Read Online Ryker’s Justice by Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy - Free Book Online

David’s Trans Am and then
both vehicles went through the guardrail all the way down.”
    Jude’s
headache intensified as rage shot through him. Heat washed over him and he shut
his eyes to avoid bursting into flame. He wanted to shout or beat the hell out
of Junior but he held tight to control. “I hope they arrested him.”
    “They
did but I imagine they’ll let him walk after spending the night in the drunk tank. He’ll post bail, as he has before.”
    “I’ll
make damn sure justice is served,” Jude said, without thinking. The words shot
from his mouth with more bitter force than he intended. Elijah’s eyes widened
and beside him, Nicole took his arm as if he needed restraint. Hell, maybe he
did.
    Adam
leaned over from three chairs down. “Jude, take it easy, son. We all want to
see Junior pay but you don’t have a damn bit more
authority than anyone else.”
    He
did, though, and parted his lips to tell them. Then he remembered where they
were and why, so he shut his mouth. “All right, all right, but remind me to
tell y’all something later.”
    Noah
came to his feet and stalked the room with restless energy. “We’re all on edge
so cool it. Let’s just wait and see what happens. David’s most important right
now, then we’ll figure the rest out as we go.”
    Tension
reigned as none of them talked for a while. The second hand swept around the
face of the large clock on one wall. Twice, a nurse emerged from the Emergency Room
and called a patient back, but time crawled and no one came to talk to Elijah
about his son. Jude’s tall frame didn’t fit into the cheap chairs with any
comfort and he shifted position often. His head pounded relentlessly. Fresh air
might help but he was loath to leave in case a doctor updated the family on
David’s condition. Almost an hour after the ambulance delivered the teen, a
doctor stepped out. “Ryker? Who’s with David Ryker?”
    Twenty
people raised their heads, and two of them stood. Elijah and Tania linked
hands. “We’re his parents. How is he?”
    “He’s
in critical condition. We’re taking him upstairs for emergency surgery to stop
some internal bleeding. He also has a concussion, broken ribs, and a broken
leg. If you want to step in to see him before we move him, please come through
this door.”
    Half
a dozen family members stood as Elijah led his wife into the Emergency Room. Jude
joined them and stretched. Adam tapped him. “I think we’ll head upstairs to
wait. Are you coming?”
    “Yeah,
I am. I want to see if the kid’s all right,” Jude said. “But I’m going to stick
my head outside for some fresh air first and grab a soda from one of the
machines.”
    His
oldest brother nodded. “I’ll see you up there then.”
    Nicole
linked her arm through Jude’s. “I’ll go outside with you.”
    The
moon filled the night sky with silver light and any other time Jude could have
appreciated the beauty. With no destination in mind, he ambled out to his truck
with Nicole. Once there, he leaned his head against the driver’s side window. The
cool glass against his throbbing headache eased it a little and he groaned.
    “Does
your head hurt?” Nicole asked. She put her hand on his back and rubbed. “I’ve
got some aspirin in my purse if you’d like some.”
    “Yeah,
and sure, I would.”
    She
shivered and he noticed how chilly it’d become. “Are you cold, honey?”
    “Yes.
So are you. Your arm’s like ice.”
    Jude
hadn’t realized. “Let’s go inside, grab a pop, then we’ll go upstairs.”
    After
downing four tablets and washing them down with soda, he made a pit stop. The
empty halls at the late hour had an eerie feeling, he thought. Although he
hadn’t set foot in the facility for years, not since his football injuries were
treated, little had changed. Jude rode the elevator up to the tiny waiting room
and joined his family. Less furniture remained than he remembered and the
collected Rykers overflowed the space. Noah and Adam
sat