The Billionaire's Prize: Taken & Tempted: (Book 3 Billionaire Bodyguard Series) (21 page)

“I’ve known you for, what, ten years? Eleven?” Stratton asked in a tone of thoughtful appraisal.

“That sounds about right.”

“Can I make an observation?”

Motioning with his hand, Cade welcomed his friend’s thoughts.

“Of all the women I’ve seen you with—God knows there have been plenty—never once did you look at them the way you look at her.”

“Is it that obvious?”

Stratton snorted. “A blind man could stand in a crowded room and still feel the connection you two have.” He sighed. “Trust me when I tell you, hold onto that.”

Cade sent him a sympathetic, knowing look. “You and Ellie went through a lot to get where you are.”

“That’s the understatement of the century.” Stratton plucked his stubbed out cigar from the ashtray, relit the ashy end, and leaned his back against the nearest pillar. “Twenty years ago I was too wrapped up in myself, chasing success, obsessed with climbing to the top. I left behind the best thing that had ever happened to me.” He glanced out at the distance. “Somehow I was lucky enough to win her back. Success and fame are hollow achievements compared to finding that one person who makes you happy to wake up every morning.”

“I’m still trying to get used to how that feels. It’s changed the way I look at things. It’s not just about me anymore.”

“It changes everything,” Stratton confirmed. “That’s how it’s supposed to be. You just never had anything close to compare it to.”

“It’s a little terrifying, you know.” A shudder went through Cade’s chest. “If anything ever happened to her…”

“I get it. To the core.” Stratton sat forward, adding weight to his next words. “But you’re not going to do yourself any favors by ignoring it, or waiting for it to make sense. Just take it in, and hold on tight. You’re in for the ride of your life.”

An uncomfortable sensation prickled at the base of Cade’s neck, and he rubbed the spot. “Things progressed so fast, though. My God, we barely know each other. I thought a relationship was supposed to gradually lead up to this point, not start with your heart beating out of your chest every time she comes near you.”

“Welcome to one of the great mysteries of life. Don’t stop to question it, my friend. If you do, and you take too long, she’ll be gone.” Stratton’s eyes pinched at the corners as if he’d experienced a flash of pain. “You don’t want that, believe me. You’ll spend the rest of your life regretting your own stubborn stupidity.”

Cade smirked. “God knows I’d never want to end up like you.”

“Are you kidding? If I wasn’t me, I’d totally want my life.”

Although he agreed, Cade wasn’t about to reveal his envy. The two of them were too competitive for that.

Cade wanted the future he envisioned with Kylie. The good, the bad, everything he’d thought about sharing with his wife, he wanted with her. “Before we head onto the golf course, I want to check in with Kylie. See if she needs anything.”

“Feels good, doesn’t it? To know someone else matters more than yourself?”

A half-grin tucked into Cade’s cheek. “Wouldn’t want it any other way.”

It took ten minutes before he and Stratton found their significant others by the poolside. The warm, moist air served as a pleasant contrast to the brisk autumn winds coasting over the island.

The second he saw Kylie’s distressed frown, he hurried toward her. “What’s wrong?” he asked, knowing something was out of place, needing to relieve her anguish.

Seeing the regret on her features, he felt a cold chill wash over him. She sighed. “Cade…I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“I had to check my phone. Just to make sure I didn’t miss any important messages.” Tension tightened her expression. “I received several text messages from my sister, and a voice mail. She came home to Las Vegas. She wanted it to be a surprise.”

Damn.
He had a terrible suspicion he knew where this was leading.

Kylie licked her lips. “She was trying to get in touch with me, and I have a dozen text messages…then they stop.”

His blood ran cold. “Did she go out and meet some friends? If you haven’t heard from her, she could just be settling back into life in Vegas.”

Suddenly, Kylie’s lashes looked damp. “What if she went to my apartment? What if Ramos found her there? If Dominique is protected by your bodyguard, who is protecting my sister?”

Running a hand through his hair, he exhaled. “Don’t jump to conclusions, baby.”

At that moment Cade’s burner phone buzzed in his pocket. Seeing Adam’s office number, he answered immediately. “What’s up?”

“Yeah, this isn’t good.”

“What?” Cade said through a tight jaw, anticipating an answer he didn’t want to hear.

“We found Bruno Ramos. We’ve got him in a dark, windowless room in the basement at headquarters, under interrogation.”

“And?” Cade demanded.

Adam sighed. “He doesn’t know a damn thing about the pursuit after you and Kylie, and I’m starting to believe him.”

Cade gripped his phone. “Impossible.”

“You guys might want to come back here to Denver. Something’s seriously off. I don’t like it. And we need to figure it out.”

“I’m still not convinced we need to be back in Denver.” Cade stared out the window of his jet as the plane began its descent, the billowy white clouds a contrast to his dark mood. “Isn’t that what Ramos wants? What he’ll expect?”

“Possibly,” Slone said, “but if he’s changed the parameters of the playing field, we need more people in the game.”

Kylie pulled in a shuddering sigh. “And if my sister is involved, I want to be there if Ramos demands an exchange.”

“That shouldn’t be necessary,” Slone told her in a gentle voice.

More like hell no, not happening in this lifetime.
But Cade kept quiet. He’d been outnumbered by his two cousins and two companions. He chose not to fight a losing battle on this front, but he didn’t have to be happy about it. He took Kylie’s hand in a firm grip and rested their entwined fingers on his thigh. “We could’ve dispatched more people from our position on El Dorado Island.”

Slone shrugged. “I know techniques to make people talk.” Slone met Cade’s glare evenly, daring Cade to argue. “I can’t be effective thousands of miles away.”

“Then you could’ve taken the flight back alone,” Cade muttered.

“And take all the credit myself?”

When Cade rolled his eyes, Slone smirked.

“Plus,” Slone added on a serious note, “I can’t negotiate for a hostage if I’m not there to back up my words—or threats. I’ve led teams in hostile takeovers. You need to trust me on this one, chief.”

“You’re not putting Kylie in danger.” Cade spoke in a tone weighted with lethal warning.

“I have no intention of doing that.”

“She’s my sister.” Kylie slid her fingers from Cade’s grasp, folding her hands together so tightly her knuckles turned white. “I need to be there for her. You’d do the same thing if someone was holding your brother hostage.”

“That’s different.”

“It’s only different because it’s me, not you. You can’t protect me all the time. You’re not always going to be around.”

Cade went very still, except for the thundering beat of his heart. He hadn’t found the right time to go into the logistics of how they could be together once he’d neutralized the threat against her. Cade felt Slone’s eyes on him, and when he glanced across the aisle, Slone averted his gaze.

“Cade has every means at his disposal to keep you protected, Kylie,” Slone said quietly, eyes trained on the seatback in front of him. “You shouldn’t discount or underestimate that.”

Cade did a double take. Was Slone actually on
his
side? If he cared for Kylie half as much as Cade, he’d want her safe, too, no matter who offered the protection.

His respect for Slone increased a hundred fold in that moment. It couldn’t have been easy to give her up. Cade was having a hell of time picturing her walking away. But walking away into another man’s arms…? Slone was definitely the better person. Cade would fight for her tooth and claw, whatever it took, to win her heart. Even if Slone outmatched him in many ways, except monetarily.

Although Kylie had made it clear his money didn’t interest her. Another reason he planned to hold onto her with both hands and never let go.

*

Once they landed, the three of them filed into the limousine awaiting them. Slone sat up front with the driver, per usual.

As Kylie sat beside Cade, dread coated her insides.

Why hadn’t Lindsey just kept her initial itinerary? Why did she have to come home early?

God, she wished she’d checked her phone sooner. Instead, she’d let herself get swept away by her breathless affair with Cade.

What woman wouldn’t?
her inner voice whispered.

But what happened next? Her uncertainty and insecurities bundled around the question like a magnet drawing metal slivers that stabbed at her relentlessly. Gazing at his gorgeous profile, the scenery streaking by behind him, she felt a terrible longing well up inside her, followed by a rush of panic. She held no illusions about Cade returning to his life, as she would to hers.

Except…

Something had shifted and deepened between them during their whirlwind game of hide and seek from Ramos. And here Cade was, still by her side, searching for every available option to keep her safe.

She’d never entrusted her life to another person. She’d never counted on anyone except herself.

Maybe the past had damaged her trust too severely, because she didn’t know how to lean on him, despite his continuous support. Perhaps because she feared releasing her heart from its protective cage and placing her emotions in someone else’s hands. Under someone else’s control. The notion terrified her. Even if she had fallen in love with him.

Love was a profound commitment, a mutual agreement between two people who cared deeply for one another—or so her logical brain had thought.

What she shared with Cade left logic in the dust like a corpse in the desert.

A complex, untamable attraction she couldn’t even explain to herself whipped through her every time she looked at him. With him, emotion ruled her, which made him dangerous and alluring and unforgettable.

How would any man ever take his place?

No man could.

She loved with blind, reckless passion that left no room for anyone or anything else.

She’d trusted him with her life. But could she trust him with her heart?

So many people she loved had left her. All except Lindsey. If she lost her sister, and then Cade moved on to lead his big fast life in the bright lights of fame…

It was too much to bear. She wanted to fall apart and sob to the depths of her soul. She’d lost all mastery over her emotions.

Damn you, Cade. I don’t want to love you. I can’t…I just can’t lose you too…

The only way to salvage some part of herself would be to push him away before any discussion of a future cropped up. To pretend this past week had never happened. To go back to her safe ordinary life, find an ordinary man who’d accept her ravaged heart, and forever wonder what might’ve happened if she had faced what she feared most—his rejection.

Hanging her head, she swallowed against the burning lump of tears in her throat. If life were fair, her mother would’ve stayed with their family, and Kylie never would’ve met Cade in the first place. She well knew that life wasn’t fair.

That consolation prize left her chest battered and hollow.

Halfway to his office building, Cade slid his arm around her and pulled her against him. She didn’t yet have the strength to push away her only source of comfort. His coat absorbed the dampness at the corner of her eye. He kissed her forehead and drifted his hand through the length of her hair. “We’ll get through this, baby. Just like I promised.”

She hated the word “promise.” It was like a shout to the Universe,
Hey, come prove me wrong!
Fate usually did.

But she nodded anyway. She wanted to believe him, that her world wouldn’t fall apart again. She wanted to believe in something—anything, if it meant her sister would be set free without harm.

As the vehicle slowed, Cade sat up straight. “What the hell is this?”

By the time the limousine pulled up to the front of the building, media crews swarmed them.

Oh, no. Please, not this. Not now.

Suddenly she couldn’t breathe.

Before she could dash into some hidden corner of the limo, Cade grabbed her hand and opened the door, dragging her into the spotlight with him.

Lights sparked at the edges of her hazy vision that had nothing to do with camera flashes. She shocked on a gasp, her lungs fighting for air. Panic assailed her in prickly hot and cold waves beneath her skin. She locked her knees, frozen. Unable to see or move.

Jostled and shoved by reporters, her tenuous tether to Cade’s hand broke. She drifted like a buoy in an ocean storm.

A pair of capable hands clutched her upper arms. She barreled forward through the crowd, guided by an unseen force.
Please don’t let go. Please don’t let go.

“Just a couple more feet into the alcove ahead. You can do this.” Slone’s voice sounded distant but familiar enough to pause the approaching panic attack.

“Look at me,” he demanded. Her hands cupped his grip on her upper arms. “Breathe with me.”

“I can’t.”

“Yes, you can.” She heard his breath flow in and out of his mouth. “Listen to the rhythm, Kylie. Follow it. In and out.
In and out. Breathe with me. Count your breaths with me.”

She nodded. “Okay. I can do this.”

Concentrating on the flow of her breath, she breathed in deeply, then exhaled in a rush.

“It’s okay,” he said, “That’s good. Inhale on the count of four seconds, hold it for four seconds, exhale for four seconds. Hold it. No—don’t breathe too deeply, honey. Inhale for four. Count to four. Exhale for four. Hold for four.”

The sanity returned to her brain on the continuous count of fours. She realized she and Slone were pressed up against each other in an alcove out of sight of the media. His hands bracketed her face, and her fingers hooked around his forearms.

Their faces were inches apart. She felt their breaths, inhale, hold, exhale, hold, pound against each other’s faces.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“I’d do anything for you.”

“Where the hell did you go?” Cade’s irritated voice rang out through the foyer, echoing in the nook she inhabited with Slone.

Slone lifted himself away from her, while her hands were still hooked on his forearms for sanctuary. “She’s right here, boss. Safe and sound.”

Slone practically tossed her at Cade, who caught her in a hard embrace. “I thought I’d lost you,” Cade said, his arms wrapping around her.

“I’m okay. I ran into some trouble, but Slone helped me.”

Cade held her at arm’s length. “You all right?”

“Yes, I am. Thanks to Slone.”

Cade pulled her into nearby room, what looked like a conference room, and closed the door. “We need to talk.”

“Why did you leave me out there to be trampled on by the wolves?” Her breath seethed in and out of her chest.

“Why did you let go of my hand?” he countered. “I would’ve led you in here safely. You didn’t need Slone to do that for you.”

“What if I did?”

Cade narrowed his eyes. “Why would you rely on a bodyguard more than you count on me?”

“Because he understands me.”

A vein pulsed in Cade’s forehead. “How do I not understand you? Haven’t I protected you? Didn’t I give you an escape where none existed?”

“Not from your life in front of the press,” she spat, feeling an old hatred spill over her.

Cade spread his arms. “How could I have helped that?”

“You can’t.”

Oh God. This was the end. The end of any hope she might’ve had for them. This was what she’d wanted, right?

She shoved at his chest. “You don’t understand me at all.”

“What? What don’t I understand?”

She collapsed against the wall. “You wouldn’t get it.”

Cade gathered her in his arms. “Then make me.”

“Slone saw it. Why can’t you?”

His muscles stiffened all over his body. “Tell me.”

A racking sob seized her. Cade held her to him. Damn him, she didn’t want his concern. “I can’t handle the media,” she whimpered. “I can’t deal with the way they climb all over you, and everyone around you, no matter what you have or haven’t done. Hanging on your every word…”

“What does that matter?”

“Because my mother was murdered!” she cried. As if that explained her personal hell during those awful years. Still, Slone had somehow understood her private terror, and yet it hadn’t registered in Cade’s self-absorbed mind.

Maybe that wasn’t fair, or reasonable, but that’s how she felt. He was exactly like her mother’s husband, his wealth and charisma shielding him from any fallout from his actions. Or inaction. Anger built like a steady tide of fire rising inside her.

“What?” His voice came out in a scrape of a whisper. “She was…
what?
”

“Murdered.” She inhaled despite the burning sensation in her lungs. “The case was never solved, but I know who did it. Even though I could never prove it.”

In the heavy silence, she heard Cade swallow. “It never occurred to you to tell me this? To mention we had such a fundamental experience in common?”

Why did he sound hurt? “I never talk about it. No one else knows except my sister, because we endured the torture together. It all played out in the glaring lights of TV cameras.”

“Jesus, Kylie.” He raked a hand through his hair. “You should’ve told me.”

“What was the point?”

“The point?” From two feet away, she felt his temperature rise. “I bared my soul in front of you. I let you in, let you see things deep inside me that no one else has ever seen. You could’ve bothered to mention something as significant as your mother being murdered.”