“Yes, he’s likely to cry, since the man on the stairs scared him.” The little boy was calmer now, but was sucking his thumb, a habit he’d broken six months ago. He was also, thankfully, wearing a Pull-Ups diaper as she could tell he’d wet himself.
The poor child had been scared to death.
She tried to match Ryker’s long-legged stride to avoid slowing them down. But seconds later, she could hear the wail of sirens.
“Almost there,” Ryker said encouragingly as he continued urging her forward. “See the black SUV?”
“Yes.” She was breathless with exertion, but pushed herself to keep going. It wasn’t until they reached his car that she realized they didn’t have a car seat for Aaron.
“Wait! We need a car seat,” she protested when Ryker opened the passenger door for her.
“I already have one in the back, see? Let me strap him in.” Without asking permission, he plucked Aaron from her arms and opened the back door to place the toddler in his safety seat.
Amazingly, Aaron didn’t cry. She wondered if her son sensed they were safe with Ryker.
It wasn’t until she’d climbed in and buckled her seat belt and Ryker slid in behind the wheel that the significance of the child safety seat hit her.
“You were planning to take me and Aaron all along!” Betrayal hit hard and she fumbled for the door handle. “You’re one of them! I can’t believe I fell for your act and—”
“Don’t, Olivia.” Ryker’s voice wasn’t harsh, but firm. “I have never lied to you. I don’t work for the Blake-Moore Group, in fact I helped bring some of their men down. However, I have been trying to find you and Aaron to make sure you were safe. That’s why I have a car seat. I wanted to be ready if they came for you.”
He’d already pulled away from the curb and was driving slowly away from Willa’s home. Liv glanced at her purse/diaper bag, thinking about the clothing and toys she’d left behind, and bit down on her lower lip to keep from crying.
Were they really safe with Ryker? She wanted to trust her instincts, but too much had happened in such a short time. Her life as she’d known it was over.
It had first ended six months ago, and now for a second time, as well. How many new starts could she handle?
How many could Aaron handle?
“Listen, I know you have no reason to trust me,” Ryker said calmly. “But I’ve been worried about you and Aaron for months. Since a few days before Christmas when I was at your house and realized you and your son had been removed in a hurry.”
She glanced over at him, wishing she could see his eyes. But the interior of the car was too dark.
“I’m sorry your husband and brother are dead,” he continued. “But you need to know they were attempting to kill a friend of mine, leaving us no choice but to stop them.”
She stiffened in her seat as the realization sank deep. “You killed Tim and Colin?”
“Technically, my buddy killed your husband in self-defense,” he corrected. “But yes, I’m sorry to say I had a part in killing your brother. Just know, I only did it to save my friend Hawk’s life.”
He wasn’t telling her anything she hadn’t suspected, but the news sent her reeling all the same.
Ryker had killed her brother. The older brother she’d once looked up to. She and Colin had been close once, but that was before he’d done a tour overseas.
Before he’d joined the Blake-Moore Group.
Before he’d turned into a killer.
On some level she was surprised Ryker was being so bluntly honest with her. He easily could have kept that information to himself.
“Why?” The word came out low and strained.
“I told you, to save my friend’s life. And I only fired in self-defense.”
“No, why were my husband and brother going after your friend?”
There was a long pause before Ryker answered. “The Blake-Moore Group was hired by a man high up in the government to silence Hawk because he knew too much about the guy’s role in illegal arms dealing. They sold American guns to the enemy.”
She closed her eyes as shame washed over her. To have her own flesh and blood and the father of her children involved in what was little more than a murder-for-hire scheme made her sick. She had to take several deep breaths to keep from throwing up in Ryker’s car.
Wishing she’d brought some crackers along, she waited for the nausea to pass. When she opened her eyes, she was startled to realize they were already outside the city limits.
“Where are we going?”
“South.” Ryker’s answer wasn’t helpful.
“Where, south? What city?”
This time he didn’t respond for several long moments. She was about to ask again, when he said, “I thought we’d hide out in the Shawnee National Forest for what’s left of the night and decide where to go from there in the morning.”
Liv glanced over her shoulder at Aaron, who’d fallen asleep. “I can’t stay in the forest with Aaron. It’s too remote. He’s never camped outside.”
“They have hotels,” Ryker said dryly. “There are cabins for rent, too.”
“Oh.” She felt foolish for assuming the worst. Rubbing a hand over her belly, she did her best to remain calm. Being upset and anxious wasn’t good for the baby.
“How far along are you?” Ryker asked.
“Thirty-four weeks. I’m due in six weeks.” She frowned. “I’ll need to establish care with a new obstetrician soon, though. Since I can’t go back to the one I was seeing in Harrisburg.”
“Of course.”
She felt an odd comfort in knowing that if anything did happen to her, Ryker seemed to be the kind of guy to get her and the baby the help they’d need.
Maybe between God and Ryker, she and Aaron would be okay.
Ryker thought about calling his buddy Duncan O’Hare for help. He’d have called Hawk, but knew Hawk had taken his family on
