Ash (Dragon Riders MC #3) - Savannah Rylan Page 0,57
Ash hasn’t told me any of this yet?”
“Of course. But it’s not a bad reason.”
“Could you tell me anyway? Because I’m a bit worried that maybe he doesn’t trust me with this kind of thing. Which is going to hit hard, since I’m head over heels for the man.”
He smiled. “Ash is a good soul. If he’s got you in his home and cares enough to reach out to me to make sure you’re okay, then he loves you, too.”
“So, why don’t you think he’s told me about any of this yet?”
He shrugged. “Ash is a private man. And he doesn’t like negative emotions. He’s very good at compartmentalization. We both are, but he’s a professional at it. There’s a good chance he isn’t ready to unpack it with you because he knows you might make him feel more vulnerable than he likes. Give him time, Hannah. And when he’s ready? He’ll tell you everything. Front to back.”
That settled my soul. “Thank you so much for coming by, Scottie.”
He nodded. “And you let me know when we’re going that first family dinner you mentioned. My wife and I would love to come by.”
“Oh! You’re married? How long now?”
He grinned. “Four months.”
I gasped. “Oh. Oh, yes. We’re doing this very soon. I’ll talk to Ash about it the second he gets home.”
“He has my number, so feel free to steal it from him.”
I opened the front door. “I can do that.”
I ushered him out the door feeling safer than I did when he first approached. But I still didn’t know when to expect Ash home. I grew tired, so I hauled ass into his bedroom to fall asleep. And when I woke up, night had fallen.
Then, I heard it. The dull roar of a growl in the distance
That’s a motorcycle engine.
I leapt out of bed and shook the rest of the sleepiness from my brain. I walked out into the living room and paced the floor, hoping and praying that Ash’s bike was what I heard off in the distance. I didn’t want to take a shred more of pain medication until he was back. The dull growl grew to a dull roar. Then, that dull roar became a mighty roar. And when I peeked out the window into the front yard, something tore through the trees off in the distance.
Making my heart soar into the heavens.
I stood in front of the front door and waited for him to charge in. He parked his bike before he leapt up the steps, and finally the door burst open. I didn’t give him a second to process anything. I leapt into his arms, throwing mine around his neck. I held him close and peppered kisses against his cheek. Down his neck. Across his shoulder. Whichever parts of him my lips would touch, I kissed.
“My God, I’ve never missed anyone so much in all my life,” I whispered.
He held me close. “I’m home, sweet girl. It’s okay.”
I sniffled. “Please tell me you have good news. Please tell me everything’s all right now.”
“I can’t quite do that. But I can say that no one got hurt.”
I gazed into his eyes. “So, you guys didn’t get Skeleton?”
He sighed. “No. We didn’t.”
He scooped me into his arms and walked me back into the bedroom where he sat down on the edge of the bed. With me in his lap. But the look in his eye told me this wasn’t over just yet. So, I cupped his cheek.
“Talk to me, Ash. Open up a bit. What happened?” I asked.
His eyes found mine. “Are you sure?”
I stroked my thumb against his skin. “Positive.”
His forehead pressed against my own. “We tracked that fucker to an abandoned park on the side of town I grew up in. Right near the orphanage and all sorts of stores I used to steal from as a kid.”
I kissed the tip of his nose. “Then, what happened?”
“We figured out that Skeleton was holding another one of his auctions in an abandoned park. So, we decided to hike through the woods to flank them on three sides. But by the time we got through the woods, the girls had already been sold off and we couldn’t get enough of a mark on Skeleton to take him out.”
I sighed. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”
“The only saving grace was that the police got there in time to intercept a handful of the buyers and same some of those girls.”
“Well, at least there’s that.”
He growled. “But a few still got