Guarded by the Soldier

by Laura Scott

  “You can’t pay my mortgage.” She was horrified at the offer. “I’m sure this will be over soon. I doubt the bank will foreclose until I miss several payments.” At least, she hoped not.

  “Don’t stress. It will be fine.”

  The idea of going back to the house she’d shared with Tim filled her with distaste. No way. She wouldn’t do it. But she could sell the property. Yes, that was the answer. She’d sell and move back to the small town of Harrisburg. Except... Willa wouldn’t be there. Remembering how Willa had died helping to protect Aaron made her grimace.

  Far better to find somewhere else to live. Somewhere just like Harrisburg. A smaller community where neighbors knew each other and watched out for each other.

  Where she could find a wonderfully welcoming church like the one Willa had taken her to in Harrisburg.

  “What about these receipts?”

  Ryker’s voice pulled her attention back to the issue at hand. She looked down at the envelope of receipts he’d spread out on the bed. “Where did you get these?”

  “Your house.”

  Her gaze collided with his. “You went back there?”

  He nodded. “I brought a bag back with some clean clothes for you and Aaron.” He cleared his throat as if embarrassed. “I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Normally I would, but I’m so desperate to get out of these old things, I’ll gladly take whatever you brought for us, as long as they fit me. Thank you.” She dropped her gaze to the receipts and picked one off the top. “These are just household items I purchased. Groceries, toiletries.” She picked up another, feeling despondent over the loss of the life she once had. Not that she necessarily missed the man Tim had become, but still, living from day to day in relative safety had been nice. Something she’d never again take for granted. “A discount store where I purchased items for Aaron.” Her gaze met his. “Why did you bring these here?”

  “I’m not sure. I just thought they might be helpful.” He held her gaze, then added, “You need to know that Seth informed me Tim and Colin were stealing money from the Blake-Moore Group.”

  “What?” She didn’t think she could be shocked at anything Tim had done, but the news was startling. “Are you sure?”

  He lifted a shoulder. “According to Seth, they’d been at it for a while. I take it you didn’t know anything about it.”

  “No.” She felt light-headed, the blood leaving her face in a rush, and was grateful she was already sitting down. “Why would they do such a thing? Tim made good money, enough that he encouraged me to quit my part-time job as an accountant.”

  “I don’t know.” His eyes were filled with empathy. “Greed often has no limit.”

  “Greed.” She let out a harsh laugh. “I guess that sums it up right there. Tim always wanted more, felt he deserved more, but Colin...” She shook her head unable to finish. “I hate knowing how Tim dragged my brother down with him.”

  “Tell me about the morning you left the house.”

  The change in subject made her sigh. “That was months ago. What good will it do to go over it all again?”

  “Please, humor me.”

  She blew out a frustrated breath, thinking back to that morning just before Christmas. She’d started the day full of hope, thinking that maybe once Tim learned she was pregnant, he’d change. That he’d go back to the way things used to be.

  Although based on what she’d just learned, she knew that things would never have changed. Except for the worse.

  “Colin and Jeff came into the kitchen as Aaron and I were eating breakfast.”

  “Did he have a key?” Ryker asked.

  “My brother did, yes. Not Jeff.” She waved an impatient hand. “Anyway, Colin told me that we were all in danger and that we had to leave immediately.”

  “But he didn’t say what the danger was?”

  “No.” She gave him an exasperated look. “Are you going to keep interrupting me or are you going to let me tell the story?”

  “Sorry.” Ryker looked chagrined. “Tell the story.”

  She thought back. “I asked Colin what was going on, even as I washed Aaron’s face and hands from his breakfast. Colin told me he didn’t have time to explain, because we had to move in a hurry. I asked if I could pack a bag for both of us, since it sounded like we’d be gone for at least a couple of days, but Colin said there was no time.”

  When she paused, Ryker asked, “So then what?”

  “I told Colin we needed Aaron’s car seat, so he sent Jeff out to grab it. Then as I carried Aaron to the door, Colin told me to make sure I took Aaron’s diaper bag.”

  Ryker’s eyebrows levered upward. “He actually said that? To take the diaper bag?”

  She nodded. “I figured he mentioned it specifically because of the car seat. Like I should take some important things, but not worry about clothes and toiletries.”

  She followed Ryker’s gaze as he turned and looked at the zebra-striped diaper bag. “We need to empty that thing.”

  A wave of frustration hit her hard. “Come on, Ryker. I’ve been using that bag on and off for the past six months. Don’t you think I would have noticed if there was some sort of notebook full of bank-account information hidden inside?”

  “Probably.” Ryker leaned over and grabbed the bag. “But it can’t hurt to check again.”

  He set the bag on her lap, and she took out the Pull-Ups diapers first and set them aside. Then she pulled out a change of clothing she always carried for Aaron and set the outfit on top of the diapers.

  “Hold on.” Ryker reached for the clothes. She watched as he quickly went over the seams of the clothing. When he finished, he noticed her gaze and shrugged. “Hey, it doesn’t hurt to check.”

  “You want to go through the container of wipes, too?” She pulled that out next.

  “No, thanks. You made your point.”

  She pulled out her wallet and handed it over. “You should probably check this. I’ve used the cash I’d managed to smuggle away from Jeff, but none of the credit cards.”

  He peered into every pocket and card slot of her wallet, then handed it back. “Nothing.”

  It didn’t take long for her to empty the rest of the bag. “I told you—there’s nothing here.” She sat back against the headboard, suddenly exhausted.

  The Blake-Moore Group continued to come after her because of the money. Everything came down to pure greed.

  Maybe if she could find a way to explain to them that she didn’t have their stupid numbers, they’d leave her and Aaron alone.

  Maybe.

  “Let me see the bag.” Ryker lifted it off her lap and began running his fingers along the seams. She wondered if the stress was getting to him, too, because he wasn’t exactly behaving normally.

  But then he pulled out the cardboard covered in plastic at the bottom of the diaper bag. Liv frowned as he turned it over in his hands.

  “There’s a slit along the side.” He used the tip of his fingernail to lift the edge of the plastic up from the cardboard.

  A slip of paper floated out, landing on her legs.

  For a moment they both stared at it, in shocked surprise. Ryker reached it first, then met her gaze.

  “The bank-account information has been in the diaper bag all along.” He showed her the small printed rows of account numbers with corresponding deposits. Her breath caught when she took note of the total.

  Just over five million.

  She couldn’t believe it. Nausea swirled and she swallowed hard. “I don’t understand. Why would Colin hide this in the diaper bag?”

  “I don’t know, unless Tim told him to do it. After all, Colin is the one who took you to the motel. Could be that Tim hoped to finish the job with Hawk and then get out of town before accessing the money.”

  Her shoulders slumped in defeat. More evidence of h
ow far gone her brother and husband had been.

  And their greed had put her and Aaron right in the bull’s-eye of danger.

  TWELVE

  Setting aside the slip of paper he’d found hiding in the bottom of the zebra bag, he slid over along the edge of the bed and placed his arm around Olivia’s thin shoulders. She looked pale and wan, as if she might pass out at any moment.

  “It’s okay.” He tried to sound reassuring even though he knew this new evidence wasn’t going to make things any better for them. Finding the information was one thing. Figuring out the next step in bringing down the Blake-Moore Group was something else.

  “It’s not,” she whispered. He felt her draw in a deep breath and rest her head against his shoulder. “Tim and Colin are dead, and for what? Money?”

  Five million was a life-changing amount of cash, but frankly, he didn’t get it, either. Especially because Olivia had claimed the Blake-Moore Group paid her husband a decent salary. He rubbed his hand up and down her arm. “I’m sorry they dragged you and your son into this.”

  She sniffled and he felt awful knowing she was crying. “He never loved me or Aaron.”

  He couldn’t find the words to argue, because her late husband’s actions spoke for themselves. No man should ever put his wife and son in danger the way Tim Habush had. No man should sacrifice his entire family for the contents of a bank account. Five million was nothing compared to a wife and child, especially considering the guy hadn’t lived long enough to spend a dime.

  He couldn’t understand why Tim had thrown away the precious gift of his family, but Ryker was very glad to be with Olivia now. And he was more determined than ever to keep all of them—Olivia, her baby and Aaron—safe.

  Duncan poked his head through the connecting door. When he saw Olivia in Ryker’s arms, his brow raised and he flashed a knowing grin, then quickly disappeared.

  “I wish Tim had been more like you, Ryker.”

  Her statement caught him off guard, and an unexpected flash of longing hit hard. His feelings for Olivia and Aaron were getting out of control. He cared about her, about them, far too much.

  He tried to remind himself about how he’d gone down the path of having a family with Cheri and Cyndi. How they’d been killed before he’d had a chance to know what having a real family of his own would be like. Growing up in the foster-care system, he’d dreamed of having a family. But since losing Cheri and Cyndi, he had no interest in trying again.

  Last Christmas he’d silently promised to find Olivia and her son, in order to help keep them safe. The way he wished someone had helped Cheri and her little girl.

  After finding Olivia, he’d learned to admire her strength and courage. Her sweetness when she talked about her baby. She was everything he’d once liked about Cheri, only more.

  Unable to think of a coherent response, Ryker bent down to press a kiss to her temple.

  Olivia shifted in his arms, tipping her head back to look up at him. For a long moment their gazes clung, her eyes searching his. His throat seemed to have stopped working, along with his brain, since he couldn’t think of anything to say.

  She reached up and cradled his cheek with her palm. “You are a wonderful man, Ryker. I’m so blessed God sent you to come and find me.”

  Her gratitude battered the wall he’d built around his heart, knocking several bricks loose. He dropped his gaze to her lush mouth. Before he could blink, she drew his head down so she could kiss him.

  Their lips clung, then melded together in a heart-stopping caress. Her sweet taste made him long for more.

  Not just having her in his arms, which he absolutely wanted, but having her, Aaron and the baby in his life.

  The thought brought him up short. Olivia must have noticed, because she broke off the kiss.

  “Sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” She looked adorably flustered, but he didn’t like the self-recrimination in her eyes.

  He finally found his voice. “There is absolutely nothing wrong with you, Olivia.”

  She grimaced. “Except that I keep kissing a man who has been nothing but kind to me.”

  He threaded his fingers through her chin-length dark hair. “I’ve imagined kissing you several times. You’ve just been brave enough to take action.”

  “Yeah, right.” She rested her hand on her belly. “I highly doubt there’s a man out there who dreams of kissing a pregnant woman who resembles a baby whale.”

  He placed his hand over hers. “You’re beautiful, Olivia. Don’t sell yourself short. But you need to know that being in danger like this heightens emotions that wouldn’t normally develop on their own.”

  She frowned. “Duncan put his life on the line for me, but I don’t feel this way toward him.”

  He was ridiculously pleased at her assertion, but knew she was oversimplifying the situation. “But I was the one who found you first. If the situation was reversed, and it was Duncan who came after you, I think you’d be sitting here right now with him.”

  “No.” The stubborn glint was back in her eyes, and he was a bit relieved that she seemed to have momentarily forgotten about the bank-account numbers that had sent the Blake-Moore mercenaries gunning for her. “I wouldn’t.”

  He didn’t believe her, and decided it was time to change the subject. “We can talk more about this once you and Aaron are safe. For now, I need some time to discuss our next steps with Duncan.”

  “I want to give the bank information over to the Blake-Moore Group. Once they have what they’ve wanted all along, they’ll leave me and Aaron alone.”

  He went still. “We can’t do that.”

  Her gaze narrowed. “Why not? The money belongs to them, doesn’t it? Tim and Colin stole from the company. It’s only fair they get it back.”

  Ryker blew out a frustrated breath. “It’s blood money. Men have died because of it. And it’s highly likely that the money is what they received from dealing weapons to the enemy.”

  “We don’t know that.” She pulled her hand out from beneath his and edged away. “Don’t you understand? I just want this to be over. I want to live my life with Aaron and have my baby without worrying about someone coming after us.”

  He didn’t want to scare her, but there was no way in the world it would be as easy as handing over the banking information. “They’re not just going to let you walk away, Olivia. Or me, for that matter.”

  A hint of worry flashed in her eyes. “The money is likely more important than revenge.”

  “And what’s to stop us from going to the police to tell them what the Blake-Moore Group has done?”

  “We’ll give them our word that we won’t.” A thread of doubt underlined her tone, as if she was finally beginning to understand the magnitude of the danger they still faced.

  Ryker rose to his feet and picked up the account numbers. “Give me some time to talk this over with Duncan, okay? Maybe we can come up with a couple of options.”

  She hesitated, then nodded. “Fine, but think about all the options we have available to us. Sometimes easier is better.”

  Ryker smiled. “I will. Now do me a favor and get some rest.”

  “I will.”

  Every cell in his body wanted to draw her into his arms again, to kiss her until they both couldn’t breathe, but he forced himself to take one step, then another toward the connecting door.

  “Good night, Ryker.”

  Her soft voice gave him pause, and he glanced over his shoulder. “Good night, Olivia.”

  Leaving the connecting door open about an inch, he listened as she and Aaron prepared to go to sleep.

  This was the wrong place and the wrong time for him to fall for another single mother. He knew that Olivia’s feelings were intermingled with hero worship after the way he’d come to her rescue.

  But his weren’t. They were all too real, and fr
ankly, they scared him to death.

  More than the Blake-Moore Group did.

  * * *

  The next morning, Olivia woke early, after having one of the best night’s sleep she’d had since this nightmare had started.

  Because of Ryker and Duncan watching over her, she felt safer than she had in a long time.

  A shower and change of clothes felt wonderful, even if it was a bit embarrassing to know Ryker had gone through her things.

  After she’d changed her son, she took Aaron’s hand and walked to the connecting door that was hanging ajar. She lightly rapped on the door frame. “Ryker? Duncan?”

  The door opened almost immediately. Ryker’s smile made her knees go weak and she hoped she wasn’t blushing. “Hey, how did you sleep?”

  “Great.” He opened the door wide, giving her and Aaron room to come inside. She nodded toward Duncan who was seated at a small desk with an open laptop computer before him. “Did you guys get any rest?”

  “Sure.” Duncan’s brief grin made her wonder if he was glossing over how much they’d slept. “Take a seat. We have a plan we’d like to discuss.”

  “A plan?” She glanced at Ryker. His hazel stare was steady and she had the feeling that no matter what she thought about it, their plan was already a go. “I thought you were going to come up with a few options?”

  “Just listen first, okay?” Ryker’s tone was gentle. “And please sit down.”

  “Standing isn’t going to make me go into labor.” She inwardly winced at her cranky tone. Why was she annoyed? After all, she’d slept well and so had Aaron. She set him up with cartoons on the television, then eased down onto the edge of the bed. “Okay, tell me your plan.”

  The two men exchanged a glance, then Ryker pulled up a chair so that he was eye level with her.

  “Remember how I mentioned the Callahans all work in law enforcement?”

  “Yes. They’re a large family, and all their names start with the letter M.” She’d thought that hilarious and wondered how many times their parents had called the wrong kid by the wrong name.