Page 55 of Saved from Deception

Rylan takes a hand off the steering wheel and reaches over, squeezing my leg gently. “It’s going to be fine. I’ll be there, Cole, Leo, Nora—and one of the awesome things about Nora is people always underestimate her, and then she comes out of nowhere to kick their asses—and Dante, too. Plus, Maya and Georgia will be there for moral support.”

“You’re right.” I glance over at him, and he gives me a little smile before returning his gaze to the road. “I’m getting all worked up over nothing.”

“It’s not nothing, love.” And I love that he calls me that. It just sort of happened when Ry was all worried about me at my meeting with Cole, and it’s stuck since then. It’s not the same as saying I love you, but it’s close.

Rylan moves his hand to my neck, rubbing at my nape. “It’s natural that you’re feeling nervous. If you really don’t want to go, we can turn around. Everyone will understand.”

“No. I want to go.” Mostly.

I do want to spend time with all Rylan’s friends and feel normal again. Now that the web crawler that Beth and Tex developed is up and running, and Morgan and Caroline are awaiting trial, there’s a light at the end of what used to seem like a never-ending tunnel.

That leads to a less appealing question—what’s going to happen when Cole and his team decide it’s safe for me to go home? That’s something I don’t want to think about.

I don’t want to leave Blade and Arrow. I like everything about being there. The safety of the building, the cozy client apartment, and Rylan’s apartment, where I’m spending more and more time.

And the people. All the guys on the team, who have been so kind and welcoming. The women who are quickly becoming close friends.

Then there’s Rylan. The best and brightest part of everything. I want to stay with him. But he hasn’t asked and I can’t bring it up—how does one go about asking something like that?

No pressure, but can I live with you?

And what if Rylan doesn’t want me to? What if he thinks it’s okay for now because it’s temporary, but he doesn’t want me staying long-term?

I’ll be crushed.

So I’m not bringing it up. At least not yet.

And now I’m feeling nervous and worried. Great.

I need a change of topic, so I turn toward Rylan. “Tell me about Dante?”

Rylan signals, turning down a tree-lined street, and glances over at me. “We were part of the same company, but on different teams. They’re called Operational Detachments-A, or A-teams. The twelve member teams can be split for smaller operations—Cole, Leo, Finn, Zane, Nora, and I—we were all on one split team.”

“And you all left the Army together.”

“Pretty much.” Rylan nods as he changes lanes. “Finn, Nora, and I were medically discharged. Cole, Leo, and Zane—their contracts were almost up, and they chose not to renew them. But Dante is still on active duty. He’s on leave visiting his family nearby, so he wanted to come see everyone.”

“What’s he like?”

“Dante is…” He pauses, his forehead creasing. “I guess he’s most like Leo. Kind of quiet at first, but funny when you get to know him. He’s the medic for his team, like Cole was for ours.”

The car slows, and I look out the window to see Rylan pulling into a small parking lot with a wooden sign that reads Parking for Hop-less Horsemen Customers Only. As he parks the car, he turns to look at me. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

Taking a deep breath, I nod at him. “Yes.”

We walk toward the pub holding hands, though I’m more clutching than holding, really. Before we step inside, Rylan dips his head to whisper in my ear, “I’m right here. The rest of the team, too. We won’t let anything happen to you.”

Stop being a chicken. I’m out with my amazing boyfriend, and we’re going to have a good time, and I’m not going to ruin this.

So I ruthlessly shove my worries aside, sternly commanding them to stay quiet. Then I stretch up to kiss Rylan on the cheek. “I know.”

Any worries I had are immediately squashed as soon as we walk inside. We’re met by a cheerful, “It’s about time you got here!” called over from Finn, while Georgia and Maya wave enthusiastically at us.

The pub is rustic and cozy, all decorated in dark woods and deep blues and greens. The walls are covered with assorted paintings and prints, all with some variation of the Headless Horseman on them. There’s a long wooden bar, several pool tables, a wall of dartboards with high top tables facing them, and another row of tables along the back wall.

Although the pub is fairly crowded, it’s impossible to miss the Blade and Arrow crew. And given the number of women staring at the well-built men, I’m not the only one noticing them.

Even though Cole and Leo are clearly paired off with Maya and Georgia, their obvious muscles and rugged good looks still attract attention. Finn’s wavy black hair and striking features draw stares, as does the attractive dark-haired man—who I assume is Dante—he’s talking to.

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