I levelled him with a stare. “Explain.”
“I’m trying to,” he assured me. “Marco’s nephews have to be explained before we get to why we’re here, they’re directly involved in why. I promise.”
I nodded, and closed my mouth so he could continue speaking.
“A very long story short—Trent got a little too close to Nala and my brother called him out on it. My brother was only a kid, but we were raised around the mentality that no other person touches what is ours, and that included chicks. Damien was already on the edge from our parents’ murder, so when Trent moved in on his girl, he snapped.”
I hugged myself with my arms knowing this story was going to go from bad to worse real fast.
“I don’t like where this is goin’,” I mumbled.
Ryder tensed as he continued telling me what happened.
“Trent snapped, too, and he threw my father’s betrayal in Damien’s face, and he said he deserved what he got. As you can imagine, fighting ensued. Damien can handle himself very well, but Dominic lost it when he saw Trent hit him. As brothers, we’re very close, but naturally Dominic and Damien’s bond is unbreakable, and Dominic beat the shit out of Trent for laying a hand on him. The beating prompted Trent to pull out a gun he stole from his uncle, and he trained it on Damien.”
I gasped so Ryder reached over, took my hands back in his and stroked his thumb over my knuckles, which instantly relaxed me.
“Nala came to Damien’s rescue, she jumped on Trent’s back and knocked the gun from his hand. Damien picked up the gun and pointed it at Trent when he had already pushed Nala away. My brother ignored Dominic’s pleas for him to put the gun down, he focused on Trent and when that little prick brought our father back up, Damien didn’t hesitate. He shot him.”
My eyes almost popped out of my head.
“Damien shot someone?” I asked, my shock evident.
“Yes,” Ryder said as he watched my face as if trying to grasp what I was thinking.
I knew, again, he wouldn’t be able to guess what was going through my mind, because I still had no idea what to think. The information he just fed to me seemed too impossible to be real. I knew Damien, and he was sweet, caring, and his only bad trait was his womanising. He never ever came across as the kind of person who could shoot another human being.
“What happened then?” I hesitantly asked.
Ryder cringed. “A lot of bad shit.”
“I’m listenin’.”
“You’re so persistent,” he mumbled.
I shrugged. “If I’m goin’ to be with you, I need to know all of this. I can’t be with you and be blind to your history.”
Ryder gave me one sharp nod before he said, “Trent died.”
Oh, my God.
“And Marco was pissed. He wasn’t sad that his nephew was dead, just pissed off because it was a mess he had to clean up.”
I felt my insides churn.
“The heartless fuckin’ bastard.”
Ryder sadistically grinned. “Yeah, that describes Marco perfectly.”
“What did he do to Damien?” I asked, almost scared to know the answer.
“Nothing,” Ryder said firmly. “I made sure of that, and so did my brothers’.”
I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, and Ryder saw this.
“Marco knew I was planning on moving my family out of the compound and away from the life we had been living. Once my parents were gone, there was nothing keeping us there. Once Damien killed Trent that changed. Marco gave us an ultimatum, either Damien died in payment for Trent’s murder, or we worked off the debt.”
I blinked. “A life debt?”
Ryder nodded. “Marco sorted us into different jobs based on our individual skill set.”
I stared at him in horror. “This sounds unreal.”
“Trust me, darling, it’s more real than you can ever imagine.”
I moved closer to him and gripped his hands more firmly, letting him know that I was there for him if he needed me.
Ryder gave my hands a reassuring squeeze then said, “My attentiveness, and knack of moving around unnoticed, pushed me into drugs and weapons. It turns out I am very good at moving shipments and making deals for Marco. Kane became his enforcer, Dominic his fighter, and Alec his… buffer.”
“His buffer?” I questioned, my mind reeling.
Ryder laughed a little then. “Alec, as you know, is very friendly. With both sexes.”
He flicked his eyes to mine and waited for a reaction from me, and he raised his brows when he got one.
I laughed. “If you’re tryin’ to tell me he is bi-sexual, you don’t have to, I already know. I saw him kiss a lad, and a girl, a few weeks ago in Darkness, and he constantly goes on about attractive male and female celebrities. It wasn’t as if he was tryin’ to hide that he bats for both teams.”
Ryder smiled wide at me. “It doesn’t bother you then?”
I cocked a brow. “Why would it bother me?”
“Because some people aren’t accepting of it.”
“I’m not some people.”
“Yeah,” he murmured. “You’re pretty incredible.”
I grinned. “Nice try, but finish what you were sayin’ before you seduce me.”
Ryder’s smile faltered. “Yeah, okay, so Alec is basically an escort to anyone Marco gives him to.”
Anger surged through me.
I growled. “He isn’t a piece of fuckin’ meat!”
“To Marco he is, to Marco we all are.”
That infuriated me.
“So you all work these jobs to keep Damien safe, what does he do?”
“Nothing,” Ryder instantly replied. “It was part of the agreement that he doesn’t have a job.”
I nodded. “Okay, so why is this Dominic’s last job? And more importantly, when is your last job?”
“Mine was a few weeks back, so was Alec and Kane’s. We’ve been around the world doing jobs for Marco for a long time. We knew he never cared about Trent like an uncle should; he was just a pawn and his death at Damien’s hand worked out perfectly for him. He could control us, and make a lot of money off us, but we’re done. After Dominic’s last fight, we’re out.”
“Just like that?” I quizzed, not believing it could be that easy.
Ryder nodded. “He can’t force us to stay, we’ve done what he wants of us for years. The debt is re-paid. We’ve made him more money than Trent ever could have.”
I swallowed. “What if he tries to make you all stay workin’ for ‘im?”
The thought of Ryder leaving the country, leaving me, was too scary to think about.
“It won’t work out in his favour.” He stated. “We’re done, Branna. We want a life away from being under his thumb.”
That relieved me greatly.
“I’m glad,” I smiled, hoping I didn’t look as relieved as I felt. I didn’t want to freak him out by how devastated I would be if he ever left me.
Ryder took my face in his hands. “You are? After everything I just told you, you’re glad?”
I nodded. “I’m still tryin’ to wrap me head around it, but I understand you and your brothers’ so much better now, and I am so glad you’re gettin’ out of that life, because I don’t think I could take part in it if you didn’t.”
Ryder stood up and pulled me to my feet, then into his arms as he hugged me.
“I’m out,” he assured me. “And you’re mine. I told you my mentality is to protect what’s mine, and I can be very possessive.”
I hummed as he lowered his head and trailed kisses along my neck.
“How possessive?” I rasped.
He nipped at my skin. “Let me show you.”
“Ryder,” I breathed when he sucked on the spot below my ear.
His hold on my hips tightened.
“Wait, this isn’t fair,” I panted. “That’s a sensitive spot and—oh God.”