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  RYKER

  Must Love Danger: Book 2

  By

  Emily Jane Trent

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 1

  Mia Scott was a self-made woman. She’d seen an opportunity where only obstacles and unfairness had been before. The educational software she’d developed had the potential to aid young students with learning disabilities.

  In her youth, she’d had an inability to learn and education had been a rocky road. She’d felt stupid, lost, and frustrated. But at the age of thirty-one, she was the owner of a growing tech company in Philadelphia. How that happened was the story of the year.

  Her name was in the news, and tech publications raved about the potential of her new computer program. That was fortunate but came with a price. Her privacy was at a minimum. Since she was a young female entrepreneur, her photo was plastered across the media.

  Wherever she went, it seemed that someone recognized her. Like a movie star, she’d started wearing dark glasses, but that did little good. She’d become a celebrity. But it couldn’t be avoided. Where big money was involved, the public took notice.

  Even the owner of an expanding tech company needed a break, Mia had told her team—for just a few days. Discreetly, she had her assistant book a room at a woodside resort in the Laurel Highlands, about a four-hour drive from Philly.

  Mia leaned her head against the back seat, trusting her driver to get her to the sought-after destination. The brochure had boasted that it was the perfect place to get away from it all. It invitingly mentioned that a guest could be pampered at the luxury spa and engage in outdoor activities in a beautiful setting.

  That was precisely what she intended to do. The stresses and pressures that came with recruiting investors for her venture had worn her down. A few days away sounded awfully good. She’d gone alone, craving downtime.

  The getaway started out very promising. The resort was an English Tudor-style building, and her room was spacious with a vaulted ceiling, crystal chandeliers, and a jetted soaking tub. Mia changed clothes then went straight to the heated outdoor infinity pool.

  She sank into the warm water and gazed at the view. The woodlands were lovely and the pool relaxing. A few tranquil days would calm her nerves and restore her energy. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. For a few minutes, her life wasn’t one high-pressure meeting after the other.

  And there was no one around snapping her picture or peppering her with questions. She’d left the company in the capable hands of her team, managed by Iris, her closest and dearest friend. For a few hours, she didn’t have to worry; she could enjoy a mini vacation.

  After the pool, Mia indulged in a massage at the spa then took a nap. She couldn’t believe that she’d fallen asleep in the afternoon. But she really was tired and had overextended herself for months. When she got hungry, she went to the outdoor sunset terrace restaurant and drank a glass of wine with Chilean sea bass. It was late March and the weather was pleasant.

  She sipped her wine, noticing a red robin in a nearby tree—his presence a sign of spring. Then a flock of snow geese flew high overhead on their way to the tundra, a spring migration. It was quite a sight to watch. The waiter brought the dessert menu, so she made a selection.

  After all, the next few days were downtime. Mia’s phone hadn’t vibrated with its endless messages, but only because she’d turned it off. Whatever came up could surely wait a day, or Iris could handle it. Still, it was difficult to resist checking messages.

  She tried to ignore her security guys lingering near the restaurant. The two guards had come in a separate vehicle and were under instructions to stay in the background. It wasn’t a simple task for the two beefy men to appear invisible.

  Mia saw them every time she turned around. But then she knew they were on the premises. The other guests didn’t realize they weren’t vacationers. At least they’d worn casual garb and not black suits. Yet their attitude was anything but relaxed.

  That evening, Mia went to the bar to listen to live music. Already, she was wondering if she was cut out for leisure activities. There was so much to do, so much at stake. But if there was any opportunity to take a break from the onslaught of responsibilities, it was then.

  Once the negotiations with investors began in earnest, taking a day off would be next to impossible. That night, Mia nestled into a plush armchair to read. She’d chosen a novel, hoping to escape into the story. Yet she found that she couldn’t resist flipping through the pages of the tech magazine she’d brought.

  It was hopeless. She was a workaholic. Maybe she’d go home early. Although that wouldn’t do, because Iris had made her promise to stay for the entire weekend. It was useless. She slipped on her shoes to go down the hall for ice.

  The machine was in an alcove by the elevator bay. Mia went to the hotel window and looked out. Since it was dusk, she should pull the drapes. But something caught her attention. It was a black limo that looked out of place.

  Oddly, she’d noticed it earlier. When she’d left the pool, the limo had driven through the parking lot. For months, she’d been followed and photographed and harassed. Mia dreaded to think that some reporter had followed her to the resort. But that made no sense. She had only told her team where she was going, and her driver had assured her that they hadn’t been followed.

  When she’d left the bar, her security had followed her to her room, ensuring that she got inside safely. It unnerved her to see the black limo parked below. Surely, it belonged to a guest. She shouldn’t assume that everything had to do with her.

  Mia wasn’t going to focus on that. Once she got a bucket of ice, she was going to cool the bottle of champagne that the hotel had provided. Then she’d sip a glass to get her mind off work. She walked over to the door, but when she pulled it open, it flew back with force.

  Two men in knit masks shoved her inside and bolted the door. Mia shrieked, but the sound was muffled by one man’s hand. He dragged her away from the door, while the other stormed inside to look around. Terrified, Mia bit the man’s hand, causing him to throw her at the wall like a sack of beans, and she fell to the floor.

  Mia scrambled away, reeling from the sudden assault. She’d left the bathroom light on, which gave her an idea. In a split second, she ran for the bathroom, only a couple of feet away. Then she locked the door, still breathing hard. The tiled room was as close to a safe room as she was going to get. She moved away from the door and huddled by the bathtub. It would provide a temporary barrier if the door burst open.

  She looked around, desperate for any kind of weapon. Cuticle scissors would hardly work. Although she could stab one of the men in the eye. Maybe. But that would leave the other one free to recapture her. There had to be a better option. The bathroom had no window, and she was upstairs anyway, so escape was out of the question.

  Noise from the other room frightened her. She didn’t know who they were or what they wanted. She needed to call for help, but her phone was in the other room. Her pulse raced as she tried to think of a way out. The intruders seemed occupied for the moment.

  Mia heard them talking in a foreign language, some Baltic tongue. She had no clue what they were saying or whether they’d break down the bathroom door any second. As long as she did
n’t interfere, the men didn’t appear concerned about her.

  But that could change. And Mia had seen the flash of a gun barrel just before the brute had tossed her against the wall. She kept in shape with aerobics classes, but she was no match for two muscled men. And she hadn’t handled a gun before, so even if she could grab it, it would do her little good.

  Mia wished that hotel rooms weren’t soundproofed, because it made it unlikely that another guest would complain about the noise—or not soon enough. If only she had her phone. But she didn’t, so had to prepare in case the worst happened.

  She dumped water on the tile floor by the door, so any intruder would slip upon entry. Careful to stay across the room from the water, she plugged in the hair dryer and held it in both hands like a taser. A blast of hot air in the eyes would slow down an attacker. But then what?

  Mia had no idea. She’d have to make a run for it. After sliding through the water, she’d have to race for the door then out to the hall, hoping someone would be around. Where were her security guards when she needed them?

  Through her life, Mia had witnessed, even experienced, brutality. But she couldn’t recall a time when she’d been attacked by strangers. Before it had been someone she knew, a person who she knew was prone to violence.

  Yet she hadn’t seen this coming. Her sole focus was to get out alive. Whatever the men wanted, they could take. She had some cash in her purse, so hoped they’d find it and be satisfied. Outside the bathroom door, it sounded like a wild party.

  Then it went silent.

  Mia held her breath. Could it be? Had the men left?

  She wasn’t quick to assume they had. Quietly, she crept toward the door, with the hairdryer still in hand. Leaning against the cool wood panel, she tried to tell if there was anyone on the other side. But there was no talking or other noise.

  Her pulse still pounded, as she dared hope that it was over. It was too soon to open the door. The men might be waiting on the other side. It could be a ploy to get her to open the door, easier than breaking it down.

  Mia waited, then waited longer. She couldn’t take it. She had to get out of that room and get help. It had been long enough. Holding on to the hairdryer, she unlocked the door. The cord wasn’t long enough to keep it plugged in, but she could certainly knock one of them on the head with it.

  Mia opened the door and gazed into her room. No one else was there. Cautiously stepping out, she looked around. The place was trashed. It was baffling, as she couldn’t imagine why it had happened.

  Coming to her senses, she grabbed the hotel phone and dialed the desk. Nearly incoherent, she babbled something about being attacked. Within minutes, there was a pounding at the door, startling her. “Security.”

  Mia opened the door, and hotel security entered. She slumped into a chair, trembling. Somehow, she managed to tell the guard what had occurred. It sounded like an unbelievable story, even as she recounted the highlights.

  The guard spoke to someone on his phone, and more personnel appeared. The concierge asked if he should call for medical help, but Mia shook her head. Amazingly, she wasn’t injured. The question was: what had prompted the attack?

  Mia stared, unsure how to respond. She vaguely wondered when her security would arrive on the scene. As if hearing her thoughts, her two security men walked in, appearing to have hastily thrown on shirts and pants without bothering to comb their messy hair. She was glad that someone had been able to sleep.

  “Mia, are you okay?” Her tall security guard looked concerned.

  It wasn’t good enough. She paid a lot of money for protection. “I was robbed at gunpoint. And where were you? I thought you had it all under control, that I was safe.”

  “You told us to stay in the shadows.”

  “Yes, but not literally.” Mia glared at him. “I just meant… Oh, God. If I have to explain it, then what’s the use?” She waved a hand. “You’re fired.” Then she looked at her other security guard. “And you too.”

  Her security looked at her but offered no argument.

  “I’ll call and arrange transport home,” Mia said. “Just go.”

  The concierge gave her a tiny bow. “At your service, Ms. Scott. May I move you to another room, while we…” He looked at the mess.

  “Yes, and make it one at lobby level, near security, please.”

  Mia was about to leave when law enforcement entered and addressed her. She wasn’t going to catch a break.

  After a forty-minute interview, the cops determined that three hundred dollars in cash had been stolen, along with her laptop and phone.

  “Did you have any jewelry?” one of the cops said.

  Mia shook her head.

  “Anything in the safe?”

  “No, I’m on a short holiday. I didn’t bring much.”

  The police seemed as baffled as she was. “You’re in the public eye a lot, Ms. Scott. It wouldn’t be too hard to find out where you were staying.”

  “Apparently not.”

  “But you didn’t have much to steal, and the intruders didn’t harm you…fortunately.”

  Mia had some ideas; she knew more about her company and what a thief might want from her. But she saw no reason to tell the local police. It was only a hunch, anyway.

  *****

  Once Mia was secure in a different room, a suite provided by the hotel at no charge, she used the hotel phone to call her best friend. Iris Bancroft had been by her side through many ups and downs. This one took the cake.

  She’d met Iris in grade school, and they had instantly bonded. Although Mia hadn’t gone to college like her friend had, she’d ended up in the field of technology and started a business with Iris. There was no one better to establish a start-up with than her, a woman Mia would trust with her life.

  It was the middle of the night, but Mia couldn’t wait. She needed to hear a friendly voice, had to process the trauma. “Iris…it’s me.”

  “Mia?” There was a rustling sound. “What time is it?”

  “You don’t want to know. And I wouldn’t call at this hour if it wasn’t important.” Mia launched into a description of events—disbelieving that it had actually happened even as she was telling the story.

  “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Iris said.

  “Yep, you read my mind. The thieves were after whatever was on my laptop.”

  “Couldn’t they just have swiped it while you were entering the hotel? You know, like purse snatchers?”

  Mia sighed. “Whoever it was wished to make a point.”

  “Yeah…you’re vulnerable,” Iris said, “and thanks to your own security crew, no less. Don’t you worry. I’ll have an escort there for you, before breakfast…which isn’t far off.”

  “You’re a true friend.”

  Mia tried to get a couple of hours of sleep, but it was futile. She was too upset. Instead, she paced the floor, fuming. She was tempted to call her manager in the middle of the night, too. But Griffen LaMont was a married man and his wife wouldn’t appreciate that.

  He was a loyal team member and managed the company’s affairs in a variety of ways. She counted on him. It wasn’t his fault that some idiots had pursued her. But she was still mad. When the sun came up at last, she downed a cup of coffee then made the call.

  “You what?” Griffen said, in his normally calm voice.

  “Don’t say that like I just told you I misplaced my luggage,” Mia said. “The security you sent to protect me botched the job.”

  Griffen was quiet.

  “I was scared out of my mind, and alone.” Mia expelled a breath. “I lost an expensive laptop. And I could have been killed.”

  “I’m so sorry, Mia. I really am,” Griffen said. “You did the right thing by firing them. If you hadn’t, I would have.”

  “Who hired them in the first place? I cannot tolerate such incompetence.”

  “Those two had been with us for a while,” Griffen said. “I suppose this is the first time they had really been put t
o the test. And who hired them? That honor goes to your ex-husband.”

  “Goddammit.” Mia rubbed her temple. “Didn’t we clean things out when I divorced him two years ago?”

  “I thought so, but it didn’t occur to me that security was lacking.”

  “I certainly hope it has now,” Mia said. “Things are only getting to get more intense as we move forward with investors. I can’t afford an incident. And for that matter, you’ll need to keep this quiet. Having the company owner’s life in peril tends to make investors nervous.”

  “You are absolutely right,” Griffen said. “I’m sure Iris is all over that, handling any leaks. And I have a connection in the police force. I’ll lean on him.”

  “And who is that?”

  “Lonnie, an old friend of mine. And his cousin Ryker is an ex-SEAL, who owns an executive protection firm,” Griffen said. “I’ll give him a buzz and see what I can set up.”

  “Whoever this Ryker is, and his protection firm…just make sure they know their job, understood?”

  Mia wasn’t at all reassured. She was furious and not calming down. It went beyond her own personal safety. Much more was at stake. She’d worked for years to get to the point where she was now. Her company was about to take on major investors.

  It wasn’t about the money, either. Sure, it was a good thing. She wouldn’t turn it away. But it was so much more than that. It was about the kids who needed the educational software she’d developed. Kids who had issues with learning, who faced an uncertain future unless they could cope. Kids not much different than her, with a disability she was all too familiar with. She couldn’t allow this chance to be snatched away—not when success was so close. She couldn’t afford any mistakes. It was imperative that she get back to Philly safely and see this through.

  Chapter 2

  Ryker Johnson was on duty that weekend. He was used to extended schedules, and the executive protection business required it. Since he’d founded Black Swan Protection with Hawke, he’d worked all kinds of hours.

  Jonathan Hawkins Turner was a guy to trust, particularly as a business partner. As they’d been on numerous deployments together as Navy SEALs, the bond was tight. Since retiring over a year ago, Ryker had teamed up with his buddy to use his hard-earned skills in the civilian sector.