Laughing, I follow after him, feeling better. He’s right. I’ve let Garrett hide long enough. I might be a debt, but this debt? She conquered the Vipers, she survived Diesel, she won Kenzo, and she sure as fuck ordered Ryder around.

He will be mine.

Chapter Thirty

RYDER

It’s my turn to stay home with Roxxane. I don’t think she will try to escape anymore, but I don’t feel right leaving her alone while the Triad is clearly wanting to kill us. Plus, I have some research to do. Diesel is out hunting down paid thugs with Garrett, reminding them who we are. We might not be able to get to the Triad yet, but we can cut off their supply until they become desperate.

Kenzo is with his guards, checking in on the rest of our businesses to make sure they don’t feel like they can’t trust us anymore. I am, of course, responding to legitimate business emails and skype conferences. It’s hard to run an empire. We still have to do actual business in the city, and for that, we’re technically an investor and architecture company with many different sections that need overseeing. Not to mention the board who needs constant updating—it gets exhausting.

I keep my eyes on updates from the guys as well, so before I know it, it’s almost midday and I haven’t seen Roxy at all. Is she okay? I pull myself away from the screen and head out to find her.

I find her sitting outside near the pool in some lace knickers and a bra, her hair pulled back and face tipped up to the sun. Fuck, did we not buy her any swimming wear? I make a mental note, even as I run my eyes across her curvy body. Turning away and ignoring my cock, I go to the kitchen and make her a coffee and me a tea. By the time I’m done, she’s heading inside in a long shirt, making me frown. I wonder if I could convince her to walk around naked.

Not that I would get any work done then. In fact, I should be preparing for another meeting, researching the new manager…fuck. She smiles at me and heads over, hopping onto a stool opposite me, the loose shirt gaping and showing me breasts glistening with pool water. I watch the droplets, pondering if I could get away with licking them clean.

She clears her throat, and my eyes run up her throat to meet her gaze, which is laughing at me. “Morning, Kenzo said you were working, so I didn’t want to disturb you.”

Passing her the coffee, I lean back against the counter, mentally counting to stop myself from throwing her on the counter and fucking her. Work, Ryder. You have work to do, you have that meeting, you also need to check in on her dad, make sure Kenzo is okay and that Diesel isn’t—

“Do you ever relax?” she asks, tilting her head as she watches me. “I can see your mind working every minute of every day. Do you ever just stop?”

Arching my eyebrow, I sip my tea. “No, I don’t have time.”

She snorts. “Find time. If you’re not careful, you will think yourself into an early grave. Life is so amazing, Ryder, look around you. Look at where you are, what you have at your feet, do you ever enjoy it or just keep on climbing higher? When will it ever be enough?” Her eyes search mine knowingly.

“It isn’t about the money, it’s about keeping my family safe. Giving Diesel a place where he can be himself, and providing Garrett with a home to retreat to and be protected,” I murmur.

“And Kenzo?” she prompts.

“He needs a family, people to care for and love.” I shrug.

“And you?” she presses with a smile.

“Me?” I repeat.

“Yes, Ry, you. What do you need?” she inquires.

I hesitate, and she smiles wider. “I don’t think you have ever thought about that, have you? Too busy being the best, and giving them everything they ever wanted and needed, that you never thought about what you wanted.”

“I want them, my brothers. I want their happiness and safety.” I shrug.

She nods. “I know. I gotta ask, though, how did you meet them?”

“Kenzo is my brother. We met Garrett at one of his fights when he was a professional, we stayed in contact, and when he went underground to earn more money, we started working with him. We ran into Diesel one night when he was chasing someone. He was working as a hired assassin back then, the thing he was good at, but I could see how lost he was in his eyes. It brought us all together. We had the money, our father’s money, and we had plans. Plans that needed more than us, and we just found them one day and became family. Been inseparable ever since,” I explain.

She sips her coffee, moaning, and I shift to adjust my hard cock. “Is Viper your real last name?”

I laugh then, I can’t help it. “No, we took it after my father died. We never wanted his name nor to have any of our success resting on his surname. We took Viper, because when you back a snake into a corner, they are more dangerous than anything. We had all been backed into those corners. By family. By grief. By money. We were all vipers…and now you are too.”

“Me?” she scoffs, shifting, making her shirt gape further.

“You were backed into a corner and came out stronger. This might not be the life you imagined, but you’re making it work, you’re using what you have. You are smart and strong, you’re a Viper,” I insist, leaning towards her, pressing my knuckles to the counter.

She perks up then, almost laughing. “It’s sure as shit better than my father’s name, the rat bastard.”

“Didn’t you change yours to Rich’s last name, the man who owned the bar?” I ask, genuinely curious, since there is only so much you can learn online and from rumours.

“Always researching, huh? Yeah, I did, I did it for his birthday, though it worked for me as well. A final cutoff from my family who did nothing but hurt me. But not him.” She seems sad now, so I reach across and cover her hand. She stares down at it, probably unused to comfort, but she doesn’t pull away. “I suppose you know he died?”

I nod, and she sighs.

“He was a good man, a very good man. He did some bad things in his past, but that never bothered me. My father has a clean record, always seen as charming to others, yet he was a monster. Rich was seen as a monster, but he cared for me more than anyone ever had. He helped me study and finish school, start a life, and have a job and a roof over my head where I could sleep without wondering…”

“Wondering?” I prompt.

“Wondering if I would be woken up by mean hands.” She shrugs, unashamed.

“He beat you.” I already knew this. “My father did too.”

I don’t know why I’m telling her this, other than the pain in her eyes as they level on me—the embarrassment and anger there calls to me. It makes me want to tell her, to help her understand that we aren’t so different. I need something stronger for this talk, though, so I turn around and pour us both two fingers of scotch and pass it over. I toss mine back and lean against the worktop, steadying myself by gripping the counter hard. She waits patiently, rolling the glass around in her hands.

“He was a bastard, but I’m guessing you know that by now. He was rich, powerful, and charming. Everyone loved him or wanted to be him. He made his millions by tearing down weaker people and stepping on them. But at home? He was even worse, he was fucking evil. He hated us, especially Kenzo. He thought him weak because he loved, because he laughed. I had to protect my brother. I know he hit him sometimes when I couldn’t save him, but for the most part, I took every blow, every whip, every beating. I stepped between him and my mother, not that it made her love us more. Kenzo always hoped she would take us and leave him, but I knew better. She was weak, which is horrible to say because I did love her, but she was weak. She needed his money to survive, and she would never leave him out of fear. Not even to protect us.”