Challenging Ryker (Kringle Security #2)

Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY

So much for their romantic evening. Amelia looked around the parking lot, first at some of the other cars and then at the people walking in and out of the restaurant. Gavin was nowhere in sight. Not that she expected him to be. They had been inside the restaurant for well over an hour. That gave him plenty of time to place the dead rose on the windshield along with the note and get his ass out of Dodge.

Although, if she knew anything about her ex, he was somewhere close by watching the destruction he caused. That was Gavin's thing.

She snagged Ryker's arm to get his attention. "He's still in the area. He would want to see how you reacted."

Ryker's nostrils flared. "Well then, I hope he's enjoying the show because I'm going to rip him to pieces just as soon as I get my hands on him. I'm sick of his games."

Ryker yanked her close once again so she was pressed against his side, from their ankles all the way up their bodies.

"How about you get in the car while I call Caden?"

It wasn't so much a suggestion as it was a demand, but either way, she had no intention of listening. "Or I can stay with you while you call Caden. I don't want to leave your side. Pretty sure I already told you that once."

They were in this together and that meant no matter what happened. He wasn't about to get away with pushing her aside while he handled the problem.

Her problem. Not his.

They were in this situation because she chose the wrong man and now had to live with the consequences.

It took Ryker one second of looking into her eyes for him to realize how serious she was. He was going to learn quickly she didn't scare easily and she didn't run away when things got tough. She was made of tougher stuff these days, courtesy of Gavin.

"Okay, but you don't leave my side. Not just my line of sight but my physical side. I need to know you're safe and I can only do that if I've got my hands on you."

It was easy enough to agree. There was nowhere else she wanted to be. It would take a bomb to separate them.

Amelia winced at the reference even if it was only in her head. She had enough of bombs to last her a lifetime. She could do without sitting by Ryker's bedside again waiting for him to wake up.

"Caden, I'm going to need you to meet me. Gavin's struck again."

Ryker talked to his friend for another minute, but Amelia tuned out the conversation. She was too busy looking around. She could feel eyes on her and not Ryker's. His was like a warm caress, but this felt creepy.

"Caden is only five minutes out. Everything okay?"

She should've known he would be able to pick up on the change in her mood. He was in tune with her in ways that no one had ever been before.

"I can feel someone watching me."

Ryker's hand tightened on her waist. "I can feel it too."

They continued to scan the area again but neither said anything. Both were occupied by whatever thoughts filled their heads.

Amelia couldn't wait for things to be over with Gavin so she could enjoy her time with Ryker. Tonight she got a small taste of what a normal relationship could be between them and she wanted more. So much had happened in such a short amount of time they didn't get the opportunity to be a normal couple, to see how things progressed between them when there wasn't danger hanging over her head.

A normal person would probably feel apprehension because of that, but with Ryker it was easy. They just fit like they were always meant to be together.

Kinda like the puzzle pieces currently nestled around her ankle.

True to his word, Caden showed up five minutes later with his phone attached to his ear. The man didn't look angry to be yanked away from whatever he was doing, but she was starting to realize Caden never looked upset. His disposition appeared to be neutral all the time. It was a bit strange now that she thought about it. Who didn't get angry from time to time?

"Thanks for coming, man."

"Not a problem. I've already started pulling footage from businesses in the area. I should have most of them soon." Caden looked down at the dead rose and the crumbled-up letter. "I take it that's not how you found the note."

Ryker shrugged. "It pissed me off."

“It's a good thing we already know who's leaving it. We wouldn't get much from the note now that you messed with the evidence."

Ryker just looked at his friend like he wanted to punch him in the face. Ryker was a former cop, so he was well versed in handling evidence. Being told something he already knew by his friend didn't appear to go over well.

"I'm just saying …" Caden looked around the parking lot, like she had done. Only she was pretty positive he was looking at cameras he could tap into, whereas she was looking for Gavin to jump out from behind a car like the boogeyman.

"Not much more we can do here unless you plan on getting local law enforcement involved?" Caden raised his brow at his friend until Ryker shook his head no. "I didn't think so. Let's take this back to the office so I can work comfortably on my laptop."

Ryker didn't say anything until he had her tucked back into the car with her seat belt on. Then he slid into the driver's seat but didn't turn the car on. He was too busy white-knuckling the steering wheel.

"Are you okay?"

He wasn't the only one in the relationship who liked to take care of people. And right now he looked like he needed someone to tell him everything was going to be alright. Even if she wasn't convinced.

She was sure about one thing. She trusted him with her life.

"Tonight was supposed to be a celebration and he fucked it up."

Amelia pulled his fingers off the steering wheel one by one until she was able to lace their fingers together. "That just means when we get back home, we can continue the celebration another way."

He gave her a small smile. "You're too good for me, you know that?"

"Nope." She shook her head. "We're just right for each other."

They didn't have to spend long at the office. Caden had most of the video footage pulled up by the time they got there. Based on what they could see, Gavin put the flower and note on the car about fifteen minutes after they sat down to eat. How he knew where they would be was one of the many conversations Ryker and Caden had.

Caden said he would be looking into it, but in the meantime recommended that Amelia stick close to Ryker, or one of the other guys, anytime she went out of the house. Not that she didn't already know that was the plan, but she agreed because it made both men feel better. Amelia understood the importance of safety and she wasn't about to run around half-cocked just to prove a point. With her luck, it would end badly and then she would be forced to admit they were right. It was better just to do as they asked from the beginning.

When they finally got home that night, Ryker made good on his promise and they celebrated the best way possible; wrapped in each other's arms and exhausted from so many orgasms, she thought she would sleep peacefully all night.

So much for wishful thinking.