“So that’s it.” Brynleigh dragged her finger around the rim of her empty glass an hour later. “The next time Jelisette calls me to the safe house, I’ll look for the cipher. That should help, too, right?”
Ryker nodded.
“Anything you can find will help. This is already far more than we’ve ever gotten on the Black Night.” All because of his wife. Pride was a burning flame in his chest, and he squeezed her shoulder. He hated that she was endangering herself for this information, but he was so impressed by her actions and bravery. “Thank you.”
The rebels had already proven they would do anything to get what they wanted. Maybe, with Brynleigh as the army’s secret weapon, this would be the lead they needed to get ahead once and for all.
CHAPTER 25
This was Where He was Meant to Be
“Explain this game to me one more time?” Brynleigh fiddled with the zipper of her scarlet sweater.
She’d styled her hair in a slick golden ponytail that hung down her back, and every time she turned around, Ryker envisioned wrapping his fist around it and pulling her against him.
He discretely adjusted himself. This wasn’t the moment for those types of thoughts. Their guests were a few minutes out.
Still, he had to touch her. He couldn’t stop touching her. Not since their kiss and subsequent conversation last night. Catching her fingers in his, he held her hand and drew her close.
“It’s simple, really. Two teams play in a large, enclosed arena. It’s filled with obstacles and targets, and the team with the highest points at the end of the fourth quarter wins.”
Brynleigh frowned. “They get points by shooting lasers at each other?”
Between her tone and raised brow, it was clear that she didn’t understand the point of the game.
“Not each other, the targets,” Ryker explained patiently.
There were offensive and defensive positions, and some targets were worth significantly more than others.
“But peoplecanget shot.” She seemed hung up on that, which was delightfully ironic considering her line of work.
Ryker smirked. “It’s a sport, sweetheart. Sometimes, people get hurt, but the athletes are highly trained and get paid a lot of money to play. There are rules against intentionally hurting or blinding your opponents.”
Not that those rules had always stopped the players. There were a few incidents over the years of laser athletes suffering career-ending injuries.
“Mhmm.” She nibbled on her lip. “And this is… fun?”
“Very.” Ryker squeezed her hands. “Players need to work together and implement various strategies to defeat the opposing team.”
Her eyes lit up. “Like chess?”
“Yeah, exactly like that.” Grinning, he glanced at the board on the coffee table. “Maybe we can play tomorrow?”
The responding smile that spread across Brynleigh’s face made Ryker burn hotter than any fire ever had.
“I’d love that,” she said.
He stepped towards her, unable to pull himself away from the magnetic draw of her stunning lips when a wet nose bumped into his leg.
Pausing, he looked down.
Marlowe stood with his leash in his mouth, his tail thumping eagerly as he looked between the fae and vampire.
“I’ll take him,” Brynleigh offered. “The sun’s set. We’ll walk around the block while you wait for River.”
“Thank you.” Ryker kissed her cheek before crouching. He hooked Marlowe’s leash on his collar and looked the dog in the eye. “You listen to your mom, okay? Her word is just as good as mine.”
Marlowe barked, saying what Ryker could only assume was a resounding,Yes, sir.