I felt terror, knowing he was going to check out the car. What if it was a trap? I glanced around but my view was obscured by the blackness of the night. If there were people waiting to attack us, we would never see them coming in the darkness.
“Stay here, Maddie,” Ryder said, leaning over and whispering in my ear. I nodded in understanding as his hand lingered on my arm. With one more glance at me, he started creeping toward the abandoned car.
Brody, Eva and I stood together, watching as he slowly approached the vehicle with his knife ready. Without a noise, he peeked into through the open passenger door. I saw him stand up and glance around, looking for any danger. Not seeing any, he motioned us over before he started rifling through the minivan’s contents.
When we walked up to the car, Ryder pulled his head out.
“Nothing. No water or food,” he said.
“Shit!” Brody exclaimed loudly, the sound echoing through the empty night. He threw his backpack on the ground in frustration and started pacing back and forth in front of the car.
“I say we stop here for the night,” Ryder said, sounding more like he was giving an order than making a suggestion.
We stood in indecision. No food, little water, exhaustion, and extreme heat made thinking rationally difficult. Being on the verge of collapsing didn’t help either. But there was nothing around us except trees and empty pastures. The only form of shelter was the car unless we wanted to sleep out in the open.
“Hell, I’m not going to stand here all night,” Eva muttered. She climbed into the back of the minivan and looked up at me, patting the seat next to her.
I slowly climbed in, my ribs and fingers protesting in pain. I didn’t care that I was covered in dried mud. I just had to sit down. Leaning my head back against the worn seat, I closed my eyes, thankful for our newfound luxury.
I was drifting off to sleep when Eva whispered, “I’m sorry I jumped on Ryder, Maddie. I just don’t want him to use you like he does every girl he meets.”
I glanced out the open door at Ryder, standing beside the car and talking softly to Brody.
“I don’t want the two of you to fight, Eva. Just let it go,” I said around a wide yawn.
“I can’t let it go, Maddie. He’s a man whore. Sure, around you he’s…different but I’m worried he’ll hurt you.”
I sighed. “I’ve realized that if he hurts me then he hurts me but I can’t say no to him. I never have been able to.”
Eva didn’t say anything. I thought she had fallen asleep when she spoke again. “And I don’t think he can say no to you, Maddie."
That wasn’t true but I was too tired to argue. I snuggled closer to her, unable to keep my eyes open a moment longer.
Sometime during the night, I woke up to Ryder covering me with a jacket. I felt him slide in next to me on the bench seat, surrounding me with his body heat. He pulled me to his side and placed my bandaged hand on his abdomen. I laid my head on his chest, feeling it rise and fall with each breath he took. Strands of my hair caught on his whiskers as his lips rested against my head, whispering something low that I couldn’t hear.
With nothing except darkness and nature pressing down on us, I should have been afraid but with Ryder beside me, I was content. Feeling safe and secure, I closed my eyes and sleep claimed me.
~~~~
I woke up the next morning to the sound of talking outside of the minivan. Stretching, my ribs objected to the movement.
Eva moved beside me. I wondered if I looked as bad as she did. Besides the circles under her eyes, her hair and clothes were caked with dried mud. I looked down to discover that I was just as dirty.
“I need coffee,” Eva grumbled.
“I need more than coffee. A bed, hot shower, and maybe some air conditioning would be nice,” I mumbled, stretching my cramped legs.
Feeling sore, I slowly crawled out of the minivan. The sun was rising on the horizon, bringing with it the early morning heat. Now that we had light, I glanced around. Nothing particular stood out to me. Only pastures and cows.
Ryder and Brody stood a few feet away, studying the map and talking quietly. When they realized we were awake, Ryder glanced at me with a grumpy expression. Apparently, not everyone got a good night’s sleep.
“Turn your back, boys, I’m changing,” Eva said. When Ryder and Brody turned around, she hurried to yank her shirt over her head.
I needed to get out of my dirty clothes also. Digging in my bag, I pulled out clean shorts and a t–shirt but I found that changing clothes with one injured hand was difficult. When Eva saw my dilemma, she stepped over to help me.
“Oh, shit, Maddie! I’m sorry!” Brody said when he turned too soon and saw me halfway naked.
Ryder whipped around, a furious scowl on his face. It disappeared when he saw me standing in only my bra and shorts. His eyes were intent on my ribcage as he closed the distance between us. Stopping inches in front of me, he ran his finger along my side lightly, causing a tingle to race around my abdomen.
“You’re covered it bruises, Maddie. Does it hurt?” he asked, looking into my eyes.
“Not as much as earlier,” I answered, feeling my heart quicken at his touch.
He gazed down at me with hunger as I slipped my shirt on.
“What’s the holdup?” Brody asked, sounding impatient as he stood with his back to us.
Eva walked past me, picking up her backpack and rolling her eyes. “Get a room, you two.”
Ryder stepped away and I could tell he was struggling to fight the same desire I was feeling. Would sex with him be as good the second time as it was the first? Oh, Lord, where had that thought come from? And why would I ask myself that anyway? This was Ryder. He oozed sex. It would be epic the second time just as it had been the first.
I stuffed my dirty clothes in my backpack, telling myself it didn’t matter because there wasn’t going to be a second time. Ever.
Within seconds, we were leaving the minivan behind and walking again.
“Sorry ’bout that, Maddie,” Brody said, walking beside me. “If it’s any consideration, you have a hot body,” he said with a wide grin.
I smiled back, knowing that he was teasing, but then I caught Ryder glaring at Brody. He looked ready to pounce and start throwing punches.
Brody chuckled. “Don’t worry, Ryder, it was just an observation.”
“Don’t observe,” Ryder growled.
“Damn, you have it bad!” Brody scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief.
I snuck a peek at Ryder. He pulled the baseball cap out of his backpack and smacked it down on his head, pulling the brim down low and hiding his upper face. I could see his jaw clenching and unclenching in anger.
He didn’t deny Brody’s words. My mind went crazy thinking about that.
Chapter Nineteen
I wasn’t sure how many miles we covered or how much time passed but when the sun reached its highest point, I couldn’t walk any further. The heat was overwhelming. Our water was gone, we hadn’t eaten for close to twelve hours now, and we were all suffering from heat exhaustion.
We passed a few houses but decided not to approach strangers in their own homes. A person’s very existence was now being challenged and most would be willing to do anything to protect their family and property. With only a hunting knife between the four of us, we didn’t want to take a chance on confronting someone who shot first and asked questions later. We needed an empty home, safe from all threats.
I tugged the brim of Ryder’s hat further down on my head, trying to hide my already sunburned face from the sun. The heat caused my body to throb with each heartbeat. My head was pounding and my legs were cramping.
I suddenly realized that I was no longer sweating. Looking over at Eva, I saw that she didn’t appear to be sweating either.
“I think Eva and I have heat exhaustion," I said, weaving on my feet. "We need to stop before we get worse.”
Brody ran over to Eva, suddenly frantic. He held her face in
his hands tenderly, turning her toward him. “Worse?”
“Heat stroke. It will cause nausea, vomiting what little water we have in our system, fainting, and eventually death,” I said. “The ER sees it all the time when temperatures get this high.”
“We had a woman die last year in the ER from heat stroke,” Eva muttered, weakly.
Ryder thrust his water bottle out toward me. “Here, have the rest of my water.”
I squinted at him under the brim of my hat. I couldn’t take his water. What would I do if he suffered from heat stroke? We all needed to stay hydrated, even him.
“Don’t argue with me, Maddie,” he said with a low, cold voice.
“You drink it. I’ll be fine. I just need a place to sit, preferably under some shade,” I said, the heat zapping the last of my energy.
“I’m not asking you, I’m telling you to drink it.” His ball cap was able to shade his red face from the sun but it couldn’t hide the frown on his lips. I knew that when Ryder wanted something, he usually got it.
Taking the water bottle, I gave him a go–to–hell look as I drank the rest of his lukewarm water. He watched me closely, his eyes never leaving my face until the last drop of water was gone. It wasn’t much, but at least it wet my mouth and dry throat.
Satisfied, he led me to a small group of trees. It didn’t offer much in the way of shade but I didn’t care.
“I’m going to scout ahead, see if I can find an empty home or some kind of shelter,” Ryder said. He handed the knife to Brody and started walking away, his stride full of purpose.
Squinting against the sun, I watched him. His muscular back was outlined under the mud–encrusted t–shirt and his bottom looked perfect under his shorts. He looked rugged and wild with his whiskered jaw and tanned skin. The heat must have been affecting my mind because all I could think about was grabbing him as he moved on top of me. Whimpering and crying out as he took me to a place I had never been before. Oh, hell! I was becoming delusional. Heat stroke was now imminent.
I watched until he went around a curve in the road. For what felt like hours, I worried. He had no weapon, no way to defend himself. I couldn’t think of anything else until he rounded that corner. At last, I saw him in the distance.
“Let’s hope he found something,” Eva said.
“If he didn’t, we’re in trouble,” I warned, standing up on wobbly legs.
Soon he was stopping beside me, his tall frame blocking the sun. “There’s an empty house around the corner. Looks locked up tight but I think we can get in.”
“Don’t have to tell me twice. Let’s go, girls,” Brody said, picking up his and Eva’s backpacks. Ryder slung ours on his shoulder and waited for me to follow.
When we walked around the curve in the road, I saw the old ranch house. It sat in the middle of an overgrown yard. White paint peeled from the siding and a few shingles were missing. Not far from the house set a large barn that had seen better days and behind it, acres of farmland.
Eva and I followed Ryder and Brody down the gravel driveway. Fear made me jumpy. What if Ryder was wrong and there were people still here? We had already fallen for one trap, were we walking into another? I remembered Greasy’s smirk and his revolting breath. My step faltered as the memory made a shiver wash over me.
“I’m going to check out the barn. You two stay here with Brody,” Ryder said, giving me a stern look before walking away.
A few feet from us, he stopped. I watched as he rubbed the back of his neck and looked at the ground. With something akin to frustration, he swung around and stalked back to me.
“Run like hell, Maddie, if there is trouble,” he said.
I swallowed nervously and nodded my head in understanding. There was no way I was leaving him behind but he didn’t need to know that.
I watched him walk away with an uneasy feeling. If there were people in the barn, Ryder could be walking into an ambush. With all his tattoos and bad attitude, he could easily scare a person into doing something rash and stupid.
I held my breath as I waited. Time seemed to move slowly. Every sound had me jumping. Every noise, a reminder of how vulnerable we were.
When Ryder reappeared, relief washed through me.
“I think it’s safe. Looks like no one has been here recently. Whoever lived here is long gone,” he said, picking up our backpacks.
“So we’re staying here?” Eva asked.
“Yeah, but we need to get in through the back door so no one sees us from the road,” Ryder said. He started walking to the house, followed by Eva and Brody.
His words soaked in. “Hold on. We’re going to break in?” I asked with disbelief.
Ryder kept on walking, his back to me as he answered. “Yeah, what did you think we were going to do? Have a tea party?”
“We can’t break in! People live here!” I said, outraged.
Ryder stopped and turned around to look at me with exasperation. “We’re doing this, Maddie. It’s not your decision.”
“I don’t want to be a part of breaking and entering! We’re not criminals!”
He separated the distance between us quickly, his strides matching his sudden ill temper.
“You need water and shelter. I’m breaking and entering for you.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and stood my ground, refusing to budge or look away from his heated eyes.
“I refuse to do this!”
“Maddie, don’t make me mad. I’ll carry you into that house if I have to.”
“You wouldn’t!” I said, backing up slowly.
Ryder took a step toward me, dropping the backpacks on the dusty ground. Fury glowed from his eyes. If I was a small animal and he was the predator, I was about to be his dinner.
“Ryder! Don’t you dare touch me!” My voice quavered as he came closer. I knew he wouldn’t hurt me but, dammit, I was tired of giving into him.
"Or what?" He walked slower, tracking me. "What are you going to do to me if I touch you?" His words said one thing but his voice said another.
I turned to run. He lunged forward, wrapping his arms around my middle and hauling me back to him. I tried to escape but he swung me up on his shoulder like I weighed nothing. The air was knocked out of my lungs when I landed hard on him. Shooting pain raced along my ribcage from the impact. My face bumped into his strong back, reminding me of what was underneath his t–shirt.
“Ryder! Put me down!” I yelled as he started walking.
SMACK! His palm connected with my backside, lingering on it longer than was necessary.
“OUCH!” I shrieked.
“Shut up, Maddie! I’m not in the mood for your games,” he said with force.
“I’m not playing games! I just don’t want to break into an innocent person’s house!”
Ryder ignored me and continued around the house. Hanging upside down, the blood started to rush into my head. The slowly healing gash on my forehead started to pulsate with each step he took.
“I’M NOT DOING THIS!” I shrieked.
As we reached the back, I looked up to see Eva and Brody standing on an old wooden porch, staring at us in astonishment.
“I don’t want you to starve to death or die of heat stroke so shut the hell up!” Ryder said sharply as he walked up the steps with me bouncing on his shoulder.
He was willing to break in for me? That was so wrong but I had to admit, also romantic. He had officially turned my mind to mush, I decided with despair. I was now one of those girls. The lovesick, out–of–my mind bimbos he always hooked up with. Great!
I looked up at Eva. Her green eyes were round with shock. I mouthed ‘help’ to her and she had the nerve to smile sweetly at me. What happened to the girl who threatened to beat up Ryder earlier? Where had she gone?
“Now are you going to behave?” Ryder asked.
I fumed. I wasn’t a child! How dare he treat me like one!
I was about to retaliate when an idea hit me. Letting myself go limp, I weakly said, “Put me
down, Ryder. You’re hurting me.”
It worked. He instantly set me on my feet, keeping his arms around my waist. Worry replaced the aggravation on his face.
“So should we break a window or try the door?” Brody asked, growing impatient.
“Let me try the door,” Ryder said, letting go of my waist. The door was old and hanging on its hinges. He jiggled the door handle, rammed his shoulder against it, then bent down to look at the lock.
“You got that knife?” he asked, sticking out his hand to Brody.
Brody handed the knife over and watched as Ryder stuck the tip between the door and lock. Using all his strength, he tried to wedge the door open.
“No use. We’ll have to break the window.”
There was only one window that we would be able to reach. It was near the door and looked small, barely big enough for a person to fit through.
I watched in wonder and amazement as Ryder tugged his t–shirt over his head and started to wrap it around his hand. Each movement caused his muscles to flex, the tattoos to move, and his biceps to bulge.
“Close your mouth, Maddie,” Eva whispered beside me.
Ryder’s eyes caught mine and his lips twitched in amusement. Blushing, I looked away. Darn! I thought I was in control again and then he pulls the taking–off–shirt move.
Turning his attention back to the window, he pulled back his fist and let it fly, smashing the window. Glass shattered. If it wasn’t for that t–shirt, he would have torn up his knuckles, reminding me of all the nights he had shown up at my house with bloody hands after bar fights. I would tape them up and sent him on his way, hiding the blood from his parents.
“Is Maddie going in?” Brody asked, motioning to the broken window.
Ryder put his shirt back on before glaring at Brody. “No, I’m not sending her in there alone.”
“But she’s tiny.”
Eva started to fume beside me. “And what am I? An amazon?”
Brody grimaced. “I didn’t mean it like that, Eva.”
“Whatever, Brody,” she said, walking closer to the broken window. “Lift me up, Ryder.”