“Nothing more recent?” Ryker pressed.
“No. Those gatherings didn’t last. Things changed within the first year Tim was with them. I originally thought it was because of Aaron and the fact that Tim hadn’t adjusted well to having a baby disrupting our lives. But over time, I got the sense that the camaraderie between the men had changed. At least as far as Tim was concerned. It seemed to be more competitive. He slowly became someone I could barely recognize.” She felt a little guilty for speaking poorly of her husband. Of Aaron’s and the baby’s father. She smoothed her hand over her abdomen, trying not to imagine how incredibly difficult it would be to raise two children on her own.
If Willa was here, she’d remind Liv that she would never be alone as long as she had faith in God. She clung to the memory of the woman who’d loved her like a mother. Who’d treated Aaron like a grandmother would.
A sense of fierceness washed over her. She wanted the men who’d killed Willa to pay for their crimes.
Ryker set a steaming cup of tea before her and she thankfully cupped her hands around it, savoring the warmth.
“It just doesn’t make sense.” She shook her head, feeling helpless. “I’ve tried to think of what could have happened to cause Tim’s bosses to come after me, but I can’t think of anything.”
“It’s okay.” Ryker offered a lopsided smile. “I don’t want you to stress about it. For now, all that matters is that you and Aaron are safe.”
She took a sip of her tea, enjoying the calming scent. “Thanks to you, Ryker.”
A shadow crossed his features. “No reason to thank me,” he said in a low voice. “I should have acted sooner.”
She tipped her head, regarding him thoughtfully. “You were the one who told me not to dwell on what happened back there, but to focus on the future. Maybe you should consider taking your own advice.”
A ghost of a smile flitted across his features. “Maybe.”
Liv finished the rest of her tea and set the mug aside. “Thanks again, Ryker. For everything.”
This time he accepted her gratitude. He tipped his head in a nod. “Get some rest. We’ll likely have to find a new place to stay in the morning.”
The idea of leaving so soon bothered her, but she didn’t argue. Pushing up from her seat, she winced at the sore muscles in her legs. Running was not a normal activity for her these days. She carried her mug to the sink then turned and glanced back over her shoulder.
“Good night.”
“Good night, Olivia.”
She used the bathroom first, chewed another antacid, then slipped silently into the room she shared with Aaron.
A wave of exhaustion hit hard. Moments before she fell asleep, she found herself secretly wishing that Tim could have been half the man Ryker seemed to be.
Ryker waited until Olivia was safely tucked in with her son before heading into the bathroom to further tend to his wound. He was glad that his black jeans had hidden the oozing blood.
The gash was long and jagged, but superficial. He cleaned the wound and, since there were no bandages in the medicine cabinet, ended up wrapping a clean towel around his thigh. Then he washed the blood from his jeans.
In his room, he laid the jeans out near a window, hoping they’d dry by morning.
He stretched out on the bed, but knew sleep wouldn’t come easily. As a soldier he’d learned to fall asleep in two minutes or less, but that was easier to do when you only had to worry about yourself and when your team consisted of capable soldiers.
Knowing that there were three lives in the other room depending on him was enough to have him staring wide-eyed at the ceiling, his heart thudding heavily in his chest.
He really didn’t want Olivia to go into premature labor. The best way to do that was to stay three steps ahead of the Blake-Moore Group.
Duncan O’Hare would help, as would any of the Callahans. Mike, Marc, Mitch, Matthew and Miles Callahan were all brothers, and their sister Maddy was married to Noah, who was also a cop. One of them should be able to help. Hawk, too, if he wasn’t on vacation. Ryker decided he’d call Duncan and Mike Callahan once they’d moved to a new location.
Feeling better about his plan, he tried to relax, yet thoughts whirled through his head. It was strange that Olivia had no idea why the Blake-Moore mercenaries had come after her. But he found himself believing her when she claimed to be in the dark.
He’d helped Hawk and the Feds arrest Todd Hayes, the former secretary of defense, for selling illegal guns to the enemy in Afghanistan. Hayes had hired the Blake-Moore Group, specifically Colin Yonkers and Tim Habush, to find and kill Hawk because he’d seen too much and because they’d both been involved in the gun selling.
With Hayes being held in a federal prison, it didn’t make sense that the Blake-Moore Group was still intact, much less that they’d come after Olivia.
Somehow, he managed to sleep, because the next thing he knew, bright sunlight was streaming in through the window. His wound was still raw and prone to bleeding, but he tossed the towel on the floor and pulled on his still damp jeans. When there was time and everyone was safe, he’d find a place to get bandages.
He stared dubiously at the cold burgers he’d purchased sitting on a shelf in the otherwise empty fridge. Without a microwave, they would taste awful. He decided to head to the closest restaurant that served breakfast instead.
Aaron would be hungry, and so would Olivia.
There was a coffeepot and just enough grounds left in a small can to make a half of a carafe, so he made coffee, then went outside to his SUV to get his
