Ryker moved with a speed that did not seem possible for a man of his size.

He lunged forward, his boot catching the mercenary’s wrist and sending the rifle spinning into the wet brush.

Before the man could cry out, Ryker’s fist connected with his jaw.

The heavy, sickening crack of bone echoed through the quiet woods.

The mercenary collapsed onto the pine needles, his head bouncing off a thick root.

He lay entirely still, his chest rising and falling in shallow, uneven gasps.

Owen whimpered, burying his face deeper into the tattered gray ear of his stuffed bear.

I pressed my hand over Owen’s mouth, whispering soft, wordless noises against his hair to keep him quiet.

Lily did not make a sound, her fingers digging into the fabric of my coat like claws.

Ryker knelt immediately, scooping up the tactical tablet from the damp ground.

The blue light washed over his sharp features, highlighting the hard line of his jaw.

He tapped the screen twice, his thumb leaving a smudge of dark mud on the glass.

“It is an internal bypass code,” Ryker said, his voice a low, dangerous growl.