I caught Maya as she swayed. “I got you, baby.” I held her tight, my face in her hair, breathing her in while her squad came over to check on her.
“Ryder,” Coop called out. He then tossed me a tee that presumably belonged to him. “For Maya.”
I helped her slip it over her naked form. It hit her mid-thigh, so it gave her enough coverage.
“You okay, Coop?” she asked him.
“Yeah.” He swallowed hard. “She killed Derek.” His eyes glistened. “I was pissed at him, but I didn’t want him to die.” He swept his gaze over the rest of us. “Thank God Arlo didn’t come here, or Beatrix would have killed us before you came.”
“Why Arlo?” asked Max.
Maya sighed. “Long story.”
“I’ll get it out of Beatrix,” I said. “A simple scan of her mind will give me the entire story.”
Beatrix’s face was a mask of rage, her eyes were hard as diamonds, and I had no doubt that she’d be spitting insults if Cassie wasn’t keeping her silent.
Beatrix’s hateful expression faltered when Sam invaded her personal space.
“I must admit, you weren’t on my list of likely suspects,” said Sam. Her mouth curved into a smile that was somewhat bloodthirsty. “Let’s get you to your new home, shall we?”
Jared swept his gaze over the rest of us. “While Sam and I take Beatrix to a cell, you all help bring some order to The Hollow. Sorry to ask it of you, but there are a lot of dead animals down there.”
Maya looked at me, exhaling heavily. “I’m so glad it’s all over.”
That made two of us.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
(Maya)
Leaning against the doorjamb of the open balcony, I heard footfalls slowly coming my way. Then strong arms slid around my waist from behind, and Ryder pretty much curved his body around mine. It was protective and possessive and comforting.
He nuzzled my neck. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” Looking down at the centre of The Hollow, which now looked like no battle had ever taken place, I laid my hand over one of his and asked, “You?”
“No. It might take a while before my blood pressure goes down.” His arms tightened around me. “Don’t know what I would have done if I’d gotten to Coop’s apartment and found you dead.”
The torment in his voice punched me in the stomach. Needing to know if my worries were founded, I turned in his arms and said, “Tell me the truth, is this going to make you backtrack for a while?”
His brows drew together. “What?”
“You think I don’t know how hard it must have been for you to realise you might have to soon grieve another person?” I couldn’t help but fear it would make him put some distance between us to protect himself.
His expression relaxed. “I’m not going to backtrack.”
“It would be understandable if you did.”
“But I’m not going to. If I’d known your thoughts would take you down this road, I would have made it clear straight away that this isn’t the case. Seeing you in danger didn’t make me want to pull back. It made me want to pull you closer. To have you as close as two people can emotionally get.”
Wait, what? “Ryder—”
“I told you I was working through some shit. I didn’t tell you what all of that shit was.” He sighed. “I’m used to people wanting me to change. I’m not just talking about my grandparents. I’m talking about every woman I got involved with.”
Frowning, I curled my arms around his neck. “Why did they want you to change? There’s nothing wrong with you.”
“I told you I don’t like staying in one place for long. I don’t know if it comes from my years with the MC, or if it comes from being boxed in by rules that made me feel oppressed. But for a long time, I couldn’t take the feeling of being tied down. Just couldn’t. I moved constantly. Always looked for jobs that had no set hours because routines drove me nuts. I avoided relationships because I knew I wouldn’t stick around long.
“After a few years, I found myself able to settle in places for longer periods at a time. Eventually, I did pitch a metaphorical tent somewhere. But that’s what the shitty apartment essentially was. A tent. I was rarely there. I’d go on outdoor trips on weekends, hiking and shit. Always alone.”
My chest hurt. I knew some people preferred their own company over that of others and were perfectly happy to be solitary creatures. Ryder appeared to be one of them. But I still hated the thought of him having no one to share those times with, even if he’d liked it that way.
“I explained to every woman I got involved with that I wasn’t looking for anything serious. They’d say it was fine. They’d say they understood. But it was never long before they started complaining that I didn’t take them with me when I went camping or that I didn’t always come when they called or that I wouldn’t commit in any way. They’d say I was cold or immature or that the trips were just ‘code’ for me being with other women. Even if I was with others, it shouldn’t have been an issue, because I’d explained I didn’t want exclusivity. Nothing I ever said in advance mattered. Shit always got slung in my face.”