“No.” He cuts in gently but firmly. “It’s best if you stay here with Julian, where it’s safe. I’ll take Rook. Ash stays.”
“Okay.” I nod without arguing further.
We finish breakfast uneventfully, and I watch from the glass wall as he leaves, Rook at his side in the passenger seat of his truck, disappearing down the long, winding path that snakes away from the house. Julian squirms in his chair, and I lift him into my arms, pressing my lips to his hair.
“We’re okay,” I whisper to him, even as uncertainty hums just beneath my skin. “For now.”
With Ryder gone, the house exhales. That’s the only way I can describe the way the space seems to settle into itself once the low, steady gravity of him leaves.
I kiss Julian’s temple and shift him higher on my hip. “Come on, let’s see where Daddy hides all his secrets.”
The word slips out before I can stop it, but I don’t take it back. And so Julian and I wander around. I didn’t get to look around well enough yesterday, and with nothing better to do, I can look all I want.
We step outside onto the wide deck, the air crisp and clean, carrying the faintest hint of spice. The scent of cinnamon makes me smile despite myself. That’s the only touch of Christmas around here. Just like I expected, Ryder hates the holidays, seeing as there’s not a single light or decoration in his fortress.
Movement catches my eye, and I follow it past the railing. The horses stand a short distance away, grazing calmly, their coats gleaming in the morning light. I don’t trust them since they look wild, so we observe them from a safe distance.
When it gets too cold to keep standing here, we head back into the house for more snooping.
Three hours later, the sound of an engine breaks the quiet. Ryder’s back! I carry Julian back outside just as his truck comes into view first, then mine behind it, dusty and unmistakable.
Ryder parks, steps out, and immediately scans the area, eyes finding me and Julian without hesitation. Only then does his posture ease. He opens the back of my car, unloading bags—clothes, supplies, and more diapers than I thought one man would think to buy.
“You went shopping,” I note.
“For essentials,” he replies. Then, after a beat, “And contingencies.”
Something warm and grateful spreads through my chest. “Thank you.”
He meets my gaze, something unspoken passing between us, before Julian lets out a tired whine, reminding us both of the fragile little center holding this strange truce together.
“I took the liberty of charging your phone,” Ryder says, handing it to me.
“Thanks.” I smile, switching it on.
The moment it does, I’m flooded with a barrage of messages and missed calls, most of them from my mom and a few from coworkers. I lied to my mom and told her that I was leaving LA for work, but she must be worried since I’ve been out of contact for a few days. I make a mental note to call her later.
I scroll through all messages and calls, but there are none from my best friend. I haven’t talked to Addison in a week, and I’m really worried, but I’ve been doing my best not to let it show. Julian doesn’t need that kind of energy hovering over him, and Ryder doesn’t need one more variable to calculate. But worry has a way of leaking through the cracks, no matter how tightly you try to contain it.
“Say the word, and I’ll find her for you,” Ryder speaks up next to me.
“Am I that obvious?” I whisper, finally letting my shoulders sag.
“I’m good at reading people either way.”
“It’s just that it’s been a week and she hasn’t called. She always calls, even when things are bad.Especially… when things are bad.”
That’s all Ryder needs. “I’ll find her,” he decrees.
After carrying everything into the house, he heads directly to the secure workstation built into the far wall. Screens light up under his hands, data flowing faster than my brain can keep up with. Satellite connections, secure channels, and encrypted systems that don’t exist in any world I recognize.
Watching him work is… unsettling. Not because he looks dangerous, though he does, but because he lookscomfortable.Like this is where he belongs. Like the chaos of the world bends to his will when he decides it’s time.
Julian fusses softly, sensing the shift in tension. I bounce him gently, whispering nonsense into his hair. Ryder glances up briefly, eyes softening at the sight, before returning to the task at hand.
I watch Ryder call a dozen different people, get transferred all over, before he finally turns one of the screens on his desk myway just as Addison’s face appears—grainy but unmistakable, eyes tired and fierce all at once.
“Kate,” she breathes.
