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“Doc kept waking me. I thought I’d let you sleep for a while.”
“You didn’t have to do that. I sleep better knowing you’re okay. But thank you for thinking about me. How do you feel?”
“My head hurts and I’m cranky, but I’ll live.”
He chuckled and kissed her forehead. “You’d better. That’s a non-negotiable order.”
“What do we do now that Rosé — I mean, Tawny — has been arrested?”
Ryker glanced around the room at his team. “For now, I want everyone to stay here. We have to be sure Tawny doesn’t have anyone else working with her. Someone executed Henderson. Maybe it was the creeper with Tawny last night, but maybe it wasn’t. Until we’re sure, I want guards with everyone at all times. Today, everyone should settle in and get some rest. We’ll send one of the team out to pick up food. We have to talk to the label about their plan for the rest of the tour, and we can define our strategy more then, but for now no one enters or leaves this suite without authorization.”
Roark spoke up. “I’ll coordinate all that. Go get some sleep, dude. You look like a zombie. Like full-on blaaaaaargh Walking Dead zombie.” He then did a terrible zombie impersonation from his seat with outstretched arms and groaning noises.
Ryker rolled his eyes, but his lips also twitched with amusement. “Thanks. Love you, too.”
Roark stopped his impersonation and smooched an air kiss at Ryker.
Ryker blew a kiss back at him as he wrapped his hand around Jade’s, then he turned his face toward her and nuzzled his nose against her ear. “C’mon, let’s go back to bed.”
Jade waved at her friends and shuffled forward, letting Ryker guide her back to their room.
Ryker closed the door behind them. Jade’s feet sank into the soft, luxurious carpet as they crossed the room to the bed. Ryker climbed in first and visibly winced from the movement. Jade let him flick off the bedside lamp and settle in before she slid between the silky sheets and snuggled against him. She rested her head against his shoulder. The blackout curtains over the windows kept the daylight outside and the room was completely dark.
She gently smoothed her hand across his bruises, which were committed to her memory. His injuries could have been so much worse. She knew without a doubt that without his intervention, she would be in the hospital or dead right now. A shiver ran down her spine.
“Thank you for jumping in front of a bullet for me,” she murmured.
Ryker kissed her forehead. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. No matter what, I’ve got your back.”
Jade’s mind wandered back to the next step. Ryker would be moving to a new job soon. Where would they go from here? She didn’t want to grow apart.
“We have to make this work, Ry.”
“What do you mean?”
“This. Us. We have to make us work. I can’t lose you, so we have to figure this out.”
Ryker turned on his side and wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her in tight against him and ran a soothing hand up and down her back. His heart pounded steady and strong against her cheek as he held her close.
“Sweetness, you’re stuck with me. I’m not going anywhere.”
“You’ll have to move on to another job soon and I’ll have to tour again. We both travel so much for our careers. We have to figure the logistics. I’m determined we are going to make it.”
“And we will. We will absolutely make this work. I’ve been thinking about it, too. You aren’t always touring, and I’m not in the Navy anymore. I have complete control over what jobs my team takes, and I can run jobs remotely when needed. Plus, there’s video chat and we can fly to each other for a few days together when we have a chance. We can do it. We’re in this together, and we’ve got this. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
He kissed her forehead.
“Get some sleep, baby. Don’t worry about anything. I’ve got you.”
He kept her wrapped in the safety of his arms, and his steady heartbeat lulled her to sleep.
Chapter 29
Ryker
Two months later
