by E L Irwin
“I’m not staying here, like here in this bed, Ryler.”
“I like you there. In my bed.”
Chuckling, I said, “Funny. But still, I’ll need to get up and move. You’ve already set me up in the bedroom upstairs. I don’t need to take up your personal space as well. I’m sure you want your privacy.”
“What brought all this on, AJ? Before I left, you were asking if I was able to st—”
“I know what I was asking.” I cut him off. “I just don’t want to invade your space. Neither of us planned for this, for me to be foisted upon you, and I don’t want to become a burden that you have no escape from.”
“I don’t want to escape. Far from it. You’re not a burden. I don’t think you’ve been foisted upon me. And I like you in my bed. A lot.” His eyes ghosted across my body, trailing heat as they went. A growling tone was clearly heard in his voice as he took a slow, deep breath and stated, “Now that is a sight I could get used to.”
“Oh. Well, um, okay.”
“Okay.” He grinned, a devilish light in his eyes. “Glad we got that cleared up. You eat. I’ll find your phone.”
Ten minutes later, he was back, phone in hand. I was just finishing the plate of scrambled eggs and sliced fruit he’d brought. “I found it on the floor under the sofa.”
“Oh, yeah, I’d been sitting there then decided I needed some fresh air.”
“We probably knocked it to the floor last night.”
Ryler handed me the phone. It was dead. I was just getting ready to ask him to grab my cord from upstairs, when I found it dangling in my face. He plugged that in, then handed me the end.
“Thanks.” I smiled as I plugged it in.
Ten seconds after I turned it on, the phone buzzed with an incoming text. Thinking it was most likely from Harley, I quickly opened it. All the air left my chest in a rush. The text came from an unknown number. It read, “Peek-a-Boo. I see you” and was accompanied by a picture. One from last night. At the ER. Of me.
“AJ, what’s wrong?” Ryler asked.
Wordlessly I handed him my phone. He looked it over and swore under his breath.
“She was there,” I whispered, fear choking me.
“I’m calling Caleb. He needs to know about this. They’ve got surveillance video up at the hospital.”
Ryler quickly dialed, and we waited for someone to pick up. “Caleb Andrews, please,” he said when the person on the other end answered. “Tell him it’s Ryler. I’ll hold.”
A few moments later, Caleb was on the line. “The bastard was at the hospital last night, Caleb. AJ just got a text from an unknown number with a picture of her from the hospital.” He was a quiet a moment then said, “Get the hospital surveillance. I want to know who and what we’re dealing with.” He was quiet again. “Let me know as soon as you get something. Yeah, I got it. I know the drill, Caleb.”
Ryler ended the call and looked down at me. “AJ, I will find this person. And I will end them.” He sat beside me, careful not to shake the bed around. “Come on. You need to take these for the pain. Chief is going to get your prescription filled, and he’ll drop it off later. But for now, you can take this.” In his palm, he had three Tylenol. For a moment I just looked at them, unsure just what I was supposed to do with the pills. Breathing a sigh, Ryler took my hand and placed the pills in my palm. Then he handed me a glass of water.
Blinking, coming out from wherever I’d mentally retreated to, I quickly obliged him and took the meds. And though fear thrummed through me, I felt exhaustion begin to settle in my limbs. I tried to fight it, but Ryler saw. “You can sleep. I’ll be right here. You’re safe.”
Reaching for his hand, I tugged him down beside me. Ryler resisted, only to come around the bed and crawl up next to me. He lay down and wrapped his arms around me, tenderly holding me. His breath tickled my neck, just a light caress. His heat soothed me. And before I realized it, I was asleep.
AJ’s breathing had settled. And while it wasn’t deep, it was restful. Ryler watched the rise and fall of her chest and felt his own stir in response. She brought out so much in him. So much she made him feel. Things he hadn’t thought he’d ever feel again. Now this threat. He needed it ended. Needed her safe. Needed her, period. The very idea that her life was being threatened, that she was in danger, made him see red.
Caleb had reminded him that he wasn’t the police and couldn’t just take the law into his hands. Couldn’t just hunt this person down and kill them. “This is not your mission, Rye,” he’d said.
Well, Ryler thought. The Army may not have sent me out, but this is definitely my mission. And when he found the one responsible, he’d end them. Painfully. Ryler’s phone buzzed. Glancing at it, he saw it was Chief calling.
“’Lo,” he answered, keeping his voice soft so as not to wake AJ. She mumbled a little under her breath and turned into him more fully. And he couldn’t help the way his mouth hitched to the side, the way his body reacted to her or the way his heart had lurched in his chest just now.
“I’ll be heading your way in about an hour. Keep an eye out, and don’t shoot me,” Chief replied.
“The bastard was at the hospital last night, Chief,” Ryler growled, his voice barely more than a whisper.
“Come again.”
“He was there.”
“You know this how?”
“She got a text with a picture this morning. It was of her. At the hospital.”
Chief swore in full color, long and loud. “This piece of crap needs to be dead.”
“He will be. Caleb’s checking the hospital surveillance.”
“You know you can’t let Caleb be involved, right?”
“I do.”
“All right. Stay low. I’ll see you in a bit.”
Ryler hung up and looked down at AJ. Carefully, he slid down next to her. Shiv would wake him if there was a problem. Right now, he just wanted to hold her, needed to hold her. He let his eyes trace her features, noting the stitches in her hairline. The faint bruises and the brighter scratches. Her arm, where it rested in the sling. Her leg, propped on several pillows in the walking boot. The curve of her hip. The shaped of her mouth.
He reflected on the fact that AJ was here. In his bed. Beside him. He’d dreamed of it. Often. And while this was not the way he’d pictured her when she was here, it still brought him a sense of wellbeing. And he wondered if he wasn’t the biggest jerk on the planet for feeling that wellbeing when she was in such pain. Upon further and deeper inspection, he decided that the wellbeing he was feeling was in part due to the fact that she was here where he could keep her safe. Where she was literally within arm’s reach — less, even, and that was a relief.
For now, he’d stay here beside her just soaking her in, breathing her in. Keeping her safe and protected.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Of Predator and Prey
Three weeks had gone by, and the police were no closer to finding the person responsible for the attack on me, nor Mrs. Carson’s murderer. And the police had confirmed that it was indeed an attack. I’d been shot at. And it hadn’t been by accident.
At first, each and every sound had me jumping and looking over my shoulder, but eventually, those responses began to fade. I chalked it up to being here with Ryler and Shiv. They calmed me. Shiv had taken to following me around the house — his presence was a soothing balm. The big hound just had that kind of effect on me.
A couple weeks back, maybe a week or so after the attack, Caleb Andrews, the detective assigned to my case here in Sequim, had shown us the surveillance video from the hospital. Everything indicated that the person we were looking for was a middle-aged woman, with deep red hair, who favored wide-brimmed straw hats, cardigans, and below-the-knee florally dresses.
As I watched the woman walk down the hospital halls, I tried to note anything about her that maybe I recognized. Was this Amber? I couldn’t tell and didn’t know. Weirdly enough, Amber had been silent on my blog lately. My other fans had s
wooped in to my defense each and every time Amber attacked me, even after I’d suggested they just ignore her. While her silence made those fans happy, hoping they’d run her off, it made me queasy because I didn’t think for a minute that she’d given up and just decided to leave me alone.
Amber aside, my wounds were healing. I didn’t know if I’d say that I was healing, though. My mind and heart still hurt, but my body was healing at least. Slowly, painfully even, but still, I was on the mend. I was now able to take a deep breath without instant, screaming pain. My cuts and bruises were beginning to fade. The stitches near my hairline had been removed. Though it was still a bit early, I’d removed the sling, and now had good function of my arm. And I’d been able to upgrade to one of those rolling knee scooters. Goodbye, crutches!
In the three weeks that I’d been here, since the accident, Josephine had somehow taken over. The entire house. I found her attitude odd. She literally acted like she owned the place. And I couldn’t recall her behaving like that back on Coronado, nor at Jake’s. She strutted around the house, slept on Shiv’s bed, ate and drank from Shiv’s bowls. She slept on Ryler’s bed, even after he repeatedly pushed her off, until she finally wore him out, and he just gave up. Shiv gave me many longsuffering looks, begging me to get control of my feline, though he eventually gave up the fight as well.
I’d made all my needed phone calls. My mother was beside herself, insisting that I needed to come back to Florida, and that this would never have happened if I’d chosen a real vocation. Needless to say, I made that conversation a short one. Dave took the news better, said he was worried, that I needed to be more careful, and that he hoped the attacker was caught. He also offered me a place to stay if I needed one. Harley didn’t take it so well. She freaked, actually. Her voice hit notes I hadn’t been aware she was capable of. On a side note, Kevin was doing much better. I tried to get her to focus on that, which worked for only a few minutes.
Leslie was the one who surprised me. Everyone else had pretty much taken the news the way I’d anticipated. But Leslie said words that I hadn’t known she’d known. She was normally a calm, gentle person. This Leslie was a vicious beast. She railed for several minutes. I had to just let her run her course and wait for her to finish. Eventually, she quieted then calmed down. I assured her that the police were doing all that they could to keep me safe, and that Ryler was as well.
“Why hasn’t she been caught yet, then?” Leslie demanded.
“We don’t even know who we’re looking for, Lez.”
“Well, you can’t just be a sitting duck. Something needs to happen.”
“Ryler’s working on it.”
“Yeah? What’s he doing?”
“He’s… uh, he’s hunting, trying to find this person.”
“At least that’s something,” she conceded.
“It is. I’m all right, Leslie. I promise.”
“Okay. I hate this, AJ. I hate what you’re going through, and that you even have to go through it. Just promise me that if anything else happens, you’ll let me know. And don’t forget my offer. My place is always open. Always.”
“Thanks, Lez. I appreciate it. I’ll talk with you soon, promise.”
I hadn’t lied to her. About Ryler. He was out hunting. He and Chief and some of the boys that Chief rounded up — all military-trained — were out nearly every day hunting for this person. They had people watching over Jo and the Paiges as well. Ryler has assured me that I was never alone. I was always being guarded. And, truth be known, that was a comforting thought. A part of me wondered if Ryler’s constant absence was really due to trying to find the person responsible for attacking me, or if he was just having a hard time dealing with a woman in the house and underfoot. But then he’d smile at me, or kiss me, or just hold me, and in his touch, I felt his regard, and it helped to dispel my fears and worries.
Glancing at the clock over the mantle, I saw that it was nearly six. Ryler should be back soon. This morning I’d put a roast in the crockpot — a feat I was incredibly proud of considering my injuries — along with several radishes that I was using in place of potatoes. I was going to put everything into a soup. When cooked like this, it was almost impossible to tell that they’re radishes and not potatoes. I was eager for Ryler to try it and didn’t plan to tell him what they were until after he’d eaten them. Devious, I knew, but I’d learned that it was sometimes better to spring things like this on a person after the fact.
Shiv was asleep on the sofa beside me, his head in my lap. Josephine had climbed up about an hour ago, weaseling her way under the book I was reading and managing to take up most of my lap space. Shiv just sighed in exasperation and shifted the tiniest bit to make room for her. Just as I glanced at the clock again, noting that another fifteen minutes had gone by, Shiv raised his head and looked toward the door expectantly.
Not even a minute later, Ryler stepped inside. His eyes found me instantly, and heat poured through my veins. The way those blue-grays turned to liquid silver, the way his face seemed to indicate he’d missed me and was just glad to see me, I really couldn’t help the stupid grin that hit my face.
“Something smells good,” he said as he leaned down to kiss my forehead. He then ruffled Shiv’s head and even scratched Josephine. “You look comfortable. How’s the pain today?”
I had come to the recent conclusion that forehead kisses are the best. There was just something incredibly satisfying and comforting about them. And Ryler did them so well. The way he lingered, prolonging the moment. My skin still tingled from where his lips had touched. “Thanks.” I smiled. “That’s dinner that you’re smelling. I’m pretty comfortable, and the pain hasn’t been too bad today.”
“I hadn’t noticed a dinner smell. I was talking about you. You always smell of coconut. And cream.”
“Oh.” I didn’t know what else to say or how to respond.
Ryler chuckled, apparently at my lack of response. “Do I have time to shower? Or is dinner ready now?”
“No, you’re fine. You’ve got time.”
“All right. I’ll be just a minute or two, then we can eat.”
“Okay, take your time.”
Ryler was back smelling wet and clean in about fifteen minutes. He helped me up from the couch, and we ate at the table. I grinned as he scraped his spoon in his bowl, trying to get every last drop. Ryler looked up and caught me grinning. “What?”
Soup dripped down his chin. “Nothing.” I smiled. “Just glad you liked it.”
“You be glad. I’m going back for more. You want some?”
“I’m full, thanks. You eat up.”
“Not going to argue that.”
Once our dinner was finished and Ryler had washed then dried the dishes and put them away, we headed to the couch and settled there. Soon, both Shiv and Josephine joined us.
“So, how’d things go today?” I asked Ryler as he put his arm around my shoulders.
“Not much luck, but we’re still looking.”
“You’ve been hunting for quite a while now. Do you think she’s moved on?”
“No. I don’t. This person isn’t going to just give up. They’re smart. And they’re waiting. And we’re not the only ones who are hunting. Your attacker is as well.”
“How do you hunt someone when you don’t even know who that someone is?” I couldn’t contain the shiver that ran through me.
“Very carefully,” he said then pressed his lips to my forehead in one of those award-winning kisses of his.
“But… who is the predator, and who is the prey?”
“I am the protector, the defender. He is the prey.”
“You’re still convinced this is a man and not a woman. How do you know?”
“Gut instinct.”
“But what if you’re wrong?”
“Regardless of the gender, I will stop them, because I always get what I hunt.” Ryler gently squeezed me, just a reassuring touch. And I felt his lips in my hairline again, felt his breath on my nec
k, and closed my eyes and simply tried to relax.
I hadn’t meant to fall asleep. I hadn’t told him yet about the radishes. But with Ryler being so warm and me being full from our meal, my eyes became heavier and heavier, and soon I was out.
Ryler was instantly awake without moving at all. His eyes and ears took in the room around him then the sleeping woman beside him. He hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but they’d both had a long couple of weeks. Now, something had alerted him, had brought him out of a dead sleep. Some sound. He tried to pinpoint the direction it had come from. Tried to discern if this was a threat or harmless.
His eyes found Shiv in the darkened room. The hound was standing, staring at the front door. The hair on the back of his neck was on end. A low growl emitted from deep within the dog. Ryler carefully shifted AJ off his shoulder and settled her back against the cushions of the couch.
Rising, he pulled his Sig out, and moved silently toward the door, his weapon at the ready. Standing next to the large window beside the entrance, he carefully, with as little actual movement as possible, pulled the curtain to the side, just far enough to get a look at the door and the porch. He saw nothing. Farther out, it was too dark to see anything, but he wanted a closer look. “Come on, Shiv. Let’s check it out,” he said to the dog as he turned to his bedroom. He’d use the back door and work his way around to the front.
Before exiting the house or even touching the door, he did a thorough check there as well. As he reached for the doorknob, his phone buzzed. Seeing it was Chief, he answered, voice low as to not wake AJ. “Whatcha got?”
“Ian was hit.”
“Bad?”
“Glancing blow. He’ll pull through and pay better attention next time. Whoever they are, they’re headed in your direction. Be alert.”
“Shiv heard something.”
“Stay put. We’re headed your way.” The call ended abruptly.
Ryler made sure the backdoor was still locked and told Shiv to get back to AJ. The hound immediately turned and loped back to the couch. Ryler arrived moments later. All was quiet. He told Shiv to stand guard and did a thorough search from each window, but saw nothing.
