Page 109 of Critical Doubt

"What are you going to do?"

"My job. I'm going to talk to him. I'll take Ryker with me."

"I thought you were supposed to go alone."

"He can wait out front, but I want to get him out of Paxton's hair." They walked out of the room and down a short hall to the operations center. There were a dozen agents working on their computers but no sign of Ryker.

Parisa stopped to ask one of the agents if they'd see him, and the woman pointed to the elevator.

They went down to the lobby, stopping at the front desk. The security guard confirmed that Ryker had left ten minutes earlier.

"I can't believe he just left," she said, feeling shockingly surprised and disappointed by his actions. "Why would he do that?"

"Maybe he just went out to get some air, take a walk around the block," Parisa suggested.

She pushed through the revolving door and walked into the afternoon sunshine. The street was crowded, and she scanned both directions with a sinking heart. "I don't see him anywhere."

She pulled out her phone and texted him:Where are you?

There was no immediate reply. "Damn him. Why does he have to be so stubborn and independent?"

"Because he's a man," Parisa said with a soft smile. "Not that you aren't exactly the same, Savannah. You stood up to Paxton, and not many people in our office are willing to do that. It seems like Ryker is cut from the same cloth."

"He was angry that I called you to the alley. He thought he could have gotten more out of Todd if you hadn't shown up."

"It was the right play."

"I know it was. And I thought we'd gotten past it. We'd agreed that we'd work off the same page in the future, but now he's gone, and I don't know where. Should I be worried? Could he be in trouble?" She wasn't normally a worrier. She didn't blow things out of proportion. She attacked problems one at a time. But now she found herself lost in a haze of concern. "What if the other guys have come after him? They tried to kill him last night."

"He left the building under his own steam," Parisa reminded her. "Maybe he ran into Paxton, who told him thank-you for your service, and it made him angry."

"That's possible."

"You said he's been dealing with his own issues, and the betrayal of his friends has to be hitting him hard. Maybe he needed a minute."

"I hope you're right. But I can't wait around here. I have to go to my dad's place. I really need a car."

"You can have mine," Parisa said, pulling out her keys. "Let's go back inside. It's in the underground garage."

She took one last look around and then headed to the garage. After hopping into Parisa's car, she texted Ryker again:Going to my dad's. He has information. Where are you? Text me.

Once again there was no immediate reply, so she put the car in drive and pulled out of the garage.

Chapter Twenty-Six

It wastwo o'clock in the afternoon when Savannah parked in front of a duplex about two miles from Spear Enterprises. She was still surprised that her dad had gone so far as to get a place in Bethesda to stay in. Before she got out of the car, she sent Ryker another text:I hope you're all right. Your silence is alarming.She sent the message and then added:If Agent Paxton said something to you about not needing your help, don't worry about that. You're still in the loop. You and I are a team. Don't forget that.

She sent the text and then got out of the car, not just feeling worried but also angry. She and Ryker had gotten so close. They'd been incredibly honest with each other, and he knew how important it was to her to be trusted, to be respected for who she was. Cutting her out now was making her feel like he didn't need her for anything. She couldn't stand that thought. But she might have to accept that he didn't need her, that whatever fantasy relationship future she'd been building in her head was just that—a fantasy.

Ryker hadn't made her any promises, and she hadn't made him any. But there had been so much more between them than just sex. There'd been an emotional connection.Had it all been in her head?

Damn him for making her doubt herself.

She pushed him out of her head and pulled herself together, because she had another man to deal with who had always made her doubt herself. And the only reason she was dealing with him at all was because he might have knowledge that would help her figure out where the weapons were and who else was involved. Otherwise, she would have told him flat out that just because he said jump didn't mean she had to jump. She was done racing to see him whenever he wanted to throw her a crumb of attention.

But this was work. And she was good at her job. She did what she had to do to be successful, even if that meant talking to him.

She walked up the steps and rang the bell. Her father opened the door a moment later, waving her in with a somber expression on his face. He was dressed in uniform, as always. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen him in casual clothes.

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