Blood Bourbon

Miles and Miles

His phone had never been more silent than it had been the past four hours. Not that he wasn't constantly getting updates from sources and his team that was moving through the city, keeping an eye on some weird traffic from their enemies. But it wasn't ringing with the call that he wanted to come through to him. Ryker scowled at the map on the table as Bryn placed another blue pin on a location, glancing at his watch.

Daryl would have been done for over an hour now. Yet he still didn't have a response. Logically he knew there were a dozen legitimate and innocent reasons why he hadn't heard from his cowboy, who had also neglected to show up here to the hotel like he had the previous several nights.

"Even the rogues have gone underground. Or the Hunters have picked them off for us." Shiloh murmured from beside him.

Ryker stared at the map for a moment longer, before taking a step closer and tracing his finger from the most recent pin then moving it down a couple blocks, "are we certain this was a confirmed sighting?"

"Yeah, vehicle stopped and picked up two Hunters before continuing on. The ones on foot were dressed to blend in with a crowd." Bryn read off of the notebook, "it was busy, as that was the main thoroughfare from the..."

"Arena." Ryker was spinning from the map, pulling out his phone as he strode across the room towards the door when the screen lit up with the name he had been waiting for. "Daryl."

"Hey." Daryl's voice was distant, though he couldn't tell what emotion laced through the man's tone. The cowboy sounded odd as he murmured, "sorry. I didn't want to be a bother."

Ryker slowed his steps down, frowning. "Are you ok? I expected you back here a little bit ago."

There was murmuring in the background and Ryker picked up the sound of Daryl's brother and his friends, plus the sound of driving. Ryker's heart, which had just begun beating normally upon realizing Daryl was ok, seized. In the pause before Daryl answered, Ryker felt that sudden certainty that things had reached their limit.

Something had been bothering Daryl most of the week. His cowboy had been struggling with some sort of frustration or decision but hadn't mentioned it to him, though Ryker had lulled himself into a false sense of security whenever Daryl eyes met his and the human grinned.

"I'm fine. I just knew you were working. I didn't look at my phone until now, but I figured you wouldn't be back yet anyways. Uhm... Charlie is driving me out to the farm right now." Daryl was beginning to sound a little more sure, a little more focused, though he let out a sigh when he finished talking.

"Ok." Ryker scowled, tensing himself, feeling his anger begin to tremble in his mind, he was going to force the issue if Daryl continued avoiding it. But before Ryker could lash out as he normally did, Daryl spoke.

"I'd really like for you to come out here. But I know you are busy. I'm fine. I just..."

"I'm leaving now." Ryker's words came out in a rush of breath and he closed his eyes, "it's why I called, we're in a holding pattern, but I have the next day and a bit... I wanted to come pick you up. I should have just come."

"Alright. I'll see you soon then." He could hear the relief in Daryl's voice, though there was something still... wrong.

Ryker opened his eyes when he felt Bryn step up next to him, holding Daryl's packed briefcase and duffle bag. He offered the woman a nod and she merely winked to him before he turned and started out the door and into the elevator. He willed it to move faster than it's cumbersome descent toward the parking garage. "Daryl... something's wrong. Please. I'll make it better. I promise. You just gotta talk to me."

"That company showed up again. Charlie says we should talk, and he figured you might want to be here for it? But anyways, I'd rather you just be here, you know?" Daryl sounded as if he was going to fall asleep.

Ryker fought the urge to punch the elevator wall, knowing that he'd probably just end up breaking something and getting stuck in the lift itself, but he bared his teeth at his reflection in the metal in front of him. "Alright. I'll be there as soon as I can. You just rest or something till then, ok?"

"Drive safe." Daryl murmured into the phone before the call ended, leaving Ryker to sprint out of the elevator and to his car as he texted Bryn an update.

The Hunters, the company, had been there in that area for Daryl. And if they had two Hunters hiding in the general public, Ryker would put money on the fact that something had been planned. Should have happened, if Charlie had his team hadn't been unexpectantly there as well.

Ryker didn't know why he was impatient, he knew Daryl was fine and the man had asked him to come, had said that he wanted Ryker there. But every mile that stretched in front of him made him want to snarl, even as he pushed his car well above the speed limit.

About halfway there, a blocked number called him and he found himself talking to Charlie, who filled him in on what he had missed.

He barely paused long enough to put the vehicle in park and turn it off before he was clearing the four steps of the porch and at the door, opening it to find one of the other humans there. Ryker struggled to remember the man's name for a moment, frowning as he had to tilt his head back to look up at the one who had been sporting the sniper rifle the first time they had met. "Vince."

"He's putting the twins to bed with Chuck." Vince nodded up the stairs to his right, before glancing back to Ryker, "we need to ask the tough questions here... but we also need... to explain some things... which I don't know if you can.."

"I can . " Ryker shrugged, though he honestly had no idea if he could. He hadn't spoken to his boss, either one of them, about the situation yet. He didn't want to. Ryker wasn't sure if he trusted them with the knowledge of how important Daryl was. Or what they would do with it, if he told them.

Nor had he ever really pondered telling a human about being a vampire before. Could he tell Daryl? He had never been told he couldn't, and if it had been just about him, he would have left it at that. But the additional concern of Daryl's safety weighed heavily on his mind.

"Are you going to?"

Ryker narrowed his eyes on the human, before pulling out his cell phone and sending a quick text to Tim and Alesky. "You know I only tolerate you because Daryl likes you, right?"

"It's mutual." Vince matched his glare without flinching, "Did Charlie tell you about what was happening at work?"

Ryker nodded and forced himself to exhale an unneeded breath. "Yes."

"You didn't know?"

"They'd all be seriously reconsidering their life choices already, if I had." Ryker snarled and shoved his phone into his pocket. But that snarl faded on its own accord when he heard Daryl walking down the stairs, talking a little more naturally with his brother who followed.

***

Daryl is mine. And I'm going to tell him what I am.

An asshole? I think he could figure that out on his own.

Enough, Timothy. And you have my blessing, Ryker.

He totally wasn't looking for your blessing, King Vampire.

Children. Stop.