by Faith Gibson
Soft murmurs ceased when the two women reached the bottom of the stairs. Ryker was leaning against an unlit fireplace. Rory and Sutton were close to each other on the sofa, and the other two brothers were seated in the recliners. When Rhi and Mac fully entered the room, the brothers jumped to their feet.
“Rhiannon, please sit here,” Hayden said, motioning to the chair. Rhi blushed at the gesture. It was odd having a man speak to her so freely. With Ryker, it had been from necessity after he saved her. Hayden’s smile was sweet, but it didn’t have the same effect as Ryker’s broody gaze. Rhi took the offered seat and crossed her booted feet out in front of her. She glanced up at Ryker who was frowning at his brother.
“This is awkward,” Kyllian muttered. “I’m getting drinks. What does everyone want?”
Rhi wondered why the brother found things awkward. Was it because she was an outsider? When the others told Kyllian what they wanted to drink, he looked to her. “Is there Coke?” she asked.
Mac took her uncle by the arm and pulled him toward the kitchen. “Yes, there is. Come on. I’ll help.”
“I’m sorry,” Rhi blurted.
“You have nothing to be sorry for.” Rory was sitting impossibly close to Sutton, almost in his lap. Her parents had loved each other, but even they hadn’t sat so closely at night when watching TV together. She remembered them giving chaste kisses when it was time for her father to leave for work each morning, but she’d never noticed their need to constantly touch one another the way Sutton and Rory did. It was as if they gravitated to the other without thought. They had to have been together an awfully long time to have so many adult children. Rhi still couldn’t get over how young they both looked.
“Rhi, do you feel up to answering questions about the compound?” Sutton asked.
“Yes. I’ll do whatever I can to help you.”
Kyllian returned with a glass of soda and handed it to her before he and Mac passed out everyone else’s drinks. She clutched the cold glass in her hands after taking a sip.
“Gideon called his compound The Sanctuary. Did Josiah also name his compounds?” Sutton asked.
“Yes. He called his Haven, but he should have named it Hell.” Rhi waved her hand in front of her when Hayden growled. “I’m sure most of the people who live there want to be there. They choose to live out in the middle of nowhere, following the rules of a tyrant. Tyrant? Is that the right word? School was so different than what I was used to. We learned math and grammar, but mostly we were taught the Bible. That was on top of the daily lessons with Josiah. In school, we mostly spent our days learning Bible verses. All of them were from the Old Testament. Whenever I would get into trouble, my punishment was to read in solitude. I chose to read from the New Testament, and it confused me as to why Josiah never spoke about Jesus. That is until I got older. Jesus was loving and cared about everyone, no matter who they were or what they did. That wasn’t Josiah’s message.
“We were taught the ways of the outside world are sinful, and anyone who believes differently needs reforming. Luckily, I wasn’t taken there when I was younger, or I might have agreed. I was thirteen, and I’d seen enough of what life was like on the outside. Maybe it was because I was young, but I had never encountered any of the bad he preached about.”
Rhi took a sip of her soda and sneaked a look at Ryker over the top of the glass. When she caught his eye, he looked away. She really needed to let go of the crush she had on the man. His brothers were younger and also handsome, but there was something about the stoic man that called to her.
“How many people live at Haven?” Sutton asked. “And were there any guards walking the compound?”
“I’d say about two hundred including children. A lot more now than when my dad and I joined them. As for guards, yes. They patrol constantly. Then there are those who train the men in weapons and fighting with their fists. Men like my father who have jobs outside the community are excused from training, but those are few.”
Ryker uncrossed his arms and took a step forward, pulling his phone from his pocket. “Your father is allowed to leave for work?”
“Yes. Josiah said my dad’s work was important to the community, but I didn’t see how. He works with computers, but electronics aren’t allowed in Haven.”
“Rhi, do you know where your father worked before he took you to Haven?” Hayden asked, sharing a look with Ryker.
“Somewhere with initials. FIA, or something like that.”
“Your father worked for the GIA?” Ryker narrowed his eyes as though her words offended him.
Rhi was hesitant to answer. She didn’t want the biker mad at her. “Yes?”
Ryker tapped a few buttons on his phone and held it out in front of him.
A woman’s voice came through the speaker. “I was just about to call you.”
Ryker set the phone on the coffee table. “Lucy, you’re on speaker. I’m here with Sutton, Rory, Hayden, Kyllian, Mac, and Rhiannon. Rhi’s dad, David Spencer, worked for the GIA.”
“You’re shitting me. And when you say worked, you mean works. At least he was still there when I left, and I doubt he quit in the last few months. He was another analyst working under Ramey.”
“Why would someone who works for the GIA go live in a compound?” Kyllian asked.
“Rhiannon, how often did you see your father?” Sutton asked instead of answering Kyllian’s question.
“Not often. Maybe once a month, and that was only in passing.”
“Rhi, what do you know about the GIA?” Lucy asked.
“Nothing. Is this important? My father’s job?”
“Oh, yes. The GIA, or Global Intelligence Agency, is the top government agency in the world. Your father has access to all sorts of information. As to why he went to live in the compound, I’m sure it was required of him. Now things are becoming clearer. As I told Ryker, I was just about to call. I pulled up CCTV footage of the area where Rhi escaped from James. The place is crawling with men in black fatigues. It’s almost like they wanted to get caught on camera.”
“What do you mean?” Rory asked.
“If I were covertly looking for a lost sheep, I wouldn’t send in twenty men dressed in military gear. Not that they were armed in public, but they were impossible to miss. And if I was able to pick up their movement on the cameras, David would be able to access the same footage as well as go back to when Ryker helped Rhiannon.”
“Are you saying they know we have Rhi?” Ryker pushed both hands through his dark hair.
“I would bet on it. Were you wearing your kutte?” Rhi didn’t know what a cut was, but Ryker’s hands smoothed down the black leather vest showing the name of the MC across the back as well as his MC name and rank on the front.
“Yes. And if they saw me, they saw Rory and Sutton leaving with Rhi in their SUV.” Ryker’s eyes caught hers, and she wanted to shrink back from his anger.
“Calm down, Son.” Sutton stood and closed the distance between him and Ryker, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Josiah already knows about us. The Ministry didn’t get this far in the world without having eyes and ears everywhere. Taking down Gideon put us on his radar.”
“Then that means Elijah is in danger.” Mac paced the area between the living room and kitchen, her hands twisting together.
Hayden stepped into her path and grabbed her hands. “No negativity. Elijah’s alive, and we will get him out of there.” Mac’s tears rolled down her cheeks, and Hayden pulled his niece into his arms, wrapping her up tight. Rhi wanted to know how they thought they were going to get past all the armed guards.
“We have our ways,” Ryker said. Rhi jerked her head around to look at the man. Had she spoken aloud?
“I can see the question on your face. You mentioned the guards at Haven are armed, but we’re not without our own resources.”
Rhi shook her head. “It’s not just the guards. Like I said, Haven isn’t only a place people go to disappear or get away from the outside world. It’s where the men
go to train. The boys who are raised there are taught to shoot and fight at an early age.”
“What about James? He didn’t look like a guard.”
“He’s not a guard. He’s a recruiter, whatever that means. I only know that because I overheard him talking to someone when we went out for supplies.”
“He just walked up and spoke to a random person?” Kyllian asked.
Rhi thought back to that day last month. “I don’t think so. He had a piece of paper he kept looking at. We stopped at a house, and he went inside for a few minutes. I cracked the window so I could get some fresh air, and James told the man he was a recruiter looking for men to join the cause. I didn’t catch every word he said, but that was the gist of it.”
“What did the house look like?” Sutton asked.
“It was small and rundown.”
Sutton scratched his chin. “It’s possible David is using his computer skills to find men down on their luck and sending James out to recruit them. Rhi, did you ever see the man after that? The one James visited?”
“Yes. About two weeks ago, he came through the line in the dining hall.”
“Lucy—”
“I’m on it. I’m going to need to reach out to Julian for a little help though. We all know what happened last time I was on the GIA’s radar.”
“If you aren’t absolutely sure you can find out what David’s doing without getting caught, we’ll find another way. I won’t see you going to prison, Little Dove,” Ryker told his niece. Rhi was caught off-guard at the gentleness in the man’s tone. She wondered what it would be like to have him speak to her with such affection. He glanced her way, and the hardness returned to his face. Rhi closed her eyes and told herself to forget about wanting to get close to the biker.
Chapter Seven
Ryker
Ryker was both excited and pissed. Excited that they were one step closer to finding Josiah, but pissed that the man had someone like Rhi’s father working for the cult. Knowing someone in the GIA was assisting the Ministry explained how they got away with so much. Was all of the agency crooked? Or was David Spencer like Ramey – a rogue figure who had infiltrated their ranks?
“The reason I was going to call was to tell you I’m having trouble getting a lock on the compound. The satellites I’ve tapped into are constantly being blocked. Now that I know David is working for Haven, this probably explains why I can’t find the location. I don’t know if he has a program in place or if he is sitting at his desk watching. Either way, I’m going to need help. It might be a long shot, but I suggest you send a couple Hounds undercover to follow the men who are in town looking for Rhi.”
“I’ll go, and I’ll take Hawk and Spyder with me. Kyllian, you and Hayden stay here to watch over the women.” Ryker had to get away from Rhi. Her furtive glances were messing with him, and his Gryphon was being a pain in the ass. It had been a long time since he and his beast were at such odds, and the sooner he got away from the woman, the better. Maybe with a little distance, Rhi would realize his younger brother was the better male for her.
You’re an idiot.
Fuck you very much.
Ryker didn’t look Rhi’s way. He didn’t want to give her any indication he was interested.
“If David’s as good as I think he is, he probably has someone headed your direction,” Lucy said.
“Then I’ll double security on the house.”
“Why don’t you bring them here? My place is more secure, and Tamian can help watch over them,” Lucy offered. It wasn’t a bad idea. Ryker’s house was in a busy neighborhood. Lucy’s home was situated on twenty acres with a lake at the back. It would be much harder for Josiah’s men to infiltrate her property.
Ryker turned to his daughter. “What do you say? Wanna go hang out at Lucy’s for a few days?”
“I’m good with that.”
Rory stood. “You go get packed, and your Pop and I will drive you and Rhiannon. Kyllian, you and Hayden can follow us.” Rory turned to Rhi. “Your safety is important to us, and Lucy’s home is the better choice as far as security is concerned.”
“You don’t have to sell me on the idea. I appreciate everything you’ve done, and I will find some way to repay your kindness.” Rhi stood and began gathering empty glasses.
“You can leave those. I’ll clean up later,” Ryker told her.
“I’ll help you, Rhi,” Hayden offered, ignoring Ryker. His beast bristled, but Ryker tuned it out. He had brought Hayden along to be a buffer of sorts, and his plan was working. Too well. His younger brother seemed smitten with the woman, and Ryker couldn’t blame him. He also couldn’t watch the two of them together, so he turned his attention to the phone.
“Lucy, it looks like you’re going to have company. Once Mac gets her things together, we’ll head your way.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you all soon.”
Ryker disconnected the call, then phoned both Hawk and Spyder, telling them to get ready to hit the road. Instead of riding their bikes, Sutton suggest driving one of the SUVs. The Hounds’ vehicles were easier to blend in with other cars than their bikes were.
Ryker needed to say something to Rhi, but he didn’t know what. He knew his parents and brothers would take care of her. Laughter brought his head up, and he looked over to where she and Hayden were coming out of the kitchen. Yes, Hayden was the better choice for the young woman, probably better than Kyllian now that Ryker knew his youngest brother was ready to settle down, but that thought stirred something ugly inside him.
He couldn’t keep ignoring Rhi, so he turned to her. “I’m not sure how long this will take, but I’ll come check on you when I return.”
Rhi’s smile was instantaneous and blinding. “You will?”
Ryker had the intense urge to grab her and kiss her. Make promises he had no right to make.
“Okay, I’m ready,” Mac said, bounding down the stairs, breaking Ryker out of his wayward musings. Mac stepped up next to Ryker, and he pulled his daughter in for a hug. Touching Mac had been awkward at first, but over the last couple of months, things had become easier between them. For all Mac had been through, she was opening up to him more and more. The first time she told him she loved him had broken open something inside the frozen shell he called a heart. For so long, Ryker had been on the outside looking in. He loved his family, and they loved him, but losing Juliette all those years ago had hardened him to the world.
“Love you, Kiddo.” Ryker pressed a kiss to the side of her head, and Mac’s face morphed into her beautiful smile. The one that looked so much like her mother’s. The reminder of his lost love no longer brought him to his knees. Having Mac in his life was the best thing that ever happened to him.
“Love you too,” she whispered.
He glanced over the top of Mac’s head when he felt eyes on him. Rhi was staring at the two of them with longing. His heart hurt for Rhi. She not only lost her mother’s love when the woman died; she also lost the other person who should have been there for her, helping a teen grieve. But losing that other part of your heart when a spouse was gone… Ryker knew all about that. He liked to think if his situation had been similar, he’d never have abandoned Mac the way David Spencer did Rhi.
Hayden broke the spell by grabbing Mac’s bag. “Come on then,” he urged.
Ryker followed his family and Rhi outside. Hayden was there, opening the back door of the SUV for Rhi. Before she climbed in, she looked back at Ryker and smiled, giving him a small wave. Hayden looked between the two of them and frowned. He closed the door behind Rhi when she was safely inside the vehicle and inclined his head to Ryker in defeat.
Well, fuck.
Ryker spent the first half hour of the drive toward New Roseville telling Spyder and Hawk about everything that transpired as well as the conversation with Lucy. Now that they knew Rhi’s father worked for the GIA, their quest for taking down the Ministry took on a new challenge, and it was one that didn’t sit well with Ryker. In targeting the cult, they w
ere also targeting Rhi’s father. Someone such as Spencer didn’t blindly follow a man like Josiah Talbert. It wouldn’t surprise Ryker if David hadn’t been helping the cult all along. They only had Rhi’s version of the story, and that was one of a thirteen-year-old girl who’d just lost her mother. Not only had she been grieving, but she was young when her life had shifted on its axis. Rhi blamed her grandmother for the turmoil, but it could be she was projecting her trauma on someone who wasn’t her father. The father who was supposed to love and support his daughter.
Ryker hated to think how this was going to affect Rhi. She had escaped the cult because she didn’t want to marry James. She escaped to get away from the oppression. Her education was lacking. Other than working in the kitchen, the young woman had no life skills. She had been sheltered. McKenzie had been raised in the same fashion. For whatever reason, both young women seemed to have a good head on their shoulders despite what they were taught. Maybe it was because they both had lived outside the cult for a number of years before being dragged into their new lives. Rhi hadn’t forsaken her pagan beliefs. She held tight to something that went against everything the Ministry stood for. She had run at the first opportunity. Both those things told Ryker Rhiannon was strong. No, she didn’t have life skills, but she could learn, the same way Mac was learning. He could see the two women becoming fast friends, using their mutual experience in the cult as the catalyst that brought them together.
It was going on seven when Ryker turned off the exit to New Roseville. As he drove down the main thoroughfare, the three of them searched the area for any sign of Josiah’s men. Ryker’s skin prickled, and his Gryphon pushed against him. “We have company.” The traffic was sparse enough for Ryker to notice when they picked up a tail. “Damnit!” He slapped his hand against the steering wheel.
“How are we going to play this?” Spyder asked.
Ryker turned into the parking lot of a steakhouse. “I’m not going to try to lose them and risk getting pulled over by the cops, so I say we meet them head-on. See what they have to say. If things get too bad, I’ll use my shifter voice.” Ryker tried not to use the Gryphon’s gift of coercion too often, but sometimes it was necessary. The car that had been following didn’t pull into the parking lot, which surprised Ryker. He was sure they were being followed.