Ryder's POV
The rain had stopped, but a different kind of storm was brewing inside of me.
I led Kai up the narrow stairs to my room, my hand a careful guide on her back.
Keep your hand on the back, not the waist. She isn't yours anymore.
I reminded myself over and over again.
Don't hug her. You won't be able to let go.
Don't comfort her. It will make calling Bronc to come get her harder.
Then another thought popped into my head.
Maybe Bronc is dead. Maybe he is lying in a ditch.
It wasn't a nice thought but it was the only explanation I could accept for this. For him allowing the woman I love that I gave to him, showing up thoroughly drenched and distressed in a fucking bar in the middle of nowhere Kansas.
Every step felt heavy.
She pushed the door open and stood there, her eyes taking in the small space. The cot, the shelves of ketchup, the dream board that has my name on it.
"Fix Ryder?" She asked.
