Page 38 of Rescuing Ryder

Ryder shook Leo’s hand, balancing his plate of food with the other.

“Don’t stand there. Take a seat,” Leo ordered.

He set his food on the table and joined the men. The women sat around the table beside the kids, talking and laughing. His gaze wandered to Claire, seeing her watching the group wistfully. He reflected on how she always stood outside the group and briefly wondered if they refused to include her. From the way they acted, he doubted the latter.

Why did she hold herself back from joining them?

“I can reach out to a few people or Tex. He may know someone who’s searching for a position.” He turned to Leo.

“Whiskey’s coming over tomorrow for PT with the team. Why don’t you join us? I heard you started running again,” Leo stated as he dug into his food with one hand and kept Grace from grabbing stuff from his plate.

“I didn’t keep up with PT. And I?—”

“Then we’ll see you at 0600. Chase has rounds and we spend Sundays with family. Kassie and Chase host this week.” He leaned toward the women’s table. “Hey PITA, can you handle another person at brunch?”

“The more the merrier,” she chimed.

Chase smiled as Tori grabbed a handful of her hair, which caused his wife to wince. She untangled it from her daughter’s hand. “Do you want me to take her while you eat?”

“No. Maddie already called dibs, and she’s almost finished. She’s showing off her new granddaughter to the quilting circle. Em’s relieved her baby sister has to go, and she says it’s about time Tori took one for the team. Do you know where she picked up the phrase, Leo?” Kassie directed her question toward the leader, who grinned.

Ryder realized they shared an easy relationship because Leo’s wife and Kassie’s husband seemed relaxed in their banter.

“The kids finished their meals. Why don’t we take them to the front yard and let them run around?” Chase suggested.

“What’s the matter? Are you attempting to snag some alone time? Whoa, buddy, there’s a rule: you must wait six weeks like the rest of us. Adoption doesn’t give you first place in line. If we get Grace to sleep two hours at a time, Melody needs a drink of water or there’s a monster under the bed,” Leo complained good-naturedly. “How’s PITA holding up with the new baby?”

“She’s over the moon. We take turns with bath time while the other tucks Ladybug to bed.” Chase leaned over the table. “Plus, I don’t need to jump the line. Have you heard of grandparents?”

Leo rubbed the scruff along the jaw. “But you haven’t left the kids all night since you returned.”

“Come on, old man, use your imagination,” Chase teased. “Has having children aged you already?”

The group of men chuckled.

“Let’s get them outside and we might manage four consecutive hours of sleep out of them,” Leo suggested.

The men cleaned the kid’s table and ushered them toward the entrance.

Chase noticed Claire talking with his wife and excused himself from the group. Ryder watched Claire walk down the stairs with him a few minutes later. Their expressions seemed serious as they chatted. His heart started to race when he saw Claire’s panicked expression before seeing her face fall. Her eyes searched him out and she appeared hurt. It occurred to him Chase informed her of his request to change psychiatrists. Why did Claire seem crushed by his demand?

Chase touched her arm, consoling her while she stared at Ryder, appearing utterly betrayed, before turning to her car. He walked toward her which made her hasten to her vehicle. Ryder watched as she drove away, swiping at her face. He hung his head, ashamed of what he did because he acted like a chicken and she only tried to help him. Ryder let her down just like he did his former team.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Claire slammed the door to her house, no longer concerned about an intruder. The disappointment and hurt she felt concerning Ryder overrode everything else. Feeling deflated, she sat on the living room couch. Thinking a glass of wine might calm her nerves and damaged ego, she meandered to the kitchen and poured a glass of red wine.

She stared at it, remembering the last time she enjoyed it. Claire threw it at Ryder, and now she felt justified. It wasn’t because he asked to transfer. Why didn’t he discuss it with her? She acted inappropriately. No matter the reason, she would’ve insisted he change to Dr. Hill. The trust she worked so hard to build appeared broken.

Walking to her study, she played soft classical music and sat at her desk. Claire tipped the wine back for another sip when the hair on the back of her neck warned her. She glanced around the room, figuring out why it felt off. Her desk appeared tidy, but her pictures sat in incorrect order. She glanced at her calendar to see someone drew a red marker through all the scheduled notations.

Claire quietly set the wine down and slowly rose from the desk, paralyzed by fear. She attempted to act casual as she fiddled with the music and walked with the letter opener fromher desk in the palm of her hand. She casually exited the study, grabbed her purse and yanked at the door. It didn’t budge as she tried to undo the lock with shaky hands.

A hand wrapped around her mouth while the cold tip of the knife stuck to her throat.

“Hello, Claire. I’ve bided my time, waiting for you to come home and now here we are,” the voice whispered. “Drop the letter opener,” he demanded.

Panic and fear ran through her. She knew that voice. David Kilner wanted to see the fear in her eyes. She refused to act the helpless victim and give him what he wanted. The blood rushed through her veins as she recalled how he killed his wife and her mother. Their brutal deaths lingered in the back of her mind. Knowing David Kilner had nothing to lose by killing her, she attempted to keep him talking until she figured out a way of escape. If caught, they’d only send him back to the mental facility, claiming his insanity played a part.

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