“When Coop took Royce, you didn’t think twice about going after him. About breaking more than a dozen laws to get Royce back and keep me and Inara safe. Is it so hard to believe we’d do the same thing for you?”
His fingers tighten around mine as he pins me with a hard stare, and I try not to look away. “Yes.”
“Why?”
The question throws me, and for the life of me, I don’t have an answer.
“Because you’re so caught up in your misplaced guilt over what happened in Hell, you can’t see straight. I didn’t invite you to my wedding out of obligation. You’re the reason I’m alive. The reason Cam and I have a future—if we ever get out of this godforsaken country. I invited you because you’re practically my brother.”
The truth of his words is written all over his face. Have I really been that much of an idiot? Missed out on six years of my life—six years where I could have had friends? Family?
I pull West in for a quick, one-armed hug. I don’t like being touched—except by Wren—but it feels like the right thing to do. “I didn’t know what was wrong with my life,” I say, the words thick and awkward, “until I met her. And now…fuck. I’m sorry. Tell me how to fix things.”
After two thumps to my back, West releases me. “Come to the wedding. Bring your girl. And maybe…next time someone asks you how you are, think about giving them an answer longer than a single word.”
“I’ll…try.”
Nodding, West holds the door open for me. “That’s a start.”
36
Ryker
Wren looks so tiny and frail hunched over her computer. Bruises cover the left side of her face from her eye to her jaw, and every time I see the finger marks around her neck, I want to punch Kolya so hard, his teeth come out his ass.
But her green eyes are bright, and she grabs Inara’s arm as I follow West into the living room.
“Look at this. Fifty million rubles to anotherbratva?” Wren shakes her head, then winces.
Inara’s lips curve into a smile, but there’s no mirth in her eyes. Only cold, calculating intensity. “He’ll be lucky to live another month. West, get over here. If we play this right, we can take him down for good—and keep our hands relatively clean.”
I peer over Wren’s shoulder, wrapping one arm around her waist. “How’d you find this?”
She smiles, a little lopsided with her swollen lower lip, and leans her head against my chest. “When I was hiding in his office, I installed a backdoor into his computer. I have access to his entire hard drive. Including his email.”
“Stupid idiot’s barely covering his tracks,” Inara says as she jabs her finger at the screen. “Any halfway competent law enforcement agency that cared could put him away for the rest of his life.”
“I can work with this.” West nods at Wren. “You’re good. Could probably give Cam a run for her money.”
“Cam?” Wren’s brows furrow. “Wait. You live in Seattle. Cam…from Emerald City Security?”
The former SEAL beams. “Yeah. That’s my girl. She remembers you. Was pretty disappointed when you turned down her old boss’s job offer.”
Wren looks dazed, and I can’t help filling in the last little detail. “And that old boss?” I crack a smile, though the sensation feels foreign. “That’s who gave Inara that pendant there.”
Understanding dawns in Wren’s eyes as Inara’s fingers brush the pink stone I don’t think she’s taken off since Royce clasped the chain around her neck. Some emotion I can’t read flits over Wren’s face. “Wow. I…wait.Oldboss?”
“Cam runs Emerald City now,” Inara explains. “Royce—” her voice wavers for a beat, “—had a stroke last year. He’s good now, but he signed the company over to Cam and spends his time writing apps. That tracker Ry gave you? The Loc8tion software on your laptop? Those are his.”
“Oh…” Wren sways against me, and I tighten my arm around her.
West and Inara share a look—those two are so in tune, it’s ridiculous—and Inara angles her head towards the back bedroom. “You should get some rest. Let us see what we can do with this new intel. No matter what, we’re staying put until dark, so you’ve got some time.”
Nodding, Wren grabs a piece of paper and pen. “This is the key you’ll need to decrypt my notes. Everything I have from Elena and Zion.” After she scribbles down a series of eighteen letters and numbers, her writing shaky, she turns into me, and I scoop her up into my arms. She’s asleep before we even make it into the bedroom.
* * *
Cool fingers brush my jaw. “Ry?”
