Claiming Felicity (Ace Security #4)(30)

Then when Grace had gotten together with Logan, she bragged to him and his brothers about her badass best friend, and Felicity hadn’t wanted to burst her bubble. She liked the respect she saw in their eyes when the Anderson brothers looked at her.

But somehow Ryder had seen right through the shield she’d had up and broken right past it. She knew it was only a matter of time before she told him everything. She wanted to. She just had to build up the nerve.

Felicity rolled out of bed and headed for the attached bathroom. Cole wanted to talk to her today about some marketing ideas for the gym, and she had some other errands she needed to get done. As much as she wanted to hide out in her room, she knew she couldn’t. Life went on. Even when stalked by a psycho asshole.



“Yeah, her name is Megan Parkins. I told you already that she’s most likely from Chicago. Have you gotten anything on the name Joseph Waters yet?”

Ryder’s friend, Meat, said, “Not yet. But having her name will certainly help.”

“I’m going to call Rex,” Ryder said. Calling his handler wasn’t something the mercenaries usually did. Rex usually got in touch with them, not the other way around. But Ryder wasn’t willing to sit back any longer than necessary. Not when it meant Felicity would be in danger. All the Mountain Mercenaries knew their handler had connections. Deep and sometimes scary ones. It was how he got his intel about what missions to send them on.

If Meat was having trouble finding Joseph Waters and what his connections were—because it was more than obvious he had them—then perhaps Rex could assist.

“That’s a good idea,” Meat said. “I’ve found a couple of men named Joseph Waters in Chicago, but none seem like they’d be your guy. Rex has contacts he can use to delve deeper.”

Ryder nodded even though his friend couldn’t see it. “Yeah, that’s what I thought too. I appreciate your help, though.”

“Anytime. As soon as I have a dossier written up on Megan, I’ll encrypt it and send it.”

Ryder bit back the immediate protest that sprang to his lips. He knew he needed more information, but he wanted Felicity to be the one to talk to him. Getting the information in the official report that they used before heading off on a mission seemed . . . wrong. But all he said to Meat was, “Thanks. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Later, Ryder.”

As Ryder clicked off his phone, he thought about the situation. He’d felt eyes on him just as Felicity said she had over the last week. It was as if the asshole was simply biding his time. And that meant he was patient . . . and therefore way more dangerous than a spontaneous, impulsive, crazy asshole.

Most stalkers didn’t have the wherewithal to control their urges to possess, or hurt, their prey. Joseph seemed especially threatening since he had to have seen Felicity with him. Had to know Ryder was protecting her. Him being at her side would make whatever Joseph had planned more difficult. Getting to Felicity would be more complicated. Ryder wouldn’t, and couldn’t, underestimate the man.

“Good morning.”

Ryder turned and smiled at Felicity. She stood at the entrance to her small kitchen. Her dark hair was sticking up in spikes all around her head, and she was wearing a gray baseball shirt over a pair of jeans. She’d gone heavy on her makeup, but he could still see the dark circles under her eyes that she’d tried too hard to conceal. He hated that she wasn’t sleeping well, but truth be told, neither was he. It wasn’t the lumpiness of the couch that had him tossing and turning all night, but the thought of someone somehow slipping past him and getting to Felicity.

“Morning, love. You look beautiful this morning.”

She blushed, but gave him a small smile.

“What’s on the agenda today?”

Felicity brushed past him and reached for the refrigerator door handle. She opened it and pulled out a V8 juice. She unscrewed the top and eyed him as she took a long sip. Finally, she asked, “How long are you going to do this?

“Do what?”

She waved her hand. “Sleep on my couch. Monitor my every step.”

“As long as it takes.”

She put the bottle down on the counter and frowned up at him. “You don’t know him, Ryder. He’ll wait you out.”

“Then he’ll have a very long wait. I have no intention of going anywhere.”

“You can’t stay up here forever. You have a job down in Colorado Springs.”

“Actually, no, I don’t,” Ryder countered. “I told you before, I’m a liability now. I have too many connections. The thing that made me so good at my job was that I was a loner. I didn’t have anyone in my circle. Yeah, I had my mom until she passed, but not a lot of people knew about her.”

“You’re quitting?”

“Yup.”

Felicity looked confused. “But . . . you need to do something, right?”

“Not for a while. I got paid very well for what I did. I’ve got plenty of money. In fact, I was hoping you might go house shopping with me at some point.”

Felicity shook her head as if she hadn’t heard him right. “What? A house? Here?”

“Yeah. Here.”

They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds. “You’re moving here?” she asked quietly.

“Yes, Felicity. My family is here. I want to watch my nephews grow up. I want to get to know my brothers better. And you’re here. You have your gym, and your friends are here.”