“I guess.” Erin wore the weight of her stress on her shoulders. It had to be exhausting.
“I’ll be right back.” He stood and watched her pace away from him for a moment.
When she crashed, it was going to be hard. He wanted to be here for that. She shouldn’t be alone. His family might very well need him. How did he choose between them? Could he?
Maybe he could talk Casey into going in his stead. It wasn’t nice, but when it came to needing help at the homestead that responsibility usually fell to Riley. Yeah, it was time to cash in all those brother points from having stood up for Casey.
Riley left the room and Erin in peace.
Melody and Grant were back in their separate corners.
Vaughn was nowhere to be seen, but that wasn’t surprising. With their cameras busted at the Erbil site, he was probably rigging up something to work in a pinch for their surveillance. Riley was glad he didn’t have Vaughn’s job.
Nolan was in the kitchen tidying up after the meal.
“Decided to come out, huh?” He didn’t glance at Riley.
“Everyone’s got to eat.” He lifted the foil off the dishes and peered inside.
“I take it you’re keeping Erin to yourself?” Nolan dried his hands and turned to face Riley.
“Don’t.” He wasn’t in the mood for Nolan’s bullshit.
“I love this. She’s got you wrapped around her finger. It’s precious.”
“Fuck you.”
“So defensive. It’s cute, you know?”
“Your face is going to be cute when I punch it.”
“Oh, them are fighting words.” Nolan grinned and lifted his fists.
“You know, some day you’re going to be an asshole to the wrong person and you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.” Riley hoped he was around to see it. He’d get a good kick out of seeing Nolan brought low.
“She’s got you whipped.” Nolan landed a glancing blow on Riley’s arm. It was more of a tap.
“Someone gave you coffee, didn’t they?”
“You’re whipped, and you like it.” Nolan danced around Riley.
“God, you’re worse than my brothers.” He loaded two plates down with food and forced himself to ignore Nolan.
“Bet your brothers aren’t pussy whipped.”
Riley bit his tongue to the point he could almost taste blood. Verbal sparring with Nolan would get him nowhere.
He picked up the plates and carried them back to the room where he’d left Erin. The door was cracked open, and she stood a few feet away, one brow arched.
“Pussy whipped? Really?”
“Nolan’s a dumbass.”
Erin shook her head and closed the door behind him.
“Spying on me?” He set the plates down on the dresser in lieu of a real table.
“Nolan’s loud, and sound carries in this house.”
“You think this is Nolan loud? Don’t let him have more coffee.” Riley shook his head.
“He gets worse?”
“You don’t want to know.” Riley pasted on a smile. Nolan’s antics were funny, but they hid some deeper issues. Riley didn’t know the half of it, and he didn’t need to. So long as they all reported for work and did their job, Nolan could hide his past behind all the smiles and jokes he wanted to.
“Hungry?” He gestured to the food.
“I guess.” Erin crossed to stand in front of him.
She didn’t seem terribly interested in food. He wished he could alleviate her fears or shoulder some of the worry that weighed her down. He wanted to do something for her. Be there for her in a more meaningful kind of way.
“Hey?” He stroked his hand down her back.
She glanced up at him.
“We’ve got this.” He wrapped his other arm around her waist and pulled her in for a hug.
She leaned against him and sighed.
That sound, the way she let him hold her, they were special. Erin trusted him. She was giving him another chance. For that, he wanted to be better. For her. For what they could be together.
“Let’s eat so I can try to sleep. These things have me all drowsy.” She waved at her head.
Riley secretly hoped she would rest. To his knowledge, she’d barely dozed at the hotel and hadn’t slept at all on the plane.
If he thought she’d go for it, he’d pack her up and take her to his parent’s. There was nothing to do up there but sleep. Then again, knowing her she’d find some trouble to get into.
ERIN STOOD UNDER THE hot spray of water. She could still feel Riley’s hands on her, his mouth against hers.
This was becoming a habit.
What the hell was she going to do about Riley? About all of this?
Riley said his team was going to handle the mess she’d uncovered, but she was the one responsible for everything. Her relationship with him complicated everything. What Riley said ended with him. He didn’t speak for the others or Aegis Group. That wasn’t how these things worked. They were paid to do a job. That was their priority. If it came down to who to trust to do the right thing, she’d have to have faith in herself. People were dying, and she had the evidence to stop it. But at what cost? What if Mark killed her? What if something else happened?
She could always take a copy of the video and send it to the police. Except the murders didn’t happen in America. Someone at the Department of Defense, then? The last resort would be taking the video to the media. Exposing something like that would lead to more problems than solutions. The already tense situation in the Middle East would worsen. NexGen would no doubt get dragged into it. Angry families would want revenge.
She turned under the spray so it hit her back.
The muscle relaxers helped, but they made her head funny. Right now, she needed to think clearly, weigh her options.
The fastest way to ensuring her safety and that something was done about Mark Forest and Allied Security was to put the video in the hands of someone she trusted. Someone who could do something about it. If she did that, Mark
