Page 71 of Locked Down

She shifted a step to her left, thinking maybe she could slip around him.“No. Never been.”But he moved to his right blocking her escape. How was she going to get out of this one without causing a scene?

“You should come join me. I would love to show you around.”He moved slightly closer and dropped his voice.“I’m sure we could find lots of entertaining things to do.”

“She’s going to be very busy,”a voice said over Cal’s left shoulder.

Vic glanced up and the relief was instantaneous. Ryker stood there, thunder written across his face.

“Ryker,”she said forgetting for the moment that she was seriously pissed at him. He looked incredibly sexy in his tux. Electricity danced across her skin when she met his gaze.

“Sterling,”Cal said, in an annoyed voice.“How are you this evening?”

His gaze switched off hers to Wallingford.“I’m fine. Now if you’ll excuse us, Vic is needed.”He moved around Wallingford and took Vic’s arm. He started walking toward the exit to the lobby.

“Thank you for…”She didn’t want to admit he’d just rescued her.“That. I can take it from here,”she finished lamely. She tried to pull her arm from his grasp.

“How long have you been chatting up Cal?”Ryker asked. The pulse in his jaw jumped like a ragtime band.

“Excuse me? I haven’t been. He’s just an acquaintance, not that it’s any of your business. Now let me go.”She tugged her arm again, but Ryker’s grip was firm as he moved through the crowd.“What are you doing?”she hissed.

“I’m taking you out of here.”

Ryker’s eyes were constantly scanning the room. He wasn’t even looking at her. It pissed her off more than she thought possible.“I don’t want to leave,”she snarled. She stopped walking and almost fell over when he continued.

He stopped and turned to face her.“I’m not going to fight with you. You need to come with me. I will explain but I can’t do it here. We’re causing a scene. It would be much better for every guest here if you did not cause a scene at the moment. Just… please Vic. Come with me now.”

His gaze was so intense that all the arguments she was about to make died on her lips. She gave a single nod and he started moving again.

They came out in the lobby, and he waltzed over to a waiting elevator. There was a man inside.“This is Thane Hawkins. He and Archer will explain everything. Please go with him now. I will be back to get you shortly.”He backed out of the elevator and the doors closed.

She glanced at Hawkins.“Dramatic much?”she asked with a slight hiccup.

Hawkins grinned.“A touch over the top but quite possibly warranted.”

“Wonderful.”

THIRTY

Ryker watched the elevator doors close, and the knot that had been strangling him loosened minutely. Vic was out of the party for now and away from the danger. For now. He turned and found Drake walking towards him. There were three men, with a striking resemblance to each other, with him. These must be the Callahans. He’d heard of them, of course, but having a good reputation didn’t necessarily translate in real life. He was going to have to be cautious. Trusting them with what amounted to Vic’s life was just not going to fly until he had a better read on them.

“Ryker Sterling, this is Gage, Logan, and Mitch Callahan.”Drake pointed to each as he named them.“They’re here to help.”

Ryker shook hands with all three.“Your reputation precedes you. Thank you for pitching in.”

Gage gave a curt nod,“Of course. Do you have a game plan?”

“I know you,”Mitch said suddenly. He narrowed his eyes at Ryker.

Ryker stared.What the heck?His stomach tightened once again. He wracked his brains. Did he have any dealings with the Callahans previously? Nothing came to mind but granted he was distracted by larger problems. Either way they didn’t have time for this at the moment.

“We’ve all heard of Sterling Security. We have some clients in common,”Logan said in a conciliatory tone.“I’m sure that’s it.”

Mitch shook his head.“No.”He cocked his head and then jabbed a finger in the air.“Afghanistan, Helmand Province. A night raid on some tunnels.”

Ryker was instantly transported back to what had been his worst nightmare. Until now. He’d worked with a bunch of SEALs to track down some insurgents in the tunnels. The op had been a shit show. They’d lost good men that day. He’d carried out the body of his teammate, refusing to leave him behind. He met Mitch’s gaze and it clicked. Mitch had helped him, shared the load of both the horror and the weight of his dead friend.

“Yes,”was all he said but the two men clasped hands and bumped shoulders again.“I owe you.”

Again, Mitch shook his head.“No, brother, you did the right thing. Just glad I could help.”

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