding, andcomforting voice.Since the day he’d found her, rescued her, he’dbecome the family she never had.
I’ll be your family, always.
Those had been the last words he said to herafter she poured out her heart to him.She’d never seen him as abig brother, not the way she saw the other guys in the Familia.When Ryker took her in, she also had inherited the rest of theSeverin Familia.
Every week, Giovanni even called her, askedher how she was.It was nice, like having a grandfather who wasinterested in what was going on with her life.Giovanni was aboutto retire, about to hand over the reins to his son, Marco.Skydidn’t want to bother him with her silly personal problems, so shelied and told him she was fine.
Ryker wanted her to find a life outside theFamilia, but maybe deep down, she always knew her place was withhim.Sky caught sight of her reflection in the bathroom mirror,staring at the yellowing bruises on her wrists where Rodney grippedher too hard the night before.
Why had she put up with him so long?
You should be grateful I’m here, because noone else would want a damaged bitch like you.
Sky had endured comments like that sincethey began living together, or rather, when he moved into herapartment.Rodney didn’t need to bring up her old scars, becauseshe’d always been self-conscious of them.Throughout college andeven at work, she made it a point to wear long-sleeved shirts andblouses to cover up her arms.
She told herself repeatedly that he only gotmean when he drank.He was the first guy who showed any interest inher.She thought she genuinely loved him, but maybe she only clungto him because the only one guy who mattered, who she truly wanted,was off-limits to her.
Ryker made that painfully clear when heflat-out told her he wasn’t interested in her, not in any romanticway.He didn’t stop her from moving out either.
“Maybe this was a bad idea,” she whisperedto the phone, knowing Ryker was still there, patiently waiting forher to speak.
She’d avoided involving Ryker and theFamilia because she wanted to solve her own problems for a change.That was the reason why Sky moved to a new city in the first place.Start fresh.
She did what Ryker asked, but after seeingwhat the world outside the Familia had to offer, she realized sheonly wanted one thing.To come back home to him.
“Don’t put the phone down without telling mewhat’s wrong, sweetheart.”Ryker spoke in a firm, but patientvoice.
“I want,” she began, biting down on herbottom lip, unsure of what to tell him.
Would she come across to him as a failure?She promised him she’d try living on her own, and she didn’t wantto disappoint him.
Sky hovered her finger over the end callbutton, until he asked, “It’s that fucker Rodney, isn’t it?”
Sky let out a breath and blinked.“You knowabout Rodney?”
“Giovanni told me.He sends out one of hisguys every couple of weeks to check on you.”
Sky wasn’t even angry, because two wordskept flashing in her mind.Ryker cared.She thought he’d forgottenall about her.Giovanni called her on a weekly basis, but Rykernever once picked up the phone to ask how she was over the past twoyears.
“Wait,” she began.“So me bumping into UncleGino at the farmer’s market a month ago wasn’t by accident?”
Why hadn’t it been you?
“You know why.”
