Page 69 of Without Fail

“What are you doing?” he murmured, licking at his bottom lip.

“It’s been hours,” Marshal muttered, dipping his head to take his lips with a slow and aching kiss. Their tongues tangled, leaving him breathless.

Aweek later, the morning started like any other morning with Marshal leaving his bed before dawn.

“I have a meeting. I’ll call you when it’s finished. I want to take you someplace later.” The words had been murmured against his mouth after Marshal had showered and returned to the bed for a goodbye kiss.

Smiling, Ryker touched his lips and rolled from his king-sized bed. Within an hour, he was showered, dressed, and walking along the downstairs hallway.

Ahead of him, Bishop and Alex came out of the FBI room. Hitch held a black bag and hefted the strap over his shoulder.

“What are you up to?” Ryker asked, drawing closer.

“We are out here,” Alex murmured, gazing at his phone.

“So, you found the threat.” Ryker returned Hitch’s smile and glanced at Bishop.

Bishop nodded and headed toward Tanner, who waited in the distance.

Something felt odd, but he chalked it up to the team having to move on. Oh well, it would be nice not having a leash on his movements or someone monitoring his whereabouts twenty-four-seven.

“See ya.” Hitch gave him a fist bump and headed down the hall after Alex.

Ryker stood in the hallway next to the stairs until he heard someone approaching.

Real came down the hallway.

“Are you leaving too?”

The man’s head tipped slightly. “No. I’ll be around for a while longer.”

“Cool.”

He was so relieved that Real was staying and he smiled when the man briefly placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Sweetie?”

At his mother’s voice, he glanced over and found her hovering in the hallway behind him. Her face was pale, her eyes red-rimmed.

“What’s wrong?” He pulled away from Real and stepped close enough to take his mother’s hands.

“Your dad needs us in his office.”

Ryker’s heart thumped hard. Did his father know he’d gone through the safe? Not likely. And so what if he knew? It wasn’t like he found anything or took anything from it.

“I’ll be right back,” Ryker told Real.

Real nodded and continued on his way down the hallway.

Ushering his mother into his father’s office, Ryker also found Syn along with his father and his father’s lawyer, Mr. Bradford.

It wasn’t to his father that he looked, but rather to Syn. If his best friend was here, something was definitely wrong. Had Winchester Armani found where Aspen was hiding? And why was his father’s lawyer here?

“What’s going on—”

“Did you go through my safe?” His father cut him off.

“I did.”

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