Page 39 of Menace

“I want it out of my house. They have three hours to make it happen. If it’s not gone by then I’ll be disposing of it. I will not be compromised. I don’t trust her family at all. Their reputation for backhanded dealings precede them. I don’t need the police knocking on my door.”

Patrick smiled. “I agree, boyo. Leave it with me. It will be out of your house within the next hour. Now, I have to go because my granddaughter is bringing my great-grandbabies over. Good talking to you, boyo. I’ll be calling you soon for a longer talk.”

The next instant the screen was blank.

It was done.

And would never be spoken of again.

Rider

Seven days later

Riding up to the clinic with Bollywood, Bones and Mamba his mind instantly replayed the reason Harper and her boy was inside the building.

A vicious bitch had tried to kill them but she had died instead. The death of the slut meant nothing to him. He saw the way the men now looked at him but he shrugged it off.

He would do anything he had to for his family’s safety.

If that meant killing a woman then so be it.

The bitch had targeted Harper and her boy and he could not let her get away with it only to try again at a later date. There was no way he would allow it to happen.

Walking into Harper’s room he smiled at the sight of her with her baby in her arms, feeding him.

Yes, the kid was such a monster of a boy he was already out of the NICU and in her room. He knew Harp was disappointed because she couldn’t breastfeed. When the baby hadn’t seemed to thrive they tested her milk and it was found to not be nourishing enough and the paediatrician suggested bottle feeding. The little man was right now laying waste to his bottle.

“Hey, sweetheart, how are you and my boy doing today?” He asked as he sat on the side of the bed and ran a finger over the baby’s head. “And when are you going to give our boy a name? We can’t keep calling him baby boy or little man. Even the nurses keep asking me what his name is. He needs a name.”

Harper grinned at him, leaned towards him and kissed his cheek.

“I have a name for him but I need to ask you about something else as well.”

“Me? Okay.” He frowned in confusion. Why would she need to talk to him?

She reached for his hand that was lying on the bed next to her and clasped her fingers over the back of it. Turning his hand under hers he folded his bigger hand around hers.

“I’ve been thinking about it for months and I would love it if you would agree to be my son’s godfather. But before you say anything there’s more. I want to name my boy after one of the best men I know. You. I want to give him your name, your road name. And I want to spell it R-Y-D-E-R. We can call him Ry so there’s no confusion. I’ve noticed no one calls you that, they either call you Rider or Ride.” She stopped talking, giving him a worried look.

While she explained his body had frozen in place, almost without thinking his fingers had tightened around hers, and his eyes had unexpectedly filled with tears. He had to breathe rapidly in and out, almost panting, while blinking several times to get his emotions under control.

When he had himself back together he answered her, slow and sure.

“Sorry, sweetheart, for a moment there I almost lost it, but I’m okay now. I’m stunned and there’s so much I want to say to you but I have no idea how to say it, except to say thank you. Thank you and yes, my answer is yes to both questions. I’m so damned honoured you chose me to be his godfather and to name him after me. I swear to you I will be there for him for as long as I live.”

He had to swallow to clear his throat, blinking and swiping at the tears that pooled in his eyes.

“To know there’s a little boy on this earth who has my name…you have no idea what you have done for me. As far as I was concerned my name died with Penny and my boy, and you’ve found a way to give it back to me, to ease the constant pain. Thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Harper smiled at him through her tears as he clasped both his hands around hers, then bent down and pressed a soft kiss on the back of it and one on the top of little Ryder’s head.

“You’re such an incredible human and the sweetest man I know.” She whispered.

“Don’t tell anyone, it’s a secret.” He whispered trying to make her smile.

She smiled through the tears running down her cheeks. The smile faded as she continued.

“You and Ms Squirrel are my family. You helped me when I was lost and alone by becoming my friend and sharing your baby girl with me. I will forever be grateful that you came into my life. Thank you for agreeing to be Ryder’s godfather, he’s going to need you as he grows up.”

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