Nope. That brooding silence definitely didn't bode well for them.
"Home." Ryder's deep voice came from behind her, close enough that Hannah whirled in her seat. He braced his forearm against the headrest and leaned forward. But he wasn't looking at her, he was staring out the windshield, his dark eyes shielded by the even darker sunglasses.
What did he see when he studied the buildings? To him, they were probably nothing more than rundown bungalows constructed of concrete and in desperate need of paint.
Which was exactly what they were.
The colors—blues and greens and yellows—were faded from the sun that continuously beat down on them. In some places, paint was missing altogether, the surface chipped down to bare concrete. Lush vegetation surrounded the area, large palms providing shade that offered at least a little relief from the heat. A pavilion—nothing more than a corrugated tin roof braced on sturdy support posts—sat at the far edge of the tiny site. The community kitchen was inside the twenty square foot pavilion, tucked into the back against a make-shift wall. Mismatched tables and metal folding chairs provided a place to eat. Camp chairs—the heavy-duty nylon kind that folded up—provided a place to lounge in the shade.
Hannah had no idea what Ryder had been expecting. Five-star accommodations? Probably not. But from the stony expression on his face, it was a safe bet he hadn't been expecting the small scattering of buildings spread out in front of them.
He tucked one long finger behind the top frame of his sunglasses and slowly nudged them down his nose, just enough that his eyes were visible. And thank God that hard glare was focused on Allison instead of her.
"Home." Ryder repeated the word—a statement, not a question—in an ominously quiet voice. Hannah shifted in the seat, her gaze briefly meeting Allison's before sliding past and landing on Kevin. He was still standing outside his quarters, a frown creasing his tanned face as he stared at the van.
"Yes. Home. I told you this wasn't a tourist hot spot."
"This isn't any kind of spot, hot or otherwise." Ryder's arm brushed against her shoulder as he lowered it. Hannah stiffened, cursed the prickle of awareness shooting through her just from that brief touch. She shifted then swallowed back another curse when Kevin started working toward them.
"Allison." Hannah whispered her friend's name and motioned out the window. Allison glanced over her shoulder, muttered something when she saw Kevin, then quickly turned back to her brother.
"Just do me a favor and don't say anything, okay?"
"What the hell are you talking about? Say anything to who?"
"Ryder, please." Allison reached for the handle and pushed the door open, swung her legs to the side and hopped down with a bright smile.
Ryder swore to himself then turned to Hannah, pinning her in place with his dark gaze before she could make her own escape. "Who's that guy?"
"His name is Kevin. He's the project coordinator."
"What project? What the hell is going on?"
Hannah ignored him and opened her own door, climbed down then reached for the handle to slide open the passenger door. She didn't wait for Ryder or his friend to get out. Why would she, when she was certain he'd pin her in place with another glare and ask more questions? It was safer to let Allison deal with him—right after she dealt with Kevin. From the low sounds of conversation coming from the other side of the van, that might be a while.
Hannah pocketed the keys, forced a smile she didn't feel to her face, then stepped around the van to join Allison. Kevin paused in whatever he was saying to look at her, some of the tension leaving him.
"Hannah. I was wondering where you had disappeared to." He stepped a little closer, his smile deepening. "Maybe you can explain what's going on because Allison isn't making any sense."
"Um—" Hannah tossed a helpless glance at her friend. What had Allison told him? What excuse had she given him? Hannah wasn't sure and had no idea what to say, worried that she might say the wrong thing. This wasn't part of the plan. As far as Hannah knew, there was no plan because up until an hour ago, neither one of them had been sure that Ryder would even show up.
"Just what I told you, Kev. My brother and his friend are on vacation and wanted to stop by and say hello."
And yikes. That was the story she had come up with? Even Hannah would have a hard time believing that one. From the looks of it, Kevin wasn't buying it either. His clear gaze moved past both women, his eyes narrowing at something behind him. Hannah didn't need to turn around to know that Ryder had finally stepped out of the van. Didn't need to look to know that he was now only a few feet behind her. She could feel him there, a looming presence. Tall. Broad. A study of male perfection.
And about as inconspicuous as a brick wall.
Tension swirled around them, growing thicker with each passing second as the men studied each other. Hannah exchanged a quick glance with Allison, smothered a smile when the other woman rolled her eyes at the obvious display of male competition. The only thing missing was a few low growls and the baring of teeth.
No, scratch that. Kevin must have realized he was badly outnumbered—and out-manned—because his fake smile grew wide enough to show teeth. He studied the other two men in silence then turned that smile on Allison.
"This isn't a place for vacationers, Allison, and you know that. We work here. I can't afford to—"
"They know that and they've already agreed to help out. And pitch in with money." Ryder started to say something but Allison kept talking, raising her voice just enough to drown out his objections. "It's only for a few days, Kev. And you know we could use the extra hands, especially this late in the season."
"I need to get approval—"
"No, you don't." Allison stepped closer and playfully nudged him. "Like I said, it's only for a few days. Besides, this is no different than when your buddy comes around to hang out and I know you don't get approval for that."
Did Kevin hear the underlying threat in Allison's voice? Maybe. Or maybe he could just feel the simmering threat from Ryder himself—although Hannah was fairly certain that was aimed at Allison and not Kevin.
In the end, it made no difference because Kevin finally stepped back with a curt nod. "Fine. Just a few days. But I expect them both to work, and to pay their share of the fees. No excuses."
"Of course. I said they would, didn't I?"
Kevin frowned then slowly shook his head. He turned to Hannah, a smile replacing the frown as he reached for her. A hand closed over her arm in a gesture of familiarity that made her inwardly wince. "Now that you're back, I need your help with the weekly report. It shouldn't take long." He tugged her along, easing her away from the small group—and the curious gazes of the two men.
No, not the two men—just one in particular. And the look in Ryder's dark gaze was anything but curious.
For a brief second, Hannah considered telling Kevin no. He didn't need her help and they both knew it. This was just another ploy to get her alone so he could ask her out. Again. Any other time, she'd make up an excuse to avoid him, or offer to take the reports back to the bungalow she shared with Allison and do them herself.
The words were on the tip of her tongue, ready to fall from her mouth—and then she caught Ryder's gaze. Dark. Intense.
Irritated.
She knew that look, remembered it from the years they'd spent together growing up. Ryder was ready to explode. To start shouting and demanding answers. Allison was the one who had conned him into coming down here—let her deal with him and the hundred different questions he no doubt had.
The excuse she'd been ready to utter died on her lips and she quietly followed Kevin without a word, the heat of Ryder's dark gaze following her every step of the way.
Chapter Three
Allison hurried away from him before he could say anything—probably a smart move on her part, one born from survival instinct. Not that Ryder couldn't have caught up with her because he could. And he would—as soon as he figured out where Hannah was
going with that slimy little weasel.
His frown deepened when he saw the two of them disappear into one of the buildings. It was bigger than the others, though not by much, which wasn't saying a whole lot. All of the buildings—Ryder counted eight from what he could see—looked identical, except for the faded colors of the paint covering their concrete exteriors. The one Hannah just went into was a pale green, the paint fresher than the others.
And damn. The weasel closed the fucking door, but not before tossing a fucking smirk at Ryder over his shoulder.
He took a step toward the building—no idea why, unless it was to ram his fist into the weasel's face before grabbing Hannah—but a hand on his arm stopped him. Ryder stared down at the hand then looked at Ninja, a silent threat in his eyes. The other man totally ignored the warning and pulled him in the direction Allison had headed.
"Down, boy."
"Fuck you." Ryder shook his arm free then shifted the pack on his shoulder. "I don't like that guy."
"Yeah. No shit. But before you start breaking limbs, don't you think you should figure out what the fuck is going on first?"
Ryder grunted in agreement and lengthened his stride, reaching the small building where Allison was standing in a matter of minutes. She frowned and quickly shook her head, then pushed open the door and motioned them both inside.
"Allison—"
"Keep your voice down."
"I'm not yelling—"
"Maybe not yet but you're close." She followed them inside then quickly closed the door behind her by ramming her hip against it. Ryder started to say something, made the mistake of looking around the small room, and swallowed back the roar that threatened to erupt.
What. The. Fuck.
The building was set up like a hotel room. Maybe. Two double beds were shoved against the far wall, separated by a single nightstand that had definitely seen better days. A large window, currently closed and shuttered, was directly above the beds. There was even a curtain hanging from the window, some kind of gauzy material in a pale yellow that was probably meant to add a homey touch to the depressing decorating scheme.
Two doors were set into the wall at the right. Ryder frowned at his sister then moved toward them, opening the first to reveal a small closet. He slammed it shut and opened the second, clenched his jaw at the sight of the tiny bathroom.
Sink. Toilet. Shower stall that would take a lot of contorting to fit in without banging his elbows and shoulders.
"Shit."
He slammed that door and looked around but there was nothing else to see except painted concrete walls, faded tile floor, and a worn dresser pushed against the outside wall. That's where Allison stood—which just happened to be in front of the door. Did she really think blocking the door would stop him from leaving if he wanted to? Had she learned nothing when they were growing up?
Judging from the mutinous expression on her face, probably not.
Ryder folded his arms in front of him and stared. "Start talking."
"This is your bungalow—"
"Is that what you're calling this thing?"
She ignored him and kept talking, her gaze focused on a spot over his shoulder. "I probably should have told you to bring some sheets with you but that's not a big deal. I have some extras you can borrow—"
"Allison—"
"The kitchen is in the pavilion. Breakfast is usually fruit and coffee. Lunch is provided at the job site. Everyone is expected to pitch in—"
"Allison—"
"—for dinner." Her gaze slid to his, quickly skittered away as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Ryder clenched his jaw and sucked in a deep breath before he exploded. He shot a look at Ninja but the other man was just standing there, studying the nylon strap of his watch like nothing was amiss.
Ryder dropped his arms to his side and moved closer to Allison, close enough that she actually backed up a step and collided with the door. Her eyes widened a fraction of an inch then quickly narrowed. She placed her hands against his chest and pushed. Frowned when he didn't budge and pushed again. Then damn if she didn't poke him in the sternum with that damn finger of hers.
Jab. "Don't even think about trying that stupid intimidation tactic with me because it won't—" Jab. "—work."
He grabbed her hand and held it away from him before she could jab him again. "And don't even think of kicking me again because that isn't going to work."
"I wasn't."
"Liar. Now start talking."
She lifted her chin a bit but wouldn't quite meet his gaze. "About what?"
"About everything. Why you called. Why you dragged me down here." He released her hand and stepped back. "And God help me, if this was some kind of stunt to get some cheap labor—"
"It wasn't. It's not. Honest." Allison glanced over at Ninja and offered him a sweet smile, then turned back to Ryder. The sweet smile morphed into a scowl. "Not that we can't use the help—"
"Allison, I swear to Christ—"
"Okay, okay. Fine." She stepped around him and took a seat on the edge of one of the beds. Springs creaked, the sound echoing around the room as she adjusted her position and crossed one tanned leg over the other. She folded her hands together, stared at them for a few seconds then started playing with the edge of one nail.
Seconds stretched by and with them, his patience. "Allison, now."
"Okay, okay. You don't have to yell." She dropped her hands to the side with a loud sigh. "About three weeks ago, Hannah and I were down by the building site. We went back after dinner because I thought I left something there. Turns out I didn't, it was in the van the whole time but I didn't even think to look there—"
"Allison, get to the point."
She nodded, ran one hand through her hair and nodded again. "The point. Right. Anyway, when we were down there, we noticed two men walking on the beach. They, um, they had shovels. And some kind of metal detector thing."
Ryder waited. Waited some more. A full minute went by but Allison didn't say anything else. He released a heavy sigh and curled his hands in frustration. "That's it?"
"Um, well—" She shifted on the bed, creating another round of creaking before stilling. "They, um, they kind of shouted at us and, um, started running toward us, so we left. Fast."
"Let me get this straight. You saw two guys on the beach with a metal detector and automatically thought they were treasure hunters up to no good?"
"Well, the metal detector thing is what made me think they were treasure hunters. It was the chasing part that made me think they were up to no good."
Ryder brought both hands to his face and rubbed. Up and down, up and down, the stubble on his jaw scratching his palms. Shit. He needed to shave. He needed a shower. He needed about ten hours' worth of sleep.
And he really, really needed not to throttle his sister. His parents would kill him if he did that.
He dragged his hands through his hair then let his arms drop. "What time does the first ferry leave in the morning?"
"Around nine. Why?"
"Because we're going to be on it."
"What?" Allison shot to her feet, confusion and worry marring her face. "You're just going to leave? You're not even going to look into it?"
"Look into what, Allison? You saw two guys on the beach—"
"But they chased us!"
Ryder doubted that. Knowing his sister, she probably overreacted. The guys were probably doing nothing more than trying to meet two pretty women and hook up. And yeah, there was a thought he didn't need. The idea of any guy trying to hook up with his sister—with Hannah—was enough to make him turn hot under the collar.
He pushed the irrational jealousy away and moved toward the door. He had every intention of escorting his sister out so he could take that shower then figure out how they were going to make it back to the dock to catch the morning ferry. Hell, they'd walk if they had to.
But Allison must have guessed what he was going to do because she rushed to the door and stood in
front of it. Her arms stretched out to the side and a mutinous scowl wreathed her face.
"You can't leave. Not without looking into it."
"Look into what, Allison? Something you think you saw three weeks ago?"
"But—" She stopped, ran her tongue over her lip then quickly shook her head. "That's not all we saw."
"Really? What else did you see? The Loch Ness Monster? Bigfoot? The Kraken?"
The desperation he had sensed thrumming through her a second ago quickly changed to impatience. "Do you always have to be such an ass?"
"Do you always have to be so damn melodramatic? This is just like that time you swore you saw a troll hanging outside your bedroom window."
"I was eight! I didn't know any better back then."
"And you don't know any better now, either—"
"Boomer."
The sound of his name spoken in a low tone silenced him. He turned, frowned when he saw Ninja standing right behind him. And fuck, he hadn't even heard the man move. Hadn't sensed him so close. If they were anywhere else—if it had been anyone else—Ryder could be dead right now.
Damn Allison for distracting him.
No—damn himself for allowing her to distract him. For letting his guard down.
He threw his hands up in the air in mock surrender and stepped away from his sister. "Fine. You talk to her. Tell her she's imagining things and that we're leaving in the morning."
Ninja shot him an unreadable look then reached down and closed his hand over Allison's. He gently tugged, leading her back to the bed she'd been sitting on a few minutes earlier. And damn if he didn't take a seat right next to her, close enough that their legs were touching.
Ryder ground his back teeth together and leaned against the wall, his arms crossed in front of him. His fingers dug into the flesh of his biceps hard enough to leave marks but he kept his mouth shut.
"You said you saw something else." Ninja's voice was low, mellow. Soothing. Allison shot a nervous glance at Ryder then looked back at Ninja, her shoulders relaxing just the tiniest bit as she nodded.
The Defender: RYDER (Cover Six Security Book 3) Page 3