RYDER: A Standalone Military Romance (Blake Security Book 1) by Celina McKane Page A

staying so you can keep watching her?”
    “I can do that.” I wanted to do it. Part of me was glad that she’d refused to go to Italy—no matter what her motives were.
    “Good. I’ll talk to Branson in the meantime and see if he wants us to keep at this while he’s out of the country.”
                  “Okay. How did things go with Belinda?” Blake had been in California for a little over a week. Since he got there, Belinda Garner had been making one excuse after the other not to talk to him. Last time we talked, he told me she’d finally agreed to sit down with him.
                  “It was interesting. She’s young, but she’s not stupid. She knows how powerful the Bransons are and she doesn’t want to piss them off. If I had to guess, I’d say she was waiting to get ahold of Matt and get his blessing before she talked to me. Her career is beginning to take off, and I think that she’s worried about her past coming back to bite her.”
                  “But not worried at all about handing her baby over to a power-crazed man and a woman who can’t stand to look at her? What the hell ever happened to being a mother?” Blake was quiet for a second. He knew me well enough to know these occasional outbursts about people’s lack of maternal instincts came and went quickly. This one had been building for a while, and although I was still feeling it, I stuffed it down for now and said, “Sorry, go on.”
                  I love having a best friend who knows when to let it go. “She tells almost exactly the same story the Bransons do. The only difference was that she straight up told me Matt bought her a house and car and put a hundred grand in a bank account for her before the deal was done. It’s obvious she’s happy with the deal and not interested in getting the baby back, but if what Alicia says is true, then maybe Celia was never really in any danger to begin with.”
                  But what kind of danger is Alicia in? I’d already decided before Blake asked me to stay with her that I couldn’t let this go until I found out and knew she was safe. She’d brought out the alpha male in me and I wasn’t going to be able to just walk away. “What about your other reason for being out there? How is that going?”
                  He made a grunting sound. “I think I’ve finally convinced myself of something I knew all along, Dawson’s sister has no interest in meeting with me.” He left it at that and said, “Keep in touch and let me know where you two end up staying.”
                  “Will do.” I hung up and went back over to the bedroom door. Alicia was zipping up her suitcase. I walked inside and said, “Would you like a ride?”
                  She nodded. “Okay.” I picked up the suitcase, and she picked up her overnight bag and purse, and together we walked out of the mansion. Alicia held her head high, but her eyes were filled with tears. She’d been with Celia almost every day since her birth. It had to feel like someone was taking her own child away. 
     

CHAPTER TEN
     
    RYDER
     
    I drove Alicia to the address she’d given me. It was a small hotel in Lafayette—and not in the best neighborhood. I parked the car and turned off the ignition. As she reached for her door handle, I said, “Alicia, I have an apartment in the city with two bedrooms. Why don’t you just stay with me until you figure out what your plan is?”
    She shook her head. “Thank you, Ryder. I’ve taken up enough of your time.”
    “I’m not leaving. If you stay here, I stay here.”
    “Why?” she asked, obviously frustrated.
    “Because you admitted to me that there are people out there who want something you have, and since I’ve seen their handiwork first hand, I know they’re not willing to stop—even at murder—to get it. I’m not leaving you alone.”
    “I’m not your responsibility, and