Page 56 of Wicked Obsession

He headed over to where Mako lay. As he neared, he heard Griff ask, “Why, you motherfucker? Why did you betray us?”

Griff had his pack open and was trying to stopthe bleeding, but Ryder could tell Bryce wasn’t going to make it. He had no doubt Griff knew it too, but he needed to try to save the friend he’d shot.

“Had no choice,” Mako said, voice thready. “Harp blackmailed me.”

“Blackmailed you how?” Ryder asked.

Mako’s lips curved slightly, but there was no humor there, only self-reproach. His eyes drifted shut. “He knew. I slept with a spy. Didn’t realize till too late. Told her too much. Got an army copter shot down. Men died.”

Ryder blew out a long breath. Mako had committed treason—an offense that would get him the death penalty—and he’d been saving his own ass by helping to kill Langley.

The sound of a chopper had Ryder looking up. It was landing in back of the boulders where he’d left Langley. Life Flight was on the scene and his hellcat had medical help. She wasn’t out of the woods yet, he knew that, but her situation had improved dramatically.

He refocused on Bryce. “Who’s after Langley and why?”

“Don’t know. Sorry, Ski.” Mako’s voice was so weak, Ryder almost didn’t hear the apology. “Sorry, Griff.”

Bryce’s body went slack and Griff workedmore frantically. “Don’t you die. Don’t you fucking die, asshole.”

As his teammate fought to save his friend, Ryder remembered when they’d been in San Diego, when Bryce had returned from the fast food restaurant and looked pissed. When called on it, he’d said they’d run out of fries. That must have been when Harper had contacted him. No one became furious over onion rings. If Ryder hadn’t been so fucking focused on finding that white Impala, he might have questioned that story more closely, and he could have figured out earlier Mako was a traitor, and Langley wouldn’t have been hurt.

When Griff went still, Ryder knew Mako had died and that his buddy had accepted there was no chance to revive him. The helicopter took off again and he watched it until it was out of sight.Don’t stop fighting, hellcat.

“You gonna be okay, dude?” he asked Griff quietly after a moment.

Before he could answer, a voice ordered, “FBI. Drop your weapons. Hands up.”

Ryder did as ordered. The cavalry had arrived, and he was about to get arrested.

Chapter 23

Langley shifted in the hospital bed and grimaced. Her leg hurt, but she was lucky and she knew it. The shrapnel from the ricochet had passed through her thigh cleanly and without hitting anything vital on its journey. This morning, she’d even managed to convince the doctor to dial back on the painkillers.

She thought about turning on the television but decided against it. This was the first time she’d had more than a few minutes alone since she’d arrived at the hospital yesterday. There’d been nurses in and out constantly, technicians, the doctor, the police and FBI questioning her, and her mom had arrived last night and absolutely refused to leave her side. Langley had finally talked her into getting something to eat, but she wouldn’t begone long, so she better enjoy the quiet while she had it.

As if on cue, the door opened, and Langley swallowed a sigh. Now what?

Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Ryder. She’d known he was okay, but it was a relief to see that for herself. He was wearing the same clothes he’d had on yesterday and there was a day’s worth of stubble on his face. He looked tired, but determined. His gaze raked her from head to foot and she was certain he hadn’t missed a thing.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get here earlier,” he said quietly, “but the police and the FBI were in no hurry to release us, not with eight dead bodies in the forest. I came straight to the hospital.”

“They decided against officially arresting you?” Langley asked. It was a little over twenty-four hours since she’d been wheeled from the helicopter into the ER.

Ryder nodded his head and approached the bed. “I have a new appreciation for the diplomatic corps after watching your father at work.”

“Where is Dad?”

“He spotted your mother and decided to join her for dinner.” He reached her side and covered her hand with his. “The ambassador told me what the doctor said about your condition, but I want to know how’re you feeling, hellcat?”

“I’m fine, thank you.”

“No, you’re not. You were honest with me yesterday. Don’t backslide now.”

Langley frowned. “I dislike—” She realized the words were heated and cut herself off. After taking a deep breath, she said evenly, “I’ve been better, you can see that, but it could have been much worse.”

“No,” he gently squeezed her hand. “Don’t do that. If you don’t like something I do, tell me. It’s okay not to be polite with me, damn it.”

The battle between a lifetime of training and the fact that the pain had left her cranky didn’t last long. “I hate it when you press me. If I tell you I’m fine, then leave it alone.” She froze, appalled not only at what she’d said, but her tone of voice as well.

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