Page 22 of Ripper's Property
The fuck?Cherry?
“Rip.”
Shit. I don’t like the sound of Dagger’s voice either. “We’ve got him winding up the mountain, heading right toward the clubhouse.”
My blood runs cold. I pick up my phone, dialing Raid.
“Yo! What’s up?” he answers.
“Shit’s been compromised,” I bark into the line, barely able to breathe. “Montoya’s heading your way. Make sure our girl is locked down and safe. Don’t let her out of your sight.”
“That fucker won’t get past us. Rory’s down by the lake; I’ll go get her and bring her in. Put her in the bunker.”
My stomach clenches in a knot so tight I almost keel over. I shouldn’t have left her. Fuck. I shouldn’t have taken so many men with me. I left her exposed. Without an army. Goddammit, I was supposed to wait until King and our brothers returned, but my impatience with wanting to make her mine caused me to fuck everything up. I acted with my heart instead of my damn head, and now, my girl’s in harm’s way. But I’m not going to let anything happen to her. The guys are ready for him. And if they don’t take his ass out before I get there, I will. Then I’ll be finding Cherry’s ass and killing her nice and slow.
15
Rory
“Iknew you’d be down here.”
The hairs on my arms prick up as the old familiar voice disrupts the quiet of this tranquil place. I close my diary, turning my head, seeing her back on my turf. Not sure why she’s here or who let her in, but I gather this has to do with Montoya and the strip club. Never got the details of Cherry’s involvement, but I know Rip saw her the other day.
“What are you writing in that little book of yours?” She moves in closer. “How you love Ripper? How you want to fuck the man who’s been like a second father to you?” She shakes her head in disgust. “It’s kind of sick if you think about it. He’s babysat you since you were a toddler, and now you’re fucking him.”
“What are you doing here, Cherry?”
I thought we kicked her ass out. If the guys are doing business with her, they should keep her on a leash. I’m notinterested in listening to her judgement and I certainly won’t tolerate her disrespect. I don’t care whether she’s helping the guys or not.
“That’s a good question.” Her lips turn into an evil sneer. “I told the guys at the gate that I’d left my mother’s bracelet behind and couldn’t live without the precious family heirloom. But that’s not why I’m here. I came for the little princess who everyone worships so much.”
I swallow hard, my eyes darting through the trees, trying to see if the guys are close. If I scream, they’ll come to me. But then I see it. The gun in her hand. The barrel pointed right at me. Her finger locked on the trigger, as her evil eyes stare me down.
“If you shoot me, they’ll kill you.”
They’ll hear the gun go off and will never let her walk out of here alive.
“I’ve been told this little beauty has a silencer on it. But I don’t plan on killing you. I’m taking you with me.”
I rise from the ground, taking a step back, but the lake is behind me. My only escape is toward her.
“I’m not going anywhere with you.” I shake my head.
“Oh, yes you are.” She nods. “If you want to see your dad alive, you’ll keep your mouth shut and walk right out of here with me.”
My dad? What’s happened with my dad? I try to think back to the last time I heard from him. He texted yesterday morning. Told me he’d give me a call last night, but he didn’t. My heart drops into the pit of my stomach and the panic starts to creep in.
“Now, come,” she urges.
When my nervous feet refuse to budge, she steps toward me and comes to my back, pushing me forward. The gun is now pointed into my spine. I don’t understand where the guys are. I don’t understand how she’d get through the gate and be left unattended. And where’s Raid? He’s probably inside without aclue as to what’s going on out here. Cherry starts leading me up the path, and I try to think of a way out.
“I never fucking understood what the appeal was,” she says. “You’re just King’s kid. Nothing more than a spoiled brat. Yet, all of them love you. I saw it in Rip’s eyes. For a moment I foolishly believed I could make him mine, but now I have a man who treats me like a queen. And my man hates your fucking guts.”
Holy shit. She’s with Montoya. She’s dating the monster. If that wasn’t such a horrifying realization, I’d think of them as a perfect match. But all I can focus on is the fact that there’s a loaded gun at my back and my father is in danger.
“You’re not going anywhere with her.”
The deep voice cuts through the nervous pounding in my ears. Raid is blocking the path, standing before me with his gun locked and loaded.
