Her gaze clung to his for a moment, before she eased backward, out of sight. He wanted to close his eyes, make the pain in his head and his thigh go away, but he needed to finish this.
After dragging the second perp to where he’d stashed the first one, he debated whether or not to wait for them to regain consciousness. He wanted to interrogate the two men, to find out who they worked for and what they wanted from Olivia. At the same time, though, he desperately needed to get her and Aaron far away from there.
Logically, he knew that sticking around to question the men would be useless. Even if he managed to get them to talk, he doubted the men would tell him anything truthful.
He took a moment to zip-tie the two men together, and to a tree, so they couldn’t get too far once they awoke. He tossed the second guy’s phone into the ravine as well, then tore their T-shirts into strips to use as gags, to keep them silent. He figured the two guys would be found eventually, by other hikers or tourists, but hoped to gain enough of a head start that it wouldn’t matter.
Killing them would give him and Olivia more time to escape, but he couldn’t do it. No way could he outright kill a man, even a gun-wielding jerk who’d come after him, not to mention a pregnant woman and a child.
He’d seen too much death while he was in Afghanistan, and here at home.
When he’d learned of his girlfriend’s and her daughter’s deaths, he’d promised himself he’d only take a life in self-defense. The way he had at the nanny’s house. It had been necessary to shoot the man who had Aaron, in order to save the boy’s life.
Still, he hesitated. Their escape from the Shawnee National Forest wouldn’t be fast, especially since Olivia couldn’t exactly run back down the mountain, then back up again, the way they’d come. The last thing he needed was to send her into premature labor.
Finally, he turned away. He could only hope that Duncan and Mike would be on their way soon.
At this point, Ryker would take all the help he could get.
FIVE
In Liv’s opinion, the trek back down the mountain, then up again was more difficult than before. Maybe because the rush of adrenaline had faded, leaving a shaky exhaustion in its wake.
Her leg muscles ached, but she knew that Ryker likely felt worse. Watching him wrestle with the mercenary on the ground had been a harsh reminder of the magnitude of danger.
She was blessed to have Ryker as their protector.
Biting back another moan, she pushed onward. The danger had been mitigated for the moment, but she knew that this was only a temporary reprieve.
The Blake-Moore Group wouldn’t stop until they got whatever they wanted.
She just wished she knew exactly what that was.
As she crested the hill, the fast-food restaurant was a welcome sight. She wanted nothing more than to go inside to cool off, but Ryker steered her around to the front of the building.
“We’ll get something for you and Aaron soon.” His deep, rumbly voice was close to her ear. “Right now we need to get out of here.”
She nodded, understanding he was right. The more distance they put between them and the two men from the Blake-Moore Group, the better.
But he surprised her by pulling open the back door of his SUV and gesturing to the car seat. “Pull that out of there, would you?”
Confused, she glanced up at him. “Why? Don’t we need it?”
“Yes, but we’re taking their SUV instead of this one.”
“Oh.” Understanding dawned. Since he was still holding Aaron and her diaper bag, she did as he’d asked, pulling the car seat out of the back and carrying it over to the black SUV at the end of the row.
After buckling in the seat, she stepped back so Ryker could strap Aaron inside. Then he leaned over and dropped the zebra bag on the floor of the front passenger seat.
Sliding into the mercenary’s vehicle gave her the creeps, but she shook off the sensation. Who was she to argue with Ryker’s plan? All she wanted was for her and Aaron to be safe.
She rubbed a hand over her belly.
“Are you okay?” Ryker’s voice held a note of concern.
“Fine.” She managed a weak smile. “Just tired. That’s the most exercise I’ve had in a very long time.”
“I’m sorry.” A deep frown furrowed Ryker’s forehead. “It was the best option we had to get away.”
“I know.” And his plan had worked. She rested her head back against the seat and momentarily closed her eyes.
“I’ll stop soon for water, okay?”
She opened her eyes and looked over at him. Ryker was still frowning as if he’d done something wrong. “Thank you.”
His jaw tightened. “For nearly getting you and Aaron hurt or worse?”
“For saving our lives. Again.” She didn’t like the self-recrimination in his tone, so she reached out and lightly touched his forearm. His skin was warm, and she ignored the shimmer of awareness. “We wouldn’t be alive without you. I’m not sure why you came after me and Aaron, but I believe God sent you to save us.”
He looked surprised. “I run my own security consulting business, so safety is always my top priority.”
“I see.” She was glad that he was so good at his job. She stared out the windshield. It took a moment for her to realize they were heading north, back toward Wisconsin, where this mess had started.
She swallowed a protest and dropped her hand into her lap. Ryker had mentioned contacting two friends to help them, so she wasn’t going to complain.
Even if her original plan was to never set foot in the state of Wisconsin ever again.
“I’m just
