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EMILY WATCHED AS RYKER fastened his seatbelt as the plane prepared to descend to Andrew’s AFB. The rest of the SEAL team was taking seats around them, and Emily suddenly felt nervous now that they were almost home.
“You ready for this?” Ryker asked loudly above the roar of the engine.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” she said. Had he noticed she was worried? That seemed unlikely. And really, there was nothing for her to worry about. She’d be home with family and friends. Life could finally move on. “Hunter said there won’t be any media there,” she said. “I can’t believe what a big deal this has become.”
Noah glanced over at her. “The story didn’t get out until you were rescued. Believe me—if the media had gotten wind of an American woman being held hostage, it would’ve been on CNN twenty-four-seven. And you might not have been treated so well if that had happened.”
She shuddered, noticing that Ryker was still watching her.
“Not that you should’ve had to go through that at all,” Noah added.
“I know,” she said. “It certainly could’ve been worse.”
She supposed it was nice knowing she wouldn’t have journalists hounding her when they landed, but she assumed some of that had to do with the men she was traveling with. They didn’t exactly broadcast the names and faces of Navy SEALs on the nightly news.
So what would happen when they left?
Her name would leak, and she’d be bombarded with calls. Here she’d been talking with Hunter earlier about whether or not the men who’d held her captive knew her identity, and her face would most likely be all over the TV and newspapers within days.
No wonder Ryker had been concerned.
If someone wanted to find her, they could. Easily.
And what would it be like living and sleeping alone back in her condo? True, she’d slept on the plane, but she was surrounded by an entire SEAL team. It was easy to let her guard down here, thousands of feet up in the air with the men who’d rescued her.
Back at home she’d be on her own. Sure she had her friends and family, but she was used to being independent. She’d never worried before—she had locks on her doors, was in a secure building, and was a trained federal agent for God’s sake. She’d probably feel better if she weren’t so damn jumpy now though.
Adrenaline raced through her veins, and even her palms began to sweat. She was excited to be back but scared, too.
And wasn’t that a surprise.
“Here,” she said, passing Ryker his jacket as she rifled through her own things. Ten more minutes, and she’d be on her own. He nodded as he took the jacket back, listening to something over his headset. Were they already readying to go off on another op or something?
Small houses and buildings on the ground began to come into view as the plane descended through the clouds. Tiny cars drove along the highways, looking like children’s toys from high up in the air.
She took a deep breath, wondering who’d be meeting with her when they landed. She assumed her boss would be there, maybe some of the agents she worked with. Hopefully they’d allow her parents to meet the plane, but maybe they’d just go right to the hospital instead?
Civilians didn’t usually just go traipsing through Andrew’s.
“Understood,” Ryker said in a gruff voice.
The other men were all listening in to whatever conversation he was part of, and she realized she already was starting to feel alone. They’d been almost like a team, flying back. Sure, they were in fact a team, but she’d felt like part of the group. One of the guys.
And now?
They’d head onward without her. She’d get checked out and go back to her life. Pretend the last month had never happened. She had work, her friends. It was weird to just pretend everything was the same though.
Ryker was frowning as he pulled off his headset, and some of the other SEALs were talking in low voices.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, catching Ryker’s eye.
“I’ll tell you when we land.”
She nodded, swallowing the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. Had he been right all along and she was somehow in danger?
The runway suddenly came into view, and a minute later, they were touching down and racing along it. The landing felt bumpier than she was used to, maybe because they were in a military cargo plane.
“You okay?” Hunter asked. “You look white as a ghost.”
“I’m fine,” she murmured. “It just feels surreal to be home.”
They unbuckled their seatbelts after the plane stopped, and of course there were no flight attendants telling them to disembark. The guys just got up and did their thing. Shoot, they were used to traveling like this. She was the one feeling off-kilter.
Ryker grabbed his rucksack and then reached for her suitcase, gesturing for her to walk ahead of him. A ramp was opening at the back of the plane for them to head down, and bright sunlight greeted them.
“I can get it,” she protested.
“No way,” he said. “Besides, then I’ll look like the jackass who made you carry your own stuff off a military plane. You haven’t even healed from your injuries yet.”
“Bossy,” she muttered, and Mason and Hunter both chuckled.
Walking off the plane was an experience she’d never forget—there were military men and women in uniform standing around, other government personnel in suits, and of course the EMTs with a waiting ambulance.
She was used to traveling to military bases and American embassies, but she usually faded into the background. She was security for the dignitaries and officials. Today, all eyes were on her.
Her friend and coworker Caroline hurried forward to meet her, and Emily felt tears smarting her eyes. The other woman gasped but gave her a hug, no doubt shocked at the large bruise on Emily’s forehead.
Emily winced slightly as Caroline hugged her because her ribs weren’t fully healed either.
“Easy,” Ryker interjected, still beside her with her suitcase. “She’s got bruising all over her ribs.”
“Oh, hell, sorry,” Caroline said, pulling back. “I’m just so happy to see you.”
“It’s great to be back.”
The guys piled some of their bags off to the side, apparently waiting to hop another flight. Emily’s gaze slid back to her friend, who was looking at her with wide eyes. The other men on the SEAL team were standing around their gear and bags, making phone calls to their girlfriends.
Blonde and busty, Caroline usually got plenty of attention. Although the other military men were certainly eyeing her, her figure shown to its advantage even in the suit that she wore, the guys Emily had been with barely even noticed her.
Hunter walked back over to where she and Ryker were standing, tucking his phone into his pocket. “I just spoke with our CO. There’s a possibility that you’re still in danger,” he said in a low voice.
“What? That’s crazy,” Emily protested. “I mean, we escaped. You guys rescued me. Why would I be in danger now, thousands of miles away?”
“Like I said, it’s a possibility. We’ll go through the proper channels to fully look into it. We’re out in the open and can’t exactly share the intelligence we have with you right now. There was only so much he could tell me over an open line.”
“I’ll stay with you,” Caroline said. “Until you’re feeling better. I can wait at the hospital if needed. We can work with the DC police and make sure there’s security on your room.”
“That’s a start,” Hunter said, his gaze finally flicking over her. “You’re an agent, too?”
“Armed and dangerous,” Caroline quipped. “And normally Emily would be. You’ve been through hell though, so we’ll step up and assist. I assume they stole your weapon when you were kidnapped?”
“Amongst other things,” Emily muttered. “I’ll need new ID, a new weapon—everything.”
Caroline nodded, suddenly all business. “We’ll get it all straightened out. First up is the hospital though. Hopefully they’ll just keep you overnight, and then you can recover at home. You do need rest before they’ll let you return to duty,” she added, catching the expression on Emily’s face.
“I know—it’s just, overwhelming. I want to get back to my life and forget any of this happened. And now these guys are saying I’m still possibly in danger?”
Ryker stood beside her, bristling, and Emily glanced up at him. This was probably the first time she’d stood right at his side—he’d carried her to safety, visited her in the makeshift hospital, and sat near her on the plane. She wasn’t used to him hovering right next to her though.
He was taller than she expected, with hard planes and lean muscle up and down his entire body. The stubble on his jaw had turned into more of a light beard over the past couple of days, and the overall look was somehow both sexy and intimidating. And the intense way he looked at her was unnerving. He apparently knew some information she didn’t, but it was more than that. For a man she barely knew, she felt like he could guess everything she was thinking, see right inside of her.
It unnerved her.
Sure, she’d had plenty of boyfriends in the past, some of them serious, but the intense way Ryker always looked at her made it seem like there was something more between them, a connection that didn’t make sense but she couldn’t deny. It was insane, given she’d just met the man a couple of days ago.
“I’ll stay with you,” he said abruptly.
Hunter raised his eyebrows as Caroline protested that she could see to Emily’s safety.
“You weren’t there,” Ryker said. “You weren’t inside the compound. You don’t know the way these guys think.” He exchanged a glance with Hunter, and Emily wondered what exactly they weren’t telling her.
“You’ve got work,” Emily said. “Your missions and SEAL team stuff. I mean, yes, I need to recover before I can return to work full time, but good grief. I’m a trained federal agent. I don’t need a bodyguard following me around.”
“Maybe not,” Hunter said. “And I’m sure your fellow agents could provide some protection until you’re back on your feet. Like I said, it’s a possibility that there could be a problem, not a guarantee. It’s not that you’re in imminent danger; we just want to be cautious.”
“I appreciate it, but this is just—unbelievable, really. I’m home. I’m safe.” She swayed slightly on her feet, suddenly feeling lightheaded, and looked around for somewhere to sit.
Ryker and Caroline immediately grabbed her elbows, supporting her, and the EMTs came hurrying over with a stretcher. “We’ve got to get you to the hospital to get checked out,” one of them said. “Is anyone riding along with you?”
“I am,” Caroline and Ryker both said at the same time
Caroline shot Ryker a look that could kill. “Damn it,” he muttered. “I’ll meet you over there. There’s got to be someone on this damn Air Force base that can give me a lift.”
Emily shakily sat down onto the stretcher, frowning as the EMTs fussed over her. “I’m fine, just exhausted,” she protested. “They examined me back on base in Afghanistan.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Caroline said matter-of-factly. “You still need to get checked out. Is that her suitcase?” she asked, nodding toward the one at Ryker’s side.
“Yep. I’ll bring it along.”
“Yes, it’s absolutely necessary that we get you to the hospital to get examined,” one of the EMTs said. “And we’ve gotten word that your family will be meeting us at the hospital. They were notified as soon as your plane landed. Of course, your medical history is all subject to HIPAA guidelines...”
They began wheeling her along toward the waiting ambulance, and Emily tuned out whatever legal babble he was talking about. Suddenly, she was exhausted. She didn’t have the strength to argue with Caroline or Ryker or whoever else thought they needed to see to her safety. She just needed to rest.
