Page 95 of Deserving Ryleigh
“Yes, you do. You can do this. I trust you, Ryleigh.”
His trust was everything. This was a man who’d been broken by a woman’s betrayal. Had spent years of his life keeping everyone at arm’s length. Who couldn’t even stand to fall asleep next to anyone for fear they’d try to kill him while he rested. And yet, he’d moved her into his cabin. Had slept like a baby with her in his arms. He not only trusted her, he loved her.
Her.
She’d found what she’d spent her life craving. Love. And it wasn’t just Tiny’s love. It was everyone’s love. Brick, Alaska, Tonka, Henley, Spike, Reese, Pipe, Cora, Owl, Lara, Stone, and Maisy. And everyone else who worked here at The Refuge. She wasn’t going to let them down. No way.
Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. Then another. Her hands still shook, but she felt much more centered. She thought about the bunkers. The first time she’d learned about them. And the first time she’d used them…
“Bunker 103,” she said, more to herself than anyone else. “I think he somehow knew that’s where I took Jasna. If he found that archived footage, he would have picked it on purpose. It’s the only bunker I have a connection to.”
“Caroline’s in 103,” Wolf said, his voice cracking.
Determination welled up inside Ry.
“Can you disarm it remotely?” Tiny asked, holding one of the detonators. “Using one of these?”
Ry took it from him and turned the small device over in her hands. She was afraid to take it apart, even though that had originally been her plan. See if there was a microchip inside she could plug into her computer that she could deprogram. But the thought of making even the tiniest misstep made her want to throw up. This wasn’t a computer game. This was real life. And real live humans would die if she messed up.
She reluctantly shook her head.
“Right, so we go to the source then,” Wolf said, sounding like the take-charge Navy SEAL he was.
“The bunker,” Tiny agreed.
“I’ll call Dude on our way. He’ll know how to disarm it and make sure the connection to the others is broken. There’s no way your father found anyone better than Dude.”
“I should check the videos…see if that really was the first bomb placed,” Ry protested.
“No time,” Tiny told her with a shake of his head. “You stay here.”
She snorted. “Not happening. One, you aren’t leaving me here with a dead body. With my luck, my father will come back to life and sneak up behind me, or his evil soul will possess me and you’ll have a girlfriend whose head spins around at odd times. I’m coming too.”
Tiny’s lips didn’t inch up even a fraction. “I want you safe.”
“And I want my friends to not be blown up!” she cried almost hysterically. “Please, Tiny. Don’t leave me here. I’m safest by your side. That’s it. Nowhere else.”
He stared at her for a second or two, then nodded.
The relief that flooded through Ry made her light-headed, but she didn’t hesitate for a moment when Tiny turned toward the door. While they’d been talking, Wolf had made a makeshift bandage out of a couple of cloth napkins sitting on tables around the room. He limped toward the door with Tiny and Ry at his back, his phone to his ear.
This had to work. Ithadto. Wolf’s buddy had to come through. If not, Ry wouldn’t be able to forgive herself, ever. No matter what Tiny or anyone else said, she’d brought this threat to The Refuge. It washerfather,herbaggage that had brought them to this point. She needed to be there…either when everything was literally blown to bits, or to see years of running and fear come to an end.
Either way, the next few minutes would change her life once and for all.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Tiny jogged through the trees and didn’t dare let go of Ryleigh’s hand. Wolf was ahead of them, acting as if he hadn’t just been stabbed in the thigh. But he supposed adrenaline and fear for his wife was a powerful motivator. If they lived through this, if Wolf’s teammate was able to disarm the bombs, he’d make sure Wolf got medical treatment as soon as possible.
But at the moment, time was of the essence. One wrong move and a little scratch on Wolf’s thigh would be the least of anyone’s worries.
Tiny had been surprised when Wolf ran out of the lodge, but he didn’t for one second think the man was actually leaving them behind. He knew what the former SEAL was capable of. His and Caroline’s story was legendary. Not to mention all the other missions Wolf and his team had been on. They might not be public knowledge, but SEALs talked. Sometimes the gossip network from SEAL to SEAL was embarrassing. But it was thorough.
Wolf wasn’t the kind of man to run from a confrontation. But hewassmart enough to know when stealth was more practical.
Ryleigh’s father hadn’t gone down easily, even with both him and Wolf trying to subdue him. That knife was also damn sharp, and after Lodge attempted to swipe at Wolf’s throat while they’d been grappling, Tiny had wrestled it away from him—and was hit with sudden clarity.
Ryleigh was right. Harold Lodge would never stop trying to hurt his daughter and everyone she loved. He couldn’t be contained in a regular prison. All it would take was one illegal cell phone, and the man would be out once more. He’d proven that. So Tiny did what he had to do. He didn’t enjoy killing, but in this case, it felt damn good.
