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She sighed, leaning back into his embrace. “The medication makes me feel so fuzzy-headed. I can’t focus on anything for more than a few minutes. It’s frustrating.”
“Give it time,” he whispered. Your body is still recovering from everything you went through.”
“I know. It’s just... I want to be better already,” she admitted, her voice cracking slightly.
Ryker tightened his hold on her, offering silent support. “Why don’t we take a walk? Maybe some fresh air will help clear your head.”
“Okay,” she agreed hesitantly, allowing him to guide her out of the side door and down the garden path. They walked hand-in-hand, their fingers entwined, as the grounds lights began to flicker on around them.
Their steps slowed when they reached a small pond, its small dock casting eerie shadows in the fading sunlight. Oakley paused, taking deep breaths as she tried to focus her scattered thoughts.
“Being outside helps a little,” she conceded, looking up at Ryker with a small smile. “But I can’t escape the feeling that I’m not truly safe, even with you by my side and all of this security.”
“Oakley,” Ryker’s voice was firm, his eyes locked on hers. “I will do everything in my power to protect you. You have my word.”
“I know you will.” She squeezed his hand, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “It’s just... this whole situation has shaken me to my core. I never imagined something like this would happen to me.”
“Me neither,” he admitted, his voice thick with emotion.
“Ryker,” she whispered, suddenly vulnerable. “I need your help to overcome this. I can’t do it alone.”
“Of course,” he vowed, pulling her into a tight embrace. “We’ll face this together. We’ll heal, and we’ll grow stronger from it.”
As Oakley leaned into Ryker’s comforting arms, she felt the first flicker of hope ignite within her heart. The road ahead would be difficult, but with Ryker by her side, she knew they could face anything.
“Thank you, Ryker,” she murmured, pressing her face against his chest. “For everything.”
“Anything for you, baby, you know that,” he replied, his voice full of love and determination.
***
RYKER STEELED HIMSELFas he entered the dimly lit conference room, where the team assembled around a large table, their faces determined and focused. The air was thick with tension, each member keenly aware of the stakes involved in finding Audra and uncovering her next plans.
“All right, everyone,” Carter said, taking his place at the end of the table. “I’m taking point here, replacing Mark, who needs a break.”
Mark snickered good-naturedly. “Whatever you need to tell yourself, man.”
Carter slugged Mark playfully in the arm. Carter turned serious again. “We need to stop Audra before she can hurt anyone else. Let’s review what we know so far and discuss our next moves.”
“Agreed,” said Sharlee. She was called the Vapor on the deep web, and as the team’s intelligence analyst, she had the uncanny ability to sift through data and connect seemingly unrelated pieces of information. “Audra has been keeping a low profile since Oakley’s rescue, but that doesn’t mean she’s stopped planning her next move.”
“Right,” chimed in Kaden, the team’s hardware and software tech expert. His fingers danced across his laptop keyboard as he pulled up the relevant information on the screen. “I’ve been monitoring her known associates and digging into any new leads that might point us in the right direction.”
“Good man, Kaden,” Carter praised, scanning the faces of his team members.
“Now, we also have Ava, our profiler, on loan from Callie’s earlier Homeland Security days, who’s been working tirelessly to get inside Audra’s head and understand her motivations.
“According to Ava,” said Callie, “She doesn’t think that Audra started out so driven or fanatical. But when her way of life was threatened for a third time in her adult life, it was more than she could handle.”
“What do you mean, third time?” asked Carter.
“First, her husband decimated her trust. Ava believes her husband brainwashed Audra into believing she was only good at being a wife when she made her husband happy. She was a convert until Charles found out. He convinced her that the domestic violence she was experiencing in the marriage was unhealthy.
“When her husband wouldn’t change, and in fact escalated, he destroyed her worth as a spouse and her faith in him. When her mother left right after she moved back home instead of supporting her, it was another abandonment. Then finally, when Charles’ illness was diagnosed and treated with excellent outcomes, someone betrayed her again. She would once again be left alone. And she loved all the other people who had betrayed her, so it had to be turned elsewhere.”
“Oakley,” said Ryker.
“Yep,” said Callie.
