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The man studied each of us, committing our faces to memory, before finally looking back at Ryker.
“I hear you needed to see me. I’m available now if you are?”
“Yes, sir,” Ryker said, giving a nod of respect. “I’d love to go over what your security feeds cover so that my cameras can cover the rest.”
He frowned at Ryker’s words. “We don’t usually allow cameras in the castle,” he said. “You are the exception.”
“Noted. We won’t do anything to compromise security here,” Ryker promised before turning to us. “I’ll catch up to you guys in a little bit.”
“You sure?” Lincoln asked, studying him for any sign of nerves.
“Positive,” Ryker said. “I’ll catch you guys up when we get back.”
Normally, I wasn’t a fan of splitting up, but I also didn’t want to sit through an hour-long conversation about security system software and the layout of this huge place.
“Call us if you need us,” Ben said, looking just as reluctant as I did to part ways. He eventually wrapped his arm around my shoulder and forced us both to walk away.
“He’s fine,” I reassured us both. “When did we get so needy?”
“When you were kidnapped,” he deadpanned. “I’m going to need you to never do that again.”
“I’ll do my best,” I said with a snort. “It definitely wasn’t my favorite experience.”
“No more talk about that,” Lincoln said, giving us both a glare. I reached for his hand and wrapped my fingers around his. “Focus on this town. We’re here for a fresh start, right?”
“Right,” I agreed.
We’d just stepped into the street heading toward the main square. The town itself reminded me of one of those German villages, where one building merged into the next with the same architectural style outside.
The signs helped differentiate the shops from each other. I was genuinely surprised to see the variety they had here. There was a bit of everything from hair stylists, to a grocery store, a row of boutiques, cafes, a less casual restaurant, and a pet store.
Flyers were hung up on bulletin boards throughout the walk talking about the vendor fairs every Saturday and Sunday through the winter, barring inclement weather.
“We have to check that out at least once while we’re here,” I said, pointing it out.
“Hell yeah,” Ben agreed. “They usually have flea-market-style finds. I bet I could find a few cameras for my collection.”
“There’s the coffee shop,” Ethan said. “With a bakery next door.”
“You didn’t get your sweet tooth satisfied with breakfast?” Lincoln asked, horrified at the thought of more sugar.
“Nope,” Ethan grinned.
“I’m with Ethan,” I laughed. “Don’t worry, you can go for a run later if you want.”
“I’ll have to if I keep eating Logan’s food,” Lincoln said. “That breakfast was more than I can usually handle. It was amazing, but I’m used to a quick breakfast and run.”
“You can get back to it next week,” Ethan said. “I probably should join you. Though, I’m not giving up Logan’s food.”
“I swear all you two think about is snacks.”
“And coffee,” I corrected Lincoln.
He shook his head but didn’t argue any further. He knew damn well what we were like, and he loved it.
His focus shifted from us to the town, slowly scanning our surroundings and eyeballing anyone walking around. He was always vigilant, planning ahead, making sure that we were safe.
I’m sure my questioning whether this would go smoothly wasn’t helping the situation. I felt bad for projecting my anxiety on him, but it was nice to know that he was taking it seriously.
