Page 3 of Ryder's War

The sight of Ryder's sister froze Tiffany's blood faster than any gunshot. Rose's black-dyed hair and witch costume couldn't hide how young she still was—too young to be anywhere near club business, even on Halloween. The memory of what Ace's brother had done still haunted them all, making every interaction between Rose and Ace a minefield of unspoken trauma.

“Rose, your parents will not be happy that you came into the clubhouse. You know the rules. Amscray before they find you in here with him.”

“Forget her parents. Ryder will lose what little is left of his mind if word gets back to him that his little sister was in here. The barbecue's safer for you,” Ace growled, but something in his eyes betrayed a deeper concern. The same look Ryder got whenever his sister came too close to club business. Some sins left permanent marks—Ace knew that better than most. Rose might be sixteen now, but some wounds didn't care about birthdays.

Planting her hands on her hips, Rose stared the huge man down. “Don’t talk to me like I’m a child. I’m sixteen now.”

“You’ll be a grown up when you’re twenty-one. Now get the hell outta here, kid.”

Regardless of the words he chose, Ace’s voice took on a soft quality when he spoke to the teen, and Tiffany realized he was afraid of hurting her feelings. He refused to look at her as silence spun out between the two of them.

Tiffany didn’t know what to do, and things were already getting absurdly awkward. “Rose, will you see if the ambulance has arrived? They don’t always come in with sirens blaring.”

Nodding, the young teen turned on her heel and walked out the door, her long, black hair catching the wind and floating behind her like a cape. The sunlight rushed through the door, casting strange, creepy shadows of the Halloween decorations on the floor that slowly diminished as it drifted closed.

Whirling around to look at Ace, Tiffany demanded, “What was that all about?”

Ace huffed. “Who the hell knows. After the shit my brother pulled on her, she needs goddamn therapy, if you ask me. Of course no one ever asks me shit. Why in the hell do I feel like I could run circles around this building?”

“When the human body sustains serious damage, it releases adrenaline and endorphins to dull the pain and give the person the strength to fight or flee. It’ll wear off before long, and you better pray you’re in front of a doctor when it happens, because that’s when the pain kicks in full force.”

“Jesus, you sound like a walking medical encyclopedia.”

Their conversation was interrupted by several volunteers from the local ambulance service barreling through the door. After checking Ace over and hearing Tiffany’s rundown on what was beneath those bandages, they elected not to tear them off. Loading him carefully onto a stretcher, they eased him into the back of a waiting ambulance. It all happened so quickly, Tiffany didn’t have time to ask to go, leaving her behind with worry niggling at the back of her mind that the clamp would fail, and he’d bleed out if the EMS workers weren’t careful.

Watching the ambulance disappear in a cloud of dust, Tiffany's mind raced through the possibilities. Hospital meant cops. Cops meant questions. Questions meant danger—not just for Ace, but for the whole club. Her new family.

The Halloween decorations cast long shadows across the lot as the sun dipped low, and she couldn't shake the feeling that this was just the beginning. A wealthy man's reach was long, and she'd learned the hard way that money bought more than just fancy cars and designer suits. It bought information.

As the ambulance disappeared in a cloud of dust, Tiffany couldn't help wondering if hospital records might finally give Sawyer the breadcrumb trail he needed to find her. After all, in her experience, trouble never came alone, especially where the Blind Jacks were concerned.

~ Tiffany ~

A shadow suddenly appeared beside hers on the pavement. “Did my brother shoot him?” Rose's voice carried an edge Tiffany had learned to recognize—not fear, but that particular blend of anger and concern that seemed to run in the Staunton family. After six months, she was getting better at reading between the lines with these people.

Tiffany’s mind raced with possibilities. Did the young woman want her abuser’s brother dead? Had Ace wronged her in some way? Why would she be insinuating herself into this particular situation?

Without looking at the teen, Tiffany asked quietly. “Did you want him to?”

Grabbing her arm, Rose forced her to make eye contact. “Are you crazy? Why would I want something like that?”

Tiffany didn’t respond immediately, deciding instead to give the girl a hot minute to calm down. Finally, Rose let go and let her hand drop to her side. Tiffany cleared her throat. “No, Ryder didn’t shoot him. Ace’s gun misfired when they were shooting targets out back.”

Rose blew out a relieved breath. Clearly, the young woman recognized shooting as a favored pastime among the MC brothers. Rather than commenting on the accident, Rose careened unexpectedly in a different conversational direction. “Ace didn’t do anything to me. Why does everyone keep treating him like he did?”

Chewing her lip, Tiffany paused to think of the best way to explain the situation to the angry young lady. “Ace looks a lot like his brother. I suppose, for some people, it’s a constant reminder of what his brother did to you.”

“It’s none of their business. Sometimes, I wish no one knew what happened to me. I hate the way they treat me like I’m made of glass and might break if they say the wrong thing. They treat Ace different, too, and they’re too ignorant to even know they’re doing it.”

“Maybe they know, and they just can’t help themselves,” Tiffany offered.

“Maybe people ought to keep their noses out of other people’s business.”

A sympathetic half-smile curved one side of Tiffany’s mouth—the only thing she had to offer. “If you need someone to talk to, I’m here for you.”

“What’s there to talk about? I got beaten up and raped by a crazy man. You think growing up around this place, I failed to notice how sometimes life is unfair and bad shit happens to good people? I put that situation behind me months ago.”

“Then why are you so angry?”

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