In a move he saves solely for the stage Ryker jumps and swings around. His fist is poised during his spin, and he knocks the man’s temple, causing him to stumble back with Norah still in his grip.
The man makes the decision to fight back after Ryker lays another fist on his cheek and he releases Norah. It only takes that split second of watching Norah stumble off toward Jameson for the man to get a swift punch to Ryker’s gut.
“Mother fucker, I’m going to kill you,” Ryker cries out as his fury overtakes his body. He’s not sure if he’s successful in mutilating the man, but he continues to punch and kick until he feels an arm wrap around his waist and tugs him back.
“Calm down, we’re causing a scene, and you don’t want this in the papers,” a deep voice whispers in his ear, and he turns to find Jameson holding him back while the other man runs away toward his vehicle.
Dylan chases after him, but the car zooms off just as he gets to the curb.
“We should be chasing after them!” Ryker shouts, but the group looks back over to Norah who sits on the edge of the SUV with the door open. Just one look at her has his rage flowing again, but then his twin must realize and rests his hand on Ryker’s shoulder.
“Calm down. She’s okay, and this could have been a lot worse.”
“How did this even happen? The guy snuck right up on us, almost kidnaps Norah, and we let him get away?”
“We didn’t let them get away. Alexis is trailing them. She’s going to infiltrate and let us know who is in charge. So calm down and let’s take care of Norah,” Dylan explains as he joins the group. “Now, I think you have a very shaken up woman that would like you to comfort her.”
“She looks terrified of being close to me. I’ve never gone off like that. I think I scared myself,” Ryker admits as he turns away from the van afraid of seeing Norah’s fear of him in her eyes.
“Dude, man up. She needs you. And you were fucking amazing. That guy probably has a broken jaw. If it were me, I would have done a lot worse. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
Ryker looks at Dylan and nods before he turns back around and slowly approaches Norah. He makes it a few feet away from her and tilts his head down.
“I’m sorry, Norah. I’m so sorry that I scared you.”
He should know by now to expect the unexpected with Norah. He feels her arms and legs wrap around his body as she launches herself at him. Her plump lips leave a trail of kisses all over his face erasing the rage deep inside with a new emotion he has learned can only come from Norah – love.
“Thank you. You saved me. I can’t . . .” she begins before her emotions get the better of her and she breaks down into a sob. “He almost . . .”
“No, he never had a chance,” Ryker begins as he wraps his arms around her and tries to give her a sense of comfort, but he struggles with his own emotions and isn’t sure he is doing a good job. Still, he continues, “I would never have let him take you.”
A crowd begins forming around them a few camera phones aimed in their direction and Ryker nods his head toward the vehicle silently requesting that they get away from the University as soon as possible.
The ride back to the airport is filled in a haze for Ryker. His need to soothe Norah battles with his anger at her situation. His jaw aches from clenching and unclenching his teeth the entire trip back to the airfield. A weight of emotions settles in the car, and he can feel its pressure on his chest, slowly crushing him.
At the private tarmac, a large chartered plane looms in the distance waiting for them to board. Ryker looks over and notices that Norah is resting on his shoulder with her eyes closed, but he knows she isn’t asleep. Her slender fingers tap a beat against her thigh, and he wonders if she is doing this out of nerves or anticipation.
“Hey,” he says as he leans down and kisses the top of her head. Her eyes spring open, and he’s greeted by those beautiful brown circles that seem to see right through him. “We’re here.”
Norah nods and sits up and watches as Cohen exits the front seat with the locked container held tightly in his grasp. Dylan exits the car next quickly followed by the rest of the group leaving Ryker and Norah alone in the back seat as they load onto the plane.
“Is there anything I can get you before we head back?” Ryker asks solemnly knowing that she’s preparing herself to endure a severe amount of pain.
“No, I want to get this over with. As long as you and Jameson are there, that’s all that I need.”
“I’ll take care of you, princess.”
“I know that you will.”
She moves to exit the SUV and Ryker follows suit, grasping her hand as he gets outside and walking together up the stairs to the plane as one. The door is locked and secured behind them, and as Ryker and Norah fasten their belts, the plane begins to taxi.
Gently squeezing Norah’s hand wanting to remove the paleness of her face Ryker says, “Tell me something.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Anything. Something good.”
She leans back in her seat and closes her eyes as she thinks of something, a small smile gracing her mouth just before she pins him with her gaze.
“You’ll probably laugh.”
“Naw.”
“Fine. I may have had a poster of you hanging on my sophomore dorm wall right beside my bed. I used to dream that I would go to one of your concerts and we would lock eyes during one of your songs. You’d be spellbound by me and have your security team bring me behind the stage to meet you. Sometimes the dream would be sweet, and we’d talk all night. Other times there was a lot of sex,” she shrugs.
Smirking, Ryker murmurs, “Dirty girl,” before allowing her to continue.
“Shut up. Anyway, I used to have the dream almost every night for a year until the first time Jameson brought me to your parent’s home. Obviously everyone thought he and I were an item, which couldn’t have been farther from the truth. Your mom broke out the baby album, and it was filled with pictures of you and Jameson as babies and kids.
“I was enthralled. I got to see this unique side of Ryker James that no one knew. Heck, I always thought you and Jameson looked similar, but until he and your mom confirmed it, I never would have put the pieces together that you were twins.
“Over the years the dream grew more intense, I couldn’t seem to shake it. And it felt wrong because I wasn’t just fantasizing about a rock star, I was fantasizing about my best friend’s brother. The best friend that would take me to his family home during school breaks because I had nowhere to go. The best friend that embraced my nerdiness. And all I could do was take in every bit of information I could about you.
“So yeah, I’m a straight up stalker that has fantasized about you for the last four-ish years.”
Hearing her words, her story, turns him on like no other. Ryker isn’t sure why but the thought of her being so ingrained in his life already solidifies his feelings for her. And as he thinks about her fantasy he can feel his cock grow behind the zipper of his jeans.
“Say something,” she whispers in embarrassment, her eyes large and pleading.
“When was the last time you had this fantasy?” Ryker asks with a deep huskiness lacing his voice.
“Do you really want to know?”
“Yes,” he admits as he rearranges himself in the seat trying to position his aching cock from behind his zipper.
“Last night. I had the dream of you last night.”
“God damn,” he growls wishing that they were back at his house so he could show her everything her fantasy has done to him. Hell, right now Ryker would be up for giving her a private performance and ravishing her in his full-on rock star get-up.
Lost in their own world Ryker and Norah don’t hear as Dylan approaches and takes the open seat on the other side of Ryker.
“The plane has leveled out and, if it’s alright with you, we think this is the best time to get started.”
Norah’s entire demeanor changes and her sweet and embarras
sed side turns around to become steadfast and determined.
“Ok, I’m ready.” Norah stands from her seat, and Dylan quickly follows. As they move to the walkway she glances over her shoulder and asks, “Are you coming?”
“I need just a minute.”
Understanding blossoms and she quickly smiles at him before she and Dylan head toward the back of the plane.
Ryker has to wait for his erection to die down not wanting to embarrass Norah but he also needs to prepare himself for the next ten minutes of watching Norah’s skin burn away as she takes on the agony head first.
It takes a minute, but his head finally gets into the game and Ryker stands and heads to the back of the plane.
Norah sits quietly in a cushioned seat holding a rubber ball while Cohen stands in front of the bathroom wearing a full body HAZMAT suit with the container of sodium hydroxide in his grasp. Dylan and Jameson are across the way prepared to treat the burn and remove the implant.
They wait patiently for Ryker to take the seat beside Norah and once he settles into his chair she bends to the side and rests her head in his lap. Now he’s really glad he waited for his erection to die down.
Ryker strokes her hair away from her face loving the way she buries her face into his stomach.
“So,” Dylan begins to explain. “Cohen is going to place the sodium hydroxide on the location behind her ear where she indicated the implant is embedded. It will take about three minutes before the burning reaches the degree to which it can dissolve the device. Then we’ll rinse the spot clean and dress it.”
“Will there be permanent damage?” Ryker asks as he gazes down at the woman already gritting her teeth as she prepares.
“Most likely she’ll have scarring at the spot behind her ear, but everybody is different. The burn will be in the third-degree category. Now, when we clean the skin off, I’ll need your help to hold her over the bucket while I pour water. Once the chemical is diluted, it loses its potency.”
Ryker nods in understanding and strokes his hand through her hair once again.
“I love you, Norah,” Ryker confesses as Cohen steps forward.
“I love you too.”
He looks up to see Cohen draped in a full white suit from head to toe carrying a small white chunk in his hand. If Ryker didn’t know any better, he would have assumed it was a rock of crack cocaine.
“For some reason, I didn’t expect it to be solid,” he explains.
“Norah said that this is the most concentrated form and would work the best. And there is less clean up,” Cohen says as he shrugs.
Ryker watches the approach as Cohen’s gloved hand presses the small rock to the spot behind Norah’s ear. He hadn’t noticed the bit of discoloration but now that he is focusing he can see the small purple ridges behind her ear.
Those must be the electrodes she had been talking about.
Cohen stands steady holding the rock in place against her skin and the three minutes feel like hours. Norah makes no sound, his only warning of her intensifying pain is the way her grip on the ball has her knuckles changing from pink to white. Ryker looks up to Cohen who nods and steps away with the rock and places it back into the sealed container.
Ryker’s heart feels like it’s going to burst out of his chest when he looks down to see Norah’s skin red and bubbling. He can almost bet if he touches it the skin would peel away; which is precisely what Cohen does as he comes back after removing the HAZMAT suit and dons a pair of latex gloves. Using a set of sterilized tweezers, he peels back the inflamed skin and reveals the tiny circular device behind the flap.
With the tweezers, Cohen gently lifts the thin contraption away from her skin just as Norah clenches her arm around Ryker’s leg tightly. He can’t imagine the amount of pain she is feeling.
“I’m so sorry, sweetheart. It’s almost over.”
“It hurts,” she says through clenched teeth as a tear falls from the corner of her eye, landing on his shirt.
“You’re so brave. I’m in awe of you.”
Cohen takes the device and places it in a plastic bag before smiling back at Ryker in delight at being able to retrieve it in one piece. Norah had explained earlier that it may or may not attach itself to the muscle. Her knowledge astounds him, how she was able to come up with a device that literally seeps itself under the skin after wearing it as a patch for a month. It reminds him of those trees in pictures that have grown around a bicycle or a fence.
“I think we can clean the wound now,” Dylan says bringing Ryker back to the moment.
Norah’s eyes are still scrunched closed as she squeezes his leg. Dylan places a bucket under her head, and Ryker gathers her hair in his hand as he scoots her toward his knee and flips her onto her back.
“It’s almost over. We’re just going to clean it now,” he whispers as he leans forward and presses a gentle kiss on her forehead.
As Ryker pulls back, Dylan pours the sterile water onto the burn making sure to clean it thoroughly. Some of the water splashes onto Ryker’s leg, but he doesn’t mind. He could be standing in the middle of the ocean surrounded by sharks, and he wouldn’t complain so long as Norah stops feeling the agonizing pain.
“If you want to turn her back onto her side I can apply the dressing,” Dylan suggests, and Ryker complies.
Norah is taking heaving breaths and shutters as Dylan’s large hands tenderly place liquid antibiotic and then a gauze patch over the wound.
“You’re going to need to check in with a doctor when we get back to make sure there isn’t any infection.”
“Okay,” Norah whispers, her voice scratchy from withholding her sobs.
“Come on, princess,” Ryker says as he adjusts her in his arms. “You need to rest.”
He stands up and maneuvers around the bucket as he makes his way back to the front of the plane where a large couch resides. Ryker gently places Norah on the sofa and grabs a blanket from the back to cover her up.
“I’m proud of you. So fucking proud. And do you know what this means now?” Norah turns her glassy eyes up to him in a silent question. He continues, “It means we can move forward. That we’re one step closer to being together.”
“I like that,” she whispers as she smiles at him. A gentle smile as her exhaustion begins to overpower her.
“Get some rest, princess. We’ll be home soon.”
Norah closes her eyes and Ryker pushes back the hair from her face flinching as he eyes the small white cottony patch behind her ear.
He wants to kill the man that forced her to do this to herself. Never before has Ryker felt this sense of fury toward another human being. He has always been the laid-back one, the one that could roll with the punches and let things slide. But not today. Not with Norah having to endure this pain. And the thought that not even two hours ago someone tried to kidnap her isn’t sitting too well either.
Someone is going to pay, and he’s going to make sure that they aren’t able to hurt anyone else.
Chapter Seven
NORAH ISN’T SURE HOW long she’s been in the middle area between sleep and awake, but she knows it’s most likely been around two hours. She can feel everyone’s stare on her, hear their whispered words as they try to over analyze the situation.
Yes, she is free of the implant.
Yes, she is most likely going to have to go to DC to meet with the team that commissioned the product.
Yes, Dr. Lewis is still missing and is most likely being held by the men that tried to take her.
Yes, she is scared out of her fucking mind that they are going to find her again.
She never imagined that her life would be like this. That using her knowledge and skills for good would lead her into a world that feels more like a sludge-filled abyss. Norah never for one second thought that the project had any malicious intent. When the Commissioner contacted Dr. Lewis and laid out what they were envisioning she saw the potential. The military was struggling with their soldiers being overworked and in more hostil
e territory than ever before. This was a solution she could get behind so long as the team to use the device and scanners were well trained.
They had planned to use the ten implant prototypes on an elite team to test the effectiveness for a year. She and the technicians had created charts that trace the transmissions and the changes in heart rate and breathing using a feed from the software.
From what she can gather in her false sleep Jameson and some of Scarlet Security may have finally been able to create a program that would be able to use her coding and simulate the scanner’s response. If they’re able to accomplish this, then she can terminate the program and start fresh. A simple security coding fix will allow her to relaunch the program if the Military would still like to pursue it. Unfortunately, Norah fears that the program may be shut down indefinitely and she’s wasted the last few years on a project that won’t get to complete its purpose.
The plane jostles as they hit a bit of turbulence and the group scatters to find a seat and fasten their seatbelts. Norah feels a hand on her shoulder, and she turns to see Ryker crouched beside her.
“There is a storm over Asheville and Carson, so we need to buckle in. It’s going to be a rough landing.”
She nods and sits up so that he can take the seat beside her and they strap themselves into the white belts of the leather couch. As the plane dips and climbs with the clouds and wind Norah feels no ounce of fear, her fear is bottled up in the form of a black market dealer seeking her out.
Luckily the descent doesn’t last long, and they safely arrive at the Asheville airport where their vehicle waits for them to drive them back to Carson.
“I’m so glad that we’re home,” Ryker explains as they duck under an umbrella and rush to the car.
“Why is that?” Norah asks innocently.
“So I can get you into my bed.”
“Oh. Well, I suppose I won’t object to that,” she teases, and Ryker practically growls as he settles into the seat beside her.
“Norah,” her name is called from the seat in front of her. She is so focused on Ryker that she misses Jameson and the rest of the team in the row.
Coming Unplugged Page 11
