Page 20 of Fought and Freed

Fuck.

Ryder peered past his friend down the hall. “Where is she? In her room?”

“She’s soaking in the tub.” Cody’s nose wrinkled. “I suggest you take a shower before you see her. She wouldn’t like you smelling of someone else’s perfume.”

He shook his head in disgust. “I sure hope you know what you’re doing, Ryder.”

“It’s not what you think.” Cody would understand if Ryder was allowed to tell him who the perfume belonged to. Fuck, his life sucked. “I wouldn’t do that to her. I love her.”

With a disgusted huff, Cody stomped into his room.

He understood why Cody assumed he was cheating on Maddy. He’d been distant and keeping secrets. Ryder just prayed Maddy wouldn’t jump to the same conclusion. He could handle Cody, but if Maddy thought he was cheating, it would kill him.

During the time Maddy started acting weird, before she checked in to rehab, Ryder had received a frantic call from his sister, Honey.

Ryder remembered that night like it was yesterday.

“Ryder, I’m in trouble. Can you please come to where I’m at?" Honey begged. "And don’t tell anyone where you’re going.”

“What’s wrong?” he demanded, already grabbing his jacket.

“Please, just come.” She rattled off the name of a motel and the room number. “I need you.”

He didn’t like keeping secrets, but he borrowed Jace’s Jeep and drove to the hotel.

It was one of the run-down buildings on the edge of town, and he had a hard time thinking of her staying there. Honey was used to the finer things in life.

He parked, walked to the right room number, and knocked with a sense of dread.

The door slowly opened, then he was quickly dragged into the room.

“Did anyone follow you?” Honey asked, shutting the door and locking it before peeking out the window.

Ryder was confused by her behavior. “Uh, no.”

When she turned around and raised her head, her right eye was all black and blue. She had tried to cover the bruise on her jaw with make-up, but it was the same color.

Alarmed, he stepped toward her. “Honey, who hit you?”

Fear filled her gaze as she looked around, but she said nothing. She walked over to the bed, holding her side as she sat down.

“Did Richard do this to you?” he asked angrily.

Their mom had set Honey up with Richard after high school. He was the son of one of their mom’s well-off friends. Their mother and Richard kept saying he would be president someday, and he was a senator right now. Through his position, he’d made powerful friends.

Honey grabbed a tissue, dabbing her eyes as she nodded.

“How long has he been hitting you?” he growled out.

She sniffled. “A couple of years now.”

He took a step closer. “Does Mom know?”

She crinkled the tissue in her hand. “Yes. Her advice is not to say or do something that will anger him.”

“Figures that bitch would give advice like that.” His family was so fucked up.

“I don’t know what to do, Ryder.” She played with the tissue. “I didn’t want to bother you, not after what our mother did to you so I could do those stupid pageants.”

---