Chapter 5

"Lydia," Ryker said gently, which the public wouldn't believe, since the grumpy billionaire tended to be known only for this ruthlessness in the boardroom. But in Shadows Landing, their home, he was just Ryker, the loyal friend. "I have all the information on Landry."

Lydia reached out and grabbed Maggie's hand as Edie joined them. It had been ten minutes since they'd hung up with Hunter and everyone was still reeling. "Okay, tell me everything."

Ryker nodded and glanced down at his phone. "Internal reports show that right after you had Landry Junior, Landry joined the Marine Raiders. The pay was considerably higher. He hasn't exactly been on deployment the whole time either. He had training and is now stationed in North Carolina. However, he did ask for extended deployments because of the increase in bonuses. Bonuses that he put into educational accounts for the children. It also looks as if he's been taking every advancement he can get to bank on the higher pension. Two years until he's been in the Marines for twenty years and can retire at full pension."

Lydia sank down into the nearest chair. "He didn't tell me because I didn't want him in danger. But everything he did was to give us a better life. But how is life ever supposed to be better if I don't have him in it?"

"Come on, Lydia. Let me take you home. I'll stay the night with you if you'd like," Edie offered. Lydia just nodded as if all the fight had drained out of her.

"Thank you all," Lydia mumbled as Edie rounded everyone up. Georgie, Kord, and Edie helped get everyone home as Maggie watched them shuffle from the bar.

It broke her heart to watch. Military families might not be shot at or in danger, but they served and sacrificed as much as the soldiers did. Maggie's thoughts instantly went to Hunter. He seemed so big, so strong, so invincible, but he was just a man. A very sexy, infuriating man, but flesh and blood. He'd gone into an obviously dangerous situation and rescued Landry. Then turned around and was so kind and gentle with Lydia and her kids.

"Maggie," Olivia said, interrupting Maggie's thoughts of Hunter. "Gage took your car to help drive some of Lydia's kids home. I told him I'd give you a ride home."

"Thanks," Maggie said, her mind still not with Olivia but with Hunter as she got into the car.

"You actually really like my brother, don't you?" Olivia asked kindly but with a bit of surprise in her voice.

"What? No," Maggie instantly denied.

"He doesn't deserve you," Olivia said, ignoring Maggie's denial. "But he'd be really lucky to have you."

"He won't have me because he hates me. And I can't stand him," Maggie added, then felt guilty for saying it out loud when Hunter had just saved Landry.

Olivia chuckled. "We both know he aggravates you, but you don't hate him and he doesn't hate you. He just hasn't looked beyond the pretty package to see what's inside. Yet, he's drawn to you. He still argues with you. He seeks you out every chance he gets. I think you're a puzzle to him. He's used to women flocking to him. You don't. You give it back to him just as much as he dishes it out and women don't do that with him."

"You do that with him," Maggie pointed out.

"Exactly. I'm the only one. He doesn't know what to do when it's someone who he's attracted to. And before you try to deny it, my brother stares at you as if you're an oasis in the desert."

"Natalie told me you put her through it when she started dating Stone. I wouldn't think you'd want me to try to get together with Hunter."

Olivia rolled her eyes as she pulled into Bell Landing. "I didn't put Natalie through it. I put Stone through it. And you can bet your silver medal I'll put Hunter through it. Payback as a bitch but nothing compared to payback as a cockblocked sister." Olivia turned to Maggie, serious once again. "I'm not saying to throw yourself at my brother. I'm telling you to make him grovel when he finally sees you, but know I have your back. You're the first woman to keep her wits around him. You're strong enough to handle Hunter and the job he comes with. I know today was hard. It's hard every time Hunter leaves. But we also know you wouldn't try to stop him from doing his job. You'd support him. When he finally falls for you, you better watch out because Hunter is the most loyal man you'll ever meet. There would be nothing in this world to stop him from getting to you if you needed him."

Maggie sat, looking at her house for a moment, taking it all in. "I'm not saying I like him, but I will say I'm drawn to him." Maggie opened the door and got out, but Olivia rolled down the window, stopping her.

"It's a start. Remember, hold strong until he's groveled. Don't be distracted by the muscles. Make him use them as he crawls to you, begging forgiveness for being such a dumbass."

Then with a wave, Olivia left Maggie standing on the driveway, wondering if what Olivia had said was true. Could Hunter actually want her? How did that make her feel? Maggie would have the entire sleepless night to think about it because until Landry, Hunter, and Tristan were safe at home, she didn't know if she'd sleep again.

* * *

Hunter was exhausted, but military training taught him to never give in to the exhaustion. There had been no change in Landry's condition. He was no better, but also no worse. The doctor said his body was using all its energy to fight off the infection. Dr. Fissore told them at midnight he was going to sleep in the physicians' lounge with the promise to be back at six in the morning to re-evaluate Landry's condition. He instructed the nurse to wake him if Landry needed anything. Tomorrow, they should have a better idea if the treatment was working.

The door opened and shut some time later as Tristan walked into the dimly lit room with two cups of coffee. "Thought we could use these. I had to sweet-talk a nurse into getting them for us. The cafeteria and the coffee shop aren't open at three in the morning."

"Thanks, Tris." Hunter took the offered cup and smelled the sweet, sweet caffeine.

The door opened once again and a doctor walked in. He stopped, surprised to see them in the room. "Oh," the doctor said. "I didn't realize anyone was inside. You startled me."

"We have that effect on people," Hunter said, eying the new doc. "What can we do for you?"

"I'm here to examine Mr. Langston and administer his medication. If you don't mind, could you step out while I look Mr. Langston over?"

Tristan frowned, but Hunter nodded. "Let's top off our coffee."

"But," Tristan began to say.

"But we'll have to sweet-talk the nurses, I know. One of them is pretty cute. It won't be a hardship. Let's go." Hunter didn't feel the nonchalance he was portraying. Dr. Fissore was very clear that he was the lead doctor on this case. That, and the man standing with a clipboard had the wrong hospital ID on. The photos didn't match and he was very quick to turn the ID around to hide the photo the second he realized he wasn't alone.

Hunter got up, pushed the privacy curtain halfway open, and made sure Tristan followed him out of the room. Hunter didn't close the door all the way as they left. He stopped at the guard stationed outside Landry's room and leaned over to him. "Go get hospital security and the MPs. Quietly, but very quickly," Hunter whispered.

The man nodded and ran off.

"Hunter," Tristan whispered.

Hunter put his finger to his lips and motioned for them to creep back into the room. The half-closed privacy curtain hid their entrance to the room. Hunter watched as the doctor patted down Landry's body. This wasn't an exam. It was a search. Next, he searched the drawers, the closet, and the bathroom. He was moving quickly, knowing Tristan and Hunter wouldn't be gone long. But it was also clear he didn't find what he was looking for.

"Now there'll be no evidence," he whispered to Landry as he pulled a syringe from his pocket. "All your fighting and you still lose."

"Protect Landry," Hunter whispered right before he made his move. He knew Tristan would back him up. Hunter didn't charge. He slipped into the room, moving as quickly and quietly as he could. The movement was deliberate as the man pretending to be a doctor pulled the cap from the needle. "What's that, Doc?" Hunter asked as he stepped from the shadows close to the bathroom across from the bed.

The doctor didn't jump, which meant he was trained, but Hunter's plan worked. The doctor had to turn around and that meant he lost sight of Landry. Tristan slipped into the room, pushed the bed lock off, and was wheeling Landry out of the room in less than two seconds.

The fake doctor turned to leap at Landry and Tristan, but that gave Hunter the opening he needed to charge the doctor. Hunter slammed into him harder than any linebacker. They crashed into the wall as Tristan shoved Landry, bed and all, out of the room with the IV stand trailing behind like a tail whipping from side to side.

Hunter wanted to ask so many questions, but there wasn't time. The man had recovered and was trying to stab Hunter with the needle he had in his hand. Hunter blocked the jab and slammed his hand into the man's nose. The man kicked out, hitting Hunter in the knee, sending him stumbling back.

Shouts were heard in the corridor as the man advanced on Hunter. The fighting came hard and fast. Punches, stabs, and kicks so fast Hunter didn't have time to think. He acted purely on muscle memory from years of training. Block, block, punch. He took some hits and he gave some hits but it was all so fast none of it registered. The man was trying to stab him with the needle when someone yelled from the door. The man paused long enough for Hunter to grab his hand, turn it sharply so he heard the wrist snap, and jam the needle into the man's neck.

He held it there, not injecting it as the room filled. "Who are you? What do you want?"

The man smiled. There was no fear in his eyes. Hunter knew that look. He'd seen it on suicide bombers before. "You'll never stop us. We'll take back what is ours and all the glory with it."

The man smiled, reached up, and shoved Hunter's thumb onto the plunger of the syringe, sending the injection straight into his own body.

The man's eyes closed and he keeled over with the needle still in his neck. Nurses and doctors ran into the room as Hunter stared down at the dead man. They tried to resuscitate him, but Hunter could have told them to save their efforts. The man was dead and now there were more questions than ever before.

"Where's Landry?" Hunter asked the MPs, now also filling the room.

"Two doors down," one of them answered. "Follow me."

Hunter followed the military police officer to the room where nurses were checking Landry for injuries and hooking him back up to oxygen. Tristan stood guard watching them while also watching the door.

"Dead?" Tristan asked. Hunter nodded. "What do they think Landry has and why is it worth killing over?"

"I don't know, but Landry isn't safe here. We need to move him."

Dr. Fissore raced into the room in wrinkled scrubs. "I just heard." He immediately began to examine Landry.

"He's no longer safe here, Doc. We need to move him. What will it take?" Hunter asked.

"Run a full blood panel on him, nurse," Dr. Fissore ordered. "If he's stable, I'd say an ambulance, a doctor, and a nurse. But I don't know where you can take him. There are only three hospitals in Millevia. It won't be hard to track him down."

"Military plane?" Tristan asked.

"I only want people we know and trust." Hunter paused and then looked at the doctor. "What if you had two doctors, an ER nurse practitioner, and a private plane?" Hunter asked.

The doctor's eyebrows rose, but he nodded. "If I can get him stabilized enough. I'll give you a list of everything they'll need."

"No need, you're coming with us to meet them."

Hunter pulled out his phone as he walked away after the doctor nodded his agreement. "Ryker. It's Hunter. Mind if we borrow your plane?"