Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

SABOTAGE

"Gorgeous, I'm good," I say for the third time since Sabrina left, and it was just the two of us.

"Are you sure?" she asks, biting her bottom lip.

"Yeah, baby, I'm good. Told you that. Now get your ass over here." I motion for her to join me on the bed. Sabrina had given me something for the pain that was going to knock me on my ass here soon, and I wanted her next to me when it did.

Before Sabrina had patched me up, I made Ryann take a shower with me. I fucked her against the tile wall from behind, the image is still fresh in my mind. I needed to fuck her when I did. I had to get the picture of her chained in the middle of that room out of my head. She'd been helpless to get out of being in the middle of a gunfight.

Luck had been on her side, and she hadn't been hit.

After the shower, she freaked out seeing the wet gauzes stained with blood. It wasn't a pretty sight, and I thought for a split second she'd completely lose it, and she did. But not with tears.

While Sabrina stitched me and then redid the bandages, Ryann paced, ran her fingers through her hair, and mumbled under her breath. Tears had shimmered in her eyes, but she stopped them from falling.

I didn't give a fuck if she cried. She needed to let it out.

Now, with Sabrina gone, it's just the two of us, and it was time to crash.

"I don't want to hurt you," she whispers, coming closer.

When she's close enough, I reach out, snag her wrist, and tug her the rest of the way. She falls onto the bed, her lips parting with a gasp. I move her until she's situated next to me and curl myself around her.

"You're going to hurt yourself," she says, her voice trembling.

"Ryann, baby, you gotta let it go. I'm good. I'm fine. You're safe. Let it out," I tell her and press a kiss to the side of her head. "Nothing is ever gonna happen to you again, gorgeous."

"You were shot," she whispers.

"Yeah, it wasn't the first time." I feel her tense, and I tighten my arms around her. "Ryann, trust me. My life hasn't been an easy one. For several years, I drifted. It was the first time in my adult life I'd been free. Not that I ever regret my daughter, but I needed that time. During that time, there were a few times when things happened. Fawn doesn't even know about it. She'd have lost her shit like she looked ready to do when she saw me before we left to go after you."

"She doesn't know you've been shot before?"

"Nope. It's not something I want her to know, either. She's been through a lot in her life already, and I just want her to have nothing but happiness. I don't want her freaked about anything that I've been through or going through."

"I can understand that." She nods and cocks her head enough for her to meet my gaze. "Does it bother you that I'm the same age as Fawn?"

"It's the reason I fought it at first. What I feel for you, I fought it. Not gonna lie. Figured you would be better with someone your own age."

"Don't be absurd." She huffs.

"And why's that?" I ask, cocking a brow, a smirk playing at the edge of my mouth.

"Because not only are you hot, you're so much more. You don't even look like you're in your forties. Also, there's no one else for me. I don't think anyone could have caught my attention because the first time I saw you, I knew you were it for me. I fell for you."

Fuck me.

"That's damn good, baby, because I fell for you too. You fuckin' well own me."

I lower my mouth to hers and kiss her deeply. Thoroughly.

Breaking the kiss was the last thing I wanted to do. If I didn't, I knew I was gonna end up fucking her and hurt myself further.

"Time to rest, gorgeous," I murmur, my lips brushing against hers.

"Okay," she whispers and snuggles into me.

I closed my eyes and shifted so my body was laying, and she was curled into my good side. With her at my side, I knew she'd stay there, and I could rest easy.

Tomorrow's a new day. The threat wasn't completely taken out, but for her, it was over. I was going to make damn sure of that. Once Pirate is able to find out who Bishop is, we could put this to an end once and for all.