Authors: Rebecca Zanetti
somewhere else? Something from the senator?” Or the commander?
“I don’t know.” While Jon’s heart beat rapidly, the rate didn’t change a wit. “I truly don’t.”
“I believe you.” Nate stood and turned toward Matt, who’d finished taping the fingers of the two men
he’d taken down. “Get prints?”
“We’ll see.” Matt headed over toward the two Nate had killed.
Nate looked back down. “How many of the men here are with your group?”
“Just me. The rest I hired. They sucked.” Jon’s lip twisted.
“Who’s your group?” Nate asked.
Jon shook his head. “We don’t have a name—we exist to make things right. To protect the sanctity of
life.”
The asshole sounded crazed. “What does that mean?” he asked.
A maniacal light entered Jon’s eyes. “It means life is pure, and we have to fight for it. We will win.”
What in the world?
“Who else is in your group?” Nate asked.
“I’m new. Darian and I were inducted at the same time.” Jon started coughing, his body convulsing.
Nate nodded and turned to see Audrey standing on the other side of the demolished car. Her skin nearly
glowed she was so pale. Blood flowed from a cut along her face, and pure terror darkened her eyes to
cobalt. Several rips marred her shirt, and one hand pressed protectively against her abdomen.
“The baby is fine,” Nate said quietly. “I can hear his heartbeat.” Actually, that didn’t mean the baby was
fine, but Nate needed her calm. The baby needed her calm. He began to stride toward her with the intent of
sitting her down.
Her eyes widened. “Nate—”
Faster than a thought, he pivoted and threw the knife to land squarely in Jon’s neck. The man dropped
the gun he’d tried to draw from his boot, blood gurgling out of his mouth.
Nate turned and kept walking toward Audrey.
She blinked, sucking in air. “You didn’t check him for another gun?”
Nate shook his head. He hadn’t needed to check Jon—he’d seen the outline in Jon’s boot. As Nate
reached Audrey, more emotion tried to break through his training. He shoved it back and reached for her
chin. “How bad is the cut?”
“I don’t know.”
A vehicle rumbled in the distance, and a beat-up tow truck came into view. Shane reached the scene
and jumped out. “What happened?”
Nate lifted Audrey and strode to deposit her gently in the passenger seat. “Get her car.”
Shane nodded and leaped back into the driver’s seat to maneuver the truck into place.
Nate turned toward Matt as he finished taping Jon’s fingerprints. Nate reached down and ripped open
the man’s shirt. Bruises and cuts marred his skin, but no tattoo. Using one hand, Nate flipped him over.
“Shit,” Matt said.
“Yeah.” Nate eyed the fresh brand of a sharp blade with the word “PROTECT” down the middle.
“Looks fresh. Maybe as fresh as Darian’s was.”
Who were these people, and what did they want with Audrey?
Nate snapped a picture of the brand with his phone. “We need some answers. Let’s go.”
* * *
bare tummy since she’d tucked her shirt under her bra. Talk about different than the commander’s medical
facility.
The doctor slipped on rubber gloves, her red hair wild around her shoulders. Laugh lines fanned out
from her green eyes, while dark circles marred her pale skin. “You folks just caught me. We close at seven.
Bad accident, huh?”
“Yes, but I’m not spotting or anything. No cramps, either.” Audrey nodded, her heart thundering. The
accident had been a bad one. She couldn’t lose another baby. Fear tasted like metal in the back of her
throat. “My purse is still in the car,” she whispered.
Nate clasped her hand, dropping to his haunches next to her. His face remained calm, but a quick glance
at his hands showed that one trembled. “I have cash, Doctor.”
“This is a free clinic, folks.” The doctor squirted gel onto Audrey’s stomach. “Pay what you can, but
don’t worry about it. I’ll give you the best medical care I can.” She pressed the wand on Audrey’s
abdomen.
The baby chose that moment to flip over.
Nate straightened. “Did you see that?”
Audrey gasped. The baby was moving, so that meant he was alive. Relief clouded her eyes with tears.
Her throat clogged. “The kid is an acrobat,” she breathed out.
Please, let him be okay.
The doctor hummed to herself, pressing the device along Audrey’s stomach, staring intently at the
screen. Finally, she turned off the buttons. “The baby is developing well, and I see all the major organs are
functioning,” the doctor said, turning off the machine. “He’s pretty well insulated in there.” Reaching for a
towel, she gently wiped off Audrey’s stomach before lifting her shirt. “Your uterus and the amnio sac both
look healthy. I’d be more worried about this bruise from the seat belt.”
Relief burst through Audrey, and she shut her eyes for a moment before opening them. The baby was
all right. She was so afraid for the little guy, but she had to calm herself.
Nate frowned and stood, leaning over for a better look. “How worried?”
The doctor shook her head. “Not that worried.” She smiled at Audrey. “But definitely take it easy for the
next couple of days.”
“Bed rest?” Nate asked.
The doctor laughed. “No. You can do all normal activities, but no running marathons or digging ditches
for a few days.”
“Sex?” Audrey asked, fascinated by the red flush suddenly crossing Nate’s face. She had never seen
him blush.
“Sex is fine.” The doctor helped Audrey pull down her shirt. “Just don’t try to hang from the ceiling for
a few days.”
“Well, there went that idea.” Audrey winked at Nate.
* * *
thirty minutes, and he’d started to worry. The shower wasn’t that luxurious in his cabin, and he hadn’t
figured there would’ve been enough hot water for such a long shower.
“Relax,” Matt said softly, finishing his Internet search. “We made her lie down for an hour, and both of
us listened to the little guy’s heartbeat. He’s fine.”
Nathan nodded. “I know.” The baby seemed fine, and Audrey hadn’t bled or cramped or anything.
Besides a shallow cut above her eyebrow and a bruise across her chest from the seat belt, she’d left the
crash relatively unscathed. Physically, anyway.
Matt shut down the computer. “I sent an anonymous donation to that clinic for a million dollars. Good
enough?”
“Perfect. Thanks.” Nate needed to relax.
Matt leaned back. “I hacked into several databases, and the men who attacked us all have records.
Robbery, drug possession, intent to distribute, one kidnapping, and two manslaughters. Hired muscle.”
“And Jon?” Nate asked.
“No criminal record. He’s ex-military, honorably discharged. IRS records show he worked as a bouncer
at J&D’s bar in DC.” Matt stood and stretched his neck. “We have to find out what Darian knew—what
everyone is afraid he told Audrey before he was killed.”
“If that’s the information they’re seeking.” Nate bit down a growl.
Matt nodded. “Good point.”
“Did you do a search on the brand? The PROTECT knife?” Nate asked.
“Yes. There isn’t anything on the Internet that I can find.” Matt maneuvered around the couch to reach
the door. “I need to go get supplies for tomorrow, and you need some time with Audrey. He drew on a
jacket. “Shane will be back by morning. I told him to take her car several states away and burn it. The thing
won’t be found for quite some time.”
Nate nodded. “Thanks, Mattie.”
“No problem.” Matt paused at the door, his gaze serious. “How pissed was the FBI that you didn’t take
Audrey to the crime scene?”
“Pissed.” Which is all Nate needed. “But as her attorney, I explained that they’d upset her too much, and
she’d be by tomorrow to look at the scene.”
“Will she?” Matt asked quietly, the question loaded.
“I don’t know.” Everything in Nate bellowed for him to get her to a secured location before something
happened to her. “She’s pretty determined to go with the commander tomorrow and act like a spy.” Plus,
although she wouldn’t admit it, he knew she wanted access to the facility’s medical advancements to make
sure the baby was all right. He couldn’t blame her, even though she’d just seen a doctor. The commander
had the best doctors in the world under his thumb.
“Let me know.” Matt shut the door behind him.
Nate sighed and scrubbed both hands down his face. A fire crackled in the corner and rain pattered
softly on the windows. Now that he could finally relax, emotion slammed into him with the force of a
dropping anvil. Not soft, not sweet, he burned with energy. With the need to hit something. Hard. So he
stood and stretched his neck, drawing in several deep breaths to calm himself.
He refused to let Audrey see him out of control.
Shit. He didn’t get out of control. Ever.
But at the memory of that SUV slamming into them, of the airbags deploying, of gunfire splattering the
car where Audrey had sat… rage rolled through him. Too strong, and too hard to fight. He should’ve had
Matt stay so he could go for a run. Maybe burn off the lava burning his blood. Yet he smoothed his face
into calm lines as the door opened and Audrey walked out, wearing only his T-shirt.
He swallowed. Anger swiftly morphed into something else. Something dark and with an edge. “Are you
all right?” he asked, his voice lowering to a huskiness he couldn’t hide.
She nodded, smoothing the bottom of the shirt down. The boxiness of the shirt emphasized her
femininity. Naked. She was naked under there. “Yes.” Her bare feet made little sound as she pattered across
the room to reach him.
The scent of woman and gardenias nearly dropped him to his knees. If anything happened to Audrey or
the baby, the kill chip would be welcomed to do its job. Her intelligence intrigued him, while her spirit
challenged him. But the woman deep down, the one full of kindness and generosity… that one owned him.
“Are you sure you’re fine?” he asked, tuning in to her vitals.
“Yes.” She took a deep breath. “I’m fine, although I could use some clothes.” Her nipples poked out
from under his shirt, and her taut thighs led down to toned calves. Even the scars along her left leg
appeared graceful somehow. The symmetry of the pins seemed perfect. “How are you?” she asked.
Having totally inappropriate thoughts, considering what they’d been through. The fact that she stood so
close, happy to be bearing his child, humbled him. Protecting her was all that mattered. “Good.” He had to
get away from her before he grabbed her. “I’ll make dinner.”
Her hand on his arm stopped him. “I don’t want dinner.”
He started, glancing down at her eyes. They’d turned the color of the ocean depths… dark and barely
blue—sensual in a powerfully feminine way. Hunger simmered there along with emotion. A turmoil no
doubt brought about from their close brush with death and the gratefulness at being alive. Maybe by
something more… him? He didn’t deserve love from somebody like her, but if offered, he’d take it with
hunger and never give it back. “You should eat,” he managed to grind out.
He sensed her fear and tasted the tears she’d shed earlier. Deep down, he understood her need to get lost
in the present.
But his present was full of danger, and he shouldn’t relax.
“Where are your brothers?” She kept her gaze on his.
“Out for the night.” The words barely made it out of his mouth. The entire night. With Audrey, alone.
What had he been thinking? As gently as he could, he unraveled her fingers from his wrist. “I need a
moment, Audrey.” It was as close to admitting a weakness as he’d ever come with her.
“Too bad.” She pivoted to put her body between his and escape.
“Audrey—”
“Shut up, Nate.” She stepped into him, her body flush with his.
He shut his eyes, pummeling down instant lust. Way down. The events of the day, his woman so close,
the rage against the time counting down on his life—it was all too much. No way would he hurt her, so he
needed time and space to rein himself back in. “Please move,” he whispered.
“No,” she whispered back, her hands sliding under his shirt to press against his abs. “I’m perfectly fine,
and you’re perfectly fine. A couple of bruises for either of us is no big deal.”
The gentle touch from her shot his body into overdrive. “I’m not in control.” He opened his eyes.
Everything in him hated admitting that to her.
Her smile held power. “So?” Stretching up on her toes, she kissed the pulse suddenly pounding at his
neck. “We’re alive. At least for a very short time, we’re here and together.”
Unable to help himself, he cinched her arms. Too hard and too tight. “You’ll be here for a long time, I
promise. No matter what happens to me, you’ll be okay. You and the baby.” He’d clear a safe path for her
if it was the last thing on earth he accomplished. His back muscles vibrated as he held himself back. “Now