Ryker raged inwardly as he pushed Eve behind him, shielding her from Dylan with his body. Beneath the dark shadow of his beard, his jaws ground like a hungry predator about to pounce on its prey. Every fiber of his body was taut as a bowstring before the final shot.

Nevertheless, he had to control himself.

Not just for Eve, who had been through enough for one day. But also to protect himself. With Dylan under his nose, the air was getting thinner for him, too. The man he had served with for many years was his employer. He knew who Ray really was and could burst the rose-colored bubble he had lived in for the last few days and weeks with a single word.

Ryker could not and would not risk that.

Ray, the handyman, was a lie, a mask he had put on to come here and sneak up on Kaylen. It was a spectacle if you wanted to look at it that way. But at some point ... the theatre had become bitterly severe. The moments when he was close to the young mother did him good. The feelings she evoked in him were real.

He loved Kaylen and Liam like his own son, which complicated everything.

It's all the better that Dylan actually withdrew. The figure of his former mate turned away, and Ryker sucked the air sharply into his lungs as the words rang out in a threatening undertone.

She should pack her things? - Certainly not!

His teeth gritted against each other, and the fists at his side tightened to vent the rising anger inside him. Controlling himself and not jumping at Dylan to break his nose was more than exhausting, given everything he held sacred.

'Breathe, Ryker,' he had to tell himself as he stepped out the door behind Dylan. 'Don't lose your temper; there's no point. Not now. Not in front of Eve. She's been through enough.'

"Liam's awake," he whispered quietly to Eve as Dylan disappeared out the door. "He's worried." Their eyes met for a moment. The beautiful blue sea shimmered from the tears he held back, tearing at his heart, knowing that he was the cause of all the evil. He could only hope to make up for his mistake - somehow.

The lock clicked behind him before the porch floorboards groaned under the men's heavy footsteps. Like a shadow, Ryker followed his employer up the gravel path to the silver-grey Subaru Dylan had arrived in before the Seal stopped and turned to face him.

The two men stared at each other momentarily, and Ryker couldn't help but notice how tense Dylan looked. His eyes darted around, and the small wrinkles on his forehead had deepened since the last time he'd seen him. Dylan looked like a hunted animal, although his eyes showed a certain helplessness.

"Well?" Ryker finally broke the silence and crossed his arms before his chest. The fabric of the dark jumper stretched around his shoulders, and he had to press his hands into his upper arms before he did anything rash. "Don't you have anything to say to me?"

Although he kept his voice deceptively calm, Dylan saw right through him. No wonder. They knew each other well. A lot of time may have passed, but they still knew each other well enough to be able to read the other. People changed, but they remained the same at heart. His former mate knew that Ryker was bubbling like a volcano about to erupt.

Dylan stroked his brown hair restlessly, broke eye contact, and opened his mouth. But instead of answering, he closed it again just a heartbeat later.

"You have no idea what it's like, Raven," he finally heard the quiet reply, and Dylan lifted his head to look up at him. Ryker recognized the soldier in the brown eyes. The man who would rather face a storm than run away only made him angrier. Dylan should have been put in his place long ago to learn humility.

"I have no idea? You lied to me, Dylan!" rumbled from the detective's broad chest. "YOU told me your wife kidnapped the boy! ABDUCTED, do you know what that means?" His hands clenched so tightly around his arms that his knuckles turned white, and he had to force his voice to stay calm and not shout.

"For a little help, kidnapping means taking someone to another place against their will and holding them there! Especially a child... That's a crime, Dylan, a crime that definitely didn't happen here, and we both know it!"

"What was I supposed to do?" Dylan said indignantly, throwing his hands up to express his despair and helplessness. "I knew you had a lot on your plate. You've made a name for yourself and have enough other jobs. I HAD to bring up something urgent so you could help me find my family!"

Even as he spoke, Dylan moved closer and swallowed hard. "Yes, I didn't tell you the whole truth, but I wasn't lying either; I was fudging the facts a bit," the man tried to justify himself to him, visibly distressed. "But what's so important about that? It was about finding Kaylen and Liam and looking after them until I could get them home. That was the job I gave you and what I'm paying you for - nothing more, nothing less."

"Bending the facts a little?" Ryker seethed with anger as he pressed the words over his lips. "You've been hiding essential details!"

"I don't understand what your problem is, Raven. A job is a job, no matter what, and in the end, it's all about the money, or am I wrong? Is that how you ask all your customers? Are you interested in the details behind the jobs?"

Dylan's words were like hitting an anvil with a hammer. With each blow, with each of his words, new sparks flew, burning only him, while Ryker struggled to keep his composure. How could he be so wrong about a person, a former friend and comrade? In someone, he had once called his brother?

"I'm a detective, Dylan. Private detective, my assignments may be clear, but I'm not going to be dragged through the shit like an idiot!"

Dylan never criticized himself. He always blamed others, not himself. Ryker realized that now. Inevitably, he had to ask himself whether he had ever really known his former comrade. Or had he never wanted to look over the edge? In the distance, they had to stick together. It was better not to look closer. But now...

"You put a dagger in my ribs when you kept the truth from me - a truth I had to find for myself!"

A spark of uncertainty flashed in the dark mirrors of his opponent's soul, which disappeared a moment later and was replaced by deep furrows on his forehead.

To calm himself and bring the roaring noise in his ears back under control, Ray sucked the air into his lungs and held his breath for a moment. He was exhausted from the run through the forest, the fight with the hermit, and carrying Liam. He knew he was physically exhausted. But instead of rebelling, his body urged him to throw off the shackles that were trying to hold him down. He fought with himself. But he didn't feel the pain... the rage; his adrenaline was too high and made the wall sway further with every heartbeat.

"I know the files, old friend. I know you've beaten Kaylen - more than once!"