Ryker

by Trent, Emily Jane

  Iris left to set up the meeting, and Mia stared at the colorful flowers. She couldn’t stand the sight of them, didn’t want them there. The display reminded her of James, of the fights, the anger, the bruises. She’d been married to him for a year, then separated for two years.

  Most of those years had been filled with drama. Mia had gotten out of a damaging marriage, but not nearly soon enough. She shouldn’t have dated James to start with. Reflecting on all the signs that were there, she couldn’t believe she hadn’t put a stop to it sooner.

  Mia shuddered. Her ex-husband had been overbearing and demeaning toward her. When she threatened to leave, he was sorry—until the next time. The divorce would soon be final, then he’d leave her alone for good.

  *****

  The Mental Magic staff huddled together in the conference room. Griffen ran the meeting, and Iris took notes. It was agreed that whoever stole Mia’s laptop had hoped to gain access to the proprietary program or confidential information.

  The thieves could have been hired by a competitor, but if so, that was the first indication that the competition was playing dirty. With the notoriety Mia had achieved, the act could have been from the public sector. Maybe it was a jealous fan, or a simple criminal act.

  Instead of dwelling on the mystery, Mia informed her crew that a new executive protection team had been hired. Black Swan would send protection agents to the office to arrange tighter security. Each team member would be clued in on new procedures.

  It was the best she could do. Mia might have her doubts, since the new company was unproven. But it was her best option. She needed to strengthen her inner circle. One attack was sufficient to make the point that she had vulnerabilities.

  After years of investors passing on Mia’s business plan, she and her team finally had the financing to move ahead. With each refusal, she’d regrouped, made improvements and resubmitted her requests. She’d found new investors and hadn’t given up.

  Now it was finally going to pay off. The last thing the team needed was for their investors to lose faith. Having come this far, Mia couldn’t let everyone down, least of all the school kids who stood to benefit the most—kids she knew and cared about.

  The meeting ended with Griffen stating that he would oversee the protection arrangements and ensure the procedure went smoothly for the staff. Mia continued with her day, swamped with emails that had piled up, plus a few urgent messages.

  Mia had no dinner plans and preferred going straight home. Soaking in a warm bath and listening to music sounded better than going out. She let reception know that she was gone for the day, then took the elevator to the parking garage.

  One luxury Mia had allowed herself was a metallic-blue Audi. She’d driven plenty of beater cars in her time, so when her salary warranted the expenditure, she’d splurged. The car was a kick to drive, and she liked cruising home with the music cranked up. She’d paid extra for quality speakers.

  With her purse over her shoulder, Mia strolled through the lot and spotted her vehicle. She grabbed her key fob then stopped. A man moved from behind the car to stand by the driver’s side door. It was James.

  Mia’s nerves were frazzled; she didn’t need to have a conversation with him.

  James was dressed in a white shirt with the top buttons open and a scarf around his neck. His attempt to look cool fell flat. His dark, wavy hair was fashionably messy, and his gray slacks suitably creased. But the look of contempt in his icy blue eyes negated any friendliness.

  The sight of him riddled her stomach with anxiety. The fear of what he might do made her want to turn and run. But she refused to let him have the upper hand. He’d intimidated her for far too long. She dug deep for strength, refusing to let him see the effect he had on her.

  “Did you get the flowers?” James said.

  Even his deep, raspy voice grated on her. He had thick brows and eyes that were too close together. Mia wondered how she’d ever thought he was handsome. There was a menacing quality about him, one that she should have spotted when she met him.

  “Don’t send me flowers, James. Don’t send me anything. No cards, no letters, no emails, no texts.” Mia glared at him. “Have I made my point?”

  “I just want to talk with you,” James said. “We were married, lived as husband and wife. Surely, you can’t throw that away.”

  “You threw that away, with your mistreatment, with your anger, and your…” Mia expelled a breath. “I have bigger problems than you. Let me get into my car and go.”

  “Yes, I know about your bigger problems. I watch social media like anyone else,” James said. “I could help you. I could pull some strings.”

  Mia had made a mistake hooking up with him, because he was an abusive ass. But the bigger mistake in judgement had been to hook up with an ass who happened to have clout with the Board of Education. “Help me, like you did last time? By lying about me to the board?”

  James moved closer, and Mia flinched. “I didn’t mean that. I was angry. You made me angry.”

  “No, James. That’s not how it works. You don’t get to put that on me,” Mia said. “Your anger is your issue, not mine. I’m not part of your life anymore, and in a month, all legal ties will be severed.”

  Fury flashed in his eyes, just before he grabbed her arm. “You’re making a mistake.” He yanked her, but then a voice stopped him.

  “I’d let her go if I were you.”

  Mia looked up to see a tall, lean guy in a cotton shirt. His dark, spiky hair and brown eyes gave him a ruggedly handsome look. He had a square jaw, broad shoulders, and a calm assurance that gave James pause, so he let her go.

  Then the guy flashed a killer smile. “That’s better.” He looked at Mia. “Are you okay?”

  Mia nodded.

  “Be on your way,” the man said to James. “I don’t want to have to say it twice.” The man focused on Mia, clearly assuming that her attacker would heed the command to leave. “I should introduce myself. My name is Caleb Rowe.”

  “Well, you showed up at the right time,” Mia said.

  “I’ve been watching.”

  Great, now Mia had a new stalker. As if her ex-husband wasn’t enough.

  “Ryker has set up security for you, and I’m your close protection. I didn’t want to be intrusive, so I wouldn’t have acted unless necessary.”

  “You’re with Black Swan?”

  “Yes, ma’am. And you can relax; there is a team assigned to you,” Caleb said. “You have my assurance on that.”

  “You’re going to continue hanging around me?”

  Caleb shined that winning smile on her. “I believe so.”

  Mia leaned against the car, relieved and exasperated. Couldn’t she have been informed beforehand?

  “You have Ryker’s card and can call if you need to,” Caleb said, then handed her a phone. “This is a safe phone, the one you should use for any important conversations. The team will set up a discreet email for you and ensure that your communications are encrypted.”

  “Can I go now?”

  “Absolutely, ma’am. You’re in charge.”

  You wouldn’t know it—from what Mia could tell, Ryker ran things now. “How long have you been here?”

  “I was sent as soon as your manager called for security, making it clear that it was urgent,” Caleb said. “I understood that your former team was relieved of their duties.”

  “You seem to know an awful lot,” Mia said. “Am I to understand that you were protecting me even before Ryker arrived?”

  “That is true,” Caleb said. “And the team.”

  Mia glanced around, sure that the teammates wouldn’t be visible to her. She caught on quickly, and that was part of the deal. If she didn’t know they were there, then any unfriendly presence wouldn’t either—just as James hadn’t.

  “I’m going home now,” Mia said. “I assume you’re going to follow me?”

  “I’ll be right behind you.”

  Once Mia was inside her Audi, she lo
cked the doors and leaned against the headrest. Her emotions were frayed, and Ryker wasn’t helping. He didn’t know how to ask for anything. Dammit, couldn’t he have consulted her before sending out his team? But no, he just went right ahead, doing what he wished.

  Mia should have been grateful, not resentful. She’d navigated her life on her own so far. She didn’t need some alpha male calling the shots. She was relieved that James had been scared off. God only knew how far he would have taken the encounter.

  It drove home the point that James wasn’t going to back off. He wanted her to cancel the divorce. He believed they could reconcile. He lived in a fantasy world. What part of hating him didn’t he get?

  Considering the violent tendencies that James had exhibited—on too many occasions to count—Mia required protection. Ryker and his team were her best option. She needed them nearby to make sure no harm came to her.

  But Mia didn’t trust Ryker—not yet. And whether she did depended on how he behaved. If he got too pushy, she would replace him. His company wasn’t the only one in Philly. He’d better watch it. She was fed up with bullying.

  Chapter 4

  Over the next few days, Ryker made sure that security was in place. The team ran countersurveillance to determine the threat level and ensure that no one unfriendly had access to Mia or her company. Other than her fans pressing in to get a better look, it had been quiet.

  Caleb and his guys stuck close to Mia, just in case. Her ex-husband showing up uninvited annoyed Ryker. He didn’t like to see a woman harassed, and the report of her ex grabbing her arm rubbed him the wrong way.

  Further background research was done on Mental Magic and its high-profile owner. Ryker was at headquarters, anxious to find out what had been discovered. He’d read the reports in the file, but wanted to dig deeper.

  Ryker looked over to see Hawke on the phone. He could hear that he was talking to Emilia, his new girlfriend. Bad time to interrupt. So Ryker cruised over to Jake’s office, which was better anyway. He’d get the story straight from the researcher.

  Jake was engrossed in paperwork. He rubbed his close-shaved beard then rocked back in his chair. Ryker sat across from him. “Got a minute?”

  “Sure, what’s up?” Jake’s gray eyes were the color of steel. He had a gaze that could give an enemy pause, and had, many times. Ryker could attest to that. He was a guy that would watch your back, and a valuable teammate.

  “Talk to me about Mia Scott.”

  “I’m sure you read the report.”

  “Yes,” Ryker said. “Raised in foster care, had learning issues…and recently, a messy divorce.”

  “Yep, the learning issues are well known. It’s in her public bio,” Jake said. “In fact, it’s her company’s story and has won the public’s heart. This software she’s created is designed to assist with learning disabilities.”

  “I don’t like the fact that James Walsh is harassing her.”

  “Yeah, her ex,” Jake said. “He’s a piece of work. I didn’t find any police reports of the abuse, so Mia must not have gone to the authorities. But from what we gleaned from those close to her, the dude roughed her up.”

  Ryker clenched his fists. “That’s the worst kind, a man who would do that. What’s his deal?”

  “That’s where it gets interesting,” Jake said. “He’s on the Board of Education, and I can see issues with that. This new software is targeted for schools, to help kids in remedial programs. But…”

  “It presents a problem when your ex is on the board,” Ryker said. “That group isn’t easy to deal with, anyway. Even back when I was in school, they weren’t amenable toward new technologies—preferred the traditional ways.”

  “Yet the system leaves kids behind.” Jake said. “If they can’t learn with the methods offered, they are out of luck.”

  The more Ryker heard about James Walsh, the more he disliked him. It didn’t matter that he had a respectable job; stalkers could be found in any career field. The behavior patterns were the same.

  Ryker had done a bit of research on his own. Sending boxes of candy, clothing, or flowers was standard. The stalker would even show up at the victim’s house, put items in the mailbox, notes on the car, and more. Asking the person to stop did no good.

  Sometimes that was as far as it went. The stalker might be basically harmless, like a fan who followed a rock star around. But Ryker had told Caleb to keep an eye on Mia’s ex. He didn’t trust him. Especially not after hearing that the marriage had been abusive.

  Ryker told Jake to see what dirt he could dig up on James Walsh, as he figured there had to be something. A guy like that probably didn’t have a clean history. In dealing with a stalker, it was important to know his earlier patterns.

  Mia was scheduled for self-defense sessions, and Ryker had decided to handle her training. There were classes for women available in Philly, but he preferred to provide the lessons personally. He had to make sure it was done right, and to see that she could defend herself.

  That shouldn’t occur, so long as his company was protecting her. But she’d been volatile when he’d met her, so might get rid of Black Swan as fast as she’d hired them. And she’d need some way to protect herself, even if from an irate ex-husband.

  After hearing more of Mia’s background, Ryker decided that he might have been too hard on her. She’d called him bossy, and maybe he was. He thought of his wife Amy, and how well they’d gotten along. She hadn’t complained about his behavior, even though he’d been married to her for five years.

  Surely, if Ryker had been that much of a pain, it would have come up. But Mia and Amy had different personalities. His wife had been a lovely woman, inside and out. She’d been caring and strong, but not aggressive or challenging.

  Ryker guessed that made sense, as she had been raised in suburbia so hadn’t experienced things that Mia must have. He thought of his wife, and his gut tightened. The guilt was still there. He should have been home when she died. Instead, he was on deployment and didn’t even hear about her death until days after.

  A workout room at the company’s training center had been reserved for the session. Since Ryker was late, he jogged over. Mia should be there. She’d told him that her driver would have her there as scheduled, and she seemed like the type to be prompt.

  The second time he met Mia, her effect on him was just as strong. She’d already suited up in stretch pants with a tight top. The outfit was color-coordinated; the pants had gold stripes that matched the gold top. And she was barefoot.

  Good Lord, how was he going to deal with this? He’d made the wrong decision and should have let Caleb or one of the others handle Mia’s training.

  Her stylish hair was in a headband and she was makeup-free. The natural look suited Mia. She was as attractive in a few stretchy items of clothing as she had been in designer attire. Makeup was unnecessary. Her brown eyes were beautiful, her lips full. She didn’t need to create illusions; she was a natural beauty.

  Ryker walked over, making his best effort to be casual. He made a point not to stare, although that was difficult. “Good morning, Ms. Scott.”

  “It’s Mia. We can’t be formal if we’re going to wrestle each other on this mat.”

  “All right, Mia, then.” Ryker already sounded like a lovesick schoolboy. He had to get it together.

  Ryker proceeded. “Remember to be loud to intimidate your attacker and draw attention, in case someone is nearby that can assist you.” Then he showed her how to deliver a groin kick with enough force to paralyze an attacker.

  There were several variations of an elbow strike, so Ryker went through each one. Mia learned quickly. She was agile, fluid in her motions, and smart. When she caught on to a few basic moves, Ryker showed her how to escape if an attacker trapped her arms, so she couldn’t move freely.

  Ryker took the attacker’s stance and wrapped his arms around her. The scent of her floral perfume created a physical reaction deep in his core. Maybe she could fell an opponent with s
heer femininity. He shook off that thought then got back to business.

  He held her, noticing how good she felt in his embrace. Mia was in shape and toned in the right places, yet, holding her close, he couldn’t ignore her womanly curves. When she turned to look at him, her hair brushed his chin, making him want to dig his hands in it.

  “Am I doing this right?” Mia said. She’d brought her hands up, then held them tight to her chest so she could turn.

  Ryker looked at her perfect lips, wanting to kiss her. “Yes, sure. Let’s try it again.”

  Escaping from a headlock was a little trickier, so Ryker saved that for the next session. “Once you escape,” he said, “don’t go home or turn away from crowds. Walk into a well-lit store or coffee shop and call the police. And carry some sort of weapon.”

  “Will a lipstick taser do?” Mia said.

  “I see you’re one step ahead of me.” Too bad her purse hadn’t been accessible at that resort, or the robbery story would have had a different ending. “A taser will do the trick.”

  Ryker wasn’t anxious to send Mia on her way. She intrigued him, so he said, “That was a good session. I’ll take you for lunch. You’ve earned it.”

  Mia hesitated but didn’t refuse. “Okay, I’ll get cleaned up. You pick the place. I’m not familiar with restaurants around here.”

  Since Ryker was in jeans and a t-shirt, he opted for a casual place. Mia returned from the locker room wearing white jeans, a sweater, and ankle boots. It didn’t matter what she wore—she was stunning. “You look nice.”

  Mia smiled, exhibiting no animosity. Whatever she had against him at the start seemed to have abated, at least for the time being. Ryker was too sharp to assume that she wouldn’t bite his head off again if he annoyed her. Maybe he could get through lunch without doing so.

  “Where are we going?”

  “There’s a café that’s not far,” Ryker said. “It’s casual, but the food is good.” He decided that there was more to Mia than he’d thought. She had a fire inside that he admired. She’d clearly had to fight for success, even her own survival. That type of grit got his attention.