Page 56 of Forbidden Pawn

“My bracelet!” I exclaim. “I thought I’d lost it forever!”

“It must’ve gotten stuck on my jeans during the ambush,” he says, as he lets it drop into my open palm. “The clasp is broken, otherwise I would put it back where it belongs.”

I smile at him. “You already did. Thank you.”

“It’s your father, isn’t it?” he asks. “The picture inside. I’m sorry, I was curious, so I looked.”

I struggle to open the little trinket with one hand, so Ryker helps me and reveals the photo inside, my favorite picture of my dad and I. His warm smile greets me, and for the first time in years, I feel like things will be okay.”

“Yes, it’s him,” I say. “I’m sorry I lied about that, too.”

“How about your mother?” he wants to know. “Is she…”

“She died when I was born, so I never got to know her,” I tell him. “It was always just me and my dad. That’s why we were so close. He raised me by himself and he was the most amazing father anyone could hope for.”

I close the trinket with two fingers, as tears are pearling in my eyes. Ryker wraps his arm around me, careful not to touch my broken hand.

“I’m so sorry,” he says. “For everything.”

I huff. “It’s not your fault.”

“I still hate that these things happened to you,” he insists. “And I think we have a lot of catching up to do after all of this is over.”

I nod. “Yes, we do.”

“I can’t wait to get to know the real you, June,” he adds. “Now, let’s take care of your hand, before we make sure that these motherfuckers never get to hurt anyone ever again.”

Chapter 43

June

~ Six months later ~

I smooth down my dress in front of the mirror, glancing over my shoulder at Tracey, who’s leaning against the door frame, watching me with a well-disposed smile.

“You’ve come a long way, you know,” she says, her eyes warm. “Look at you, all dolled up and so giddy.”

I smile as I brush a final touch of gloss on my lips. She’s right, things have changed a lot in the past few months. Before I left to be handed over into Ryker’s hands, I spent most of my time hiding in my room, grieving the loss of my father. Tracey and I barely talked and just passed each other like satellites orbiting the same planet, our small apartment. I was too wrapped up with my grief and my research about the events that led to my father’s downfall.

As it turns out, the Cortesi named an official branch of Ryker’s money laundering business in one of the documents I had found in my father’s office to deflect and keep their names out of anything official that may be seen by the authorities. I latched onto that name and stopped digging further, because I was convinced I had found the right culprit. And I was busy crafting my revenge plan ever since. I fell for their trap and went after the wrong man.

Tracey knew nothing about any of this. She knew my father had died shortly before she moved in with me, but she never knew about my plan for revenge. We weren’t exactly close, and I told her I was just going on a trip when I left the house to meet up with the Reids.

But after I returned as a survivor, the victim of a Mafia kidnapping who managed to flee by herself, Tracey didn’t hesitate to help me as much as she could. She was especially helpful in dealing with the media frenzy that followed, keeping nosy journalists as far away as possible.

“That dress looks so good on you,” she praises, a proud smile gracing her face.

“Thanks, Tracey,” I say, setting my lip gloss down and meeting her gaze in the mirror. “For everything, actually. You’ve been such a great help in the past few months.”

“Are you kidding?” She laughs, brushing it off, but I can tell she’s moved. “I had the story of the century living under my roof. That ‘Young Woman Kidnapped by Mafia Family’ headline had my whole office talking.” She shakes her head. “I just wish you didn’t have to be the main character in it. I’m sure you could do without that horrible experience.”

I grimace at the memory of the Boston tabloids splashing my face across their pages. The entire city seemed obsessed with the story, but it all felt wrong. I never wanted attention like that, especially not for something that was only half true. Yes, I was kidnapped, but there’s a lot about the Reids and Ryker that the public will never know about. No one will ever know the real story of how Ryker and I met. To everyone else, he will just be the man who found me somewhere in the middle of nowhere near a country road. We told everyone that I had fled from the Cortesi headquarters and just ran out into the woods until I came across a street and waved down the first car I saw. Luckily, no one ever seemed to question that story, not even the police, even though the Cortesi tried to tell them what really happened. No one listened to them.

“Well, at least it’s over now,” I say, smoothing my dress one last time.

A honk from outside tells me Ryker’s car is waiting. My heart skips, knowing he’s planned something special for our six-month anniversary, but I don’t know what.

Tracey follows me to the door, giving me a quick hug before I go. “Have fun tonight!”

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