by Susan Stoker
Then there was her bed. She’d collected embroidered pillows from the thrift shops in the area and had even scored a queen-size quilt that looked handmade. It had pastel squares all sewn together to make a huge multicolored daisy. Her mother hadn’t made it, but she liked to pretend she had.
Her sheets were the one thing she’d bought new. They were top of the line, high thread count, and so silky smooth against her body, it felt as if she was lying on a soft, puffy cloud. She had lugged with her the first stuffed animal her mom had ever given her when she’d run away so many years ago. It was a giraffe whose neck had to have been sewn back on at least ten times over its lifetime, but it was precious to Felicity, and literally the only thing she had left of her old life.
Overall, her room was a lived-in, comfortable mess, and Felicity knew Ryder would take one look and know for a fact that her tough bravado was merely a facade. But he already knew. He’d told her as much. For the first time, she didn’t mind the thought of letting someone in. Letting Ryder in.
Grace knew she liked to read science fiction, but not how much she loved physics. Or that she’d been well on her way to a career in that field. Felicity had to be the strong one in their relationship—constantly pushing Grace to get away from her parents. She hadn’t been able to let her best friend know how scared she herself was.
Then when Grace had gotten together with Logan, she bragged to him and his brothers about her badass best friend, and Felicity hadn’t wanted to burst her bubble. She liked the respect she saw in their eyes when the Anderson brothers looked at her.
But somehow Ryder had seen right through the shield she’d had up and broken right past it. She knew it was only a matter of time before she told him everything. She wanted to. She just had to build up the nerve.
Felicity rolled out of bed and headed for the attached bathroom. Cole wanted to talk to her today about some marketing ideas for the gym, and she had some other errands she needed to get done. As much as she wanted to hide out in her room, she knew she couldn’t. Life went on. Even when stalked by a psycho asshole.
“Yeah, her name is Megan Parkins. I told you already that she’s most likely from Chicago. Have you gotten anything on the name Joseph Waters yet?”
Ryder’s friend, Meat, said, “Not yet. But having her name will certainly help.”
“I’m going to call Rex,” Ryder said. Calling his handler wasn’t something the mercenaries usually did. Rex usually got in touch with them, not the other way around. But Ryder wasn’t willing to sit back any longer than necessary. Not when it meant Felicity would be in danger. All the Mountain Mercenaries knew their handler had connections. Deep and sometimes scary ones. It was how he got his intel about what missions to send them on.
If Meat was having trouble finding Joseph Waters and what his connections were—because it was more than obvious he had them—then perhaps Rex could assist.
“That’s a good idea,” Meat said. “I’ve found a couple of men named Joseph Waters in Chicago, but none seem like they’d be your guy. Rex has contacts he can use to delve deeper.”
Ryder nodded even though his friend couldn’t see it. “Yeah, that’s what I thought too. I appreciate your help, though.”
“Anytime. As soon as I have a dossier written up on Megan, I’ll encrypt it and send it.”
Ryder bit back the immediate protest that sprang to his lips. He knew he needed more information, but he wanted Felicity to be the one to talk to him. Getting the information in the official report that they used before heading off on a mission seemed . . . wrong. But all he said to Meat was, “Thanks. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Later, Ryder.”
As Ryder clicked off his phone, he thought about the situation. He’d felt eyes on him just as Felicity said she had over the last week. It was as if the asshole was simply biding his time. And that meant he was patient . . . and therefore way more dangerous than a spontaneous, impulsive, crazy asshole.
Most stalkers didn’t have the wherewithal to control their urges to possess, or hurt, their prey. Joseph seemed especially threatening since he had to have seen Felicity with him. Had to know Ryder was protecting her. Him being at her side would make whatever Joseph had planned more difficult. Getting to Felicity would be more complicated. Ryder wouldn’t, and couldn’t, underestimate the man.
“Good morning.”
Ryder turned and smiled at Felicity. She stood at the entrance to her small kitchen. Her dark hair was sticking up in spikes all around her head, and she was wearing a gray baseball shirt over a pair of jeans. She’d gone heavy on her makeup, but he could still see the dark circles under her eyes that she’d tried too hard to conceal. He hated that she wasn’t sleeping well, but truth be told, neither was he. It wasn’t the lumpiness of the couch that had him tossing and turning all night, but the thought of someone somehow slipping past him and getting to Felicity.
“Morning, love. You look beautiful this morning.”
She blushed, but gave him a small smile.
“What’s on the agenda today?”
Felicity brushed past him and reached for the refrigerator door handle. She opened it and pulled out a V8 juice. She unscrewed the top and eyed him as she took a long sip. Finally, she asked, “How long are you going to do this?
“Do what?”
She waved her hand. “Sleep on my couch. Monitor my every step.”
“As long as it takes.”
She put the bottle down on the counter and frowned up at him. “You don’t know him, Ryder. He’ll wait you out.”
“Then he’ll have a very long wait. I have no intention of going anywhere.”
“You can’t stay up here forever. You have a job down in Colorado Springs.”
“Actually, no, I don’t,” Ryder countered. “I told you before, I’m a liability now. I have too many connections. The thing that made me so good at my job was that I was a loner. I didn’t have anyone in my circle. Yeah, I had my mom until she passed, but not a lot of people knew about her.”
“You’re quitting?”
“Yup.”
Felicity looked confused. “But . . . you need to do something, right?”
“Not for a while. I got paid very well for what I did. I’ve got plenty of money. In fact, I was hoping you might go house shopping with me at some point.”
Felicity shook her head as if she hadn’t heard him right. “What? A house? Here?”
“Yeah. Here.”
They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds. “You’re moving here?” she asked quietly.
“Yes, Felicity. My family is here. I want to watch my nephews grow up. I want to get to know my brothers better. And you’re here. You have your gym, and your friends are here.”
He thought she might get emotional after hearing his intention, but he’d expected tears. Not the huge smile that spread across her face.
“You’re moving here,” she stated.
“Yeah,” he confirmed.
“I want that,” she said firmly. “I’ve never felt about someone the way I feel about you. I want to see where we can go. But I need to get this asshole making my life a living hell to fuck off first.”
He smiled back at her. “As much as I like this new attitude, I’m a bit confused by it,” He admitted. “What brought on the change? Last night you were scared and unsure about me being here still. Now you’re not. Why?”
“I thought about everything after I went to bed last night.”
“Everything?”
“Yeah. Everything. Joseph. My mom. How I got here to Castle Rock. Grace and what she went through and how happy she is now. Alexis and Blake, and even Bailey and Nathan. Hell, Joel has been braver than I’ve been recently. And I got mad. That asshole doesn’t have the right to do this to me. He doesn’t have the right to ruin my life. But the thing is, he only ruins my life if I let him. When I was twenty, I wasn’t experienced enough to know how to fight back. Then, all I knew was running and hiding. But since I don’t have t
o hide anymore, Joseph knows where I am, and I like living here, I decided that I would do whatever it took to help you help me.”
“Come here,” Ryder ordered, holding out an arm.
Without hesitation, Felicity took the few steps to get to his side. She snuggled into him, and he closed his arms around her. He kissed the top of her head, then vowed, “You won’t regret this.”
She picked up her head and looked up at him. “I know I won’t. Ryder?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re gonna make love to me, right?”
He about choked, but he immediately said, “Absolutely.”
She dropped her cheek back to his shoulder and nodded. “Good. It’s been a long time for me, and honestly, I wasn’t sure I’d ever trust anyone enough to let them get that close to me again. But even though we haven’t known each other that long, I trust you more than I have anyone in my entire life.”
Ryder took a deep breath. “It’s been a while for me too, love. And you know, I hope, that I trust you the same way. I wouldn’t have told you about Zariya if I didn’t.”
“I know. I thought about that last night too. I’m not saying I’m ready to drag you to my bed right this second, but I wanted you to know that I’m going to do everything in my power to fight back this time. If Grace could do it, and have her happily ever after, I can too.”
They stood wrapped in each other’s arms for a long moment, then Ryder palmed her nape and urged her back. When she looked up at him, he said, “All you have in your fridge is egg whites and V8 juice. Feel like going out for breakfast?”
She smiled up at him and nodded. “Yeah, I can do that.”
“Good.” He didn’t push her to tell him everything right that second. For now, Ryder needed to make sure Felicity felt safe, that she knew she not only had him, but his brothers as well, at her back. Now that he knew they were on the same page when it came to a relationship, the urgency to have her under him had lessened.
But knowing they’d eventually get there had eased the caveman inside of him. She was already his; the lovemaking would come.
They didn’t make it to breakfast. When they’d gone downstairs, Cole had informed them that he’d received a call from the electric company wanting verification that they wanted to end their service. As they were discussing it, the alarm company called with the same request.
By the time lunch came around, they’d heard from two other companies who wanted to verify the cancellation of services, and when they’d made a preemptive call to check on their lease, they found that the owner of the building had also been informed that they would be shutting down the gym.
It had taken all day to clear up the misunderstandings. At first Felicity assumed it was just a simple mistake with the electric company, but as time went on, and as more and more companies contacted them about severing services, the ball of fury in Felicity’s gut grew. As she’d told Ryder that morning, she was no longer scared—she was furious.
She had no doubt Joseph was behind everything. He’d done the same thing to her before. Except then she hadn’t found out that the landlord had rented her apartment to someone else until it was too late. The electricity had shut off one day, and when she’d called about it, she’d been informed that they had a record of her canceling it because she said she’d be moving.
Ryder had hovered around her office as she and Cole dealt with the various businesses and reassured them they were not going anywhere as well as put in safeguards to prevent the same thing from happening in the future. Ryder had gone out and gotten them both lunch and had placed the sandwiches on their desks without a word.
When six o’clock rolled around, Ryder came into the office and declared that she was done for the day.
Cole had agreed. “There’s nothing more we can do today when everyone’s closed. I’m pretty sure we got ahold of everyone important. The water delivery and laundry service will continue. I haven’t been able to get ahold of the cleaning service, but when Mrs. Hanley shows up, if she shows up, I’ll have a talk with her and verify that we want to continue using her services. Thanks for your help today, Felicity.”
She stared at him for a beat. “Uh . . . we’re partners, Cole. Of course I was here.”
“I thought you decided you wanted your money and were out?” he fired back.
Felicity couldn’t get pissed at him. She had told him that. “I changed my mind.”
“For good?”
“For good.”
“Can I please put your fucking name on the business now?”
She stared at him in shock. He sounded pissed. Really pissed. “I . . . It’s still not a good idea.”
“The fuck it’s not. If you think I haven’t known you could up and disappear on me one day, you’re insane. Every day I woke up wondering if today was the day one of my best friends would be gone. Every day I feared having to make this gym work without you. I started this place up knowing I might one day have to do it alone, but I dreaded that day with everything in me. I like working with you, Felicity. Everyone loves you around here. If you left, I’m not sure I’d have the enthusiasm to keep this place open.”
“She’s not leaving,” Ryder answered for her.
Cole’s gaze met Ryder’s, then he nodded and looked back at Felicity. “I still want your name on the paperwork.”
“Okay.” The look of relief in his eyes made her stomach hurt. She’d never meant to hurt her friend. Had thought he’d be better off without her. Hell, she’d thought he’d jump at the chance to buy her out. “But not yet. When all this is over.”
“Fine. But I’m holding you to it.”
Felicity nodded. “Okay.”
“Okay.”
“Come on, love. You need to eat. And you haven’t had enough water today. Let’s go upstairs.”
She nodded and took hold of Ryder’s hand as she stood.
He led her upstairs as he had the night before and held open her apartment door. She walked in and stopped so suddenly, Ryder bumped into her. She would’ve fallen, but he grabbed her hips to keep her steady.
“What? What’s wrong?” Ryder asked, the easy-going persona long gone.
“Someone’s been in here,” Felicity whispered.
In a flash, Ryder shifted her until she was behind him, his arm out, preventing her from getting around him. “How do you know?”
“There’s a picture frame sitting next to the television that isn’t mine.”
“Anything else?” Ryder barked.
Looking around him, Felicity examined the room. She slowly shook her head. “No, what I can see from here looks normal.”
Ryder walked slowly and cautiously to the television and the picture frame. Using his long-sleeve shirt as a kind of glove, he picked it up and brought it back to Felicity.
“Who is this with you?” he asked.
Felicity looked at the picture, and her breath caught in her throat. When she could speak, she said, “It’s me and my old roommate, Colleen.”
Ryder turned the picture so he could see it. His only comment was, “I like your black hair better.”
She snorted. It wasn’t what she expected him to say. Not in the least. He wasn’t happy, that was clear. His neck was red, and his jaw was clenched tight, but he was trying to lighten the mood—for her. If she hadn’t already been sure she wanted this man, that would’ve done it.
“No one came up here today. I’d stake my reputation on it.”
“We were gone for a lot of the day yesterday,” Felicity said unnecessarily.
“I can’t believe I didn’t notice this last night or this morning,” Ryder murmured, obviously upset. “Go sit at the table, love. I need to check the rest of the apartment. You okay with that?”
Knowing he meant he’d be looking inside her room, Felicity immediately nodded. If she was going to sleep with this man, she needed to let him in. Completely. That meant inside her sacred space as well as inside her head.
Ryder put the frame on the kitchen c
ounter as he passed it, escorting her to the table as if she couldn’t make it there on her own. Once she was seated, he knelt at her side.
Felicity stared at him. Here was the deadly man she’d only heard him speak about. In the small time she’d known him, she hadn’t seen this side. Oh, she’d seen him upset and concerned, but nothing like this. More than six feet of pissed-off male. It actually made the muscles in her body relax. This man wouldn’t let Joseph hurt her. No way.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“It’s okay if you aren’t,” he insisted. “It won’t change the way I feel about you. The way I see you.”
Felicity put her hand on his forearm. “If you weren’t here, I’d be a mess. I hate that he got inside my space, but you’ll protect me.”
“Damn straight.”
She couldn’t quite smile, but she could feel the urge. “Go on, Ryder. I’ll be right here. Make sure he’s not lurking under my bed or something. I’ll check my room after and see if he’s left me anything else.”
Ryder reached out with a hand as quick as lightning, pulled her face up to his, and kissed her with a short, but incredibly intense meeting of his lips to hers. Then, without letting go of her head, he pulled back a fraction of an inch and declared, “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
He’d said it over and over, but it never failed to make her feel better. “I know,” she reassured him.
Then he nodded, let go, and stood, all in one motion. Without a word, he pulled a handgun out of a holster somewhere on his body, Felicity had no idea from where, but she wasn’t concerned about the fact he’d been carrying. It was one more thing that reassured her about the big man who’d somehow attached himself to her.