Ricochet (Renegades #3)(34)
Author: Skye Jordan

“It means I know why you’ve got this ridiculous protective urge toward her. She instantly reminded me of Giselle when you two were bickering in the office today. Her mannerisms, her expressions, the way she couldn’t handle you touching her neatly organized stuff. You’re obviously—“

“Rachel’s nothing like Giselle.” His gaze filled with fresh anger. “This has absolutely nothing to do with anyone but Rachel and you. This is about keeping you from getting Rachel all into you and then heading halfway around the world again. She’s the backbone of Renegades. In the six months she’s been with us, she’s straightened out all our books, maximized our marketing, handles the risk assessment, the stunt insurance, everything. She handles everything, and she takes care of all of us too.

“Renegades needs her. Now more than ever. Marx is a pain in the ass, but he’s good. So good the insurance company trusts him implicitly. If he signs off on a stunt, we get a ridiculously low rate. And, you saw that.” He gestured to where they’d just been standing, “Rachel makes the man melt. She crosses all the T’s and dots all the I’s just the way he likes, they get along great, and he’s been trying to snag her for months.”

Months. Did that mean she’d been fucking him casually for months? How many guys did she have going at once?

Ryker shoved the thoughts aside and stepped back. “And you don’t want me getting in his way.”

“I want Renegades intact, which means keeping Rachel happy. You’re going back to Afghanistan, for God’s sake.”

“Right. I got it.” He had nothing to offer Rachel. He knew that. And sure as shit didn’t understand why hearing it from Troy knifed at him. “Why the fuck did you bring me into this in the first place? It’s a goddamned train wreck. The least you could have done was tell me about all the bullshit involved.”

“And let you turn tail? I knew once you got here, got a taste of the challenge, you wouldn’t be able to turn it down. You’re just like me, Ry. You need something to work toward every day, or you’re lost. You need to be challenged, or you drift.”

“You don’t think I have enough to deal with?”

“You’re not dealing with it. You’re avoiding it. Every day that goes by with nothing else to focus on makes you stuff it a little deeper so you don’t have to remember. Every time I talk to you, you’ve been drinking a little more. Every chick you tell me about gets a little raunchier. And every morning-after you remember a little less. You’re in a spiral, Ry. If you stayed in New Orleans another month, you very well might not have made it back to that sand pit you love so damn much.”

Ryker turned and started toward the house again. “This is still fucked.”

Rachel’s face ached from forcing this smile. They were almost finished with the main meal, thank God, Lexi and Rubi the only ones still picking at their salmon. Rachel had tried to eat a few pieces of rib eye, a steak she usually devoured faster than the guys, but it wasn’t sitting well in her tense stomach tonight.

Beside her, Josh was talking about a new roasted vegetable recipe he’d tried on his grill that had turned out amazing. Normally, Rachel would have been listening, interested in trying out his suggestions at the next Renegades barbecue, but it was taking all her mental strength just to keep track of his voice inflections and punctuation so she could respond with the requisite noises of interest in the appropriate places.

Across the table, Ryker’s plate was clean—after two rib eyes, three helpings of vegetables, three pieces of bread, and one huge baked potato with all the fixings. He’d pushed it forward and crossed his arms on the table in front of him, leaning into a conversation with Jax, Wes, and Troy. They were talking about explosives, and she understood very little of what they were saying. At the other end of the table, Duke and Keaton caught bits of the conversation between the others and tossed in a comment now and then. Josh ignored everyone but Rachel, and she’d never wanted to be ignored more.

“This is the first time I’ve ever seen you leave food on your plate,” Josh said, drawing Rachel’s attention. “Feeling okay?”

She turned her head toward him and smiled. “Yeah. Just tired. It’s been a long week.”

“Amen.” Nathan jumped into the conversation for the first time all night, sitting back in his chair and picking up his fourth…fifth…maybe sixth beer. She’d lost count.

“Rachel,” Jax said, “who do you have lined up for site coordinator?”

She pulled her gaze from warring with Nathan’s lazy grin and looked at her boss. “Jaimie Burke and Tom Campbell.”

“I saw Jaimie last week,” Keaton said. “It sounded like she was going to run long on the King Arthur set.”

“Only a week,” Rachel said. “And Tom is wrapping up his latest project now.”

“Hmm.” The troubled hum came from Josh, and Rachel turned to look at him.

“What?”

Josh shook his head. “I don’t think Burke’s lack of experience is a good fit for a stunt with explosives this intense.”

“She’s not inexperienced—” Rachel started.

“She is when it comes to managing explosives, honey.” Josh put his hand on her shoulder, slid it to the back of her neck, and squeezed.

Rachel wanted his hand off her in the worst way. She was pissed he was acting like this for Nathan’s benefit, and after having Nathan’s hands on her just twelve hours ago, Josh’s touch just felt…wrong.

“He’s right, Rach,” Duke added.

“I’ve got enough problems at the moment, Duke,”

Duke just smirked and shrugged.

“And…” Josh said, drawing Rachel’s gaze. “Sorry to tell you this, honey, but…last time I worked with Campbell, he smelled like a still and missed a third of the filming schedule. Unless he’s gone to rehab in the last four months and is part of a regular AA group, Cinematic won’t touch a stunt where he’s site coordinator, especially not where explosives are involved.”

Her stomach dropped. Every time she put a piece of this puzzle in its place, the damn thing popped back out again. And this news was just the last bit she could take tonight. She propped her elbows on the table and rested her face in her hands.

“I want Rachel.”

Nathan’s quiet words shot a tingle of heat through her chest. She parted her fingers and found his gaze directly on hers.