18. Ryanne “Shorty” Larwick

18

RYANNE "SHORTY" LARWICK

With Tex on standby, Khadri, myself and Boss went to where Musk used to be. I hadn't been there since the fire but I was surprised to see construction equipment was already there. Where the building itself would be re-erected was a gaping hole with a tractor sitting in it, port-o-potties were sitting on the border of the property to the back and a makeshift office stood where the parking lot would be.

But I didn't have time to really pay attention to much else.

The nerves in me as we waited was slowly pulsing against the back of my head, and I knew I would be having a migraine soon. That made me wonder how Khadri was feeling as he stood by the window of the newly erected office.

"Would he really go after Torez's sister?" I whispered to Boss who was scrolling through his phone.

He looked over to where Khadri was standing like darkness and shrugged.

"Moros is a soldier." Boss explained, softly. "He's never gone out of his way to do anyone wrong. Torez knows Moros and instead of declining the job or just keep it to what he was paid to do, he not only burned down Musk, he put his hands on Pasha."

"But the sister had nothing to do with anything."

"Pasha had nothing to do with anything either." Boss pointed out. "All she has to do with this is the fact that Moros cares for her. He is using her as bait because he thought that Moros would put himself and the rest of us at risk to get us in the Grotto. He brought his sister into this. None of us did."

"And what if Khadri does go after her?"

"I hate to say it, because from what I found, she's a sweet lady, but it is what it is."

"You can't mean that?"

"Are you on his side or Torez's?" Boss demanded. "He already doesn't trust you because of the whole Todd thing and now you want to walk away again?"

"That's not fair." My heart sunk. "I just?—"

"Just what?" Boss asked, his dark eyes digging into me like a blade. "Just what? Do you think this is easy for him? For any of us? When everyone else walked away from him, lied to him, tried to cheat him, aside from me, Pasha was the only one there, her body between him and the dark things."

I hung my head.

"What are you going to say when the demons come?" Boss ignored my discomfort. "It seems like you're the woman who will run."

"You—"

"He can't handle another betrayal, Ryanne."

"I didn't betray him."

Boss scoffed and stood.

Catching his arm, I pulled him back to the chair.

"I didn't betray him."

"Then what would you call it?" Boss asked.

The answers I wanted to give him ranched from it's none of your business to silence.

"Never mind." Boss leaned in to glare at me. "If you can't have his back in this and trust him to make the right decision if it comes to that, then I will call a squad car and have it take you back to the house. One of my guys will stay with you until this ends. I will not —let me repeat that— I will not allow you to sit here and be this fucking shadow to distract him. Because if he gets hurt or killed in this, there isn't anyone who will save you from Pasha, you understand me?"

"I was just saying to go easy on the sister. There's no reason for her to get hurt because her brother is warring with Khadri."

" Warring. What an appropriate term." Boss stood again. "Since you used war, what the sister is, is collateral damage. Now make a decision—stay or go?"

"I'm staying."

Boss left me alone to stand by Khadri's side.

The two of them fell into a quiet conversation—one where Boss was doing all the talking.

Feeling out of my depths, I tried figuring out what I felt about this entire thing.

I didn't start any of this.

I was quietly living my life, waiting for death.

Every morning, I woke up and went through the motions of life—earning money to pay the bills, sleep—repeat. It wasn't a fantastic life or even an exciting life, but it was mine and I was dealing with it.

One man's greed plunged us into this—one man who wanted me dead over things I had no idea about placed us all in his precarious position.

In a position where I had to chose between someone's life and the man I was falling madly in love with.

I knew—no one had to tell me—I knew Khadri wasn't a mean man. The quiet moments we had together told me so many wonderful things about him.

This entire situation told me he was fiercely protective when it came to his friends, his livelihood and his woman. And while he hadn't ever called me his, the way he took care of me, wanting to see me smile—his tenderness with me, all of it told me that even if he didn't know how he felt about me, he cared.

I'd already broken his heart once.

I didn't mean to—but I had and betraying him again would only tear that wound wide open.

It wasn't a good thought to have. But if there was no other way of getting Pasha back safely, I couldn't in all good conscience make Khadri break his own soul to save this woman whose brother was nothing but evil.

He'd gotten an out—Khadri had giving him an out by telling him to turn himself in to the police. Even after burning Musk down, even after sending killers after me, even after the fight at the diner that could have gotten Pasha hurt, Khadri still gave this man an out.

Torez refused to take it.

In fact, he'd doubled down.

As much as I hated the thoughts of someone getting hurt—anyone else getting hurt in all of this, enough was enough.

With that final thought, I straightened my spine and walked over to the small fridge beside the desk now covered with paper. Hunching down, I opened the door to find there were beers, water, sodas and a half-eaten slice of cheesecake.

Picking up a couple bottles of water, I brought them over and handed one to Khadri and the other to Boss. While Boss hesitated in accepting it, he finally did, and I turned to walk away.

"Don't." Boss told me. "I'm going to take a look around. Spend some time with him."

Nodding, I waited until the door closed behind him before turning to look up at Khadri who was drinking from the bottle.

"It's killing you not being able to just go get him, isn't it?" I asked him.

"Yes." Khadri replied.

With the kind of man he was, I was very sure it hadn't even occurred to him to lie.

"That was what Torez was banking on." He added. "He thought if he made me angry enough, I'd rush in without thinking, without a plan. And usually, he probably would have been right. But I don't just have myself to think about. He didn't count on how much I care about my people, and I don't know why that is. At one point, he was one of my people."

"It doesn't matter."

"Maybe you're right."

Silence.

I took his hand closest to mine and laced his fingers with mine.

"I'll be right here with you," I said.

"Even if you see a side of me that shows you just what's inside me?"

"I didn't stutter, Moros." I grunted. "I trust you will do the right thing when or if that time comes. I understand now—I get what being a good woman to you means—what being your woman means."

"I didn't know you were thinking of being my woman."

I blushed but ignored that comment.

"It means I don't have the luxury of being too soft-hearted." I explained. "It means I have to look at the world a little bit differently. It means I have to be willing to do some things to protect you because it won't work if you're always protecting me. You need a woman strong enough to not only stand by your side, but at your back."

"Shorty, I don't want you giving things up for me."

"I'm not giving up anything." I told him, watching two cards drawing closer and closer. "I'm going to fight for you, Khadri, even if I have to fight with you."

When he said nothing, I looked up to see he was looking down at me, his dark eyes filled with a storm that was very new to me. I'd seen many things in that gaze—passion, rage, the mischief of a little boy.

But this was new.

Whatever it was, it sparked something in the very depths of me, something far more complicated than anything skin deep.

I wanted that again—I needed that.

"This feels weird." He told me.

"What does?"

"Having a lover fight for me." He admitted, his voice wavering to the point of cracking. "No other woman has ever cared enough to try—cared enough to want to. No other woman has ever considered me worthy."

Lifting the back of his hand to my lips, I brushed my lips tenderly against the flesh then placed a lingering kiss along the path my lips had traced.

"You're worth it, Khadri. It took me a little time to figure it out. But—yeah, you're more than worth it. And I'm going to prove it to you."

"Moros?" Tex called. "I need you to focus. You incoming."

"I see them." Khadri replied. "Do you have eyes on Boss?"

"Yeah—he's hanging back, just in case you need backup."

"Roger."

Khadri pulled a gun from his back holster and placed it in my hand. It was kind of ridiculous how heavy the thing was, but I needed to steel my spine for this.

"Do you remember how to use this?" He asked.

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

I answered him with a kiss then held the weapon at my side, pointing down.

"Shorty—"

"Point it away from my heart and fire." I told him.

Khadri kissed me, removed another gun from a thigh holster and checked it. Once it was back in the holster, he opened the backdoor of the place and stepped out.

Taking up my position at the corner of a window at the far end of the place, I realized I could see everyone now, clearly.

The first vehicle held two men in the back, one in the front. They stepped from the vehicle with a half conscious man that they had to half drag, half carry forward.

The second car held Pasha, who was seated in the front passenger seat with two other men in the back with another man whose face had seen better days.

"Tex?" I called into the mouthpiece attached to my wrist. "Who's the guy in the middle of the second group?"

"Paul Newman." Tex replied. "Sit tight—you'll get a chance at him."

"I'm not moving from this position unless Khadri is in danger." I told him without thinking. "Until he tells me to."

"You like him, don't you."

I blushed but why lie?

"Don't worry," Tex said. "We have his back."

As they drew closer, I recognized the half-conscious man was Torez Sloan. The number of times I'd seen his picture, his image was burned into my brain.

I figured they took what Khadri had said literally—he didn't care what condition Torez was in when they brought him, as long as they brought him.

The two men dumped Torez by Khadri's feet and stepped back.

"Poke told us who you are." The overweight man explained. "We don't want any trouble. The Grotto may not seem like much to others, but it's our home."

"We couldn't risk you were serious." One of the men spoke, he had a slight French accent. "He's not worth losing the home most of our friends have."

Pasha walked across the space to stand by Khadri's side.

"Thanks." He told them.

"What do you want us to do with that one?" Another man asked, hauling a struggling Paul forward.

"Leave him with me. My girl would like to have a few words with him. Also, come back here tomorrow—I have something for all of you."

The men nodded and went back to their vehicles.

After they left, Khadri motioned for me to come and soon, I could hear Boswell's footsteps approaching us. We stood over Paul and Torez, silent as if we were all amazed that threat had worked.

I was happy it didn't come to Khadri having to act out.

"Boss, take Torez." I instructed.

"I'll inform the Army that we have him." Boss reached down to pull Torez to his feet. "I'm assuming with the wanted poster, they're gonna want to talk to him."

Khadri nodded.

Torez lost his mind then.

"You can't hand me over!" He screeched. "I can't go to military prison!"

He tried fighting back but Boss merely hit him so hard, he went unconscious again. I watched as Boss handcuffed Torez then hauled him across the lot and all but tossed him into the backseat of a squad car.

I wish I felt bad for him.

When I turned myself back to what was happening directly in front of me, it was to find Khadri tossing Paul into the bed of his truck and bringing the cover down over it.

"Come along, Shorty." He called, wrapping an arm around my hips. "We're going to end this."

Exhaling, I nodded, wrapped an arm around Pasha's hips and walked her to the truck. After helping her into the front passenger seat, I got into the back and pulled on my seatbelt.

"You should be sitting in the front." Pasha complained again.

"I'm fine." I told her. "After what you've been through, I think you need the legroom. I get the big lug all to myself tonight."

"Ladies." Khadri laughed. "I'm right here."

"Kinda hard to miss that, ya big lug." Pasha teased.

"See what you started?" Khadri asked twisting in his seat.

I smirked.

"How are you feeling, Pash?" I asked.

Her bruises were healing nicely, but her hair was a mess and her make up was all wrong.

"Tired." She replied. "Hungry—I would kill for a shower."

"Want me to drop you home first?" Khadri asked, starting the ignition.

"Aww, hell no, Phi!" Pasha exclaimed. "I'm seeing this to the end."

Khadri didn't argue and I understood why. No one liked unfinished business and I was pretty sure Pasha would have been of more help to Khadri in a fight than I would be.

Slipping into silence, I stared out the window, not sure where he was taking us until we pulled into the lot of the same place we'd gone to get the first idiot to talk.

Soon, Paul was in a chair, but I was in the room, sitting on a chair with the gun on the chair between my thighs.

Exhaling, I thought back to the days when I wasn't a gun person. The thought of having one close was enough to cause me to have an anxiety attack. But this man and his bullshit had thrust me into a world where it was either adapt or die.

And now, as I stared at him, I wanted nothing more than to put a bullet between his eyes.

"You were responsible for the false information out there about me." I spoke. "The idea I was dead, the foster system not finding my grandparents, weren't you?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because in order for my plan to work," Paul replied. "You had to be dead."

"Tell me about my parents." I told him, my voice low, cold.

"I have nothing to say to you on that subject." He told me.

He was toying with me. He knew not knowing hurt me and he smirked as he refused to give me what I wanted.

His mistake is thinking I was the same weak woman who he pushed along this path. He didn't think I was capable of change—and not change for good.

"Moros."

"Mm, Baby?"

"If he's screaming here," I said. "Can anyone hear him?"

"No." Khadri leaned his back to the wall closest to me, while Pasha ate away at a small bag of peanuts she'd gotten from his glovebox. "This is an old warehouse. It was built to keep the machine sounds in."

"Good."

I shot Paul in the left knee.

He screamed and tried reaching for his injured leg, but Pasha had tied him to the chair—securely.

"Fuck!" Khadri jerked forward. "Shorty!"

"My parents." I repeated. "Did you have anything to do with their deaths—and before you think of lying to me, I don't know how much you know about guns. I didn't know anything before this whole thing started. Apparently, this, is a Glock 19 and it holds fifteen rounds."

"Ryanne—" Pasha started.

I held up a hand to silence her.

"You, Paul, need to ask yourself, how much pain you can endure." I continued. "How many holes I can pump into you before I hit a vital organ, or you bleed to death? Now, before you answer those questions, remember, I'm not a doctor and I barely passed biology. I barely know much about sex so the human anatomy?—"

I shrugged while waving the weapon around.

"No damn clue. Which means, the holes are going into your body in places I think won't lead to a vital organ, but I can't be sure. Do I have to repeat myself?"

All he did was struggled against his restraints.

Angry, I lifted the gun and fired into the top of the same leg.

"Bitch!" Paul screamed. "I'm not telling you nothing! I want you to suffer!"

I took out his other knee.

"I may be suffering later," I said. "I'm having a blast."

"Baby." Khadri cooed.

"No." I shook my head. "No—he's had his fun. It's my turn."

"You don't have it in you!" Paul spat. "You're weak. Just like your mother."

I smiled.

"Sure." I shrugged. "I'll take that. But guess what? I have that man over there to fuck the sad weakness right out of me. You, on the other hand, will be here, tied to that chair, bleeding to death. And in the morning, we're going to find a hole where not even the pigeons can shit on you. We're going to toss you in and cover it up. And the only reason why I'm showing you that mercy, is because even though I didn't know her, I know my mother wouldn't have wanted me to leave you out for the vultures can get you."

"Shorty." Khadri rested a hand on my shoulder.

When I lifted the gun again, I aimed for Paul's dick.

"Fine!" He tried hiding his cock with his thighs. "Okay! I had something to do with their crash!"

I exhaled loudly—my breath leaving my body in short bursts—gasps at that admission.

"I tampered with the brakes on your father's car." Paul swallowed convulsively. "I knew your mother would be driving your father's car. He hadn't gotten any sleep the night before—he was up making sure the baby's room was up to speck. Your mother wouldn't have allowed him to drive."

Silence.

"Go on." Pasha whacked him against the back of the head.

"Anne wasn't supposed to die." P She wasn't supposed to have been in that car—she should have been at the hospital, with her baby. I spent my entire life in love with Anne. And she never once saw me as anything but a friend. A fucking friend and the second Morrisey shows up, she was head over heels. Asked me if I could put in a good word for her with him because she could see no one else but him. For a while, I thought I could get over it. But the more I saw them getting closer, the angrier I got because why not me? Why wasn't I good enough? I knew if Morrisey wasn't in the way, she would have loved me—she would have been with me. Then one day they were just gone—the big house they bought, they abandoned and without a trace. It took me a while, but I found them but by this time she was pregnant. That was when I found out they'd secretly gotten married. But I was willing to take you and pretend you were mine…I told her that when I confessed to her. That man had to die.

"It's the same thing I think about you."

"Shorty—don't take that monkey on your back." Khadri warned. "That weight is heavy."

I wanted to kill him.

Forever thing he'd told me he'd done, I wanted him dead.

Even after he killed my parents, that hadn't been enough for him. I wasn't sure why men couldn't take no for an answer and leave things like that.

Why was her exercising her right to chose not something he respected?

He went out of his way to pass that punishment onto me, stole my grandparents who had nothing to do with anything. He'd broken their hearts and revictimized them as many times as he could.

Yes, I wanted him dead.

But I knew if I did that, I'd lose Khadri. I wouldn't be able to fall asleep in his arms at nights, taste his kiss, feel his body hot and warm around me.

And while that was frustrating, I allowed him to take the gun from my fingers and wrapped me into the safety of his arms.

"I'll handle it now." His voice was soft close to my ear. "I got you."