The American people were tired of the broken system they were trapped in. Eric was going to help liberate them all.
"I want an in-person report about the exercise once you're done," he told Lyle. "I need to know who's ready." The first planned attack was only weeks away, and he wasn't moving the timeline back again. He'd take the best members, carefully screen and vet them, and choose a handful from their ranks to carry out the coming operation.
"You got it, boss. See you in a few hours."
Eric ended the call and turned off the lamp before lying back down on his bunk. For more than three years he'd lived here pretty much alone, totally off the grid except for encrypted phone calls and when occasional travel was necessary to get where he needed to be.
He never used the same fake ID twice, and always took a bodyguard with him when he left the safety of his headquarters. Couldn't be too careful these days, not when the government was looking for him.
It might be pitch dark in here but he didn't need to see to navigate around as he slid off the bunk and made his way to his bank of computers. He knew every inch of this place by heart. All the nooks and crannies, the location of each weapon or food stockpile he had, every last secret the place had to offer. Just in case.
Sacrifice was a necessary part of the path he'd embarked upon. His entire life was underground now, until he made his triumphant return to the surface when the right moment came.
* * * *
"Seriously, you don't have to come down if you don't want to. I know you're still exhausted."
Ryan looked up at his wife, surprised.
Candace shot him a sardonic look, hot as ever as she came out of the bathroom with her golden hair pinned up, wearing a black strapless cocktail dress and a pair of red high heels that gave him plenty of ideas about how they should spend the rest of the evening together-alone, with the ends of those sexy heels digging into his naked back.
"And let's be honest, we all know how much you dread being in the same room as my grandma anyway," she added.
Okay, something was definitely up. They'd been apart for months, with only a few weeks together after his previous deployment. He'd assumed she'd want to spend every moment they could together, but she'd just told him he didn't have to come to dinner. What was up with that? "Something wrong?"
"No." She turned toward the mirror over the vanity to put on lipstick, and the tension in her shoulders, combined with the way she avoided eye contact with him, were dead giveaways.
Something was bothering her. He tried to think of what she might be mad at him about, but came up blank, other than one particular phone conversation a few weeks back. She tended to hold onto things longer than him though. "What is it?"
She sighed and set the lipstick down on the counter. "We'll talk about it later, after dinner."
Oh, awesome. He barely refrained from muttering it under his breath. That remote tone, and those hated words meant whatever she had to say wasn't going to be pleasant.
He repressed a sigh. A moment ago he'd been looking forward to hot, kinky sex the minute they got back to the room, while she wore nothing but those high heels and a sensuous expression. Now he was bracing for a fight instead, and that sucked.
Rather than push her and risk making things worse, he let it go for the moment, but this turn of events was a total letdown. "Fine." He couldn't keep the annoyance out of his tone. He hated it when she held onto stuff, had been looking forward to spending this week with her, which was why he'd pulled every damn string he could to get here today.
His visit had gotten off to such a promising start, too. After she'd woken him up this morning with her mouth in the best way possible, Ryan had practically been in a coma ever since. He'd slept the entire day away, until she'd woken him a half hour ago at six-thirty. And not for sex, unfortunately, but to slap his bare ass, shove a granola bar and a banana at him, and order him into the shower because they had to meet everyone for dinner.
"So, you sure you still want to come?" she asked.
"Yes." While it was true that he would give his right nut for sex, another few hours' sleep, and the chance to avoid the crazy blue-haired woman who'd slapped his face off during their first introduction a little over a year and a half ago, he had limited time here with his wife.
He wasn't going to waste any of it, whether she was annoyed at him or not.
"And just so you know, the old bird's kinda growing on me." Ruby had been shockingly well behaved during their wedding, so now that he'd made an "honest woman" out of Candace-Ruby's words-he figured she wouldn't try to hit him or anything tonight.
"Sure she is," Candace said dryly as they stepped out into the carpeted hallway outside their suite.
"What did you do all day, anyway?" he asked to change the subject as he reached for her hand in an effort to put things back on an even footing between them again.
He'd thought it strange that she'd let him sleep all day. Usually when they managed to be together she was as eager as him to spend every moment with each other. It bugged him that she'd been trying to avoid him and whatever confrontation was brewing.
"Hung out with Maya and Erin mostly. Sat around the pool and talked, had lunch. I came up to check on you after but you were still asleep and I didn't wake you up because I could tell you needed the rest."
Her tone and expression weren't annoyed, but she definitely had something on her mind. Had to be that phone call a couple weeks back. They'd bickered a little over something stupid, he couldn't even remember what now, and she'd been kind of cool with him afterward.
It had been his fault. He'd been dead tired after being out in the field for the better part of three days, and had been short with her. He'd apologized the next time they'd talked, but maybe she wasn't over it yet.
Downstairs he took her hand again as they exited their building and crossed the lawn via a flagstone path to the next one over.
This resort was classy and for the filthy rich, so he was glad Ruby had pulled some strings behind the scenes and comped all their rooms, because a stay here would have cost them an obscene chunk of their military wages. Candace came from money and while it made him a little uncomfortable still, at least none of her family held it over his head.
The lobby was busy with guests checking in, and others sitting around the large stone fireplace in the center of the room with coffee or happy hour drinks. Maya and Jackson were waiting there with Erin and Wade.
He'd served overseas with Jackson but didn't know Wade that well. Ryan liked the former spook well enough, though, and Wade was good to Erin, so he was glad he'd been able to make it here for their wedding.
"Where are Cam and Dev?" he asked after doling out handshakes to the guys and hugs to the ladies. The PJ and his former army helo pilot wife, Devon, had already checked in when he'd arrived last night. Of all the Bagram guys coming to the wedding, Ryan was closest to Cam, because they'd served over there the longest. They'd gone through hell together a few times and lived to tell about it. There was nobody Ryan trusted more to have his back, except for his wife.
"Guess they must have lost track of time," Wade said with a wry smirk.
"Lucky bastards," Ryan said, snaking his arm around his wife's waist to give her a squeeze, still hoping to smooth things over.
Her curves never failed to turn him on. She was lush and ripe and soft in all the right places. He'd rather be upstairs losing track of time with her right now too, instead of down here and dreading arguing with her later.
He was proud as hell of the wakeup call he'd given her last night, but this morning had been nice too. Slower. Sweeter. And yet he could feel her distancing herself from him now that they weren't in bed together. He pulled her closer, determined to put an end to it.
"Did everybody get the itinerary I sent last night?" Candace asked, leaning into him as she slipped her arm around his waist. That simple gesture eased some of the tension in his shoulders.
"Yep. Us guys have to be back from our trip by Friday afternoon, in time for the welcome dinner," Jackson said.
"And don't be late," Erin added, poking her husband-to-be in the chest. "Our families will be here by then, so everyone will want to see you. Us, together."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Wade answered, his lips twitching.
"We should go," Candace said, glancing at her watch. "Don't want to keep Grandma waiting."
Jackson grinned. "No, we wouldn't want that."
Ryan shot him a look. "Trust me, man. You don't wanna mess with Grandma, especially if it means keeping her from a glass of rye."
Candace huffed out a laugh and tugged on his hand to get him moving. "She's not that bad."
As a group they crossed the lobby's polished plank floor and walked toward the back of the building where piano music drifted out of the lounge. Someone was singing, someone without formal training by the off-key sound of it, and judging from the clapping and cheering going on inside, it wasn't your average piano bar music happening in there.