I sighed heavily. “There is no love lost between the two of them. Harrison looks as if he wants to kill Nolan.”
Ryder chuckled softly. “There’s more to it than the obvious. Jade thinks her brother is head over heels for you. Summers wants to cut Parker by the balls and watch him bleed to death.”
“What? Seriously?”
“Yeah, he wants revenge on the motherfucker more than—”
“No, no, I mean the part you said about Harrison being head over heels for me. What does that mean in man speak?”
“That, Sis, means what you think it means.”
“What kind of answer is that?” I huffed.
Double doors opened automatically as we approached, and Ryder stepped inside the plush reception area of the resort. The cool air-conditioned room was a sharp contrast to the balmy evening outside. Crystal glasses and bottles of champagne in silver ice buckets were spread around the room on elegant tables laden with flowers.
“Look, I’m not getting in the middle of this. But let me just tell you that the man is ready to kill for you. And if you know men, you’ll know that says a lot. Especially about how he feels over you.”
At a loss for words, something that didn’t often happen to me, I just stared at Ryder. He gave me a lopsided grin and placed me on my feet. I looked around and noticed how eerily void the room was of people. It was just as well, because my dress was ruined—not that I really cared, but I really didn’t want a picture of me splashed on the covers of the tabloids in this state. No doubt they had a different angle on their stories now, but still.
“I think Jade is wrong. Bless her kind heart, but she has her facts mixed up. Harrison disappeared without a word. Avoiding me and not answering my calls.” I hated the whiny tone to my voice, but I was still pissed and hurt by his behavior.
Ryder appraised me for a minute, raking a hand over his face.
“You probably already know this already, but men are simple creatures. Ask Jade. All we want to do is take care of our special woman, make sure she is happy and safe and provided for. That pretty much sums us up. But sometimes we get confused and we don’t know how to act.”
I sucked in a breath. “Especially the damaged ones.”
“Well, I kinda think you got through to Summers in a way nobody else could. Not even his own family.”
I stuck my chin out. “Well, Harrison will have to prove himself to me first. He can’t disappear off the face of the earth and then come and pretend to be a knight on a white horse. It just doesn’t work that way.”
Ryder let out a soft low chuckle. “I nearly pity the fucker. Nearly.”
Chapter 40 — Harrison
Shaking with rage, I struggled to not pull the fucking trigger. I’d uncovered a lot more about our senator in the last few hours than I could comfortably live with. I couldn’t believe that I’d barely stepped off one plane and onto another, but the six hours we flew to Hawaii was put to great use as Savage and I dug deep to get information from our source.
It appeared that the senator had pissed off many more people than what we had thought at first. Beneath his thin veneer of decency and charm lay hidden a dark side of debauchery and corruption that would rival any blockbuster movie script. Sometimes real life was stranger than fiction, and when Savage came to me with a whistleblower source that leaked some of the shit the honorable senator was up to, it became clear that it would be a public service to rid the world of a twisted fuck like Nolan Parker.
Not in the least bit surprised by the bribes and money laundering stories, it was when I found out about the Mexican sex slaves he kept hidden for his pleasure, promising the girls—some as young as fifteen and sixteen—a new life and a green card, that I lost my shit.
During our flight we’d strategized, each man taking on a specific role so that our little coup would run smoothly and without bloodshed. Pity I agreed to that, because my finger was burning to pull the fucking trigger.
My gaze fell on Razor. He was probably as thirsty for a bit of action as I was. He’d leaned forward and with a sneer he spoke to the brawny fucker he was holding down.
“Make my fucking day. Move one more inch and I slit your fucking throat.”
On the way over, Razor had complained when I’d instructed him to use a gun on his target instead of the knife he’d tucked into his belt. I’d heard about the deadly razors in the tips of his boots, wondering if it was urban legend, but seeing the way the biker’s face was filled with anticipation, I’d bet it was all true and that he was just looking for a reason to slice some skin.
The ugly-as-fuck dude groaned as Razor put his foot on the back of his head and pushed his cheek into the ground. For an ex-military man, the hefty fucker wasn’t putting up much of a challenge, and Razor actually looked disappointed.
I feel you, man. It would make my day too if I could put a bullet through the skull of the man in front of me. I shuddered to think of what he may have done to Eva.
Did I really want to know? It was a double-edged sword, because if he’d hurt a hair on her head I’d be making sure it was the last time he hurt a woman. He’d be in a pine box rotting like the filth he was beneath the polished exterior. I hated unscrupulous frauds and women molesters even more than I hated bikers.
At least bikers had the courage of their convictions; they stood for something and they stood with one another. They were not like the kind of man Parker was, who used people for his own gain and discarded them like trash when he got what he wanted.
Razor glanced at me with a pleading expression on his face, one that begged to make somebody bleed. In the strangest of ways, I felt connected to the biker at that very moment.
Seems we weren’t that different after all.
Becoming aware of Cobra snatching cameras from the photographers, I smiled. None of this shit was getting splashed in the media. As much as I wanted to show the world what a fucking creep and dirty rotten scoundrel their elected senator was, there were other ways to deal with him that didn’t get our faces on the covers and names in the headlines.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing? Step down, Summers. It’s an order.”
“I don’t take orders from you or anyone else any longer. I quit my fucking job today. I’m tired of being used by cowards like you.” The deep sense of satisfaction that surged through me confirmed that I’d made the right decision to quit.
“I don’t really care what you do with your fucked up life, but if you didn’t notice, there was a wedding taking place. How dare you burst in here, threaten us and cause havoc?” Parker went red in the face as he spat the words at me. Yet I didn’t miss the edge of fear in his voice.
The fool was baiting me. As much as adrenaline was pumping through my veins, I stayed in control. Years of training were paying off. I sneered at him, putting an end to his false bravado.
“Not in this lifetime. I have evidence of how your bride came to the island. I know about all your dirty secrets. Every single one of them. You better start praying, Senator, and hope your god is listening.”
Chapter 41 — Eva
Harrison stood in the doorway, and for a few seconds, while he probably assumed nobody saw him, his mask slipped just long enough for me to see the weary expression on his face. My heart squeezed for the man who had orchestrated my rescue. I owed him big time. From what Ryder had told me, he’d put everything on the line to find me.
But still, I needed more from him. I never wanted the sense of abandonment that left a bitter taste in my mouth again; it would always haunt me.
When Ryder told me he was going to arrange a room for me to change in before we flew home, anxiety at being left by myself even for a short space of time took over, and my palms went clammy and my throat tight as I watched him walk off. I’d sunk deeper into the luxurious chair, small and alone.