Page 5 of Wicked Obsession

Ryder growled, the sound low in his throat. Some bastard had tried to rape Langley? Why the hell hadn’t she told him?

For a moment, the two men shared a glance—one of understanding—and the ambassador continued, “She managed to scream, and he was stopped quickly, but despite years of therapy, they make her extremely anxious. I don’t want to put her through that when I’m 95% certain the FBI is correct.”

“You want me to go to San Diego and keep her safe.”

“Yes.”

“You do know that Special Forces isn’t allowed to operate on US soil, right?”

Ambassador Canfield’s lips curved slightly. “I’m aware of that, but if you took leave and flew out there as Langley’s boyfriend, then it’s not a mission.”

“And if I happened to bring some buddies with me who were also on leave…” Ryder let his voice trail off.

“Exactly. There won’t be trouble getting time off approved. General Wolfe is aware of the situation and will ensure you and a few of your friends will be able to stay with my daughter for as long as needed.”

Ryder frowned. “Have you talked to Langley, sir?”

“She texted her mom and me when she arrived in San Diego, but nothing since then.”

“I meant have you told her about the letter, but I’ll take your response as a no.”

Now the ambassador’s smile was genuine, if a bit rueful. “I thought you knew her better than that. This is a case of it being better to ask for forgiveness than permission.”

He wasn’t able to smile, but Ryder managed a nod. “She believes she can take care of herself.”

“I made certain she had training, but she doesn’t have the experience to handle this if the threat turns out to be genuine.”

Ryder had trained her, too, but some rudimentary skills didn’t give her the expertise to deal with this—especially not if the attack came from an experienced adversary. At this point, he had to assume the person was highly trained. To do anything else would put Langley at risk. “What about logistics?”

“I have a private plane waiting at the airport, fueled and ready to take off for San Diego theinstant you give the word.” Ambassador Canfield reached inside his suit jacket and pulled out a thick envelope. He held it out, but Ryder shook his head.

“I’m not taking money to protect Langley.”

“You can return whatever you don’t use, but I want you to have cash to cover any contingency that might arise while you’re guarding her. There’s also a credit card in your name with no limit. It will take a while for anyone to track charges on it. I won’t have her safety compromised by you making a charge on your own credit card.”

Reluctantly, Ryder took the envelope, opened it to see what he was dealing with, and blew out a long whistle. “Holy fuck.” Realizing what he’d said, he cleared his throat and apologized, “Sorry, sir.”

The ambassador waved it off. “Outfit yourself with whatever you need—you can save the receipts if it makes you feel better, but I want my daughter protected at any cost.”

Ryder nodded, but his brain was busy making lists of what he wanted to bring. The private jet meant no security checks and no need to worry about carrying pistols or other assorted firepower. He knew who he was bringing with him. Rowland was a no-brainer and he was sure Griff and Mako would agree to come along, too.

“Ryder,” the ambassador interrupted his thoughts. “Keep Langley safe.”

“I will, sir, no matter what it takes.” She might not want him anymore, but for damn sure, he wouldn’t allow anyone to hurt her.

Chapter 2

Langley rested her palm over her stomach, trying to still the roiling. If she didn’t speak up soon, she’d be forced to object to the wedding during the ceremony.

Never make a scene. Never make anyone feel uncomfortable or awkward. Keep your thoughts to yourself.

When one member of the family was in diplomatic service, the entire family had roles to play. The wrong facial expression could cause an international incident, and it wouldn’t have mattered that she was a child. Why hadn’t she done the smart thing and confronted Sarah days ago? As soon as she’d met Mitch, Langley had known Sarah was marrying a man she didn’t love. Instead, she’d wasted time trying to subtly encourage her friend to share what was happening.That had been an abject failure. Nervously, she pushed at the pins holding up her hair and tried to find the right words to introduce the topic.

She regretted not saying something immediately. She regretted cancelling her trip to visit Sarah in April because Ryder had just returned from a months-long mission and she’d wanted to spend time with him. If she’d realized then that he didn’t love her, Langley would have come to San Diego, and perhaps she could have stopped the wedding before plans had gotten underway. She took a step toward Sarah and immediately added another regret to her list—wearing five-inch stiletto heels. Her feet already hurt.

The bride’s room at the Wedding Knot was cramped, the furniture worn, and the carpet threadbare in places. The unfortunate thing was that it looked nicer than the actual facility did. If Sarah had been marrying someone Langley liked, she would have offered to pay for a better location, but Mitch had been worse in person than over the phone, and within minutes of meeting him, her instincts had set off the red-alert klaxon.

Enough, Langley!She had to stop delaying. The wedding was scheduled to begin in twenty minutes, and if she dithered much longer, she would be forced to make a public spectacle. Her friend gazed into the mirror, but Langley didn’t think she was looking at herself.

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