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Spinning around, I raced to the bathroom so I could search for pants and my phone. Slipping on a pair of lounge pants, I grabbed my cell and tapped Blayze’s number.
“Hey, is everything okay?” he answered.
“No! I mean, I don’t know! Why does Ryan have a gun?”
“What?” Blayze asked, clearly confused.
“Ryan met some man outside the cabin because I told him I felt like I was being watched in the bathroom. He called someone, said he’d meet him outside, then he got a gun out of his bag, Blayze, and went outside to meet this man!”
“Morgan, calm down and take a few deep breaths, okay? First of all, you have a stalker doing all kinds of crazy shit to you, of course Ryan has a gun. It’s not the first time you’ve ever seen him with a gun.”
I closed my eyes. “I guess so, but he was hunting then. But yes, I see what you mean. It was just a shock to see it.”
Blayze exhaled. “The guy is most likely Nox. A friend of ours.”
Nox? Why did that name sound so familiar? Then I remembered. It was the name on Ryan’s phone a couple weeks back. “Who’s Nox?”
Blayze cursed. I heard him moving, then the sound of a door shutting. “Nox is someone we met in college our freshman year. He’s probably the smartest guy I’ve ever known. Anyway, he ended up leaving school and went to work for the government. Doing what, I have no idea. I’m not sure Ryan does, either…but maybe. He and Ryan had a closer relationship. Ryan actually spent a whole summer with Nox, but don’t ask me why. I never asked. All I know is, if Ryan called Nox for help, it was either to assist in finding the guy doing this to you, or to…” His voice trailed off.
“Or to what?”
He sighed. “Watch you.”
“Watch me? As in, follow me around?”
“Morgan, don’t get upset with Ryan. He only wants to keep you safe.”
“But if he has someone watching me, why didn’t they see the kid break into the apartment today?”
“Because he probably had his eyes on you in the boutique.”
“Ryan isn’t involved with the government, is he?”
Blayze laughed. “No, I promise you he’s not. He is, however, very proficient with a gun, and I think that has everything to do with Nox. From the little Ryan has told me about the summer he spent with the guy, I’m pretty damn sure he was attempting to recruit Ryan for something. He said no—and I’m even more sure that was because of you.”
“Me?” I asked.
“Morgan…Ryan has had a thing for you ever since you were a teenager. He may not have admitted it to me, maybe not even to himself, but it was always obvious that most of the decisions he’s made in his life have had everything to do with you.”
I closed my eyes and fought the tears that threatened to escape. “He’s out there right now, Blayze. What if that lunatic is still here? I would die if anything happened to Ryan!”
“Trust me when I say that Ryan can take care of himself.”
I heard the lock disengage, then the door to the cabin opened and I let out a huge sigh of relief. “He’s back.” My eyes jerked over to a large man dressed entirely in camo. “And…he has GI Joe with him.”
Blayze actually laughed at that. “Everything okay?”
“Blayze wants to know if everything’s okay?” I called out.
Ryan smiled and nodded, though the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.
At the same time, Nox shook his head. I instantly liked the guy.
“Yeah, it’s okay,” I said, not wanting to worry Blayze. “I’m sorry I interrupted your evening. I’ll talk to you later.”
“I love you, Morgan.”
“Love you too.”
Hitting End, I stood and approached Nox. Jesus, the man was huge, and not the type of guy I would want to be on the wrong side of. He was all muscle and at least six two, with brown hair that was cut in a military style. His eyes were a beautiful light blue, but there was something in them that said he’d seen his fair share of terrible things. Holding out a hand, I said, “I’m Morgan Shaw.”
“Nox Miller. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Morgan, although I wish it was under different circumstances.”
I forced a weak smile. “Me too. Since Ryan is clearly lying… Was he out there?”
Nox shot a bemused look in Ryan’s direction. “I see what you mean.”
Raising a brow, I gave Ryan a questioning look. He ignored it and said, “Someone was here; we found fresh tracks behind the cabin…and whoever they are, they got sloppy when they took off and left these behind.”
Ryan raised a pair of binoculars up by the strap. I instantly wrapped my arms around my waist. He had been here—and he’d been watching us. Had he seen me in the bathroom? The thought made me sick to my stomach. “Do you think you can get prints off of them?” I asked.
