He stared at her. “I’ll always worry about you.”
That was sweet. Unnecessary but sweet.
After all, Brynleigh was more than capable of keeping herself safe. She was a weapon, through and through.
Brynleigh smiled. “I’m capable of taking care of myself.”
“I know you are, but it won’t stop me from worrying,” he said. “Whether it’s tonight, when you’re at the safe house, in three days, when you’re at the next rebel meeting, or just when you’re sleeping. I cannot stop worrying about you any more than I can stop my lungs from drawing air.”
Gods, he was good with words.
“I appreciate that,” she murmured. “I want to get this over with. The sooner I can be done with Jelisette, the better.”
Brynleigh’s shadows were already jumpy.
“We are in agreement there.” Ryker’s brows furrowed, and he stood. “About that…”
His voice trailed off, and his gaze locked onto the chessboard in the corner.
He eventually said, “The Reunion.”
Brynleigh frowned. “Excuse me?”
He helped her stand and drew her close, wrapping his arms around her.
She burrowed her face into his chest, inhaling his thunderstorm and bergamot scent.
“The rebels,” Ryker spoke into her hair, his fingers gripping her tightly as if he were afraid she would disappear on him. “If they were going to attack again, they might choose the Reunion.”
“Okay…” She wasn’t entirely sure where he was going with this.
“If you planted seeds with Jelisette tonight, encouraging the rebels to attack during the live stream, we could entrap the Black Night.” He kissed her forehead. “For once, we could be on the offensive.”
Her eyes widened, understanding flooding through her. “I see.”
It sounded incredibly dangerous, but she couldn’t deny that the thought of getting ahead of the rebels was appealing.
Ryker’s tone shifted into the analytical one he used when they played chess. “It’ll be busy, and we could slip extra guards into the party without being noticed.”
Nodding, Brynleigh wrapped her mind around his plan. “That… could work.”
It was unsafe and potentially deadly, but it made sense.
As if he knew where her mind had gone, Ryker tightened his grip around her.
“I’ll keep you safe, sweetheart. Nothing will happen to you under my watch. But if we can draw out the rebels…”
“This might be the leg up you need to defeat them.” It was a good, solid strategy. If it worked, it would save lives.
He dipped his chin, clearly deep in thought. “I’ll talk to some people about adding extra security. Maybe I’ll see if?—”
A resounding knock came from the front door, cutting him off.
Marlowe burst out of the kitchen where he’d been eating, his bark as loud as a drum.
“Ryker Elias Waterborn, open the door this instant!”
Brynleigh paled at the sound of her mother-in-law’s voice.