Page 53 of Ryder

“What seems to be the problem?” Etch inquired after several moments passed without another word from any of us.

“The trackers were placed on some of the Reapers bikes a while ago. They shouldn’t still be active, but they are. It might be some sort of trap,” Marek gritted, obviously annoyed it was taking us so long to figure out what to do.

“Then why don’t we hunt them?” Smiley asked, grinning like he’d just asked the most obvious question.

“What?” Breck chimed in, seemingly annoyed that Smiley even put in his two cents.

Even though Breck looked pissed off, it didn’t stop Smiley from explaining. “Scope ’em out. Take a couple trips to where you think they are and watch ’em. See if they’re even there. If they are, probably not a trap. If there’s no sign of life, then figure something else out.” He nodded before adding, “Oh and by the way, I’ve used a tracker on one of my exes, and the fucker lasted for two months. Just sayin’.”

Funny how it took someone new to point out the obvious. The majority of us were dealing with our own personal issues, and because the Reapers had threatened us through our women, we weren’t seeing things the way we should’ve. Blinded with the need for revenge, we ignored what could’ve essentially been right in front of our faces.

If we indeed weren’t walking into a trap, we could’ve taken care of business much sooner. The thought alone angered me; the war with our enemy could’ve been over by now.

“Anyone opposed to what Smiley suggested, raise your hand,” Marek said. I looked around the room and not one man raised his arm. We were all on the same page in that we wanted to do something . . . anything. “Okay, then.” He slammed down the gavel before pushing away from the table.

I was one of the last to leave Chambers, too distracted thinking about Braylen to realize only Jagger remained.

“You okay, man?”

“I guess. It’s just . . . there are so many things that can go wrong. And now that I. . . .”

“Have something to lose?” he finished for me. He slid out a chair and took a seat next to me. “Listen, every time I step into that ring, there’s always a chance someone is gonna get the best of me.”

“I’m not talkin’ about losing a fuckin’ cage fight,” I seethed. “This is so much more than that.”

“Let me finish.” Jagger was only silent for a moment. “If you remember, I killed someone in that ring.”That fact had slipped my mind.“All I did was hit him in the wrong spot.”

“Wasn’t that guy a drug addict? Somethin’ was gonna get him sooner or later,” I mumbled, growing impatient with our conversation.

“That’s not the point.”

“Then what is?”

“That I take risks every time I fight. We, as a club, take risks every time we leave this compound, our reputation preceding us, angering our enemies. And we take risks when we fall in love with someone. All of a sudden nothing else matters but the woman holding our heart. It’s like the thought of something happening to Kena physically hurts, so I try not to let those images in, but sometimes I can’t help it.” Jagger took a deep breath, reclining in his seat to give me the time to digest his words.

“When did you get so damn philosophical?”

“I’m an old soul.” He laughed, slapping the table and rising to his feet. “Now let’s go find out when we’re leavin’.”

Braylen

Salzar has been extremely accommodating to all of us. He’s not much for words but has made sure we’re comfortable and have everything we need. Marek left strict instructions that we’re not allowed off the compound, even with some of the men accompanying us.

“It’s been four days,” Reece complained. “When are they coming back for us? I’m going out of my mind, thinking the worst.” She sat on the edge of the bed, biting her lower lip in nervousness, a sentiment all of us shared. Her long chestnut-colored hair flowed down her back, her blue-gray eyes rather stunning. She’d been a stripper at Indulge, but not for long, not after Tripp had met her. He’d saved her from being attacked by one of the customers, and the rest, as they say, was history. They seemed to be smitten with each other, and although I was still getting to know Reece, I knew Tripp even less. In fact, the only men of the club I really knew were Jagger and Ryder. I’d been around the rest of them at gatherings here and there, but they were still a bit of a mystery to me. Although they all seemed to have things in common, such as loyalty and being overbearing—“protective,” as Ryder would often correct.

“Someone will call soon, sweetie,” Adelaide promised. “They’re just not done yet.” She seemed so sure everything was going to work out, I couldn’t help but think she had some sort of inside information. Or maybe she just didn’t want all of us to freak out at the same time. Lord knew, she had her hands full with Riley and her unborn little one.

After putting her daughter in the playpen next to Kaden, Adelaide took a seat next to Reece. “Listen, you need to calm down and focus on your baby,” she instructed, gently rubbing Reece’s belly.

“I know. I just can’t help it.” Adelaide gave her a sympathetic look before turning her attention to me. “So, Braylen”—she smirked—“things seem to be going much better with Ryder. He finally wise up?”

“For the most part.” I smiled, thinking how far Ryder had come in such a short span of time. Don’t get me wrong, he fought the majority of the time to let me in, but thankfully he’d come to his senses. Thinking about him just then sent a shiver of unease through me. If I dwelled on it too long, I’d start to become even more depressed about our current situation than I already was. “Hey, why don’t we go out to the bar and have a drink. We can pretend like it’s a girls’ night out and that we’re not really stuck inside this place.”

“Sounds good to me,” Reece agreed, swooping all of her hair to one side and adjusting her shirt once she stood. “Although I’m just having soda.”

“Same here.” Adelaide laughed. “Christ! I never thought I’d be pregnantandbreastfeeding at the same time.”

Sully and Kena came into the room, laughing and signing to each other, completely engaged in their conversation. I was thrilled Kena had finally opened up after all these years. Before she met Jagger, I was the only one she hung out with, but since him, she’d really blossomed, coming into her own and not being such an introvert. Sully was the one who taught Jagger how to sign so he could communicate with my sister, so I figured I owed her one as well for Kena’s social successes.

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