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“They aren’t lies! I love you! I’ve loved you for so long, but I never thought you’d love me back. You’re so perfect and beautiful, and I’m a mess. I was only with those other people because I was jealous that I couldn’t have you. I was stupid. They didn’t mean anything to me. Not like you do. Please forgive me, T. Please, baby. I want to be with you. Only you.”
Jade thought of losing Ryker because of all this, of never getting to see him or make him laugh again, and it effectively made her eyes well up with tears.
She pictured his face as she let the tears flow and begged, “Please. Please. I want to be with you. Let me have another chance. Please forgive me?”
Tawny shook her head. “You behaved badly and made hurtful choices. You must be punished.”
Tawny crossed the room to the door.
“Sit here and reflect on your bad decisions. I’ll be back for you both later, girls.” She flicked off the light and closed the door behind her, effectively casting the room in darkness, except for that eerie red glow from the camera.
Jade closed her eyes and let the tears fall. “I’m so sorry, Lyra,” she sobbed.
* * *
Ryker
“Fuck. I can’t believe we missed this,” he muttered.
Ryker’s temper flared as he watched Jade beg Tawny on the security feed, which streamed through his phone.
He and Roark crouched in position outside the basement door of Tawny’s suburban house. Roark adjusted his tactical suit as they waited.
Ryker’s hands shook with anger.
He hated using Jade as bait, and had argued against it for this exact reason. But Jade insisted. And his woman was not a force to be reckoned with when she set her mind to something. She hatched this whole scheme and would not take no for an answer.
The assault and abduction threw a wrench in their plans, and the team had to hold back and monitor the developing situation. But he felt confident about moving in any minute now.
The locator earrings worked perfectly to track Jade to Tawny’s house after the perp, who turned out to be Tawny, snatched her from the rendezvous point.
They’d tapped into Tawny’s security system to monitor the situation in time to see that asshole shove Ryker’s own gun into Jade’s mouth. Fury flooded Ryker. That fucker would pay. ASAP.
But despite his anger, Jade’s bravery through everything — even with her obvious concussion — made him proud. Her acting was spot-on. She revealed no hint at all that his team was on the way.
He prayed that nothing worse happened before they got the chance to intervene. His gut told him that the asshole working with Tawny was bad news.
Ryker focused on the SEAL creed in an effort to keep himself centered. He needed to reign this anger in before they made a move. He drew a deep breath and repeated the familiar words in his mind — but this time he modified the words: I persevere and thrive on adversity. My Nation — my world, my Jade — expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies. If knocked down, I will get back up, every time. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish our mission. I will protect Jade and bring her home.
Benny spoke over the earpiece. “Boss, perimeter check complete. Just the two of them inside. I have eyes on both the male and female. Both upstairs in the living room. Looks like they’re arguing. The video of the security feed is on the TV in the room with them, so proceed with caution.”
“Roger. Everyone in position?” Ryker asked.
Affirmatives echoed through his earpiece. Roark flashed him a thumbs-up.
“Move in.”
He took one last glance at Jade, the nightshot on the security camera showing her and Lyra tied to chairs in a dark room, then slipped his phone into his pocket.
Roark used his lock picks to open the simple doorknob lock. No deadbolt.
Ryker had never been more thankful for someone’s lack of security.
The door swung open into a brightly lit hallway. He took a quick inventory. A finished basement. Closed doors on each side, and a set of stairs at the end. No sign of movement.
Ryker stepped forward onto the hardwood floor and gestured that it was safe for Roark to follow.
They left the outside door cracked in case they needed to make a quick exit, and began opening doors. Laundry room, recording studio, storage closet. Nothing unusual.
