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  Riley “Bear” Logan Book TWO

  L.T. Ryan

  Liquid Mind Media, LLC

  Copyright © 2018 by L.T. Ryan and Liquid Mind Media, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book. This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places and events are the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously.

  Jack Noble™ and The Jack Noble Series™ are trademarks of L.T. Ryan and Liquid Mind Media, LLC.

  For information contact:

  [email protected]

  http://LTRyan.com

  https://www.facebook.com/JackNobleBooks

  Created with Vellum

  Dedication

  Special thanks to Amy, Barbara, Don, Ed, George, Karen, Karen, Melissa, and Marty.

  And thank you to all of the Jack Noble and Riley “Bear” Logan fans out there! I can not express the gratitude I have for your support. I’m still amazed every day when I wake up and “go to work” with these guys.

  If, by chance, this story is your introduction to the world of Jack & Bear, get your chores and work done now, then strap in, and hang on for the ride. It’s a wild one!

  ~L.T.

  Contents

  The Jack Noble Series

  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

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Also by L.T. Ryan

  About the Author

  The Jack Noble Series

  The Recruit (free)

  The First Deception (Prequel 1)

  Noble Beginnings

  A Deadly Distance

  Ripple Effect (Bear Logan)

  Blowback (Bear Logan)

  Thin Line

  Noble Intentions

  When Dead in Greece

  Noble Retribution

  Noble Betrayal

  Never Go Home

  Beyond Betrayal (Clarissa Abbot)

  Noble Judgment

  Never Cry Mercy

  Deadline

  End Game

  Receive a free copy of The Recruit by visiting http://ltryan.com/newsletter.

  Chapter One

  November 22nd, 2006

  Bear turned his face toward the sun as he strolled along the familiar path to the bar that had become his second home over the past six weeks. There’s nothing quite like the Caribbean sun. It’s a little warmer, a little more rejuvenating. Even after two months on St. Lucia, Bear wasn’t used to how good the sun felt on his skin.

  A foghorn in the distance brought Bear out of his peaceful reflection. As much as he enjoyed the weather and the food, St. Lucia was far from perfect. It was the height of tourist season, with three or four cruise liners pulling up to the coast every day. If he saw one more bad T-shirt, like I can’t keep calm, I’m going on a cruise, he was going to jump into the ocean and swim until he drowned or some colossal sea creature decided to have him for dinner.

  But not everything about St. Lucia was awful. The locals were patient with the tourists—it was their way of life, after all—but they didn’t mind raising an eyebrow behind a few backs. They did their job and they did it well, but they never forgot that they were on constant display, living here in paradise. They all had to put up with plenty of bullshit, but it’s what kept their sense of humor so sharp.

  Bear swung open the door to his local haunt. He’d visited plenty of bars in that first week, but the atmosphere at The Soggy Dollar was exactly what he had been looking for. They had great food, cheap beer, and a barmaid who didn’t take lip from anyone. But the best part? The tourists didn’t typically venture out this far.

  Before Bear even reached his usual stool at the opposite end of the bar, there was a full glass of the local brew in front of him. He couldn’t even remember the name of it, but it didn’t matter. Sophia always seemed to know what he wanted even before he did.

  Sophia leaned in close, a smirk on her face. “I saw a new one today.”

  Bear groaned. They’d been trading sightings of terrible T-shirts for the past week and Sophia was on a winning streak. “Do I even want to know?”

  “Oh yeah,” she said. “This one is even worse than My guns aren’t going to be the only thing that’s out in St. Lucia.”

  Bear rolled his eyes. “We agreed that is not the worst one we’ve seen. It’s not even funny.”

  “No, you agreed it’s not the worst one we’ve seen. I agreed that you’re just too old to get it.”

  “Too old, my ass,” Bear said, but he took a sip of his beer to hide his smile. “So, lay it on me.”

  “Okay.” Sophia flipped her long braids over her shoulder and put her hands out, setting the scene. “I was on my way to work and I see this old guy coming toward me, right?”

  “How old? Not-actually-old like me or actually old like Dennis?” Bear hooked his thumb over his shoulder at the old-timer sitting at a table by himself on the other side of the bar. He had to be at least ninety.

  Sophia scowled. She hated when he interrupted her stories. Which is exactly why he did it. “In between. Anyway, so I see this sweet old guy walking toward me, right? He’s got a little hat on and khaki shorts and socks pulled up to his knees. He just looks happy to be here. So I smile at him and start to wave. And then I see his shirt.”

  Sophia paused. When Bear didn’t say anything, she quirked an eyebrow. This was a pre-determined break in her story, the only point at which he was actually allowed to interrupt. He played along.

  “What did it say?”

  Sophia swept her hand out in front of her like she was imagining the words in shining lights hovering in front of her face. “Can I try your fish taco?”

  Bear blinked once. Then twice. He didn’t know what to say.

  Sophia threw up her hands. “I don’t even know why I bother.”

  “Maybe he just really loves fish tacos?”

  “I’m sure he does, but that bastard Randolph at the corner shop sells them to college students who think they’re hilarious because they have the maturity of a twelve-year-old boy.” She shook her head. “That poor man. Everyone is gonna be laughing at him. He has no idea.”

  Bear pretended to be affronted. “You mean you didn’t say anything to save that poor soul’s dignity?”

  “I couldn’t do that to him! He looked so happy.” Sophia got a wicked grin on her face. “But I did give Randolph a piece of my mind.”

  Bear chuckled. “I’m sure you did. He’ll be feeling that for a week.”

  Sophia just shrugged. “He’s forgotten what it means to be from St. Lucia. All he cares about is the money.”

  “The world needs more people like you, Sophia.”

  “The world needs more people like us, Bear.”

  Sophia smiled, but Bear didn’t return the gesture. No one knew who he
was here, and he wanted to keep it that way. He only had a handful of acquaintances. He counted Sophia and her fiancé, Derek, as friends, but they didn’t know the real Riley Logan. As far as they were aware, he was just some rich guy from the States who decided to get away for a while. He didn’t offer up any explanations and they didn’t ask questions.

  The only problem was that Sophia seemed privy to the fact that Bear did have some secrets. She never pried, but sometimes she looked at him like she knew he’d been through the wringer. Usually she’d just give him a beer on the house, but sometimes he saw pity in her eyes. That’s usually when he’d crack a joke at her expense, lighting up that fire inside her that always bubbled right under the surface. She’d forget about any sympathy she had for him and spend the rest of the night berating him, much to the delight of the other locals. That, at least, he could handle.

  The creak of the door broke the silence forming between him and the barmaid. Bear, who refused to keep the door at his back, was first to see Derek enter. Sophia finished pouring a beer for one of the other customers before looking up. A giant grin spread across her face.

  If Sophia was fire, then Derek was the coolest, calmest waters on St. Lucia. Bear had never seen him get angry once, and he was the only person on the island who could talk Sophia out of one of her rampages.

  Derek slid onto the stool next to Bear and greeted him by way of clapping him on the shoulder. Then he turned to his fiancé and flashed her a grin of his own. “Bonjour, mon ange.”

  “Don’t you mon ange me, Derek Arthur Lewis. You’re late.” Sophia tried to sound tough, but she couldn’t keep the sparkle out of her eyes. She’d recently confided in Bear that she was pregnant, making him promise not to say anything to Derek. She wanted to wait until after the wedding.

  “I would’ve been here sooner, but I ran into Randolph on the way over.”

  If Sophia was capable of shame, she would’ve looked sheepish. “I’m not apologizing to that man.”

  “Apparently you scared away a dozen of his customers.” Derek looked a little proud, but he was trying to hide it under an admonishing frown.

  Sophia waved away the comment. “Five, if that. Anyway, he deserved it.” She eyed Derek up and down. “What did you say to him?”

  Derek shrugged. It was such a languid, peaceful movement when he did it. “I said if he wanted an apology he’d have to ask you for one himself.”

  “I’m not apologizing to that man.”

  “He knows that as well as I do, mon ange.” Derek leaned forward across the bar and kissed Sophia on the cheek. “What’s for lunch today?”

  “You’ll see.” Sophia waved them both away. “Go get a table. Go. I’ll bring it out shortly.”

  Bear and Derek swung around and spotted an empty table in the middle of the room. This was Bear’s daily routine now. Wake up at dawn and walk around the island, taking in the sunrise and the bustle of activity that came with it. He’d read and explore and eat and watch, then visit The Soggy Dollar and have lunch with Derek.

  Derek was a businessman by trade. He owned a half dozen tiny shops all over the island, managing each one with care and attention. Need a boat to go around the bay? Call Derek Lewis. Did your car break down? Call Derek Lewis. Found a snake in your toilet? Call Derek Lewis. It was a wonder the man had any time to sit down to a meal with Bear these days.

  But there was an ulterior motive here. For the past two weeks Derek had been trying to get Bear to join him. Bear made the mistake of volunteering to help Derek for the day when one of his men called out sick. The two of them had sped through that day’s work in half the time, and Derek had been asking Bear to join his crew ever since.

  But Bear wasn’t interested. St. Lucia was beautiful, to be sure. He had made a little life here under the warm comfort of the sun. He had found relaxation much more quickly than he would’ve thought possible after everything that went down in Costa Rica. But this wasn’t home. And it never would be.

  Bear had started to feel that itch under his skin in the last couple of days. He had tried his best to ignore it, but it refused to let up. He knew what it meant. It was almost time to move on. He was trying to draw it out for as long as possible, but he didn’t think he’d make it until Sophia and Derek’s wedding. Part of him wanted to just get up and go without telling them, if only to avoid Sophia’s ire. But he knew he’d never be able to live with himself if he didn’t say goodbye.

  “Bear?” Derek’s voice sounded like it was a thousand miles away. “Bear? Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Bear cleared his throat and looked up at Derek, who appeared genuinely concerned. Bear laughed. “I’m good. Just got lost in my thoughts there for a minute.”

  Derek bobbed his head up and down but didn’t say anything. Bear got the impression that, just like his fiancé, Derek saw past many of Bear’s defenses. He might not know anything about Bear’s past, but he certainly had his suspicions. Bear was just grateful the man hadn’t felt the need to come out and ask him about it. He’d never be able to tell either one of them the truth, of course, but he wasn’t so sure he’d be able to lie to them either. Hopefully that was a bridge he’d never have to cross.

  Sophia appeared just then with two burgers piled high with toppings. She placed them in front of the guys with an expectant look on her face.

  “Another Sophia Special?” Bear asked. He poked at the burger, trying to decipher what all she had put on there.

  Sophia smacked his hand away. “No peeking. Just eat.”

  Derek already had his burger halfway to his mouth. He shot Bear a look that said, It’ll be easier if you just go with it.

  Bear shrugged and took a massive bite, flavor and juice exploding in his mouth and running down his chin. Whatever spice she’d used burned the back of his tongue. Sophia liked to experiment with her food, but she was one of those people who always knew what flavors went with what. Line up five ingredients that, according to nature, should never go in the same dish, and Sophia would have you begging for more.

  Maybe it was the distraction of lunch. Maybe it was Derek’s rambling appraisal of the burger and Sophia’s coy refusal to tell him what was in it. Maybe Bear had just been too relaxed for too long. Or maybe it was because Bear had forgotten what happened when he got too happy.

  In any case, he didn’t hear the creak of the door as a new customer entered the bar. He didn’t notice the man held a gun in his right hand. He didn’t even notice as the gunman stood frozen in the doorway as he took in the room before raising his weapon and aiming at their table.

  Bear only noticed when the first shot rang out and red blossomed across Derek’s chest, his look of euphoria quickly turning to confusion and then pain.

  Chapter Two

  Sophia’s scream is what finally launched Bear into action, but it was already too late. Derek had folded forward, his head coming to rest next to his plate. His eyes wide and lifeless. The burger had dropped from his hand to the floor.

  Other people were screaming now and jumping out of the way. Sophia just stood there staring down at her fiancé, another scream threatening to tear from her throat. Bear caught sight of the fire inside her that was only ever a wrong look away, and before he could stop her, Sophia launched herself toward the gunman, a guttural howl of pain and rage escaping her.

  The gunman was skinny, like an addict. If Bear got his hands around him, there was no doubt that he’d be able to break the other man in two. But none of that mattered when one person had a gun and the other didn’t. The man had wild eyes and was shaking like it’d been too long since his last hit, but Sophia was so close to him now that it would’ve been impossible to miss.

  Both rounds hit dead center when Sophia was just a few feet away. That would stop most people in their tracks. They would’ve crumpled to the ground right then and there. But Sophia was stronger than most. Bear was certain she was dead on her feet, but her soul must’ve wanted revenge, too. Instead of collapsing, her body tripped forward and kn
ocked the man off his feet, sending the gun skittering to the side.

  That’s when Bear decided to move. He found he was already standing, though he didn’t remember getting up from the table. One last look at Derek confirmed the man was dead. There’d be time to deal with that later. For now, Bear could only think of one thing: Kill the man who killed his friends.

  A loud bang sounded from behind him, causing Bear to whip around, fists at the ready. They wouldn’t do much against a gun, but Bear was quicker than he looked. And he had taken more than his fair share of bullets and survived.

  But the sound was just the back door banging open as someone pushed their way out of the bar. And as soon as one person found the courage to get up and run, the rest of the customers followed suit. Bear ignored them. The fewer casualties the better. It’d be easier to focus on the gunman if he didn’t also have to worry about collateral damage.

  When Bear turned back to the other man, however, he was nowhere in sight and the front door of the bar was swinging shut.

  Bear sprinted forward, ready to leap over Sophia’s body and kill the man who shot her. But a tremor coursing through her body drew him up short. Was she still alive? It seemed impossible, but when he approached her, she turned toward him. A bubble of blood found its way up her throat and down her chin. Her eyes were a mix of despair and terror. Everything had been taken away from her in a matter of seconds. Today was supposed to be like any other day. Instead, it was the end of everything.