“I want protection.”
Ryker wondered if this was a trap. If the minute he let up on the pressure, Seth would fight to get away. “I can get Senator Barton and the FBI to provide protection. If you cooperate with me. But so far, you’ve given me squat.”
“Bank accounts.” Seth’s body relaxed beneath his, but Ryker didn’t let up. “Tim and Colin were skimming from the company.”
That was an angle he hadn’t considered. At the same time, it wasn’t a complete surprise. Men who would threaten to kill innocent women and children would just as easily steal from their employer.
“They think Olivia has access to the bank accounts?” He remembered the receipts in Olivia’s house.
“I don’t know. I walked away after Tim and Colin died. Decided I wasn’t going to put my life on the line for Blake-Moore.” His tone was bitter. “I work as a hospital security guard now. The money isn’t great, but I’m dating a nurse, which is better than getting shot at.”
It was. “I’m going to let you up. But if you try anything, you’ll never get the protection you need.”
Seth nodded, his gaze weary. Ryker surged to his feet. He checked the fire he’d started, made sure any lingering flames were out, then rattled off the personal phone number for Senator Rick Barton. Seth scrambled for a piece of paper and a pen, taking notes.
Ryker now had the information he’d come for, but it wasn’t very helpful. Olivia hadn’t known about her husband’s embezzling.
Had she?
He strode toward the doorway, determined to find out.
ELEVEN
On a whim, Ryker decided to stop at Olivia and Tim’s house prior to heading back to the motel. Logically, he didn’t think there would be additional clues to uncover. Certainly someone from Blake-Moore would have already checked out the place, but he figured it was worth a shot.
And it wouldn’t take too long.
Remembering the stack of receipts he’d found back in December made him think there was a slim possibility that there may be something valuable buried in there. Were they all just receipts for household items? Or was there something important hidden in plain sight?
The place looked even more forlorn and neglected than before. It occurred to him that once the danger was over, Olivia and Aaron would have a home to return to. The house was hers, if she could continue making the payments.
Which made him wonder if the bank was on the brink of foreclosing on the property already. For her sake, he hoped not.
The back door was still unlocked, the way it had been six months ago. As he entered, the sour milk smell hit hard, worse than before, and intermingled with other rotten food likely from the fridge. The interior looked just as bad as last time he’d been there, but not much worse. Blake-Moore had evidently tried to cover their tracks, leaving no obvious signs behind.
He found the receipts in the kitchen, appearing untouched from his last visit. Quickly reviewing a few of them didn’t reveal anything interesting, but he swept them into a pile to take back to the motel anyway. It wouldn’t hurt to go through them one by one.
Scanning the interior of the house, he tried to think about where proof of the bank accounts may be. Was there a ledger stashed somewhere? Or some other place where bank-account numbers were written down? If there was, the men Blake-Moore had sent should have found them, but maybe they hadn’t looked hard enough.
He could only hope they’d missed something.
He worked his way methodically through the house, feeling a bit like he was invading Olivia’s privacy, especially when it came to searching the master bedroom. Yet he didn’t find anything remotely related to bank-account information. Just as he was about to leave, he hesitated, then decided he should pack a bag for Olivia, knowing she’d love fresh clothes to wear.
At least the trip here wouldn’t be a total waste of time.
When he’d finished packing some of Olivia’s and Aaron’s things, he searched Aaron’s room. A child’s bedroom would be a great hiding spot. He lifted the mattress off the small bed, and searched the box of Pull-Ups that had been left behind, along with the dresser drawers and closet.
Nothing.
Dejected, he returned to the kitchen, grabbed the receipts and stuffed them into an empty envelope. After placing the envelope in the overnight bag, he swung it over his shoulder and left the house the way he’d come. As he made his way back to his vehicle, he decided to ask Olivia about the mortgage payments. If she wanted a place to return to once the danger was over, he could help make the house payments until things had settled down.
Even if she didn’t want to live here anymore, she could still sell the place, then use the money to start over somewhere new.
Near him?
Yeah, right. He pushed the ridiculous idea aside. No doubt, once Olivia and Aaron were safe, and her baby was born, she wouldn’t want anything to do with him.
Except she had kissed him.
A rash decision in the heat of the moment. He’d been her sole protector and she probably hadn’t been thinking clearly. Best not to remember how much he’d enjoyed her kiss.
He focused his attention on driving back to Cambridge, making sure he didn’t pick up a tail.
When he arrived at the motel, he found Duncan pacing in agitation, like a caged wild animal. Duncan rushed over when he walked in, putting Ryker instantly on alert. “What happened? What’s wrong?”
“Olivia’s having labor pains.”
“What?” Panic washed over him, and he hurried through the connecting door to her room. He found her seated upright on the bed, her back resting against the headboard. She looked calm as she smoothed her hands over her rounded stomach. “Are you okay? Do we need to go to the hospital?”
“I’m fine.” Her smile was strained. “These aren’t real labor pains, just Braxton-Hicks.”
“Braxton who?” He wanted
