Ride Or Remember

CHAPTER 15

RYDER

“What’s the status of the deal?” I asked Kane as we walked through the endless rows of grapevines stretching across the farm.

“I found the old woman,” he replied, stepping over a fallen branch. “The good news is that she really exists. She used to be married to a biker who passed away years ago. The bad news is that she's seriously ill.”

That’s sad.

“I just don't know how much time she has left,” Kane added.

Logan reached up, plucked a grape from a nearby cluster, and tossed it into his mouth. After chewing for a moment, he frowned.

“So why is she selling everything?” he asked. “What happened to her kids?”

“She doesn't have any.”

Logan nearly choked. “No kids at all?”

Kane shook his head.“None.”

“That's strange.”

“I don't know the full story,” Kane admitted. “I only know she never had children.”

The conversation quickly turned into an argument between the two. They threw theories back and forth as we continued walking through the fifteen-acre property.

Maybe she couldn't have children.

Maybe she never wanted them.

Maybe she had lost a child years ago.

Maybe she simply didn't trust her relatives enough to leave them anything.

Neither of them seemed willing to let the subject go.

I barely heard a word, my thoughts already drifting somewhere else.

To her.

For over a week, I had been trying and failing to get her out of my head.

Every morning I told myself I wouldn't think about her and every night I failed.

More than once, I was tempted to call Hunter, one of the bikers I had assigned to keep an eye on her, not because I was curious to know what she’s up to, but because I knew the Trio Brothers had a talent for creating trouble wherever they went.

The urge to ask how she was doing had become almost unbearable.

And the worst part?

I had no right to care.

Not after the things I said.

The memory made my jaw tighten. I lashed out at her, threw cruel words in her face, accused her of things I knew nothing about.

“Are you even listening to us?” Kane asked, hid hand landing lightly against my shoulder, pulling me back to the present.

I blinked and realized both brothers were staring at me.

“What?”.

Kane rolled his eyes. “You've been somewhere else for the last five minutes.”

I ignored the comment. “Find out everything there is to know about the old woman,” I paused, trying to remember her name.

“Mrs. Veran,” Logan supplied, as if he had just read my mind.

“Right.” I nodded. “Mrs. Veran. I want every detail. Family history, finances, medical condition, property records, everything.”

Kane shoved both hands into the pockets of his leather vest and gave me a lazy nod. “Aye, Presido.”

I pulled the cart keys from my pocket and headed toward the utility cart we'd left near the dirt path before walking deeper into the vineyard.

Just as I reached the cart, Kane spoke.

“You were thinking about her, weren't you?”

I froze for half a second before continuing forward. “What the f**k are you talking about?” I snapped without looking at him.

“The crazy woman.” He clarified. “Logan told me about the argument you two had before she disappeared.”

My head immediately turned toward Logan and I shot him a glare.

Logan raised both hands in surrender. “Whoa. Don't look at me like that. He asked why you'd been acting weird all week. I told him you and her had a blowout before she stormed off.”

“A blowout?” I climbed into the driver's seat and gripped the steering wheel. “What are we, a f*****g couple?”

Logan shrugged. “Never said that.”

“Then stop talking like we are.”

“Fine.” A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.“But you did put Hunter on her.”

I shot him another look.

“She screwed up the Trio Brothers' plan. At least, that's what they believe.” I started the engine. “You don't think there's a chance they'll come after her?”

Logan leaned against the side of the cart. “No.”

“Why not?”

“Because those idiots have bigger problems.”

Kane climbed into the back seat while Logan settled onto the passenger seat.

“Their entire scheme fell apart,” Logan continued. “Right now they're more concerned about finding another person willing to agree to their ridiculous demands than chasing after some woman.”

“I think you should apologize to her.”

Kane's comment dragged the conversation right back to Liora.

I groaned.

Of course it did.

“She’s already messed up enough as it is,” he continued. “The woman genuinely believes you're her dead fiancé. That's not normal, Ryder. It means she loved the guy deeply. Hell, she probably still loves him. And from what we’ve seen, she's not ready to let him go.”

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel.

“So implying she somehow caused his death?” He shook his head. “That was a cruel thing to say.”

I scoffed. “You told him everything?”

Logan laughed from the passenger seat. “You know Kane has this weird talent for getting people to tell him things.”

“That is complete bullshit.”

“It isn't.”

“Yes, it is.” I shot him a look. “You only say things you want to say.”

Logan opened his mouth.

Then closed it again.

The silence that followed was satisfying.

The rest of the drive passed quietly with Kane scrolling through something on his phone while Logan answered a few messages of his own.

Honestly, I preferred it that way.

After listening to them dissect my nonexistent relationship with Liora for the last hour, the silence felt like a gift.

About thirty minutes later, we finally reached the main gate of the farm.

“Drop me here.”

Kane slipped his phone into his pocket and pointed toward one of the warehouse buildings in the distance.

“I've got a meeting with the storage team.”

I pulled over, and he jumped down even when the cart hadn't even come to a complete stop.

Then he leaned back through the open side and pointed a finger at me. “Call her.”

I rolled my eyes. “Not happening.”

“At least make sure she's okay.”

“Still not happening.”

“Apologize.”

“f**k off.”

Kane grinned.

The annoying bastard looked entirely too pleased with himself.

“Just think about it.”

Then he turned and walked away before I could tell him exactly where he could shove his advice.

The moment he disappeared toward the warehouses, I pressed down on the accelerator.

Unfortunately, I was now trapped alone with Logan.

I knew he was going to bring Liora up again. What I didn’t expect was the kind of question he asked.

“Do you have feelings for her?”

My foot nearly slipped off the pedal as I turned so fast that Logan actually laughed.

“What am I?” I snapped at him, “a f*****g teenager that just hit puberty?”

Logan clicked his tongue. “I know this whole situation is screwing with your head. That chick is trouble, Ryder.”

“Don’t f*****g talk to me like that.”

Logan raised an eyebrow.

“Like what?”

“Like I’m some i***t who can’t think for himself.”

“I never said that.”

“You’re acting like it.”

“No.” He shook his head. “I’m acting like a friend.”

I scoffed.

“I’m your president.”

“Yeah.” He nodded. “And you’re also my friend, so I’m going to be honest with you.”

I groaned internally.

“Even if this Evans guy really existed, he’s the one she’s obsessed with. She doesn’t look at you and see Ryder. She sees him.”

My grip on the steering tightened.

“She sees whatever memories she has of him. Whatever feelings she had for him, and that’s the only reason she’s holding onto you. Remember that.”

Before I could respond, my phone vibrated inside my pocket.

The interruption couldn’t have come at a better time.

I grabbed it immediately.

Anything was better than continuing this conversation.

Keeping one hand on the steering wheel, I pulled the phone out with the other.

The moment I saw the caller ID, a frown pulled at my face.

Hunter.

I accepted the call and pressed the phone to my ear.

“Hunter?”

“I think something happened to Ms. Liora.”