Chapter 4
Chapter Four
P ushing through the doors to Norcross Security, Ryder smiled to himself. He was excited to see Siv. Even excited for her to nip at him.
He liked her bite.
Vander had also left a message that he needed a medical consult on a case. It wasn’t often, but Vander sometimes pulled Ryder in on certain cases.
Saxon stepped out of an office and waved his bandaged hand. His jacket was off, but he looked flashy in his suit pants and gray shirt. Ryder had the day off, so he was just in jeans and a black T-shirt.
“How’s the hand?”
“Healing up nicely.” A pleased smile crossed Saxon’s face. “Gia decided I can’t do anything at home. So, she’s doing all the cooking, and in bed, I get to lie back and enjoy the show.”
“Lucky bastard.”
Siv appeared at the end of the hall. She was talking with Vander’s younger brother Rhys. She was in slim, gray pants and a black shirt, and Ryder’s cock throbbed. Damn, she was something.
“That one won’t let you sit back and enjoy the ride,” Saxon said dryly.
Ryder grinned. “Nope.” With Siv, it would be a hot, sexy battle.
“If she ever lets you close enough to touch her…in a non-medical way.”
“I’m not a rich boy like you, but I am charming.”
Siv strode their way, and when she spied Ryder, a scowl settled on her face.
Saxon snorted. “Yeah, good luck.”
“My side’s much better today,” she said.
“Hello to you, too. It doesn’t matter, I still need to look at it.” Ryder smiled. “How’s my lovely Norwegian flower today?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t push it, Morgan.”
He took half a step closer. “I can’t help it. Whenever I look at you, I’m overcome.”
“I can help you get over that.”
“Really?”
When she stepped closer, he smelled fresh soap. He liked that. No flowery scents for Siv.
Her face softened, her gaze on his lips. “Yes, I can.”
He breathed her in, his gaze dropping to her mouth. Her lips were full and sexy, and gave him all sorts of ideas. All he could think about was Siv.
Her fist landed in his gut, driving the air out of him.
Ryder bent over.
Siv smiled. “See. Now you’re thinking of something else.”
He huffed out a laugh. Fuck . It was probably best not to tell her that he was hard. Just the thought of tussling with her turned him on.
“Come on.” She nodded toward the medical room. “Let’s get checking my cut out of the way, then I’ll give you a rundown on this case. It concerns a homeless veteran. I know you keep tabs on a few of them.”
He nodded. Again, he worried about Robbie. The man still hadn’t checked in.
In the medical room, Siv unbuttoned her shirt and slipped it off.
Ryder froze.
Her black bra was mostly sheer, with just a touch of lace at the edge. He could see her nipples clearly.
Shit . He bet she’d done this on purpose to torment him.
He swallowed. He took his job seriously. He was attracted to Siv, but he would never make her feel uncomfortable in this room.
She sat on the bunk, watching him steadily.
“You wore that on purpose.” He pulled on some gloves. Crap. His hands weren’t exactly steady.
“You don’t factor into my underwear choice, Morgan.”
He bent over to remove the bandage. Her wound looked much better today. He quickly treated it and re-bandaged it.
“It’s looking good. You’re taking the antibiotics?”
She nodded.
He shifted, and found his face way too close to that gossamer bra cupping her firm breasts lovingly. He swallowed a groan. Then he turned, stripping the gloves off and discreetly adjusting his aching erection.
When he’d found a shred of control, he turned.
Siv had her shirt back on, thank God.
“You done torturing me?” he asked.
Her lips quirked. “Maybe.” Her face turned serious. “Now we need to go over my new case.”
The seriousness in her tone made him nod. “Lead the way, my Norwegian snow flower.”
She made a choked sound. “Snow flower?”
“I can totally see your beauty thriving in the snow. Toughness beating the cold.”
She rolled her eyes and stalked out.
Ryder smiled. This was the most fun he’d had in…well, ever. He followed her out and saw Rome Nash striding down the hall.
“Hey, Rome.”
“Ryder.” The big bodyguard wore a dark suit and a white shirt. He kept his dark hair cut short, and his green eyes were sharp and alert.
“How’s Sofie?” Ryder asked.
Rome scowled. “Good. I’m going to meet her now. She has a photo shoot.”
Princess Sofia of Caldova supported a lot of charities, and did a lot of interviews and photo shoots.
“Why the scowl?” Ryder asked.
“It’s a naked photo shoot,” Rome grumbled.
“Ah.” Sofie was classy and royalty, and she knew her overprotective fiancé very well. “I’m sure she won’t bare too much.”
Rome straightened. “Hell yeah, because I’ll make sure of it.” With a wave, the big man strode off.
Vander stepped out of the conference room and jerked his head.
“What’s this case you need help with?” Ryder asked. He spotted Siv leaning against the wall, a file in her hand.
“A family wants us to investigate the death of their brother,” Vander said. “He was a vet, with PTSD and other mental health issues. He didn’t settle back into regular life. Ended up dabbling with drugs and living on the streets.”
Ryder shoved his hands in his pockets. A story he saw way too often. “I deal with people like that all the time at the clinic. They can’t cope with regular life, even with a loving, supportive family behind them. Most of them don’t even have that, though.”
Vander took a seat, and Ryder did, too.
“Siv’s the lead on this case,” Vander said.
“Was the guy murdered?” Ryder asked.
“We need to work that out,” Siv said. “The brother insisted that despite some drug use, his brother was healthy and fit.”
Ryder nodded. “It’s survival of the fittest on the street. People prey on the weak. Some of the guys do what they can to stay as healthy as possible.”
“His brother’s body was found with complete organ failure,” Siv said.
Ryder frowned. Alarm bells started ringing in his head.
“What?” Vander said, eyeing him carefully.
“We’ve had a few cases through the clinic lately. People off the streets we know, who are generally in good health. They’ve come in with organ failure.”
Siv dropped into a seat beside him. “That man in the waiting room at the clinic…?”
Ryder nodded. “He didn’t make it. According to my colleagues at the clinic, he’d been fine just a few weeks ago.”
Vander sat back. “Poison? A new drug?”
“Maybe.”
“The medical examiner wasn’t interested,” Siv said. “They blew off our client and said that his brother’s drug use was to blame, even though he didn’t OD.”
“I heard at the station that there have been problems at the Medical Examiner’s office.” Ryder frowned. “Don’t remember the details, but they lost their accreditation last year.”
“That could have contributed to them blowing off Peter,” Vander said.
“Or no one really cares about a dead, homeless guy,” Ryder added. It was a sad reality he’d seen before.
Siv set the file down. “Can you take a look at the autopsy report?”
“Sure.” Ryder flipped the file open. “I’ll just—” The world spun sideways.
He stared at the name on the file, then the washed-out picture of the corpse with gray skin.
“Ryder?” Siv frowned.
He stood abruptly, and his chair tipped over. “Thomas Wilcox.”
Her brow creased. “Yes, our client Peter’s brother.”
“That’s Robbie.” Sorrow crashed into Ryder. “Thomas Robert Wilcox.” Ryder closed his eyes. “He’s dead.”
* * *
The anguish on Ryder’s face cut through Siv.
She’d lost teammates in the military. One good friend, Rolf, had saved her life once. She bit her lip. He’d fallen from an oil rig platform during a hostage situation. She hadn’t been able to save him.
She saw the same grief on Ryder’s face that she’d felt when Rolf had died.
“Ryder.” Vander stepped forward.
Ryder made an enraged sound, then turned and punched the wall. His fist went through the drywall.
Then he pressed his hands to the back of his neck. “Fuck!” He kicked a chair and sent it toppling.
Vander stepped forward, but Siv held up a hand.
“I’ve got this,” she murmured.
Vander eyed her for a second, then nodded. He stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Siv moved closer to Ryder. She felt the pain throbbing off him.
“Hey.” She reached out, her fingers brushing his back. His muscles were so tense under the well-washed, cotton T-shirt.
“He didn’t deserve this.” Ryder’s voice was a low growl. “He didn’t always have his shit together, but he was a good man.”
“I know.”
Ryder spun and grabbed her hand, his eyes angry.
“Robbie fought for his country. He had a damn medal for risking his life to save the lives of other soldiers. On the street, he looked out for others and kept the predators away. He was one of the good guys.”
“I’m so sorry, Ryder. I know it hurts.”
“ Fuck .” He reeled her in.
She didn’t fight it. Hell, she didn’t want to. A part of her wanted to help him with his pain.
When he wrapped his arms around her, she leaned into him and pressed her face to his chest.
She heard the rapid beat of his heart, and unsurprisingly, felt hard muscle under his shirt. He hadn’t gone soft since he’d returned to civilian life.
Siv slid her arms around him. “Just hold on.”
He let out a shuddering breath and pressed his face to her hair. “He could’ve been me.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Robbie was a combat medic. Patching people up in a war zone, you see some messed-up shit. Horrible, horrible injuries. People in agony. People crying for their loved ones. People who die in your arms.” His body shuddered.
“It’s hard to deal with all that. You come home and everyone around you is normal.
They watch TV, they head to the grocery store, they bitch about their bosses and work.
They get mad over stupid shit, not knowing, not comprehending what others sacrifice for them. ”
“I know.” She hugged him tighter.
“I could have been Robbie. When I came home, it took me weeks to settle down. I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t acclimatize. Nothing felt right. Hell, I slept on the floor most nights because the bed was too soft.”
“You made it,” she said quietly.
“Yeah. My mom and Hunt, my friends… They were there until things evened out. But I was close to being Robbie, and walking away.”
“Robbie’s death is not your fault, Ryder.”
He ran his hands up her back. “I always feel like I should do more for them, that it’s never enough.” He let out a long breath. “I’ve mostly learned to deal with it.”
He stepped back.
She studied his handsome, serious face.
“It’s not your fault,” she said again. “Now, do you want to help me find out what happened to him?”
There was a flare in Ryder’s green eyes. “Yes.”
“Let’s go over that autopsy report. Can you handle that?”
Ryder nodded. Then he reached out and stroked her cheekbone.
She felt that small touch burn through her, and locked her knees. She wasn’t going there. She couldn’t let him see how much he affected her.
Especially now. This was her first case with Norcross, and she wanted to do a good job. She needed a clear head and Ryder’s help to do that.
She sat back at the conference table. Ryder dragged in a deep breath, dropped into the chair beside her, and picked up the file.
Siv watched the focused way he read the report. Her gaze fell to his hands. He had nice ones: strong, long fingers, competent. Hands that could heal or protect.
She crossed her legs. Jeez, Siv . She was sitting there obsessing over a man’s hands.
He flipped the page. “Toxicology shows some odd results. He had elevated THC levels.”
“Marijuana?”
Ryder nodded. “Robbie used weed when things were getting a little bumpy. To take the edge off. He turned to the harder stuff when the demons got bad.” A groove appeared in Ryder’s brow. “But there are some other spikes in here.”
She leaned forward. “A different drug?”
“Yeah. But the ME said the levels weren’t high enough to cause his death.”
“Robbie didn’t mention trying anything else?”
Ryder shook his head. “Robbie wasn’t the kind to try the new, designer stuff.”
“And the other people in your clinic who died of organ failure?”
Ryder sat back in his chair. “I need to get their autopsy reports.”
“Maybe someone is cooking up a new drug on the streets.”
“Maybe, but I know Robbie—” Ryder paused “—I knew Robbie.” Ryder looked down and his hand on the table turned to a fist. “He wouldn’t take a new drug.”
Before she could stop herself, she reached out and wrapped her hand around his fist.
His fingers loosened and entwined with hers. “Like I said, Robbie never took anything crazy. He knew it could be laced with crap. He wouldn’t have done it.”
“Okay.”
“You believe me?”
She nodded. “You might annoy me most of the time, Morgan, but I believe you.”
His fingers stroked her wrist and she pulled her hand away, afraid he’d realize her pulse was racing.
“So, we need to check on the other people who died at the clinic.” She tapped a finger against her lip. “And check with hospitals and other clinics, because there could be more.”
“Maybe this is an allergic reaction to something.” His mind ticked over. “We need to question Robbie’s friends on the street. They might know something.”
“Give me a list and I’ll track them down.”
His green gaze locked on her. “They’ll never talk to you.”
“I can make them talk.”
“It’ll be easier if I’m with you.”
Her stomach swirled, like a bunch of insects taking flight. Work with him? Side-by-side? “I can handle this.”
“He’s right.” Vander’s deep voice from the doorway.
They both swiveled.
Her boss eyed Ryder. “You got a lock on it?”
Ryder nodded. “I want to help catch whoever killed Robbie.”
His voice was firm, determined.
“I can put in for some time off,” he added.
Oh, no. “This is my case. I’ve got this.”
Vander nodded. “I know, but you need to utilize all your resources, Siv. We need Ryder’s medical knowledge and his contacts on the street.”
Dritt . She folded her arms. “So what, I’m the muscle?”
“No, you’re the lead,” Vander said. “Find Robbie Wilcox’s killer for our client. And do it with Ryder’s help.”
Dammit . Now she was officially working with Ryder Morgan.