Guarded by the Soldier Read online

  Sipping his coffee, Ryker focused on the computer screen. His phone indicated less than a fifty percent charge on the battery, but he had a charger in the SUV, so he didn’t hesitate to use it as a hot spot for his computer.

  The Blake-Moore Group’s website hadn’t been updated or changed in any way since the last time he’d checked. He did another search on both Kevin Blake and Harper Moore, but knew that both men were experts at staying off-grid.

  He tried to think of another way to figure out who Blake or Moore had sent to pick up Olivia. The way the man had grabbed and dragged her backward on the street, while the other one had grabbed Aaron, led him to believe they hadn’t been sent to outright kill either of them.

  Not until they had whatever it was they wanted.

  But what?

  A physical item? He rolled the idea over in his mind. With Olivia on the run it didn’t make sense that she’d have anything of value on her person. No, it must be a memory. Something she knew that must be important.

  But Olivia said she didn’t know anything. Didn’t understand why Blake-Moore had come after her. How would they figure out what it was the mercenaries wanted?

  The whole thing made his head hurt.

  Ryker tried another angle, checking on some of the companies who’d provided reviews about the great work the Blake-Moore Group had done for them. As he scanned the reviews, he read about a hostage rescue the Blake-Moore Group had performed roughly four years ago.

  It was old news, but he couldn’t help but wonder if this was one of the first missions Olivia’s husband had done. He remembered how she’d mentioned the Fourth of July celebration and how there had once been a lot of camaraderie. It made sense if they were celebrating their success.

  They’d been a legitimate group once; the hostage rescue proved that. But something had changed over time. Maybe it had been taking on Todd Hayes as a client. Maybe they’d started with lower-level government workers and had eventually proved themselves worthy.

  Yet he knew Colin Yonkers had played a role in selling guns to the enemy. It was possible that Tim hadn’t realized how far Colin had gotten into trouble until it was too late.

  He straightened in his seat. What if Tim had confided in Olivia? Could be that he shared something he shouldn’t have.

  “I hav’ta go potty.” Aaron’s young voice coming from the living room drew him from his dark thoughts.

  “This way, sweetie.” Olivia took her son’s hand and led him to the bathroom.

  Ryker quickly turned off the computer and tucked it into Olivia’s large bag. He put his phone in his pocket, making a note to charge it once they were in the SUV. He finished his coffee, then quickly washed the cup and replaced it in the cupboard.

  As soon as Olivia and Aaron were finished in the bathroom, it would be time to hit the road. They weren’t that far from Nashville, but he’d also considered heading north to where he knew Duncan O’Hare and the Callahan family were located.

  The Blake-Moore Group wouldn’t expect them to double back the way they’d come.

  He wasn’t sure Olivia would like that idea, but having others available to help watch over her and Aaron was more important than staying hidden in the forest.

  Olivia and Aaron emerged from the bathroom fifteen minutes later. She crossed over to take her bag, surprised to find the laptop in there.

  “Sorry, but I thought it would be easier for me to carry it from now on,” he explained.

  “I just need a change of clothes for Aaron. He wants to wear big-boy undies.” She set the laptop aside and rummaged around for what she needed, then replaced the computer.

  “We need to leave,” he reminded her. “We can stop for breakfast on the way.”

  “This will only take a minute.” She took Aaron over to the sofa and managed to get the squirmy boy into clean clothes.

  “Ready?” He took the discarded pajamas from her and stuffed them into the bag, before looping the strap over his shoulder.

  “You know that’s basically a glorified diaper bag, right?” She held out a hand. “I’ll carry it.”

  “I don’t mind.” The surprise in her eyes made him wonder if her husband hadn’t liked carrying the black-and-white zebra-striped bag. He didn’t understand what the big deal was. Besides, adding the laptop made the bag heavy. Better for him to shoulder the burden. “Let’s go.”

  He followed her and Aaron outside. The sun was nice, but would grow impossibly warm as the day went on.

  Olivia buckled Aaron in his car seat, while he set the bag on the floor of the passenger-side seat. Within minutes they were on the road.

  “Why are we going back the way we came?” Olivia asked.

  “There was a family restaurant I thought would be a good place to have breakfast.” He knew he’d have to discuss his plan to head north in more detail soon.

  “I was thinking the fast-food restaurant we used last night would be better. I remember seeing a play area for Aaron.” She glanced at him. “Their breakfast sandwiches are decent.”

  “Sure, why not?” He was more than willing to make her happy. After several miles, he turned into the parking lot. He parked off to the opposite side of the building from where the play area was located.

  The restaurant was situated near the base of a mountain with a hiking trail that led down to a tree-laden ravine. Ryker looped the diaper bag over his shoulder, then swept his gaze over the area, scanning for anything out of the ordinary.

  There was nothing suspicious, so they went inside and ordered their breakfast. They chose a table in the back, near the indoor play area. Aaron drank his chocolate milk in ten seconds flat, then wanted to go down the slide.

  “Go ahead,” Olivia said. “You can eat your breakfast bagel in the car.”

  Ryker had only taken a few bites of his breakfast sandwich when he caught a glimpse of a black SUV with tinted windows driving past the restaurant. It slowed dramatically, causing the driver behind it to lay on the horn.

  A warning chill snaked over him. He instantly stood and stuffed his meal back into the wrapper and tucked it in the bag. “Get Aaron. We need to go.”

  “Go where?” Olivia turned to follow his gaze, then went pale. She stashed her sandwich with his, then rose to her feet looking for her son. “Aaron!”

  “Wheee!” The little boy was laughing with glee as he came down the slide.

  Ryker shouldered the oversize bag, then crossed over to get Aaron. Thankfully, the boy didn’t cry, but wiggled around impatiently. “No. I wanna go down the slide.”

  Ryker ignored him. “This way.” He headed toward the back door of the restaurant.

  Outside, he could see the path going down to the ravine. He debated for a moment, then realized that if the Blake-Moore mercenaries had run his license plate, the vehicle wasn’t safe.

  “We’re heading down the path,” he whispered.

  To her credit, Olivia didn’t complain, but led the way down the winding trail. He worried she might fall, so he didn’t rush her despite his instincts screaming that they needed to hurry.

  Two car doors slammed loudly. From this angle, he couldn’t see his vehicle, but imagined that the two men would check his SUV first, before going inside the restaurant. Precious seconds that they needed in order to stay ahead of them.

  He and Olivia continued down the path dropping out of sight from the restaurant, but it wouldn’t be long before the mercenaries realized they were on foot and likely on the hiking trail.

  Escaping two armed men without a set of wheels would be impossible. He was armed, but they would have double the firepower.

  Dread tightened his chest, making it difficult to breathe. Once again, he’d waited too long to call for backup and had put their lives in jeopardy.

  FOUR

  Her heart thundered so loudly she was surprised Ryker didn’t hear it. Maneuverin
g down the dirt path wasn’t easy because she couldn’t see her feet over her stomach. The only reason she was able to move quickly was because Ryker was carrying both her bag and Aaron.

  “Where are we going?” Aaron asked.

  “Shh. Be quiet. We’re playing a game of hide-and-seek.” Ryker’s attempt to keep her son silent was genius.

  To be honest, she hadn’t seen anything suspicious when Ryker had rushed them out of the fast-food restaurant. But once they’d gotten outside, she’d heard two car doors slamming shut. Two men? Like the two who’d come after her and Aaron in Harrisburg? She swallowed hard, horrified at the idea of more men coming after them, yet she was extremely thankful she wasn’t alone.

  She firmly believed God had sent Ryker to keep her and Aaron safe.

  How in the world had the Blake-Moore Group found them again? They weren’t that far from Harrisburg, yet she couldn’t begin to understand how they’d tracked her and Ryker to the fast-food place.

  Except, Ryker hadn’t killed the man who’d grabbed her on the street; he’d only knocked him out. Could the assailant have regained consciousness long enough to watch them escape in Ryker’s SUV? Had he somehow used the license plate to track them down? She knew from firsthand experience that the Blake-Moore Group had connections within law enforcement.

  Her right foot slipped on a rock, sending her reeling off-balance. Her weight shifted and she teetered for a long second, her arms flailing, knowing she was going to fall. Ryker’s hand shot out, grabbing hers in the nick of time, holding her steady.

  “You all right?” he whispered.

  “Yes.” Her voice cracked as she realized how close she’d come to falling the rest of the way down the trail. Ryker’s hand was strong, but not painfully so and she gripped it like the lifeline it was. “Thanks.”

  “We have to keep going.” His low voice held an unmistakable urgency. She nodded and continued down the path, doing her best to keep from slipping on another rock.

  “I thought we were playing hide-and-seek?” Aaron’s tone was plaintive.

  “We are,” Ryker assured him. “Shh.”

  Thankfully, Aaron stuck his thumb in his mouth.

  Their progress seemed incredibly slow and she knew that it was her fault. But even though she felt Ryker’s tall, lean frame behind her, she never once heard him sigh impatiently, the way she knew Tim would have.

  Enough. She couldn’t keep comparing Ryker to Tim in her mind. Her husband was gone, had frankly disappeared emotionally long before he’d died.

  She needed to stay strong and focused on surviving, for Aaron’s sake and for the baby.

  When she stumbled across a fork in the trail, she paused and glanced over her shoulder at Ryker. “Which way?”

  “Right.”

  Right? That path went uphill, while the other one led down. Her instincts were to keep going down, but she didn’t question Ryker’s decision.

  If she thought heading down was difficult because she couldn’t see her feet, climbing up was even worse. Sure, she could see the trail ahead of her as they went, but it didn’t take long for her to begin panting heavily with exertion.

  At this rate, the bad guys would find them within seconds by following the sound of her breathing louder than a wounded buffalo.

  Her thigh muscles were on fire and it was all she could do to keep from groaning out loud as she forced herself to keep climbing. Praying helped for a while, but then even that was too much work. When she stopped, even for a moment, she felt Ryker’s hand on her lower back, keeping her steady without pressuring her to go faster.

  She kept climbing, for him. For Aaron. For the baby.

  I can do this.

  The words became a chant in her mind, until she couldn’t think of anything other than taking the next step, then the next. I can do this. Sweat slid down the sides of her face, dampening her hair and her clothes.

  Still, she climbed.

  The only good thing about heading up was that they were getting closer to the woods. Tall trees full of leaves rustled overhead, providing desperately needed shade from the hot morning sun.

  When she thought she couldn’t take another step, she felt Ryker’s hand on her shoulder. “See the rock over there? We’ll stop there for now.”

  She wanted to sink instantly to the ground but managed to find the strength to take the necessary steps toward the large boulder protruding from the mountain.

  “Sit here, beneath the edge of the rock.” Ryker’s whisper along with the fact that he wanted her to hide beneath the boulder indicated they weren’t safe yet.

  Gratefully, she sat down and scooted as far under the outcropping as possible. Then she lifted her hands for Aaron.

  “I don’t wanna play hide-and-seek anymore,” he complained. “I’m hungry.”

  Ryker set her bag beside her. “I need you to stay here. I’ll be back soon.”

  Despite her bone-weary exhaustion, she lunged for his hand. “Don’t leave us.”

  He knelt so he was eye level with her, his thumb lightly caressing the back of her hand. “I won’t be long. I need to get up higher, to see the trail.”

  She knew he meant he needed to see the men who were desperate to find them.

  To find her.

  Clutching Aaron close, she tried to keep from falling apart. “Okay,” she whispered. “We’ll be fine.”

  Ryker nodded and released her, rising to his feet. He moved silently away, leaving her and Aaron alone beneath the rock, surrounded by woods.

  Closing her eyes, she noiselessly prayed the way Willa had taught her.

  Dear Lord, please give Ryker the strength he needs to keep us all safe. Watch over us and guide us on Your chosen path. Amen.

  Her eyes pricked with tears when she thought about Willa. The woman had willingly opened her heart and her home to a pregnant stranger, and Liv knew she’d be forever thankful for the way Willa had brought her into the church and shown her the way to God.

  Why had the kind woman died? Was that really part of God’s plan? She sniffled and tried to brush away her tears. This wasn’t the time to wallow in pity. Willa would want her to be strong for Aaron and her unborn child.

  “I’m hungry,” Aaron said again, making her realize she’d forgotten.

  “I have your breakfast bagel.” She rummaged in the bag, finding the slightly squished sandwich. After opening it for Aaron, she gave it to him. The egg and cheese were more than a little melted, but he ate with gusto.

  Knowing she needed to keep up her own strength, she unwrapped her sandwich and forced herself to take a bite. She wasn’t hungry, but could feel the baby kicking and knew they both needed fuel if she were to keep going.

  The idea of climbing the mountain again made her swallow a moan. She wasn’t sure her legs would last for much longer. Even at rest, her thigh muscles were quivering. Not only was she carrying the extra weight of her pregnancy, but she’d never been one of those women who worked out in the gym. She’d always preferred long walks to running or lifting weights.

  But now she realized just how out of shape she really was. And that her lack of physical endurance could easily get them all killed.

  Silently promising to join a gym once the baby was born, she finished her sandwich. Aaron finished his, too, and then began to squirm in her lap.

  “I wanna walk.” He leaned forward, in an attempt to crawl off her lap.

  “Shh.” She squelched a surge of panic that Aaron might throw a temper tantrum that would lead the bad guys straight to them. “We’re still playing hide-and-seek. We’re hiding beneath the rock so that no one will find us.”

  For a moment, he seemed agreeable to continue the game. Aaron crawled off her lap and went farther beneath the rock. She didn’t stop him, hoping that allowing him some ability to move around would help keep him quiet.

  A pair of b
lack-denim-clad legs abruptly dropped down on the ground in front of her. She almost screamed, until she recognized Ryker.

  She put a hand over her racing heart, swallowing the urge to snap at him. He’d been so quiet, she hadn’t heard him approach. “You scared me,” she accused in a harsh whisper.

  “Sorry.” His hazel eyes looked at her for a long moment, and she put a hand to her disheveled hair, wishing she didn’t look like a sweaty whale. “I want you to take my phone.”

  Confused, she looked from the cell phone in his hand back to him. “Why?”

  He hesitated. “I called a couple of friends for help. I’m hoping they’ll call back soon. The phone is on vibrate, so it won’t ring.”

  “Friends?” Warily, she took the phone, the device warm from his touch. “Are you sure we can trust them?”

  “With my life.”

  And mine? The words hovered on her lips, but she managed to hold them back. Ryker had protected her and Aaron over and over again. There was no reason to doubt his loyalty now. “Okay.”

  He nodded. “They’re in Milwaukee, so it will take them at least eight to nine hours to get here by car.”

  Eight to nine hours? The spark of hope in her chest withered and died. “That’s a long time.”

  “I know.” The corner of his mouth quirked in a smile. “I’m planning to meet them halfway.”

  “How?”

  “Trust me, okay?” She wanted to ask more, but Ryker rose to his feet. “I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

  With that, he was gone, melting into the brush as silently as he’d arrived. It occurred to her that he must have been an incredible soldier.

  She picked up the phone and stared at the screen, willing it to flash with an incoming call.

  Friends of Ryker helping them would certainly level the playing field, yet she couldn’t help feeling a bit guilty.

  Ryker and now his friends were putting their lives on the line for her and Aaron. It was noble of them to protect her like this.