Ryder

by Diana Gardin

  I bite my lip, looking around. “So you don’t know how we’re getting out of here either.”

  Damn. I was hoping that he’d lead us to civilization so I could get away from him. Call for help. I don’t want to be alone in the woods with Eli Ward.

  He tugs on my wrist, his voice commanding. But not in a sexy way like Ryder’s. In a slimy, douchey way that makes me want to punch him.

  But if I punch Eli, he’ll punch me back.

  Twenty times harder.

  We’ve walked only fifty feet when he grinds to a halt. “Walker’s dead.”

  I gasp, one hand flying to my mouth. Nausea rolls like thunder; my head swims as a wave of dizziness threatens to overtake me.

  You did what you had to do. You did what you had to do.

  “Must have been a lucky shot,” Eli remarks, watching me sideways.

  Without warning, he yanks me close to him. Dove startles in her sleep and her eyes pop open. She sees Eli staring down at us and immediately starts to cry. The sound almost breaks me, because crying is such a rarity for Dove.

  “Guess we’d better check you out to make sure you’re not carrying any surprises. I don’t want to end up like Walker.”

  He whips me around and unzips the backpack. Dove’s wails grow louder, her arms reaching out in front of her. I grab her hands, rubbing the backs gently with my thumbs as I murmur in her ear.

  “Mama’s right here, baby. Right here. Don’t cry.”

  “Did you try this?” Eli holds the burner phone in front of my face.

  Regret stabs me through the heart. I nod. “No service.”

  I feel his hands cup my breasts and I stiffen, my hands going frozen as they grip Dove’s. Eli palms my breasts roughly for just a moment before he slides them down my rib cage until he reaches my hips.

  “What are you doing?” This time, it’s impossible to tamp down the fury in my voice.

  He moves his lips to my neck and cups my ass. All while our baby cries against my chest. The nausea from earlier returns, and I squeeze my eyes shut as Francesca peeks out from her box. Fear engulfs me.

  He can do anything he wants out here in these woods. Anything.

  He could even decide Dove doesn’t need a mama, bury me, and run away with my baby.

  Jesus help me.

  “I’m patting you down,” he whispers against my ear. He presses his hips against my ass, allowing me to feel his hard cock straining against his jeans.

  Bile rises in my throat.

  “Stop,” I murmur. “Dove is upset.”

  “Make her stop.”

  He releases me, coming back around to stand in front of us. He stares down at Dove, cocking his head to one side. “Let me hold her.”

  My heart goes up in flames. “Maybe later.”

  Dove takes one look at Eli and her cries grow ten decibels. They seem to ricochet off the trees, sending her own set of echolocation signals bouncing off the leaves. She tilts her head back and squeezes her eyes shut, her face now scarlet.

  Eli’s eyes darken. He lifts his voice to be heard above our daughter. “Francesca! I said let me hold her.”

  I lift my voice too. “I said not right now!”

  There’s no warning. Eli raises his hand, palm open, and slaps me hard in the face.

  26

  RYDER

  My boots barely make a sound on the soft forest floor. It rained yesterday, and the ground is still spongy and damp. It also means that if I’d known exactly where Frannie had entered the forest, I might have been able to track her. Silently, I wonder how long it’ll take the police to figure out what happened to Eli Ward. When they do, the airport will be swarming with cops, and I’d really like to be gone when that happens.

  Gone, but not without my girl.

  And her baby.

  Christ. The thought still kicks me in the chest, heel first, every time I think it. She has a child. The life I thought we’d build together, if we’re even still able to build it, is going to be completely different from the one I imagined. So many what-ifs knock on the door to my mind, but I slam it shut, blocking their entry.

  This isn’t the time.

  Later, after I get Frannie home where she’s safe, I’ll confront this. I’ll figure out why it hurts so damn much. I’ll face the fact that she completely mind-fucked me head-on.

  First? I’ll find her.

  Glancing up, I note that the sun’s rays have forced darkness back from the horizon. Now that the sun is up, the day won’t do anything but heat up. And a summer day in the Carolinas isn’t one you want to be out hiking in without supplies. And Frannie has none.

  She’s also carrying a baby, and she’s scared and alone. I move forward, the hard press of conviction slamming into me with new vigor.

  I’ve walked due north for about a mile when Bain’s voice comes over my earpiece. “Everyone stop and listen.”

  We all started out in the same spot and branched out diagonally from one another. That way none of us would be too far in case we found Frannie, and we could get to one another’s location quickly.

  I hear the faint whimpering first, because I’m the first to respond. “I’ve got sound.”

  Bain’s voice crackles through the comms. “I’m climbing a tree. Gonna set up my scope and rifle, and I’ll let you know what I see. Just keep walking forward and tell us what you hear.”

  Lawson’s voice comes through. “The rest of us will stay put.”

  I move, my ears straining. A sound breaks through the trees, suddenly becoming clear. “It’s a baby crying. I’m close.”

  Frannie’s nearness, the fact that I’m close enough to hear the baby, pushes me forward at a quiet run, and I don’t stop until I hear Frannie’s voice. And then I’m forced to stop, because she sounds scared.

  I can’t make out what she’s saying, but she’s talking to someone, and I can’t understand who that would be. She shot Walker; his body is still lying in his SUV. So who’s out here with her and her baby in the woods?

  I speak softly into my comms. “Need that visual, Bull’s-Eye. Frannie isn’t alone. Staying hidden.”

  I wait, holding my breath while I listen to my girl. Her agitation ramps up; it’s like I’m standing right there next to her. I can feel her emotions rising and swirling around me like I’ve been pulled into an ocean undertow.

  I’ve never been able to control what Frannie does to me. But right now, I’m glad for it. Our connection brought me straight to her side, and now I can feel her mood and mind-set as easily as if they were my own.

  “Got her in my sights. Prepare yourself, Wolf.”

  The beating of my heart is a continuous collision with my ribs. “What’s happening?”

  “It’s Ward. Guess he didn’t get on that plane after all. He’s got his hands all over her.”

  A growl rips from my chest as my weapon comes up automatically. My feet creep forward before I tell them to, silent footfalls meeting damp, fragrant earth.

  I don’t stop moving until they come into view, and I find a spot to take cover behind a tree nearby. Speaking softly into my comms, I talk to the boys. “If you’re headed in my direction, that’d be good. Because there’s a good chance I’ll kill this motherfucker just because he’s breathing.”

  He’s standing in front of Frannie, and she’s looking up at him. Everything about his stance says that he wants to intimidate her, dominate her. As if he has the fucking right to breathe the same air she does, much less have any kind of importance in her life.

  He lost that right the first time he laid hands on her.

  He lost the right to keep breathing the second time.

  And now? Now he’s just deadweight that I’m ready to cut from her story.

  The baby must have taken one look at him and decided he wasn’t a good guy. She’s screaming at the top of her lungs, head thrown back, eyes squeezed shut.

  And that bastard is demanding that Frannie hand the baby over to him. As soon as she says no, I take a step forward, ou
t from behind the tree. The look on his face tells me everything I need to know. There’s no way he’s going to stand for her refusal. He never has before, has he?

  But for Frannie, handing over her baby would be a no-go. She’s not going to do it. There’s no part of her that would be able to place her daughter in that monster’s arms.

  “You’re out of cover.” Bull’s-Eye, calm and collected, comes over the comms.

  I don’t answer, watching the scene unfold in front of me.

  “You’re what?” Lawson’s voice, not nearly as placid, follows.

  Frannie refuses for a second time, and Ward doesn’t hesitate. He slaps her across the face, as forcefully as if he were hitting another full-grown man.

  Only Frannie isn’t another man. She’s a woman, and she’s holding their child.

  “You motherfucking coward.” The words spit from between my teeth. I step forward, holding my rifle, until there aren’t more than thirty feet separating me from them.

  Ward plays the part, pulling Frannie and the baby in front of him as human shields. I curse under my breath, because I acted against every ounce of training I had. He raised his hand to her, again. I saw that he was about to hurt her, and I knew what that would do to her. After all she’s done to become strong.

  After all she’s done to escape him and his abuse.

  He’d hit her like she was worthless.

  Instead of controlling my fury, I acted on instinct and moved. And now her life is standing between me and him.

  “You’re going to put that gun down and walk away.” Ward starts giving orders right away. Like he was born to boss people around. “Because the only other alternative is aiming your rifle at a defenseless woman and child.”

  Frannie stares at me. Both of her hands come up to protect the baby, and even though she’s being held against the man she hates more than anything in the world, I see the sigh she releases.

  “Ryder,” she says. “What the hell took you so long?”

  My lips twitch, and I don’t take my eyes off Ward. “Got held up. Some Pistol Annie hit me over the head.”

  Frannie starts to cry. She’s shaking all over, silent tears streaming down her face. She mouths her next words.

  I’m sorry, she says.

  I shake my head at her, indicating that she’d better not be sorry for a damn thing right now.

  Later, I mouth right back.

  “What the fuck is this?” Ward glances down at Frannie. “You fucking slut! Seriously? You’ve been fucking him?”

  He tightens his hold on her, and she cries out. “Eli, stop it! I’ve got Dove!”

  My words are bullets shot from a pistol. “You have one chance to live through this, Ward. One. And believe me when I tell you that I don’t even want that to happen. Step. Away.”

  Grisham’s voice roars into the earpiece. “Fucking hell, Bull’s-Eye! Wolf can’t take that shot at that range with Frannie and the baby in front of Ward! If you see a shot—”

  “I realize you’re not usually on this team, Ghost,” Bain answers. There’s no give in his words. “But we don’t need orders. We’ve got this.”

  Grisham curses, and everyone goes quiet on the comms as they listen.

  Ward’s eyes are slits. “You think you can give me orders, you military spy-guy wannabe? I give orders to the tune of millions of dollars for a living. You don’t scare me.”

  I edge forward. “Yeah? And where’d that get you? Running off to Switzerland, huh?”

  Ward grits his teeth, and so do I. Movement catches my eye from behind him. Off his left shoulder, Cowboy salutes me, then returns his hand to his rifle. It sits on his shoulder, aimed squarely at the back of Eli Ward’s head.

  Bain’s voice sounds in my ear. “We’ve got him surrounded, Ghost. We’ll be bringing Frannie and the baby out of the woods from the east. Get the getaway vehicle there now.”

  There’s an edge in Grisham’s voice when he answers. “I’ve got you.”

  “Fuck you,” Ward spits. He brings one hand to Frannie’s throat.

  Her eyes go wide, and my trigger finger twitches, a twinge of pressure pressing on my weapon where it counts.

  Behind Ward, Ben whistles. The sound is so loud and high it can’t be ignored, and Ward’s body jerks like he’s been electrocuted. He turns partway, his hands dropping from Frannie, and I hurtle forward.

  She doesn’t waste any time, leaping away from Ward and toward me, and I reach out and grab her hand, pulling her into my body and to the left just as Cowboy launches himself at Ward.

  I pull Frannie into my side, baby and all, hugging her as close as I can with a now-whimpering little girl with flailing arms and legs strapped to her chest, while Ben smacks Ward in the side of the head with the butt of his rifle.

  Ward goes down hard, hitting the ground without a single shot having been fired. Sleuth moves in like an oil slick from behind a tree off to our right, dragging Ward by his legs to another tree and zip-tying him to it by the wrists.

  Frannie frantically unties the sling that holds the baby to her chest, grabbing her into her arms and cradling her daughter to her chest. Then she grabs me by the neck and pulls me to them, holding me close. I let my gun slip to the ground and allow myself this moment, wrapping my arms around her waist and holding her close. I inhale her scent, mixed with the fear and the baking heat, and I damn near cry out with the relief I feel.

  “You came.” It’s a sob from her, spoken into my chest as her fingers dig into my neck.

  “Always.” As the word leaves my lips, I realize that it doesn’t matter how fucked up my head is.

  When it comes to this woman, I’ll always be here.

  “Let me see your face.” I pull back, noting that the baby goes quiet as she stares up at me, big blue eyes taking me in.

  I glance down at the baby. “I’m not ignoring you, angel, but I’m gonna check your mama out first. That okay with you?”

  “Duff.” She reaches out a tiny finger, lifting it toward my face, and I grab it gently in one of my fists. Something warm and unfamiliar slips and slides inside my chest, but I push it aside and look at Frannie’s face.

  She’s staring down at the baby, something like awe in her expression, but I tilt her chin gently up to look at me. The side of her face is an angry red, the mark of his hand harsh against her creamy skin.

  I swallow hard and turn her face, staring at the mark he left on her. “He should be dead.”

  I glance at Ward, slumped against the tree.

  She nods. “He should be. Can I hold your gun for a minute?”

  I can’t fight the smile that fights its way to my lips, and that’s a fucking problem. Because now isn’t the time to smile, but when Frannie’s around I can’t help it.

  “No.”

  She sighs. “Damn. Well, then I guess he’ll have to live. Because if anyone deserves to kill him, it’s me.”

  I nod, my throat closing up as I stare down at her. I brush the hair out of her face. Wasn’t I pissed at her only hours ago? Fuck.

  Her eyes, so deep and blue, match her daughter’s. And that means I’m going to love that baby girl’s eyes with all my heart. Frannie leans into my touch. “Can I ask you something, Ryder?”

  “Sweetheart, ask me any fucking thing. Anything you want.”

  “Can I introduce you to my little girl?” Frannie asks me this with an earnestness I can’t quite place. It’s important to her, more important than I can even grasp right now.

  So my answer is simple. I cup her cheek and let my thumb gently graze that quickly bruising skin. “Yes.”

  Her eyes go bright. “This is my daughter, Dove.” She glances down at the baby, who’s still staring at me with big, blinking eyes.

  Her tiny little lips part, their perfect pink heart shape forming gibberish words. Her little fist still rests in my hand. She coos and blinks, and my chest explodes as I stare down at her. I’m not an expert on what’s happening to me, but I’m pretty damn sure it’s love at first sig
ht.

  It’s a steep slope, one I’m sliding down without a grip on anything solid to keep me from falling all the way.

  “Dove. Damn, that’s beautiful. It’s nice to meet you, angel.”

  Frannie stares up at me, tears shining in her eyes, some fierce emotion lighting her up from the inside out. Her blond hair’s a mess, her face is bruised and dirty, and her clothes are askew, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen her look this gorgeous, with her baby in her arms and the way she’s looking at me right now.

  “I know we have some things to discuss. And I have a husband sitting over there who I need to divorce. Also, I have a baby who you just met. But I love you, Thorn Ryder. That’s my truth, and it’s been my truth for a while now. And if I know one thing, I know that’s never going to change.”

  Love. It’s all I see when I’m looking down at them, and I know that’s the truth when my earpiece crackles.

  Grisham’s voice sounds tired, but also highly amused. “You realize we’re still on comms, right, Wolf?”

  27

  RYDER

  For the rest of that day, NES protects Frannie from police and federal questioning. Jacob calls in every favor and uses every connection he has to make sure she and Dove have the time and rest they need to recover from the trauma they endured while being hunted—and found—by Eli Ward.

  When we arrived back at the NES office at nearly lunchtime, Frannie was almost dead on her feet. Jacob met us with the keys to the BMW, which was waiting in the parking lot, and a baby car seat. He pulled me aside while Frannie and Dove went into the bathroom to get cleaned up.

  “I put in a call to Dare Conners’s wife this morning. She’s been working on it since then, and I think that by the time you get back to the penthouse you’ll find that it’s been set up for Frannie and Dove. At least for a little while. You can stay as long as you need to.”

  He looks at me like he gets it.

  I hold out a hand, and my boss shakes it. I pull him in for a short hug and when he pulls back there’s a tight smile on his lips. He doesn’t give those freely. “Don’t thank me, son. Just make sure she and that baby are doing okay. I’ll keep everything good on my end here. We’ll have to get her in tomorrow for debriefing, but we can do that on Frannie’s time, and we can come to her if we need to. I’ll tell the WPD the same damn thing.”