by Mia Dymond
“Did anyone else get read the riot act?” Bri settled back against her lounger and sighed. “Party poopers.”
“I think the whole island is on alert now.” Dara giggled. “Mace made quite a few phone calls.”
“Jackson didn’t say too much.” Alex shrugged. “I think he enjoyed the alcohol.”
Bri rolled her head to one side. “What about Ryker, Marnie?”
Marnie moved her gaze to the table under the canopy where all four men played poker, and tossed around the decision to reveal what Ryker had to say about their escape. Not that he really said anything, rather what he did.
Goosebumps tickled her heated skin as she continued to take in the breathtaking masculine scenery. His arm muscles flexed with his every movement and she knew from personal experience the extreme power in those muscles. Wrapped in his embrace, the sheer strength could have easily snapped her in two like a dry twig, yet, Ryker’s hold had been extremely gentle, as though she were cherished, fine china.
She moved her gaze over his handsome face, devoid of emotion as usual, his attention focused on the playing cards in his hand. His signature Aviator shades had been removed and lay folded on the table next to him, a stroke of luck that allowed her to admire his sinfully-decadent brown eyes.
She had to admit, it was difficult to stay angry at him for crashing the party and although he hadn’t issued yet another ultimatum, she knew he now watched her closely. Obviously, he’d brought the game outside to stand guard.
Ryker picked that exact moment to slap down his cards, turn his head, and shoot her a wink.
“How sweet,” Alex drawled.
“Really, Alex?” Marnie hissed, hopeful they were out of his earshot. “Does he look sweet to you?”
“No, he looks big and sexy and a whole lot of fun.”
“Better not let Jackson hear you say that.” She released a long sigh. “Besides, he’s not fun.”
“You’re so cute when a man turns you inside out.”
She snorted. “Yeah, right.”
“I am right. You’ve stared for at least five minutes and you just let out a dreamy sigh – an I-really-want-to-do-him sigh.”
“That was an annoyed sigh.”
“I’m with Alex, Marnie.” Bri shrugged. “You want him.”
As if he heard every word of their conversation, Ryker looked back in her direction, tilted his head to one side, and lifted an eyebrow. Just to spite him, she mimicked his movement and shot him a silent challenge. Yeah, I want you. So what?
She swallowed hard when he replaced his sunglasses, scooted back his chair, and stood.
“Uh-oh,” Dara mumbled.
With a false sense of security, Marnie dismissed her friend with a wave of one hand. “He’s harmless.”
The bright sunlight bounced off his black combat boots and nearly blinded her as he unlatched the gate and approached the pool area. Good grief, the man was obsessed with detail. He’d probably been awake since dawn just to polish his boots.
He stopped next to her chair and peered down, his gaze unreadable through his darkened lenses.
“You’re in my light,” she said easily.
“We’re headed inside for a conference call with Storm. If you’re nice, I’ll let you listen.”
She tilted her head to one side. “Maybe I’ll listen anyway.”
“You think?”
“What makes you think I won’t?”
“The walls are soundproofed.”
She bit her lip. Of course. Still, she wouldn’t give in – until she had to.
“Do you promise?”
“Promise what?”
“To be nice.”
“I promise.” Dara jumped from her chair, threw a t-shirt over her head and slipped into her flip flops. “I’m not going to miss this conversation for the world.”
“Where’s she going?”
“To get her notebook, I’m sure,” Alex drawled as she stood and followed Dara inside the house.
Bri slid into her own sandals and squeezed her arm as she went by. Marnie grinned. She knew that squeeze. Girl power.
With an extra ounce of confidence, she turned back to Ryker. “Why do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Give me orders.”
“Because you like it.”
“No, I don’t.”
Although she couldn’t see his eyes, she knew his gaze fell to her bathing suit top. She felt it penetrate the fabric – an imaginary yet oh-so-real sweep across her breasts. Her nipples stood and applauded.
He released one of those full-of-himself smirks, the one that made her wish his lips were busy doing things other than tormenting her. “Wanna bet?”
“No.” She grabbed her t-shirt from beside the lounger and crammed it over her head. She noticed that smirk all but disappeared. Served him right.
She stood and attempted to move forward, a futile attempt when her chin collided with his stone wall of a chest. She simply squeezed closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath of clean, determined, virile male. Might as well enjoy it; she couldn’t win a physical struggle against him and honestly, she didn’t want to.
His muscles flexed beneath her cheeks just before she heard his throaty chuckle. “Are you going to be nice?”
“Umm hmm.”
“Good.” He grasped her forearm and turned her away from him until she faced the house. “I’ll follow you.”
Convinced she had him pacified for the time being, she took two steps forward and then stopped in mid-step when his hand connected with her backside. A slight tap. A light slap to her flesh, just hard enough for her to enjoy the sensation. She swallowed hard, determined not to let her excitement sneak past.
“Ryker!” she hissed as she spun to face him.
“Go,” he said with a grin, “or I’ll do it again.”
“I’m going,” she grumbled.
With Ryker behind her, the short path from the pool to the conference table inside the house seemed invariably long and treacherous. Especially since with every step she fought the urge to stop and wiggle her backside at him. She gave herself a mental slap. Get a grip, Marnie! Ryker was not the type of man to tease – unless you were willing to accept the consequences. She was willing.
Oh, so willing.
Finally seated next to Dara while the ceiling fan worked overtime to cool her scalding hot body, Marnie cleared her mind of thoughts about Ryker and his skillful attempt at control and listened to Storm’s report.
“Got an ID on your two perps.”
She released a long, slow, aggravated breath. Why was it that any man associated with Ryker spoke in a low, husky, sex-induced tone? Was it a pre-requisite for his team?
“Talin Manning and Ewan Bourke,” Storm continued, “locals with a long string of petty criminal activity but nothing substantial. Theft, public intox, assault, not much else.”
Ryker removed his sunglasses and tossed them to the table. “Any idea why they targeted Marnie?”
“Might’ve had something to do with the bullet I found in her desk.”
“Come again?”
“I poked around the classroom and found it lodged in the side. The football broke the window but the bullet led the way.”
Dumbfounded, Marnie leaned forward in her chair. “Why would someone shoot out my classroom window?”
“Primrose PD found a body in the house across the street.”
Jackson lifted an eyebrow. “Stray bullets?”
“That was my first thought too, but there were no reports of shots fired. The body was discovered by a cleaning lady and the coroner pegged the death twenty four hours earlier than discovery. That timeline means the murder occurred at approximately the same time as the incident at the school.”
Ryker folded his arms across his chest. “The only sound we heard was shattering glass. I would’ve recognized a gunshot.”
“Silencer.”
Jake’s brow wrinkled. “So, why would he fire at the school?”
<
br /> “He thinks she witnessed the murder.” Ryker pinched the bridge of his nose. “Do you have ID on the corpse?”
“Montel Palmer.”
Marnie swallowed hard at Ryker’s transformation from easygoing fact-finder to deadly soldier. The veins in his arms protruded as his whole body tensed before her very eyes. His eyes darkened until they were completely black. Obviously, he recognized the name.
“You’re sure.”
“Absolutely.”
“So the murder was somehow drug related.”
“Facts, gentlemen,” Alex insisted. “We need some background on Mr. Palmer.”
“Doesn’t deserve the mister,” Storm explained. “Palmer was a major kingpin in the heroine business. His organization is responsible for import all over the United States.”
Marnie squeezed the edge of the table as the blood drained from her face and polka dots danced in her vision. Suddenly the conversation sounded like a foreign language. Dara grabbed her hand and squeezed.
“Any leads on the shooter?” Mace prompted.
“None. Speculation leads me to believe someone from the Dawes family is responsible.”
Alex nodded slightly and Marnie could almost see her brilliant brain piece together the puzzle. “I’m assuming the Dawes family is also in the business?”
“Yes.” Ryker ran a hand through his hair. “Dawes and Palmer have competed for territory over the last ten years.”
Jackson nodded. “Looks like Dawes decided to take out the competition.”
“Oh, man. This is so not good.” Jake released a hard sigh. “I worked a few cases with the feds and they could never trace anything back to Dawes. He’s untouchable.”
Bri tapped her chin with her finger, as she always did when her mental gears turned. “We’re missing something.”
“The scene was wiped clean,” Storm went on. “The bullet didn’t tell us anything either, just that it was a nine millimeter. No prints.”
Marnie’s stomach twisted and turned as she fought to keep from falling into the deep black hole that threatened to swallow her. Blood pounded in her ears so loudly she could barely hear the conversation. She squeezed her eyes closed, hoping that when she opened them the whole conversation would be part of a terrible nightmare.
“You look positively green.” She opened her eyes to see Bri squatted in front of her. “Take a deep breath in through your nose and then release it out of your mouth.”
She followed Bri’s instructions several times, relieved when her stomach settled. “The most logical thing for me to do is leave.” She inhaled another breath and then released it. “I’ve put all of you in danger and there’s absolutely nothing we can do about it.”
“No.”
Just that one word from Ryker and the room fell silent.
“If you leave, you’re done. You’re not leaving. This is the safest place for you.” And to put an exclamation point on his statement, he leaned across the table with his jaw clenched and his hands fisted, the look of murder in his gaze. “Don’t fight me on this.”
Marnie nearly fainted beneath his hot and sexy seriousness. Alpha male at its finest. She could almost forget about all the bad when he looked at her this way. Almost.
“Ryker –”
“You are not going anywhere without me, Marnie.”
Jackson shook his head. “You might as well do as he says, Marnie. He won’t give up.”
“Hello? I’m still on the line if anybody cares….”
Mace chuckled. “Sorry, Storm. We’re in the middle of a standoff.”
“So what’s the plan? Should I come to the island? You need more backup?”
“Not necessary,” Ryker answered while he continued to glare at her. “Keep in touch with Primrose PD and let us know if they get anything new.”
“Will do.”
Ryker straightened and then disconnected the call without looking away, as if he could hypnotize her into submission. Although she was very tempted, she refused to relent. Instead, she crossed her arms under her breasts, hoping to create somewhat of a distraction.
“Nice try.” Ryker moved his gaze off her and onto each of his teammates. “I’m open to suggestions.”
“We need to update St. Thomas PD.” Jackson released a hard sigh. “This is much more than an attempted kidnapping.”
“We’ll have the wedding here.” Bri smiled and stood. “Jake and I really don’t care where we get married. Location is really just a technicality.”
“Thanks, Bri.” Marnie attempted to return to her smile. “But it’s not going to matter how long I stay secluded. They’ll come after me as soon as I leave.”
Ryker shook his head. “Not necessarily. Keeping you hidden gives us more time to find them.”
“I know how this works. Even if those two goons get arrested, that Dawes guy will just send someone else. He thinks I have information I clearly don’t have and he won’t stop until I’m dead.” She swallowed past the softball in her throat. “I don’t want any of you to die with me.”
Dara took her hand again.
Ryker reached underneath the table and then a doorway slid open in the middle of the wall next to the table. “The only answer is to take out Dawes.”
Marnie’s mouth fell open as she peered through the opening. One wall was adorned with knives of every shape and size. Guns hung on another.
“Are those grenades?” Alex pointed to several objects hanging next to the guns.
“I’m definitely writing this into my next novel,” Dara mumbled.
Mace stepped into the closet-sized room. “Adams, you’ve been holding out on us.”
Although the arsenal of weapons held her fear at bay, Marnie realized there was a whole lot more to a recovery specialist than Ryker had revealed. Obviously, he recovered many things by force.
Jake entered and then returned to the opening with a long, silver object. “Is this a Samurai sword?”
Ryker shrugged. “I’m a weapons collector.”
“Looks like you’re prepared for war,” Alex drawled.
Ryker nodded as the other men chose their weapons. “If that’s what it takes.”
“We’ll leave you gentlemen to your arsenal.” Bri stood and walked toward the door. “We’ll be in the kitchen with a cold bottle of wine.”
Marnie stood and hurried to follow Bri. No one had to tell her twice, cold wine was exactly what she needed to cool the burning fear in her gut.
“I love you guys but you might want to steer clear of me for awhile,” she told her friends as soon as they sat at the kitchen table, wine in hand.
Dara frowned. “Why on Earth would we want to do that?”
“I seem to be a trouble magnet.”
“You’re exactly where you should be.” Alex smirked. “In fact, it’s your turn.”
“Gee, thanks.” Marnie took a deep breath and glanced at Bri. “Any ideas?”
“We need Liberty.”
“Agreed.” Dara dialed her cell phone, pushed the speaker button and then laid it in the middle of the kitchen table.
After several ringing tones, Liberty’s calm, professional voice spoke over the line. Immediately, Marnie’s nerves stopped shaking.
“Hey girls! Are you having a good time?”
“For the most part,” Bri answered. “The weather is beautiful, the wedding is planned, the guys crashed our bachelorette party, and Marnie is head over heels in love with Ryker – a lot’s happened in the last few days.”
Marnie shook her head with force. “I’m not –”
“Yes, you are.” Alex gave her a smug grin and then glanced back at the phone. “There’s just been one problem.”
Silence seeped across the line and Marnie knew from experience Liberty’s brain had now switched modes from happy-go-lucky girlfriend to professional, think-it-to-death psychiatrist.
“I see. How can I help?”
“Get your notebook,” Bri said over a sigh. “This is a good one. You might want to take no
tes right along with Dara.”
She bit her lip as Bri launched into a detailed accounting of the ordeal, and silently entertained the notion of flying home. She already felt incredibly guilty that Bri’s wedding had been overshadowed and now it seemed they couldn’t escape the danger. Although after she heard the RSI team’s analysis, she wasn’t entirely sure she’d be safe at home. A groan slipped through her lips as she tossed back her head against the chair.
“Okay, let’s pick it apart,” Liberty said when Bri finished. “Marnie, did you see anyone else when you were watching the kids play football?”
“No, but I wasn’t exactly focused.”
“She was thinking about Ryker,” Alex taunted.
“Actually, I was,” she admitted, “but not the way you think. I was in a hurry to get finished so I could limit our time.”
“Can you see a house from your classroom window?”
“Yes, there are several across the street from the playground. My classroom is not too far from the edge of the blacktop.”
“We’re never going to figure out the logistics,” Liberty said. “We’ll leave that to the guys. We need to figure out why the shooter targeted you.”
“Do we really? I mean, who really cares why? He obviously just wants to take me out.”
“Stay strong,” Bri soothed. “If we figure out his reasoning, we may be able to get to him before he gets to you.”
“He won’t get to her as long as Ryker continues to suffocate her.” Dara giggled. “Like she really wants him to leave her alone.”
“Ryker’s already figured out why he targeted me.” She rolled her eyes and ignored the side conversation. “Dawes thinks I witnessed the murder.”
“Did you?”
“No! One minute I watched a group of boys playing football and the next, Ryker flattened me to the floor. Besides, the corpse was found inside the house. I doubt anyone has the visual ability to see that far.”
“Assuming Dawes is a man of power, albeit self-assigned,” Liberty continued, “psychology dictates he will do everything possible to keep that position - including eliminating the unknowns in a situation. He won’t take the time to find out particulars. In short, he’ll act before he thinks.”
“Perfect,” Marnie mumbled.
“Do you agree, Bri?”
