Page 47 of Fighting for Valor
Ryker leaves the engine running as he strides toward the office. “We need to go. Now,” he says, holding the door open.
“You call me and let me know how Charlie’s doing,” Melissa says. “And when I can expect you back.” She levels a gaze at Ryker. “You, young man, better have a very good reason for leaving Rick hanging like you did.”
Ryker’s brows shoot up. “Yes, ma’am. I do.” As I follow him out to his truck with Charlie at my side, he stares down at the dog. “This is new.”
“This is Charlie. Charlie, meet Ry. And Dax.”
Opening the back door of the truck, I motion for Charlie to get in, and he jumps up, sitting up on the bench seat like he’s done this all his life. Dax turns around. “You got a dog?”
“No. He’s a pot-bellied pig.”
Dax chuckles, though his expression doesn’t match the sound. “Found a little of the old you, huh?”
“Maybe. How many fingers am I holding up?” I extend only one, and Dax huffs as he jabs Ryker lightly in the shoulder.
“He’s flipping me off, isn’t he?”
“Yup.” As we turn onto the main road, Ry clears his throat. “We’ve got a problem. A big one. So I have to ask. Have you told anyone your real name? Like that woman who gave me the stink eye?”
“No. I understand the risks, Ry. I might deserve to spend the rest of my life in jail, but I’m sure as hell not going to tell anyone who I am. Not after everything you and Dax have done for me.”
“No one? Not one person. It didn’t slip out anywhere?” he demands.
Another few seconds of this and I’m going to lose my shit if he doesn’t tell me what’s going on. “The shrink you set me up with knows. But that was your doing.” After a beat, I swear under my breath. “Well, there’s this woman…I told her my name was Ripper.”
“Fucking hell, Rip. Who is she?” Ry asks as he shoots me a glare in the rear view mirror.
“No one who’s going to expose me. She works at a diner and a food truck. Thought I was homeless and started bringing me dinner. I walk her from the bus stop to her apartment at night before I go home. What’s going on?”
Dax rubs his temples, then shifts in his seat so he’s almost facing me. “Someone showed up at Second Sight’s offices this morning asking for me. Trev was there and had them pegged as a spook within five seconds. The guy, a Francis Jessup, was asking about J.T. Richards.”
“Fuck. What did Trevor tell him?” A cold sweat breaks out over my neck and chest and I drape my arm around Charlie, needing something real to hold on to.
“Said he didn’t know a damn thing about J.T. Richards. When Jessup told him the three of us were deployed together, Trev gave him the standard cover story. As far as he knows, Ryker and I were Hell’s only survivors, and if Jessup wanted any other information, he’d have to wait until I got back from my trip.”
“And then half an hour later, I got a call from a blocked number,” Ry says. “Different guy—or different name anyway. Parr. Says he’s in Seattle and needs to see me. Today.”
I don’t respond. I can’t. Two months. Is that all I get? Fuck. I tighten my hold on Charlie, and he climbs into my lap. “Ry. If I…if they come for me…if I have to go away, will you take care of Charlie?”
“Stop. Right fucking now,” he orders. “There is no question here, Rip. We’re not going to let anyone come for you or take you anywhere. Wren and Trevor are digging up everything they can on Jessup and Parr. The apartment isn’t in your name or mine. Hell, nothing in this town can be traced to me other than my fucking phone. This truck isn’t even registered to Ryker McCabe.”
“We need the woman’s name and address,” Dax says quietly. “Because right now, she’s your biggest liability.”
“Cara. I…don’t know her last name. Just…Cara.”
“VoiceAssist: New text message to Wren Kane.” Dax passes me his phone. “Type it in. Plus, anything else you know about her.”
It feels like an invasion. One I’m going to regret. But I don’t have a choice. The name of the diner she works at, the food truck, her address and phone all go into the message body, and I send a silent apology to the universe for what I’m doing to the first new friend I’ve made in years.
“I know it’s asking a lot, Rip,” Ryker says as he guides the truck off the highway and heads towards my apartment. “But you need to stay inside. Out of sight. As much as you can until we figure out what the fuck is going on.”
Tension locks my muscles, and in my lap, Charlie whines. “I can’t. You know that, Ry. Plus, what the hell am I supposed to do with Charlie? Have him shit in the bathtub? I don’t think so.”
Dax shoots Ry a look that clearly says, “Dumbass.” After a quick shake of his head, he turns to me. “Put on a hat and sunglasses. Make sure your scars and tats are covered. And stay alert. We’ll know more in a few hours. Until then, be careful. Keep the security system armed at all times, and above all, answer your phone when we call. Got it?”
I nod, then for his benefit, manage to rasp, “Got it.”
Ryker pulls into a parking space in the underground garage, then spends a full five minutes scouting the place before he gives me the all clear. “We’ll take care of this, Rip. I promise.”
