Page 28 of Outlaw Ridge: Ryker
Across from her, Ryker reached over and tilted the laptop screen slightly toward him. His hand brushed hers in the process, light contact, but it still sent a flicker through her that had nothing to do with grief or caffeine.
He scanned the screen for a beat, then sighed and minimized the open CSI report. “I read through this before I hit the shower,” he told her. “Let me save you the trouble.”
Emma set the spoon down, wiped her fingers on a napkin, and listened.
“The CSIs, M.E. and bomb squad don’t have much yet. No solid trace. No clean explosive signature. They’re still running forensics on what’s left of the device.” He tapped his finger lightly on the desk. “Bottom line? Ruiz is dead. He was wearing Ethan’s ring. That’s the part we can confirm.”
Emma didn’t speak. She already knew that part, but hearing it again somehow made it more real.
“The ME doesn’t know if he was killedbeforethe explosion orbecause ofit,” Ryker added. “And they’re not sure they’ll ever be able to figure it out.”
Emma exhaled slowly, the spoon hanging loose in her fingers again.
“So,” Ryker said, shifting his chair closer. His knee brushed hers, the movement casual but steady. He reached over and pulled up a different folder from the dock. “Instead of circling the same burned-out mess, let’s focus on this.”
She looked at the screen as he opened the new file, an Austin PD report.
“They’ve been working Ruiz’s last known movements,” Ryker said. “The timeline’s tight. It’s not a full puzzle yet, but we’ve got new pieces.”
Emma leaned in beside him, the scent of his soap still fresh and close. She felt the shift, not just in proximity, but in direction.
And for the first time in hours, it felt like they were moving forward.
Ryker pulled up the report and began scrolling, his voice steady, focused. All business, but with just enough warmth underneath to keep her grounded.
“Ruiz was last seen about twenty-four hours ago,” he said. “Security footage shows him leaving his apartment around six-thirty in the morning, heading out to work. He never made it.”
Emma frowned, her fingers tightening around the spoon.
“He was taken, or lured, somewhere between his place and his job,” Ryker continued. “It’s only a six-mile stretch. Austin PD’s pulling traffic cam footage, canvassing the route, checking for witnesses. They’re doing their jobs.”
She nodded slowly, eyes still on the screen. That six-mile stretch suddenly felt like a canyon.
“And yeah,” Ryker added, his voice dipping just slightly, “some of those cops probably feel like shit for this happening on their turf. For letting Ruiz down. But no one feels worse about it than you do.”
He glanced at her, and she didn’t deny it. Couldn’t.
“But,” he said, his tone firmer now, “you’ll put that aside. We both will. And we’ll focus on getting the bastard who did this.”
Emma stared at him for a beat, the knot in her chest loosened just a little.
Then she gave a small, exhausted smile. “Thanks. I needed that.”
She lifted the pint of ice cream slightly. “Also, this. The sugar high’s helping clear out the cobwebs.”
Ryker grinned. “Told you. Chocolate chip solves most things.”
Emma didn’t say it out loud, but yeah,hewas helping too. More than she’d ever admit.
“I’ve got cobwebs,” he said, licking a bit of chocolate from the corner of his mouth, eyes locked on hers. “But at the moment, they’re taking a backseat to you. And to catching the sonofabitch who blew Ruiz to bits and has been playing hell with our lives.”
And there it was.
The reason for this mixed bag of emotions she was feeling for the hot guy who’d served her ice cream for breakfast. There was the curl of heat added to the kickass cop determination.
Yeah, Ryker was covering all the important angles, and she knew in her gut that whenever this ended, when the threat had been neutralized, that things wouldn’t end for Ryker and her. No. This was just the beginning.
Her phone buzzed on the desk, the sound slicing through the moment like a knife. She grabbed it, thumbed the screen, and saw the message from Jesse.
