Eight weeks later and Ryder could still picture that look on her face. When she’d stormed into the garage where he was talking with her father. At first, he thought she looked scared, then she tried so hard to get him to stay with her. Made his heart ache the way she tried to convince her father.
For a moment, he thought they had him, too. After she’d stomped off, Matteo had turned to him for his opinion. Of all things.
“I don’t know. Am I being naive? Should I have someone watch her?” Matteo asked.
“I’ll be glad to stay if you’re worried.”
“No, no, I need my best guy to hunt these assholes down. But I can get someone to protect her. Sergio, perhaps.”
Ryder knew Sergio, though. Knew how attractive he was and how much of a ladies’ man. Sergio was also much more Pia’s style. He cared more about clothing and that junk than Ryder did. If Sergio was with Pia all day, she might start to like him. And she’d like him better than she liked Ryder. He couldn’t take the chance.
Then, he’d done maybe the most selfish and asshole thing he possibly could have done. He put himself before her safety.
“I think Sergio would be better suited coming with me,” Ryder said. “I’m sure she’ll be fine. We’ll be watching all the guys connected to her attacker, so who would come after her? She never had a bodyguard before. The more guys you give me, the quicker we can get this done.”
Matteo nodded. “Take whoever you want, then. Take Sergio. And anyone else that would be helpful.”
“Thank you, sir. I will. We’ll get these guys, fast.”
Of course, now that it had been eight weeks, he was starting to rethink everything. What if she was in danger? What if her attacker—guy by the name of Dino—was working with guys Ryder didn’t know about? They might send someone else after her.
He’d decided somewhere in week one, when their first lead went cold, that he would have to check on her himself. He went almost every day, missing only the days that he had other duties that couldn’t be put off. He went to her clothing shop and watched. He would circle through early in the day and look for suspicious cars or people. Anyone sitting in their car, watching. He wanted to go inside, but couldn’t. It was easier if he wasn’t around Pia.
If he’d talked to her, or had the chance to be alone with her, he wouldn’t be able to concentrate. He would get his head all full of her, even more than it was now, and he would lose focus. His dick would stiffen and he would let down his guard. He’d think only about fucking her and her perfect little body and he wouldn’t be able to do anything else. And that thought could get them both in trouble.
No, he had to stay away from her for the sake of her safety and his job. His dick hated him for it, but he took out his frustration on him every night anyway. He killed himself at the gym, then he came home and beat off, and between the two, managed to work off most of his longing and stress. He needed to finish this job quick so he could find a way to get back to her. Being so close without talking to her or touching her was like torture.
Ryder pulled into the parking lot of her shop, drove slowly through, and looked around. He saw no one suspicious. He hadn’t in all the weeks he’d been watching, but that didn’t stop him from checking to be sure. He parked in shadows under some trees. This was where he usually sat. She never looked over here, and he drove different vehicles anyway.
He waited. It was almost closing time. She’d be in her office, going over the cash drawer and other paperwork. He thought of her alone in that little office and went hard. He could go in there. He could go in there and in minutes be inside of her.
He adjusted his pants for his stiffness and waited. The lights went out and she opened the door. She wore tight jeans today. And her top was too low cut. God, was she trying to make men lust over her with her cleavage showing like that? She turned from the shop, flipping her hair as she flounced to her car.
He waited until she got in safely and drove off. Then he pulled out, back toward the hotel room that was their makeshift headquarters for this mission.
His phone rang. “Hey, Sergio.”
“We got something new.”
This was why Ryder liked Sergio so much. He didn’t waste time, didn’t mess around. Straight to the point. “Go.”
“An apartment building. Fifty miles from here. It’s where Dino and one other guy are holed up.”
“How sure are we?”
“One hundred percent. It’s good intel.”
Sergio gave him the address and Ryder drove straight there. How had these guys ended up so far away? Were they in hiding? Probably. Cowards. Or maybe they’d only been hired for the one job. The Pia job. Well, they were about to regret taking that job. Ryder would make sure of it.
He found the building at the address Sergio had given him. He circled it first, then drove around the area so he was somewhat familiar with what was where. He found a few good places to hide if necessary, and a few good places to run, should it come to that. Then he went back to the building to watch for a while. Who came in, who went out.
This was a moderately sized apartment building. Many of the people coming and going would likely have nothing to do with the guys he was after. He knew what Dino looked like, but not the other guy who was with him. Watching the building would give him a better sense of what went on here, when the highest traffic times were, and that sort of thing.
After watching the building for the day, Ryder decided he would go that night. Middle of the night, when most people would be sleeping or up to no good themselves. He had determined that this building wasn’t exactly in the nice end of town. He’d witnessed more than one drug deal, and he thought the woman hanging around outside the building was getting paid to give head. Likely, no one would report a thing should they see or hear something.
When it was full dark, he waited another hour. He texted Sergio to let him know he was going in. That way, if he didn’t respond in a while, Sergio would know something went wrong.
Ryder had gone into the building once earlier that day. Wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, he hoped he was unrecognizable. He wasn’t able to get much from going in. No one had come in or out of the apartment while he was inside, but at least he got a look at the place and was more familiar with it. He changed his clothing so he was now wearing all black. He left his car in an out-of-the-way place and approached the building.
The apartment he needed, 4b, had a fire escape on side of the building. There was a gap of several feet between the ground and the lower part of the escape, but that wouldn’t stop Ryder. He jumped high, kicked off from the brick wall and got just enough height to grab the lower rung of the escape. He pulled himself up and onto the fire escape.
From there, it was a matter of counting. One floor, two, three. When he reached the fourth floor, he paused to listen. No one outside below him to see him. No one around that he could see. Music came from another apartment, which would be good—it would help drown out any noise he made.
He listened at the window to apartment 4b. He heard two men talking. There was a curtain in the way, but a small crack between the pieces of fabric let him get just a glimpse of the room. He couldn’t see much, but he did see the man he was looking for and another man. They were cleaning their guns.
Ryder almost laughed. Of course, chances were they had more than those two guns that were sitting in pieces on the table, but still. The timing. Ryder himself had two guns on him and a knife. One at the small of his back, one at his ankle, and a knife on his forearm, hidden by his leather jacket. He took the gun from his back and cocked the slide to put a bullet in the chamber.
He pressed his hands to the window and pushed against it as he pushed up. He hoped it was unlocked and he could make a sneakier entrance. But the window didn’t budge. Only one option left. Ryder lifted his hand and came down hard, smashing the butt of his gun through the window.
He watched for broken glass, knocked several large pieces out of the window’s frame with the end of his gun, and carefully climbed through the window into the room. He stared at two shocked men.
For one second, no one moved. Then the men reached for their guns. Dino reached to his back, keeping his eyes fixed on Ryder, and the other man bent over to take a gun from his ankle holster. But Ryder was faster than them both, and he had the element of surprise on his side.
He wanted to kill Dino the most. He was the one who’d put his hands on Pia, who’d tried to kidnap her. But the other man was an easy target. He’d had to bend over to get his gun out, and in doing so, took his eyes off Ryder. Big mistake.
Before Dino could load his gun and point it at Ryder, he had already shot. The other man, who had been bent over, now fell back against the couch. Blood poured from his head. He didn’t move.
Ryder knew the man was dead. He’d killed far too many people to not know what death looked like. There was no blinking, no change on his face. The man still wore the shock from Ryder’s sudden entrance. Poor guy didn’t even have a chance. Idiot.
If they’d been smart, if it would have been Ryder and his guys, it would have been different. First, you always kept a gun at your back. Like Dino had done, it allowed you to reach for your weapon without taking your eyes off your attacker. If you did have to pull a gun from a place that required you to look away, you waited until your partner had a gun trained on him. Then it was safer to break your gaze to grab a weapon.
But this told Ryder something about these men. They weren’t well trained, if at all. Though he could have guessed that after the way Dino bungled the kidnapping. This was just further proof. It was almost too easy, breaking in here and taking these guys out. Ryder would have to ask Matteo for a challenge next time.
But then, in the back of his mind, he remembered that once these guys were taken out, he might be able to get back to Pia. His heart jumped, and it was just enough to break his focus. Stupid mistake. One he never made.
Dino jumped at him. With his leg straight out, he aimed to kick. Ryder moved aside in time, but still caught the force of Dino falling into him, after not having landed the kick. Ryder punched the guy in the face. Dino stepped back, blood now pouring from his nose.
“Who are you?” Dino spit.
“Matteo sent me.”
Ryder ducked a wild swing from the guy. In pain now and still shook up, Dino was clearly not on his game. He moved closer to Ryder, trying to hit him with his gun, but instead, Ryder elbowed him in the throat.
If Dino was wise, he would have just tried to shoot Ryder. Would have been much more effective than attempting to pistol whip him. What a moron.
Dino grabbed at his throat, gasping for air. Ryder loved that move. It was fun to watch your victim choking just to breathe. He landed a fist straight at Dino’s nose, and he dropped to the ground.
Ryder stood over him, smirked at him holding his face, and aimed his gun.
“Next time you try to kidnap someone—oh wait, there’s not going to be a next time.”
Ryder pulled the trigger and sent a bullet into Dino’s brain. His blank eyes stared back at him.
Ryder did a quick sweep of the apartment, gun out, making sure no girlfriend or other thug was hiding in a back room. With the place clear, he ducked back through the opening in the window, tucked his gun in place, and grabbed hold of either side of the fire escape’s ladder so he could slide to the ground.
His feet hit the gravel much faster than they would have if he’d tried to run down them. And much quieter as well. That fire escape was rickety and he’d had plenty of time to ease up the steps when he was going up, but now he needed a fast and silent getaway.
He reached his car as someone came out of the building.
“Hey!” a man in his robe and slippers shouted.
Instead of looking up or turning his head, Ryder kept his head down, so his face was hidden by his hat. He dashed to his car and hopped behind the wheel.
Just before coming here, he’d taken off the license plate of his car. Wasn’t safe to drive around like that, but for now, it was the best way to ensure he could make a clean break.
Not that Matteo wouldn’t just get the charges dropped if he were caught. Matteo had guys all over the place, including the police force. But it would cost him money and time, and Matteo liked to spend neither. Ryder had gotten to be his best hit man precisely because he was so good at not getting caught. Matteo hadn’t once had to clean up after him.
Ryder also made sure the cars he took on missions were carefully chosen. Tonight, he drove a black Honda Accord. It was one of the most common cars on the road and the color helped him hide. Even if the man running out of the building called the cops and told them to go after his car, the chances of them finding him were slim.
Ryder pulled away from the apartment building, driving just at the speed limit. That was the other trick. Do nothing to draw attention to yourself. He pulled into a grocery store parking lot a few blocks down the road, drove around to the back where the delivery dock was, and got out to put the license plate back on.
Then he took off his hat and put on a blond wig. It was maybe a little over cautious. He likely didn’t need the extra disguise, but it never hurt. The long blond wig and his freshly shaved face gave him a somewhat feminine appearance, though only from a distance. Drive next to him and it was easier to see that he was a man wearing a woman’s wig.
No matter, though. He wouldn’t get that close to being caught, anyway. He was much too good for that. He drove off, again at a normal speed, and headed for home. He’d go back to headquarters and call Matteo to report in.
He picked up his phone and sent a quick text to Sergio. On my way.
That way he’d know it was done and that everything had gone fine. They had all sorts of phrases that they used as codes. If he’d said he was running late, that meant Sergio would send in the backup that they had in the area. If he’d said he had to cancel their plans, that would mean he was hit and down. But Ryder had never had to use any phrase other than to say he was on his way. Done and out. That was what made him the best. A perfect track record, and Matteo knew it.
He set his phone back down, but heard the alert for a text a moment later. He assumed it would be Sergio responding. He’d just say, Okay, to let Ryder know he got the message.
But the text wasn’t from Sergio, it was from Pia. It said, I need to see you.
That was it. Short and sweet. But the effect it had on him was immediate. Thank God she hadn’t sent that before he went in. It would have distracted him and messed with him big time.
Would could she mean by this? That she missed him just as much as he missed her? That she wanted him as badly? And now the job was done. He could go to her.
He stepped on the gas. He needed to get to her fast and find out what was going on.
She hadn’t contacted him once since he left. He’d hoped maybe to hear from her, even if he knew beforehand that he couldn’t and wouldn’t respond. When he was on mission like this recent one, he had to focus. Even going to her shop to watch out for her was causing him too much distraction. If he’d allowed himself to text her or talk to her, he’d be finding ways to see her. And that would mean time off the mission. Time he couldn’t afford to take.
Though he never thought it would take this long. Usually, the information Matteo got was spot on. They’d even caught Dino before and gotten the info out of him. They should have killed him rather than hold him for more info. Somehow, the idiot had managed to get away, just after Ryder was given the mission. If he had escaped even a few hours later, Ryder would have gotten to him first and put a bullet in his brain. They’d held him far too long.
It was one of the first things Ryder had told Matteo when he was given the mission details. Dino had been held too long. They needed to kill him. But Matteo insisted they keep him for more info, until they could kill the guys responsible. Well, only one guy it turned out. And when Dino got away, all the info he’d given them had been outdated. He’d gotten away and told the other guy that they had to leave immediately. And all that made the situation pointless anyway. Why had they held him, beaten him for info, if he was just going to get away and warn the guy anyway?
If Ryder had been in charge from the start, it would have been done weeks ago. But Ryder had still been on Pia duty. He would always be grateful Matteo had assigned him to guard her.
But now the mission was over and she needed to see him. Good, because he needed to see her just as badly.
His speedometer already read ten over the limit. Anything higher would be pushing it, he knew. He waited until he was just out of town and sped faster. She was worth the risk.