Ride Or Remember

CHAPTER 20

RYDER

“I still can’t believe you brought her here.” Kane muttered as he stood beside me, our attention fixed on Liora.

She was in the middle of the open field, surrounded by the club boys, laughing as they dragged her into one ridiculous game after another.

It was strange.

A month ago, I wasn’t sure I would ever hear that sound from her.

“I still can’t bring myself to leave her alone,” I admitted quietly.

Every time I walked out that door without her, I feared that I would return home and find her blood staining the floor.

Logan shot me a brief look before turning his attention back to Liora. “It’s been a month since the incident,” he pointed out. “How long are you planning to keep her at your place?”

I rolled the glass between my fingers, my gaze never leaving Liora.

She threw her head back as one of the guys said something that sent her into another fit of laughter. Her eyes sparkled with life, her cheeks flushed from excitement.

She looked…

Happy.

More alive than I’d ever seen her.

“I’ve never seen her smile this much,” I said after a long silence. “Not before these past few weeks.”

Logan let out a scoff. “She doesn’t wear your patch, Ryder,” he said pointedly. “You’re the president of the Raven Club. The rules apply to you more than anyone else.”

I remained silent.

“You know how this works,” Logan continued. “Women don’t stay under a brother’s roof for this long unless there’s a reason. And if there are no plans of giving her your patch, people are going to start talking.”

He wasn’t wrong.

As president, I couldn’t afford to ignore the club’s rules simply because they inconvenienced me.

The Raven Club had survived because we respected the code.

Breaking it, even for Liora would create problems.

“And that’s exactly why he has us,” Kane cut in before I could respond.

His expression hardened as he looked at Logan.

“If anyone decides to make trouble out of it, we’ll handle it.”

Logan shot Kane a hard glare. "Don't encourage him, Kane."

Kane merely shrugged, unfazed by the hostility directed his way.

"How long do you think you can keep shielding him from this?" Logan pressed. "We're talking about a woman who isn't part of the club, living under our president's roof and moving around unsupervised. She could overhear conversations, stumble upon information she shouldn't have access to, and we still don't know whether she's with us or against us."

His jaw tightened as he glanced toward Liora.

"That kind of situation breeds resentment. The brothers are already noticing. Keep this up, and you'll have members questioning whether the rules still apply to the president. That's how rebellions start."

Kane opened his mouth to argue, but I drowned their voices out, my attention moving to Liora.

She fit in with the boys so effortlessly that it was almost unsettling. One month ago, she wasn’t even a part of their lives, and now, she was seated on the hood of one of the motorcycles, laughing as Noah dramatically accused Theo of cheating.

Theo sauntered over to her, leaning down to whisper something into her ear.

Liora burst into laughter.

Real laughter.

The kind that crinkled the corners of her eyes.

Before I knew it, my grip tightened around the glass in my hand.

I almost hurled the damn thing at Theo's head.

"Are you even listening to us?" Logan snapped, nudging me sharply with his elbow.

Dragging my gaze away from Liora, I looked over at him.

"Watching the two of you publicly debate my decisions is making me reconsider a few things," I said coolly. "Maybe it's time I took away some ranking patches and redistributed them."

Kane immediately took a step back.

Logan scowled. "You know I'm only looking out for you," he muttered. "That woman is smiling at you because she believes you're her dead fiancé, and you're over here catching feelings."

I pushed away from the pickup truck I'd been leaning against, my expression darkening.

"Don't be ridiculous," I growled.

Logan raised an unconvinced brow.

"The only person catching anything around here is you," I continued. "And if you keep pushing my patience, what you'll be catching is punishment."

Kane snorted, unsuccessfully hiding his amusement.

"I honestly don't think she's trouble," he chimed in. "The boys have taken to her, and..." He paused before shrugging. "I kind of like her too."

“I like her too,” Logan stressed again, throwing his hands up in frustration as he trailed after me across the open field.

We were heading toward the small structure near the edge of the yard, a half-used building the club sometimes turned into a makeshift meeting room whenever gatherings got too loud or too messy.

“What I don’t like,” Logan continued, “is the situation surrounding her. The situation she came from… and the kind of trouble it’s going to bring down on all of us.”

The more he spoke, and the more Kane added his own opinions behind him, the worse my patience got. It wasn’t even the content anymore, it was the noise. The constant push and pull in my head.

My jaw tightened.

My ears started to ring with irritation.

Finally, I stopped walking.

“Enough!” I hissed, turning to them and both of them froze instantly.

Silence fell between us, the kind that reminded them exactly who they were talking to. They might argue, but they still knew when to stop pushing me too far.

“I do have feelings for Liora,” I said through clenched teeth, “just not the kind you’re imagining. What I feel for her is pity. Nothing more.”

Logan opened his mouth again, ready to challenge me, ready to twist my words into something else entirely.

I lifted a finger.

He stopped.

“I don’t want this conversation about me and Liora brought up again.”

Logan swallowed whatever he wanted to say. After a long second, he licked his lips, exhaled slowly, and nodded.

“Yes.”

Satisfied, I shifted my gaze away from him, my eyes drifting back toward the field without meaning to.

And there she was.

Liora.

Still laughing. Still surrounded. Still completely unaware of how much attention she was drawing without even trying.

I watched her for a moment longer than I should have.

“She cooks,” I said flatly, tearing my eyes away, “and I enjoy her cooking. She’s not entirely useless to me.”

Logan let out a quiet breath through his nose, clearly unconvinced. He didn’t argue, though. He just shook his head slightly.

“If you say so,” he muttered.

I didn’t respond.

Instead, I turned and pushed the door of the small building open. The hinges creaked as I stepped inside, the cooler air hitting my skin immediately.

The room was plain. Functional. A table in the middle, a few scattered chairs, and enough space to conduct business without distractions from the outside chaos.

I walked straight to the window side, from where I could still see her, watch her, keep track of her without needing to admit why I kept looking.

“Any news on the Trio brothers?”

“Nothing serious,” Kane replied with a shrug. “They’re still out there, trying to find idiots willing to accept their ridiculous demand.”

Fools.

“And the old woman?” I asked, reaching into my pocket for my cigarette pack.

“I’m working on setting up a meeting,” he said. “Once I get it secured, I’ll let you know.”

I nodded once, pulling a cigarette free.

“Make sure the outsiders stay out of it,” I warned. “Club business stays club business. The last thing we need is cops sniffing around where they don’t belong.”

Kane gave a short nod. “I get you.”

Logan stepped forward without a word, offering me his lighter as a form of apology for his earlier behavior.

I took it without comment, flicked it on, and lit the cigarette, and in one slow breath, the smoke filled my lungs.

My eyes drifted back out the window and just like every other time, they went searching for her.

That woman had become something I didn’t understand.

Whenever she was near, my attention betrayed me. My mind would drift back to her every few seconds without permission.

I quickly scanned the space, but couldn’t find her.

My brows pulled together slightly.

I shifted my gaze, scanning again, this time slower, still nothing.

Pulling my attention back to the room, I noticed something odd.

A shadow near the door.

My eyes narrowed.

Is she really eavesdropping?

“Let’s continue this meeting some other time.”

Logan and Kane didn’t question it. They both gave a nod immediately and Kane pushed his chair back as he stood, the iron legs scraping loudly against the floor.

Outside, the shadow moved instantly and slipped away from the door.

Seconds later, Liora reappeared in the crowd, and that only made my suspicion grow.