Into the Light (The Admiral's Elite Book 2) by HK Savage

by his unusual flat affect, Ryan crossed the room and fell on his face on the nearest bed.
     
    Becca gave him a few seconds to finish groaning. “Do I need to ask how last night went?”
     
    The baby blue floral coverlet muffled his encore groan, but he held both hands up over his head in an “oh my God” gesture.
     
    “I’m sorry you ran all over the place following that thing. Michael thought if we went out there he’d confuse the scents.”
     
    The shaggy head rolled so that he was facing Becca with his eyes closed. “I would have chased that damn dead thing all night. It’s Gabs. She’s making me crazy.”
     
    The subject of Gabrielle’s attitude wasn’t a new one for Becca to ponder, but it was a new conversation for her to have with Gabrielle’s boyfriend. She was careful with her answer. “I’m sure she was just tired. I mean we got in and you guys went right out and were running all night,” she justified.
     
    Ryan made a sound. “That explains one night, not all of them.”
     
    Becca knew better than to take the opening. Even if Ryan was mad today, he might not be tomorrow and he would remember whatever she said. “Well, everybody deals with things differently. Maybe Gabrielle has some worries about the two of you. Have you tried talking to her?”
     
    Big green eyes opened slowly and Ryan lifted his head. “Can you see Gabrielle seriously talking about her problems?”
     
    Thankfully he didn’t expect an answer. Becca kept her lips pressed tightly together.
     
    “Besides,” he went on, fully in therapy mode, “we don’t really talk about stuff. We pretty much work together and screw. It’s all she’ll give me.”
     
    “That’s not true,” Becca was really uncomfortable with the turn their discussion had taken and was hoping her phone would ring or Michael would come back. Maybe a meteor would come crashing through the roof. “I’ve seen you two talking when we’re not working.”
     
    Rolling over onto his side, Ryan propped his head on his hand. “We talk about work or what a bastard Black is when we’re out of earshot. It’s never anything personal.” He focused on his hand, splaying it out to cover two giant white polyester flowers. “I’ve tried to talk to her, to get her to talk about stuff I hear her say in her sleep.” He clenched the flowers in one fist. “She mentions people.”
     
    Becca’s thoughts turned to her own situation. Before Michael she’d never spent the night with a man, fearing what she’d say in her sleep. Worried her sight would rear its intrusive head, suck her into a vision, and freak out the poor guy next to her. Not Michael, he knew what she was from the start and accepted it. A part of her felt violated on Gabrielle’s behalf. “She was probably just dreaming. You can’t hold that sort of thing against her.”
     
    He continued, softly, to himself. “How can I be jealous of someone she dreams about? Some guy that’s probably dead by the way she calls out for him.”
     
    Finally, the doorknob turned and Michael walked in. He took in Ryan’s position before questioning Becca with his eyes. Feigning ignorance, she raised her shoulders and dropped them.
     
    “Ryan, why don’t you get some rest in your room.”
     
    A grunt and the big Marine was on his feet, roughing up his hair. “I’ll go sleep, but I don’t know how restful it’ll be.” He shuffled to the door, pausing before he opened it. “What’d Black say? What’s our next move?”
     
    “He’s making a call to local PD letting them know we’re working the case. Becca and I will go to the station and see if there’s something else in their records that didn’t make the files.”
     
    He was giving Becca a queer look. What had Black said that he couldn’t tell her? She was sure that was it. He always got that sort of sick look when Black swore him to secrecy. She’d learned to recognize it. He had it a lot lately and, maybe it was paranoia, but she feared it