Live By The Team (Team Fear Book 1) (31 page)

They walked Caleb to the bank and left him on the employee patio. They moved back before sending a text to Miranda. She raced out seconds later and embraced the boy. She looked around but didn’t see them. “Do you think she’ll keep quiet about you?”

Ryder nodded. “She wanted her son back, and she really doesn’t want to admit to helping Earl and his cohorts. She’ll keep quiet.” They walked around the block where Rose picked them up.

“
We’ve got trouble,” he said as soon as they closed the door to the outside world.

“
Really? It’s been such a peaceful day so far.” Lauren smirked. She took the chaos like a seasoned vet.

Rose ran the details as they drove through town. “Fowler called. He’s got a tail. They’re trained and he can’t shake them.”

“
Where is he?”

“
Outside of Tucson and headed this way.”

Ryder rubbed the bones around his eye socket, trying to ease the freaking headache that wouldn’t end. “Baby, I can’t take you with me.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

“
You disappear and I will hunt you like the dog you are.” Trust. Lauren had to learn to trust him at some point. Debi was right. Lauren couldn’t live in fear that he’d leave, the way she had been from the beginning. She kicked the rear tire of Rose’s truck. They stood in the staff parking lot under a tree that filtered the afternoon sun.

Ryder brushed the hair off her shoulder. “We’re walking into a volatile situation. I will not take you into what amounts to a combat situation.” The intractable set of his jaw promised he would not be swayed.

Lauren swallowed her objections. After the week she’d had, she didn’t really want to go anywhere she could be shot at or beaten. “You think Earl and his cronies are on the run?”

“
Yes. Craft confirmed that there’s a warrant out for Earl’s arrest. The lawyer has a flight scheduled this evening. He won’t be on it.”

Ryder’s certainty soothed her fears. “What about the others?”

“
The remaining conspirators will try to run before the investigators link them to the evidence implicating the lawyer and Smythe. With Smythe dead, the rest of the crew will scurry into the shadows, but I want you to stay in a public place just in case.”

“
How long until they find Smythe’s body?” The idea of a decomposing body in her old house nauseated her.

“
Not our problem. Is Debi on the way?”

Lauren smoothed the cotton over Ryder’s chest. “You know she hates campus.” Not that Lauren blamed her. “But she said she’d be here soon.”

“
Good. Go somewhere public. The cafeteria or the library.” Ryder pulled her body into his. “Keep your phone on you.”

“
I’m seriously texting Craft and getting that app on your phone.” Lauren smoothed her hands over his shoulders to twine around his neck. “Come back to me.”

“
If it’s safe.”

“
That’s not the same thing.” She lifted the sunglasses to the top of her head so she could look him in the eye. “I’m safest when you’re with me.”

He brushed a thumb over her throbbing lip. “I’m starting to think that’s true.”

“
Trust me. It is true.” Tingles spread from his light touch. “Kiss me.”

“
There’s nowhere that won’t hurt you.”

“
I’ll live.” Lauren swallowed. If they were separating, even briefly, she wanted that last good kiss in her memory banks. The distracted kiss and go in the kitchen haunted her. “I need you, Ryder.”

He lowered his head, softly dropping his lips to hers. He tried to keep it feather light, but Lauren didn’t give him what he wanted. She stepped onto the tips of her toes and pulled his head lower. Erotic pain accompanied the drugging kiss as she pushed past sweet and into steamy. Her tongue tasted him. He pulled her closer so she felt his erection against her cleft. The want didn’t fade, could never end.

Rose tapped the horn and Ryder lifted his head. “I have to go.”

Lauren smoothed hair from his face. “I will hunt you.”

“
Then I guess the only way to keep you from stumbling into more trouble is to come back.”

“
You guess right.” Lauren dropped to flat feet. “Be safe.”

“
That’s my line.” He pressed one last soft kiss to her cheek and disappeared into the truck. Lauren watched it merge into traffic before dropping the sunglasses into place and winding her way through campus. The wind rustled branches and made the shady path cooler. Lauren wrapped Ryder’s coat tighter around her chest. At the admin building, she stepped inside to get out of the wind.

“
Professor?” At the coffee kiosk, Beth stared at her, mouth open like a fish on a hook. “What happened?”

Did she look that bad? Maybe she should have avoided people, rather than walk into them and encourage speculation. “The accident,” she lied. “Just looks worse today with the bruises coming out.” Right. “Do you have any ice?”

“
Sure.” Beth scooped ice into a plastic bag and handed it over the counter. “Anything else? A coffee maybe?”

Just the idea of coffee turned her stomach. Lauren sent a quick text to Debi telling her to meet in her office. Being around people was a bad idea. The look on Beth’s face was enough evidence of how horrific her appearance must be. “A hot tea, maybe?”

Lauren set the phone down and reached for her wallet, but Beth waved her off. “This is on me. Really looks like you could use it.”

“
You have no idea.” Lauren pressed the icepack to her throat. The chill chased away some of the ache. Maybe she should take a bath in the stuff. “I appreciate the tea.”

Beth’s hands shook as she handed over the insulated cup. “Are you sure you’re okay? Can I call anyone?”

“
No.” Lauren added honey to the tea and stirred until it dissolved. Beth watched like she expected Lauren to fall over at any minute. Great. This would be all over campus before the weekend. Crawford would eliminate her for sure. “Thanks, Beth.” Lauren walked the long way around the admin building, hoping to avoid Crawford who had office hours this afternoon. If she were lucky—what were the odds—he’d think the rumors were an exaggeration from the accident. Crawford liked Ryder, so surely he wouldn’t think what Beth so obviously thought, that Ryder hit her. As if. Ryder lived in terror of it, but Lauren knew without a doubt that Ryder would never cause her harm.

Lauren shut the door and kept the light out so no one would notice she was there. Hopefully. She eased her tired bones into the black office chair behind her desk and let it tilt back. With the sunglasses still on, very little light made it through, and the dim light soothed her throbbing eyeballs. There wasn’t a bone or muscle in her body that didn’t hurt like hell. She set the ice pack on her neck and sat that way until the cold numbed the pain.

She titled forward and grabbed her tea, which had cooled enough to drink. She took several long swallows, and the warmth was like a balm to her sore throat, but the bitter taste didn’t do much for her tongue. Lauren grabbed the white tab and noticed it wasn’t her regular blend. Beth must have been so discombobulated that she picked the wrong one. After another unsatisfactory drink, Lauren set it aside. She put the melting ice to her jaw and groaned. She needed a long weekend away, a hot tub, and a glass of wine. Make that a bottle of wine. And Ryder. She leaned into the ice bag in her hand. Everything was better with Ryder.

She really would track him if he didn’t come back. She’d given it a great deal of thought. Debi was right. She controlled her future. If Ryder didn’t love her, that would be one thing. Lauren sat up, dropping the ice to the floor. Did he love her? Her heart felt as mangled as her face. He hadn’t said the words since he’d returned. Not when she said it to him, not when she’d told him why she married him. Why she loved him.

Would he be so worried about hurting her if he didn’t love her? No. He just bottled his emotions up like he was still on a mission. She had to believe that. He loved her, and love mattered, more than fear or danger or anything else she’d endured the last few days. She patted her pockets, looking for her phone. Dang. She’d left it at the coffee kiosk. She picked up the office phone and dialed the kiosk extension.

Beth picked up on the third ring.

“
Hey, Beth, it’s Professor Ryder. Did I leave my phone by the honey and other sweeteners?”

“
Just a sec.” The rustle of movement and a male voice before Beth came back on the line. “Yep, here it is.”

“
Could you hold onto it? I’ll pick it up on my way off campus.”

“
Sure, Professor.”

“
Is that Joe’s voice I hear in the background?”

Beth giggled and Lauren could almost hear the blush across the phone line. “Yes. How did you know?”

“
Lucky guess. Tell him I said hi.”

They hung up and Lauren reached for her tea, but the bitter taste was stronger as it cooled. She set it aside and grabbed a bottle of water from the mini fridge next to her desk. She was running the bottle of water across her forehead when Debi walked in. “You look rough.”

“
You should see the other guy.”

“
What happened?”

“
Let’s just say Smythe won’t be spending my mortgage money anytime soon.”

“
Oh, no way, girl. Don’t tease. I need the whole story.”

“
Have a seat.” Lauren gestured to the chair across from her. “Want a water?”

“
No thanks. Is that a coffee?”

“
Tea. Not my usual brand. Want it?”

Debi grabbed the cup and sat across from her. While Debi drank, Lauren told her about Earl, the bank, and the townhouse. She left out the part about Ryder nearly killing Earl. Something had shifted in his eyes; something wild had overtaken his humanity. She didn’t mind him defending her, she understood his rage, but something the Army had done to him had severed the link with his humanity. The experimental program he’d been involved in wasn’t her story to tell, not that she knew the whole story, or at least she didn’t think so.

Debi leaned back in silence once Lauren finished. “You need to call the police.”

“
I can’t.” She couldn’t explain Ryder’s paranoia, and after the past few days, she was starting to believe him. There was no such thing as random coincidence. “Trust me, Ryder, Rose, and Craft will make sure there’s justice.” Not the kind they wanted, but the men responsible would pay. “Is Craft still setting up shop at your kitchen table?”

“
He put the chili on and worked for a few hours. He bailed right before you called me, and packed the chili into the fridge.”

About the same time Ryder left her on campus. Lauren couldn’t stop the worry nipping at her heels. Was Ryder safe? She wanted to call and check in, but her phone was at the coffee kiosk. “Let’s go. I’ll pick up my phone and we can get an update.”

Lauren dropped the melted bag of ice into the garbage and stood. The world spun for a minute, so she grabbed the edge of the desk. She hadn’t eaten when she got food for Caleb. Her stomach had been too pitchy, but now her blood sugar was low and she was woozy.

Debi’s eyes narrowed. “Are you okay?”

“
I’m a walking riddle.”

“
Huh?”

Lauren grabbed the sunglasses and plopped them back on. “Black and blue and red all over.”

“
Ha-ha. If you can make bad jokes, you must be fine. Let’s go.” Still, she held Lauren’s arm as they walked down the wide hall. Crawford’s door was closed when they passed—thank God—and made it to the small atrium at the front of the building.

Beth stood behind the register with Joe off to the side. Her whole focus was on the young military man. “Shouldn’t you be at work?” Lauren asked.

Joe’s smooth face flushed. “No, ma’am. Work’s over for the day.” He gestured outside where the sun was drooping towards the horizon.

Huh. She must have been relaxing in her office longer than she thought. “Beth, do you have my phone?”

“
Right here.” She handed it over the countertop.

Debi pulled out her wallet. “Can I get a black coffee to go?”

Beth glanced at Joe and her face flushed. “Uh, I kinda turned the pot off early. I can do hot tea?”

“
That’s fine, but not the stuff you gave her.” Debi nodded at Lauren. “That was awful.”

The pink in Beth’s face burned redder than a July sunburn. “Sorry, Professor.”

“
That’s fine.” Lauren tried to smile, but her head spun. “We’ll just head out. Have a good night.” The nausea she’d fought earlier came back and she barely stumbled down the three steps to street level. “Where did you park?”

“
Staff lot.” Debi grabbed her arm and steered her around the admin building. They made it a few steps before Joe came running up after them.

“
Sorry, Lauren. Beth felt bad about the tea, so she made you a chai.” He held out a cup and Lauren took it.