Sunday. Safe House, Albuquerque, New Mexico.PRISCILLA DRAGGED HER FINGERS through her hair. Her mouth was dry, her head felt full of cotton. It was like a hangover except she hadn't drank.What the hell?A light tap on the bedroom door had her scrambling off the mattress. Her bra prodded her ribs, a reminder that she'd fallen asleep fully dressed wrapped around Brenden.She opened the door and Brenden slid through the gap, two mugs of coffee in hand. His hair stuck up on one side and there were still wrinkles on his cheek from the pillow. And just like her he'd slept in yesterday's clothes.A laugh bubbled up out of her."What?" He handed her a mug."I can't remember the last time I passed out like that." She cradled her mug, the heat and aroma helped made the morning more real. "What time is it? Is anyone else awake?""Riley's on security." Brenden's hand slid along her back as he passed her to sit on the edge of the mattress.Priscilla joined him, perching on th
Sunday. Safe House, Albuquerque, New Mexico.BRENDEN NEEDED OUT OF this house. He had to think. To process.He took the mugs into the kitchen, his skin still buzzing from Priscilla's touch.Last night did not make sense any way he looked at it. He very rarely had a restful night's sleep. It was something he'd grown accustomed to. When on the job he'd often get up and share surveillance duty, allowing whoever was on to get a break. At home he used that time to do small chores. It was routine. Nothing about his wonky sleep schedule bothered him.What he couldn't wrap his head around was that he'd fallen asleep while talking, fully dressed and weighted down by a warm woman.He'd never been diagnosed with anything. The doctors he'd seen had ruled out PTSD, depression and a whole host of other typical suspects. Did he have guilt that he'd survived and so many hadn't? Yeah, but he never allowed that to rule his life. He just didn't sleep well and sometimes his nightmares brought
Sunday. Albuquerque, New Mexico.PRISCILLA'S TEMPLES THROBBED, CREATING a full body ache thanks to the adrenaline pumping through her. She crouched in the relative shelter of the pantry, Melody kneeling in front of her, holding a gun. The only light came from under the door, but it was enough.The shooting had stopped.Out in the desert she'd heard the gunfire, had even seen it in the beginning, but it had always been at a distance. Far enough away it didn't feel quite real to her.This time she'd felt the vibrations of bullets tearing through drywall. The deafening blasts were close.Priscilla had prepared herself to defend against one or two people. Three if she was lucky. But a small army with guns?This was outside her realm of reality. She'd always told herself she was a badass, but today proved she was all talk when it came to the serious shit.Melody's hand wrapped around Priscilla's wrist. "It's over.""How do you know?" She said in a whisper."Clear," a vo
Sunday. Safe House, Chicago, Illinois.BRENDEN STARED OUT OF the windows of the high-rise apartment. Seeing as the main Aegis headquarters was a ways out of the city, the company owned several properties here. Including this upscale apartment used as both a safe house and guest space for clients. He'd been here more times than he could count.A lot more times than he'd visited his family that was for sure.It was a thought that hadn't bothered him until today.Before moving to Seattle Brenden had made a token effort. He'd show up when he had to, but once he'd relocated from Chicago, he hadn't seen a reason to come back. The distance had always been a good thing.Warmth radiated against his back and he knew without looking that Priscilla was there.His gaze focused on the bit of movement reflected back at him, watching her figure then her features emerge in the glass."Settle in okay?" he asked."Yeah. Man, this is some view, isn't it?""Yeah.""I haven't been to
Monday. Safe House, Chicago, Illinois.PRISCILLA SLICKED ON A little gloss then stood back, giving her reflection a once over.She hadn't slept. Not even a little dozing. She'd been too angry. Then because her body was still recovering from the crash she couldn't go to the gym like she wanted. Midnight yoga then a bath was about as much as she could handle, and even that brought up memories.Baths would forever be ruined for her. She just couldn't sit there and not remember that huge soaker tub and Brenden holding her limp body.Fuck him.She'd thought they were similar. That they were both creating new lives. She'd been wrong.He was happy living in his rut, alienated from family, stuck in a bog, living the same thing day after day.Priscilla wanted more.He'd woken up the desire for companionship in her.Before Brenden she'd accepted that all men were in some form of competition with her. Now she had to wonder if there was someone out there like Brenden who could
Monday. Chicago, Illinois."WHERE THE FUCK DID they go?" Brenden twisted in his seat to stare at the eighteen wheeler that had narrowly missed crashing into them."Shit!" Nolan slammed on the brakes.The SUV skidded then hit something, throwing Brenden forward. If it weren't for the seatbelt snapping tight, he'd have hit the dash."Mother fucker," he snarled.He knew without looking this wasn't an accident. Blindly he groped for his weapon, pushing aside the dull ache from the collision.Priscilla was back there where he couldn't see her and he knew she was the target. The one they wanted.Brenden ignored the stabbing pain in his neck and lifted his too-heavy head to stare at two gunmen. Unlike the thugs from New Mexico these people were professionals. It was their gear, the weapons, how they held themselves. These were people on their level, and they'd kill Brenden before he could get to Priscilla."Grant? Riley?" Nolan said, his voice coming through the earpiece as
Monday. Asclepius Health, Chicago, Illinois.BRENDEN STARED DAGGERS AT the self-important officer taking his sweet time signing off on returning their gear.This was a waste of their fucking time.Cops had rolled up several minutes after Priscilla's abduction. Zain had been able to trace her phone and tracking bracelet to a block away. After that, he couldn't find anything. The cops had acted on what they'd seen and assumed their team was the problem. After a lengthy back and forth, involving their boss, lawyers and calling their clients at Asclepius, they should be on their way. But here they were, killing more valuable moments.The trail was cold.Priscilla and her kidnappers were long gone.A team like that, who knew what they were doing, should have her whisked away in moments. They'd change vehicles, drivers. Priscilla had vanished right from under his damn nose. And they all knew what was going to happen to her if they didn't find her."Guys?" Melody came around
Monday. Unknown.BY THE TIME THE third car she'd been in stopped, Priscilla was practically hogtied. She'd failed in the garage, but had gathered her wits to make a go of running for it when the car stopped a second time. Her kidnappers were ready for her though. They'd been on her in a second and gagged her.What good were all those years of training?She'd utterly fucked up from the moment she'd thrown up on her attacker. She was better than this.Anger fueled her as she was dragged between two men through an attached garage and kitchen into the main room of a house she'd never seen before.Her spit-soaked gag made breathing hard. More of her ached.God, what if they killed her? What if it really happened?Brenden would never know how she felt. She'd never get the chance to tell him he was missing out or change his mind. She knew he cared about her. They had something special, and it would die with her.When was the last time she'd spoken to her parents? Her sister