Page 65 of No Mistake

“I know. I do understand what you do, but I won’t lie. It scares the hell out of me.” The thought of him leaving and never coming home again sent a dagger of pain into her heart. What did that say about how she felt about this man in such a short space of time?

“Don't think about it. I’m very good at staying alive.” Ryan kissed the top of her head, sending a little thrill down her spine. It was still surreal being here with him, in his arms, watching Top Gun. She pushed the thought of him getting killed from her mind and focused on the beach volleyball scene of the movie. The shirtless men, parading their perfect six packs, all oiled up and glistening in the sun.

“Enjoying the view?” Ryan asked, his eyebrow arched.

“I’m thinking you could have been in this movie, playing volleyball shirtless.”

“Oh really?” His fingers moved to her hair, gently playing with it. “I might have played a bit of volleyball with the team, shirtless.”

“And I bet you had all the girls drooling over you.” Damn, she didn’t want to think about that either.

Ryan chuckled. “Maybe a few back in the day.”

Sophie snorted. She had no doubt it still happened. Sighing, she pushed those thoughts from her mind, too. They watched the rest of the movie in silence, until the credits finally rolled.

“Did your team get your car?” She asked, sitting up.

“Sort of.”

Sophie turned to face him. “What does that mean?”

Ryan stood, started toward the kitchen “It was torched. Do you want some water?” His tone was matter-of-fact.

“What? Oh my God, Ryan. I’m so sorry. You loved that car and now you’ve lost it because of me.” She stood and paced. “This is all so wrong. I got you involved in this, and now you’ve lost your car, you're away from your team, and you have to babysit me.”

Ryan walked back and blocked her path.

“I don’t know how many times I have to tell you, but there is nowhere else I’d rather be. Yes, I loved the car, but it’s just a car. It’s replaceable. I’m not away from my team. We are working together. My job right now is to be here with you, and I am not complaining. It’s not babysitting, it’s protecting, and that is part of what we do.”

Sophie glared at him. “Can you stop being so nice? This whole thing sucks and you know it. I bet your other ladies didn’t cause you this much drama.”

She bit her lip. That was uncalled for, but she couldn’t help it. Why on earth was he putting up with all this? With her?

He grasped her shoulders. “Some of them did. The difference being, that drama I didn’t want to stick around for. This here, whether you like it or not, I’m in it until the end. And I would like to think you might actually want me here until the end.”

Her shoulders sagged. She did want him here, but that insecure voice kept asking why he wanted to be.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, leaning her forehead against his chest.

“You need to stop apologizing. It’s OK to say how you feel. It’s OK to be angry. It’s OK to be emotional. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere, and you can lean on me. I’m here for you, whatever you need, Sophie.”

His gentle words were too much. Ever since her parents were killed, she had to be the strong one. She was so used to handling everything alone. Taking care of Chloe. Then with Mark, afraid to do anything or say anything for fear of upsetting him, or being told how ridiculous or wrong she was. It was why she loved working at Westside. Being a doctor was something she knew she was good at. It’s where she felt strong, respected, and admired. The rest of her life was just being held together by a string.

Raising her head to look at him she said. “Thank you for being patient with me, Ryan. I’m still getting used to this whole not having to do it alone thing.”

Ryan smiled and warmth spread through her again. “Start getting used to it. If I get my way, you won’t be alone ever again.”

She swallowed, wanting to believe him. Having someone by your side, always, was something she would love to get used to.

TRACER CHECKED THE cameras again. Something was off. He could feel it deep in his gut. Perez and Vitelli had already left with two of his own men and the weapons. On their way to another new location. Juan, Diego, himself, and Chloe were about to follow after packing up the medical supplies.

"Get the car ready,” Tracer said to Juan. Juan did as he was asked and Tracer moved to the bottom of the stairs, keeping an eye on the camera feed on his phone.

“Diego, bring Chloe down, we’re ready to-—”

The explosion ripped the back door of the house off its hinges. Chloe screamed and he took the stairs two at a time as the uninvited guests swarmed the downstairs. Fuck, it had to be Dawson.

In the bedroom, Diego had Chloe by the arm.

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