Page 137 of Redemption

Ryder sprinted forward, the short distance gone in a few strides, and he wrapped her in his arms and close to his chest. He could finally breathe, and when he put her on her own two feet, letting their bodies stay together, their faces stayed cheek to cheek until their lips pressed together, and he kissed her. Nothing mattered as much as this woman.

Finally, he pulled away, stroking her hair, her face, unable to stop touching Victoria. “I love you. God, I love you.”

“I love you too.” She wrapped her arms back around his neck and held on tightly.

There were a thousand ways to fall in love, dozens of ways to have a family, more ways than he would ever know to be centered, to find an anchor, and to know his purpose. Victoria was all of it. There was only one of her. Every experience and person he’d ever been lucky enough to know had been preparing him to run down the hall to her.

CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

Two Months Later

The new comforter looked better on her bed than her old one, and Victoria liked the art on the wall too. The little touches here and there weren’t a lot. But they were very Ryder. It was interesting that he didn’t have a real home. He’d never had a real home: an orphanage, military housing, then rentals that Titan Group had arranged for—but nothing that was really his.

Victoria hadn’t expected his excitement level when she’d asked if he wanted to pick out decorations for her house. Their house? Their house. She smiled, loving that they were in bed together, no matter the labels.

It wasn’t that they were moving in together right now. He still had his place in Virginia for Delta to allow for meetings out of Titan Group’s headquarters. How would a long-distance relationship work? She had no idea. Did he technically live with her? No… He was definitely based out of Virginia, but he could go anywhere in the world between jobs. So far, he had chosen Iowa.

Ryder readjusted the pillow behind his head, and she curled against his bare chest, scratching her fingers through his chest hair. “Nooners are fun.”

“What do you call them when they last all afternoon and it’s almost dinnertime?” He laughed.

“Fun.” She leaned over and kissed him as his phone rang. “You call them lots and lots of fun.”

Victoria had been worried that she would grow to resent his phone because it would mean that he had to leave. But she respected his work as he respected hers. Lone wolves. She was taking better care to be more cognizant of her surroundings on jobs, and she was good with needing backup, so Ryder respected her work.

Sweet Hills never questioned her either. They never asked her to earn their trust again; that respect she’d been so concerned about was just something she had to find internally after Ivan stole it—and she did.

Ryder answered the phone, and his lazy smile fell away, replaced by a hardness and anger she hadn’t expected to see with a call to head in for work.

Victoria sat up, tugging the sheet around her chest, and watched him intently.

“Explain that,” Ryder growled into the phone as his grip turned white.

Bad news. Bad, horrible news.What was going on?

“Whatever needs to be done, you tell me, and I’m there.” Ryder listened for another painstakingly long minute before he hung up and tossed the phone down.

“What’s wrong?” Victoria asked, terrified of what he would say.

“Cassidy was attacked after her hearing.”

Victoria spun for her nightstand, grabbing the remote and turning it on to the first news station she could find. The scrolling news alerts talked about a woman attacked outside of a Congressional hearing. Her friend’s face covered the television screen. But more than that, Cassidy was Locke’s girlfriend and a woman who helped rescue her from Ivan’s depraved hold.

Ivan?It had to be. Victoria turned to Ryder, tears falling down her cheeks before she realized that she was crying. “Ivan ordered a hit? How bad is it?”

“She’s in surgery. It’s bad.”

“What do we do?” Anger bubbled more vicious than Victoria had experienced in weeks, since maybe the first time Ivan raped her. “Ryder?”

“Titan goes after him, and this time, we make sure he dies.”

Yes! Lenora’s words about justice and how some situations called for their own judges, juries, and executioners echoed in her head. With Ryder’s promise, Victoria’s tears stopped.

CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX

One Month Later

The early fall breeze rolled off Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, and Victoria was glad that she’d grabbed the light jacket despite Ryder’s teasing. She had insisted on alone time, an errand, and needing to wrap a few small business emails, but the timing was perfect. He wanted to hit the gym then go for a run.

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