Ryan Reign （New York Ruthless #4）
Sadie Kincaid
Ryan Reign is book 4 in the New York Ruthless series. It is a dark Mafia, reverse harem romance which deals with adult themes which may be triggering for some, inc but not limited to kidnap, reference to sexual assault, as well as scenes of a violent and sexual nature.
If you haven抰 read books 1, 2 and 3 in the series yet, you can find them on Amazon Ryan Rule
Ryan Redemption
Ryan Retribution
Chapter 1
Jessie
Adrenaline courses around my body and blood thunders in my ears as I sit at the dining table trying to process the information I抳e just been given.
The Wolf is back.
Conor rests a reassuring hand on my thigh, while Liam places one on my shoulder as they sit either side of me. We have just finished our 慣hanksgiving in July?dinner, but the celebrations have now come to an abrupt halt.
I抦 vaguely aware of the Ryan brothers talking to Vlad, the head of the Bratva, and the man who抯 just brought my world crashing down around me. Suddenly, their voices seem so far away. The room is spinning and the air has become thick and cloying, making it difficult to swallow. I reach for my throat as I gasp for breath. Something is happening. Has Vlad somehow poisoned me? Is he really working for the Wolf?
揓essie!?Conor抯 voice cuts through the fog as he takes my free hand and curls his fingers around it.
I turn to him, my eyes wide as I struggle to breathe. He places his other hand on my cheek while he circles the pad of his thumb over the pulse point on my wrist. I look down at his strong fingers wrapped around my arm.
揕ook at me,?he commands.
Lifting my head, I look into his deep brown eyes.
揃reathe, Angel,?he says softly.
揑 can抰。？I shake my head as I draw in ragged breaths.
揧es, you can. Breathe with me, okay??
I nod.
揑n.?He takes a deep breath and I try to mimic his movements. 揙ut.?He releases. He continues doing that and I try to keep pace with him. The room is silent, as though there is only him and me in it. I don抰 know how long it takes but eventually my breathing matches his and I no longer feel like I抦 about to suffocate.
He smiles at me. 揃etter??
揧es,?I whisper, and he lifts my hand to his lips and presses a soft kiss on my wrist.
I turn back to the table to see four pairs of anxious eyes trained on me and heat flushes over my cheeks. I can抰 believe I just had a panic attack.
Liam reaches for my other hand. He squeezes gently and I offer him a faint smile. When I catch Mikey抯 eye, he winks at me, but Shane goes back to staring at our visitor.
揝o why is it you抮e so certain he is back, Vlad??he asks.
Vlad looks directly at me when he responds. 揟here have been a few hits recently that have had his particular brand.?
揟he one in Belarus??Shane says, making me turn my attention to him. He knew about this and he didn抰 tell me?
揧es. I see you抳e been following him yourself??Vlad asks with one arched eyebrow.
揑抳e been tracking hits that have had similarities with the Wolf抯 style, yes,?Shane says with a nod as he glances at me before turning his attention back to Vlad. 揟here have been more??
揙ne in Kazakhstan.?
Shane frowns. 揑 didn抰 hear about that one.?
揌mm.?Vlad rubs a hand over his beard and nods softly. 揚olitics. It was kept very quiet.?
揌ang on a minute,?I say, finally finding my voice. 揧ou抮e telling me that the Wolf has been active again? For how long? And why didn抰 you tell me??I direct my last question to Shane.
揑 only knew about the hit in Belarus. And while it had similarities to the Wolf, I wasn抰 sure it was him.?
揧ou should have told me.?
揟old you what, Jessie??He frowns at me. 揟here was nothing to tell.?
I swallow the retort that lodges in my throat. 揑 didn抰 even know you were looking for him,?I say instead.
Conor squeezes my hand as Shane shakes his head in exasperation. 揧ou didn抰 think I抎 be trying to find him? After everything he did to you? When even the mention of his name sends you into a blind panic??
Tears prick at my eyes as I realize he抯 been looking out for me all this time. Of course he has. It抯 what he does. I can抰 deal with him right now though and I turn back to Vlad. 揥hat makes you so sure it抯 him??I pull my hand from Conor抯 and wipe the tears from my eyes. Leaning forward, I place my arms on the table. This is no time to get over-emotional.
揂s well as the two I just mentioned, there was a hit in Moscow last night. Same MO and this time my sources tell me the Wolf has taken full credit. He is now back online and offering his services to the highest bidder.?
I feel my heart starting to race again but I take a deep breath and remember the sound of Conor抯 soothing voice. I reach for his hand once more and the warmth of his skin on mine is comforting. 揧ou抮e sure it抯 really him, Vlad??I ask, desperately trying to keep the tremor from my voice.
揢nfortunately I am,?he says with a solemn nod of his head. 揑 suspect Alexei抯 death has allowed him to slink out of whatever hole it was he crawled into. But he抯 using the same call sign and accounts that he did in the past, even though such methods are now somewhat outdated.?
揇o you have any idea who it could be??
揘one.?He shakes his head and looks at Shane again. 揧ou??
揘o,?he replies with a deep sigh.
Vlad clears his throat and turns back to me. 揑f there is anything I can do, Jessica,?he says softly.
I smile at him although my insides have turned to jelly, and not in a good way. 揟hank you.?
He pushes his chair back and stands. 揑抣l leave you to your dinner.?
揅an you show Vlad out, Mikey??Shane growls as he rubs a hand over his jaw, his eyes narrowed as he appears deep in thought.
揝ure.?Mikey gets up and escorts Vlad out of the dining room.
Once Vlad is gone, Shane stands and walks around the table to me, holding out his hand. 揥e抳e got a lot to talk about. Let抯 go sit in the den??
I stare up at him blankly, still completely blindsided by Vlad抯 revelation. 揙kay,?I whisper.
揅on, can you get the good whiskey??he asks as he pulls me from my chair.
揥ill do,?Conor replies. He gives me a soft kiss on the cheek before he leaves the room.
Ten minutes later, I抦 sitting on the sofa in the den, sandwiched between the twins with a glass of Midleton Chapter One in my hand, while Shane and Conor sit opposite us.
I take a sip of the expensive whiskey and the warm, rich liquid soothes my throat.
揌ow are you feeling, Angel??Conor finally asks.
揑 don抰 know.?I shrug. 揑 mean, I always suspected he was still alive, so I suppose this shouldn抰 come as a shock. But to find out he is active again厰
揧eah. It抯 fucked up, Red,?Mikey says as he puts an arm around my shoulder.
揇id you find out anything else about him, Shane??I ask.
He shakes his head and takes a swig of his whiskey. 揘othing at all. If I had, sweetheart, I would have told you. I wouldn抰 have kept the Belarus hit from you if I抎 known it was him.?
I nod, at a loss for what else to say.
揥hat about your trip to Ireland??Conor asks.
Shane looks at me and my heart skips a beat. 揑 still have to go. But I can put it off for a few days if you need me to, Jessie??he offers.
揘o,?I shake my head. 揥e can still go tomorrow. Nothing has changed. We knew the Wolf was still out there.?
揥e??Conor narrows his eyes at me. 揧ou抮e not going, Angel.?
揥hy not??I frown.
揂re you being serious right now??