Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

RYANN

The moment I let it slip I was in the room, I regretted allowing myself to be seen. Not because I was scared of these men, but rather the tense looks swinging my way.

"Gorgeous," Sabotage calls, making my heart skip a beat.

I like it when he calls me gorgeous. It's what he's called me every time we've been near each other.

Getting to his feet, he crosses the small amount of distance between the two of us, cups either side of my face, and whispers, "Fuck me, Ryann, you had us out of our minds, worrying about you." One of his hands drops down to wrap around my waist while the other sinks into my hair as he pulls me into him. "You okay?"

"Yes." Tears prick at my eyes. I want to be mad at this man. To tell him I hate him for telling my brother what happened to me, but I can't be. Not really, he didn't know Ryland was my brother. Now he knows. He wouldn't do anything that would, in turn, see me hurt. "I'm sorry," I utter for only him to hear.

"You got nothing to be sorry about, gorgeous," he says just as softly. "But after this shit, I'm not letting you out of my sight."

This time, my heart shudders, and the butterflies I always get around him flutter. "You can't always keep me in your sight," I inform him.

"I can so fuckin' keep you in my sight." Pulling me deeper, he lowers his head so only I can hear him. "We've got shit to work out between you and me, but I made a mistake a month ago letting you leave my bed. I'm not about to repeat it. You're mine, Ryann. Know that now, gorgeous, ‘cause when we leave here, it's my bed you're sleeping in."

Whoa.

Talk about one hell of a declaration of intent.

"Are you serious?" I ask as he draws away, and I meet his gaze. I don't know if he's playing with me or not otherwise. Sabotage I've learned in the time I've known him can deceive most people and hide the truth in his eyes, but not me. He's never hidden a truth from me.

"Damn right, I'm serious, gorgeous." Sabotage kisses me, using his tongue to part my lips.

"Can you not fuckin' do that shit in front of me?" Ryland growls, breaking through the haze.

Anytime Sabotage is around me, when he's touching me, I forget the rest of the world.

"Come on," Sabotage grunts, draws me into his side guides me over to the table he'd been sitting at, sits, and pulls me on his lap. "What do you mean it wasn't a broker who took you?"

Dropping my gaze, I swallow and wring my fingers together. "The guy who took me, is the same one who took me the first time. Said he'd seen some auction site. Saw me up there and said he wasn't gonna let anyone else have me again."

"You know who it was?"Maverick asks, and I nod, biting my lip.

"Fuck me, Ry-Ry," Ryland grumbles, getting my attention. When I lock eyes with him for the first time, I see the anguish in his gaze. The hardened expression coming over him. "I know that look, Ryann Morgan Branch, don't try to hide shit now."

"Don't call me by my full name, Ryland McCay Branch," I retort, narrowing my gaze.

So, I've always loved my brother, but we're siblings who bicker. We fight. Our parents would always start laughing, they thought it was hilarious. Me, five years younger than my brother, and I'd throw so much sass at Ryland and make him mad enough his face would get red.

"Fuckin' hell, I think I just had a flashback." My brother's best friend, and from what his cut says, he now goes by Risk, laughs.

"Don't get her started," Ryland grumbles, and I take a split second to take a look at his cut and see not only is he the VP of the club, but he goes by Warrant now.

"Warrant? Really?" I blurt out. "Let me guess, ‘cause you always have a warrant out for your arrest?"

"Oh shit," Pike says as Risk and the one on the other side of him, Butcher, burst out laughing. "That was good."

"Fuckin' hell, Ryann, just tell us who the fuck it was that took you rather than attempting to take us off the subject at hand." He glowers.

Okay, he had my number. He knew what I was doing and refused to take the bait.

"Fine," I snap, look to the ceiling, and taking a breath.

Sabotage's fingers trace circles on my lower back, relaxing me.

I give myself a moment to let his touch soothe me and return my attention to the matter at hand. Giving them the answer they want.

"Remember Roy?" I ask, knowing well and good he remembered.

"What about the little cock suckin' weasel?" This time, it was Risk who spoke up.

"The night I went missing, he's the one who took me. He ran us off the road. It was him who took me this time too." It's all I can do to get that out before my brother, Risk, and the others lose their shit.

"You telling me that fuckwad is responsible for not only kidnapping my little sister, but killing our dad?"

"Yes," I confirm.Quickly, I take a breath and glance around the table before sharing what happened when I woke in the abandoned warehouse. "It felt too easy getting away from him. The first time he took me, he kept me chained for over a year before selling me off to a man who then sold me to . . ." I look to Sabotage and whisper the last. "You know who."

"Yeah, gorgeous, I know," he growls, nodding.

"This time, though, I wasn't restrained. I didn't think, I just kneed him when he got close and ran out of there. I knew where I was. Dad taught us how to drive there," I explain, looking at my brother. "I remember you joining the club. I didn't know your road name or any of that, but I ran straight here."

Ryland looks to Risk. "We need to send someone to that warehouse and see if he's still there."

"Agreed." Risk nods, "Pike, take Throttle and Spark with you, show them the way."

"You got it."

Getting to his feet, Pike motions to two men I'd never seen before, and they follow him silently.

"Throttle and Spark just moved here from our Louisiana charter. Throttle's our enforcer, and Spark is our Sergeant at Arms."

"I know who they are." Viking nods. "They're from Chains's club."

"Yeah," Ryland confirms and looks at Risk, silently communicating as I remember seeing them do so often. Risk nods, and my brother looks back at me. "Need to let Mom know you're here."

My lips part to protest, but Sabotage speaks up first.

"Ryann, you need to let her know."

"Okay, but I really want to get back home. Back to Nevaeh, Fawn, and Peyton." I love my brother. I love my mom. But after the hell I've lived, I feel closer to them. We're like sisters. We share a bond none of the others understand.

"You can't leave, Ry-Ry," Ryland states, his voice doing something to me.

"Ryland, I have to. This isn't home for me. Not anymore. I need to be home. I need to sleep in my bed. Shower and put clean clothes on. I need . . . I . . . I need . . ."

"You need to be here where you've always were supposed to be," Ryland booms, getting to his feet, his chair falling over behind him.

Sabotage gets to his feet, takes me with him, and steps in front of me. "You need to calm the fuck down, Warrant."

"Don't tell me what I've got to do."

"Ryland, please," I murmur, peeking out from behind Sabotage, but the man standing in front of me doesn't let me finish.

"Think about what you've learned today, Warrant. Think about what she went through. Ryann was taken from this area."

"I fuckin' know she was taken from this area." Ryland snarls. "I, more than anyone else, know that bit."

"Then think about what she's gone through in the past years. Two years ago, she was pulled out of her hell. She needs to be where she feels safe."

God, how the hell does this man know me so well? Sure, I said it, but he's defending it like he knows exactly what I'm feeling.

"Warrant, you want, go to your mom, talk to her, tell her, bring her to our clubhouse," Viking suggests in an effort to ease rising aggression between Sabotage and my brother.

"Think that would be good," Risk agrees.I glance at him to find him staring at me, nodding before he gets to his feet. "Warrant, we'll go talk to Momma." I want to smile at him calling my mom ‘Momma'. That's what he's always called her. "We'll talk to her and follow after them later."

"You know, Momma Ray," Butcher adds. "She's gonna need time to process this. It'll be easier, and Ryann won't end up having a panic attack."

Butcher is so right. So . . . so . . . right.

"Fine," Ryland grinds out, eyes narrowing as he points a finger at Sabotage. "Anything happens to her, you're a dead man."

"Ain't gonna let anything happen to her," Sabotage says, his body relaxing just a bit.

I shift closer to Sabotage. I know the two of us have a lot to talk about, but right now, though I know nothing in this clubhouse and no one in here would hurt me, I still feel safer with him surrounding me with his touch . . . his presence.

"Can we go home now?" I find myself whispering.

"Yeah, gorgeous, we'll get you back home. But heads up, home is gonna be at the clubhouse."

"That's fine," I agree. The clubhouse is home just as much as the house Nevaeh, Maverick, and I share.

"Good, then let's get on the road," he murmurs, pressing a kiss to the side of my head. "Let us know if you find the bastard."

"We find him, we're killin' him." Ryland sneers.

"Fine by us," Viking remarks. "We'll see y'all when you join us."

I pull away from Sabotage and go to my brother, wrapping my arms around him and pressing myself into his front. "I've missed you, Ryland. I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was safe."

"Missed you too," he utters for only me to hear. "Felt like I lost a part of me losing you."

My chest tightens, nearly unbearably so at his confession.

Ryland pulls away and cups the side of my face. "I'll see you in a bit."

Nodding, I move back to Sabotage as he takes my hand in his.

"Come on, gorgeous, let's get you home," he whispers, guiding me out of the clubhouse.

It's dark out, and I should probably suggest we stay the night, but there's no way I could stay. I want to be back where I feel the safest.