Page 5 of Deserving Ryleigh
Like some kind of self-imposed penance.
Tiny noted the way she flinched every time he spoke toher harshly. How she stayed in her room as often as possible to avoid any kind of conflict. And yet it hadn’t made him curb his behavior toward her…and hadn’t made Ryleigh accept the offers from any of her friends to stay in their cabins.
For the first time since she’d admitted she wasn’t who they’d all thought she was, Tiny felt a bit of remorse for the way he’d treated her. That didn’t mean he suddenlytrustedher. Just that he could acknowledge he’d been a jerk.
Seeing her now, vulnerable and obviously stressed, if her body language while she slept was any indication, Tiny sighed.He’ddone that. Made her feel unwelcome, on edge, and probably unsafe, if the way she’d thrown herself to the ground tonight was any indication.
And yet…she still hadn’t left.
If he was in her shoes, he would’ve been gone the moment Stone was securely back at The Refuge. But here she was.
Remembering more of her words from earlier, how she’d said it was too late to leave, Tiny’s lips compressed in a hard line. He wanted to wake her up, insist she tell him what was going on, what she wasn’t telling him or the others.
She was still keeping too many secrets, but reluctant as he was to admit it, Tiny wasn’t as angry about it as he’d been even two hours ago. She was trying to protect them, that much seemed clear. From what or who, he had no idea—but he’d find out.
Standing upright, he eased the door to Ryleigh’s room closed, leaving it open a crack so he could hear if she needed him—which was ridiculous, because it wasn’t as ifshe’d ever cried out for him in all the time she’d been here, but still—and went into the living area. He poured himself a large glass of water and went to the sofa and sat, staring into space as he tried to work through his next steps in his mind.
Ryleigh was scared of something, didn’t feel as if she could leave, even though it was obvious she wanted to, and whatever was frightening her involved The Refuge.
Shivers of dread shot down Tiny’s spine. Something was coming. Something big, if it terrified a computer genius like Ryleigh. He didn’t know what, or who, or when, but it seemed clear the key to The Refuge coming out unscathed on the other side was the woman sleeping in the next room.
Tiny had joined the Navy to protect and serve. Had loved being a SEAL. He hadn’t done much protecting or serving Ryleigh…but starting tomorrow, that would change. He might not trust her, but he could admit that nothing she’d done had actually hurt him or his friends. On the contrary, she’d done everything in her power to help.
He’d ease up on her, do his best to get her to confide in him. Once he knew what the threat was, he could mitigate it. Then Ryleigh could leave. Get on with her life. And he could do the same.
Now that Tiny had seen the fear in her eyes, he had a hard time maintaining the animosity he’d felt toward his houseguest for so long. She wasn’t faking that emotion. He’d bet his Budweiser pin on that. What was the saying? Honey drew more flies than vinegar. Starting tomorrow, he’d do what he could to help shoulder whatever burden Ryleigh was bearing.
Feeling better than he had in months, though not fully understanding why—beyond reluctantly admitting it had been slowly becoming harder and harder to be curt to his houseguest anyway, even without tonight’s revelations—Tiny chugged the rest of his water and stood. He took the empty glass to the kitchen sink and headed toward his bedroom.
Tomorrow. A new day, a new plan.
And Tiny wouldn’t fail. It wasn’t an option. Not when the hair on the back of his neck was standing up. He never ignored that feeling when he was on missions as a SEAL, and he wouldn’t ignore it now. If Ryleigh was the key to keeping The Refuge safe, he’d do whatever it took to get her to confide in him.
CHAPTER THREE
Ry was increasingly uneasy. Over the last two days, Tiny had been…different. And it was freaking her out. When she’d gone into the living area of the cabin the day after Henley’s baby shower, he’d actually said “good morning”…as if he hadn’t spent the last few months grunting and growling at her at the start of every day.
Then he’d handed her a mug filled with coffee, fixed exactly how she liked it. He’dneverdone that before. She’d always made her own coffee each morning. She’d stared down at the drink, wondering if he’d poisoned it, and he’d chuckled.Chuckled. And told her, as if he could read her mind, that he hadn’t put anything in it…other than the sugar and cream she normally liked.
And things had just gotten weirder from there. He hadn’t glared at her once. Hadn’t insisted she tell him exactly what she was doing online. Hadn’t made any snide comments about her dark web contacts she sometimes used when she needed intel.
He wasn’t acting like the Tiny she’d gotten to knowover the last few months, and she had no idea why. And that made her incredibly nervous.
Tiny wasn’t a gentle man. He called things as he saw them. Didn’t beat around the bush when he was pissed about something. He abhorred lies—which, she understood, was why he hated her—but he was acting as if all the untruths she’d told since arriving at The Refuge no longer meant anything to him. Which she knew wasn’t the case, as he’d told her time and time again that he didn’t trust herat all.
But in the last two days, he’d left her alone more than he ever had before. He didn’t hover over her as she scoured the web, trying to find out what her father had up his sleeve. Didn’t demand she tell him where she was going each morning, who she’d be hanging out with. It was as if something had happened the night of the baby shower, but she wasn’t sure what that might be.
Yes, she’d blabbed some things she wished she hadn’t, but he hadn’t asked questions after she’d made it clear she wouldn’t be sharing any more of her secrets. Hadn’t demanded she tell him why she couldn’t leave—or worse, insist she go, since Stone had safely returned to The Refuge.
It was bizarre. And frankly, Ry didn’t like it. Was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
But hopefully that wouldn’t be today, because everyone was currently heading to the hospital. Henley was being induced, and no one wanted to miss the birth of her and Tonka’s baby. They’d opted not to find out the gender, so everyone seemed twice as excited.
Of course, Ry hadn’t been able to resist. She’d hacked into the hospital database and found the sonogrampictures, so she knew the gender. But she wasn’t about to share a secret that wasn’t hers to share. Her need for information, to not be surprised, was a big fault. Ry knew it, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself from digging for information she knew was out there for the taking. It made her an awful person, but her father had hidden so many things from her, she had a deep compulsion to investigate for intel. It was the only way to keep herself safe.
She was currently sitting in the back of Brick’s Rubicon between Cora and Lara. Alaska was in the front passenger seat. The others were either on their way to the hospital or already there.
“Do Tonka and Henley have names picked out already?” Lara asked as she ran a hand over her own pregnant belly unconsciously.
