A lightness of being that I hadn’t felt in years filled me. Was this really what love felt like? I felt invincible, infallible, and completely out of my depth.
Saving her was perhaps going to be the easy part. After all, it was what I did for a living, and I was the best at it. It was the part where I told her how I felt to her face, when I finally admitted what an asshole I’d been, that scared the living shit out of me.
I was so deep in thought that before I knew it, I’d arrived at the house. Jade had come outside to meet me.
“Harrison, I’m so happy to see that you’re back.” She threw her arms around my neck and kissed me, then settled in with her cheek against my chest for a hug.
God, I’ve missed this. How long had it been since I’d given my baby sister a decent hug? Ashamed of admitting to myself that I couldn’t even remember when the last time was, I hugged her to my chest and planted a soft kiss in her hair.
“I’m glad to be back.” I held her at arm’s length and met her gaze. “I’m sorry for being such an asshole. I’m sorry for everything that happened between us. I can never make it unhappen, but I promise to be the big brother you deserve from now on.”
Jade’s mouth dropped open. Fuck.
“I was that bad, huh?”
She smiled and shook her head. Her eyes glistened, and she blinked fast. “No, you were just being protective. It’s what you do.”
I took her hands in mine. “I’m really sorry. Can you forgive me?”
Women were so strange. She nodded, smiling at the same time as tears trickled down her face. How was that possible?
“I love you, Harrison. Nothing will ever change that.” Her voice hitched as she wiped the tears away with the back of her hand.
“I’m a lucky man,” I said simply. There weren’t enough words to describe how damn much.
Ryder had come outside too. He wrapped an arm around Jade and pulled her against his chest. “Jesus, why do you make Jade cry?” The annoyance was clear in his voice.
She turned in his embrace, and placed a hand on his cheek and kissed him. “It’s okay. We were just making up. It’s all good.”
“Oh,” Ryder said, but he still shot me a warning glance over her head.
Finally, I got it. Sometimes we hurt the people we loved the most because we were too dumb to know any better. At least, that was too true in my case. It took a bigger person than me—my baby sister—to show me that. I could feel her unconditional love, even though I was responsible for one of the worst things that had ever happened to her.
“Let’s go inside. Tell us what you found out about Eva.” Ryder sounded anxious, and deep worry lines marred his face. With his hand protectively on the small of Jade’s back, he steered her back indoors.
The way Ryder treated Jade, as if she were the sun and moon and stars to him, made me swallow the thick lump in my throat. I wanted that, too. Only I’d been too busy wallowing in my own darkness to realize how much.
It was strange how when we suddenly became aware of something new, we saw it everywhere around us. Love was strong in this home. Just the way the two of them were around one another answered all my questions about whether I was capable of having that in my life.
I want it more than anything. With Eva.
“Why are you smiling?” Jade was sharp, and her eyes missed nothing.
I wiped the smile off my face. This wasn’t the time. Eva was still in danger, and Ryder was watching me like a hawk. “I’m not.”
“Tell us what you found out.” Ryder was straight to the point. He didn’t mince words or fuck around.
“Can we sit down? I have some photos to show you.”
Ryder arched an eyebrow, the one with the odd slash through it. “Sure.”
He pointed to a seat before he sat on the couch and pulled Jade into his lap. He stroked over her stomach, keeping his hand on her pregnant belly as if he were protecting his unborn child from me. I got the message loud and clear. Ryder didn’t trust me anywhere near my own sister.
Clearing my throat, I produced the pictures. “Eva has been abducted. Nolan fucking Parker and his minions at work.”
Ryder grabbed the pictures from my hand and studied them intently. His normally suntanned complexion turned pale. His jaw clamped tightly as he looked through the pictures one by one.
“The motherfucking piece of shit!” The way his voice boomed made both Jade and I jump. Senator Parker had chosen the wrong two men to fuck with.
Jade took the pictures from Ryder. With shaking hands, she studied them up close.
“What did they do to her? She looks drunk or passed out. Oh my God.” My sister sounded as if she was on the brink of tears, and I wasn’t sure how good that was for the baby.
I gently took the photos from her and slipped them into my pocket. “She’s probably drugged. For that alone, I’m going to cut Parker’s balls off and let him bleed to death.”
Ryder held up a hand. Maybe I was being too graphic, so I toned it down a notch when I continued. “My guys have a pretty good idea of the location, too. Parker has his full detail of security with him. Tough motherfuckers who are all ex-military. We need to move fast, and we need numbers.”
“I can arrange that. The boys are just waiting for my call.”
“How many you got?”
“Five. More if you need them.”
“Add me, you and Savage, and that’s eight of us. That should be enough. We need to leave as soon as possible. It’s a two-hour flight to our destination.”
Ryder grimaced. “Fly? Some of my guys don’t do flying.”
“Well, there is no other choice. Riding a few hundred miles will take too long. God knows what condition Eva is in. Plus, we need to keep this as low-key as possible. Nobody can find out or warn them that we are coming. The element of surprise is our best weapon.”
“Can I come too?” Jade looked at Ryder, then at me. Her expression was serious.
“No, baby. You have to stay here. I can’t be worrying about you while we’re doing this. I’ll ask Mia if you can stay at their place and get one of the boys to watch over you.”
“But I want to help Eva. She’ll need a woman—”
“Jade. I said no. I’m not risking your life.” Ryder’s voice was soft yet stern. In spite of how much I disliked the biker, I had to take my hat off to the man. He kissed her belly and then smiled at her. “You have to look after our babies. That’s your job, okay?”
“Babies?” I gasped.
For a brief moment, Ryder cracked a smile. “Yeah, we’re having twins.” Pride shone in his eyes, and Jade beamed from ear to ear.
“I guess you’re right. I’ll hang out with Mia and we can watch movies and eat popcorn.”
Ryder chuckled. “That’s my good girl.”
I was relieved he’d been the one to refuse Jade. This was no vacation we were going on. It was risky and dangerous. Parker’s men would be heavily armed, and I wasn’t taking chances. I wouldn’t be surprised if blood was shed either.
I glanced at my watch. “How soon can you be ready? I’m chartering a small aircraft to take us.”
“My guys can meet us there. It’s easier if they come to the airfield directly from the club. I’ll go with you and we can strategize during the trip.”
There were things Ryder and I had to talk about that I didn’t want Jade to hear, so it suited me just fine.
“We’ll pick Savage up on the way. This is all systems go.” I rose to my feet, ready to start moving. I couldn’t wait to get going.
Ryder kissed Jade, and I excused myself to go to the bathroom to give them a private moment. I took a while and when I came back into the room, the two of them were still at it. I cleared my throat. “Hey, let’s get going.”
Jade blushed a deep pink as Ryder let her go and she slipped off his lap. He smacked her ass playfully before she crossed the distance between us and put her arms around my neck to hug me.
“Please be careful, Harrison. Bring back Eva and Ryder in one piece. And yourself. Promise me that?”
The lump in my throat threatened to choke me. “I promise.”