Claiming Felicity (Ace Security #4)(6)

She looked up when Cole stepped up to her. He took her chin in his fingers and forced her head up to his. He wasn’t hurting her, but he wasn’t letting her go either. “Look me in the eyes and say it so I believe you.”

Felicity swallowed and opened her mouth, but the man at her other side got there before she could.

“Take your hands off her.” His voice was low and deadly.

Cole’s hand immediately dropped, and Felicity turned her head to look at Ryder. He was pissed. And she had no idea why. She took a small step away from him, not wanting to be anywhere near him if a fight broke out, but he wouldn’t let her. His arm shot out, hooked her around the waist with an unbreakable grip, and hauled her back so she was right next to him.

Felicity opened her mouth to protest his high-handedness, but the second she was next to him again, he dropped his hand. It was as if he wanted her next to him so he could protect her, not because he was an asshole. It made no sense, but that was the vibe she got. As irritated as she’d been at his presumptiveness the second he dropped his hand from around her, she felt almost bereft of his touch.

“I wasn’t hurting her,” Cole bit out.

“Don’t care. No one makes her do anything she doesn’t want to do,” Ryder retorted.

Felicity eyes went from one man to the other as they volleyed back and forth.

“Felicity doesn’t do anything she doesn’t want to,” Cole said after a second.

“Damn straight.”

“Look, you might be related to the Andersons, but this doesn’t involve you,” Cole told him.

“The fuck it doesn’t,” Ryder shot back.

Cole’s eyes narrowed, and the two men glared at each other.

“Um . . . he’s correct . . . Ryder? Is that right?” She was finally putting the pieces together about the man standing next to her like a pissed-off guard dog. Ryder Sinclair. No wonder he looked familiar. Half brother to the Anderson triplets. The half brother they hadn’t known existed. He’d showed up the night before, and Grace had called to let her know all about it.

Grace had wanted to talk more last night, but Felicity had seen the envelope in the mail she’d picked up from the post office, from him, and had told her friend she couldn’t talk anymore. The words on the note were burned on her brain.

Hey, sweetheart. Did you think you could get away from me? I told you I was an expert at Hide and Go Seek, but you just never learn. I’ll be seeing you soon.

Honestly, she’d expected him to find her way before now. She’d been in Castle Rock for five years now. But the note had still been a shock, and her first instinct was to run. As far away as she could get. But Cole wasn’t cooperating. All her money was tied up in the gym. She wouldn’t get very far with the two thousand bucks she had in her account at the moment. That wouldn’t even cover the cost of a new identity. Nope, she needed the fifty thousand she’d contributed to the gym.

Before moving to Castle Rock, she’d been extremely frugal, saving every penny. She’d met Cole one day when they’d literally bounced off each other while running in the park. Felicity had gone around a bend in the path and couldn’t stop herself before plowing right into him. They’d both laughed, and from that first day, they’d had been close.

They had an instant connection, not a romantic one, but one more like brother and sister. And since she’d never had a brother or sister, it felt good. Really good. Good enough for her to decide to take a risk and settle in Castle Rock. Put down roots—little ones, but roots nevertheless.

One night, not too long after they met, they were sitting in his apartment, drunk as skunks, and Cole told her about his dreams of owning his own gym. He described it so vividly, Felicity could easily picture it. Slowly over the next few months, Felicity had gotten swept up in Cole’s excitement.

Felicity had thought about the money she’d saved up. She’d been on the move for so long, she’d forgotten how nice it was to have friends. To have dreams. Plus, she was tired of running. So she’d offered Cole her life savings so he could achieve his dream. It had felt good. She loved working side by side with him. Loved making the gym a safe community place where everyone, no matter how in shape or out of shape they were, could come and work out. But now she desperately needed that money back.

“Yeah, I’m Ryder,” the man next to her said, answering her earlier question.

Felicity shook her head and told herself to concentrate on the conversation. She needed to set him straight. Show him the Felicity the world expected to see. “Right, Ryder. I appreciate you wanting to make sure I’m good, but I don’t need you or anyone else fighting my battles for me. In case you haven’t noticed, I can take care of myself.”

Instead of backing off at her caustic tone, he actually took a step closer. His gaze was piercing, and she felt as if he could read her mind. See how scared and freaked out she was inside.

“Be that as it may, you don’t have to anymore. And as I told Cole, no one touches you without your permission.”

“He’s my friend,” Felicity said. “He’s allowed.”

Ryder shook his head.

She’d opened her mouth to reply with an extremely juvenile comeback when Cole spoke up.

“He’s right. I’m sorry, Felicity. But I know you. When you won’t look at me when you’re talking to me, you’re lying. Look me in the eyes and tell me that if I give you the fifty thousand, you won’t disappear.”