pickup, but I was steadier on my feet now. He took my hand and led me up the concrete steps to the porch. The screen door creaked as he opened it; then I heard the rattle of keys as he unlocked the door. A dog barked from inside.
“Easy, McClane,” Ryker said, reaching down to grab the huge animal that lunged toward us as we stepped through the doorway. “Sage, meet McClane.”
I didn’t know a lot about dogs—had never had a dog—so the size, enthusiasm, and gaping jaws filled with sharp teeth made my eyes widen and I stopped in my tracks.
“He’s a German shepherd,” Ryker said, his hand firmly around the dog’s collar. “He was going to be a police dog, but it didn’t work out.”
“Why not?” I asked, my eyes glued to the dog’s teeth and lolling tongue.
“He was a little…overly enthusiastic about tearing apart the dummies. And he was unpredictable. Kind of has a mind of his own.”
My eyes got even wider and I took a tiny step back.
“But he’s fine now,” Ryker hastened to reassure me. “He’s a great dog, and well trained.”
“If he’s so well trained, why do you have to hold him?” Hello, obvious.
“Just until he meets you,” Ryker said. “McClane, this is Sage. Say hello.” Ryker released the collar and the dog bounded toward me.
I squeaked, retreating until my back hit the wall, but the dog had finally shut its gaping maw and was sniffing me. I stood stock-still, my arms clutched to my chest, watching McClane snuffle his way around me. It was okay, I knew enough about dogs to know he had to smell me, but when he shoved his nose into my crotch, I balked.
“Excuse me!” I pushed his nose out of the way before I even thought twice about it.
“McClane, mind your manners,” Ryker admonished.
I glanced at him. “McClane?”
Ryker looked at me as though I had two heads. “You know,” he said. “From Die Hard.”
Nope. Not a clue. The blank look on my face made him roll his eyes.
“Obviously your cinematic education is lacking,” he teased with a smile.
“Obviously.” I mustered a small smile in return, but it quickly faded.
“Is there anything I can do for you? Get for you?”
“Not unless you can turn back time so I could help Hanna rather than cowering while she got butchered feet from me.” My words were bitter, but it was all directed at myself. I’d never thought of myself as a coward, but here was proof that I was exactly that.
Ryker wrapped a hand around my arm. “Hey,” he said. When I didn’t turn his way, he lifted my chin so I had no choice but to look at him. “There was nothing you could have done, Sage. I’m a cop. I know. If you had tried to save her, there’d be two dead women in that apartment instead of just one.”
I wanted to believe him, but my conscience wouldn’t let me. He saw the doubt in my eyes.
“How much hand-to-hand combat training have you had?” he asked.
I shrugged. “None.”
“And what weapon did you have available?”
“Nothing.”
“There were two of them, outweighed you by a hundred pounds each, had a knife, and you thought you could have stopped them? No way in hell.”
I stared into Ryker’s eyes, the blue irises intently focused on me, and saw that it was true. He wasn’t lying. I couldn’t have stopped Hanna’s death, but that only took the edge from the guilt. It didn’t erase it entirely.
I nodded. I understood the logic, though my emotions didn’t.
“C’mon,” he said, taking my hand.
McClane moved aside and Ryker took me through the living room. It was decorated with mismatched furniture that seemed to have been chosen more for comfort than style. A short hallway led to two bedrooms—each at opposite ends of the hall—and a bathroom situated between them. One bedroom I could see contained a desk, futon, and bookshelves, but Ryker led me to the other.
“You can stay here for as long as you want,” he said.
The bedroom was uncluttered and simple, containing a queen-sized bed and a chest of drawers. I eyed the bed with some trepidation, but Ryker sensed my unease, adding, “I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“I don’t want to inconvenience you,” I said. “It’ll just be for tonight, okay?”
Ryker’s hand on my arm had me turning to look up at him.
“These men are trying to kill you. I’m guessing they’ll know soon that they got the wrong woman. I can protect you here.”