Riker stared down into Chastity’s face as he lifted her sleeping form into his arms. Her face was battered and bruised, and it really pissed him off. He should have been there for her. They knew that her ex wanted her back, and that he was constantly calling. How could they have been so stupid?
He softly kissed her lips, and she moaned in his arms.
He began to carry her, and with each step, she became more alert.
Slowly she moved her arms up and around his shoulders and cuddled her face against his neck. Her softness and her sweet scent calmed him momentarily.
“Cash said that they picked up Luke, Desi’s partner. They have men questioning him now,” Nash whispered as he spoke into the cell phone.
“Good. Maybe they’ll be able to interrogate him and get us more on Desi,” Riker replied. He squeezed Chastity a little snugger. The thought that people were out there ready to harm them made him feel on edge.
“I don’t recognize these guys securing the building,” Nash stated to Riker. Riker was thinking the same thing, but then again, he and Nash had been out of the agency for a couple of years now. There were many new faces.
As they got into the elevator and made their way to an executive penthouse suite of the Four Seasons hotel, Riker couldn’t wait to get Chastity inside the room. She would be safe there. He knew that the team would have everything set up in the next room adjacent to theirs. They could remain on top of the investigation, while also personally protecting Chastity.
The door opened, and they exited together. Cash and Zane were there to greet them.
“Glad you made it here okay,” Cash said then shook Nash’s hand.
“The bedroom is that way, Riker,” Zane told him then directed him toward the back area. To the right, Riker could see that the agents and their friends were already set up. There were computers, multiple surveillance devices, and other paraphernalia the federal agents used during a sting operation.
Zane pulled down the covers to the king-sized bed. Riker nodded a thank-you then softly placed Chastity down onto the bed. She was still wearing the wig and only the hospital gown beneath the blanket. She opened her eyes and held on to his forearms.
“Riker?”
“Shh, baby, everything is okay. It’s going as planned.” He removed the wig, tossing it to Zane, who took it and exited the room.
Riker moved the strands of blonde hair from her face. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” He held her gaze as a million thoughts and fears exploded in his mind. He was so in love with Chastity. She was everything he and Nash ever wanted in a woman. Maggie never compared. It never felt like this with her. With Chastity was where their love and their hearts belonged.
“I’m scared. I want you to tell me everything.”
“Baby, please. Just rest and let us handle it.”
“No. No Riker, I want to know. I can tell that Nash is hurting. What is it?”
“Hey, they’re setting everything up in the other room. Commander Samone is here, too. They got an update and need us,” Nash stated as he approached the bed. Chastity looked at his gun and swallowed hard.
“No worries, okay? We’re armed, and it’s for your protection and ours,” Riker told her.
“Do you want to shower? We got a bunch of clothes for you. Adelina helped Jett and Flynn. We didn’t want to take a chance at going to your apartment, then being followed,” Nash said. And even Riker thought he sounded distant. He would need to speak with his brother. Chastity was scared enough, and she didn’t need his attitude. Nash always got this way when he was on a case. His intensity helped to bring justice and arrest the criminals.
“Yes. A shower would be great,” she said.
* * * *
“Okay, the food will be up here soon. You’ll have enough time. Riker can help grab some clothes for you. They’re in the drawers and the closet.
Nash turned and walked out of the room, and Chastity felt the ache in her heart. He was already pushing her away. He was placing distance between them. Was it because he was thinking about Maggie? She couldn’t help but feel jealous and sad.
“Let me help you,” Riker said then assisted her off the bed and into the large bathroom.
She didn’t reveal the ache she felt. She didn’t want him worrying about her. In her head, she feared that this situation would come between the three of them. It would tear them apart, and she needed to keep that possibility in the back of her mind.
“You can leave me. I’ll be okay,” she told Riker as he helped lift the gown off of her, after starting the water in the shower.
“Oh God, baby. Damn.” He looked over her injuries. She was battered and bruised. There were other bruises in places she hadn’t even recalled that Desi had caused. Like the one on her inner thigh and leg.
“I’ll be okay. Go take care of business.”