Chester rubbed his big orange butt against Nate’s legs. “I don’t like cats, buddy.” Nate tied off the end of thread and reached down to scratch the cat’s ears. “I’ve been listening to your heartbeat all week—good to know you’re not having an attack.” As usual, Nate had to filter out a million sounds to concentrate on the ones that mattered, so he shoved Chester’s heartbeat into the abyss and focused on the men outside and the woman upstairs.
The commander had three men watching the building. Two out front and one to the side—they rotated on seemingly random sequences. Nothing was random. Nate had about sixteen minutes and seven seconds until he could scale the fire escape to Audrey’s bedroom.
Her heart beat steadily, punctuated every so often with a glitch. Probably from pain. Her leg had to be killing her.
Nate might never be the same. When he’d seen those three men find her in the alley, it was all he could to remember training and go high to drop. He’d wanted to rush to her aid, forgetting the consequences.
When she’d nailed the bastard with the tire iron, pride had filled Nate until he wanted to clap. What a woman. She might not be his, but damn, he wished she were. That they could ride off into the sunset like one of those corny movies his sister-in-law Josie loved.
But they’d never see eye to eye about her mother. The psychotic bitch had made his childhood hell, which he might be able to overcome. But she’d also hurt his brothers, and she may have had something to do with Jory’s death. So Nate wanted her to pay.
Audrey wanted to protect her.
Nate had never had a mother, so he didn’t fault Audrey. But he couldn’t be someone other than who they’d created. His job was to take out the threat, and that bitch would always be a threat.
Steeling his shoulders, he forced himself to focus and get back to work. Freeing his secured phone from his pocket, he dialed his brothers.
Shane answered with a barked, “Status.”
“Secured.” Nate sat up. “What’s going on?”
“We’ve been monitoring the DC police force as well as the news. Darian Hannah, a man who’d been on a date with Audrey Madison, was gunned down in a Virginia bar earlier today. What is going on, Nate?”
“Well, it wasn’t me,” Nate said dryly.
“I know it fucking wasn’t you,” Shane exploded.
“Give me the phone,” a deeper voice ordered. There seemed to be a bit of a struggle, and Matt came on the line. “Nate?” Matt asked.
Nate exhaled. Good. Matt was always calmer than Shane. “I’m here.”
“What the blazes is going on?” Matt bellowed.
Okay. Not so calm. “Geez. Remember before you were both tied down by women? You used to be calm and collected—unflappable, really.”
“Unflappable?” Matt asked, his voice dropping dangerously low.
“I’m fine, Mattie.”
Quiet seconds ticked across the line. “Stay where you are. I’m catching a flight out of here in the morning. Don’t. Fucking. Move.” Matt rarely used that voice any longer.
“I’m going, too,” Shane echoed in the background.
Nate’s gut clenched. How did they not get it? “Stay there. Keep Josie and Laney safe. I’m fine.”
Matt exhaled in an old trick to control his temper. “You’re as important as they are, Nate. Deal with it.”
He blinked. That wasn’t how things happened. “I’m fine. Stay safe.” Did they not understand his role in the family? His head spun.
“You’re alone, Nate,” Shane bellowed.
Nate blinked.
Matt cleared his throat. “Shane’s right. You’re so fucking alone right now, you’re not thinking. Never alone, Nate. Ever.”
Pins pricked the backs of his eyes. If God existed, He’d done Nate a solid by giving him brothers. These men as brothers. But he had to take care of the situation before both of his brothers ended up in the commander’s crosshairs. They had families now, and they needed to stay safe. It was his job to protect them. “No. Everything is secure here, and I don’t need help.”
“You do need help.” Matt sighed. “The reports show that a woman was with Hannah when he died. Was Audrey present at the bar?”
Nate thought about lying, he really did. But he’d never, ever lied to his brothers. “Yes. She ran, the men followed her, and I took them out.”
Matt inhaled sharply. “We can be there in hours.”
“I know. The second I need help, I promise I’ll call.” Not a chance. He’d handle the commander and anybody else who came along. “I’m getting closer to the codes and to finding out what happened to Jory. Trust me, Mattie.” He waited a moment and then sweetened the pot. “There’s a good chance the commander has another base somewhere, and it might be closer to you. If Jory is there…” The Dean brothers would fill in the rest.
“Fine. When are you going to infiltrate the commander’s Virginia base?” Matt asked, his words clipped.
“Soon. I’ll keep in touch.” Nate disconnected the call before his brother argued more. Time was running out—Nate needed to destroy the commander soon, and hopefully he’d come up with a plan. For now, he had five minutes until he could see how badly Audrey had been injured.
Five minutes seemed like forever.
Chapter 14
Audrey sat on the bed, pretending to read a magazine. Warmth cascaded from the heating pad on her leg but failed to provide any relief. She hadn’t healed to the point of engaging in hand-to-hand combat. In fact, since she’d returned home, she’d thrown up twice.
Now, after having taken a hot shower, brushed her teeth, and eaten some leftover banana bread, she could finally breathe.
Her phone rang, and she glanced at the caller ID. “Hello, Mother.”
“Hello, Audrey. Was that you on the news?” Isobel Madison asked in cultured tones.
Audrey sat up on the bed and reached for the remote control to turn on the television. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
From a flat-screen across the room, the news droned on about Darian Hannah’s death. His biography and life were listed, as were his affiliations with technology firms and DC powerhouses. A witness from the shooting confirmed that a woman had been with Darian when the shooters arrived. Another witness concurred, saying the woman had been a blonde with dark glasses.
Good. Score one for the hat and glasses. Witness recollections were notoriously off base.
“That wasn’t me, Mother.”
Isobel sniffed. “It better not have been. Franklin is quite worried.”
Which made Isobel worried. Hurt spiraled through Audrey’s chest, and she bit back a sharp retort. What kind of a life might she have had if the commander hadn’t manipulated Isobel so? “While I appreciate his concern, there’s no need.” Would Isobel finally admit the commander was having Audrey followed? “Why would you think that was me?” Audrey asked.
Isobel cleared her throat. “Franklin has had bodyguards on you for weeks, and one of them saw Darian Hannah throw you into a cab. Care to explain?”
Audrey stiffened, her mind reeling. “Why would I need bodyguards?”
“Answer the question, please.” Isobel’s tone snapped a warning.
“It wasn’t me.” If all else fails, lie. “I don’t know who is following me, but they suck. I wasn’t with Darian, and the bodyguard must’ve gotten confused.”
Silence reigned for a moment. “Very well. I’ll speak to Franklin.”
Audrey shoved down impatience. “Why am I being followed?”
“You’ll have to ask him.” Isobel hung up.
Isobel had to care somewhat, right? Audrey punched a pillow into a better shape for her back and increased the volume on the television.
The reporter recapped the news while standing in front of the U.S. Capitol Building. When the senator’s name came up, Audrey groaned. The reporter, a stacked redhead with voracious eyes, nearly hummed while reporting that Darian had met with Senator Nash earlier that day. Unfortunately, accord
ing to the reporter, the senator was unavailable for comment.
Audrey’s phone rang again as if on cue. “Hello?”
“Audrey. Have you seen the news?” the senator asked.
“Yes. I can’t believe it. Poor Darian.” Audrey sat up straighter on the bed.
A voice cleared. “A woman was with him. Was it you?” Ernie Rastus asked quietly. Resigned intelligence echoed in his weary tone. The guy had been in politics for too long.
Oh. A conference call. “Of course not.” Audrey picked at a thread on her bedspread, forcing her voice into calmness. “I have no idea who would’ve been with Darian, but I didn’t know him very well. The news is reporting his meeting with you, Senator. Do we have a statement ready to go?”
“We’re working on it,” Ernie said. “We’re having a five a.m. meeting tomorrow beforehand. Can you make it?”
“Of course.” She’d have plenty of time for the meeting before her doctor’s appointment out at the facility, which took hours to reach via car. “We need to make the point that whatever got Darian killed had nothing to do with the senator, and the senator needs to send condolences to Darian’s family.”
“Already done,” the senator said. “I’m glad you weren’t the woman in danger today, Audrey.”
“Me too.” The man showed far more concern for Audrey than her own mother had. Why couldn’t she have had a parent like the senator? Heck, she didn’t even know who’d fathered her. Audrey finished the conversation and hung up the phone as Nathan slipped inside the bedroom, closing the window and blinds.
The scent of male permeated the space. Cleanly washed male.
Her breath caught, and nerves flared to life along her entire body. He’d saved her life. And he’d killed so brutally without thinking twice. But for her. He’d protected her.
Her heart thumped into overdrive. She pushed the heating pad off her leg and eyed the stitching across his bare chest. “Where did you shower?”
His duffel bag dropped with a muffled thump. “Mrs. Abernathy kindly let me use her shower.”
“She’s at her weekly bridge game.” Audrey winced as she tried to slide her leg free.
Nate instantly slid onto the bed, large hands enclosing her aching flesh. “Let me.”
She shouldn’t. The second he touched her, she short-circuited. But as soon as he began to massage her aching leg, she fell back onto the pillows in bliss. Pure, deep bliss. He had magic fingers. Or maybe her muscles responded only to him with pleasure. Simple release and pleasure. “How bad is your chest?” she murmured, her eyelids fluttering closed.
“Shallow cut.” He continued to kneed, wringing a blissful groan from her.
His hands tightened.
Rain splattered against the window, the storm increasing with a mournful wind. Audrey shivered, her eyelids opening, the intimacy of the moment wandering through her like a fine wine. “Did you lock the window?”
“Yes.” Nate reached and removed a gun from the back of his waist. The weapon thumped softly on the night table when he released it. “Where’s your gun?”
Audrey pointed to the drawer.
He opened the drawer and removed the silver gun, checking it carefully. “Cocked with one in the chamber.” Approval lit his gray eyes. “Good girl.”
Warmth spread around her heart. Darn it. She shouldn’t give a fig if he was proud of her or not. Yet she wanted to bask in his approval anyway. “I’m surprised your brothers aren’t already here after seeing the news report.” Without a doubt, those men knew everything about her, and that she’d been with Darian. Nate would’ve told them.
“They have other things to worry about.” Nate’s tone didn’t invite discussion.
Audrey frowned. The television report caught her attention as a reporter noted that three men had been killed in an alley very close to the bar where Darian Hannah had been gunned down by three men. It was too early to report, but a source in the police department had identified the dead men as the ones who had killed Hannah.
“Shit,” Nate said mildly.
“It took them longer than I would’ve thought to make the announcement,” Audrey mused.
Nate nodded and turned toward her. “I agree. Who do you think they were?”
Audrey had been running it around her brain. “I don’t know, but my best guess is that the commander sent them.” But something didn’t feel right about that analysis, so maybe the soldier running in the street had been the commander’s. Maybe they all belonged to the commander, and the guys in black were a kill squad for her and not for Darian. Or they were after Darian because of something his hackers had discovered. Life was way too confusing.
Nate rubbed his stubbly jaw. “The men in black weren’t that good. I mean, the commander would’ve sent better skilled soldiers. Although you lost the one he had on you when Darian shoved you into that taxi.”
“So much for training.” Audrey smoothed down her threadbare T-shirt. She should’ve put on a bra, but she’d been too tired. “For the sake of argument, let’s say that the commander didn’t send those men. Now he’ll be wondering who the woman is and who took out those guys.” The commander would have to at least consider the idea that Nate or one of the Gray brothers had done the damage.
“The bigger question is who wanted Darian dead, and why.” Nate reached for her injured leg again. “Unless you were the target.”
Her ears rang and heated. “The men didn’t know who I was, so they weren’t initially after me.” Warmth of a different type slid down Audrey’s abdomen as she moved her legs away. The tiny shorts she wore to bed didn’t hide much skin. She should’ve thought harder when getting dressed, but her mind had all but shut down. In fact, life remained hazy. However, her body was springing to life with all sorts of interesting tingles brought on by the half-dressed man sitting on her bed. On. Her. Bed.
His gaze wandered along her bare legs, eyes flaring ten kinds of fire. Gray and dark at once. Glittering. Hungry.
No, this wasn’t going to happen. Not again. If she didn’t protect her heart, she’d lose it completely this time. Getting over him had almost been too painful for her to bear. She couldn’t do it again.
“Audrey—”
“No.”
“I know.” Yet he reached out and slid a knuckle along her bare thigh.
Fire licked along her skin, and her lids dropped to half-mast. The earlier fight, the crazy adrenaline, the inevitable release… all made her thankful to be alive. Alive and feminine.
He’d always done this to her. There was something so basically male about Nathan that being near him made her feel feminine and powerful. A heady combination. One she’d missed so very much.
Keeping her gaze, he reached over and switched off the television set. In the same graceful movement, he pressed PLAY on the iPod docked next to her bed. The mellow sounds of “Colder Weather” by Zac Brown Band crooned out.
She breathed out. Fitting. If anybody was a rambling man, it was Nathan.
His fingers skimmed up her good leg, feathering against her thigh. “Audrey?”
“It’s a bad idea.” Her body didn’t care—and deep down, neither did her heart. Some temptations were too strong to deny, and sometimes the pleasure was worth the ensuing pain. Only with Nate.
“Definitely a bad idea.” His hand flattened over her leg. Red spiraled across his cheekbones as he glanced down at his hold. “We were never a good idea.”
No. But she’d never trade the few moments of true happiness she had found with him—not for anything. She studied him, and desire hit her hard. Man, he was beautiful. Smooth, tight skin over his muscled chest tempted her far too much. Ruthless angles and hard ridges made up his entire body, even to the point of creating interesting hollows in his rugged face. He made her forget the fear of death and the pain of the past, however briefly. “Nate?”
“Just one more time, Audrey,” he whispered, his voice so husky it slid straight to her heart.
One more night, to celebrate their li
ving through the day, if nothing else. She blinked. “I’ve missed you,” she whispered, finally letting her shields drop. This wasn’t a guy a girl could shield herself from, so why waste the energy? Plus, he deserved to know he’d meant something to her. If that kill chip detonated, then somebody would miss him. That mattered, right?
“I’ve missed you more.” He stood and unzipped his jeans. Then he toed off his boots, dropping the jeans with them. Leaving him nude, his impressive cock jutting out.
She swallowed. Truly amazing, and for the moment, all hers. But she needed more than his body. “Tell me you forgive me. For buckling to the commander’s threats and breaking up with you.” Yeah, it was unfair to ask him that while he was hard and ready, but the words slipped out before she could stop them. She needed to hear them before one or both of them ended up dead—which probably wasn’t far away.
He paused, one knee on the bed. His eyes darkened. Then he moved up her to place a soft kiss against her lips. Lifting her chin with one knuckle, he looked her directly in the eyes. “I forgive you.”
Tears sprang to her eyes. Something inside her released, a ball of pain she hadn’t realized still lived deep within her. “I’m so sorry.”
He shook his head, dropping his mouth to lick along hers. “It’s in the past.” Then he kissed her, going deep, keeping his weight off her but still lighting her on fire.
The bittersweet moment stole her breath while the sexy male filled her heart. They were in the past, and there was no going back. But she had this moment, and she had this night. Maybe as a remembrance, perhaps as a way to say good-bye the right way—if that’s what was needed. She held no illusions about their lives or of any longevity. Reaching out, she ran her palms along the hard ridges in his arms. So much strength.
Which made his gentleness all the more breathtaking as he drew her T-shirt over her head, humming with appreciation as her breasts sprang free. Tucking his thumbs in her shorts, he slowly drew them down her legs, tossing them atop the dresser. Settling in, he kissed along her calves, over her knees, spending precious time on her scars. As if he knew exactly the placement of each pin, he kissed the areas, warming them.