36. Kingston
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
KINGSTON
NOW
When I can’t get in touch with the guardhouse, I assume all my security is dead and move on to getting us the hell out of here.
Ryker reviews the security tapes of the perimeter right up to the moment they cut off, a feat that most could not pull off.
Hawk Security mainly works in private contracts, but we have dabbled in security systems over the years, and this house is fitted with the very best money can buy.
Which means either this was an inside job, or we’re looking at someone highly trained.
Both options bring their own set of problems, but until Chloe is somewhere safe, I refuse to entertain either of them.
The brothers are with her now, packing a bag of her belongings before the chopper arrives in fifteen minutes.
It would have been quicker, but I had Joey scheduled for this evening to take Chloe and me to the private airfield twenty minutes from here for our honeymoon.
Our trip to the Maldives will have to wait, but I remind myself we have the rest of our lives to travel to all the countries on her bucket list.
The memory of those late nights where she struggled to find a reason to keep breathing and I made her tell me all the things she wanted to do before she died.
I don’t know if it helped, but I made a point of remembering every single thing she listed, promising myself I’d make them happen one day.
I’ll admit, domesticating a raccoon isn’t as easy as it sounds if my research is anything to go by, but it’s still not off the table, even if I have to buy an entire zoo just to house it.
Taking a few minutes to pack my own bag, I gather what I’ll need for a few days before moving to my office.
Even before bringing Chloe here, this has been my base for the last few months, making sure the renovations were complete before she got here.
Seeing the bullet holes in the walls and the chipped banister I had custom-made to match her vision board I stalked online hurts more than I expect, but then Chloe has always been able to make me feel more than anyone else.
I don’t even think she noticed those little touches, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t for her.
Ryker appears in the doorway, his own bag over his shoulder and another that I assume is one of the brothers’ in his hand. “You ready?”
Shoving my laptop, hard drive, and any important documents into my bag, I nod and follow him to the back of the house where the others are waiting.
Chloe patched up Damon’s arm, but they’re both still covered in his blood, and I swallow the growl that tries to escape.
After everything he’s put her through, I’d love nothing more than to slit his throat right here.
But then I see the way she looks at him when she doesn’t think anyone is watching, and I know I’ll never be able to follow through on it.
Not to mention the fact that when it mattered, he threw himself between her and danger, winning him an annoying amount of brownie points.
“How sure are you that neither of them could have called our location in to the Lombardis?”
“Damon definitely didn’t. I took his phone from him as soon as we got your text and destroyed it. And Ronan wouldn’t put Chloe in danger like this, regardless of his feelings toward you.”
I’ve always trusted Ryker’s instincts when it comes to people, they’re what make him such a good tracker. But if the brothers weren’t involved and there’s no way they could have been followed, that leaves every enemy I’ve ever made as an option.
Chloe turns to us, her eyes lighting up when she sees Ryker, and my chest tightens.
She cares for him more than I anticipated. I assumed her attachment was more of a trauma response than anything else, but after observing them in the kitchen before the chaos started, I can see there’s more to it than that.
For both of them.
But I refuse to give her up. I’ve spent a decade longing for her, keeping her safe from a distance and building a life that she can be the center of. I’m not willing to give that up just because she and Ryker have formed a connection.
But I’m also not willing to share her. My possessive need to own every part of her, to consume her every thought and be responsible for every smile and moan she ever makes is overwhelming.
Chloe steps into his arms as soon as we’re close enough, and I watch Damon’s and Ronan’s reaction to their affection.
The latter watches with unguarded eyes, and I can’t help but wonder if he and Ryker have already discussed what happens next.
While Damon doesn’t seem so happy about the interaction, his hands are fisted at his sides and his jaw is locked tight.
“You got everything you need, Siren?”
“I think so. I didn’t know where we were going, so I tried to pack a bit of everything.”
All eyes turn to me, waiting to hear what the plan is.
The problem is, I don’t have one, and until I know who we can trust within my own organization, that’s not going to change anytime soon.
“Joey will take us an hour north. There’s a cabin owned by an associate of mine that we can use for a few days while we gather some more information.”
“A cabin?” Damon asks incredulously. “You’ve evaded us for almost two decades, and your answer is a cabin?”
I huff out an irritated sigh. “I’ve evaded your father and his men for so long because I never make the obvious choice.
Going to any property I own is the obvious choice, and one my enemies will see coming.
Choosing one owned by someone I trust ensures we stay under the radar while we work out how to proceed. ”
“Whose cabin?” Ryker asks, a hint of uncertainty moving into his tone, but I hear the question he doesn’t ask.
Has he killed there?
“You’ve never been,” I reassure him, but I choose not to disclose who it belongs to.
As much as I trust Ryker with my life, and more importantly, Chloe’s, I know it’s unwise to share everything with him.
He may be my number two, but no one is above betrayal.
His shoulders relax slightly, and he tucks Chloe under his arm, keeping both bags from resting on her.
When I sent him to watch her, I knew there was a possibility he would find her attractive. Hell, I even considered that he might try to pursue a sexual relationship with her.
But I didn’t think the heartless killer I’ve known all these years had the ability to feel the kinds of emotions he’s staring at her with.
The sound of the chopper approaching pushes us into motion.
Ronan picks up his bag as well as Chloe’s, while Damon leads us out into the yard, his sore arm wrapped around his middle while the other clutches a gun.
Ryker and Chloe follow them, and I watch in awe as he tilts her head into his chest, protecting her from seeing the carnage our attackers left behind.
He needn’t bother considering what she’s lived through, but the thoughtfulness in that gesture is so unlike the Ryker I know that it’s all I can think about as we load onto the helicopter.
How am I meant to deprive the woman I love of that kind of care and consideration just because it’s coming from someone other than me?