Claiming Felicity (Ace Security #4)(16)

Felicity had her hands resting on the wall behind her, at the small of her back, and her eyes never stopped scanning. They flitted from one person to another. Assessing. Scrutinizing each and every person. Someone dropped a weight nearby, and Felicity jumped and took three steps away from where the noise came from before stopping herself. She laughed, but it was easy to see, even from this distance, that it had been forced.

Cole turned back to Ryder. “She could be spooked because of everything that’s happened recently with the Inca Boyz.”

They both knew the man was grasping at straws.

“Maybe. But my guess is that her request for the fifty thousand coincided with whatever she’s running from catching up with her.”

Cole’s hands fisted. “Someone’s after her?”

Ryder shrugged one shoulder. “That’s my guess.”

“Why wouldn’t she tell me? Or Logan, Blake, or Nathan? We can protect her. She doesn’t have to run.”

“When all you’ve ever done is run, it’s easier to do what you know. What’s worked in the past,” Ryder said.

Cole went to step around the reception desk, but Ryder stopped him. “No. You cannot confront her about this.”

“The fuck I can’t,” Cole muttered.

Ryder stepped in front of the other man, physically blocking him.

“Get out of my way,” Cole bit out.

“I’ve got this.”

“Whatever. You don’t even know her.”

“I know her better than you do, and I’ve only been here a week.”

“Fuck you. You just want in her pants, and then you’ll be gone.”

Ryder ignored the barb for now. Cole would learn exactly what Felicity meant to him in good time. For now, he needed to stop the man from doing the one thing that would certainly make Felicity bolt.

“Underneath that badass exterior is a woman who is scared out of her mind. She’s smart, way smarter than she lets anyone know. She has a quote on her forearm that says, ‘We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.’ Do you know who said that?”

Cole shook his head.

“Albert Einstein. I looked it up last night. Why would she choose that quote if it didn’t mean something to her? Her black hair is cute, but it’s not her natural color.”

“I don’t even want to know how you know that,” Cole said, his eyes flashing over to the window once more.

“Stop being an asshole and listen to me. I haven’t slept with her. If you took half a second and paid more attention, you’d see it. She’s got bright-blue eyes. Pale skin. Light eyebrows. Not to mention blonde arm hairs. If that ebony hair was natural, it’s likely the rest of her would be darker as well. She’s trying to disguise the real her. Have you been up to her apartment?”

Cole’s eyes were on Ryder now. He nodded.

“And did you see it? Really see it?”

“She’s a neatnik. Everything has a place—that’s how she likes things,” Cole said.

“Right. But she has not one personal item in her place at all. It’s sterile. As though if she left, no one would know anything about her. There aren’t any pictures of her godchildren. If she and Grace are such good friends, where are the pictures of the two of them?”

“I . . .” Cole began to speak, but his mouth simply opened and closed as if he didn’t know what to say.

Ryder leaned forward. “I am not going to hurt her, Cole. I’d sooner cut off my own arm than cause her one second of pain. But she needs help, or she’s going to bolt. She’ll cut you and the rest of her friends off without a second glance, and you’ll never hear from her again. I’m going to figure out who she’s running from, and I’ll kill him if I have to. It won’t be the first time.”

Cole’s eyes narrowed. “Who are you?”

Ryder smiled. “I’m Logan, Blake, and Nathan’s half brother.”

Cole shook his head. “No. I mean, yes, you are, but you’re in a whole different league from them. I shouldn’t be happy that someone who freely admits to killing wants one of my closest friends, but for some reason I believe you when you say you won’t hurt her.”

“I won’t,” Ryder told the other man. “And you should know, I’ve never felt like this before. Never. She’s special, and I’m going to do whatever it takes so she can live the rest of her life without fear. Here in Castle Rock with her friends.”

“You don’t live here,” Cole noted. “Assuming your job is down there in the Springs.”

Ryder simply shrugged. “I’m done with my previous occupation.”

“Just like that?” Cole asked with raised eyebrows.

“Just like that. The second I made the decision to come up here and meet my brothers, I knew I’d be making an occupation change. And meeting Felicity just solidified that. I won’t risk her, or my family, being exposed to the kinds of people I would have to deal with if I stayed. Not to mention, I’m not willing to spend weeks, and sometimes months, away from her.”

“You’re serious.”

“Deadly.” Ryder’s eyes flicked to where Felicity had been standing and saw that she was on the move. Toward them. He needed to wrap this up and make sure Cole knew how serious the situation was. “I don’t know who is after her . . . yet. But don’t let her out of your sight. If I’m not around, be on her like white on rice.”