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Once again, Ryker pulled in a deep breath and forced himself to continue. “I saw him come into the gas station. The gunman. My first instinct was to hide. I pulled Alison down, clapped a hand over her mouth, and whispered for her to stay quiet. Initially she did. We stayed crouched behind a rack of potato chips while the robber demanded cash from the register. He became irate at the amount of money, convinced the clerk was holding out on him, and then…”
Ryker closed his eyes. Heard the echo of the gunshots. “He killed the clerk in cold blood. Alison freaked. She wriggled away from me, jumped up, and started running. I don’t think she had any actual plan. Her instincts had taken over. I tried to stop her before—”
The memory of that day slammed into Ryker with the force of a freight train. It stole his breath. Hannah must’ve sensed the whirlwind of emotion inside him because she came closer. Her hand landed between his shoulder blades. A simple gesture, one of comfort and friendship, that reached inside and ripped open the scabs covering his heart. Tears pricked his eyes. “The gunman shot her. Then me.”
A phantom pain in his side burned. “I was fortunate. The bullet only grazed my stomach. I have a scar, but that’s minor compared to what could’ve happened. Alison wasn’t so lucky. She died instantly. Only fifteen years old. Murdered while trying to buy a chocolate bar and a soda.”
“I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine how painful that must’ve been for you.”
The compassion in her voice wasn’t surprising, but it touched Ryker all the same. He turned and took her hand in his. Studied the delicate bones, her porcelain skin a contrast to his deeper olive tone. “It was, but I have a reason for sharing this story with you now. In the courthouse yesterday, I tried to get you to leave with me, but you took off after Charlotte. It wasn’t a mistake—I’m not saying that—but something like that can’t happen again. The minute we leave this ranch, your life is in my hands.”
Hannah was a strong-willed woman used to calling the shots. In hindsight, Ryker should have stationed a deputy with Pam and Charlotte. A foolish error that’d given Cash an opportunity to abduct Hannah and the baby. But even if he’d taken that precaution, would Hannah have listened to reason? Or left the building without her niece? Probably not.
Ryker lifted his gaze to hers. “There are three things I take seriously: my faith, my family, and my job. As I said yesterday, nothing will prevent me from keeping you safe. But I need your cooperation. In dangerous situations, every second counts. I may ask you to do things you disagree with. You can’t argue. Or question me.” His tone brooked no argument. “In a crisis, I have the final say. Do you understand?”
She was quiet for a long moment. “You’re asking me to trust you implicitly.”
“Yes, I am.” It was a tall order, especially since they didn’t know each other well. Ryker wasn’t oblivious to that fact. “It’s the only way this will work, Hannah. Anything less puts both our lives at risk.”
Silence descended between them. Ryker let it. He knew she was mulling over everything he said. Her gaze drifted over his shoulder to the field beyond the open balcony doors before finally settling back on him. Hannah gently squeezed his hand. “Okay. You have my word that I’ll do what you say in a crisis without question.”
Relief washed over him as he let out the breath he’d been unconsciously holding. “Thank you.”
“No, thank you. For everything. Charlotte and I wouldn’t be here today if you hadn’t raced back into the courthouse to find us. Then you protected us yesterday from being run off the road.” She studied his face with that all-knowing gaze. “But I want to make one thing very clear, Ryker. You aren’t responsible if something happens to me. Not everything is within your control. There’s no way anyone could’ve predicted the bomb threat.”
“Maybe not, but if anything happens to you, I’ll blame myself. It’s who I am.”
She released his hand and stepped forward before wrapping her slender arms around his waist. Her embrace was unexpected but not unwelcome. Ryker pulled her closer. The scent of her perfume was like a balm on his raw emotions. Her compassion and understanding continued to knock down the walls he’d built to protect himself from romantic entanglements.
Ryker wanted to stop it, but didn’t know how. He couldn’t push Hannah away any more than he could stop breathing. Nor did he want to. But what kind of future could they have? Was he prepared to truly risk getting hurt if something happened to her? Worse, what if Hannah was killed on his watch?
The thought absolutely terrified him, as did the knowledge that he was treading dangerously close to something he’d successfully avoided since Alison’s death.
A broken heart.
FOURTEEN
Three hours later, Hannah stood in the electronics room at the Fulton County Sheriff’s Department. A deputy manned the computer station. Multiple screens faced them, one for each interview room. Only one was on. She watched as Thomas and his attorney were led inside by Texas Ranger Eli Goodwin. He politely asked them to wait before backing out and shutting the door.
Beside her, Ryker hooked his thumbs in his pant pockets. Hannah’s focus should be on the task ahead of her, but somehow her attention kept being dragged back to the handsome lawman. Their conversation from earlier kept replaying in her mind. So much about Ryker fell into place once she learned about Alison. The haunting look that sometimes came into his eyes, the passion he had for his cases, the flippant way he approached dating, and his need to keep romantic relationships casual.
He’d experienced deep loss. It was something Hannah was very familiar with, and her heart broke for the impact it made on his life. She was also touched he’d shared the story with her. Responsibility for Alison’s death wasn’t Ryker’s burden to carry, but Hannah sensed he wouldn’t listen to that argument.
Was it even her place to convince him? Maybe not, but she wasn’t the kind to walk away from a friend in pain. If there was some way to help, even a little, she had to try. But first, they needed to find Cash.
The door to the electronics room opened and Eli slipped inside. Hannah had worked several cases with him since joining the District Attorney’s Office. He was smart and dedicated. Very serious. The type of law enforcement officer who followed every rule and analyzed the situation from all angles. Hannah secretly thought Eli was the kind of guy she should date, but there were absolutely no sparks between them.
That point was never clearer than right now. Standing next to Ryker, it seemed every cell of her body was tuned to him. It bothered and thrilled her all at the same time.
“Well, I can say right from the get-go that Thomas doesn’t seem nervous at all.” Eli scowled at the monitor. On screen, Thomas had taken a seat and was nursing a bottle of water while chatting with his attorney about a tennis match he’d played earlier this morning. “If he hired Cash to attack you, he should be concerned about what we might’ve uncovered since yesterday.”
“Not Thomas.” Ryker rocked back on his heels. “The guy’s a master manipulator and believes he’s the smartest person in the room. I think this whole interview is a game.”
“Doesn’t mean we can’t glean some information from it.” Hannah collected her notepad and then straightened her shoulders. “Here’s the plan. We’re going to play good prosecutor, bad cop. I’m going to convince Jose and Thomas that I’m on their side. Namely that I’m seriously thinking about dropping the murder charges given these new developments in the case. Ryker, you need to act ticked off and annoyed that the rangers are being asked to reopen their investigation.” She arched her brows, a teasing grin playing on her lips. “Think you pull it off?”
“Not if you keep smiling at me like that.” His eyes sparked with humor. “It’s distracting.”
She caught the teasing note in his voice and appreciated the way he’d played off their argument yesterday at the courthouse. Hannah lightly smacked him with her notepad. “Shut up.”
