Page 73 of Theirs to Take

“They seemed to know someone from Luke’s past—when he was stationed in South Korea. They sounded as though they were speaking Korean, but I can’t be sure—that’s just an assumption. They were talking about some guy named Joo Won and they asked Luke where his family was. He agreed to tell them only if they let me go.”

“Shit,” Ranger grumbled. “He doesn’t know anything about Won. He didn’t have clearance to know that kind of stuff, but I did. All this fucking time, they were coming for Luke, and they should have been coming for me. I was the one that had the information that they wanted—I still do.”

“You know where Won’s family is being held?” she asked.

“I still have buddies in the Navy and yeah, I know where they are. Unfortunately, the guys holding Luke aren’t going to like the answer. They are being held in North Korea. They have been there for years if they’re even still alive.”

“They might be dead?” she whispered.

“It’s been over five years, so yeah, they might be. North Korea doesn’t share much about what they are doing. I do know that as of two years ago, they were all still alive, but that’s all the intel I have.”

“What will you do now?” she asked.

“I’m going to Luke’s house and trading myself for him. I’m the one that they want and can probably help them. I’ll make them the same kind of deal that Luke just did—his freedom for answers. I’m betting that my contacts in the Navy can get them the answers that they’re looking for.”

“What can I do?” she asked. “I want to help, Ranger.”

“You can go meet up with Millie at her place and do what she tells you to do, got it?” he asked. She wanted to protest; to tell him that she was going to turn the car around and go back to Luke’s place. Ruby was sure that she could be of more help than going to sit at Millie’s and wait for her life to be decided for her.

“Don’t put your baby at risk, Ruby,” Ranger said.

“Playing the baby card is low, Ranger,” she whispered. He was right and she hated that. She wanted to be stronger for Luke. She wanted to walk back into his house and tell those assholes holding him that they had the wrong man, but Ranger was right, she’d be putting her baby in harm's way, and she couldn’t do that.

“Fine,” she mumbled. “I’ll go to Millie’s. Just bring Luke back to me,” she said. “I can’t lose him.”

“I’ll do everything in my power to make that happen,” Ranger promised.

“I’m going to hold you to that, Ranger,” she breathed, ending the call. She took the exit to her place and swiped the hot tears that rolled down her cheeks. This was the first time that she had been without Luke in over four months and Ruby felt like a piece of her heart was missing. She just hoped that Ranger could keep his promise to her and bring that missing piece back because, without Luke, she wouldn’t ever be the same.

Millie pulled her apartment door open as if she was expecting Ruby. “Ranger called you, didn’t he?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Millie said. “Come in,” she insisted, pulling her into her apartment. “We have to talk.”

“Talk?” Ruby had only spoken to Millie a handful of times since taking off with Luke. “I know that we haven’t seen each other in months, but can we catch up some other time?”

“No,” Millie said. “I need to tell you something before Ranger tells Luke and you find out that way. It’s important,” Millie insisted.

“Can it wait? I’m a bit worried about the father of my unborn child,” she said, cupping her nonexistent belly.

“You’re pregnant?” Millie asked. Ruby sunk into the couch and nodded. “Wow, Ruby, that’s fantastic. Are you happy?”

“No, I’m not happy. Luke’s being held at gunpoint by two crazy South Koreans while I’m sitting here catching up with you. I’m not happy at all. I should have never left him.”

“Yes, you should have,” Millie insisted. “They would have killed you if Luke hadn’t negotiated your release.”

“I see that Ranger also filled you in on—well, everything,” Ruby grumbled.

“He did because I’m helping him with all of this. I’ve been hired by McTavish Industries, Ruby.”

“Doing what exactly?” Ruby asked.

“I’m a computer hacker by trade,” Millie said. “I’m ex-military and I was trained to hack into enemy computers and stop them from hacking our systems.”

“How did I not know any of this about you?” Ruby asked. She thought that Millie was a run-of-the-mill nerd, just like her, but she was so wrong. “You were in the military?”

“Army,” Millie said. “When Ranger found out what I can do, he talked to your boss, Alex, and got him to make me an offer that he knew I couldn’t pass up. I don’t regret telling him about my past, but I’m not sure that Ranger and me working together is such a good idea.”

“Why shouldn’t the two of you work together?” Ruby asked. She sat back and closed her eyes. “You like him, don’t you?” she asked.

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