Hunted: Book 2 of the Watched Trilogy Read online

  “You’re blaming me for drinking?” Parker laughs. “That’s rich.”

  “If the shoe fits, honey.”

  “You started drinking long before I left, and you know it. It runs in your family.”

  “Don’t you ever talk about my family!” Ryder’s slurring as he gets close to her face. “You lost that right a long time ago.”

  Vanessa Barton slinks up and steps between the two, causing Ryder to slowly pull his face away from Parker’s. Vanessa wears a skintight strapless mini dress in a purple leopard print pattern. Moving to straddle his right leg, she pretends to not see Parker standing there. Ryder’s hand slides up her thigh and under her dress.

  “No panties,” he growls.

  Vanessa turns her head to look at Parker. “I know how you like it, baby. Easy access.” She’s writhing under his touch as he’s aggressively moving his hand under her skirt.

  Ryder removes his fingers and reaches up and turns her head to face him before kissing her hard. She starts rocking her hips against his thigh, moaning into his kiss. He breaks the kiss, and she turns to Parker again as she quickens her speed. Panting, she smiles slyly at Parker. “Enjoying the show?”

  “I’m actually just wondering if herpes is something a dry cleaner can get out of clothes, or if he’ll just have to burn them once you’re done fucking yourself like a horny, cheap prostitute. Because Lord knows he can’t just wash them at home and call it good.”

  “You’re a bitch. A jealous bitch, but still a bitch.” She stops grinding against him.

  “Gross.” Parker looks to Ryder hoping she’s doing a decent job of hiding the hurt in her eyes. “I need to talk to you, though. It’s important.”

  “You can skip the invite. I’ll RSVP no. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we need to get out of here. She’s either going to try and claw your eyes out or fuck me right here. Or maybe both at the same time. Maybe another time, though? I’ll put you down in my calendar for another three years. How about that?” Standing, he pulls Vanessa with him as she turns to look behind her, giving Parker a smirk.

  “Gross,” she shudders. No matter how disgusting that show was, she couldn’t help but admit it stung a big. Sighing, she turns and leaves shortly afterward, happy to see Ryder’s motorcycle is still there. He won’t kill himself by driving it drunk. Tonight at least.

  As she pulls into Paige’s driveway again, she can’t help but glance over at the unfamiliar car parked in Ryder’s driveway. Nausea hits her as the thought of Ryder with Vanessa takes over her thoughts. Yep, it still hurt. Getting out, she walks into the house and sits on the couch next to Paige.

  “Where’d you go?”

  “I had to try and track down Ryder. He still doesn’t know Kane’s back.”

  “Shit. I’m guessing you went to the bar?”

  “Must be his new home.”

  “Got that right.”

  “I knew he had a problem, but I didn’t think he’d let it get this far,” Parker says as Paige hands her a glass of white wine. She needed it after the show she just witnessed.

  “Was Vanessa there?”

  “Yep.”

  “No panties?”

  “Yep.”

  “How’d that feel?”

  “Like a slap in the face and a kick in the gut while simultaneously making me feel like needing a hot shower where I scrub myself with bleach.”

  “She really does look dirty, doesn’t she?”

  “And she enjoyed dry humping him in front of me. I think it got her off. She was watching me while she was grinding on his leg. I’m a little concerned she was imagining me in there.”

  “Probably was. I mean, you’re hot, and she’s a dirty, dirty whore. It’s very plausible.”

  “That’s gross. You’re supposed to make me feel better, not worse.” Parker starts laughing. “I’m engaged. I shouldn’t feel upset by them together, but after everything that happened, I can’t help it. It’s like salt in a wound, you know?”

  “I don’t think he still knows what happened.”

  “Mason said he’d tell him.”

  “Maybe he was drunk?”

  “Maybe?”

  “Probably,” Paige says clinking her wine glass with Parker’s and laughing.

  “I should go to bed. It’s been a long day.”

  “I believe it. Go get some sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

  “Thanks for letting me stay here, Paige.”

  “Thanks for asking to.”

  Parker heads upstairs to her room and closes the door. Pulling out her phone, she scrolls through the contacts until she finds Mason Jackson’s number.

  “Hello?” Ryder’s best friend answers.

  “Hey Mason, it’s Parker.”

  “What’s up?” He sounds apprehensive.

  “I need you to talk to Ryder about something.”

  “I don’t want to get more in the middle of your love squabble than I already am. You need to talk to him yourself.”

  “Mason, please. You don’t think I already tried? He’s angry and wants to hurt me. He doesn’t want to listen to me. And he’s extremely successful at hurting me, by the way.”

  “What happened?”

  “First mistake I made was finding him at the bar. I should’ve known he would be too far gone to talk to me there. But then Vanessa showed up.”

  “Finger and thigh fucking?”

  “This must be a common occurance.”

  “You have no idea. Don’t take it personally. She’s a warm body filling your place in his bed. So, you’re back in town?”

  “Yep.”

  “Why?”

  “Kane.”

  “Fuck.”

  “Yeah, and he’s pissed at Ryder. His letter was sent to the station here, but addressed to me. He’s targeting people close to Ryder. I tried to tell him, but he refused to talk to me. He needs to know. Please, will you talk to him for me?”

  “Are you in danger?”

  “No, I’ll be the target after he finishes hurting Ryder. Besides, I’m not sure I fall into the category of those who Ryder cares about anymore.”

  “He still loves you.”

  “Funny way to show it,” she snorts.

  “You know as well as I do he’s a complex individual,” Mason says.

  “He’s with Vanessa, Mason. You know that simple fact kills me after what happened. That tells me everything I need to know or ever doubted about that night. Loving me is not something his actions say. Will you just tell him about Kane? And also to be careful?”

  “Yeah, I’ll tell him. How drunk was he when you saw him?”

  “Enough to feel it in the morning. Not as drunk as the last night I saw him, though.”

  “Okay, I’ll talk to him in the morning. I’m sorry you had to see that, Park.”

  “Me too. Trust me. And Mase?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Be careful. You could be on his list, too.”

  “Don’t worry about me, darlin’. I’ll be fine.”

  Chapter 3

  Ryder wakes up, his head pounding. The night before slowly comes back to him as he remembers Parker in the bar, and the look on her face when Vanessa strolled up to them. And then he remembers the gut wrenching feeling he had when he saw that huge diamond on her finger, and all his guilt melts away. Even though he has to admit his curiosity is peaked on what she felt she needed to talk to him about last night.

  BANG BANG BANG

  “Fuck! Hold your horses!” Ryder shouts as he fumbles to put on his boxers as he walks to the front door. Looking at the couch, he sees Vanessa lying there half naked. No matter how much she lets him screw her, he won’t let her sleep in the bed with him. That’s not her place.

  He swings the door open to find his best friend standing there in his designer jeans, designer blue t-shirt and perfectly coifed hair. Looking behind Ryder, Mason gives him a knowing look and says, “Dude.”

  “What?” Ryder sighs. This isn’t new.

  “I know the answe
r to my question on what the fuck you’ve been doing. I’ve been trying to get ahold of you all night and morning, man.”

  “I’m hung over as shit, dude. I do not want to talk about this right now.”

  “You know crazy chicks like her is what found me here hiding in a small town. Why are you messing with the makings of a crazy ex-girlfriend?”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “She’s just like my ex, Serenity, man. You know she set my car on fire. I think I can spot the makings of one of these crazies a mile away.”

  “What are you doing here, Mase?” Ryder asks annoyed as he rubs his face. He hasn’t shaved in a few days, and his beard is coming in pretty good. He’s almost to hobo-level.

  I’ve been calling you since last night, man. Your Ma called me.”

  “Why?”

  “Grace was murdered last night.” Grace was Ryder’s first serious girlfriend back home before she cheated on him with her cousin. Third cousin twice removed, but still her cousin.

  “What?” Ryder has a sinking feeling in his stomach. Was that why Parker was there last night?

  “It’s Kane, dude.”

  “V!” Ryder yells turning to the couch. “You gotta go.”

  “Why?”

  “Get up. You gotta get out of here.” He turns to Mason. “I gotta shower quick. I’ll head with you to the station.”

  “Are you seriously kicking me out?” Vanessa asks as he walks into the bathroom and shuts the door. She pulls her dress up and seems completely un-phases by the fact that her breasts were out on display for Mason.

  “Bye, Felicia,” Mason says, giving her look a disgust. If anyone needed a shower, it was that one.

  Vanessa storms away after she situates herself, and Mason waves at her back as she pushes past him and out the front door. He pulls out his phone.

  “Mason? What’s wrong?” Parker answers.

  “I’m at Ryder’s.”

  “Is he okay?”

  “Yeah, he’s fine. A little worse for wear, but he’s fine. We’re heading to the station when he hops out of the shower. Grace was murdered last night.”

  “Shit.”

  “Yeah, I gotta run. Be careful, okay?”

  “I will. You too. You’re on the list of those close to Ryder.”

  “Don’t worry about me. I’ve survived a couple of crazy ass ex-girlfriends, remember? I think I can handle a crazy brother.” Mason hangs up the phone as Ryder walks out of the bathroom.

  “Who was that?”

  “The love of your life.”

  “Why’d you call Parker?”

  “Funny you assuming she’s the one I’m referencing even though you maintain you’ve completely forgotten about her. She’s out of her head or some shit?”

  “Shut up. You gotta drive.”

  “You don’t want me to hop on the back of your Harley and ride nuts to butts with you?”

  “As appealing as that sounds, my bike is at the bar. V was my ride home.”

  The two climb into Mason’s blue Ford Focus and reach the station within minutes. They walk in to see Sam, his former co-workers, Parker, and Paige.

  “I figured I’d see you eventually,” Sam says and hands him a copy of the report. “You look like shit.”

  “Do you think he sent the letter with no time to try and figure out who the first victim would be?” Parker asks Sam, purposely not looking at Ryder. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail, and she was dressed in leggings and a light blue sweatshirt that brought out her eyes. He guessed she had just finished her morning run. This girl was still as predictable as ever.

  “What letter?” Ryder asks, but Parker won’t even glance in his direction. He definitely feels guilty now.

  “I’ll tell you later,” Mason says under his breath.

  “What can we do here, Chief?” Mack asks.

  “Right now, it’s out of our jurisdiction. There’s nothing we can do. But unless someone can get on top of him, I expect it to move here sooner rather than later. Park, you’re kind of the Kane expert. Are you ready to help try and decode any more letters?”

  “Of course. The first one has me a bit baffled. What familiar yet foreign faces was he referring to? It has to mean something.”

  “Hey, Park, can I talk to you for a second? Outside?” Ryder runs a hand through his damp hair.

  “No.”

  “Please?”

  “I think you said everything you needed to last night, don’t you? Besides, you now know what I wanted to talk to you about. I think we’re good.”

  “I need to apologize.”

  “Parker!” a voice calls from behind.

  Ryder sees the shocked look on Parker’s face and turns around to see a man with sandy blonde hair striding towards them. He envelops Parker into a big hug, her shock leaving her stiff.

  “Jacob, what are you doing here?”

  “I had a couple of meeting I could reschedule. I took the week off to visit my girl’s hometown.”

  Mason leans against the back wall and eyes Jacob.

  “The fiancé?” Sam asks.

  “Yes, sir.” Jacob extends his hand out.

  Sam takes his hand and shakes it. “Sam.”

  “Did you know he was coming?” Paige whispers to Parker and Ryder overhears.

  Parker shakes her head, and if Ryder isn’t mistaken, she looks irritated by his presence. It makes him a little happy.

  “This is Travis, Scott, and Mack. They’re deputies, too. Mason’s on the back wall eyeing the shit out of you, and this pretty lady is my best friend, Paige. And that’s Ryder.” Parker points everyone out, but avoids making eye contact with Ryder.

  “Ryder,” Jacob says as he extends his hand.

  Looking back at Mason, Ryder takes the extended hand. Mack and Travis take a step closer to the two men.

  “Thank you,” Jacob says.

  “You’re welcome?” Ryder looks to Parker who looks at him for the first time and shrugs.

  “You saved my girl. She wouldn’t be here without you. I will be eternally grateful. Plus, you know you kind of pushed her my way.”

  “Jacob!” Parker snaps.

  Ryder pulls his hand back like a snake just bit him. “It was everyone, really,” he says through gritted teeth.

  “We all love Parker,” Sam says trying to defuse the situation.

  “I really need to get going,” Ryder says. “This hangover is going to kick my ass if I don’t get some greasy food in my system. Keep me in the loop, Chief?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Goodbye,” Ryder says as he looks right at Parker.

  Chapter 4

  And here’s Joe’s,” Paige says, leading Jacob into the bar. She’s enjoying his company, and Parker can’t help but smile.

  “You two weren’t kidding when you said the tour of the town wouldn’t take longer than fifteen minutes,” he laughs.

  They walk in and pick a table close to the door. Parker can feel Ryder’s presence before she sees him. Their connection has always been electric, and three years apart hasn’t changed that. She looks at the bar and sees him, and his body tenses. He feels it, too.

  After a few minutes, they’ve ordered their drinks, and Parker excuses herself from the table with a box she pulled from her purse. She walks up to the bar and sees Mason nod in her direction from behind the bar as a warning to Ryder she was coming. He turns around faces her.

  “Helping yourself to the liquor?” Parker teases Mason.

  “Great way to hide in plain sight.”

  “What’s her name?”

  “Doesn’t matter.”

  “And what did she do?”

  “Lit his car on fire,” Ryder says with a smirk. He’s always enjoyed Mason’s love life fiascos.

  “Geez.”

  “I really loved that car.”

  “Might’ve been part of the problem,” Parker laughs.

  “What do you have there?” Ryder asks nodding at the box in her h
and.

  “You know what it is.” She slides it along the bar top to him.

  “I gave this to you. You don’t have to give it back.”

  “I don’t feel right keeping Tara’s necklace. She meant a lot to you, and I don’t. Not anymore. You should give it to someone special.”

  “I did.”

  “I bet Vanessa would love it,” she says ignoring his comment.

  “About last night,” he starts.

  “It’s fine. Really.”

  “No, it’s not. I’m sorry. I was drunk. And angry. And hurt. And I wanted to hurt you.”

  “You accomplished your mission.”

  “I know now you were trying to warn me about Kane.”

  “Yeah, I was. But it is what it is.” She’s looking at the bar instead of him.

  “I have to ask because it’s killing me. Why’d you say yes to him?”

  “Because he’s a good man. He treats me well.”

  “And I didn’t?” He tries to keep his anger under control, but he’s not very successful.

  “You broke me, Ryder,” she whispers.

  “Because I proposed to you?”

  “You only proposed to me to fix a problem. Marriage isn’t a band-aid. It should be something special, not a fix-all.”

  “What problems were so bad you felt you were better off leaving me?”

  “I never wanted to leave you, but you didn’t give me a choice, Ryder. The biggest problem is in your hand right there.” She nods to his hand holding a full glass of whiskey. “What number is that?”

  “So you decided to leave without any word? I sold my truck for that ring. I gave away both of my prized possessions for you. And you left me that night and never came back. No word. No explanation,” Ryder says still trying to keep his voice low.

  Parker’s head snaps to look at Mason. “You never told him.” Ryder suspected it should’ve been a question, but it was a statement.

  Mason shakes his head in response, and Ryder looks at him. “Told me what?”

  “I have to get back to my table. I’m leaving in the morning. I hope you can get things figured out, Ryder. I may not be with you, but I still care a lot about you. And you’re going to kill yourself one of these days if you don’t stop drinking. But that’s your choice, and I will have to live with it. Among others.” Turning, she walks back to her table.