Behind him, Olivia sucked in a harsh breath and he knew she hadn’t expected the room to be vacant. He took a moment to check the closet and beneath the bed, before deeming the room clear.
He checked the bathroom next, but found nothing.
Testing the knob of the closed bedroom door, he found it wasn’t locked. Keeping Olivia behind him, he abruptly shoved the door open, then stepped back to wait.
Nothing happened. Leading with his weapon, Ryker cautiously crossed the threshold, then stopped abruptly when he saw the older woman lying on the bed.
After checking in the closet and beneath the bed to make sure there wasn’t anyone hiding in wait, he crossed over to feel for a pulse.
The nanny was dead.
“Willa!” Olivia’s horrified gasp indicated she knew the woman was gone. “Oh no! Where’s Aaron?”
“Olivia, please,” he tried but then he heard the sound of someone coming down the stairs. “Run away and call for help.”
“Not without my son!” She had her phone in her hand, but he knew any chance of help arriving would be too late.
“Go!” He pushed Olivia toward the door then quickly but silently crossed the living room into the kitchen, flipping the light off as he went. There was a side doorway that he felt certain led up to the second-story apartment.
He took up a defensive position behind the door, and waited, hoping the guy who likely had Aaron didn’t know that his cohort in crime had failed at kidnapping Olivia.
“Mommy! Mommy! I want my Mommy!” Aaron’s cries echoed high and shrill above the thumping footsteps coming down the stairs.
“Aaron! I’m here, baby, don’t worry!” Olivia’s voice rang out loudly and Ryker momentarily closed his eyes, wishing he’d handled things differently.
He should have gotten Olivia and Aaron out of the city the moment he’d found them.
Instead he may cause the very thing he’d been trying to avoid.
Getting them both killed.
The footsteps came closer and he instantly felt all his emotions drain away, a sense of cool calmness washing over him. Every one of his senses was keenly focused on the threat and what needed to be done.
The same eerie sense of control had always come over him when he faced death. Back in Afghanistan and back in December while he’d been helping Hawk.
From his position he could see that Olivia hadn’t left the duplex as ordered. He speared her with a stern look, but she ignored him. At least she was hovering near the doorway leading into the kitchen, somewhat protected behind the wall.
Except for her pregnant belly which was too large to hide.
He waved her back, but Olivia didn’t see him. Her eyes were glued to the doorway.
Steeling his resolve to get her and the boy out of this mess, he waited.
“Mommy, Mommy!” Aaron cried again. “Lemme go!”
Ryker sensed the man holding Olivia’s son was standing on the other side of the doorway, planning his next move. Ryker believed the perp was cowardly enough to use the child as a shield.
Which meant he’d have to find a way to take the guy out without harming the little boy.
His gut knotted with tension, but he kept his ears and eyes focused on the door. Ignoring the child’s cries wasn’t easy, but then he heard the barest whisper of sound.
He dropped his gaze to the doorknob and watched it slowly and silently turn. He mentally counted the seconds.
The door flew open. There was a long pause but Ryker was ready. He shot out from behind the door, bringing his gun hand down hard on the back of the perp’s head.
“No! Aaron!” Olivia cried.
The guy stumbled, but didn’t go down or let go of the child. Ryker grabbed his shoulder and hit him again just as Olivia rushed forward and grabbed for Aaron.
On some level he was aware of Olivia wrenching Aaron out of the perp’s grasp, even as the big guy groaned and turned toward Ryker. In a nanosecond Ryker saw the gun and fired.
The sound of twin gunshots echoed loudly through the kitchen, and a flash of pain along the upper part of his left leg made Ryker realize he’d been hit.
But he forced himself to ignore it. They had to move! Keeping Olivia and her son safe was all that mattered.
TWO
“Ryker!” Poised near the front doorway, Liv hesitated. She wasn’t sure why she was suddenly so worried about the stranger she hadn’t trusted a few minutes ago, but she couldn’t bear to leave him behind.
The man who’d had Aaron collapsed on the floor at Ryker’s feet. He groaned but didn’t move. Bright red blood began to pool beside him on the floor.
“Go! I’m right behind you.” Ryker staggered forward, carefully stepping around the man. “We need to get out of here before the cops arrive.”
Logically she knew they shouldn’t leave the scene of a crime. They should wait for the police. But she’d been on the run for so long, she couldn’t do it. Hiking Aaron higher in her arms, she followed Ryker outside. Willa was dead and two men had almost succeeded in grabbing her and Aaron.
Every fiber of her being longed to get far away from the quaint town she’d once thought could be her new home.
“This way.” Ryker once again cupped his hand beneath her elbow, guiding her to the left.
“Wait.” She dug in her heels. “I have a car here.”
“No good. That’s how they tracked you. I have a vehicle stashed on the next block.”
They’d tracked her here through her car? How was that possible? She’d exchanged her newer car for an older model and asked the owner of the used-car lot to keep the transaction off the books.
“How do you know that?” she asked, already feeling breathless. Aaron wasn’t overly big for his age, but she was carrying her unborn baby, as well. She’d tried to keep in shape, but obviously she wasn’t going to be able to continue going at this pace for long.
“Because that’s how I found you.” Ryker glanced
