Under my roof
879 Words
Chapter 8
Under My Roof
I stared at Ryder like he’d completely lost his mind.
“Your room?”
My voice came out higher than normal.
Sharp.
Almost panicked.
Daisy, still half asleep in Ryder’s arms, yawned dramatically.
“About time.”
I blinked.
“Excuse me?”
She buried her face against Ryder’s chest. “Daddy takes forever.”
Ryder ignored her completely.
His pale eyes stayed locked on mine.
“Pack a bag.”
I swallowed hard.
“You’re not serious.”
He reached for his leather jacket hanging over the chair.
“I never joke about security.”
“That doesn’t mean I’m moving into your bedroom.”
“You’re not moving in.”
He slid his arms into the jacket.
“You’re surviving.”
The difference shouldn’t have mattered.
But somehow…
It did.
I folded my arms, trying to look stronger than I felt.
“I’m not scared of Marcus.”
Ryder’s jaw flexed.
“Then you’re not paying attention.”
The room went silent.
Even the air felt heavier.
Daisy lifted sleepy eyes toward me.
“Ava…”
I looked at her.
“When Daddy gets quiet…”
She yawned again.
“…somebody usually cries.”
I stared.
Ryder muttered, “Bed.”
This time Daisy didn’t argue.
He carried her upstairs without another word, leaving me alone in the kitchen with my racing thoughts.
And Marcus’s message.
And the photo.
And the terrifying realization that he really had found me.
Again.
I wrapped my arms around myself.
My body felt cold.
Unsafe and small.
I hated feeling small.
I hated feeling weak.
I hated that Marcus could still do this to me without even touching me.
I didn’t hear Ryder come back downstairs.
I only felt him.
That dangerous, quiet presence.
“You shaking?”
I immediately straightened.
“No.”
“Lie.”
I glared at him.
“Do you know any other word?”
“Yes.”
He stepped closer.
“Mine.”
My breath caught.
Hard, fast and dangerous.
“Ryder...”
He stopped inches away.
Close enough for me to smell cedar, leather, and something darkly masculine that made my knees feel unreliable.
Close enough to make my thoughts disappear.
“I need you alive, Ava.”
His voice dropped lower.
“Whether you like me…”
His eyes dipped to my lips for one dangerous second.
“…or not.”
I forgot how to breathe.
My fingers curled into fists.
“This doesn’t mean you own me.”
One corner of his mouth twitched.
“No.”
His hand rose.
Slowly.
Too slowly.
My pulse thundered.
He tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
The touch was brief, careful and devastating.
“It means I’m responsible for what’s under my roof.”
I swallowed.
“Why?”
His expression changed.
Not softer.
Worse.
Rawer.
“Because no one protected you before.”
The words hit harder than any shout ever could.
My chest tightened painfully.
I looked away first.
Because if I didn’t…
I might cry.
And I refused to cry in front of Ryder Kane.
He studied me for a long moment.
Then turned toward the stairs.
“Five minutes.”
I frowned.
“For what?”
He looked over his shoulder.
“To pack.”
I exhaled sharply.
“You really don’t ask, do you?”
“No.”
“Bossy.”
“Alive.”
I should have argued.
Instead…
I found myself walking next door.
My house suddenly felt different.
Empty, Cold and watched.
I grabbed a small bag with shaking hands.
A few clothes.
Toothbrush.
Phone charger.
Medication.
I froze when I opened the bathroom cabinet.
Marcus’s voice echoed in my head.
You’ll never make it without me.
My breathing hitched.
No one else will want you.
My hands trembled.
You always come back.
No.
Not this time.
I slammed the cabinet shut.
Then...
A floorboard creaked behind me.
I spun around.
Nothing.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
Another creak.
From upstairs.
I wasn’t alone.
My blood turned to ice.
“Ava…”
The voice came from above.
Male.
Mocking.
Familiar.
I stopped breathing.
No.
No.
No—
“Ava…”
Marcus.
My bag slipped from my fingers.
I backed toward the door.
Slowly.
Silently.
Then—
A hand grabbed my wrist.
I screamed.
“Easy.”
Ryder.
My knees almost gave out.
He pulled me against him instantly.
One arm around my waist.
One hand behind my head.
Solid, warm and safe.
“How—”
His eyes stayed locked on the staircase.
“I saw movement in your window.”
Footsteps creaked upstairs.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Marcus laughed.
And every biker instinct in Ryder’s body seemed to snap.
His arm tightened around me.
“Get behind me.”
My body obeyed before my mind did.
I stepped behind his broad back.
And watched Ryder Kane pull out his gun.
The temperature in the room dropped.
Marcus’s voice echoed again.
“You always did have terrible taste in men, sweetheart.”
Ryder smiled.
A cold.
Deadly.
Beautiful smile.
“Funny.”
He clicked off the safety.
“Because I was just thinking the same thing.”
And then—
Marcus stepped out of the shadows.
Smiling.
Bleeding.
And holding a knife.
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