Not only that, butI’ddone this to him.Idid this to the man I loved.Iturned him into this man who could barely stand to look at me.
“I was trying to protect her,” I whispered.
He didn’t respond.
“They want five thousand carisle to free her.”
“So, you’re here for my money?”
“I’m here for your help! I don’t care about your money, I never have, but I don’t have it. I’ll give you half the manor and all the horses. We’ll continue to work on it for you. Ihaveto get her free. She’s innocent, Ryker. She’s innocent.”
Ryker leaned back in the chair and clasped his hands behind his head as he sank lower in the seat. He stretched his legs before him.
“You don’t have anything I want, Ellery.”
“She doesn’t deserve this!”
“No, she doesn’t, but you can offer your manor to Ivan; he’ll take it in exchange for her freedom. My father wants to see you beg; give him that, and he’ll leave you alone.”
I stood there, my mouth ajar as anger rose to replace the anguish trying to overwhelm me since I entered this place. Yes, I’d messed up when I ended things with him instead of talking to him about his father, but that’s because I had so many other secrets he didn’t know about.
Because of those secrets, I’d known everything would end between us anyway. When his father came to me, I’d had no choice but to end things, but it had also been a reason… other thanme… for things to end.
I’d hidden behind that. I could see it now, and in trying to protect myself, my mother, and him, I’d turned whatever feelings he had for me into a hate so thick I couldn’t penetrate it.
None of that mattered. What mattered was my mother sitting in a dungeon because of me, because ofhim, and while Ryker didn’t know it, I could never offer the manor in return for her.
The king would have us all removed from the property. We’d have nothing, and I wouldn’t let that happen to my mother.
She was innocent, and he could help, but instead, like his father, he’d prefer to punish me. “How like your father you’ve become.”
That got a reaction as a muscle twitched in his cheek, and his eyes slid toward me. When our eyes clashed, the hatred burning within didn’t steal my breath again; it solidified my determination to get to him, to make him see… to hurt him too.
And there was a way to do that, as he wasverywrong about one thing.
When he turned away from me, he ran his hands up the woman’s thighs and smiled. My hand went to my pocket and the reward poster I’d tucked away there.
“You’re wrong.” My voice’s low, gravelly tone came out as more of a growl. Tucker’s eyebrows rose, but Ryker and the woman refused to acknowledge me. “Idohave something you want, something you’ve spent months searching for… or I should say someone.”
Confusion marred Tucker’s face, and the woman’s head turned toward me, but Ryker didn’t acknowledge my words as his hands slid back to grip her ass. I ground my teeth together and contemplated punching him, but my next words would cause more damage than my fists.
“I know who the Hooded Robber is. I’vealwaysknown. Thewhole.Fucking.Timewe hunted for him,Iknew.”
CHAPTERSIXTEEN
Ellery
Though the musicand dancing continued, the three of them became so still it seemed everyone else had vanished. The woman stopped dancing and plopped onto Ryker’s legs; Tucker stepped closer to me with his hand extended and his mouth open before his hand fell limply back to his side.
Ryker, the one I wanted to look at me… the one I wanted toseeme, still didn’t look at me. He’d become as still as a statue.
“I’ll take the reward money,” I stated. “All. Of. It.”
“Ellery,” Tucker breathed.
“The reward is more than enough for me to free my mother. I’ll tell you who The Robber is; in exchange, I want the money and your promise you’ll get her out of the palace… no matter what,” I continued as if Tucker hadn’t spoken.
“No,” the woman whispered. “You can’t turn in the Hooded Robber.”
