Ruger thumps me on the back. “One day, when you’re all alone holed up with the flu and your sexy black wife brings you some peppery mysterious soup… you’ll thank me.”
Zayna pulls up to the house and comes running to the front door clutching Talitha and looking frightened out of her mind.
“Ruger. Some man approached me at the library and handed me this letter.”
“Who was he?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t want Talitha to see me pulling out my g-u-n on him–”
“All that taking her to the library, she might be able to spell that by now.”
Zayna glares at him. “Ruger. A bikerfound me at the librarywith our daughter. Isn’t that a problem?”
“It would be a problem if he laid a finger on you.”
Ruger opens the letter calmly. I can tell Zayna doesn’t feel calm in the slightest and judging by the way she’s glaring at me, I can tell that she sees me as mostly responsible. We don’t even know that any of this has shit to do with me. Ruger gives me a confrontational stare from the other side of the paper.
“It’s a ransom note,” he says.
“Ransom?!” Zayna repeats shrilly. “I know he didn’t follow me home, but this isbadRuger.”
He gives her a stern look. “Last time there were intruders on my property, I handled it just fine.”
“I understand that,” Zayna says. “But the girls are older now and I’m here too.”
“And I’m here to help protect both of you,” I chime in before Ruger takes more dirt on his name than necessary. Zayna returns my offer with a scrutinizing look.
“Let’s hope the rumors about you are true then. Because if there are intruders here, I expect nothing less than viciousness.”
“Put Eden and Talitha to bed, Teach,” Ruger says, leaning over and kissing her on the forehead. “I need to discuss this ransom situation with my cousin and some of what we say might not be too pretty for a woman to hear.”
“I’ll be out once she settles,” Zayna says. “Get the funky business out of the way before I’m done.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Ruger says.
He watches Zayna’s ass until she’s out of sight. I don’t dare even steal the slightest look, although when I was single I did glimpse her butt once or twice. It’s nice. I understand why Ruger feels possessive over her. Janelle has a better ass, obviously, and I relate to Ruger’s possessive drive over it.
That’s where I’ll tattoo my name once we get married.
Once he’s sure that Zayna is properly out of earshot, Ruger turns his attention back to the matter at hand.
“They want $50,000 for Janelle. They claim that they have her about fifty miles away,” he says. “Not like they’re specific about the town. They want us to call a number and get an address.”
“We’re not paying a ransom.”
“I know that,” Ruger says. “They were careless. Let Zayna see their faces. My wife is smart with a great memory and our cousin Gideon married a smart woman too. We’ll figure out where they are and pop up on them. Fuck this ransom.”
Agreed. Fuck the ransom.
“And remember,” Ruger continues. “We get her back, you marry her.”
“I will,” I tell him. “Promise.”
“Good man,” Ruger says. “Let’s get Zayna out here and figure this shit out.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Janelle
