Mine to bleed for
1190 Words
Chapter 13
Mine to Bleed For
Ryder kissed me like he’d come home from war…
And found the only thing worth surviving for.
His bloodstained hands slid into my hair, holding me steady while my entire world tilted beneath my feet.
I should have pushed him away.
Should have reminded him Daisy was upstairs.
Should have remembered that men like Ryder Kane came with danger stitched into their skin.
Instead…
I kissed him back.
And somehow…
That felt even more dangerous.
A low sound escaped his throat.
And then...
“AHEM.”
We broke apart instantly.
Mason stood in the doorway.
Blood on his boots.
A smirk on his face.
And absolutely no shame.
“Well.”
He folded his arms.
“I leave for ten minutes and y’all start making family decisions.”
I wanted to die.
Again.
Ryder looked ready to commit murder.
“Mason.”
Mason grinned wider.
“Relax.”
He looked at me.
Then at Ryder.
Then at my swollen lips.
Then shook his head dramatically.
“Girl…”
He pointed at Ryder.
“That one bites.”
I covered my face.
“I hate everybody.”
Mason laughed.
“Good.”
Then his smile disappeared.
Just like that.
The room changed.
My stomach tightened.
Ryder noticed immediately.
“Talk.”
Mason’s jaw hardened.
“We found Marcus’s car.”
Ryder went still.
“Where?”
“Near the docks.”
My pulse stumbled.
Docks.
Again.
Mason’s face darkened.
“But he wasn’t alone.”
Ryder’s pale eyes turned lethal.
“How many?”
“Eight.”
I swallowed hard.
“Eight?”
Mason nodded.
“Maybe more.”
Ryder looked completely calm.
Which terrified me.
Because I was beginning to understand something…
Ryder Kane wasn’t dangerous when he looked angry.
He was dangerous when he looked calm.
He reached for the towel hanging over the chair and wiped blood from his knuckles.
Slowly.
Methodically.
Like he was deciding whose blood came next.
“Any club patches?”
Mason nodded once.
“Black Vipers.”
Ryder’s jaw flexed.
And for the first time…
I saw actual fury.
Not Marcus fury.
Not personal fury.
War fury.
“What’s Black Vipers?” I asked quietly.
Neither man answered.
“Mason.”
Ryder’s voice was ice.
“Upstairs.”
Mason frowned.
“What?”
“Take Daisy.”
Mason’s eyes widened.
“Oh.”
He looked at me.
Then back at Ryder.
Then suddenly looked very uncomfortable.
“Right.”
He cleared his throat.
“Kid-friendly uncle mode.”
Then he disappeared upstairs.
Leaving me alone with Ryder.
I folded my arms.
“Okay.”
Ryder looked at me.
“What?”
“What’s Black Vipers?”
He looked away.
Wrong move.
I stepped closer.
“Ryder.”
His jaw tightened.
“Not tonight.”
I laughed once.
“Really?”
My voice cracked.
“Marcus is stalking me.”
I stepped closer.
“Your daughter is being threatened.”
Closer.
“Men are bleeding on your porch.”
Closer.
“And I’m somehow still standing.”
I pointed at my chest.
“So no.”
His eyes locked onto mine.
“No what?”
I swallowed hard.
“No more protecting me with silence.”
The room went still.
And for one terrifying second…
I thought I’d pushed too far.
Then...
Ryder smiled.
“Bossy.”
I lifted my chin.
“Honest.”
His eyes darkened.
“Sexy.”
My mouth fell open.
“Ryder!”
He stepped closer.
Close enough that my pulse betrayed me instantly.
“Black Vipers are a rival club.”
My breathing slowed.
“They move weapons.”
My stomach dropped.
“They traffic people.”
Ice ran through my veins.
“What?”
His jaw flexed.
“Women.”
My chest tightened painfully.
Children.
My throat burned.
And suddenly...
Marcus wasn’t just obsessed.
Marcus wasn’t just angry.
Marcus wasn’t just stalking.
He was connected.
To monsters.
I took a shaky step back.
“Oh my God.”
Ryder caught my wrist.
Not to stop me.
To steady me.
“Ava.”
I looked at him.
And for once…
His eyes weren’t cold.
They were angry.
But not at me.
Never at me.
“He doesn’t touch you.”
My breathing hitched.
“He doesn’t take you.”
His thumb brushed my wrist.
“He doesn’t breathe near Daisy.”
Tears burned my eyes.
“Ryder…”
His expression hardened.
“Because if he tries…”
His voice dropped.
“I bury him.”
I believed him.
That was the terrifying part.
I believed every word.
A tiny voice suddenly drifted down the stairs.
“Daddy?”
We both turned.
Daisy stood halfway down.
Unicorn in hand.
Hair wild.
Eyes sleepy.
And somehow…
Still brave.
She looked between us.
Then frowned.
“Why are you doing murder flirting again?”
I choked.
Actually choked.
Ryder closed his eyes.
Like fatherhood was testing his will to live.
I burst out laughing.
And something in Ryder’s face…
Changed.
He stared at me.
Like he’d never heard anything better.
Like my laughter hit harder than bullets.
Daisy smiled proudly.
“There.”
She pointed at Ryder.
“He likes that.”
My face burned.
Ryder’s jaw flexed.
“Mason!”
Mason appeared upstairs instantly.
“Yes, boss?”
“Take the child.”
Daisy gasped.
“I’m not a child.”
“You’re literally six.”
“I’m emotionally seven.”
Mason burst out laughing.
Then scooped her up.
“Come on, tiny boss.”
She pointed at us dramatically as Mason carried her away.
“No kissing till I come back!”
The silence afterward was deadly.
I stared at the stairs.
Then at Ryder.
Then...
I laughed again.
And that…
That finally broke him.
Ryder laughed.
The kind of laugh that hit places inside me I didn’t know existed.
Then...
He stepped closer.
His hand slid into my hair.
My pulse exploded.
“You’re trouble.”
My voice came out breathless.
“I’m beginning to notice.”
His forehead touched mine.
“Say you trust me.”
I froze.
Because that…
That was harder than kissing him.
Harder than wanting him.
Harder than pretending I wasn’t already falling.
My throat tightened.
“I…”
His thumb brushed my cheek.
And somehow…
That broke me more than anything else.
“I do.”
His eyes closed briefly.
Like those words mattered.
Like they hit somewhere deep.
When he opened them again...
They were darker.
“Good.”
Then...
His phone rang.
And every ounce of warmth vanished.
He answered immediately.
“Talk.”
Silence.
Then...
His expression turned lethal.
“What?”
My stomach dropped.
Ryder ended the call.
And looked straight at me.
“Ava…”
My pulse hammered.
“What?”
His jaw tightened.
“Marcus didn’t run.”
The room went silent.
My voice came out barely above a whisper.
“Then where is he?”
Ryder looked toward the front window.
And for the first time since I’d met him…
He looked genuinely furious.
“Outside.”
A gunshot shattered the front window.
And Ryder threw me to the floor.
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