Chapter 28
28
RYLAN
Every moment that went by without the world knowing how much I loved Joss was like a thousand needles pressed into my skin. We both wanted to tell everyone we knew, but we also agreed we should wait.
I needed to get to work. To prove to Lee that I was serious about getting better and coming back. I didn’t want him thinking I was just dicking around with his employee on the company dime.
In order to go back, though, I needed to build up my strength. And in the week Ma and Pops were in Chicago, I did just that. While Ma went shopping or sightseeing, or whatever the fuck she did, Pops and my physical therapist helped me learn how to get back up on my feet again. They showed me exercises to do and encouraged me to get back at it when it all felt too hard. Pops cheered his ass off when I finally got to the point where I not only didn’t need my wheelchair, but I also didn’t need help getting around my apartment.
The day my parents left was bittersweet. While I was beyond ready to get out of my apartment and back to work, I missed my pops before his plane even took off. But that first week back was so mind-numbingly boring, I almost would rather have watched Ma walk out of my apartment within twenty minutes of showing up, on repeat for eternity. The only thing I had to do was sit in my chair in the lobby and pick on Joss.
“Tonight?“ I asked, for the thousandth time.
“Yes, Rylan,“ Joss replied, her voice full of exasperation I both hated and loved.
She wanted to tell Van first. She felt it would be a betrayal of their friendship if she didn’t tell him in person. The problem with that was trying to pin him down. He’d been busy, not with any normal Bridgewater work—Joss could have scheduled him a night off, if that was the case. Instead, he was busy helping Lee track down Kelly.
Something I should have done. Something I would have done had I not gotten hurt.
“Are you okay to drive your truck home?” Joss asked quietly after glancing around. “Or do you want to take my car?”
With my lips pursed together, I glanced out the window beside me. I hated that I couldn’t use my own damn truck. I could drive it just fine. The problem was trying to get into it. It was a climb I hadn’t quite been able to manage, so Joss had taken to driving it and letting me take her car.
Nothing like keeping up appearances.
If we could just go public, this wouldn’t matter. If I could just manage to pull myself up, this whole thing wouldn’t be an issue anymore.
“I’ll take your car,” I muttered, upset with myself.
“Hey.” Joss rounded the front desk and came to my side, perching herself on the table I had my leg up on. “It’ll all be over soon, okay?”
She reached for my hand and brought it to her lips, and I fell in love with her all over again.
Especially when she leaned forward and smacked her lips against my cheek.
I grabbed her around the waist, yanking her into my lap, and she let out a squeal that had blood pumping in my veins. She felt like an adventure held in my arms, and I wanted to explore every last inch of her.
“Rylan!” She said my name on a gasp, her back arching into me, giving me better access to her throat. I ran my tongue along her delicate flesh and let out a groan.
“Maybe we should skip dinner tonight.”
“Rylan!” She laughed, then wriggled out of my grasp. “Don’t forget how much you wanted this.”
“Oh, I want it alright.” I tugged her closer, but she settled into the chair next to me and gave me a scolding glare.
“Not at work.” Those words didn’t stop her from tracing the corner of my mouth with her thumb. “You got a little?—”
I popped her thumb into my mouth and sucked, eliciting another laugh.
“You’re horrible.”
“Mmm. But you love me.”
Joss gave me a soft smile. “I really do.”
“I love you too, gorgeous. Hey.” I reluctantly let go of her and reached for my backpack. She’d started packing me a bag on my first day back, making sure I had things I might need, like snacks and drinks, my laptop, and a book about rock climbing she picked up for me the last time she went home to feed her fish.
This morning, I’d tucked a present for her inside, and I’d been waiting for the right time to give it to her. Since the office was quiet and no one was around, now was the perfect time.
“I got something for you.” I pulled out the box and handed it to her, and I wished I had a camera so I could capture the look on her face and cherish it for eternity.
She was smiling, her face pinched like she might cry.
“You didn’t have to get me anything.”
“Yeah? Well, what if I wanted to?”
She leaned forward, taking the box before she pressed a quick kiss to my lips. “What is it?”
I let out a laugh. “Usually you open a gift before you ask what it is.”
Joss looked over her shoulder as if verifying no one was there. Then she tore open the simple white cardboard and dumped the contents into her hand.
There was no need to explain what it was. Joss’s eyes widened, her mouth dropped open, and she lifted her gaze to mine.
Then she lunged for me, wrapping her arms around my neck and nearly toppling me to the floor.
“You bought me one?”
Holding on tight, I tried to right the two of us. It wasn’t easy with only one leg. “Of course, I did, gorgeous. Anything for my wife.”
She pulled back, helping me to sit up straight as she went. Then she glanced back down at the tool in her hand.
It was a safety hammer—a spring-loaded device that could break a car window if your vehicle went under water. It was attached to a keychain and even had a seatbelt cutter on the side.
Joss and I had talked extensively about her accident. About her fears of drowning while she was hanging from her seat, unable to get free from her seatbelt because of her broken hand. She admitted that driving over the bridges in Chicago amplified those fears, because the rivers that cut through the city were far deeper than the ravine she’d crashed into.
Unlike her, I couldn’t just run out to the store to find her a gift. But with my laptop and nothing but time on my hands, I’d researched the best products and had this delivered to my door.
“It’s small, but since it’s on a keychain, it’s easier to reach if something happens. You’d probably keep a bigger one in your glovebox, which wouldn’t help much if your seatbelt was stuck, and you couldn’t get out.”
“Thank you, Rylan. I can’t tell you how much this means to me.”
Swiping a tear from her cheek, I leaned in to give her a kiss, only to jerk back when I heard noises coming from down the hall. Joss gave me a small smile and squeezed my hand, then stood from her chair.
We held hands as she walked away, our fingers hooked until we couldn’t hold on any longer. Joss rounded her desk, head craned to look down the hallway. She turned back to me and shrugged.
“You about ready to go?”
If I could have jumped out of my seat, I would have. “Damn right, I am!”
She laughed softly as she shut down her computer for the night. I stuffed my shit back into my bag and struggled to my feet, meeting her at the front door so she could lock up. Out at her car, she stopped me.
“Do you want to leave your truck here for the night?”
A grin tugged at my lips, and I teased, “Don’t want to be away from me, huh?”
Her smile was shy and beautiful and made me want to skip dinner and just take her home. “How’d you guess?”
My heart swelled, and to hell with anyone seeing. I grabbed her, dropping one of my crutches as I pulled her forward and pressed a kiss to her lips.
“Can we fast forward through dinner so I can get you into my bed?”
She hummed against my lips, hands running down my chest until they latched onto my hips. “Eyes on the prize, babe. Once we tell Van, we can tell everyone else, and then we don’t have to hide anymore.”
“What if I like hiding?” I pulled her closer, letting her feel the hard length of me as I pressed it into her belly. “What if I want to hide right now?”
“Rylan!” She giggled, and the sound shot straight to my dick, making it throb with the desire to sink into her center and stay there for the rest of the night. “Soon, okay? Now, come on. Let’s go.”
Once I was tucked inside the passenger seat, Joss pulled out of the parking lot and drove to the restaurant where we planned on meeting Van. We were early, but that just meant more time that I didn’t have to share Joss.
By the time Van showed up, we’d already nearly finished the beers we’d ordered while we waited. He wore a wide smile that fell from his face as he looked over me, Joss, and the table set for three.
I tried to suppress the desire to punch him in the throat when Joss jumped from her chair, and he pulled her into a hug.
Friends , I reminded myself. They were friends .
And I was the one taking her home tonight.
“What’s going on here?” Van asked as they settled into their seats.
Joss tucked her hair behind her ear and ducked her chin before looking up at him. “Remember how I said I wanted you to meet my husband?”
He raised one eyebrow and drew out the word, “Yeah.”
“Well.” Joss reached for my hand on the table and pulled it closer to her. “Van, I’d like you to meet my husband.”
There was silence for a moment as her words sunk in. But it didn’t wipe away his disbelief.
“You’re shitting me.” He leaned forward, finger raised as he opened his mouth, only nothing else came out. Instead, his gaze swept over us, lingering on where our fingers were strung together, the way our shoulders touched when there was plenty of room around the table. Van sat back hard in his chair. “Holy fuck. You’re telling me the truth.”
Joss’s cheeks pinked as she ducked her chin again. “I know this is a surprise.”
“Damn right it’s a surprise. You—” He shook his head. “I thought you didn’t like him? Do you know how many times I’ve warned him off, telling him you’re married so he’d leave you alone?”
“I know. And I’m sorry?—”
“Holy shit!” Van leaned forward, his finger coming up and pointing at me again. “And you! You fucking got off on that, didn’t you?”
Joss’s face fell as she turned toward me, only for her brow to furrow when she saw the crooked smirk I wore. I shrugged, lifting my hands to the side with her fingers still strung through mine.
“You got me.”
Van let out a laugh that shook Joss right out of the fear she’d been feeling over Van’s response and pushed her right into confusion. He wiped a hand down his face, but it didn’t wipe away his smile. “Holy shit. You got me, man. I’m fucking speechless.”
“You’re not mad?” Her voice had a tremble that even our friend caught.
“Mad?” He reached for her arm, then seemed to think better of it, grabbing his glass of water instead. “No, Joss, I’m not mad. I mean, fuck. My mind is fucking blown. It’s just… Holy shit! I can’t believe?—”
Our waitress stopped by, interrupting his thoughts. He ordered a beer, and Joss and I ordered seconds. When she was gone, Van turned back to Joss.
“So, he’s the guy you met in Vegas?”
“You told him about that?” I asked before Joss rolled her eyes at me.
“Of course, I told him about that. That’s how we met. That’s where we got married.”
“Oh. Right.”
“Speaking of married.” Van didn’t stop himself this time—he grabbed Joss’s hand, holding it up so he could examine her ring. He put his hand up in front of his eyes. “Hold on. I can’t see, this thing just fucking blinded me.”
His laughter seemed to make Joss relax. A smile tipped the corners of her lips.
“It’s not that bad,” I told him, but he was already shaking his head.
“It’s not bad? Dude. Man. That thing is huge!”
“That’s what she said,” I muttered under my breath, causing Joss to groan and roll her eyes.
“Rylan!”
But Van and I were laughing too loud to notice. I was just happy Joss didn’t see the looks we were getting from the waitstaff behind her, or she likely would’ve shut us down.
Van had questions, of course, which we answered while we waited for our food. It was uncomfortable listening to Joss recount those early days, when the pain I felt had manifested in what she took as hatred. I never hated her—I told her as much—but knowing that now didn’t change how she felt back then. I didn’t want her to focus on the past. I wanted her to look at me and think of our love for each other and what our future would bring.
By the time we had our food, the subject had turned toward work and how news of our marriage would go over.
“The guys will be fine,” Van tried to assure Joss. “They love you, and they put up with Rylan.”
“Hey!”
Van grinned, then shoved a bite of steak into his mouth. “No, seriously. I mean, you’re an old married couple. They’re used to that. The only thing this really changes is” —he gestured to where our hands were clasped on the table— “the PDAs, which, while weird, isn’t unheard of. I mean, look at Jen and Vinny. They do the same damn shit.”
A flicker of something crossed Joss’s face, but it didn’t linger. “Speaking of Jen,” she said, pushing her food around her plate with her fork, “she didn’t come in today. I think she’s getting close.”
“Close to what?” Both Van and Joss rolled their eyes at me.
“Close to delivering her baby.” Joss’s tone made me feel dumb. “When I talked to her, she tried telling me everything was okay?—”
“When’d you talk to her?” Van asked before I could.
“This morning. Lee called me and told me about?—”
“Donnie Baker,” Van finished. “He called me, too. Told me to call Weston, Zane, and Cael.”
“I called Kolton and Warren. Then Jen, just in case she didn’t know.”
“Know what?” I asked, completely lost as the two volleyed back and forth.
Joss bit her lip and peeked at me out of the corner of her eye, but she didn’t speak. It felt like neither of them were going to, until Van finally took pity and opened his damn mouth.
“Donnie was released on bond.”
That felt like a kick to the gut. Or a fucking cement truck to the face.
Donald Baker was the lowest sort of scum. Right before our little recovery mission to Kansas City where I was shot, I’d gone with Lee and Quinn, the ex-cop from New York, to talk to Donnie about the missing teen we were trying to find. Donnie didn’t want to talk, but Quinn had ways of making him speak. He’d promised us contact info that he had in his apartment, and we got the surprise of a lifetime when we opened the door.
Did I mention the man was scum? He was on our radar because he was the CEO of the company Jen Leonetti and Kelly O’Connor had worked for. The same company that was involved in kidnapping women and selling them into sexual slavery overseas. The same company that had abducted Jen and Kelly before that fateful night we saved their lives.
So it shouldn’t have come as any surprise when we opened Donnie’s apartment door and found a naked teenage girl chained to the floor.
And now he was out on bond.
“How the hell did that happen?” I didn’t realize how loud my voice was until Joss shushed me.
“Don’t know,” Van said, sitting back in his chair and taking a drink. “We were all but assured he was going away for life. His ex-wife wanted nothing to do with him, and she wouldn’t have had the money even if she did. The only people Donnie had any contact with since the company went down were his lawyers and the police.”
And the sex ring.
The people who delivered young girls to his apartment in the middle of the night.
I wiped my hand down my face as my stomach twisted and threatened to bring up my steak.
“How did the guys take it?” I asked after I swallowed down bile creeping into my throat.
“Let’s put it this way.” Van leaned his elbows on the table. “Cael sounded worse than you right now, and he wasn’t even on the mission with us.”
“Weston wasn’t either,” I pointed out.
“But he’s had over a year of working side by side with Zane to get caught up.”
“Both Kolton and Warren were quiet,” Joss offered, her own voice low. “It was weird.”
“How so?”
She lifted her gaze to Van. “Warren’s never quiet. He never takes anything seriously.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Like Rylan?”
She shook her head. “Rylan’s different,” she said before reaching for my hand. “Rylan loves to have fun, but he knows when to be serious. I’ve never really seen that in Warren before. I mean, I don’t know him well. He’s never around.”
“Where is he now?”
Joss shrugged. “Arizona, I think. Either that or Utah. I can’t remember when they were headed north.”
“What about Kolton?” I asked, my throat going tight. The kid hadn’t handled the news of the reason for Donnie’s arrest well at all. It was part of the reason he didn’t come with us to Kansas City.
Joss shook her head. “It wasn’t good. He got off the phone pretty quickly.”
“He gonna be okay?” Van asked.
“I made sure his sisters were there with him.”
We both nodded. Kendra and Kacie would take care of him. They’d make sure he got whatever help he needed.
“Well shit.” Van fell back into his chair. “That sure as hell put a damper on things.”
“I’m sorry,” Joss said, but both Van and I reached for her hands.
“Not your fault, gorgeous.” I gave her a smile and tipped her chin with my finger. “It was this asshole that brought it up.”
“Hey!” Van laughed, and it helped to calm the mood. His face fell a moment later and he scrubbed a hand over his head. “This is going to be a shit show. I’ve been busting my ass, trying to help Lee find Kelly, and now this. I guarantee Special Agent Hernandez is going to be on his ass.”
“Agent who now?”
Was pretty sure acid spilled from Van’s mouth when he responded, “Drea Hernandez. FBI.”
“She’s the one he knows from back home,” Joss offered, apparently realizing Van wasn’t going to fill me in. “I told you about her, remember? He grew up with her.”
Somehow, in the months I’d been away, I’d missed that connection. But there was no missing the discomfort that wound through my friend at the very thought of this female FBI agent he’d known since he was a kid. I shifted forward and leaned on the table, a grin stretching my face. “Is that right?”
“It’s not like that.” Van lifted his beer glass, sucking down a big gulp. My grin hadn’t left my face when he set it back down. “She’s a pain in my ass. Always has been.”
I looked him over, and I swore I’d never seen him more uncomfortable. “Always will be, it sounds like.”
“Ain’t that the truth. And they’re going to be all over this shit with Donnie.” After a quiet moment, he asked, “Anyone want dessert?”
“No thanks.”
“No, I…” I rubbed at my chest. “Not feeling so great at the moment.”
Van let out a harsh breath. “Good to know I’m not the only one.”
We got our waitress’s attention, and I paid our bill, then walked outside to our cars. I sucked in a lungful of the cool, spring air, grateful to be outside and out from under the thick curtains of darkness that had settled upon us in the restaurant.
“Thanks for dinner,” Van said, lingering by Joss’s car as she helped maneuver me into the passenger seat. “I don’t know what to say. Congratulations on your marriage?”
Joss shot a beaming smile his way. “We’re going to have a nice wedding reception to celebrate, kinda like Jen and Vinny after their wedding.”
“Thought I was gonna take you on a honeymoon,” I told her. “Get out of the country for a while and enjoy a new adventure.”
She grimaced. “That might have to wait.”
“Why?” both Van and I said at once.
Joss bent over me, as if she could avoid the whole conversation by buckling me in like a child. I stilled her hand, and she edged back, tossing a glance at us both. “Jen’s going to have her baby any day, and with everything going on, I wouldn’t feel right leaving the country. Lee needs my help.”
“And what’s the real reason?” Van asked, and I loved that he didn’t pull punches.
Joss shrugged, and when she spoke, she didn’t look at either of us. “I don’t have a passport. Peter—” She shook her head as if she could shake him out of it. “I never had a chance to travel before Vegas. And since I changed my name…”
“Don’t worry, gorgeous. We’ll get you a passport.”
“Shit.” Van scratched at his jaw. “It takes long enough. By the time you finally get that, everything here should be cleared up.”
“You might be right.” I took her hand. “Until then, we’ll just have to create our own adventures.”
“Aaaand, on that note!” Van turned around, heading toward his car. “See you two tomorrow.”
Even Joss couldn’t hold back her laugh. I tugged her closer, catching sight of her flushed cheeks before I pressed a kiss to her lips.
“Let’s go home, baby. I’ve got an idea for an adventure.”
She hummed against my lips, and I could feel her smile. “I think that sounds like a wonderful idea.”