Page 98 of Ryder’s Storm

“Is Lizzy all right?” Scarlet asked, just as she spotted Luther standing next to Wesley, his brother-in-law, in front of the fireplace.

“She is,” Luther answered, having picked up her voice despite the music and the many conversations going on in the room.

That was another thing she’d have to get used to: the fact that vampires had much more sensitive hearing than humans.

“Hi, Luther,” Scarlet greeted him, then cast a quick glance at his brother. “Uhm, Wesley.”

When Wesley greeted her with a smile, she felt her cheeks heat with embarrassment, remembering that he’d been the one who’d overheard her conversation with Ryder, in which two cocks had featured prominently.

“Hi, Scarlet,” Luther said, “I thought you might want to know that Lizzy is doing fine, and she’s now got daily visiting rights at the prison, until Phil Miller will be released.”

“I’m so happy to hear that. Did you ever find out who attacked her?”

“We caught him last week. A recently released V-CON, Richard Gleason, who had a beef with Miller and wanted to exact his revenge on him by hurting Lizzy. He’s back in prison now.”

“Won’t that be a problem with Miller, and Lizzy, when she visits?” Scarlet asked, concerned about the woman’s safety.

“We’ll keep them apart. Gleason will be kept in the wing for repeat offenders, and won’t have any contact with Miller.”

“A lot of things have changed there, since Luther did time there,” Wesley added. “Lots of improvements—”

Scarlet had to do a double-take. “Luther was in prison?” She shot Luther a look. “I mean, you were locked up?”

“Thanks, Wes, way to drop a bomb,” Luther said with a sideways glance at his brother-in-law.

“It’s not like it’s a secret,” Wes said, shrugging.

“I think you and I should talk about which stories can be shared in mixed company and which can’t.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Wesley asked. “I think everything should be game.”

“Oh, you do?” Luther asked, then turned back to Scarlet. “Scarlet, have you ever heard the story about how Wesley turned two Labrador puppies into piglets, because he screwed up with his potions?”

“Ah, that’s not fair,” Wesley complained. “I was still learning my craft. Besides, I managed to turn them back.”

Scarlet laughed.

“Yeah, but their nicknames stuck,” Vanessa said. “Bacon and sausage, can you believe it, Scarlet?” Then she waved at somebody in the crowd. “Gotta go.”

Scarlet followed her with her eyes, when she finally saw Ryder. They’d arrived at the V lounge a little while earlier, but shortly afterward, Gabriel had pulled him away on urgent business, and she hadn’t seen him since. She noticed that he was shaking Brandon King’s hand, and her father patted him on the shoulder. Scarlet was happy to see that the two men she loved most in her life were settling into an amicable relationship.

“Handsome,” Maya said next to her.

Scarlet turned her head to look at Maya, who’d joined her. “As handsome as his mother.”

Maya chuckled. “Thank you, Scarlet, but I was talking about your father.”

“Oh.”

“One day when he’s gotten over Claudia’s betrayal, he’ll find a woman who really loves him,” Maya said and put her arm around Scarlet’s waist.

“I hope so. He deserves love.”

“When he’s ready, there’ll be plenty of women standing in line in the hope he takes notice of one of them,” Maya predicted.

“I hope he’s all right,” Scarlet said. “I’m just worried that he’s making rash decisions.”

“What do you mean?”