28. Ryder

"Ryder!" Eric hollers as he sprints toward me. "Hotel now!"

I don't ask questions. I turn on my heel and race down the boardwalk to the hotel. I get into the lobby and see my beautiful baby girl sitting on top of the counter, Louie in her hands as she pets him and a security guard talks to them both.

"Chloe!"

"Daddy!" she yells as she grins widely.

She hops off the counter and races toward me, Louie going into her pocket easily. She jumps into my arms.

"Oh, Chloe," I sob.

"It's okay, Daddy. I'm okay. Gia saved me."

"Gia? Where is Gia?"

"I don't know."

Eric comes barreling into the hotel and the security guard looks up.

"What happened?" I ask the guard.

"She came running out of the elevator and grabbed onto my leg. She said that Gia told her to run out of the room, not look back, and go directly to someone who was a policeman or worked at the front desk and to call the police. We received a complaint of someone screaming from one of the rooms when we went up there, the door was open, and it was clear that two people had been tied up but no one was there."

"Who was the room registered to?"

"A Dawn Walsh."

"Shit," I breathe.

The name of the woman who had been following Gia.

"I found this little guy on the floor barely breathing. I picked him up and carried him down and learned he's her pet. He perked right up when he saw her."

"Are you okay, Chloe?" I ask her.

She nods.

"We'll have paramedics check her over just in case," Eric tells me as he says something in the radio on his shoulder. He looks at Chloe. "Do you know who took you?"

"I thought it was Gia and another woman. But then I woke up from a nap and Gia was tied up too. She says she has an evil twin sister. Like she has her own Ursula."

"Did you see both of them in the room at the same time?" Eric asks Chloe.

Chloe shakes her head.

"I did," the security guard interjects. "Earlier two women were helping another woman in. They told me that she was drunk and needed to sleep it off. The drunk one looked identical to one of the women carrying her in."

"Okay, do you know what vehicle is theirs? Don't they have to leave their license plate number on the check-in form."

He nods thoughtfully before he walks over to the desk and talks to the concierge. The older man starts typing into his computer and then shakes his head. The security guard returns.

"Whoever checked her in didn't get that information. He says that it's a black SUV with tinted windows. He also said that when he came in from a smoke break, he noticed the front end had damage to it. One of the females told him that the drunk sister had wrecked it."

Eric goes back to talking on his radio. "Dispatch, I need you to see if we can look at security footage from traffic cams and any of the security cameras throughout town. I need a license plate on a black SUV that's been at the hotel."

The dispatcher replies. And Eric glances back at me just as paramedics walk into the lobby. He waves them over.

"Chloe, I'm going to have you go with them, okay?" Eric says to her. "Your daddy will be right there with you."

"Okay."

Ren, Josh, Rosa, and Talia all come into the lobby just as we're following the paramedics out.

"Oh Chloe," Ren cries. "I'm so sorry."

Chloe latches on to me for dear life.

"It's okay Aunt Ren," she smiles from my shoulder. "Me and Louie are okay."

"Louie is with you?"

"Yes. Louie is always with me. He wanted to help so badly, Daddy, he wanted to eat the ropes on my wrists so we could play."

The paramedics motion for us to get into the ambulance so we do.

"We're going to follow you," Josh says.

"I'll meet you guys at the ER too. I have everything covered here but I want to see if Chloe can answer any more questions," Eric adds.

"I need to know that Gia is okay too," I tell him.

"I'm doing everything I can to find her."

They close the doors and the ambulance pulls out of the hotel parking lot in a matter of seconds.

Chloe is her usual self as she's asking the paramedics questions as they check her over.

"Can you check Louie too? He's shaking and scared."

"Of course," the female paramedic smiles as Chloe puts Louie on her belly.

The paramedic puts her stethoscope to his chest and Louie wiggles.

"He says it tickles."

"Well, that means he's healthy," the female smiles.

"Do you know that I have a llama at home? I have a real-life mermaid too, she helped me today with her magic."

"Chloe," I start.

The female paramedic looks up at me and shakes her head.

"I would love to hear all about your mermaid."

When we get to the hospital and the paramedics bring Chloe inside to be checked over by the doctors, the paramedic pulls me to the side.

"I didn't mean to be rude to you about the mermaid thing," she says softly. "It's just that I'm getting my master"s in child psychology. Sometimes children will tell you a lot more by the stories they create with imaginary friends than they will about the trauma they just experienced. I was hoping we could get something to make sure she's okay. I'll pass it along to the doctor and the investigating officer."

"Thanks, I don't know that I would have thought of that."

"Most people don't," she shrugs. "She seems to be handling it all like a champ. Good luck."

She and her partner walk off and I go back to watch as they ask Chloe questions and look her over.

As we leave the hospital, relief floods through me as Chloe is cleared and given follow-up appointments with a counselor. She"s shaken but physically unharmed, and I breathe a sigh of relief as we step out into the cool night air.

But my relief is short-lived as I see Gia being wheeled into the ER doors, unconscious and pale. Panic grips me as I realize that she"s in trouble, and I turn right around, determined to make sure she"s okay.

"Gia?" I ask.

"Do you know her?" the paramedic asks. "There's no identification on her. She was found like this on the beach."

"Gia Bennett. She's my fiancée."

Josh and Rosa had stayed at the hospital with me and are bringing the car up. I wave Josh inside.

"What's wrong?"

"They just brought Gia in."

"What? Is she…"

"She's unconscious but stable," the paramedic says. "If you're next of kin stay nearby so we can ask you some questions."

They continue wheeling Gia into the emergency room and I follow.

"Ryder, you should just leave. Get Chloe home and away from the chaos. Rosa will drive you. I"ll keep you updated on Gia"s condition."

I can"t just leave her like this, not when she needs me the most. I look back at Chloe who is staring at the doors where they'd just pushed Gia through.

"I'm okay, Daddy," Chloe says.

Josh sighs as he shakes his head. "I'll be right back I guess."

I go to the waiting room and sit down with Chloe in my lap. She continues holding on to me, and I her. It's not long before Josh returns.

"Rosa is going to run and get us some food. Get Chloe a change of clothes. And take Louie home, so he can rest in his cage. We've all had a long day. I can only ask so many people to ignore the squirrel in the hospital before it becomes abusing my power."

"Thanks."

We sit and wait for some time without any updates from the hospital staff. I'm about to pull my hair out. Chloe is asleep in my arms, thank goodness.

An older man in a gray suit walks through the doors and goes directly to a receptionist. He flashes a badge and I can overhear his conversation.

"I need to know what room Agent Gia Wethington is in. I will have a guard posted at her doors at all times. No one can go in without my approval."

"Excuse me, who are you?" Josh asks.

"Ahh, the brother," he chuckles. "Agent Rodney Jackson. Gia's superior."

"Superior?"

"Agent? Gia works for Macy's."

The man laughs and shakes his head.

"Why do you need a guard on her door?" I ask.

"The two women responsible for the mess were not captured," he says, his voice cold and calculating. "I don't believe they will come back for Gia, they believe her to be dead, but it's protocol.."

"How did Gia get into this mess in the first place?"

The man gestures for us to have a seat. Rosa walks in simultaneously and goes directly to Chloe. She wakes her up and takes her to a corner of the waiting room so the two of them can eat and talk.

"Do you know who your daughter's mother was, Mr. Lafferty?"

"Yes. Sofia Romano."

"She was the daughter of the Don of the Carusso Sicilian Mafia."

"What?" I laugh. "You can't be serious."

"This isn't a joke. Your wife was murdered because of a hit put out on her by her father for leaving the Family. We believed that he was now coming back for Chloe."

"Sofia said…"

"She couldn't exactly tell you who she was. She was in hiding. Mia Bennett and Allison DeSantis made plans to abduct Chloe and take her to the Don in hopes of earning his protection and favoritism. Make no mistake, if that were to happen he would kill your daughter. I've been working with Chloe's uncle, Sofia's brother, to ensure that didn't happen."

"Uncle."

"How does Gia play into all of this? Did she know?" Josh asks.

"She was clueless until she arrived here. When she realized that Matteo Carusso, the son of Don Vincenzo, was in town she began doing research and almost blew our cover. She began a relationship with you so that she could protect you from Matteo."

"So she's not a buyer from Macy's?"

"No. She's a CIA agent. She was pinned with allegations for a scandal that involved her partner, Allison Moore. She had been placed on temporary leave in hopes that Allison would come back to her and out herself. It quickly unraveled to more than that."

"CIA agent? An undercover CIA agent?" I repeat numbly.

"I'm afraid that her arrival to Ash Cove brought a lot more trouble than a small town can handle."

"Who is Christoph?" I ask quietly.

The man cocks an eyebrow at me. "Gia's partner Allison was in a relationship with him. He's a very bad man."

"When she was shot and left on the beach to die, she said his name."

"His henchman had gotten to her at that point."

"She lied."

"She only knows how to lie, son. It's how she stays safe."

The words are like a slap to my face.

Was anything she said or did the truth?

Was she just with me because of her job?

"Did she know about Mia?" Josh asks.

"No. She had no clue her twin sister existed until Mia made it known. I believe Mia reached out to you in hopes to get close to Ryder, to be able to kidnap Chloe, but then she learned that Gia was a step ahead of her."

"Mia told someone she was an FBI agent."

"Mia Wethington may not have been raised by her father, but she is him. She's been on our radar for a while. She's a notorious jewel thief and con artist. She targets those who are also con artists, felons, or notorious criminals. A German Spy can't exactly call the police and let them know his girlfriend stole his millions."

A doctor comes through the doors and glances around the room.

"Which one of you is the fiancé?"

"Me," I reply as I stand up.

"Miss Wethington had a gunshot wound to her left side, punctured a lung and she lost a lot of blood. She received a transfusion; the bullet is removed and she's resting comfortably."

"Can I see her?" I ask.

He nods. I make eye contact with Chloe.

"I'll be okay, Daddy. I'm fine."

Rosa gives me a gesture to let me know that Chloe won't leave her sight and I follow behind the doctor. As I walk in the room, it's a hard sight to bear when I see how pale and weak she looks.

At the same time, rage and hurt fill me.

Was anything real?

Her eyes flutter open, she smiles when she sees me.

"Is Chloe okay?"

"She's fine."

"I'm so sorry. It's all my fault."

"You're a CIA agent? Not a buyer for Macy's?"

"How did you…" she starts. She blows out a breath before she locks eyes with me. "I am an agent."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I couldn't. I was trying to keep you and Chloe safe."

"Our entire relationship was a lie."

"No, it wasn't."

"Without trust there's nothing."

"But…"

"Don't…" I say quickly. "I don't want to hear anything that comes out of your mouth. I'm glad you're okay and that you're safe but I won't have my daughter around a liar."

I turn on my heel and walk away quickly.

She calls after me and I ignore her.

Am I being a jerk?

Is this too much?

No. She lied to me. She doesn't trust me. I cannot settle for that.