“The Ranger.”
“TheotherRanger, you mean.” Inara stares me down for a long moment, and her words sink in. She knows who I am. Fuck. This was a bad idea. If she told anyone, we could all be in danger. “Relax, Natasha. We ID’d you from the security camera outside the hospital. But no one outside of Hidden Agenda has access to that information. Ripper and Wren made sure of it.”
“How long have you known?” Doc asks.
From the kitchen, Ryker snorts. “We knew who she was before you checked yourself out against medical advice, Doc. And I had a pretty good ideawhereshe was after Raelynn borrowed one of the SUVs last night.”
“Well, shee-it.” Raelynn rummages around in Doc’s cabinets while West sets out containers of salads, breadsticks, marinara sauce, and ranch dressing. “I knew I shoulda’ taken my own car.”
“Your car doesn’t have tinted windows. Someone would have noticed you staking out Doc’s house in a red Mustang,” West says and snags a slice of pepperoni pizza.
Doc gapes at the SEAL, then turns to Raelynn. “You were outside all night?”
“Wasn’t about to let some idjit get to you and Natasha just because you decided to dig in like some Alabama tic. You’ve got a hole in your side and at least one busted rib. What did you expect?”
Doc’s fingers tighten on mine. No one speaks for several minutes as everyone fills their plates and Raelynn passes around bottles of water. Fear keeps me rooted in place, despite the scent of the food twisting my stomach into a knot.
Ryker leans against the wall with his arms crossed over his massive chest. His face is a mask. No emotion. But his eyes regard me with what I think might be curiosity.
Screw this. I’m tired of being scared. Dropping Doc’s hand, I walk right up to the man. Well, as close as I can get without having to crane my neck to meet his gaze. “How long until someone finds us here?”
One light-brown brow arches slightly. The other is split by a thick scar. “Four days if we’re lucky. Two if we’re not.”
“My luck ran out eight years ago. My former squad leader, Montgomery Bastian, wants me dead, and he’ll kill anyone who gets in his way.” I have to force the words out over the lump in my throat. “Doccan’tbe in his way.”
“Natasha, fucking hell. I will absolutely be in that asshole’s way. I told you I’d keep you safe.”
“Enough!” Ryker doesn’t have to yell. He commands attention simply by being in the room. Everyone turns to him. Even West. “We’re allin the way. And we’ll stay there until that fucking piece of shit is nothing but dust I can wipe off my boot. That’s how this works.”
“This?” I ask.
West clears his throat. “Family.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Doc
“Sit down before you fall down,”West says with a nod in my direction. “You too,Natasha.”
He’s pissed I lied to him. That we both lied to him. But to his credit, he hands us plates and then snags a breadstick for himself.
My small dining table only seats four. Inara and Raelynn join us. Ripper takes the couch and Charlie stretches out across his feet.
From his spot next to West at the kitchen counter, Ryker commands the entire room. “Wren wanted to come. But until this is over, she and Harlow aren’t going anywhere but the warehouse and the condo. Wyatt and Graham are with them now.”
Fuck. This is more than him being a normal, overprotective asshole. He’s legitimately worried.
I drop my slice of pizza back on the plate and stare the big man down. “Tell us what you know.”
“I just came here to look pretty,” Ryker scoffs. “I’m out. Mostly. This is Sampson’s team now. Ask him.”
Ripper chuckles, reaches down, and rubs Charlie behind the ears. “You have a very warped definition of ‘out,’ Ry.”
“I don’t know,” West says. “It fits with his definition of ‘pretty.’”
My anger burns so hot, I’m ready to burn down the world. They’re joking around? Now? I slam my fist down on the table, rattling the silverware.
“Fucking hell. Willsomeonetell me what we’re going to do about the men after Natasha?”
