Coop’s brows turned inward. “You talk to Ryker?”
Damn. Now those hairs were screaming at him. “No. Why?”
“You need to call him. Says it’s about Olivia.”
Jake’s entire body immediately tensed up, his nerve endings tingling. “What about her?” he stepped closer to his teammate. “Is she okay?”
“Far as I know. Mac talked to her about two hours ago. She tried calling her just now, but she didn’t answer. Mac wasn’t overly concerned, though. When she talked to her before, Olivia was getting ready to go into work. Said she’d picked up an extra shift or something.”
Jake relaxed his shoulders. Mac had talked with her recently, and she’d been fine. Plus, Trevor should have made it to Liv’s house and been gone by now. He would have called if something were wrong.
“So, what’s the problem?”
Coop shrugged a shoulder. “Don’t know. Ryker just said to call him ASAP.”
Shit.His shoulders tensed up again. Needing some uninterrupted time to think, Jake had purposely ignored his phone when he’d been out riding. It would ring, and he’d look to see if it was Olivia.
When it wasn’t, he’d shove it back into his pocket. The way she’d left the other day, he didn’t actually expect her to call. That didn’t stop him from praying it was her each time his phone would buzz.
Not wanting to talk to anyone but her, he’d let Ryker’s calls go to voicemail. Assuming he was calling about a new job, Jake hadn’t bothered to check any of the other man’s messages yet.
Ryker knew he’d taken himself out of commission, though. Now, Jake had to wonder...why all the calls?
He’d been so up in his own head, worrying about pulling his ass out of the mess he’d made with her, he hadn’t been thinking clearly.
He should have known, if Ryker was calling him on his down time, he needed to answer his damn phone. And Coop said it had to do with Olivia.Fuck!
Jake broke into a sprint, running from the barn to the house, his phone to his ear as he tried to get through to the Homeland agent.
The first three times he called, it went straight to voicemail. Jake didn’t bother to leave a message. Instead, he ended the calls and immediately tried again.
By the time he reached his house, Jake’s heart was slamming against his chest. Not from the uphill run, but because he knew in his gut that something was wrong.
On the fourth try, Ryker finally answered. “About damn time you call me back, McQueen.”
“What do you know?”
“Shit, you didn’t check your messages, did you?”
“Don’t fuck me around, Ryker. What’s happened?”
A loud sigh hit his ear. “You need to get to your girl, and stay with her.”
Fear assaulted him, his steps faltering as he entered his house. “Why?”
Not that he needed a reason to keep Liv safe. Jake would always do that, but right now, he needed answers. He just wasn’t ready for the one he got.
“Cetro.”
Ryker’s one-word response stunned him. Jake stopped moving altogether. He closed his eyes as he spoke. “Explain. And, I swear to God, Jason...you’d better not feed me any bullshit on this.”
“The short of it? Cetro escaped, and word is he blames Olivia for his brother’s death.” There was a slight pause and then, “He’s going after her, Jake.”
Jake’s eyes flew open.“What thefuck?”
Jake ran to his kitchen and grabbed the keys to his truck from the counter. He continued talking as he stalked down the hall toward what Jake called the war room.
Mac—who’d apparently come with Coop to deliver Ryker’s message—abandoned the cup of coffee she’d been making, and she and Coop followed closely behind. They all went straight for the enormous safe at the back of the room.
