Page 23 of Filthy Secret

Rose gives me a grin and nods once. “That’s the plan.”

“Okay, I’ll meet you there.”

Closing the door, I watch as the car begins to roll out of the parking lot with Rim giving me a two-fingered wave as he brings up the rear. He sticks close behind them while I head for Ryan’s house.

I grab the food I ordered for pickup from a local burger place, then make my way toward her house and park in my newly claimed spot in her driveway. I am not going to get too comfortable here, considering we won’t stay long.

Throwing my leg over the bike, I carry the food down her walkway and slip into her house. Rim kept the door unlocked for me. The place is quiet, as it should be. There are sheets on the sofa where Rim has been sleeping during the day, but everything else seems undisturbed.

We’ve cleaned up what we can, thrown a lot of broken shit away, and I hope Ryan is ready because I’m ready for her to leave it all behind. I’m still angry with her for the way she walked away from me, the sting of the betrayal in no way having left, but I can’t fight with her when she’s this weak. I can’t angry-fuck her either. I’ll have to wait until she’s strong enough. Because I plan on being inside of her again. No way in hell am I letting her walk away from me without at least having her one last time.

A few moments later, the front door opens, and I watch as Rose, Adam, Ryan, and Rim walk inside. The women are chatting, but it’s Adam who is attempting to make his little voice heard by being the loudest of them all.

Smiling, I hold my hand out to show them the food on the counter as they get closer. Ryan heads straight for the couch, her expression clearly pained as she sinks down with a whimper. Fuck, she’s feeling the pain now. No longer lying still in a hospital bed, she’s completely worn out just from the short trip to the pharmacy on her way home.

“You need some water for your pain meds, legs?” I call out.

“I hate taking those things,” she grumbles.

I open the fridge, reach inside, and take out a bottle of water. Twisting the lid off, I carry it over to her and sit down beside her. Rose hands me a white bag before she moves toward the kitchen with Adam and Rim right behind her, the two of them completely focused on food.

“Ryan, it doesn’t make you brave to sit around in pain,” I scold.

Tears well up in her eyes. She holds out her hand, and I slip a pill in her palm. I watch as she takes it, but I can tell she doesn’t want to. Instead of letting it go, I ask her why she’s so upset about these pain meds.

Her eyes lift to mine, tears streaming down her swollen, bruised cheeks before she speaks. “I don’t want to become an addict.”

Fuck.

I hadn’t even thought about that. I cup her cheek as gently as possible, hopefully not hurting her bruising. Lowering my head, I rest my forehead against hers as softly as I can. I know her, though. For five years, she was mine every fucking day, and I know she needs physical reassurance right now.

“You’re not your sister. You’re not your parents,” I rasp. “You’re Ryan, and you are not going to become an addict.”

“How do you know that?”

Laughing, I search her gaze with mine. “Babe, known you since you were eighteen years old. I know you’re not into that shit. You’re above it all, above them. Above that. You’re aware, and that makes you smarter than the whole fucking bunch.”

Her eyelids grow heavy, and I help her lie down on the couch. “I’m not that perfect,” she sighs. “I’ve lied a lot, and I don’t know if I’m necessarily smarter. I think I’m one bad decision away from being Ellen.”

“No, legs. I think you’d need to make a lifetime of bad decisions to be anywhere near your sister.”

She falls asleep almost instantly as if she can’t keep her eyes open no matter how hard she tries. I leave her there to rest, knowing she needs it before I turn toward the kitchen.

“Well,” I say, my eyes finding Rose’s. “You coming with us?”

Her lips part in awe, and she lets out a laugh, shaking her head a couple of times. “I’m too old for that. I’ve lived in this house, in this neighborhood, since these houses were built. Nobody is running me out of here. This is my home.”

“Are you sure?” I ask. “You’re important to Ryan, which makes you important to me. I want to make sure you’re safe. I could leave Rim here to watch after you until we get this asshole under control.”

She hums, but I can tell she’s a proud woman. She is comfortable here and doesn’t want change. I don’t know where I would put her, either. She definitely couldn’t sleep at the clubhouse, but then again, neither can Adam.

I haven’t thought this through. I could put them at my cabin, but they would be too far away from me or anyone else to protect. I need to get them a place in Pineville, close enough and yet far enough away that Adam won’t see anything that happens down there. I don’t think he’s old enough for that education yet.

While everyone except Ryan eats, I send King a text and ask him to look for a rental for two adults and a kid.

KING: A KID?

ABOUT FIVE.