Claiming Felicity (Ace Security #4)(60)

It was one thing to rescue a woman who’d been held captive as a sex slave and find she’d been reduced to a shell of who she’d likely been before. It was one thing to break into a room where a woman was being held captive by an ex-lover who held a knife to her throat. It was one thing to pick up a child who was so scared, every muscle in her body stiffened at his touch, even if it was gentle.

It was another thing altogether to drug his woman, kidnap his nephew, and expect him to take it lightly. A switch had been flicked inside Ryder, and he wasn’t sure he’d ever be the same again. Hate welled up inside him, so thick and viscous it made breathing difficult. Joseph Waters was a dead man. Ryder would make sure his death was slow and painful. He’d bring him to a place the mercenaries had in the mountains and extract his revenge from his flesh inch by fucking inch. The man would wish he’d never even heard Felicity’s name by the time he was done.

Felicity.

Ryder looked down at the woman he loved. Her eyes were closed, but she was alive. He sat on the couch and pulled her into his arms. He should be doing something right now. Talking to Logan. Trying to call Rex. Going to meet the police officers. Something.

But all he could do was bury his face into Felicity’s hair and thank God she was alive and safe. As the feelings of hate warred with the feelings of relief that she was in his arms, Ryder mentally planned.

Joseph would be contacting Felicity; he was sure of it. He’d just have to be ready when he did.





Chapter Seventeen

Felicity heard low voices all around her. She was extremely groggy but forced her eyes open. She didn’t recognize where she was. The room was lit by light coming in from a half-opened door nearby, and she saw Ryder standing at the foot of the bed she was lying on, talking with Blake.

“Ryder?” she said, although it came out more as a croak than an actual word.

Within seconds, he was at her side. “Hey.”

“Where are we?”

He didn’t answer for a second, but then said, “The hospital.”

Felicity crinkled her brow. The hospital? She couldn’t remember anything. “Are you all right?”

His lips quirked, but he didn’t laugh. “I’m fine. We’re here because of you. Do you remember what happened last night?”

She immediately shook her head, but asked, “Joseph?”

The anger and frustration was easy to see in Ryder’s hazel eyes as he nodded. “Do you remember me getting a text from Blake?”

Felicity frowned, but then nodded. “Yeah. You were worried about him.” She saw Blake shift next to her, but didn’t take her eyes off Ryder.

“Well, it was a setup, just like I thought in the first place. I shouldn’t have left you alone.”

“Did he rape me?” Felicity asked, not really wanting to hear the answer, but scared not to at the same time.

“No.” Ryder’s answer was swift and succinct.

“Then what?”

“He drugged you. With ketamine and Rohypnol. In your water.”

Felicity let that sink in. No wonder she didn’t remember what happened. “Why? Just to prove that he could?”

Ryder ran a hand through his hair, and he looked away from her for the first time. Felicity had been confused and nervous when she’d woken up, but it was nothing compared to how she was feeling now. A pit formed in her belly, and she felt her hands begin to shake. “What happened?” she asked in a whisper.

Ryder looked back at her then, and she felt Blake’s hand press into her calf. Felicity steeled herself.

“Nate is gone.”

Felicity blinked. “What?”

“Nate. Joseph drugged you, then entered your apartment and took Nate. We know it was him because the external cameras showed him clearly. Fucker even made a point to look up, straight into the lens, and smirk as he was leaving.”

“But you found him, right?”

Ryder merely shook his head.

Felicity stared at him for a moment, then her gaze swung to Blake. “Joseph has called, though, hasn’t he? To tell you how much money he wants?”

She felt Ryder’s finger on her chin as he gently forced her to look at him. “Joseph hasn’t called, love. Nate’s been gone for twenty hours. We don’t know where he is and have no leads.”

Felicity blinked. Then promptly began to hyperventilate. This was her worst fear come to life. Someone else she loved had been hurt because of her. Grace and Logan had to be devastated. God, the twins had been put under her care, and she’d failed them. Utterly. Tears sprang to her eyes, and there was no way she could hold them back. Not hiding them or even trying to wipe them away, Felicity looked up at Ryder helplessly.

“Breathe,” he said firmly. “Slow down your breathing or you’re going to hurt yourself.”

She tried, but it was impossible. There wasn’t enough air in the room. She was suffocating.

Ryder took hold of her head and brought his face inches from hers. “Breathe with me. Watch me. That’s it. In . . . hold it . . . out. Good. Again.”

Felicity did as Ryder ordered, mimicking his breathing and eventually slowing down her own breaths long enough to get a steady stream of oxygen into her lungs. She was aware of Ryder brushing her tears away with his thumbs, but she hardly felt it through her grief.