Page 11 of Keeping What He Wants

Chapter Three

Ella twisted the key in the lock to her apartment and opened the door. The inside was dark so she flipped the lights on before entering. She dropped her stuff in the foyer and walked to the kitchen. Since she’d skipped lunch earlier due to one of her patients running nude through the department, she needed something to eat. Nothing really appealed to her, but she grabbed a bag of chips and made a sandwich from the lunchmeat she had in the fridge. After selecting a soda, she settled on the sofa and flipped on the TV.

The news reported a woman had been found dead in the east side of town. Shot brutally with the gun left behind. Pictures of a shiny weapon flashed across the screen, and Ella frowned. So much violence filled the world. A lingering thought of Ryker and the club floated into her mind. She didn’t know much about the club, and wanted to keep it that way, but she really hoped he wasn’t still doing illegal stuff with his father out of the picture. He was a good man, and whatever business he had with the club didn’t need to contribute to the bodies making their way to her ER. Choosing to watch something happier, she found a comedy show she liked.

At some point, Ella fell asleep. When she woke, she groaned, rubbing the crick in her neck. She had the day off, but rest didn’t come easy for her. She grabbed her phone and went through her messages. Some friends at work had the day off too and invited her to go shopping with them. She rubbed her eyes and clicked on her father’s number, waiting for him to answer the phone.

“Hawkins.”

“Are you in a better mood tonight?”

“Ella.” He huffed a breath, groggy. “Are you okay?”

“Of course I’m okay.”

“Then what the fuck are you doing calling me this late at night?”

Ella pulled her phone from her ear and glanced at the clock. 2:30. Shit. “Sorry. I…I didn’t realize it was so late…early…whatever.”

He groaned. “Well, I’m up now. What did you want?”

Ella rubbed her forehead. “I want my dad back.”

He didn’t say anything and she stood, pacing. She didn’t know what to say to him. He was mad at her, and she couldn’t fix it. He would never believe that Ryker hadn’t intentionally hurt her.

“Ella, you made your bed. Now you have to lie in it.”

He hung up and Ella scoffed, tossing her phone to her side. She couldn’t begin process the cold disregard he had, so she didn’t try. After changing into one of Ryker’s t-shirts, she climbed into bed. She flipped on the TV for background noise and hugged her pillow to her. For once, she thought Ryker was wrong. Nothing was okay, and she was making herself sick over it.

Sunlight woke her next, and she cringed at the brightness filling the room. Ryker didn’t come home which didn’t surprise her. She got up and went to find her phone. He’d sent two text messages: One told her that he was staying at the club. The other was clearly a drunk sex-text. She rolled her eyes. She needed to find a way to relax. With work, her father, and Ryker filling her life, she had little time to actually do something for herself.

But after working so many hours in one week, she wanted to catch up on her sleep instead of going out. It wasn’t like her college days anymore. She didn’t have the stamina to party all night and work the next day, nor did she have the ability to need or want to do that. Going to the grocery store was a task, and she usually did that on her way home after work.

She sighed. When had she become an adult?

Ella ate breakfast and took a shower. At the very least, she could go shopping at the mall with her friends from work. A couple hours wouldn’t hurt her. It’d be nice to hang out with women for a change as well. She might even splurge on something she didn’t need. She smiled to herself. She needed to live a little.

Her phone rang, and she answered it.

“Hey.” Ryker’s groggy voice filled her ear.

“Did you just wake up?”

“Yeah.” He groaned.

She licked her lips. “Do you need something? I’m kinda in a hurry.”

“In a hurry for what? Today’s your day off.”

“I’ve got plans with some friends.” She grabbed her purse. “I’m on my way to meet them, actually.”

“You have friends?”

She stopped as if someone had splashed cold water in her face. Did he really think that about her? She wasn’t the partying type. She wasn’t a goof-off. While she didn’t have friends like he had friends, she did socialize when she got a chance. Granted, most of her friends worked with her, but that wasn’t the point. “Yes. I have friends. Why would you even ask me that?”

“Because I’ve never met them. Who are they?”

“Derek, Melody, and Loraine.” She frowned.

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