Page 28 of Ryder

My phone rang.When I saw who it was, I didn’t hesitate to answer.“Ryder!”

“I’m here, Emma,” he said, his voice the calm one that instantly settled the chaos circling me.

“They took her!”My voice was high, borderline hysterical.

“Who, baby?”Ryder asked.“The Dawn Agency?Tell me what happened, but first, are you somewhere safe?”

How did he know?Sloane was with an alpha, another alpha, his business partner.No wonder he’d been ringing my cell off.“I… Yes.Jude is coming to pick me up.I’m outside.The apartment is in Sloane’s name, so they’ve taken possession of it.There’s security tape over the door!She was going into heat or something.She was in pain, so I called the Dawn Agency.”My words come out in a rush.“I thought they would send like a doctor or something, maybe give her tablets to ease the symptoms, but they gave her an injection and she went limp.That was when they carried her out into an ambulance.They wouldn’t let me go with her.Told me I would be contacted.The way they talked about her—” My voice broke.“I didn’t know what to do.She’s always been the strong one.I needed to help her, and now I’ve made everything worse.I’m so frightened for her.”

“It’s going to be fine,” Ryder said.“How far away is Jude?”

“He said five minutes.”

“Okay, you stay on the line until he gets to you.We’re going to get your sister out.”

“You can do that?”Hope surged.I didn’t have a clue how he might make this happen, but he represented a safe place amid the storm.I was in shock, reeling from the cruel words and the treatment of my sister at the hands of the Dawn Agency.

“Baby, you’d be surprised what we can do.”

Jude’s car came tearing into the apartment visitor parking lot.“He’s here!”

“Good girl, now go with him.We’re about to lose signal but keep your phone with you and charged.When I call you, I expect you to answer.We’re going to be having a long chat about your disobedience next time we meet.Don’t make that any worse.”

My stomach dipped.“Okay.”I didn’t care what he did to me or my ass, so long as Sloane was safe.

“What the fuck happened?”Jude demanded as I jumped into his car.

I held my hand up, pointing at my cell.“But, Ryder, you better get my sister.”

* * *

My anxiety skyrocketed as I waited for news about Sloane.She was my sister, the last of my family.It was like the day we learned about our parents all over again, only this time, there was no Sloane to hold me because monsters had turned up and taken her from me.

Jude sat me down on his couch and brought me a glass of water, but I was shaking so badly, I couldn’t drink a drop.

It wasn’t Jude’s apartment.No, we were at his boyfriend Derek’s place.They had an off and on again relationship.Derek was a bit of a commitment-phobe, so it hadn’t progressed very far.I think Jude secretly loved him, although Jude also liked to play around and acted like he wasn’t bothered because Derrick wasn’t bothered, either.

As a result, I had not one but two gay men fussing over me.

“What exactly happened?”Derek asked Jude, which was for the best, because I couldn’t form words into coherent sentences.I keep seeing Sloane—first, the writhing creature, and then the lifeless version after they’d shot her up.She was alone.I couldn’t stand that she was alone and vulnerable.

“The Dawn Agency took her,” Jude said.“Fuck knows what’s going to happen now.You’ve heard the rumors about that place.”

I rubbed my temples.

“Now’s not the time,” Derek said, sending a pointed glance at me.

“You don’t need to hide it from me,” I said.“I’ve heard about them, too.I just… She was in pain.I didn’t know what else to do.”

Jude sat next to me and drew me into his arms.I let him, and all the while feeling a terrible guilt that I was getting comfort while Sloane had none.“I just want my sister back safe.”

“I know, Em,” Jude said.“We all do.”

Regrets swamped me.Why hadn’t I answered Ryder’s call?I couldn’t believe Jace would have let Sloane leave.I thought the alphas living in Desparion knew far more about the dark side of our society pertaining to alphas and omegas.

There was no easy way.

Which brought my mind to the riot at the gates when we’d picked Sloane up.“She must have gotten scared when she revealed and fled.”I said.“All those alphas at the gates…” I shuddered.“She knew she was an omega.I laughed when she told me.It all seemed so silly and unreal.Why did she pretend everything was fine when she first came back?It’s not like you can hide your omega status.”

---