Page 62 of Ryder

When we finally made it to the SUV I’d be traveling back home in, Kena opened the back door while Jagger propped me against the side of it. Braylen took over and helped to brace me so I wouldn’t fall. I put all of my weight on my good leg because I had no doubt my woman wouldn’t be able to hold me up otherwise. I’d crush her.

As I was trying to carefully situate myself in the back seat, I saw Salzar, Etch, and Stone carrying Marek the best they could. Sully was right behind them being comforted by Adelaide. That poor woman had been through enough, we all had, and I prayed this was the end of the fuckin’ danger surrounding all of us. After the men had laid Marek across the back seat of another SUV, Sully said something to Miles before walking toward Tripp and Reece.

Once Kaden was placed in Sully’s arms, he calmed, and she seemed to do the same. Miles had apparently been asked to grab one of the car seats and transfer it to the truck that her husband had been placed in. And because Stone refused to leave his best friend’s side, Miles made another trip back to grab the other car seat for Riley, Adelaide refusing to leave her fiancé’s side.

Nash and Cass, two of Salzar’s other men, the ones who had driven Braylen, Kena, and Reece to us, helped carry Breck’s and Smiley’s bodies. Even though the men were dead, they made sure to treat them both with the utmost respect as they carefully laid them in the back of the vehicle they’d be riding in. It was their job to transport the fallen Knights back with us.

Everyone was en route back to our clubhouse, which thankfully wasn’t too far away. Our Laredo brothers would only be staying with us until the morning, making sure to get the rest they needed before making the long drive back to Texas, transporting Smiley back with them and taking care of his burial.

Cutter had been the first one in the lot as we all pulled in. As I managed to climb out of our truck, I watched everything unfold as Nash opened the back of the SUV where Breck’s body was lain, stepping aside to allow Cutter the space he needed to see his son. Trigger and Hawke exited the building and gathered around Cutter, offering him solace as they helped him carry Breck toward a patch of land behind the clubhouse, the same place where we ended up burying Zip. Cutter had already arranged for a coffin while he waited for us to return, and he laid his son to rest that evening. Whoever was well enough to attend, which was everyone except Marek, paid their respects before Cutter put him in the ground.

Over the course of the following week, Adelaide checked on Marek, who had been set up in the room designated for him whenever he had to stay at the club. She watched over him to ensure he was healing properly and staving off any sort of infection. And because his woman was keeping close watch over the Knights’ leader, Stone set up in his room, caring for Riley whenever Adelaide’s attentions were otherwise diverted.

I’d chosen to stay with my brothers, not completely convinced we were out of harm’s way. But after countless nights passed without retaliation or the police knocking down our gates, I’d made the decision to recoup back at my house with my woman.

Finally putting the last piece of the puzzle into place, completing the picture of the future I wanted.

No . . . the future Braylen deserved.

Ryder

One year later

“Dad, I don’t wanna go,” I heard as I rounded the corner into our guest bedroom. Zoe was standing in the middle of the room, fidgeting with her dress. “Dad . . . ,” she whined, throwing her hands on her hips and entering a stare-down with me.

“Zoe,” I countered, leaning against the doorframe. “What’s wrong? You look beautiful.”

“You know I hate dresses.” She continued to fiddle with the white and black polka-dotted material. “And my hair won’t go the right way,” she complained. Oh Lord, I could only imagine how she’d be once she became a teenager the following year. Puberty was gonna be the death of me, I already knew it. And boys . . . I wasn’t gonna do well with boys lurking around my little girl. Zoe was already a looker, and I feared for my sanity as she grew up.

Now that the threat toward our club had finally been eliminated, Rose and I had agreed on increased visitation with Zoe. While they still lived in Illinois, we both made the effort so that my daughter and I could get to know each other more. I also wanted to test the waters between Braylen and Zoe as well, seeing how well they got along before I revealed that I was thinking about having another kid. Thing was, Braylen had told me she wasn’t ready for a baby, but maybe if I put the thought in her head, she’d come around sooner rather than later.

“Here, honey, let me help you with that,” Braylen said, bouncing into the room to save the day. “Do you want your hair up or down?” She pulled Zoe’s shoulder-length red hair off her shoulders, then released it, giving my daughter a visual of different hairdos. I honestly had no idea where Zoe inherited the red hair from; both Rose and I have dark brown. I believe my ex mentioned someone on her mother’s side being a redhead, but I couldn’t really remember. Other than the color of her strands, there was no mistaking Zoe was mine, although she was looking more like her mother as the years passed.

Zoe smiled, looking at Braylen’s reflection in the mirror. “Um . . . how about up?”

“Up it is.” Braylen described everything she was doing while she set up her tools, Zoe enthralled with the fact that Braylen was a hair stylist. And a very talented one at that. She’d mentioned that one day she wanted to start her own salon, but she just wasn’t ready yet. Little did she know I had a surprise waiting for her, whenever she decided to make the leap.

Money wasn’t an issue for me. I never had to think about it because I had plenty of it stocked away—mostly from the club’s activities before Marek turned us legit. And because of my smart investments, I was set for ten lifetimes. Braylen knew I was wealthy, but she never asked for a figure. She didn’t care, wanted to make her own way, and I respected her more for it, even though I showered her with gifts as often as I could.

Upgrading her car, for one. The day I’d picked her up in a shiny new Mercedes, her dream car, she’d thrown herself into my arms, accepting the vehicle without an issue. She’d known I’d only force it on her anyway. Besides, she’d given me the best head of my life later that evening as thanks.

Win-win for the both of us.

“Sweetheart, you need to get ready yourself or we’re gonna be late,” I urged, pulling Braylen close the second she finished Zoe’s hair.

Furrowing her brows, she turned my wrist toward her and looked at my watch.

“But we still have two hours before it starts.”

Retreating to the other side of the room so Zoe wouldn’t hear me, I leaned in and nipped her lobe before whispering, “But I need some time to fuck you first.”

A pink flush tickled her skin, and I knew she wanted me almost as much as I wanted her.

“Gross, Dad,” Zoe admonished.

There was no way she heard what I just said. “What?” I feigned ignorance.

“I know you just said something about sex.” She casually toyed with her dress, smiling now that she liked her hair.

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