Ryker

RYKER Copyright © 2023 Nyssa Kathryn Sitarenos All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used, stored, or reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for use of brief quotations in book reviews. This book is for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be resold or given to other people. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. An NW Partners Book Cover by Deranged Doctor Design Developmentally and Copy Edited by Kelli Collins Line Edited by Jessica Snyder Proofread by Amanda Cuff and Jen Katemi Created with Vellum CONTENTS Blurb Acknowledgments Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Also by Nyssa Kathryn About the Author Sometimes, the quest for vengeance can cost more than you’re willing to pay. Blakely Sullivan was a foreign aid worker in the Middle East when a deadly bombing took the lives of families she’d come to know and love, collateral damage in someone else’s war. She’s spent the last year coming to terms with the senseless loss, healing from the pain…and trying to ease the guilt of someone equally important—the special forces soldier she grew close to on her mission. Ryker blames himself for the deaths, and when he won’t take her calls, she has no choice but to seek him out. Ryker Harp’s final mission as a Delta ended in devastation and loss. Not only did he and his teammates barely escape Beirut with their lives, but locals he’d befriended were targeted by the enemy. Since leaving the military, his life has taken more than one unexpected turn, but the guilt remains, and so does his ultimate goal: to annihilate the man who caused such death and destruction. He can’t allow any distractions—least of all a beautiful aid worker he can’t forget…and doesn’t deserve. When Blakely shows up in Lindeman, Ryker tries to keep his distance to ensure her safety. But it’s too late. His enemy has found him. And history may repeat itself if Ryker can’t protect everyone he loves most…starting with Blakely. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thank you, Kelli, for making sure every scene in this book was just right. Thank you, Jessica, for your guidance, especially on the military elements. Thank you, Amanda and Jen, for catching every little mistake and error. Your attention to detail is amazing. To my ARC readers, you are wonderful, and your reviews always inspire me to write the next book. Thank you to my husband and daughter, you two give me everything I need to be the writer I am. And thank you to my readers, each and every book is for you. PROLOGUE One moment can change everything. Obliterate every carefully laid plan. Every hope for the future. Extinguish it all like a wildfire in a thunderstorm. Maybe people weren’t CHAPTER 1 Ryker Harp stared at his reflection in the large rectangular mirror. Men surrounded him in the changing room, all getting ready for the same event. Sounds