“Okay.” She desperately needed the bathroom and a shower, in that order. Ducking back into the bedroom, she closed the door and made use of the facilities. It was nice to have a few minutes to herself. Normally Aaron talked to her through the shower curtain as she showered.
Another reason to like Ryker.
Enough. This idiotic preoccupation with the man had to stop. She’d obviously made him uncomfortable with her kiss. Not that she could blame him. Her hormones were raging out of control—it was the only explanation for why she was acting so strangely.
Wrinkling her nose, she dressed in the same clothes she’d been wearing the night Ryker had rescued her from the man on the street. Maybe once they were safe, she’d be able to stop and pick up a few things.
She returned to the living room of the suite. The scent of bacon and eggs made her stomach rumble. Aaron had finished eating, and was sitting in front of the television.
“Aaron, do you need to go to the bathroom?” She approached, sniffing the air around him to see if he had soiled his pants. He normally wore Pull-Ups at night, but was potty trained during the day.
Although after everything that had happened, she wouldn’t be surprised if he regressed.
“No. Mr. Ryker already helped me.” Aaron didn’t look away from the cartoon.
She lifted a brow and turned toward Ryker who shrugged. “Wasn’t hard to find what I needed in your bag.”
He’d changed Aaron? Wow. “Thank you.” She crossed over and took a seat beside him. Opening the to-go container, she found scrambled eggs, bacon and hash browns. She was thankful for the food. “Looks great.”
“Dig in.” A smile tugged at the corner of Ryker’s mouth.
She took several bites of her meal before realizing Mike and Duncan weren’t around, although the connecting door between the rooms hung ajar. “Where are the guys?”
“They’ll be here soon.” Ryker’s smile faded. “We’re trying to drum up additional reinforcements, but so far there’s no one else to spare.”
Additional reinforcements? Another wave of guilt washed over her.
She’d just finished her breakfast when Mike walked in. “Sorry, no go. Noah is busy with Maddy and their new son. Matt doesn’t want to leave Lacy as she’s due any day now. Marc is out of town until tomorrow, and Miles is knee-deep in a murder case.”
The names were a blur, and Ryker must have noticed her confusion.
“Mike has five siblings,” he explained. “And they’re all involved in some sort of law enforcement. Marc is with the FBI, Miles is a homicide detective, Matt is a K-9 cop, Noah is a cop and married to their sister, Maddy, who is an ADA.” Ryker frowned. “What about Mitch?”
Mike shrugged. “He’s an arson investigator, but he and Dana are vacationing in Door County. It’s possible Mitch may be able to help when they return.”
“Wow, six Callahans.” She glanced at Duncan who’d come in behind Mike. “And you’re Mike’s brother-in-law.”
“Yep. Mike married my sister Shayla.” He clapped Mike on the shoulder. “And from what I hear, they’re about to make me an uncle again.”
The tips of Mike’s ears turned red, but he nodded and smiled broadly, clearly happy with the news. “Not until November, though.”
“Congrats.” Ryker gave Mike a nod. “I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks.”
It was oddly reassuring to Olivia to have so many family men helping them. They no doubt understood what it was like to travel with a pregnant woman and a small child.
Mike’s expression turned serious. “Actually, I think we should all hit the road as soon as we can. Shayla told me Brodie has been throwing up nonstop all night. She hasn’t been feeling very good herself, either.”
“Poor kid.” Duncan frowned. “Fine with me if we leave, the sooner we get back in Wisconsin the better. We have a good two and a half hours of driving before we reach the Wisconsin border, and another seventy minutes to get to Madison.”
“I plan to detour to Milwaukee rather than going all the way to Madison.” Mike sent Ryker an apologetic look. “I’ll ask Miles to pick me up in Beloit, so I won’t take you out of your way. But I really need to check on Shayla and Brodie, to make sure they’re okay.”
“Understood.” If Ryker was upset about losing Mike and having only Duncan as backup, he didn’t show it.
“I can be ready in five minutes.” She stood and quickly cleaned up the mess from their breakfast. “Just let me stop in the bathroom one last time.”
When she returned a few minutes later, she found Ryker and Duncan deep in conversation.
“We need to confront the cousin.” Ryker’s voice held a note of urgency. “He lives outside Madison, so it’s on the way.”
“Yeah, maybe. Although I still think we should check out the Habush house first. Could be that the numbers they’re looking for may be hidden in there.”
“Doubtful. They would have searched the place already,” Ryker argued.
Duncan caught sight of her and stood. “Hey, Olivia. Ready?”
“Yes.” She glanced at Ryker who looked sheepish at being overheard. “Are you really going to talk to Tim’s cousin Seth Willis?”
Ryker exchanged a wary look with Duncan before nodding. “Yeah, that’s the plan. But we have several hours of driving to do before we’re even close, so let’s not worry about that now.”
She frowned, not liking the way he was keeping her out of the loop. “What else do you have planned?”
Ryker sighed. “Nothing. Seth is the only lead we have, other than the word number—if that’s even what the mercenary mumbled while he was out of it.” She saw the hint of frustration in his gaze. “If you’re ready, let’s go.”
She packed Aaron’s few things in the diaper bag. Ryker took the bag from her and slung it over his shoulder, then held out his hands for Aaron.
Her son went to him easily, and she was struck again by how much Ryker had become an important part of their world in such a short amount
