“You’re not losing me,” Kayden assured him. “I’ll be back.”
The words did nothing to ease Xavier’s fear. “Can you at least tell me where you’re going?”
A tight smile stretched Kayden’s lips. “To collect on a long overdue payment.”
Without waiting for Xavier’s blessing, the male turned to stride away, his back stiff.
Xavier gave a frustrated shake of his head. “I was afraid of that,” he muttered.
Raphael tilted his head to the side. “Trouble?”
Xavier turned to meet Raphael’s curious gaze. “Kayden is one of my best. He created the program we’re using to retrieve the corrupted files we stole from the Benson Enterprises computers.”
They’d just recently discovered that the scientists who worked for Christopher Benson had had been capturing Pantera and using them in their sick experiments for years.
“Surely you can spare him for a couple of days?” Raphael pointed out. “We’ve been working ourselves to the point of exhaustion. It might be a good idea for all of us to consider some time off to charge our batteries.”
Xavier didn’t have to ask if Raphael was thinking about taking a few days to enjoy his mate and new baby. It was etched on his goofy expression.
The same one that crossed Xavier’s face when he thought of his own mate.
“I wouldn’t mind if I truly thought he was recharging his batteries,” he admitted.
“What do you think he’s doing?”
“Searching for the man who was responsible for killing his parents.”
Raphael stiffened, his eyes smoldering with flecks of gold, his cat prowling close to the surface.
“I thought they died when their plane crashed somewhere in Death Valley?” he growled.
“It’s what we all thought after we were contacted by the FAA,” Xavier conceded. “But, neither the plane nor the bodies were ever recovered.”
“Christ.” Heat sizzled through the air. “Are you saying they didn’t die?”
Xavier’s jaw clenched. For years they’d allowed themselves to become so isolated from society, they hadn’t realized that there was an evil human who’d created an entire industry that centered on kidnapping them to use as laboratory rats.
Now they were trying to discover just how much damage had been inflicted while they’d been hiding in the bayous.
“Kayden recently hacked into a database that listed the captives that had been taken by our enemies over the past fifty years,” he explained.
A low growl rumbled in Raphael’s throat. “Bastards.”
Xavier held up his hand. “Preaching to the choir, dude.”
Raphael sucked in a deep breath, struggling to control his temper.
None of them were capable of discussing Christopher Benson or his henchmen without wanting to have them forced into the Wildlands where they could rip them to shreds with their fangs and claws.
“Did Kayden find something?” he at last asked.
Xavier slowly nodded his head. “A male and female were abducted outside the San Francisco Airport on the exact day his parents’ private flight left and supposedly crashed in the desert.”
Raphael’s brows drew together. “He can’t be sure it was them.”
Xavier shrugged, not surprised by the words. If they’d learned nothing else over the past months, it was to never assume anything.
“That’s what I told him, so he kept digging,” Xavier said.
Raphael’s lips twitched. “I don’t doubt that Kayden managed to turn over every stone.”
“He’s obsessed,” Xavier agreed. Kayden had always been intense. Losing his parents had wounded him deeply. Now that he suspected it was more than a senseless accident, he was consumed with the need to discover the truth. “Especially now.”
“What did he find?” Raphael asked.
“Pictures.”
“Pictures?” Raphael clenched his hands. “Of his mother and father?”
“Yes.”
The scent of angry puma laced the chilled air as Raphael went into hunter-mode.
“They’re alive?” he demanded.
Xavier grimaced. “No. The records show they were killed almost twenty years ago in one of Benson’s Frankenstein laboratories.”
Raphael released his breath on a frustrated hiss. “Shit.”
“My thought exactly,” Xavier muttered.
Raphael glanced toward the tangled foliage that carpeted the spongy ground and circled around the thick patches of cypress trees.
“So where do you think Kayden is going?” the Hunter asked, his expression worried.
Xavier was equally worried. Kayden possessed a razor-sharp intelligence, and an ability to fully focus on a problem until it was solved. He also possessed a swift temper that had been stoked to the point of combustion by the revelation his parents had been murdered by their enemy.
“He was searching for the scientist responsible for conducting the lethal experiment on his parents,” Xavier said.
“You think…” Raphael’s words trailed away.
“I think he found him,” Xavier completed the worrisome thought.
Chapter Two
The Cruise Clinic was built deep in the Sonoran Desert.
Surrounded by sharp hills and saguaro cacti, it was a three-story building covered by an orangish adobe that blended into the landscape. It was a highly secretive laboratory where Joshua Ford and his team of scientists worked on cutting edge cancer research.
Less than a mile away was a private house that had a Spanish flavor with long wings and an inner courtyard that was decorated with a large fountain and mosaic floor. The roof was covered with red clay tiles, and the arched windows offered a perfect view of the distant mountains.
It was a beautiful home, with enough space to house a small village. But Bianca Ford found herself pacing with restless dissatisfaction from one end of the long living room to the other.
At the age of twenty-two, it wasn’t unreasonable that she often felt trapped by living in the middle of nowhere. Especially since her weekly treatments to contain her cancer meant that she couldn’t actually move away.
Tonight, however, her sense of claustrophobia was ten times worse than usual.
She didn’t know why. The day had been perfectly normal. But over the past hour, her skin felt too tight for her body, and there was an odd knot of agitation that was lodged in the pit of her stomach.
As if there was something inside her trying to get out.
Unnerved by the sensations, Bianca had grabbed a light jacket and pulled it over her jeans and dark jade sweater. Her long, straight blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail, and her oval face, dominated by a pair of hazel eyes, was scrubbed clean of makeup.
All she wanted to do was take a long walk in the hopes of burning off the odd burst of adrenaline that was tingling through her.
Predictably, her desire was destined to be thwarted as Donald, her no-neck behemoth of a bodyguard, had refused to unlock the doors, claiming that it was too dangerous to be outside. In a rare fit of temper, she’d insisted that her guard tell her father that she wanted to speak with him.
Ten minutes later a tall, slender man with sharply carved features and thick, salt-and-pepper hair that was always perfectly groomed stepped into the room.
A pair of cold, clinical blue eyes studied her as Joshua Ford precisely arranged the cuffs of his starched shirt that was chosen to perfectly match the dove gray suit and dark blue tie.
He looked at her like she was a smudge of cells on a petri dish.
Her father had always been devoted to her welfare, Bianca silently acknowledged. But she’d never been certain if he was devoted to her.
Instantly she grimaced, trying to squash the disloyal thought.
“Good evening, my dear,” Joshua murmured, stretching his lips into a smile. “Donald said that there was a problem?”
She hunched a shoulder, suddenly feeling like a misbehaving child. Although her f
ather’s expression was bland, she knew he was annoyed to have his immaculately planned schedule disrupted.
“Not precisely a problem,” she muttered. “I simply wished to go for a walk.”
A silver brow arched. “At this hour?”
She understood his confusion. It was only seven o’clock, but dark had fallen over an hour ago.
“I need some fresh air,” she tried to explain.
“Fine.” He gave a small shrug. “If you need to be outside, why not use the courtyard? That’s why I had it built, after all.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I want to walk, not go in circles.”
His lips tightened. Still, he maintained a firm control over his temper.
“I really think it would be better if you wait until tomorrow.”
“Why?”
“You know quite well that the desert can be a dangerous place. There could be any number of predators lurking in the dark.”
It was true. That didn’t, however, ease her unreasonable urge to be out, running beneath the moon.
The crazy impulse refused to leave her in peace.
“I won’t go far,” she said.
He gave a click of his tongue. “Please don’t press this, Bianca.”
She furrowed her brow. “I wish you would tell me what’s going on.”
The blue eyes managed to become even more frosty. Clearly she’d hit a nerve.
“I have no idea what you mean.”
“You’ve always been…” She hesitated, trying to come up with the proper word. Controlling? Demanding? Overbearing? “Protective,” she at last chose. “But lately I’m barely allowed to leave my rooms.”
There was a brief silence, as if her father was debating whether he could dismiss her concern. Then, seeing her stubborn expression, he gave into the inevitable.
“There is some trouble with the corporation that funds my research,” he slowly admitted.
Bianca nodded. She’d sensed a growing tension over the past few months, but her father had refused to acknowledge there was anything going on. It was a relief to have him at least assure her that she wasn’t imagining things.
“What sort of trouble?” she pressed.
“I am not allowed to reveal the actual details, but there has been some violence directed toward a few laboratories and several death threats,” he said.
Her eyes widened. Okay. Now she understood why her father was so on edge.
“That’s terrible,” she breathed.
“I am sure this is just a temporary disturbance, but until it passes I would prefer that you remain in the house,” he continued in smooth tones.
“I…” She bit back her protest. Her father was only trying to keep her safe. “Very well.”
The smile returned. “I promise that we will take a trip to Phoenix when I return from Florida,” he said.
With the proverbial pat on the head offered, Joshua turned to leave the room, clearly confident she would obey his command.
And why wouldn’t he be confident?
She’d always been an obedient daughter, choosing submission over her inner urge to rock the boat.
Heaving a frustrated sigh, Bianca wandered across the tiled floor and glanced out the French doors. She was in time to witness her father leave the house and step into the waiting car.
He never glanced back. Or checked to see if she was waving good-bye. Joshua Ford was a man who was always focused on his goals.
Still feeling tense, Bianca headed toward the back of the house. After she’d turned eighteen, her father had built on a private suite that overlooked the back pool.
It was a lovely space designed in pale blue and silver. It had a living room, a large bedroom, and an en-suite bathroom.
Stepping through the double doors that led to the apartment, Bianca came to a sharp halt.
She could sense someone. She didn’t know how. Or why. But she was absolutely certain that there was an intruder nearby.
“Hello?” Reaching out she fumbled to flick on the light switch. Instantly the room was bathed with a soft glow. She frowned, glancing around the space that held a sofa and matching chairs, with low coffee tables that held lovely pottery she bought from the local Indian tribe. “Is someone there? Donald?”
She stepped forward, the hair on her nape prickling. Was she imagining…
Her thoughts were scattered when a hand suddenly slammed over her mouth while an arm wrapped around her waist. With a shocking speed she felt a hard body pressed against her back as warm lips brushed the top of her ear.
“I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if you scream or try to escape,” a husky male voice warned. “Nod if you understand.”
Panic exploded through her, but she maintained enough sense to give a nod of her head. She could actually feel the ruthless steel of his muscles. There was no way in hell she would be able to fight her way free. She had to stall for time. Either for the chance to escape or for one of the bodyguards to come and check on her.
Slowly lowering his hand from her mouth, he turned her to face him.
Bianca gasped. Not in fear. In fact, the looming hysteria was forgotten as she gazed at the intruder in mindless shock.
Holy crap. She felt as if she’d been sucker-punched. He was just so…flawless.
His lean, bronzed face looked like it’d been chiseled by the hand of an artist. The dark hair that was sexily mussed matched the goatee that framed his lush lips. And his eyes held a golden heat that she would swear she could feel searing over her skin.
But it wasn’t just his stunning beauty. Or the intense male energy that crackled through the air.
It was the sensation that this stranger had stepped straight out of her deepest fantasy. As if they’d been destined for one another since the beginning of time.
Which meant that she was either going insane, or the stress of being confronted by a dangerous invader was befuddling her poor brain.
The man stared at her in silence, his gaze taking a slow inventory of her stiff body before returning to meet her bewildered gaze.
“Who are you?” he rasped.
“Bianca Ford,” she breathed.
His brows snapped together, his nose flaring as if her name had somehow offended him.
“You’re Joshua Ford’s wife?”
“No.” She shook her head. So he wasn’t just a random intruder. He knew her father. Or at least he knew this was her father’s house. “His daughter.”
He continued to glare at her, but she could almost sense a portion of his outrage ease.
“Where is he?” he demanded.
Bianca briefly considered lying, only to give a small shrug.
Her father traveled to Miami several times a month. It wasn’t exactly a secret.
“He’s flying to Florida.”
There was something that sounded like a low growl that rumbled deep in his chest.
“Don’t lie to me.”
She blinked, wondering why it suddenly felt so hot. “I’m not. I swear it’s the truth.”
Clearly the man had expected to find Joshua at home. “Shit. When will he be back?”
“I don’t know. He’s usually gone a few days. Sometimes a week.” She licked her dry lips. “Who are you?”
“I’m the one asking the questions,” he snapped.
Her spine stiffened. He was stunningly gorgeous, and she couldn’t deny that there was a part of her that remained weirdly captivated by his presence.
But he was also a jerk.
The sooner one of the guards came to rescue her the better.
“If you’ll tell me what you want, maybe I can help. Is it money?” she demanded. “I can open the safe.”
He jerked, as if offended she might think he was a common thief.
“I have no need for your money.”
“Then what?”
His lips parted, but before he could speak, his head was swiveling toward the door she’d left open.
“Who’s that?”
; It took a minute for her to catch the sound of approaching footsteps. Yeesh. She’d thought that she had good hearing. This man must have the ears of a bat.
“I assume that it’s Donald,” she said.
Again he stiffened, his eyes flashing with a strange glow. “Your husband?”
She shook her head. Why was he so anxious to assume she was married?
“I don’t have a husband,” she said. “Donald’s my bodyguard.”
He stepped toward her, wrapping her in the warm scent of his skin. It was rich and musky, and it sent odd tingles through the center of her body.
“Why would you need a bodyguard?” he asked.
She sucked in a deep breath, the tantalizing musk making it difficult to think.
What was wrong with her?
“My father’s a little overprotective,” she admitted in distracted tones.
He studied her with an unnerving intensity. “Is he?”
“I suppose most father’s feel the need to keep their daughters safe,” she babbled.
“He must love you very much,” he murmured.
Did he love her? It was the second time that night that Bianca found herself considering the question. And once again, she fiercely told herself that he must care for his only child. After all, he spent a fortune providing her with a comfortable home and plenty of food, plus an expensive education.
“I…yes, of course he does,” she forced herself to say.
A sudden smile curled his lips. A smile that didn’t reach his glowing eyes.
“Let’s put that to the test.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“We’re taking a trip together.”
“What?” She took a hasty step back. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
His smile widened, revealing pearly white teeth. “It wasn’t an invitation.”
Fear returned, thundering through her as she tried to scramble away.
“No.”
Moving forward, the stranger reached out to wrap his arms around her. Then, with fluid ease, he scooped her off her feet and headed toward the French doors.
“Easy, female,” he murmured as she pressed against his chest and kicked her feet. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
It was insane, but she believed him. Perhaps because it was obvious he intended to use her as some sort of bargaining chip against her father. Or perhaps because she still couldn’t shake the sensation that he was more than just a stranger.