Redeemed: Bad Blooded Rebel Series #4 by Mellie George Read Free Book Online Page B

I’d lost you.”
    “Shh,
Evie, calm down. I’m here. I’ve got you, baby,” he said, smoothing my ruffled
hair and I could feel his tears hit the top of my head as he cried for me.
    “I
thought I’d never see you again,” I sobbed. I shivered as I pictured a world
without Ryder in it and held him as close to me as possible.
    “No,
it would take much more than a sadistic fuck like Scott to keep me down,” he
said, pulling me into him as tight as I would go.
    I
heard a man clearing his throat and I reluctantly looked up, not wanting to
leave my safe place next to Ryder. “Excuse me, Miss Stone?”
    Ryder
rubbed my back comfortingly as I blinked a few times and took a deep breath. My
eyes landed on a police officer that looked like he was not much older than I
was. “Yes?” I answered.
    Kneeling
down in front of us, he said, “Miss Stone, I’m Officer Liam Tanner and I know
you’ve been through a pretty traumatic ordeal tonight. Can I get you anything?”
he asked gently, as if he were talking to a frightened toddler or a wounded
animal. I appreciated it because in that moment I could be described as both of
those things.
    “No,
I’m fine,” I lied, leaning into Ryder’s embrace. The man I loved was holding me
safely in his arms…that was the only thing I would ever need. He kissed the top
of my head gently and continued to stroke my hair.
    The
officer nodded his head and gave me a sympathetic look. “I know tonight has
been difficult to say the least, but I need to ask you a few questions, is that
okay?”
    Ryder
answered before I could. “Can this wait until she gets checked out? Look at her
face, man,” he said, a lump clearly in his throat. “She needs to get to the
hospital.”
    Officer
Tanner, who seemed like a genuinely caring guy, nodded his head at Ryder.
“There is an ambulance on the way and we can chat at the hospital, Everleigh.
Is it okay if I call you that?”
    I
nodded. “Yes, that’s okay.” I was actually glad for once to be able to go to
the hospital…that would delay my arrest by hopefully a few hours. However, as
scared as I was in that moment, I needed to know if I was going to be in major
trouble for this. “Officer Tanner?” I asked as he stood.
    “Yes
Everleigh?” he answered.
    “Am
I going to jail for this?” I asked point blank. “Scott kidnapped me, beat me,
tried to rape me, and threatened to kill not just me but my friends. I’m
terrified,” I said, and I started sobbing again. I waited with bated breath for
his answer, terrified that I would be punished for not only saving my own life
but the lives of the three women I loved so much.
     

Chapter
5
     
     
     
    Ryder
     
     
     
    I
had never felt as helpless as I did in that moment, seeing my beautiful
Everleigh beaten, bruised, and terrified. My heart was aching knowing the hell
she’d just been through and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to take that
pain away.
    I
was devastated that Everleigh had to end up shooting Scott to protect herself
but I know that if I’d found them before she shot him I’d have killed the fucking
bastard myself. If I wasn’t holding onto Everleigh in that moment I probably
would have done something heinous to his dead body just to revel in the fact
that he was dead and he wouldn’t be able to ever put his hands on my girl
again.
    I
calmly held her in my arms and cried openly for everything she’d been through
tonight, hell for everything she’d been through in the past few months, knowing
there wasn’t a damn thing I could have done to ultimately stop it. I didn’t
care if I looked weak in that moment, because once I heard her voice on the
phone I broke down. I was relieved that she was alive but I was also terrified
of how I’d find her.
    Thankfully
Scott wasn’t able to do what he ultimately planned to do but he’d gotten some
shots in on her and after we made it to the motel and I saw her bloody and
swollen face I felt like someone had punched me in the gut. I