Chapter Thirteen

Ryder

I wake suddenly, sitting up and looking around. Neve is curled up beside me, still sleeping despite the wild storm outside. Lighting illuminates the room and the rumble of thunder tells me I won't get back to sleep any time soon. Neve's kicked the blankets off so I reach over her and pull them back into place, placing a gentle kiss on her head before getting out of bed. I grab my jeans and pull them on, then head down to my office. It's three in the morning, so I've slept for longer than I usually would. I need to work out my next move with Finn, there's no way I can let him keep his hold over her.

"The storm wake you up too?" I look up and find Griff standing in the doorway.

"Yeah, thought I'd go over the paperwork for the gym while it's quiet. You okay?" It seems like we've been avoiding each other since I saw him, we've just kind of slotted back into club life like it never happened.

He comes into the office and takes a seat opposite my desk. "You must have questions."

I place my pen on the desk and lean back in my chair. "I guess."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I didn't want to add to your stress."

"Or you were scared of my reaction?"

He laughs giving a nod. "That too. You're my big brother, what you think matters and I couldn't stand the thought of you being disappointed in me like Dad always seemed to be."

"That bastard was disappointed in the whole damn world." I take two glasses from his desk drawer followed by a bottle of whiskey. "When did you know?"

"I've always known Ryder, right from being a kid and not understanding your fascination with girls. But I knew for sure around eleven when I fancied the gym teacher, Mr Hale." I screw up my face in disgust, thinking back to that teacher. Griff laughs, "I never said I had good taste."

"And it's always been men?"

"Not always. I've fancied women and slept with a few. But now I'm older and wiser," he gives a laugh, "I realise I'm into men."

"You just don't seem…" I trail off unable to find the right words. The last thing I want to do is upset him but I wasn't prepared for this conversation.

"Gay?" Griff asks, laughing again, "Not all Gay men walk around swaying their hips and talking in a high-pitched voice. I'm the same as I've always been Ethan, I'm still Eric and I always will be."

I nod. He's right, this hasn't changed him or how I feel about him. "And you have a boyfriend?" I ask, wincing because the words feel so foreign in my mouth.

"No, I have hook ups but nothing serious and no one permanent, although Corey hangs around a lot. Speaking of permanent, You and Neve?"

I allow him to change the subject, I'll only ask for what he's willing to tell me. "She's it man, it's happened fast but I can't not be around her. Besides, Finn knows now which means she's a target, so I had to move faster than planned. We need to come up with a way to get rid of that bastard and keep Neve and Harlee safe."

"It's done brother, we'll protect them both. Announce it to the club tomorrow, they need to know you've taken an old lady officially."

I like the sound of that and I smile wide. "Sounds like a plan."

Neve

I wake and stretch out, smiling as I realise I'm in Ryder's bed. I glance to the side and see the empty space. I sit up and pull the sheets around my naked body just as the conjoining door opens and Harlee sticks her head in. "Good morning Popple. Did you sleep well?" I ask, patting the empty space next to me. She rushes over and climbs in.

"Yes. Why are we here? Can I still go to school?"

I hadn't thought much past staying here, it was all so rushed. Ryder had already mentioned me not going into work today but I hadn't thought of school. I give a nod, deciding I should keep her routine as normal as possible. "Yes, baby girl, you're going to school after breakfast. We're staying with Ryder for a while if that's okay?"

She gives me a toothy grin. "Breakfast," she repeats, her eyes lighting up.

We dress and head downstairs to the kitchen. The large table in the centre of the room could easily seat sixteen people comfortably but currently there are just five guys sat around it eating breakfast and chatting amongst themselves.

I head for Ryder who's sitting at the head of the table. As we get closer, he glances up, smiling wide and reaching out for me to hand over Harlee. She goes to him and he sits her on his lap. "I was thinking that today we could choose the paint for your new room?" he suggests. Harlee nods eagerly and he passes her a pancake.

"After school of course," I cut in.

"School?" repeats Ryder, "She can't go to school today."

"I can't let him change our life Ryder. Harlee needs to be in school, we need to keep the same routine." Griff shoots me a worried look and Ryder stands, passing Harlee over to Griff.

"Office," he mutters, and I sigh. I always seem to say the wrong thing.

Once inside he turns to me, "Do you know how serious this is? Do you even realise half the stuff your ex is involved in?"

"Yes, I've lived with the threat of Finn for years. He won't hurt Harlee."

"He'll take her, Neve. He has too many big people on his side. You said yourself he would take her just to destroy you and now he knows about us we've given him the perfect opportunity."

"What do you want us to do? Hide away here forever?" I ask, giving an unamused laugh.

"Finnegan Lawrence is a monster. Not the kind that you can afford to ignore hoping he'll get bored. I can drive you around the streets today and take you to girls that will run and hide if you mention his name to them. I can point out all the whore houses that he run's illegally and not one girl will speak out against him in fear that he'll kill them."

I frown, feeling confused. I know he's no angel, but seriously, people fear him? I can't imagine him murdering anyone. "All that might be true, but he still wouldn't hurt Harlee."

"Neve he doesn't give a shit about Harlee, if someone offered a good price for her, he'd sell her, and you'd never see her again."

I scoff. "Don't be ridiculous, that's his daughter and I know he's a lot of things, but he wouldn't hurt his own flesh and blood."

"He's a rapist," he hisses, angrily. I swallow the lump in my throat. "He instils fear into weak women and then controls them to do what he wants. He makes money from foreign girls that he's arranged to bring over to this country by selling them to pimps and forcing them into his whore houses. I can almost guarantee that he rubbed his dirty hands together when you gave birth to a girl!"

"Stop, he wouldn't do anything bad to Harlee," I snap.

"Please just listen to me Neve, I ain't making this shit up. I'll make sure that Harlee doesn't miss out on her schooling but until I can figure out what to do, I need you to listen and stay here. Neither of you are safe outside of this clubhouse."

My phone buzzes in my back pocket, making me jump. I pull it out and roll my eyes, pointing it towards Ryder so he can see Finn's name. "Answer it," he orders.

I sigh, pressing it to my ear. "Finn?"

"Have you seen sense yet?" His voice is cold and distant.

"Why are you calling me?"

"Do you know how mad I was finding out you're fucking a dirty gang leader. It makes me sick to know you're letting him touch you. He's a dog yah know, he'll use you and break your heart."

"If you haven't called for any specific reason, I'm hanging up."

"Don't you dare fucking hang up on me. Did he tell you that just the other night he was having sex with one of my girls. He paid for a private dance, there's no limits in those private rooms and he likes a bit of kinky fuckery." I remain quiet, I trust Ryder. And Finn will say anything to make me leave here, but still, there's a niggling doubt at the back of my mind. "He'll lie of course, but you always do fall for the liars and cheats. Jesus, you believed everything I told you. I wanted to slap you for being so stupid."

"You did slap me, several times. I have to go."

"You're running late for school get a move on."

"Unless you need to speak to me about Harlee, then please don't call me."

"Is that your boyfriend's rules? You let him know that I make the damn rules, especially when it comes to you and my daughter. I'll see you in court. Pack Harlee's clothes, I'm taking her."

Ryder takes the mobile from me and cancels the call. "What did he say?" he asks.

"Nothing important. The usual bullshit."

It's been a weird kind of day. I've spent time getting to know some of the women. Mainly Kit and Sia, who belong to Knox and Smokey. Sia and Smokey also have a daughter aged six, which meant we had enough in common to chat the morning away.

And for the last hour, I've been sat at the bar playing cards with Whiskey. "Didn't anyone ever teach you to sign, Whiskey?" I ask, and he shakes his head.

Sia told me he lost his tongue when he was just a kid, which made no sense to me. He's spent his entire life struggling to communicate when he could have been taught sign language to at least offer him some kind of strategy. "I know some, can I teach you?" He eyes me for a moment with suspicion, then he shrugs and gives a nod. I grin, placing my cards on the table. "Great." And I set about teaching him some basics.

An hour passes when I notice Ryder pass us to step outside. He returns minutes later with Miss Hind following him. It shouldn't bother me, seeing them together. But since Finn said those words, I've been feeling less confident and she is really pretty. "Siren, I got Harlee some extra tuition." He smiles wide, like he's holding the key to all the answers, but I don't feel the same and his smile falters when he realises it.

"Oh my god, tell me that's not Sass," came a loud voice. Bear rushes her from behind and picks her up, spinning her around. It's the first time I've seen her smile and it only makes her look more beautiful. I roll my eyes.

"Hey Bear, long time no see. How's the kids?"

"Ochs, there's too many of them now, we're on baby number seven."

"That poor wife of yours." She laughs, shaking her head.

"Let me take you to the kitchen. The guys'll be pleased to see you." She goes off with Bear and Ryder follows, probably realising I'm pissed.

I watch Sarah working with Harlee from my seat at the bar. It seems that Harlee loves the one-on-one approach and is concentrating so hard as she chews on her pencil. It's hard not to notice how Ryder is also hanging around her, occasionally speaking in her ear whenever Harlee is writing something down. The sense in me knows it's nothing. He wouldn't be sat with my daughter, chatting his ex up. But the jealous part of my brain hates it.

"You look like a sad puppy dog waiting to be rehomed." Griff sits down beside me munching happily on an apple.

"I do not," I snap, sulkily.

"You do so. She's the mother of his child, he just wants to win her over so he can see Alfie."

"How far would he go to do that?"

"How far would you go to see Harlee if she was taken from you? He wants Sass to see that he's changed, he's grown up and he's sticking around."

His words are not helping and I arch a brow. "And he thought he'd use my daughter to do that?"

"No, he promised you he'd get Harlee sorted so that she didn't miss out on school."

Harlee runs towards us waving a piece of paper. "Look what I did," she bellows excitedly.

Griff picks her up and takes the paper from her so that we could look at it together. I look up as Ryder heads for his office, with Sarah hot on his heels.

Griff catches me watching and smiles, "It's not what you think. He likes you."

Ryder

It's early evening when I finally sit down on the worn couch. I turn my eyes to where Neve is teaching Whiskey to sign. It's one of my new favourite things to watch and as she throws her head back laughing, before repositioning Whiskey's fingers, I find myself smiling.

I know she's being off with me. She's hardly spoken since I walked in with Sassy. But I ain't gonna apologise for keeping Harlee learning. This morning Neve was complaining her daughter would miss school, and now she was mad I'd found a solution. Besides, it wasn't my idea. I'd called Sassy first thing to explain the situation and she'd offered. The Griff had pointed out it was a good way to get into Sassy's good books, so I took the chance, hoping it'll lead to me being able to see Alfie.

"Neve," I call, and she glances over her shoulder at me. "Come," I add. She turns back to Whiskey, ignoring my command. I smile, there's something about her defiance that turns me on. "Siren, don't ignore me."

"I'm busy," she mutters, keeping her back to me. Whiskey raises his eyebrows in surprise. It isn't often someone shows disrespect to his president.

"Two seconds to make it right or I'm doing it my way," I warn.

I watch as some of the guys trudge in, followed by the club girl's they've been to collect from the bar. They hang around the bikers and offer a good time for free rent and food. It's a win-win situation. Viv spots me and makes a beeline. I smirk, wondering if this will get Neve listening to me. I let her slide into the space beside me and place her hand over my knee, raking her red nails there. "How's my favourite president?" she purrs.

I grin, leaning my head back on the couch and closing my eyes. "All the better for seeing you, V."

I don't feel her presence until it's too late. A cold drink hits my face and Viv screams, jumping away from me. I sit up and stare into Neve's furious eyes. She's holding a now empty glass. "Do not play games with me, Ryder," she warns, angrily before stomping away.

I stare wide eyed, hardly believing she lost it like that. Griff laughs hard, clapping his hands together. "Man, she had more fire than I thought."

Whiskey throws me a towel and I wipe my face. "Shut the fuck up, Griff," I mutter. I get up and rush after her.

She's almost at our room by the time I catch her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her against me. "You gonna pay for that, Siren," I whisper hiss. I wrestle her into our room and the second I close the door, she spins on her heel to face me, glaring in anger.

I take in her stance and keep my distance, "You look ready to fight, Siren." I sigh, adding in a gentler tone, "I'm not him, I won't hurt you."

She inhales sharply, and the anger leaves her expression. I step closer, pushing her against the wall and kissing her until I feel the last of it melt away. She begins to tug at my clothing and I shrug from my kutte. "I want to hear you screaming my name," I whisper, unfastening her button and pushing her jeans down her legs. She steps out of them. I grip her lace underwear and tear them from her, dropping them to the floor. "But first of all, I want to make it clear," he whisper, rubbing my fingers over her wet entrance. She closes her eyes, gasping in pleasure, "that I might talk to other women, some might be ex's or people I've had sex with, it doesn't mean I'm fucking them."

I unfasten my own jeans and free my cock, fisting my erection and crouching enough to line myself up at her entrance. "Hold on to me," I instruct, as I lift her slightly. "I'm yours. No matter what people say, what you think you see, I am yours." I thrust into her and she cries out in surprise.

"Seeing her here today threw me," she admits, gripping my shoulders as I slowly drag my cock from her, before easing back in. "She belongs here, I don't." Her cheeks colour slightly at her confession, like it slipped out without her permission.

I groan, "Siren, you belong here. Wherever I am, that's where you should be. Sassy is my past but you are my future." I move faster, enjoying the feel of her pussy choking me. "I want to see Alfie, to do that I have to break down her walls, but that doesn't mean I'm cheating on you."

"What if that's what she wants? What if she wants you to be a family?" I press my head against her shoulder trying to regain composure. This is the most she's opened up to me so far and I don't want to rush it.

"Then I'll tell her that I already have a family which I want Alfie to be a part of. Unfortunately, there's no room for Sassy in that."

Relief floods her face and she wraps her arms around my neck, shuddering as she comes apart. "You need to know that I like you a lot, I haven't felt like this in a long time and I plan to tell the club that you're mine. In my world that's huge, just as good as putting a ring on your finger."

Neve places her hands on my cheeks, staring intently into my eyes. "Thank you," she whispers, before kissing me slow and dragging an orgasm from me. I growl, stilling as I release into her. "I'm sorry I've been such a cow all day," she adds, placing kisses over my face. "Forgive me?"

"Always," I tell her, lowering her to the floor. I hand her a pair of boxers shorts, wondering if she'll comment on the fact we didn't use protection. It's not something we've discussed but I don't hate the idea of her carrying my kid. Fuck, when I picture it, it gets me hard. She slips the shorts on and slides into bed, pulling the sheets back for me to join her. I smile and snuggle up behind her.