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“Ellie.” He offers me a jovial smile, one that slips from his face when he sets eyes on Landon. His tone turns stiff. “Landon.”
“Raymond,” Landon greets just as tersely, tension evident in every line of his face. I desperately want to soothe the crease that has materialized between his brows, but I don’t dare. Not in front of Raymond. I feel as if I’m at the end of a hunter’s arrow, and any sudden movement will determine my fate.
Landon and Raymond size each other up, and I wonder what they’re thinking.
Landon has only just discovered that Mania’s mysterious contact is none other than my uncle himself. And Raymond… Well, I imagine it’s strange to look at the child you groomed to become a stone-cold killer.
Because, make no mistake, that’s what Raymond did to my guys. He used their love for me against them. How many people have they tortured and killed for Raymond? God, I don’t even want to know that number.
Nausea churns in my lower belly, inching its way up my throat. I physically have to press my lips together to keep from vomiting.
Unable to handle the silent stare-off between the two men, I step forward, open the back door, and slide inside. Landon’s quick to follow me, as I knew he would, though he casts me a withering glare that has my insides shriveling into a raisin-sized ball. The reproach in his gaze clearly states, “do not get into a car with a virtual stranger, even if he does claim to be your uncle.”
I return his look with a “you weren't moving fast enough” one of my own.
Raymond’s chuckle jangles through the air, effectively pulling my attention from Landon.
“It’s good to see you, Ellie,” he says as Teak turns the car out of the parking lot and onto the highway. I notice, somewhat belatedly, that four identical cars follow behind and then branch out in different directions. Probably to throw POP off our trail, on the off chance they followed us.
“How far is it to the hotel?” Landon’s voice is curt and clipped. His body practically vibrates with tension beside me. He presses his thigh against my own, and I place a comforting hand on his knee, hoping to calm him.
I know he doesn’t like being at Raymond’s mercy, but my uncle has been helping us over the years. And he agreed to take in Ryker, even knowing the consequences of being discovered. We need Raymond as a friend, not an enemy.
My uncle doesn’t seem perturbed by Landon’s harsh tone. Another chuckle escapes him as he runs a hand through his salt and pepper hair. “Ryker’s been missing you,” Raymond tells me, ignoring Landon’s question. I’m not sure if that’s intentional or not.
Landon huffs with indignation from beside me, and his jaw begins to twitch as he clenches and unclenches it.
“I’ve been missing him,” I say softly, my heart leaping to my throat and becoming trapped there.
Raymond’s voice turns serious—more serious than I’ve ever heard it. “We’re taking a great risk allowing you to meet with him.” His hands close into tight balls, his knuckles bleaching white. “Both to Ryker and our organization. If POP discovers us…”
“They won’t,” I interrupt. I tighten my grip on Landon’s knee. “We took precautions.”
That was one of the conditions of meeting with Ryker. We couldn’t stray from our normal routine. Usually on this day, I’m at self-defense training with Lily, in a room that’s devoid of cameras or listening devices, thanks to Beckett. Most of my classes last for an hour or so, which gives us time to drive to the hotel, meet with Ryker, and return home. Landon hopes to discuss POP and The Divine One with Raymond during that time—exchange information, come up with a plan, and gauge my uncle’s sincerity.
We haven’t told him about everything Senator Whipers told us.
We don’t trust him.
Not yet.
During this time, Dominic, Beckett, and Zane will finally drive to the address Reece gave us. They, too, have taken precautions not to be followed, though I have no idea what those are. When I tried to ask Zane, he simply patted me on the forehead and said, “We’re very lucky I’m a high-functioning psychopath.” He then flashed a sharp-toothed smile more befitting a shark than a human and added, “Trust me, princesa. No one will dare to follow us.”
Be still my heart, which seems to reach out toward all of the crazies. Apparently, I’m an addict when it comes to them, willingly standing in front of a lit cigar just to inhale the smoke.
I exchange a loaded look with Landon, and during that time, we have an entire conversation.
He stares at me with unencumbered fear and worry. For as long as I can remember, Landon has been the man in charge, the one with all the information and facts. He’s out of his depth right now, and that terrifies him.
I silently reassure him that we’re going to be all right, that we can trust Raymond not to quite literally stab us in the back, that we need to do this.
It feels like an entire hour passes—but I know it to only be a few minutes—before the asphalt underneath the SUV morphs into loose pebbles and dirt. I bounce in the back seat as Teak steers the vehicle through the forest and toward the immense, half-completed hotel in the middle of nowhere. The construction equipment I noted before still remains, though they don’t look like they’ve been used once in the months since I’ve last been here.
And standing underneath the overhang of the hotel, a tiny dog in his arms, is Ryker.
My Ryker.
The world freezes around me like some primordial deity just pushed pause on a remote. I throw open the door, jump out, and run toward him.
