Ryan Rule: New York Ruthless Book 1
Ryan Rule: Chapter 48

Groaning, I roll over, off of one hot, hard body and onto another. Every part of me aches, but I can’t help but smile as I recall the reason why. After my bath with Shane last night, Mikey and Liam cooked us all an incredible meal and then Conor gave me a lovely neck and shoulder massage, followed by a foot rub while we watched some tv. The twins spent the night in my bed, but they were perfect gentlemen and we actually only slept.

“Morning, Jessie,” Liam growls sleepily as he wraps an arm around me and softly kisses the top of my head.

“Morning,” I purr as I press my face against his chest.

Mikey rolls towards us, pressing his body against mine, and I sigh contentedly as I lie cocooned between the two of them.

Our bubble of happiness is shattered by the door bursting open and Shane’s voice echoes around the room.

“Boys!” he shouts. “We’re leaving in fifteen minutes. Get your asses in the shower and get dressed.”

Liam and Mikey groan loudly, but they both do as Shane asks, each of them kissing me on the cheek before rolling out of bed and strolling out of the room.

Shane sits on the bed beside me. He reaches out, dusting my cheek with his knuckles. “How are you feeling this morning, Hacker?”

“Deliciously achy,” I smile up at him.

His green eyes twinkle as his mouth curls into a smile. “Your fingerprint is in the security system now. So, you can come and go as you please. We have something to take care of upstate, so we’ll be out for most of the day. Will you be okay on your own?”

“I’m a big girl. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

His eyes narrow slightly as though he’s deep in thought. “Or you could come with us?”

“I’d rather stay in bed a little longer,” I grin at him. “Besides, I have an appointment at the salon at three. I’m getting everything waxed. You wouldn’t want me to miss that now, would you?”

The fire flashes in his eyes. “Everything?” he growls.

I sit up, placing one of my hands on the back of his neck and lean in close to him. “Ev-er-y-thing,” I purr against his cheek.

He sucks in a breath and a low growl rumbles in his throat. “Then it’s a good thing that after this job today, I have nothing to do for two whole days. Nothing to do but you.”

“Two days? But you never take time off,” I breathe as my heart flutters in my chest.

“I know. So, you get some rest today, and tonight. Because you and your freshly waxed pussy are mine, sweetheart,” he growls before running his hand over my ass. “And maybe we can have another spanking session. One that ends the right way?”

“And what’s the right way?” I purr.

“You coming on my cock,” he whispers, and my insides contract as he presses his lips against mine and kisses me.

“I thought you were looking for the twins?” Conor says as he walks into the room and flops onto the bed beside me.

Shane’s head snaps up and he turns to his brother. “I was. I found them. And now I’m kinda busy with my girl. So, get lost,” he says with a wicked grin.

“Our girl,” Conor winks at me before he leans down and kisses me too. Shane sits back and sighs as Conor devours my mouth.

I run my fingers through his hair and a few moments later he pulls back from me with a groan. “We gotta go, Angel. You have a good day and we’ll see you tonight.”

I lick my lips as I look at them both. They are so damn handsome! “I’ll make something nice for dinner.”

Shane gives me a last kiss on the lips before he and Conor get up and walk out of the room. I lie back against the pillow and close my eyes. I’m going to enjoy being a Ryan.

It begins to rain as I’m heading back to the apartment after my appointment at the beauty salon. I duck into the alleyway next to our building and head towards the garage entrance. I’m just about to press my finger on the external keypad when a voice behind me startles me.

“Jessica,” he says in a thick Russian accent.

I spin on my heel as my heart starts to pound in my chest and I come face to face with a giant bear of a man wearing mirrored aviator sunglasses. My own reflection stares back at me. Flame red hair and my shocked face as pale as the full moon.

“You need to come with me,” he says as he grabs hold of my arm.

I wrench myself from his grip. “The hell I do,” I snarl. “And my name isn’t Jessica. You’ve got the wrong girl.” I glance at the keypad and then at his throat. I could punch him in the jugular and make a run for it.

He sighs deeply and lets go of my arm, taking a step back and holding out his hands in surrender. He removes his sunglasses and his face softens. “I’m not here to hurt you. But you must listen to me. You’re in grave danger here. You need to come with me.”

“You know nothing about me. Who the hell are you?” I frown at him.

“I know everything about you. But you need to come with me. We don’t have much time,” he glances up and down the alleyway.

“I’m not going anywhere with you. Do Shane and his brothers know anything about this?”

He narrows his eyes at me. “The Ryan brothers are not the saviors you think they are, Moya kroshka. They won’t protect you. They will feed you to the Volk without a second thought.”

My blood freezes in my veins at the mention of the Wolf’s name. “Who are you?” I stammer again as I take a step back from him until I’m pressed against the steel door.

“Please, Jessica. Your father is waiting for you,” he says softly, holding out his hand to me.

I shake my head as I look at his outstretched hand. “My father is dead.”

“No. He is not,” he insists.

I look up at him, glaring into his dark gray eyes. “Yes, he is. I saw him murdered myself. And nothing you can say is going to make me believe otherwise,” I hiss as I stand taller, preparing for a fight. I’m not going to go quietly. I will scream down this whole neighborhood if I have to.

He lifts his hand and I steel myself for the blow, but he only reaches inside his coat and pulls out a cell phone. He dials a number and holds it to his ear. Then he speaks in Russian.

“She won’t believe me. You’ll need to come.”

“I know.”

“Yes, but unless you want me to kidnap your daughter, I don’t see that we have a choice,” he says with a sigh.

“Okay,” he nods and then he ends the call and pockets his phone.

I watch the entire exchange with an open mouth. What the hell is this guy’s deal?

“The Boss will be here shortly. But you’ll need to get him inside quickly. He can’t be out in public for too long and risk being seen.”

I frown at him. Does he really believe that his boss is my father? “Look, I don’t know what’s going on here, but I’m not hanging around here to meet your boss, no matter who he is.”

He glares at me and we both know I’m not going anywhere, because if there is the tiniest glimmer of hope in my heart that my father might be alive, then I will stand here and wait. A black Sedan pulls up at the end of the alleyway and the door opens. My heart feels like it might pound straight out of my chest and my eyes are so fixed on the door of the vehicle, I wonder if they might burn a hole through the metal. A man steps out. He wears a baseball cap and keeps his head bent low as he walks towards us. I strain my eyes, desperate to see his face.

My blood thunders through my veins, pounding in my ears and blurring my vision. I don’t know if there are tears in my eyes, but I can’t seem to focus on his face. His footsteps draw nearer as he keeps his head bent low. It feels like it takes an eternity for him to reach us. The man who looks like a bear stiffens as his boss approaches, as though he’s expecting to be reprimanded.

And then he reaches us, and I still can’t see his face. His hand shoots up, reaching for his cap. He removes it at the same time as he raises his head and looks me straight in the eye.

“Privet, printsesssa.” Hello, princess.

“Papa?” I blink at him as my heart stops beating in my chest. He looks like my father, but not like my father. Ten years have passed since I last saw him. He has aged. He has scars on his face that I don’t recognize. But it is him.

He nods and holds out his hands. “It’s me, Jessica”

“But you? I saw you?” I stammer.

He steps closer towards, placing his hands on my face. “I survived, printsessa. But I won’t survive much longer if I don’t get out of this alleyway. Can we go inside?”

I shake my head, unable to process the enormity of what is happening. This can’t be true. Ten years! Where has he been?

“Jessica!” he snaps and breaks me from my daze.

“What? Inside? Sure,” I say as I stumble towards the keypad and place my finger on the screen. The door clicks open and I walk inside, my father and the bearlike man following me.

As soon as the door closes behind us, I turn to him again. “Is it really you?” I blink the tears from eyes.

“Yes, printsessa,” he smiles at me and holds out his hands arms and I fall into them. He smells different, yet familiar. He is different, but the same.

“Papa,” I sob against his neck as he wraps his arms around me.

We stay like that for a few seconds, but then he pulls back from me. “We have to go, Jessica. There isn’t much time. Let’s get your things.” He takes my hand and starts to walk towards the elevator.

I shake my head. “No. I can’t leave. The boys…” I stammer.

His face changes in front of my eyes from one that I recognize to a face full of anger and venom. The man I remember was always full of kindness and compassion. But, I suppose witnessing what he did, and looking for me all this time, has changed him. “Those boys are waiting to sell you off to the highest bidder. Have you learned nothing these past years?” he snarls. “How do you think I found you after all this time? They have been reaching out far and wide, trying to replace the Wolf so they can sell you back to him.”

His words feel like a knife to my heart. I step back from him, shaking my head from side to side. “No. They wouldn’t,” I insist.

“They would, and they have, Jessica. Open your eyes! I have looked for you for ten years, and now I finally replace you. That’s no coincidence, printsessa,” he says, his voice softening again. “Now, let’s go and get your things and get out of here. It would be best if you leave them a note, so they don’t come looking for you.”

“But won’t they come anyway? If they really intend to hand me over to the Wolf?”

He scowls at me. “We are running out of time! I am your father. That is all you need concern yourself with right now. I’m sure you have hundreds of questions for me, and I’ll answer them all. But right now, we have to move.”

I swallow as I blink at him. The thought of leaving the brothers feels like a knife twisting in my heart. But this is my father. He would never lie to me. He would never put me in danger.

Twenty minutes later, I have my backpack containing my laptop, a change of clothes, and a few toiletries slung over my shoulder. I place the small handwritten note on the center of the kitchen table, propped up by the vase containing the flowers the twins had bought for me a few days earlier.

I stare at the note. I’ve kept it short and polite. My father insists I don’t leave any clue as to the fact I know they were planning to hand me over to the Wolf.

Hey Boys. Thanks for everything. It’s been a blast, but it’s time for me to move on. I’m better off on my own, after all. Please don’t come after me.

Love Jessie x

I stare at the note as the tears roll down my face. This feels so wrong. Only a few hours earlier, I had believed they were my new family. I had believed that they loved me.

“Come on,” my father hisses from the doorway and I turn to look at him. My real family. For a moment, I am torn between my old world and my new one.

“Printsessa!” he calls softly, and I realize where I need to be.

“Coming,” I say as I wipe the tears from my cheek and turn away from the life and the home that I stupidly thought belonged to me. He holds out his hand and I take it.

Then we walk to the elevator and I walk away from the Ryan brothers for good.