“One million percent, yes. Who else would be able to carry those big ass swords the science guys dug up?” Mikey answers, shaking the entire bed as he rolls onto his side to face Liz. She can barely see him, only a thin trickle of moonlight illuminates the small room.
“Thank god. I don’t think we could be best friends if you didn’t believe in giants,” Liz teases.
“I don’t trust anyone who doesn’t,” he says, matter of factly. “Aliens. Yes or no?”
“Fuck yes. The universe is too big. You’re telling me there is an infinite amount of space, with infinite planets, but somehow, we’re it for life? Absolutely not,” she whispers a little too passionately.
“Is this necessary?” Riley asks
“Probably. Do you believe in aliens? That’s something I should have asked before falling in love with you,” she announces, wiggling herself against him, savoring the warmth of his bare body pressed against her.
“Princess, if you want him to stay in here, you might not want to do that,” he groans into her neck, making her rethink her choices.
“So, is that a yes?” Mikey blurts out.
Riley tightens his grip on Liz. With his bicep over the base of her ribs and his forearm up the center of her chest, he rolls her over his body until he is firmly planted between the two.
“Yes. Now sleep, both of you,” he demands in a tone that is too stern to argue with.
Mikey lets out a huff from the other side of Riley. Ignoring what he said earlier, Liz nuzzles herself closer into him, letting her legs get tangled up in his before closing her eyes and letting herself drift off.
CHAPTER 37
The following morning is just as hectic as the night before. They have gone from five people, all incredibly used to living and working with each other, to eleven. The new additions are trying to figure out their place while Riley is trying to figure out how to respectfully, but firmly, let them know he is in charge.
Once the chaos that is breakfast is over with, everyone gathers around the table. Before Tyler can continue going through the general’s hard drive, they need to know everything the newcomers do and fill them in on what has really been happening.
“Alright, listen up. I am going to give out this information one time, after that, it’s on you to figure out. General Murphy is attempting to get rid of Nemesis. As of right now, we don’t know why. What we do know is he was heavily involved in my capture, and we have evidence of him communicating with Dmitri in an attempt to get rid of me,” Riley begins.
A thick file lands in the center of the table with athunk. Lauren snatches it first, her face turning solemn with what she seesinside. The rest of the newcomers pass it around while Riley continues.
“During a search of his office, Liz came across those photos, along with letters the two had been sending back and forth. Liz copied his hard drive and handed it over to Tyler who has been working to break into all his encrypted files. One file tipped him off causing him to brand us as AWOL. Whatever information we have, he doesn’t want to get out, and he is now doing anything he can to end our investigation. You all know just how far he is willing to go. Right now, priority number one is combing through every word that man has saved and finding anything we can use to clear our names and bring his crimes to light. Any questions?” he asks, looking at each and every one of the faces watching him, determination shining in their eyes.
They collectively shake their heads, passing the file around.
“Good. Now, Paula has told us what she can, but being in such close quarters with Scott, there were only so many phone calls she could make. We are aware of his permissions from the president and their relationship. We had our suspicions about the two when Scott helped him restructure the entire military ranking system, putting himself on top. We are also painfully aware of all the death and destruction he has caused since we left. We are all here to put an end to it. So, who wants to tell me anything we don’t already know?” Riley asks, settling into the chair next to Liz.
It’s Laura who takes the lead, sliding her phone across the table before beginning.
“There isn’t much. I will spare you the details of just how bad it is. Paula has been doing her best to keep him in check, but she’s only one person. On our way out, we saw that man going into Scott’s office. None of us know who he is, but he clearly isn’t one of us,” she explains.
“Fuck!” Riley shouts, startling everyone gathered around. Hisanger gets the better of him, and he throws the phone on the table, sending it bouncing to the other side. He leans forward, resting his face in his hands.
No one speaks, letting the silence settle into their bones. Curiosity gets the better of her, Liz reaches across the table only to be met with a hand tightly gripping her wrist, trying to stop her. She glares daggers at Riley, daring him to keep her from looking. He doesn’t let up. Only when she reaches with her free hand does he let her go. The blood drains from her face when she looks at the man on the screen. Her hands shake as she sets the phone back down.
“What’s the big deal with this guy?” Matt asks, clearly not picking up on the tension the man’s photo has caused.
Liz catches both Mikey and Riley staring at him. Each looking as if they are picturing their own ways to end his life for asking such a blatantly stupid question. Liz swallows hard, working up the courage to finally say something.
“I don’t know his significance for them,” she says, nodding her head to the men sitting next to her. “But that’s Ivan. As far as I could tell, he is nearly as bad as Dmitri. He is one of the men who beat me nearly every day I was held prisoner. And he was the one who held me down while Dmitri tried to rape me. I don’t even want to think about what he did to Ry.”
A wave of nausea rips through her. Before anyone can stop her, Liz is on her feet, rushing out the door into the fresh mountain air. Pushing past the guilt of what Riley is more than likely doing to Matt, she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Footsteps crunch on the gravel behind her. Knowing who it is, she walks away, heading right to the tree line where she can walk a long, slow loop around the house to clear her head. She will have to apologize to him later, but right now, she can’t deal with another conversation where she is looked at as nothing more than what was done to her.
“We don’t have to talk, princess, but I can’t leave you out here alone,” Riley says, as if he could read her mind.
She slows, allowing him to catch up. He keeps his word, walking a few steps behind Liz as she circles the perimeter. On their second lap, she extends her hand back to him, smiling when she hears his steps quicken to catch up, grabbing her hand like it’s a lifeline tossed across a stormy sea. It might as well be with the storm brewing inside her.
“Why does it have to be him, Ry?” she whispers, just loud enough to shatter his heart. He tugs her to a stop, wrapping his arms around her like the most comforting blanket.
