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Chapter 13 - CHAPTER THIRTEEN: RETALIATION AND REVELATION

Previously on From Tomboy to Temptation:

Ryker, Mia, and Kael successfully struck the first blow against Ryker's uncle's network — stealing files and disrupting communications. But victory never comes without consequences.

---

The following night, the city didn't sleep.

Rain shimmered beneath streetlights, washing the world in silver and shadow. Ryker stood by the window of the safehouse, the cityscape reflected in his eyes like a war he'd already begun. He hadn't spoken in hours — only watched, only planned.

Mia sat behind him, cross-legged on the couch, nursing a bruise on her wrist from their last mission. The adrenaline had faded, replaced by the quiet ache of exhaustion. Yet beneath it all was something fiercer — the way Ryker's presence drew her, magnetic and unrelenting.

Kael entered, tossing a phone onto the table. "You might want to see this."

Ryker turned, jaw tightening. The screen showed a grainy video feed from one of his uncle's private channels — men in dark suits moving through a warehouse, dragging out people, files, equipment. Then came the message, projected in stark white letters across the footage:

'You can hide. But I always find my own.'

Mia's stomach twisted. "He knows."

Ryker's eyes darkened, the calm before a storm. "He's moving faster than I expected."

Kael crossed his arms. "He's cleaning house. Every loose end, every contact you ever used. He's burning the trail before you can follow it."

Ryker stared at the video one more time, then shut the phone off with a snap. "Then we hit him harder."

Mia stood, stepping closer. "Ryker, wait. That's exactly what he wants — you reacting without thinking."

His voice softened, but only slightly. "And what do you suggest we do? Sit here while he destroys everything I have left?"

Her gaze held his, steady despite the tension crackling between them. "No. But if we fight blind, he wins. We need information — not just attacks."

The silence stretched, heavy and electric. Kael watched them, then finally muttered, "She's right. We can't keep hitting without knowing where to aim next. I can try tracing the source of that feed, but it'll take time."

Ryker exhaled slowly, anger cooling into focus. "Fine. Do it."

Kael nodded and slipped into the next room with his laptop, leaving Ryker and Mia alone.

---

The quiet returned — tense, intimate. Rain tapped the windows like distant gunfire.

Mia's voice broke through the stillness. "You're carrying too much, you know."

Ryker's brow furrowed. "I can handle it."

"That's not what I mean." She rose, stepping closer until they were inches apart. "You think you have to protect everyone — even from yourself. But you're allowed to feel, Ryker. You're allowed to be scared."

For a moment, his composure cracked. Just a flicker — but enough.

He turned away, fingers curling into fists. "Fear gets people killed."

She moved to face him again, refusing to let him retreat. "No. Fear keeps people alive. It's what makes you careful. Human."

His breath came shallow, the distance between them dissolving. The storm outside mirrored the storm within — unspoken words, unacknowledged emotion.

"I can't afford to be human," he murmured.

"Then let me be human for you," she whispered.

The words hit harder than she expected. His gaze snapped to hers, and for a heartbeat, the air was alive — charged, dangerous, intoxicating.

But before either could move, Kael's voice cut through from the next room.

"Found something."

They broke apart, the moment hanging like a promise that refused to die.

---

Kael's screen glowed in the dim light. "Your uncle's been rerouting communications through a facility on the east side — heavily guarded, off-grid. That's his new command point."

Ryker leaned in, scanning the data. "Then that's where we go."

Kael frowned. "Ryker, that's suicide. He'll expect you. It's bait."

Mia's voice was soft, but resolute. "Then we turn the bait against him."

Kael blinked. "You want to use the trap?"

Ryker's lips curved in a grim half-smile. "Exactly. He's waiting for us to attack head-on. So we don't. We make him believe we did — while hitting somewhere else entirely."

Kael's eyes widened as the plan formed. "Diversion."

Mia nodded, catching on. "You feed him a fake signal — make it look like we're breaking into that facility, but instead we target his backup vaults."

Ryker met her gaze, impressed. "Exactly."

Kael hesitated. "It could work… but only if we split up. Someone has to run the decoy on-site."

Mia's heart dropped. She already knew who Ryker would volunteer.

"I'll do it," he said, tone final.

Mia stepped forward, voice sharp. "No. You're not going alone."

Ryker turned, eyes meeting hers — the steel in his voice softened just enough to betray what he felt. "If something happens, I can handle it. You stay with Kael. You're safer that way."

"I'm not safe anywhere if you're out there getting killed," she shot back.

The tension between them ignited again — fear and defiance twisted together.

Kael glanced between them, uneasily. "Uh, should I… step outside or—"

"Stay," Ryker said.

Mia's voice broke slightly. "I'm not just part of this because I got dragged into it, Ryker. I'm choosing to be here. So stop treating me like a liability."

The words struck him silent. For once, he didn't have a counterplan — only the weight of her truth.

Finally, he sighed, jaw flexing. "Fine. But you follow every order I give. No improvising."

Mia's lips curved, victorious. "Deal."

Kael muttered, "This is either brilliant or a complete disaster waiting to happen."

Ryker smirked faintly. "Welcome to my world."

---

The next night arrived in fragments — wind, rain, headlights slicing through darkness.

Kael's decoy operation was already in motion, fake transmissions bouncing across networks, tricking the uncle's men into chasing ghosts. Meanwhile, Ryker and Mia slipped toward the vault district — the real target.

The building loomed like a fortress, metal and concrete gleaming under cold light.

Mia adjusted her earpiece. "We're clear for now. Guards are still responding to Kael's diversion."

Ryker nodded, scanning the perimeter. "Stay sharp. He'll have failsafes."

They moved quickly, shadows among shadows. Inside, rows of locked safes lined the walls — physical data, backups of every illegal transaction and record the uncle had kept hidden.

Ryker connected a device to the central control panel. "Thirty seconds," he murmured.

Mia stood watch, pulse thrumming. Every creak of metal sounded louder than thunder. Then — the sound she dreaded. Footsteps.

"Ryker," she hissed.

He didn't look up. "Almost there."

"Ryker!"

The door burst open. A guard stormed in, weapon raised. Ryker spun instantly, pulling Mia behind him and slamming into the intruder with brutal precision. The struggle was fierce, fast, desperate.

Mia's hands shook as she grabbed the fallen gun, aiming it instinctively. Her voice was trembling. "Don't move!"

Ryker glanced back at her — then at the man struggling under his grip. "He's down. You're okay."

But she wasn't. Not really. The adrenaline coursed through her, leaving her breathless, her heart racing for reasons that had nothing to do with fear.

He rose, chest heaving, eyes locking onto hers. "You did good."

She exhaled shakily. "You scared me."

He stepped closer, voice low. "You scare me too."

There was no more room for hesitation. The air between them fractured, then fused — his hand brushed her cheek, her breath caught, and for a suspended heartbeat, they were no longer running from danger but toward something even more uncontrollable.

The distance vanished. The kiss was inevitable — rough, desperate, stolen in the middle of chaos.

When they broke apart, the world returned in fragments — the hum of machinery, the flicker of lights, the danger still very real.

Ryker whispered, "Now we finish this."

---

The device beeped softly — files transferred, security bypassed. They moved fast, copying the last data sets before alarms blared to life.

Kael's voice crackled in their earpieces. "Abort! He knows! He found the real location—"

The rest of the message cut out.

Mia froze. "Kael?"

Static.

Ryker's eyes narrowed. "He's jammed communications."

The door slammed open — not guards this time, but someone far worse.

A tall, suited figure stepped inside, flanked by armed men. His voice was smooth, cruelly familiar.

"Well, nephew. You've been busy."

Mia's blood ran cold.

Ryker's uncle.

Ryker stepped forward, defiance radiating from every line of his body. "You've built an empire on blood and fear. That ends tonight."

The older man laughed softly. "You think you can dismantle me with stolen files? You still don't understand — I built you to be like me."

Ryker's jaw tightened. "Then consider this my rebellion."

Gunfire erupted. Ryker grabbed Mia, ducking behind a console. Sparks flew, alarms screamed. Smoke filled the air.

"Back exit!" Ryker shouted.

They ran, weaving through corridors as bullets shattered glass and tore through walls. The sound was deafening, the danger immediate — yet all Ryker could think about was keeping her alive.

They burst into the rain-soaked alley, gasping for breath.

Mia clutched his arm. "Kael—what about Kael?"

Ryker's expression hardened. "We'll find him. I swear it."

But as sirens wailed in the distance and the building behind them erupted in flame, Ryker realized the war had just changed.

The uncle wasn't running anymore.

He was hunting.

---

They reached the van miles away, drenched and trembling. Ryker sat heavily, hands gripping the steering wheel.

Mia turned to him, eyes shining through exhaustion. "He knows who you are. What happens now?"

He met her gaze, his voice steady but fierce. "Now we stop hiding. We bring him down — no matter what it takes."

She reached out, her hand finding his. "Then I'm with you. Always."

For the first time in a long while, Ryker didn't argue.

He just held on.

---

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