Agony swelled from the kid along with a strong shimmer of fear.
Ryker tried to calm his system. No matter what happened, he wouldn’t let anybody hurt this boy ever again. Right now he needed cooperation to make that happen. “How about we show you the plan to draw in Madison or her soldiers? If soldiers show up, they can lead us back to her. It’s really the only way.”
Greg dropped his head forward. “You’re all gonna end up dead.”
“We’re tougher than you think.” Ryker gently slid a hand along the kid’s nape and tugged him to his side. “How about we all work together on this?”
Greg’s shoulders slumped. “Fine, but don’t ever say I didn’t warn you. For now, please distance yourself from Zara. She doesn’t have any clue what’s out there, and it’s your job to keep it like that.”
“I know. But she has her own issues going on, and I need to cover her on that side, too,” Ryker said.
Greg’s head jerked up. “What issues?”
Man, the kid had a crush, didn’t he? “I’ve got it covered, pal.” Ryker nudged Greg back into Denver’s office. He would try to protect the kid as much as possible. “So here’s the plan. We have a safe house across town, and there we can set a trap for Madison or her soldiers or whoever shows up.” Grabbing a notepad from the corner, he started to sketch. “Feel free to jump in with ideas.”
Chapter
21
Zara shifted beneath the covers and tried to find a cool spot for her feet. Ryker put off a lot of heat at night. He lay on his stomach, taking up most of her bed, breathing softly into a pillow.
It felt right, ending their day together.
She swallowed. Her throat ached. Man, she was thirsty. Gingerly, she slid from the bed and drew on her fuzzy pink robe. Chances were Greg was dead asleep, but just in case, she didn’t want to freak out the kid in her Minnie Mouse shorts and tank top. She shoved hair away from her face and padded quietly through her bedroom and out into the living room.
Cool air hit her.
Good. She’d have to start sleeping with the window open if Ryker kept staying over. At least if there was a long-term heat outage, she’d be toasty warm every night with him.
If he stayed. The idea gave her warm tingles through her abdomen.
It kind of felt like he did want to stay, and she’d started to wonder if they could make it work. She reached the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water, then quickly drank it down. Better. Much better. She slowly refilled the glass.
The air felt funny. She stilled.
Muscled arms grabbed her from behind.
She stiffened and then struggled. Panic swamped her.
A huge hand, covered in hair, slapped duct tape over her mouth. She screamed for Ryker beneath it, shooting both elbows back into the guy’s gut, panic giving her strength.
Suddenly, the body behind her was ripped away, sending her sprawling into the refrigerator. She fell to the floor. Pain slapped from her hands to her elbows. Two bodies hit and kicked quickly, grunting in anger and pain. One was much slimmer than the other one. “Greg?” She shoved to her feet. The guy he was fighting with wore all black, and something covered his entire head.
Ryker barreled out of the bedroom in a rush of speed.
The front door blew open, and two more men rushed inside, both wearing ski masks and black clothing. Ryker pivoted and attacked both men, tackling them against the wall. Pictures dropped. A gun flew out and spun across the room. Something loud crunched, and one of the men screamed, pain filling the sound.
The guy in the kitchen lifted Greg and threw him. Greg hit the counter, bounced up, and lunged at the attacker right before he could reach Zara.
Zara ripped the tape off her mouth, shoved to her feet, and dove for the gun in the living room. What was going on? Her hands fumbled madly for the weapon.
A foot connected with her chin, and stars flashed behind her eyes. Nausea filled her stomach. God. Tears filled her eyes. Where was the gun? What happened to the gun? She crab-walked across the room, her hands slapping against the floor.
The attacker in the kitchen shoved Greg into cupboards, and pots and pans flew out. Greg kicked up, hitting the guy beneath the chin. The attacker flew back and into the refrigerator.
Zara blinked tears from her eyes. How could this be happening? Her jaw pounded in pain, and dots filled her vision. Ryker fought near the door, taking on two men, punching the first in the jaw. The guy’s head snapped back with an audible crack.
The man in the kitchen punched Greg in the gut. The kid doubled over.
Fury flowed through Zara, and she pivoted to help him.
The attacker slammed Greg on the shoulder and took out a gun. Greg dropped to one knee and looked up, pure rage across his young face. His muscles bunched to move, but the attacker cocked the gun and pointed it at his forehead.