Nobody's Lost (Rescue Me Saga #5) (6 page)

The smell of eggs cooking assailed her the moment she opened her bedroom door and ventured into the hallway. When she reached the kitchen, she found him standing in front of the stove as he flipped over the scrambled eggs.

“That smells great.”

“I figured since you couldn’t sleep, you might like an early breakfast.” The skylight showed the beginning stages of dawn. She wondered if he’d been planning to serve her in bed if she hadn’t come in here.

He sprinkled liberal amounts of cheese, mushrooms, and chopped peppers onto the surface of the eggs and flipped half of the overstuffed omelet onto the other half. He probably could have eaten the entire thing himself. She’d always been amazed at how much food Patrick could pack away and still never gain an extra ounce.

She went to the cupboard, pulled out two plates, and set them next to the stove. “Thanks for making breakfast. Nothing sexier than a man working at the stove.”

Crap! What made her say something like that?

His hand stilled a moment. “No worries.”

Needing something to distract herself—and put some distance between them—she fixed four slices of toast and poured orange juice into two glasses. The coffee pot was three-fourths full. He probably planned on drinking the brew to stay awake. She poured herself a mug and refreshed his.

The two of them sat at the bar rather than at the table and ate and drank in silence for several minutes before he set his fork down and looked sidelong at her. “When do you want to go buy the new computer?”

She smiled. “As soon as the mall opens.”

“There’s no more remote store to buy one?”

“’Fraid not. Only one in the whole city. I’ll need to buy new software for programs I don’t have digitally and download and install everything again. The sooner I do that, the sooner I can resume some semblance of normalcy.”

He nodded and swallowed a sip of his black coffee.

“Where do you live, Ryder?”

“On a pueblo north of here.”

“You’re Native American?” He didn’t have the coloring or features, for sure. She’d have guessed his ancestors were more central European.

“No. A friend from high school let me stay at his grandmother’s place when I…returned from Fallujah. She passed away more than a decade ago, but we used to spend summers there as teens when he was sent to the pueblo to learn the ways of his people. Lucky for me, his folks didn’t mind having me tag along.”

“How interesting that must have been for you.”

He narrowed his gaze as if gauging her sincerity but soon relaxed. “Actually, those were some of the best times of my childhood.”

So he hadn’t had the idyllic childhood she had. “What kinds of things did you learn?”

He took a bite of his omelet and chewed slowly. She thought he was going to evade the question, but he washed the last of his eggs down with his juice and sat back in his chair.

“Hunting. Fishing. Drumming.”

“Drumming! My family has a cabin up in the Black Hills that my brother is fixing up, and I spent a couple of summers there. We went to a powwow every summer. Also learned to fish. Didn’t really care for hunting, though. Something about those cute furry animals—well, I couldn’t kill one.”

“We only killed what we needed to survive. It was never about the sport of killing.”

“Oh, I’m sure it wasn’t!” She didn’t mean to guilt him out about it. “I’m just, well, rambling, I guess.” She stood and started clearing the dishes from the counter. “When would you like to go shopping?”

He hesitated a moment. “Any time you’re ready. You sure you don’t want to try to get some sleep first?”

She shook her head. “No. This coffee will keep me going for a few more hours, I’m sure, and I’m anxious to see if I can get what I need out of my cloud.”

“Cloud?”

“It’s where my current work is stored. Like a back-up system in the sky.” She grinned at his expression. Apparently, he didn’t use computers much.

After rinsing and stacking the dishes in the sink, she grabbed her purse. “Ready when you are.”

Chapter Four

R
yder rode shotgun as her metallic blue Ford Escape sped to the mall. He hoped he wasn’t making a mistake leaving the condo unguarded. One thing was certain—he’d rather be alone with her there than have to face all those people at the computer store. No way would he let her out of his sight, though. No harm would come to her on his watch.

When he could get some time alone, he needed to call Top and update him on the situation—what he could figure of it, anyway. He wished the woman would let him take her out of the city for a few days. He could protect her so much better at his place.

Whoa there, buddy
.

The thought of taking a woman to his place was dumber than a sack of nails. That house was way too isolated for someone used to living where she did. Then again, it sounded as though she had spent some time in the country at her family’s summer cabin.

Too soon, she pulled into the parking lot for the mall. Jesus Christ, wall-to-wall vehicles.

“I may have to park out a ways.”

He wished she’d been deterred and would give up on the idea of shopping now. “Maybe we should try during the dinner hour. I hear there are fewer people shopping then.”

“I’m sure they aren’t all headed to the computer store. It’ll be fine.”

Ryder began scanning the scene for any threats to her safety, but the pounding of his blood rushing in his ears blocked out all use of that sense. Sweat broke out on his upper lip. What if he couldn’t protect her from harm?

“Ryder, are you all right?”

Belatedly, he realized she’d found a place and parked. Now, she stared at him and wondered what the fuck his problem was. How could he explain?

“My breakfast isn’t setting too well. Haven’t eaten like that in a while.”

“Oh, I’m sorry! Let’s go back to my place then.” She inserted the key in the ignition and turned the engine over.

He refused to allow his fears to hinder her from doing what she needed to do. She needed that computer to be able to get back to work.

Ryder reached out and placed his hand lightly on top of her wrist. Soft. He pulled away again. “No. Let’s go on in. They’ll have bathrooms if I need one, but you need to get that computer.”

“Are you sure? I can wait.”

He opened his door. “Yes. I’m fine.” After exiting the Escape, he scanned the lot, but only saw a dozen or so shoppers either heading inside or returning to their cars.

“You look like you’re expecting a full-on attack.”

He met her gaze. He was, but wouldn’t tell her that. She’d think he was crazy like all the other civilians did.

Maybe he was.

“Never hurts to be aware of your surroundings. Marine training.”

She nodded and smiled. “I have two Marine brothers. I understand completely.” She started toward the mall entrance again and turned back to make sure he was following. “Sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get out of here.”

She winked, and his defenses dropped. Or maybe his big head just deferred to his little head’s judgment. What the fuck?

Focus, man. This is Top’s sister.

She continued toward the store, her hips swaying in her jeans. He forced himself to keep careful watch over her without ogling.

Ryder followed a few feet behind so she wouldn’t become alarmed by the way he continually scanned their surroundings looking for any unusual activity. Once inside the doors of the mall, an assault of sound and movement bombarded him.

He came to a halt as he tried to process the scene.

Shoppers rushing toward them with bags in both hands.
Merchandise. Not suicide bombs
.

Screaming kids heightened his senses, but they weren’t solemn like the ones in Iraq.

Don’t trust the kids.

No, wait. These kids were just pissed they didn’t get what they wanted at the mall. No booby traps. No human barricades—

Then a sound he couldn’t mistake anywhere—the hiss of an RPG.

“Hit the floor!”

He rushed toward Megan to provide cover before his brain kicked in and computed that they were near a party store. The sound was the helium filling a birthday balloon.

You’re in suburban Albuquerque. No one is aiming for you.

Megan turned and stared at him as if he’d grown a second head. Hoping to regain his cool, he looked at the floor and reached down to pick up an imaginary object he quickly pretended to put in his pocket.

“Found it.”

Her brows furrowed, but she smiled again and turned, making her way toward the computer store once more. People passed within barely a foot of her, and he went on high alert again. Too many people. Too many unfamiliar sounds.

Jesus, let’s get this over with and get back to her place.

Inside the computer store, a saleswoman entered her name in her iPad, and he surveyed the showroom while waiting for her to be served. While busy, fewer than ten people occupied the store, half of them appearing to be staff members. One quickly recorded her order and headed to the back to retrieve the components she’d requested.

Less than half an hour later, he carried the bag with her new laptop as well as an additional wide screen she said would help with her photo editing.

“That was fast.”

“They usually are.”

“It helped that you knew what you wanted.”

At the SUV, they stowed the boxes and bags in the cargo area.

Ryder sat in the passenger seat and breathed a little easier for the first time since they’d arrived at the mall. Before she started the ignition, he suggested, “Let’s stop by the hardware store. I’d like to pick up some new locks for the condo. I can work on that while you set up your computer.” His nerves were stretched thin. He needed to decompress before he had a full-blown anxiety attack. Installing the locks would give him something to do that would get his head back in the game.

“Sounds good. All I know is the sooner I restore my photo files, the better I’ll feel. Maybe we can go out later tonight as a reward for working so hard today.”

“We’ll see.”

“You sound like my dad, only his noncommittal response often meant no. He never had time when he was working.”

Without responding, he stood at the driver’s door and waited for her to unlock it and then opened it for her.

“You don’t have to open my door.” She smiled anyway. “But thank you.”

After one more glance around the parking lot, unable to shake the feeling of being scrutinized, he took his place in the front passenger seat.

She didn’t start the engine right away, and he turned to meet her gaze. “Relax, Ryder. We’re not in any danger. If you remain on a constant level of heightened awareness, you’re going to exhaust yourself.”

“I’m fine.”

But she spoke the truth. Just this past hour or so had left him drained. How could he effectively protect her if he didn’t have the strength to fight off attacks?

Especially the attacks from within.

*     *     *

After they stopped at the hardware store, Megan hurried back to the condo. Seated beside her, Ryder fisted and unfisted his hand repeatedly. She didn’t know what had caused his anxiety, but remembered those first months with Patrick after he returned from Afghanistan.

Did Ryder suffer from post-traumatic stress or was he just someone who didn’t like being in crowds? The way he expected everyone around them to attack at any moment must be exhausting. She made a note not to ask him to go out during the busiest part of the day again.

She reached across the seat and squeezed his arm, feeling a slight tremor through his shirt sleeve. “Thanks for going along with me. I appreciate it.”

“I promised your brother I’d protect you.”

Putting her hand back on the wheel, she realized she and Adam needed to have a talk. Did he expect Ryder to be plastered to her side indefinitely?

“I think we both know that whatever the burglars wanted, they got. I don’t expect any more trouble.”

“Don’t you want to bring them to justice?”

She sighed. “Do you have any idea how long it takes to find justice in this world? No, thanks. I’m happy knowing they are out of my life. I don’t need anything more.”