“Hey, I’m not going back there,” he protested. “That’s crazy.”
“Take two left turns, then drop us off.” Ryker had no sooner said the words when the sharp report of gunfire could be heard behind them.
“Duncan!” She covered her mouth with her hand, feeling sick, praying that Tony, or Kevin Blake, hadn’t shot him.
“Hurry,” Ryker urged the driver.
“Where’s your gun?”
“Tony took it back at the hospital, said he needed it for evidence.” Ryker’s expression was grim. “It’s protocol after a shooting, so I didn’t think much about it.”
“We can’t go back there without any way to protect ourselves.” Her voice rose with panic. “Tell the driver to take us away.”
“I can’t leave Duncan alone.” Ryker met her gaze. “I still have a knife.”
A knife? Against a gun?
The driver did as Ryker suggested, bringing the car to a screeching halt. Ryker threw a wad of cash at the guy, then helped her out and took her hand.
“This way.” He gently tugged on her hand, cutting through several backyards in an effort to return to help Duncan. As they approached a line of trees, a man suddenly came barreling out toward them, a gun in his hand.
Kevin Blake! The moment she recognized him, Ryker let go of her hand and rushed toward him. Blake lifted his weapon, but didn’t get a shot off before Ryker tackled him to the ground.
“Help! Someone help!” She yelled at the top of her lungs, hoping and praying someone would come to help Ryker. She held her breath as the two men struggled for the gun.
Ryker was younger and in better shape, but he’d also been going on very little sleep. She couldn’t predict the outcome, but she could help him. Quickly she surveyed the area for a potential weapon—a downed branch, a discarded garden tool. Anything.
As she sent up a silent prayer, she saw Marc Callahan tear through the tree line, just as Ryker managed to get the upper hand on Kevin Blake.
Then it was over. Marc cuffed Blake’s wrists as Ryker rose to his feet, immediately searching for her.
“Ryker.” Her breath caught in a sob as she ran over to hug him. He caught her close, pressing his mouth to her temple.
“Shh, it’s okay. It’s all over. You and Aaron are safe now.”
“Duncan has Tony Seavers,” Marc said with satisfaction. “Looks as if each owner found his own accomplice in an effort to outdo the other. Come on, Blake. Time for you to go for a little ride.” Marc dragged him back toward her house, where his vehicle was parked at a sharp angle, no doubt abandoned in a hurry.
She leaned heavily against Ryker, trying to absorb the fact that this nightmare was truly over.
“You aren’t in labor again, are you?” Ryker asked.
She shook her head, unable to bring herself to let him go. He didn’t seem to mind, cradling her close and rubbing a hand down her back.
“Why did you leave me?” She lifted her head to search his gaze.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left until we had evidence that Kevin Blake was actually dead.” Ryker’s expression was full of remorse. “I had no idea Tony Seavers was on the take, but looking back, it makes sense.”
“I don’t care about Kevin Blake or Tony Seavers, Harper Moore or Seth Willis.” She wanted to shake some sense into him. “I care about you, Ryker. I was so hurt when you left without saying goodbye.”
“I’m sorry,” he repeated. “I should have let you know.”
That wasn’t what she wanted to hear. “Why, Ryker? Why did you leave me? Is it because I’m just another case to you? You wanted to save me and Aaron the way you couldn’t save your girlfriend and her daughter? Is that all this was to you? A job?”
“No.” Ryker leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers. “You and Aaron mean so much more to me than that.”
“Then why?” She still didn’t understand.
He sighed. “I was afraid that being with you would be a reminder of all the bad things that have happened over the past several days. I felt you shiver when you mentioned all the blood around Harper Moore. I thought you might want to move forward with a clean slate.”
What she wanted was to move forward with him. But she wasn’t reassured by his words. “First of all, you’re wrong about what I want. What I need. And secondly, what do you want?”
“You.” He said the word simply. “I want you, and Aaron and the baby.” He placed his palm on her belly. “But I also know that your feelings for me are confused with gratitude.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” She scoffed at the idea, then realized she didn’t know anything about Ryker’s family or even where he lived.
Did it matter? She gazed into his eyes, remembering how she’d looked into his hazel eyes the night they met, when she’d wanted to make sure he wasn’t like her late husband and brother. All she saw, then and now, was sweetness and compassion.
“Listen, I know things have been crazy since we met, but you need time to rest and relax.” Ryker tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Take a break, Olivia. Spend time with your son. If you want to see me, all you have to do is to ask.”
“I want to see you.” The words popped out of her mouth before she could think. “I know I’m pregnant and not exactly in a position to say this, but I love you, Ryker. I fell in love with you the day you put your hand on my stomach and reveled in the movement of my baby. The way you’ve been so kind and caring to me and Aaron—well, I’ve never experienced that sort of tenderness before.”
His expression was filled with doubt. “Any man would have done the same. Like Duncan. If he’d come to rescue
