Witness Pursuit (Bodyguards #1)

“I need to use the bathroom.”


“Changing the subject, are you?” He switched the door locks off and hopped out. After reaching back in, he pulled her to her feet.

“Oh, my glasses.” She retrieved them and slid them onto her nose.

He tucked her under his shoulder and walked her to the entrance.

“I won’t be long.” She veered toward the restrooms and shoved open the heavy swinging door. In front of the mirror, she stared at her reflection. Ugh. Her hair was so knotted. She marched to the large metal dispenser on the wall. Hopefully it held the usual things a woman needed.

Yep, there were pads, tampons, test kits and ah, combs. Perfect.

Whoa. Pregnancy test kits?

Leaning her hands flat against the dispenser, she dragged in a deep, deep breath. Okay, she was after a comb, not a test kit, except the only thought racing through her head was the fact she hadn’t had a period since she’d boarded Tyler’s ship. She should have had one by now, like over a week ago.

Sure, this past week she’d been unable to eat and felt sick when she did. Her breasts were bigger, and she’d never been on the pill. Heck. They hadn’t used protection that first night or much in the first few days, and yeah, right then in the SUV. Tyler’s use of condoms wasn’t that great.

Oh boy.

After slipping a ten-dollar note into the dispenser, she selected the test kit. The machine shuffled one forward and dropped it out.

Oh boy. Oh boy.

She dragged her feet to the bathroom stall. Then following the instructions, she waited the mandatory one minute with her head bent between her knees.

How could she have let this happen? She was in The Program.

Her watch beeped, but she already knew the answer. The truth resonated deep in her heart.

As she lifted her head, she ran her finger over the tiny red symbol, and it was positive, without a doubt.

Crap.



Tyler rapped his watch as everyone who’d gone in after Lydia left, and still, no sign of her. What could be taking her so long?

Finally the door swung open and she emerged. With his mind so strained with need, he almost barreled her down as he grabbed her. Something was wrong. Her face was flushed, her hair still a tumbled mess. Cupping her cheeks in his hands, he looked into her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“I-I–” She drew in a shaky breath. “There was a dispenser with test kits.”

He had no idea what a test kit was, but a test of any sort didn’t sound good going by her current reaction. Then she passed him a little white stick, and a red plus sign pulsed at him like a stoplight at an intersection. “Ah, is this what I think it is? A pregnancy test?”

“Yes.” Her single word was filled with such anguish. Tears flowed down her cheeks. “I’m sorry. This wasn’t even on my radar until I went in there.”

She was pregnant. Lydia was going to give him a son or a daughter and Nico a cousin. He slid the small life-changing stick into his pocket and clutched her close.

Damn. Now he had a woman deep in The Program and an unborn child to protect, a difficult task considering he struggled to stay in control of his emotions around her, and wasn’t even supposed to be here.

“Tyler.” Brigs jogged toward them, skirting people strolling the main corridor.

He turned back to Lydia and gently wiped her tears away. “We’ll talk about this later.”

She hiccupped. “Y-you–”

“Guys.” Brigs stepped up to them. “You two took so long, I thought I’d better come.” He eyed Lydia. “Hey, I know you’ve had a rough day, but the kid is fine.”

“Let’s go.” Tyler wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her down the corridor. They passed a cafeteria bustling with doctors and nurses then slowed as they neared the elevators.

Brigs edged in closer as people passed by. “You should know Colt and his wife and kids, along with biker-boy, Slade, and another young boy named Tate, are all up there. Colt spoke to Ronson Brown earlier on the phone and he’s on his way. He should be here within the half hour.”

“This is getting complicated.” The metal doors swished open and the three of them stepped inside. Tyler jabbed the close button before anyone else could join them. Lydia was the one woman in the world he’d never turn his back on. The stick in his pocket only cemented that decision. “Ronson Brown will need to know who I am.”

Lydia’s gaze darted to his. “What? No. I can accept your visits in secret, but Gilchrist will have me moved if he finds out I broke the rules and had contact with you. You can’t tell Ronson. He’ll tell Gilchrist.”

“I can’t look after you the way I need to from a distance. Not now.” He squeezed her hands.