The Ritual

“Open it up,” I growl. “I have an app on there that tracks her.”

My father looks across the bed to my father-in-law, who stands on my left. “Uh,” my father starts. “Ryat, her cell was left behind. You can’t track it.”

I close my eyes, hating having to explain what I did, but also glad that I did it.

Gavin sighs. “I have to ask Ryat. Are these injuries from you?”

“No,” I snap. I’m rough with Blake during sex, but I’ve never physically beaten her. Matt slammed her face into the steering wheel, not me.

He arches a brow.

“Why would I lie about that?” It’s not like I’d be in trouble if I did do this. The Lords specifically place members into the legal system. Unfortunately, beating your wife isn’t a criminal offense. They don’t want a Lord in prison for assault or domestic violence cases when he’s needed for an assignment.

“During my initial exam,” he goes on at my silence. “I noticed the writings on her body—in Sharpie. I figured maybe things got out of hand.”

I’m not even mad about the fact that he thinks I did this, but the thought of him seeing her naked makes my fists clench. “No,” I repeat. “I didn’t beat my wife.”

“You know how it is with the Lords and their chosen’s,” he adds. “I’ve seen my fair share in here over the past twenty years since I graduated from Barrington.” He then places her X-rays up on the wall and flips the switch to the light behind it, lighting the film. I can see all of her bones from her chest up. And Gavin takes the end of a pen and points at the spot between her right shoulder and neck. “Is this what I think it is?”

“Yes.” I growl and add. “Leave it there.”

He nods once. “I just wanted to also let you know that we ran a pregnancy test. It was negative.”

I didn’t expect it to happen that fast, but I’m definitely going to keep trying.

“It’s standard procedure,” he adds.

“When I got her back after she ran, I implanted a tracker between her neck and shoulder.” I look up at her father. “So, unless Matt found out about it and cut it out, it’s still there.” No one knew.

Phil runs his hand through his hair and nods to himself. Probably fighting the fact that I did something so morally wrong, but also, it’s the only thing that might save her life now. I was never going to let her get away again.

“Okay. Yeah, okay,” he finally agrees. “Let’s track it, and I’ll go get her.”

“Hell no,” I sit up, pulling on the restraints. “I’m going with you.”

“You’re not leaving this hospital until they release you,” my father snaps.

“He’s not going without me!” I argue. I want to hold her, pick her up in my arms, and know that at that moment, she’s safe. I don’t want a fucking phone call that she was found and have to talk to her over the phone. Or worse, what if they find her body? No. I won’t believe that. She’s not dead. She’s alive, and I’m going to make sure of it with my own two eyes.

“You’re wasting time! Take these off, and let’s go.” Who knows what Matt is doing to her? But I have a hundred ideas of what I’m going to do to him. He won’t like any of them.

My father places his hand on my shoulder. “Not until your body is healed.”

“She’s pregnant,” I state.

Silence falls over the room.

“She told you?” my father asks.

“No.”

“Then you’re not sure …”

“I fucking know, okay!” I snap. I first realized it a couple of weeks ago. I think it happened Halloween night. We had sex three times that night by the time we finally went to sleep. There have been signs. I’m not even sure she’s seen them, but they’ve been there. I know my wife’s body better than herself.

My father sighs, running a hand down his face. “Did you tamper with her birth control?”

My wife straddles me while I lay on my back in our master suite at the cabin, my hands propping up my head. She runs her finger over the Lords crest that was burned into my chest, lightly tracing it. “We should get divorced in six months. My mother would flip.”

I snort at that thought. “That won’t be happening.”

Her finger pauses, and her eyes trail up over my chest and face to meet mine. “I understand why we did this, Ryat.”

“Oh, yeah? Enlighten me.” I want to hear her thoughts on why I made her mine forever.

“You don’t love me.” She shrugs. “I don’t love you. You wanted to marry me to rub it in Matt’s face. I said yes because I didn’t want him and bonus it will piss off my mom. I understand neither one of us meant forever in city hall earlier today.” Yawning, she lays her head on my bare chest.