Chapter 67

Chapter 67
 RYKER

When I got into the dining area, I went to the bar and poured myself a whiskey. Deacon came in quietly, as I had asked, and sat down with his computer. “Ryk, I have a lot of information for you brother.” I could hear the concern in his voice. He was about to lay some heavy shit down for me to pick up. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I could take in much more. How did we get this way? How did everything get so fucked up? I wanted to get away from Lorcane, away from this chaos, this darkness. “Okay, want a glass?” I said, weakly, pouring more whiskey into my glass. Deacon nodded so I poured him a glass as well. The amber liquid swirled in my glass, its motion mirroring the turmoil in my thoughts. Leaning against the bar, I tried to steady myself, but my focus kept drifting to the faint rustle from the room where Iris had been only moments ago. Her presence lingered, an almost palpable echo of strength and mystery that filled the silence like a distant melody. Yet, her secrets—and their weight—wrapped around me tighter with every passing second, weaving a pattern of uncertainty and secrets I couldn’t ignore. I glanced toward Deacon, who was typing away, his fingers tapping out truths I wasn’t sure I was ready to hear. Each keystroke hit like the ticking hands of a clock, counting down to revelations that could break everything wide open. The air thickened as he finally looked up, his expression grave, deliberate. Whatever he’d found—it mattered. I could feel it in the space between us before he even spoke. 

Downing the whiskey in one measured motion, the burn woke me up, a fleeting anchor as the storm of truth drew closer. I steeled myself, bracing for what was to come, balancing the weight of Iris’s guarded past against the battle looming ahead. Answers hung in the air, heavy and fraught, and I knew—whether I wanted them or not—there was no turning back now. Deacon looked up at me, reached for his glass, and pushed the computer back away from him. “We investigated the car that has been spotted. Ryk, the Punisher Crew has more intricate support and members than we realized. Cops. Government. We are making a list. The car is being drove by a man named, Cage.” He pulled up a picture of the man on the computer. “He is a well-trained but dishonorable Navy officer. He was discharged seven years ago, and he is dangerous.” I stared at the face on the screen to take in every inch of it. “What else did you find?” This time Deacon hesitated. “Boss, I...” I put my hand on his shoulder before standing up to get the bottle of whiskey. “I think we are going to need the whole bottle, huh?” Deacon chuckled a bit under his breath while nodding yes. “I looked into the Mad Hatter, and he is also very powerful, and very dangerous.” I knew that much. I had heard his name when dealing with the cartel. I heard his name when dealing with the Mob. I knew he was powerful. I knew he was dangerous. He has his hands in everything. Drugs, weapons, and counterfeiting. He has so many suspicious deaths under his belt, I am pretty sure he is a serial killer, and he is my Babygirl’s father. “How did we not know he was her father, Deac?” I asked placing my head in my hands. “Whoever helped her forge her new identity is very good, Ryk. Probably a good reason why the man is so powerful and has gotten away with everything. Never even had an arrest. No one messes with this man.” I looked up at him dramatically refilling both of our whiskey glasses.  “Ryker, there is more.” I slammed my whiskey glass down. “Of course not.”  Deacon looked at me now with almost pity. “Just say it.” Part of me already knew. I had known for some time that there was more to Iris than the innocence I had seen from her. The Babygirl who submits to me. She was too resilient, too strong, too smart to be some innocent midwestern princess. “There was someone they called Flower. Ryk, she was basically his second hand, and then she just disappeared.” Fuck. 

The name "Flower" echoed in my mind, a faint whisper growing louder with each passing second. Deacon’s revelation had hit me like a blow to the chest, but I couldn’t let it show. Not now. Not with everything hanging by a thread. The weight of it all was suffocating, but I’d learned long ago how to carry burdens no one else could see. I glanced at Deacon, his face a mask of calm as always, but I knew him well enough to spot the storm brewing beneath. If he was rattled, it meant the storm we were facing was unlike any we’d anticipated. Yet, amidst the chaos coursing through my thoughts, there was Iris—her name, her presence, her fire. Even with the shadows of the Mad Hatter looming over her, I saw something in Iris that refused to be extinguished, a light that demanded protection. And damn it, I wasn’t about to let her down. 

I pushed myself to my feet, my movements slow but deliberate. Every decision I’d made up until now had brought me to this moment, and hesitation wasn’t an option. "We move forward," I said, my voice steady but laced with steel. I wasn’t sure if I was trying to convince Deacon or myself, but it didn’t matter. It had to be true. It was true. The pieces of this twisted game were finally coming together, and I could see the path ahead—dangerous, jagged, but clear. My mind sharpened, my resolve hardening as I met Deacon’s gaze. "We need to find every answer, unearth every secret, no matter the cost." Iris was worth it. The future, uncertain as it was, was worth it. I needed to know everything about the Punisher crew and what they are up to. I needed to keep Iris safe from them. “When the Mad Hatter and whoever he has with him comes, we will deal with it. He will not take Iris. He can help us, or he can go to hell.” I didnt know if it was the anger or the whiskey talking, but I meant what I said. I will meet with the Mad Hatter. I will offer him the chance to work along with us, but he will not take my Babygirl. Deacon stood with his computer and told me him and my team would be working on the matter. We were going to try to capture the Cage, and I was ready. I would give him the same Lorcane treatment that Claud received. No problem.  “Keep my house surrounded in security.” Deacon nodded. “And Deac, when this is over, we are all going on vacation.” Deacon laughed out loud at me as he walked out the door. I sat down at the table and looked at all the information Deacon had sent me. I was ready to learn everything I could about the Flower.