Father and son stood dumbfounded, peering at each other for the first time in almost thirty years.
 “Ryder, is it really you?” Drake gasped, his face dazed with emotion. Behind them. Egerstein made a noise.
 “We have to get out of here,” Ryder said insistently. He pulled on Paige and they ran down the stairs, leaving Drake to stare after them.
 Ryder paused on the landing.
 “Are you coming?” Ryder snapped. He didn’t know what to feel, but he knew they didn’t have time for the “hey, how’s your life been?” now.
 Drake seemed to snap out of whatever trance had overcome him and he hurried after the couple. In minutes, they were outside and Drake gestured for them to follow.
 “My car is that way.”
 “Are you alone?” Ryder asked and the older man nodded. Reluctantly, they followed him toward the hospital parking where Drake located the black BMW rental.
 “Get in,” he ordered. Ryder paused, knowing it was crazy to just jump in a car with someone. He didn’t even know who this guy was – he could be anyone, really. But Ryder had survived all this time by listening to his sixth sense, and right now it was telling him to get in the car. He directed Paige into the back seat, while he sat in front where he would be better able to take control if the situation warranted it.
 Silence fell over the car as they sped from the lot, everyone consumed with their own thoughts.
 They flew down Huron Street and Ryder’s heart caught in his throat as he saw the emergency vehicles surrounding Paige’s condo.
 “That’s my building,” she murmured, looking out the window.
 “Keep your head down,” Ryder growled. He turned his attention to his father.
 “Where are we going?”
 “My hotel.”
 They headed south on State Street and pulled into the parking lot of the Dana.
 Drake parked at the front, tossing the keys to the valet driver and the three did not speak again until they entered Drake’s hotel suite.
 The older man turned to fix drinks as Ryder looked nervously about. He was not sure how much he trusted about the situation but he was running low on options.
 “What happened at my apartment?” Paige whispered. Ryder turned to her, his eyes wide.
 “Noel took his own life. He jumped from the balcony.”
 Paige’s eyes grew small, her mouth parting.
 “Because I was there when he did it.”
 “So you know,” Drake sighed, handing them each a crystal sifter. His eyes lingered on Paige for a long moment.
 “You look remarkably like my late wife,” he sighed unhappily as if consumed by memories.
 The statement sent a flurry of emotions through Ryder.
 Is that why I felt like I knew Paige already? She reminds me of my mother?
 He forced himself to focus on the matter at hand.
 “Know what?” Ryder demanded. “I don’t know anything!”
 His voice was angrier than he had intended, but a wave of unfamiliar emotions seemed to overtake him as he stared at the man claiming to be his father.
 “I know you abandoned me when I was boy and never came back for me when you were supposed to.”
 Drake’s mouth became a fine line and Paige sank onto the couch, her face pale.
 “It’s not that simple, son,” he replied quietly.
 “I am not your son!” Ryder snapped. “I am no one’s son. The people you dumped me on didn’t want me and obviously you didn’t either.”
 “That’s not true, Ryder! There has not been a day that’s gone by that I haven’t thought about you or your brothers. Tried to find all of you,” Drake said in an anguished voice.
 Ryder shook his head in disbelief.
 “Those memories, they’re true. All of them.”
 “We shouldn’t be discussing this,” Drake muttered and Ryder felt a spark of fury.
 “What are you doing here, Mr. Conway? Why are you here?”
 “I found him for you,” Paige said softly. “You wanted to know who you are.”              
 Ryder stared at her in shock. 
 “You told him where to find me?”
 “I called some numbers and emailed some addresses but no one responded. I guess someone was reading them after all.”
 “I made a mistake,” Ryder told his father. “I don’t want to know anymore. Come on, Paige. We have to go.”
 “You can’t leave,” Drake said flatly. “You have to come back to Virginia with me.”
 Ryder began to laugh.
 “You can’t be serious,” he snapped. “No. I am not going anywhere with you.”
 “Ryder, I understand you’re upset but when I tell you what we’re fighting, you’ll change your mind.”
 “Try me,” the younger Conway retorted. Again, Drake looked at Paige who stared at the floor uncomfortably.
 “I’ll go for a walk – “
 “No,” Ryder said. “You’re not going anywhere alone. Anything this man has to say, he can say with you here or we can go.”
 “Ryder, it isn’t safe for her to know.”
 “Ignorance has not kept me safe either,” Ryder replied. He stared at his father defiantly and Drake knew it was a losing battle.
 “Please sit down,” he told his son. “This is a rather wild tale.”
 Begrudgingly, Ryder perched on the arm of the sofa beside Paige, grasping her hand comfortingly.  He gave her a reassuring look but she did not seem at peace.
 Drake took a deep, shuddering breath.
 “What I am about to tell you must never leave this room,” he explained, staring directly at Paige. She shook her head vehemently.
 “If anyone learns what I am about to say, we’re all as good as dead,” Drake continued and Ryder’s mind flipped to the memory of the men in black, firing bullets toward small children.
 “They’ve already tried once,” Ryder heard himself say and Drake whipped his head around to stare at his son.
 “You remember. You remember what happened that night.”
 “Refresh my memory and start at the beginning.”
 Drake gritted his teeth.
 “I am different than others,” the older man said, his sea green eyes lowered. “I have…abilities which others do not.”
 “Like what?” Paige asked, leaning forward with interest. Ryder saw her glance furtively at him but Drake did not elaborate.
 “It doesn’t matter,” he said quickly. “What matters is, you boys also have variations of your own. Ryder, do you know what you can do?”
 Ryder nodded shortly, staring at his “father” almost aggressively.
 “I have been hunted for years by a group who wishes to study and use my abilities, harness them as weaponry but I had always managed to stay one step ahead of them. I kept you and your brothers secret from them for as long as I could but I grew careless… I exposed you and they came. It was the worst night of my life,” Drake said quietly, getting a far away look in his eyes, as if he was going back to that bloody evening where he had lost his whole world in the span of a couple of minutes. “I don’t know how I survived. I was shot many times. I think you and your brothers saved my life but I don’t remember much of it.”
 Ryder tried to push the image from his mind but it was forcing itself upon him, a memory he had once repressed, determined to show itself in its cruel, uncensored brutality.
 “When I regained consciousness, my second in command, Vance Berkley was at my side. He had found us, securing you and your brothers somewhere. The chopper was on it’s way, but I ordered him to send you all away. To places I was not allowed to know. I told him when the time was right, when enough time had passed and Oculus had given up their mission, I would find you all. It was my fault that they attacked that night….and I didn’t want you boys to ever go through something like that again. If I didn’t know where you were, then I couldn’t endanger you again.” Drake looked down as his shoulders slumped, the defeat rolling off of him in waves.
 “They never gave up?”
 “Not entirely. They struck in different places, I would hear rumors of their mark all over the world but then they killed Vance…. I knew I had lost my chance to find you. He had done too well hiding you, ensuring that none of your adoptions were legal so there was no paper trail, but he made sure to change your last names. I had no way to find you. I searched. For decades I have searched.” The desolation in Drake’s voice was almost palpable.
 He paused to take a long sip of his scotch while Ryder and Paige listened avidly. “I suspect the reason you were shot in Berlin was a kidnapping orchestrated by Oculus.”
 Ryder exhaled slowly, remembering how he had felt like he was being watched.
Is that who was in my room in Turkey? How could they have known where to find me?
 He recalled Franz Kaiser’s words and how little sense they had made to him.
“I have orders not to kill you.” That’s what Franz said.
 “They are never going away, Ryder. Not until they have you, Xavier and the twins. I need you to come home with me. We will find your brothers and defeat Oculus once and for all.”
 Ryder sat back, staring at the man who called himself his father.
 How long have I wanted to be someone’s son? What would these words have meant to me ten, twenty years ago? He thought.
 He knew he couldn’t be angry at Drake Conway. The man had done everything he could to protect his family but Ryder couldn’t help feeling resentment toward him either.
 “Ryder,” Paige whispered. “You have to go with him.”
 Drake raised his head and peered imploringly at his oldest son.
 “I can’t do it alone,” he told Ryder. “I have been trying my entire life, but with you, we have a real shot at stopping them.”
 Ryder looked at Paige’s face, her features crushed as her lower lip trembled.
 “No,” Ryder said. “I’m not going with you.”
 Paige inhaled sharply and Drake stared at him, mouth agape.
 “You have to, Ryder. You’re going to be up on sanctions in the Army. God knows what you did back at Dr. Steward’s condo…”
 Ryder glared at him.
 He's done his homework. But obviously not well enough.
 “It doesn’t matter,” Ryder said, rising. He extended his hand to Paige who stood slowly.
 “Ryder,” she breathed but he shook his head.
 “I am not the same boy I was in the dining room that night,” he told his father. “I don’t have unwavering trust in you. I am not the same man who enlisted in the Army after high school who had faith in the system. I am not even the guy who went on my last assignment. Today I am someone different and the only thing I am absolutely certain of is how I feel about this woman. I am not going with you. I am not leaving Paige’s side.”
 “Ryder!” Drake cried. “Please, think about this.”
 Ryder gently pulled on Paige and the two moved toward the door.
 “If you ever find Xavier and the twins, maybe we will talk again. Until then…”
 He opened the door and pulled his lover across the threshold.
 “Ryder,” Paige hissed as they approached the elevators. “If what he’s saying is true, you’re in danger. A lot of danger.”
 Ryder shook his head.
 “Not if we disappear. We’ll go tonight.”
 “Ryder, what did you do to Noel? Are you in trouble?”
 He shook his head and stared at her earnestly.
 “He jumped,” he replied honestly. He did not tell her that he had not jumped by his own volition but that was unimportant. Noel had paid the price for the pain he had caused Paige – and would have continued to cause either her, or someone else.
 Ryder thought of the naked terror in Noel’s eyes as he had climbed onto the edge of the sixteenth-floor railing, powerless to stop himself from falling.
 “Now you can begin to imagine how Paige felt all those times that you hurt her, you cowardly bastard,” Ryder said almost lazily to him before permitting him to die.
 “My life is here,” Paige whispered. “I am a doctor, an attending…”
 “You will be again,” Ryder promised her. “Just not here.”
 She turned to him, her eyes desperate to believe him, but she could not bring herself to go with him. He would forever be in danger if they ran, always hiding. And sooner or later, everyone let their guard down...Paige wouldn’t be able to live with herself if Ryder died because of her. If he hadn’t taken care of her abusive boyfriend, then he wouldn’t have had to flee from the military. He would be safer than if he was on the run. But at least with his dad, he would have Drake’s power to shield him if this Oculus group found him.
  “What do you say?” he whispered. “Are you in?”

“No,” she breathed. “I can’t just leave my life behind, not when I have worked so hard to get here. You must understand.”

Ryder was sure that his expression reflected the devastation he was feeling. He couldn’t reconcile losing Paige, not when their connection was so intense. He knew he would never find it again - with anyone.

“Go with your father,” she said in a low voice. “He needs you.”

Ryder gazed at her disbelievingly. “How can you say that?” he demanded, but Paige did not answer. Instead, she boarded the elevator, watching him with heartbroken eyes. But Ryder could see that she did not want to go.

“Wait!” he cried, sticking his foot in the tracks. “I will go with him. But only if you come too.” Their eyes locked and he thought he read a combination of relief and worry in her eyes. “You’re only leaving me because you’re worried about me,” he insisted as the elevator began to squeal in protest at the obstruction in the doorway.

“But I’ll never be able to focus on anything if you’re not with me,” He continued.  “I won’t be any use to him, and I’ll just end up coming after you.” He stared deeply into her eyes and she saw the intensity of his feelings. She knew he was telling her the truth.

She stared at him and slowly nodded. “All right,” she agreed hesitantly. Licking her lips nervously as she stepped from the hoist, she said with more confidence, “We’ll go together.”

Chapter Eleven

Leesburg, Virginia

The voices were growing louder and more heated through the doors of the study. Paige paused in the foyer to listen, shaking her head slightly. This was a terrible idea, she thought, biting on her lower lip as she turned away. What was I thinking coming here with Ryder? But she knew exactly what she had been thinking; his safety depended on her decision to join the mission Drake seemed to so passionately believe in. Yet as the weeks passed, it seemed to Paige that they were no closer to taking down the nefarious Oculus than they had been the night they had fled Chicago.

Paige had nothing to complain about, not truly. She lived in a beautiful estate and was waited upon hand and foot since they had arrived. Leesburg was an island of wealth and privilege, something that Drake had been happy to share with his long-lost son and Paige. She wanted for nothing, relishing in the finest wines, foods and clothing. She had never been so spoiled, but the change was unnerving.

Everything from the detailed security which followed her everywhere she went, to the secrets which seemed to lurk in every corner. Paige Steward had worked hard in her life. She had never striven to be rich or retire early. Her calling had always been that of a healer, not a Southern debutante who went to the salon once a week to get her nails done.

“If we are going to stay in Virginia, Ryder, I think I would like to get back to work,” she murmured to him as they lay in bed one night, neither one able to sleep. They had only been in Leesburg a few weeks but the vapid atmosphere was wearing on Paige.

“I know you are growing restless,” he told her softly. “But I need you to wait until I know what my father is planning. It would be tragic if you started a job and we had to move again.”

“Does he have a plan?” Paige asked. “I don’t think he knows where to start.”

“He wants us all to reunite before planning any sort of confrontation with Oculus,” Ryder explained. “But he doesn’t know where to start. I get the feeling that he’s losing steam.”

Paige nodded thoughtfully, a wistful pang touching her heart. “His entire life he’s been consumed by stress,” she sighed. “Maybe it’s not surprising that he’s losing his sense of reality now. I think he’s using you as a way to pass the torch.” She couldn’t help but feel bad for Ryder. If Drake was losing his aim, then Ryder was going to get stuck with handling the vendetta, or mission, or whatever this was. And by default, so would she, she thought grimly.

She didn’t know if she could live a life, shuffling from one place to the next like nomads, not knowing if they were running from or toward something.

Her wise words were met with silence and Paige wondered if she had said something to upset him. She doubted it but their relationship was still fresh enough that she sometimes questioned herself, despite the fact that she had never felt so comfortable with anyone in her life. Just as Ryder was getting to know his father, she was learning about him. And Ryder was learning about her.

She could not deny that her affection for Ryder only grew, almost by the minute. The man was everything she had ever wanted in a companion. His attentiveness never faltered and given Paige’s history with Noel, she was always expecting the other shoe to drop. One day, she told herself, this loving, insulating man will show me his true colors and I will flee Virginia, wondering why I ever allowed myself to let my guard down. But it never happened. The connection between them continued to grow stronger every day. It sounded so cliched, she thought, but it was true. It was like they were two halves of a whole that only now knew they had been living without their other half for their whole lives.

What she saw was what she got with Ryder Quinn. Or was it Ryder Conway now?

The only obvious kink in their relationship seemed to be Drake’s obsession with Oculus and the other Conway boys. Paige was finding the semantics of the convoluted and complicated situation too much and she dared not ask questions. There were so many details which needed clarification but something told Paige that she was better off not knowing the answers.

In the first month, she had accepted the adjustments, knowing that it was a change for everyone, but as they approached the second month, Paige found her nerves running raw as tensions escalated in Drake Conway’s sprawling house.

She desperately needed a distraction as the men decided what their next course of action would be. Paige feared that she might go crazy if she continued to sit around. I have to think about our future. I made a mistake asking Ryder to follow his father back here. But how can I tell him that now?

As she listened at the doorway to Drake’s study, she felt her back tense. As usual, it sounded as if they were arguing about how to proceed. The conversation was becoming tiresome to Paige. She wondered how the men could constantly run around in the center of the same argument.

But it sounded like something had changed. After months of stagnation, Ryder had made a move which seemed to incense his father. “Why would you do such a blatantly foolish thing?” Drake roared, his voice not remotely muffled by the thick sliding doors of the study.

“Because I am sick of waiting for your damned contact to feed us scraps of information. I feel like a starving dog, waiting for a pit fight!” Ryder retorted, his words as clear as his father’s.

“Ryder, reaching out to your military contacts in Special Ops puts us all in – “

“Grave danger, I know,” Ryder interjected sarcastically. “You keep talking about this danger we’re in but you’re doing nothing to eliminate the threat.”

“If the military finds you, you’ll be arrested on sanctions,” Drake reminded him. “I would have thought that would matter.”

“They don’t know where I am,” Ryder grumbled. “Anyway, I don’t see you moving to get anything done. It’s been two months, Drake!”

“Because I am trying to be smart!”

“You are being so smart, we’re going to die of old age before anything gets done!” Ryder growled.

“You don’t know Oculus like I do! They will stop at nothing in order to capture you and your brothers. I don’t want to hand you to them on a silver platter.”

“Let them try!” Ryder yelled. “I am not a five-year-old boy! My abilities are stronger than they’ve ever been. You and I don’t need to wait for Xavier, Zander and Aiden. We can take them on ourselves!”

“Maybe,” Drake agreed. “But we would have a much better shot if we were united.”

“Then let me find the boys my way.”

“I am trying to keep you safe!” Drake cried and Paige could hear the naked anguish in his voice.

Every day the same argument. How much more can Ryder take of this? How much more can I?

“Dr. Steward, can I get you something?” Shandy appeared behind her, causing her to jump.

“No, thank you, Shandy. I think I’m just going outside to get some air.”

“Very good, ma’am,” the housekeeper said but Paige noticed that she remained in place as she waited for the doctor to leave the foyer. Idly she wondered if the house maid had ever had an affair with Drake. He’s good looking for an older man. I imagine that is what Ryder will look like when he’s in his sixties. An image of her and Ryder growing old together filled her with a fission of excitement. She pushed her way into the fall sunshine and shook her red mane as if trying to shake the negativity she was feeling from her mind.

Something has to change, she decided as she inhaled the sweetness of the manicured flowers of the perfectly landscaped garden. Virginia was beautiful. In a way, she was grateful that they had left behind Illinois. After all, the bad memories of Noel were there. She had quietly sold the condo and put the money aside, unsure of where the coming months would take her and Ryder. It was clear that the father and son clashed because they were so much alike. Both were headstrong and stubborn. But they were both inherently protectors too.

She sat on the veranda, sighing softly as she stared at the lawn blankly.

“What are you doing out here?”

Paige glanced up at her boyfriend, her heart swelling with the love which seemed to increase every time she saw him. He sacrificed a lot for me, she thought, studying his handsome face. He hadn’t shaved in days, casting a rugged shadow across his face but Paige could see that he was carrying more darkness than merely half inch stubble.

“Are you all right?” Ryder asked, plopping into the wicker chair across the small glass table and watching her face carefully. “You look a little pale.”

Paige shrugged. “I’m just wondering if we made the right decision coming here,” she replied honestly. “It seems like you and your dad only get deeper under each other’s skin with each passing day. You can’t agree on anything.”

Ryder peered at her with inquisitive green eyes. “He’s hellbent on finding my brothers, but at the same time, it’s like he doesn’t want to do anything,” he said with frustration and Paige stifled a grunt. She had heard the conversation several times already. She didn’t want to rehash it again. There didn’t appear to be any resolution when neither side would cave.

“Do you think that Oculus really is a danger to you?” she asked quietly. “Or is this something your father has deluded himself into believing? It could be that the organization is no longer a threat. How do you really know?”

Ryder bit his lower lip and Paige could see that he wanted to say something but was debating whether or not to speak it aloud.

“Ryder, you can tell me anything,” she urged, sensing that she was losing him. “I have always kept your secrets and I always will.”

“You say that, but how can you know what you might be forced to disclose?”

Paige felt a smidgen of fear. Who would force me to disclose anything? Oculus? For the first time, the reality of the peril they faced seemed to overwhelm her. Until that moment, it had seemed like a fantasy, removed from her life. But something in Ryder’s expression told her differently. And it filled Paige with dread.

“If I stick with you, I have nothing to worry about,” she replied with more confidence than she felt. It was not that she didn’t trust her lover; it was that she had no idea what they were up against. Ryder still appeared reluctant to disclose what was on his mind but Paige waited, knowing that pushing him would only result in him shutting down.

“I think my father gave you some idea of what is happening, strange as it may seem but I believe him.”

“Why?” Paige demanded. “I mean, I don’t discount that something terrible happened in 1989 and I know what he thinks is happening, but how can you be sure that Oculus still exists now?”

Ryder took a deep breath. “What I am about to tell you remains between us,” he told her firmly and Paige nodded solemnly.

“Who would I tell?” she asked rhetorically.

“What Drake said in Chicago about Oculus fits. I was wounded in Germany under very bizarre circumstances,” he began. “I wasn’t given much information about my mission and then when I arrived, I was abducted. The whole thing was a set-up.” He paused and looked around, as if he was concerned they were being overheard. “Long story short, when I was being held, my captor, probably one of the most dangerous men in the world, told me that he had orders not to kill me. Now, everyone works for someone but this particular guy…well, he doesn’t really take orders like that from anyone. Killing is more or less his thing. It didn’t make sense that he was contracted by someone only to capture me. He is an assassin only - not a kidnapper,” Ryder paused, staring off in confusion.  “It didn’t sit well with me that he had been told not to hurt me. I couldn’t reconcile any of it at the time, but after my father said what he did about his suspicions…” he trailed off, lost in thought.

Paige’s thoughts whirled. She had never asked Ryder about his training or how he had gotten injured. She had been a doctor long enough to understand that top-secret cases were not to be taken lightly.

“And you believe that Oculus had something to do with your capture?” Paige asked.

“I don’t know what to think,” Ryder confessed. “I know that during my mission just before that one, I was in Turkey and I could not shake the feeling that I was being watched.”

“But wait,” Paige said, reaching out to put her hand on his. “You were almost killed in Germany. That’s how you ended up at Northwestern. The military found you and brought you to Chicago. Do you think that they’re in on it?”

“Well they can’t have the entire military in on it. It has to be a separate arm, likely a secret branch of the military.”

Ryder smiled tightly and shifted his eyes away. Paige recognized it as a sign that he was hiding something. “I think that me getting to your hospital was a result of luck, not design,” he replied quietly. “And I have no idea who is privy to what is happening, but there is something bigger than just my missions going on.”

Ryder looked at her intently. “They aren’t going to go away. They want something from me, and now they know how to find me. The military isn’t safe for me anymore, and if my father is to believed, they want my brothers also.”

Paige felt her heart begin to race slightly faster as she realized that he was about to disclose something important. “My father is right,” he murmured, keeping his eyes fixated on his hands. “I have abilities which are unexplainable.”

Paige swallowed quickly and nodded. “Yes,” she agreed. “I know you have a way of healing people.”

Ryder shook his head grimly. “I have the ability to do much more harm than good,” he muttered.

She gnawed on her lower lip, staring at him imploringly. “What does that mean?” she whispered. “What can you do?”

Ryder grimaced and she could see that he didn’t want to discuss it but when he looked at her, she saw acceptance in his eyes. He was going to trust her, no matter the consequences.

“I can damage people with my mind.”

Her mouth opened slightly but no sound came out as she sought for the meaning in his words.

“What – how?” she tried. “Damage them how?”

Suddenly, Ryder turned his gaze fully upon her, his piercing blue eyes boring into her. She attempted to move her eyes away but she found she was powerless to stop herself from holding his stare. Then she felt the air suctioning from her lungs and she gasped for breath. She was suffocating, her windpipe refusing to allow air into her body. Within an instant it stopped - as quickly as it had started, and Ryder was at her side, holding her.

“I am so sorry,” he murmured. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Paige didn’t immediately understand. “Hurt me?” she gasped. “No, I couldn’t – “

Abruptly, she understood and she wrenched her body back to stare into his stony face. “You just did that?” she demanded, her hazel eyes wide in shock. “You took my breath away?”

“I have the ability to heal, but I can also… kill,” he confessed, his eyes filled with anguish. “I should have told you but I didn’t want you to run when you learned the truth about me.” Ryder paused, looking away from her face, as if he couldn’t bear to see the judgement in her eyes, the disgust she must be feeling.

Ryder forced himself to continue, needing her to understand what she had signed on for when she agreed to stay with him. “I’ve never understood how or why, but…sometimes I feel like there’s something… evil. Inside of me.”

Paige instinctively reached out, grasping his face and pulling it toward her, pulse jumping.

 He’s been a soldier, a fighter his entire life. He has seen more death and destruction than anyone I have ever met and yet, he saved me - twice. First by healing me, then by making sure Noel would ever hurt me again. He’s not evil. He is honest and brave. I can’t stand in his way. If he wants to fight this fight, I will continue to support him. After everything he has done for me, it is the least I can do for him.

“I could never run away from you,” she told him hoarsely, kissing his lips softly. “Something has put us together for a reason, and I feel like God sent me a guardian, a protector from all that is terrifying in this life. You don’t scare me, Ryder. You make me feel safe and secure.”

Ryder’s face registered his relief. He grasped her face lightly and leaned into her, passionately kissing her lips, burying his tongue in her mouth as overwhelming feelings came over him.

Then he pulled back reluctantly. “But if this is all true, Paige, it means that you are in danger constantly. My father and I will need to begin digging into Oculus’ business, stirring up trouble. We will be traveling constantly, and I need you to be safe.” He looked down briefly, trying to muster his resolve, not wanting to be away from her any more than she would, but knowing it was the only way. “I won’t be able to do this unless I know you’re safe, Paige.”

She stared at him, her mouth agape, finally realizing what he was getting at. “You can’t send me away!” she gasped. “We agreed to do this together!”

“That was before I realized how deep this conspiracy runs. They are biding their time, Oculus. That’s why they haven’t struck yet. I think they are waiting to get us all together before making their move, and when they do, it will be catastrophic.” Ryder paused, trying to make her see how serious this was. “I worry that you’ll become a casualty just like my mother was.”

“But, where will I go?” she murmured. “I can’t go back to Chicago now.” Paige felt like her world was being split apart. Deep down, she could understand the necessity of what Ryder was saying, but right now she couldn’t fathom being without him – she had just found him!

“My father and I will find a place for you, anywhere you want to go.” The look of pleading on his face was almost too much for her to bear and tears filled her eyes.

“How long will we be apart?” she cried. “We just found each other!”

“We won’t be apart,” he promised her. “We will see each other often, I swear it.”

She nodded, biting on her lower lip to keep from sobbing aloud. Again, their lips met for a sweet kiss and Paige hung her head, trying to understand how her life had taken such bittersweet twists in so short a time.

Ryder embraced her tightly, inhaling the sweetness of her hair. “Everything will be okay,” he promised her, but as she finally allowed the tears to slip from her golden eyes down her cheeks, she knew he couldn’t guarantee that, not when Oculus continued to define their actions. All she could do was hope that they would remain together as Ryder had promised. And as she pulled back to stare into his eyes, she knew he would never let her go without a fight. After all, he hadn’t stopped fighting to keep her so far.

Everything will work out, Paige told herself, swallowing the lump in her throat. Ryder would never leave me alone.

Epilogue

The springtime sun shone blindingly off the Potomac River as he steered the car toward the cul-de-sac at the end of Riverpoint Drive. Ryder’s heart was racing with excitement, his fists gripping the steering wheel tightly. It doesn’t matter what Drake says, he thought grimly. I am doing the right thing for everyone.

The past four months had been like living atop a bomb with an unknown detonation time. From the minute he had sent Paige away, the days dragged on, filled with nothing but constant arguments with his father. It had started to seem recently as if Drake was intentionally throwing up roadblocks in their search for his brothers. He refused to entertain solid leads and continued to say that they had to wait until the five Conway men were reunited before they could successfully attack Oculus.

Ryder wanted to be more proactive. When wispy leads had come across their path, Ryder wanted to go check them out. There had been stories of a teenager who could do mysterious things in Texas several years ago. Ryder wanted to go there and check it out. Who was this kid? Was it all fancy illusions, or could he actually make time stand still? Where was he now? But all Drake wanted to do was collect intel. If it was up to him, neither one of them would have left the safety of his house in the past months.

And lately, Ryder got the feeling that Drake was actually hiding stuff from him. It was just a feeling, but there were sudden halts in phone conversations when Ryder came into the room, and then there were the hastily covered papers in his office. Ryder had survived this long by listening to his intuition, and right now, it told him that something was off.

And all the while, the threat that Oculus would storm through the front doors of the house in Leesburg remained, just as they had all those years before.

Ryder had put out feelers with his old contacts around the world – the ones he felt he could trust – to let him know about any stories of “weird” abilities, or unexplainable events. So when he had gotten a tip about strange things happening around a set of twins in Thailand, he had decided it was time to part ways with Drake. Trust was a very big issue for Ryder, and he was sad to say that he didn’t have it with Drake. At least not yet. They just hadn’t known each other long enough for it to grow, and when he added his “sixth sense” into the mix, he just felt it was safer to keep the details of this tip to himself.

“I’m leaving,” Ryder told Drake that morning. “I’m going to Thailand.” Drake blinked at him uncomprehendingly. “What the hell does any of that even mean?” he demanded. “How can you leave when we’re – “

“When we’re getting absolutely nowhere? When we’re butting heads? When I go to bed every night without holding Paige in my arms? I can’t do this anymore.”

“And what about Paige?” Drake demanded. “You’re going to prance off to Asia and leave her here after you’ve upset her entire existence?”

“Don’t worry about Paige,” Ryder snapped back. “And stop being a dick. I am going to Thailand because I believe that’s where the twins are.”

“You believe?” Drake echoed. “What makes you think that?”

“It’s just something I’ve heard rumblings about,” Ryder hedged, playing his cards close to his chest.

“Let me come with you,” Drake said suddenly, his demeanor abruptly changing as he realized that Ryder was serious. “If they are there, we can find them together.”

Ryder shook his head. “No,” he said flatly. “You concentrate on finding Xavier. I’ll send word if I locate the twins.” Surprisingly (or not), Drake didn’t argue any further. He was either in agreement for once, or he was relieved that Ryder was leaving.

He took Drake’s Mercedes, packing very lightly and headed down the Harry Byrd Highway toward Lansdowne. Somehow, it was reminiscent of the last conversation he had had with Joe Quinn when he had left Seattle forever. He felt the same twinge of loss somehow. When I get back from Thailand, I’ll call Joe and see how he’s doing, Ryder thought. It was uncharacteristic of him to feel a sense of yearning for the man he had believed to be his father. But a lot had changed in Ryder since Paige had entered his life.

He was constantly thankful that Paige had remained with him. She could have opted to separate herself completely from the chaos of the Conway house but instead, she had quietly moved to the next town over, where his father had arranged for her to have a house and a monthly income.

Although they were able to communicate occasionally, he hadn’t been able to see her – the one thing him and his father had agreed on was that it was too dangerous to go to the house she was living it. Drake’s overconfidence that fateful night weighed heavily on both of them.

There hadn’t seemed to be an easy solution to his problem until he decided to part ways with his father and take Paige with him to Thailand. No one there would be searching for them, and they would have fake ID’s to travel with. 

He jumped from the car, walking quickly as he reached the front porch, letting himself inside with his key.

“Ry! What are you doing here?” Paige gasped as he tore through the front door, grasping her by the waist and swinging her around happily. “Pack a bag,” he said. “We’re going to Thailand.”

She blinked and stared at him, a half-smile on her face, as if she thought he was joking. “Thailand?” she echoed. “What’s in Thailand?”

“A lead on my youngest brothers. Come on. I have no idea how long we’ll be gone but we’ll be together away from this mess at least,” he told her.

Instantly, the smile on her face faded completely. “No,” she whispered sadly. “No, I can’t go with you, Ryder.” He stared at her as if he had heard the words wrong, his world slowly crumbling around the edges.

“Of course you can. We won’t be in any danger and – “

“No,” she sighed, wriggling completely out of his arms. “I can’t. I can’t do this anymore.” Shock filled him and he stared at her, his jaw dropping. “I know it’s been a rough four months, Paige but we will get over this, I swear. If we can find the twins, we are that much closer to defeating Oculus!”

She smiled softly at him and Ryder felt his heart sink into his boots along with the color in his face. “The last four months were rough,” she agreed. “But that is going to be nothing compared to the next few.”

“What?” he asked, not understanding. “What is coming up in the next few months?”

She lowered her amber eyes and exhaled slowly. “A baby,” she sighed. “I’m pregnant.”

He gaped at her openly, a combination of staggering emotions filling his body. “You’re pregnant?” he whispered, reaching out to embrace her. “Oh my God! Are you okay?” To his surprise, Paige sidestepped him.

“You don’t understand,” she said. “I have to think of the baby now, Ryder. I can’t keep looking over my shoulder and jetting off from place to place on a whim. I have to prepare for a child now.”

Ryder stared at her, a lump growing in his throat. “No,” he told her gruffly. “We have to prepare for a child. This is our responsibility now. Our number one priority.”

Paige shook her head miserably. “You made a commitment to your father,” she breathed. “And I can’t live like this, not when there’s an innocent child at stake.”

“Paige, my first commitment is you and our baby,” he replied, grabbing her firmly around the waist. “We are going to leave here and start over somewhere new with new identities. We’ll get married and raise this baby properly.”

She stared up at him, her eyes hopeful. “I can’t ask you to do that,” she whispered. “It’s not fair to your family.”

Ryder cupped her face and lowered his lips to hers. “You didn’t ask me to do anything. And besides, you are my family.”

She leaned forward into him and kissed his lips.

Her body lit up like fireworks on the Fourth of July when their lips met and the stirring within her core heightened. Ryder cupped her face with his free hand and deepened their kiss, penetrating her sweet mouth with his hungry tongue. He had missed the taste of her and she moaned softly as their tongues intertwined.

Breathing hard, Paige moved in even closer and grabbed his head with both of her hands. She pulled him onto her, pressing her soft breasts against his firm chest as she spread her legs, pushing his body against her own. Feeling him so close to her ignited a fire deep inside of her, making her breasts swell and a small moan escaped her.

“Ryder,” she breathed between kisses, “I want you – it’s been so long.”

That was all he needed to hear. He reached behind her and unzipped the back of her dress, pulling it down around her shoulders. He leaned down and kissed the side of her neck, inhaling her fragrance. He forced her dress down to her waist, taking the straps of her bra with it. With her luscious breasts exposed, Ryder looked his fill, and then traced the rise of one breast with his finger. “Beautiful. So fucking beautiful.”

Paige arched her back and ground herself into him, feeling a hardness press against her stomach. She ran her hands through his thick soft hair, breathing deeply, inhaling the scent of his body.

His hands on her back supported her as she arched backwards, thrusting her breasts forward. Ryder leaned his head down and captured one nipple between his lips. Her gasp and low moan proved to him how sensitive her breasts were, so he increased the power of his suction, taking the whole nipple deep into his mouth then releasing it slowly, laving the tip with his tongue as he released the pressure. His lips made their way over to the other breast, showing it the same attention as her breathing became more labored.

His lips made their way back up to her neck as he lifted her body upward and pulled her dress down over her hips. He forced it the rest of the way down her body, and standing, she kicked it off onto the floor. His hands found her thigh and slid upward until it reached the thin lining of her pink lace panties.

He shuddered as he felt the wetness between her legs. moaned loudly as he caressed her clit, applying just the right amount of pressure to cause her back to arch in response.

She cried out, grinding onto his hand, begging for more of his intimate touch. The tips of his fingers found her slit already dripping wet with her juices. He slid a finger inside of her and she raised her hips upward, forcing it deeper.

“Oh yes!” she cried. Ryder slid another finger into her and she cried out, lost to the passion, holding his head and burying her fingers deeply into his hair.

He felt the walls of her core trembling, squeezing his fingers hard. He inhaled the scent of her arousal, almost causing him to lose the tight grip he was holding on his control. Moving back slightly, Ryder freed himself from the prison of his pants, his rock-hard erection springing free.  Paige reached down and wrapped her hands around his length causing a growl to escape his lips. She stroked him intimately, running her hands along his girth, rhythmically, as his fingers sunk deeply into her core again, continuing to stretch her, fill her, until she was whimpering with her approaching orgasm.

Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. He picked her up and laid her down on her carpeted floor. Hurrying the rest of the way out of his jeans, he knelt down and spread her legs wide, caressing her soft, creamy skin and trailing kisses down to the valley between her thighs. Paige let out a loud cry as his lips found her clit and his fingers slid into her again. His technique was so precise, bringing her right up to the edge of her climax.

“Paige, you’re so fucking hot,” he hissed.

He flicked his tongue quickly against her button until she raised her hips up high, grabbed his head and screamed.

“Oh, God, Ryder, I’m gonna…”

The rest of her sentence was lost, as a fierce cry of intense pleasure shook her uncontrollably. Her entire body tensed up and her back arched with the strength of her orgasm. Hot honey exploded onto Ryder’s fingers as Paige finally began to breathe again in deep panting breaths, as her orgasm started to taper.

But Ryder wasn’t finished with her yet.

He slowly sat back on his heels, watching her intently, the power of his emotions radiating from his eyes. Leaning forward, he trailed kisses up her navel and made his way back up to her breasts, pausing to show them each some attention before kissing his way up to her open, waiting mouth. Paige reached down and took his erection into her hand, guiding it to her wet, warm entrance. She watched as he closed his eyes and slid his length into her slowly, exhaling deeply.

“Fuck!” he hissed passionately. “You feel so fucking good, Paige.”

He opened his eyes as he began to move, thrusting into her, slowly at first, and then increasing his pace as her body moved to meet his. He locked his eyes with hers as she cried out in ecstasy, completely lost in his eyes, in the intensity of the pleasure he was giving her as he plunged into her, over and over again. His hand found her breast and he fondled it as he moved in and out of her, bringing her closer and closer to another mind-blowing orgasm.

As she felt herself reaching the edge of her climax, she grabbed onto Ryder’s muscular buttocks and wrapped her legs around his waist, forcing him even deeper inside of her. She raised her hips upward and cried out again as her entire body shook, the tremors seeming to build in intensity, the pleasure overwhelming.

Her gripping pussy sent Ryder over the edge. He couldn’t hold back any longer. With one final hard, deep, thrust he let out a loud groan, his back arching with the force of his release. His eyes burned into her and his jaw clenched tightly as he exploded, his release filling her to the brim with his essence. He closed his eyes as his body came down over her gently, being careful not to put too much pressure on her abdomen.

He had never felt such pleasure in his entire life. He had had sex countless times in his life, but nothing compared to what he experienced with this woman. The connection they had was deeper than ever, and now, with a baby between them, nothing was ever going to tear them apart again. He vowed it solemnly to himself as he lightly kissed her temple, cupping her face in his hands. Then he looked into her eyes and vowed it to her too.

“I love you. I’ll always love you. And I’ll protect you and the baby forever. I swear it.”

As they embraced, Ryder felt a deep sense of relief, a huge weight being lifted from his shoulders. His path was set, he knew where he was going now. Yet he also knew, somehow, that his path would eventually cross with Drake Conway again.

Enjoy the second book in this series, titled “HARD TIME”, available in January 2018! 
 

A thief and a con artist – who’s going to win this battle? Xavier thinks he has the upper hand because his “powers” allow him to control what everyone wants more of, but money can’t buy.

Xavier has a secret, and this secret gets him what he wants, whenever he wants it. Until he meets Danica. Danica is used to controlling the men around her by using her sex appeal and her cunning – okay, her ‘conning’ would be more like it! Because Danica has been a con artist ever since she was a homeless youth – now she’s a successful and independent woman, but Xavier makes her feel unsure of herself – her body is drawn to him at the same time her mind is saying “Hell, No”.

So, will Xavier use his powers to control Danica too?