Protecting Medusa Read online

  The phone rang, startling her, and she sniffed, grabbing a dish towel on her way to pick it up. “Hello?”

  “Good, you’re still there.” Ryder.

  She sniffled. “I have to go.”

  “Not without me.” His tone went hard. “That’s why I told you not to go anywhere without me. I knew you would get there.”

  Philomena wiped the towel over her cheek. “It’s not safe for them if I’m here.”

  “I know, baby,” he said, more gently. “But wait for me. We’ll do this together. I can keep you safe.”

  She dropped into the chair he’d abandoned, staring at his half-eaten breakfast. “I can’t stay.”

  “Mena.”

  She stuck his fork into the small mound of eggs on the plate, her mind spinning in too many directions. Her heart pounded loud enough to drown out most of those thoughts, even if she could capture one.

  “Mena.”

  His sharp tone snagged her attention. “What, Ryder?”

  “Stay with me here.” He took a deep breath and released it. “I’ll be back at the house in maybe twenty minutes. My buddy will be there in the next hour or two. We have to stay for a while, to get him settled. To say goodbye to Aggie and Jason, temporarily. But we’ll go together, do you understand me?”

  She picked up a forkful the bright yellow eggs, trying to concentrate on his words and staring at the eggs. “Together?”

  “Yes, together. You and me.”

  She stuck the eggs into her mouth without thinking, and her stomach growled. She blinked, chewing slowly. With Ryder. She didn’t doubt he could keep her safe from the Harvesters. “Okay,” she said at last.

  He sighed, and it was clear, even over the phone line, the sound was filled with relief. “Good, smart girl. Are you eating your breakfast?”

  “No, yours. I threw mine away.” She stuck another bite of eggs in her mouth, trying to concentrate only on the act of eating.

  He laughed.

  Philomena smiled faintly. The eggs were cool now, not especially appetizing. But she was starved.

  “We’ll have to pack some things for you when I get back.”

  “Mm.” She didn’t want to think yet about packing, about leaving. No, just breakfast for now.

  “Promise me, Mena.”

  She swallowed another forkful of eggs. “Promise what?”

  “You’ll be waiting there if I hang up now.”

  She considered. If she left on her own, it wouldn’t take long before she found herself floundering without resources or a plan. She was smart enough to know that. If she waited for Ryder, infuriating as he’d proven to be even before she met him in person, she knew she had a better chance of staying alive and getting back to Jason and her mother in one piece. “Okay.”

  “Promise me.”

  She stuck her tongue out at the phone. “Fine, I promise.” He didn’t need to know she thought he might be her only chance. It would only make his head fatter.

  “Good girl.”

  She rolled her eyes.

  “I’ve got a little business to take care of now, so I’m going to hang up. I’ll be there soon.”

  She thumbed off her phone when the line went dead, setting it beside the plate. She felt a tiny bit better now. Calmer. The man had other talents besides churning up her hormones and deliberately annoying her. She scooped up another bite of eggs, and another, until she’d finished his breakfast.

  By then, she felt almost normal. Philomena finished clearing away the dishes, rinsing them and leaving them in the sink while she put away last night’s dinner dishes from the dishwasher. She kept busy, not allowing herself to think of what might have happened earlier. Of what had happened to the Harvester. When Ryder let himself into the house nearly forty minutes later, she’d finished the website she’d been working on last night.

  He looked grim, his mouth a tight line in his hard face, and her stomach twisted in anticipation of whatever was about to come out of his mouth.

  Instead of speaking, he went to the fridge and took out a juice bottle, opening it and taking a swig before he sat across from her. “I went through his pockets and to his motel to have a quick look around,” he said at last, setting his bottle down and meeting her gaze. “I found his laptop and some notes. Some weapons.” Ryder studied her face for a moment. “It was always too much to hope he hadn’t told anyone else where you were.”

  She closed her eyes and bowed her head, feeling goosebumps raise on her arms.

  “I don’t think anyone will look for him right away, though I imagine if he doesn’t check in, someone will come.” He nudged her foot with his under the table, and she opened her eyes, reluctantly meeting his dark gaze. “We have a little time to plan.”

  That didn’t make her feel better.

  The knock at the front door made her leap up, shoving the chair backward into the fridge. Her pulse surged, too loud in her ears.

  Ryder rose in a flash and set his hands on her shoulders to steady her. “It’s all right. Just my buddy Danny. Breathe, smart girl.” He brushed a kiss on her forehead, then moved away.

  Philomena gulped in some air, willing her racing heart to slow down. She couldn’t leap into the air at every shadow or whisper of sound. It would frighten Jason. She forced herself to take a slower, deeper breath, releasing it just as slowly.

  Ryder smiled when he returned, trailed by another man, just as big, just as brawny, only with curly red hair. “Mena, this is Danny Rafferty. Danny, this is Philomena Gregory.”

  Danny stuck out his right hand, and she shook it. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

  “Nice to meet you, too.” She glanced at Ryder, and he winked. Heat touched her cheeks.

  “I’m just going to take a peek at the alarm system, if it’s all right with you.”

  She nodded, though Ryder had apparently already given him permission, as he moved away, up the back stairwell. She folded her arms on her chest, still concentrating on breathing evenly.

  “Better?”

  She nodded. “If all the Harvesters know where I am, Mom and Jason can’t stay here either.”

  He didn’t look like he wanted to agree, but he nodded after a few seconds anyway.

  That made her stomach clench tighter, but she kept breathing evenly. In. Out.

  “We’ll figure out what we’re doing, Mena.” He touched her shoulder lightly, then picked up his juice bottle and took a drink.

  “What did you do with him?” She heard her voice shake, and steeled her spine, as though it would steady her voice, too.

  His jaw tightened, making a muscle there jump, and he shifted his shoulders as if to ease the tension there. “No one will find him for a long time.”

  “We should let Kallan know.”

  Ryder pulled her against his chest, his big hands sliding up and down her back. “Okay.”

  She took another deep breath, inhaling the warm scent of him, spicy and male and oddly comforting.

  “It’s all right to be scared, Mena,” he said, one of his warm hands cupping her nape.

  “Well, that’s good to know.” She laughed, rubbing her forehead on his chest. She unfolded her arms and set her hands at his waist. “Thank you.”

  “See all the fun you’ve been missing by avoiding me all this time?” he teased.

  She laughed again, lifting her face, and the sound caught in her throat at the intense look in his eyes. Oh, that was dangerous.

  His melted chocolate eyes, deep and dark, warmed with desire and things she didn’t want to think about. He held her gaze while he lowered his head, brushing his lips over hers, once, twice.

  Heat slid into her belly, loosening the muscles there.

  Footsteps on the stairs had her swallowing hard and moving away.

  Amusement tinted Ryder’s expression as he released her.

  She retreated to lean on the edge of the sink, wrapping her arms over her middle. Breathing space seemed an excellent idea right now. Touching him made her brain turn to mush,
made her forget why she couldn’t indulge in things other women did. Why she didn’t want to anyway.

  Danny came into the room, rubbing one hand over the top of his head. “Lots of windows up there,” he said mildly.

  Ryder grunted in reply.

  Danny shot her a questioning glance, and she shook her head. “Do what you need to do. I don’t have a choice.”

  As the two men walked outside together, voices low, she realized it was the truth. Her choices were now limited, and she’d do whatever they asked of her to keep Jason and her mother safe, no matter how little she liked it.

  Philomena shut her eyes. Life as she knew it was over.

  She had a feeling her new life might suck even more than it had for the last eight years.

  Chapter Three

  Ryder helped Danny carry in spools of wire and tools from his buddy’s truck. Mena had moved to the living room with her laptop where he saw a screenful of gibberish, so he assumed she was working on a client’s website. Her face was pale but set. She wouldn’t like his plan. He’d known that before he arrived. He didn’t love it, but it was the best thing for all of them right now, especially since he knew other Harvesters knew her location.

  He met Aggie and Jason at the back door, devoting several uninterrupted minutes to his son’s chatter about the game he’d played with his grandma before breakfast. Gods, he loved this boy more than anything.

  Mena had been right when she’d said earlier it wasn’t safe for her to be with Jason or Aggie now that the Harvesters knew where she was. Even with an amped up alarm system on both houses, none of them were safe there. It would take the Harvesters some time to figure out Mena was gone, to figure out it wasn’t even her house, but who knew what they’d attempt in the meantime. Kallan hadn’t seemed to think they’d kill anyone else who happened to be in the vicinity, but his family had disowned him eight years ago when he got in their way to save his own Medusa. Things in the Tassos family might have changed drastically since then.

  Which meant Ryder had to separate Jason and Mena. Indefinitely.

  It was a strategy he knew would be difficult for everyone.

  He didn’t want to dwell on it right now, though, patting Jason on the behind as his son rushed to the steps to see what Danny was doing in his bedroom. “Stay out of his way, Jase,” he called after the boy.

  “I will, Daddy.”

  He stood there in the kitchen for a moment, putting off what had to be done for just a few seconds more. In the next room, Aggie spoke quietly as she took off her coat. Mena rose from the sofa to give her mother a heartfelt hug. Ryder took a deep breath. Now, while Jason was upstairs, he had to tell them.

  He moved toward the living room. Tension tightened Mena’s face when she saw him behind her mother, as if she knew and dreaded what was coming. Even Aggie’s normally serene face wore worry lines when she glanced over her shoulder at him.

  “We need to talk about what we’re going to do, ladies.”

  Mena dropped back onto the couch, her gaze sliding away from his. The older woman sank onto the rocking chair, coat on her lap.

  He sat on the sofa beside Mena, but he didn’t touch. Tension rolled off of her in waves. He wished he could say something to make her feel better, but it would be quite a while before he could do it honestly.

  “We have to go, too, don’t we?” Aggie asked before he could decide where to start.

  He met her gaze and gave her a little smile, ignoring Mena’s soft sound of protest. “I’m afraid so, Aggie. But not with us.”

  The older woman didn’t look surprised. “For how long?”

  He hesitated. “I don’t know,” he finally said. Honesty was best. “You might not be able to come back.”

  Mena gasped, her head coming up fast.

  Her mother just sighed. “I thought so.”

  “Mom, your job--”

  She put her hand across the space between her seat and the sofa, touching Mena’s knee. “It’s all right, Philomena.”

  “It’s not all right.”

  She shushed her daughter with a motion of her hand. “When this curse fell on you, everything became negotiable.”

  Mena dropped her chin again, and he saw her swallow several times, biting her lip.

  “You probably have a couple of days to tie things up here, Aggie. I don’t think anyone is going to come looking for our Harvester friend right away.” He shook his head when Aggie opened her mouth, and she shut it, most of the color leaving her cheeks. “But I want to get Mena out of here today.”

  “Today?” Mena’s head shot up once more. “I thought you said we had time.” Her wide eyes were shiny.

  He steeled himself against the impending tears. “Not time to dawdle. Time for you and I to get a head start.” He knew the tightening of her jaw was a bad sign, so he kept talking. “We need to be far away from here before any more of them decide to join the party, or come to see what happened to him.”

  She glared at him, then averted her gaze, nostrils flaring.

  He bit back a grim smile. “We’re going to pack some necessities for you this afternoon, Mena, and be on our way. Danny will stay here with you, Aggie, help you get things settled and then away in the next couple of days.” He met the older woman’s gaze, gratified when she nodded her agreement. He hadn’t doubted Aggie’s cooperation. “Danny’s brought some new identification along for everyone.” He didn’t look at Mena when she faced him once more, but from the corner of his eyes, he still saw the fear mingling with her annoyance now.

  “When will it be safe for us to be together again?” she asked, her voice hoarse with emotion.

  His urge to smile faded. “I don’t know.” He reminded himself--honesty. “I want to be sure they haven’t picked up our trails.”

  Mena pushed to her feet and moved around the coffee table, and her mother’s worried gaze followed her. She strode into the kitchen, her boots heavy as she paced the other room.

  Ryder got to his feet.

  “Let her be, Ryder,” Aggie said softly. “Just for a few minutes.”

  He didn’t want to do that. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and make her understand it was best this way. His way.

  “She’ll make up her mind to it. She knows she has to. If not for her, then for Jason and me.”

  He swallowed hard. Of course she would. She’d done a lot of things she didn’t want to do since she’d become the Medusa--probably far more even than he knew about, more than he could imagine. He shifted his weight to one foot, watching when she walked past the doorway, her black skirt flaring out behind her. And he waited, instead of following her as he wanted to do.

  He heard Jason’s running footsteps in the hallway upstairs, and his attention shifted for a second. “Don’t run on the steps,” he called. Immediately the light steps slowed, and Ryder grinned. His son appeared a moment later, his dark eyes shining with excitement.

  “Daddy, Danny let me cut the wires!”

  “Really?” He scooped his son up and hefted him in one arm. “I thought you were going to stay out of the way.”

  “Danny said I could help.”

  From the corner of his eye, he saw Mena’s skirt flaring as she circled the table. “How would you like to go on a trip, Jase?”

  “Where? Where we goin’?” Jason’s little fingers dug into Ryder’s shirt, his eyes widening.

  He pushed his son’s dark hair away from his face. “You and Grandma are going to go somewhere with Danny, but it’s a surprise.”

  “Wahoo!” His fist pumped in the air. “I can’t wait!”

  Ryder gave his son a quick, hard hug and pressed a kiss on his round cheek. “I thought you might like an adventure.” When Jason squirmed, he set him down.

  “How come you’re not comin’ with us?”

  “Because I have to go somewhere with Aunt Mena.”

  “You mean Aunt Phila.” Jason grinned at him.

  He winked at his son. “No, I mean Mena.” He felt her presence behind him b
efore he heard her unsteady exhalation.

  “It’s Philomena, you clown,” she muttered, pushing around him to kneel in front of Jason. She caught Jason’s hands in hers. “I wish I could go with you, baby.”

  His son tugged one hand free to touch her cheek. “I know. ’Specially since you just got back, and I know you missed us.” He patted her face softly. “But Daddy’ll bring you to us later, I bet.”

  Ryder could see her smile was forced, and, when he bent a little, he noted the sheen in her eyes. Damn.

  “You’re right. But you better not grow too much while I’m gone, or I’ll be really aggravated.” Her teasing was choked.

  Jason’s smile turned lopsided. “I can’t help it I’m gettin’ to be a big boy.”

  Mena wrapped her arms around him swiftly, shutting her eyes, and two fat tears slid down her cheeks. “Yes, you are.”

  Ryder’s heart wrenched at her pain. He dropped to one knee beside them and swiped away her tears. Her eyes fluttered open, still filled to overflowing, her lashes wet, and she bit her lip. He gave her an encouraging nod, and she shut her eyes, squeezing Jason tighter. Ryder wiped away another tear that slipped down her face, so when she eased away, Jason wouldn’t see it.

  “You’ll be a really good boy for Grandma and Danny, right?” She got to her feet, sniffling.

  Ryder handed her a tissue from the box on the end table.

  “Course I will,” Jason said with a disgusted look at her. “I’m always a good boy.”

  She laughed, unsteadily, but a real smile touched her lips.

  Ryder set one hand at the small of her back, offering his support. She gave him a quick, grateful glance, then wiped the tissue beneath her eyes. “You’ll have to pick out your most important things to take along,” she said after a moment.

  Jason thought about it for a minute, his expression solemn. “You mean my really important stuff?”

  She nodded.

  “Huh. I might have to add a couple things to my box.” The boy shot her a quick, sly smile. “Can I have a bigger box?”

  The adults in the room laughed, and Aggie got to her feet, a tissue in her hand, as well. “Come with me, young man. Why don’t you show me this box?”