Chapter Twelve Audrey #2
My ring. “A few weeks before Mitch’s last deployment, my band went missing.
I don’t wear my rings to bed, and when I woke up, only the engagement ring was there.
Mitch told me I must’ve misplaced it. He even accused me of losing my mind.
Then he went out of town for a few days on some boys’ trip to Vegas, and a day or two later, after he was home, he found it under the bed. ”
“He had to have taken it with him and had them modified with the inscription. Doubtful he really went to Vegas.” Ryder turned to face Alex next. “We need to go through the files Gray provided Trevor. Timeline everything. If anything Mitch was involved in lines up with that window—”
“It could explain why he modified the rings,” Alex said. “He knew something was coming, and he built a fail-safe.”
A backup plan? “Sounds like he also knew he wouldn’t be coming home to me, but what in the world was he involved in? Why would he betray his country? He wasn’t always that man.” At least, I didn’t think he had been. I would’ve seen it, never let him near my son if that were the case.
“People change,” Alex said flatly. “War can do it. Trauma. Money and power, too. Even to people we thought were unshakable. People who said they loved their country.” His voice hitched slightly.
I tried to read the storm behind his expression but failed. “How, um, did you even know there was some hidden inscription in his band?”
Ryder tipped his chin toward Alex.
“It’s a sleight of hand trick. Magician stuff,” Alex explained. “There was a pressure point in the band, just like my dad used to do with fake coins.” That hint of a smile was the first spark of light I’d seen in his eyes all day.
Maybe this man really could abracadabra my problems away. God, if only.
“Well,” Alex started, clearing his throat, “we should get your band before someone beats us to it.”
And just like that, he seemed to be shifting back into his role. Protector. Operator. My . . . what, exactly? Bodyguard?
“I’ll ask Beau to send in his deputy parked outside Audrey’s to grab her ring. None of us are leaving here alone.” Ryder moved toward me, and I could tell he wanted to say something else. Maybe apologize again, which I didn’t want. I needed us all to move forward.
“We need to find a secure location to get to while we wait on the secretary to reach out. We’ll work the case from there. I’m sure we have eyes on us as we speak,” Alex said in a grave tone. “They could hit anytime.”
Hit anytime? My stomach wrenched. “What if we get rid of the rings? Would that remove the target from our backs? Can we hand them over to the government?”
“Maybe, but we have to find a way to get them to someone we trust. But we don’t know for sure whether the people who broke in Friday are after you, too.
” Ryder grimaced, that detail clearly weighing heavily on his mind.
“I need to talk to Beau and Trevor about tightening up security until we can put together an exfil plan and get you and Chase somewhere safe.” Ryder reached for my arm and leaned in, preparing to kiss the top of my head. “Love you, sis.”
I froze. The words love you landed like a punch to the chest. The good, restarting-your-heart kind.
Before I could answer, he turned to Alex. “Watch her. Don’t let her out of your sight, got it?” He paused. “Maybe leave Trevor’s bedroom, though.”
He took off after that, and I gave a small nod to Alex and started for the living room.
I peeked in to check on Chase. Satisfied he was laughing and absorbed in building LEGOs with Seraphina, I shifted back into the hall.
That sound and sight were proof that some piece of normalcy could still exist amid the chaos.
I’d started to turn, unsure where I planned to go, when Alex blocked my path.
“I’d like to go outside, please.”
He frowned. “And I’d prefer you stay inside. I never should have let you walk with me yesterday near the woods. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
“Well, did you know the truth about Mitch yesterday?”
“No, but I know the truth now.”
Fair enough. But I pressed my hands together in prayer position anyway. “Eden’s probably in the kitchen. The office is booked for mission stuff. Just sixty seconds on the deck for fresh air? No venturing into the woods, I promise.”
“You’re asking me to not think clearly again, is that it?” He braced a hand against the wall, staring down at the hardwood.
“Just asking for air.” And why’d I get the feeling this man would give me almost anything I asked for?
He slowly met my eyes as he retrieved a Glock he had hidden at his back. “Peligroso,” he warned under his breath.
“But . . . ?” I lifted my brows.
“But you win.” He shook his head. “Now, get your jacket.”
I patted his chest twice in thanks, grateful he’d listened, also feeling a little guilty about the power I seemed to have over him, which he clearly didn’t like.
We bundled up and went out to the back deck before he could come to his senses.
The mountain air was crisp and clean, and I pulled it deep into my lungs like it might wash away everything.
“I think I’m still out of character. I may not feel like myself until this whole mess is over, not just because of the knock to my head.” I shifted around to face him.
“So am I, because you shouldn’t be out here.” He quietly studied me.
“Can I ask you something?” I found myself whispering.
He scanned the yard. “Down to thirty seconds out here, but yeah.”
I’ll make the seconds count, then. “In the office earlier . . . the way you looked at me when Trevor told us about Mitch’s alleged betrayal, it felt like you understood what I was going through. Why do I feel like you’ve been through this yourself?”
He didn’t answer right away, but he didn’t deflect, either. He just looked at me with the same quiet intensity that made me feel seen. “Because I have.” His rough voice scraped across my skin.
That was all he said. No details, just the truth. But it was enough.
“Does it get any easier?” I asked. “Living with it? Trying to move on?”
He checked the property again, always vigilant, then met my eyes. “It doesn’t.” He paused. “Or maybe it does? I don’t know. For me, it’s been almost two years since we divorced, and I’m still trying to . . .”
“Move on?”
“No, I’m very much over her. It just seems that when I think the past is behind me, it comes back to bite me in the ass.”
Well, that wasn’t what I wanted to hear, but I did appreciate him being honest. “I hate that you can relate to what I’m going through.”
“I hate that you can relate,” he echoed in a somber voice. “And I really, really want to hug you right now.”
“Do it,” was all I could get out. Because his arms around me was all I wanted. “Inside, if you prefer, though. Think we exceeded my time limit.”
He smiled and started to gesture for the house when something behind me caught his eyes, and his expression turned deadly.
“Get inside. Now,” he ordered, using his body as a shield.
I bolted for the back door when I heard it. The crack. A single shot rang out.
Ryder yanked the door open before I could reach it, dragging me inside as Alex hissed what Ryder clearly already knew: “Breach! We’re under attack!”