chapter 1
Washington, DC
Present Day
The glittering hotel ballroom teemed with reptiles and predators more dangerous than any snake or rebel fighter Nate had killed in humid jungles far from home. These masked their true natures with designer suits and red lipstick as they used the sword of power in another typical fund-raiser for some useless cause. He could put them all down within seconds.
Or maybe he just needed to follow his younger brother’s advice and stay the hell away from people for a while.
Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to seek solitude.
The kill chip implanted near his spine pulsed as his heart rate sped up, forcing blood quickly through his veins. Veins much too close to the abnormal killing device. So he counted evenly to control his heart, eyeing the exits from the opulent ballroom, estimating how many security guards stood at watch. At least seven had been provided by the hotel, while several more, dressed in Armani, chatted with partygoers as if they belonged.
They didn’t belong amid the rich and powerful any more than Nate did.
The difference was that Nate liked it that way.
Even so, he’d donned a Brioni tuxedo that had earned him more than one come-hither glance since he’d arrived at the fund-raiser—from women and a couple of men. A fake beard covered his jaw, while brown contacts masked his eye color. But there was no way to hide his height or the breadth of his chest, so he used them to his advantage in the sleek suit.
Even with his size, hiding in plain sight was one of his specialties.
His heart rate slowed, and he tuned in to the mundane conversations around him. With his enhanced hearing, he often had to filter most noise or he’d go insane. But tonight he listened for one woman, opening up his senses. Heart and respiratory rates had signatures—tempo, rhythm, and something too difficult to explain—and right now he hunted for one he’d once known well.
She didn’t seem to be in the large ballroom.
A group of lobbyists argued to his left, while two women in glittering sheaths spoke over champagne glasses to his right. The men argued about the next Super Bowl, and the women disagreed over international relations with China.
He bit back a grin and maneuvered between tables, once again shoving the bombarding sounds into a box.
While the ability to hear a penny hit the ground outside the raucous gathering gave him the edge he needed, now he required a clear head. This might be the most difficult job he’d ever taken, but if he or his brothers were to survive, he needed to find the one woman he’d never thought he’d seek.
Only to save his brothers from their kill chips would he even attempt to speak with her again. She’d broken his heart once, and once was enough. He had never believed in second chances—for himself or for anybody else.
But his one true job in life, the reason he had purpose, was to protect his brothers. So he’d storm hell once again to do what he needed to do.
“Excuse me.” A petite blonde in sparkling red brushed her breasts against his arm. “Do I know you?”
“No.” He fell back on training and pasted on a charming smile. “Much to my dismay.”
She twittered, and bloodred lips curved in a smile. Even in the four-inch spiked heels, she had to tip back her head to meet his gaze. She licked her lips. “I’m sure we’ve met.”
He had the oddest urge to back away from her voracious smile. What did she want? His supersenses allowed him to pay attention to the security patrolling the room while also monitoring her eye movements so he could discern the truth. As a liar, she wasn’t bad. But they didn’t know each other. “I’m afraid we haven’t met.”
“Let’s remedy that situation.” She stepped closer, and the scent of strong floral perfume gathered around them.
From her breathing and the slight dilation of her pupils, he could tell she’d probably imbibed at least three glasses of champagne. If he’d needed a companion to use as cover, she would’ve been perfect. But this was a solo mission.
A heartbeat echoed in his head, shoving away all other sounds. Thump. Thump. Thump. Familiar and once dear—he knew that beat. Slowly, he turned toward the doorway to the smaller room.
Audrey.
This was the closest he’d been to her in five years. His focus remained on the stunning woman across the room. His entire body tensed, and adrenaline flooded his system. He’d been gifted the genetic ability to control his body responses, and usually he was the best. But at the moment, he might as well be a robot on the fritz and not a trained, unfeeling assassin.
She’d thinned out in the five years they’d been apart, shedding the last vestiges of her teenage years. Nicely muscled arms showed health, while faint circles under her eyes hinted that she worked too hard.
He already knew how hard she worked, considering he’d been tailing her for a week. From a distance. Hoping to get a glimpse of her child. Their child.
Even after seven whole days, one look at her and his body short-circuited. That had to end.
Her dress covered high breasts in a way that was both alluring and modest, while the high heels accented toned legs. Those legs had felt amazing wrapped around his hips, and sometimes, when dreams intruded, he could still feel her. Smell her. Taste her.
She smiled at a man gesturing wildly to another man. Nate idly tuned in to the conversation, noting it centered around tort reform.
“Well.” The blonde in front of him spun on a heel and huffed off.
He’d forgotten all about her. If she had been a threat, she could’ve stabbed him in the gut. He wouldn’t have seen it coming.
Yet another example of why he needed to stay away from Audrey Madison.
Even so, he slid his champagne glass onto a table and strode toward the smaller ballroom. It was time to find the truth—whether Audrey liked it or not.
* * *
Somebody was watching her. Audrey Madison glanced around the opulent ballroom, her face remaining calm while her heart roared into overdrive. She’d navigated a lonely childhood, surviving with finely honed instincts. The need to fight or flee lived in her daily moments.
Now was the time to flee.
Elegant and sexy, her black cocktail dress wrapped tightly around her fit form and wouldn’t hinder her escape. Unfortunately, the three-inch Jimmy Choo heels needed to be kicked off, a necessity made nearly impossible by the two U.S. senators currently debating tort reform to her left.
She automatically smiled at a pun from her boss, Senator Nash. He’d slicked back his gray hair and trimmed his mustache, making him look more like a rancher playing dress-up than ever before.
She turned and took a sip of champagne while searching unobtrusively for the threat.
Men in tuxedos and women in stunning dresses scattered throughout the most prestigious hotel ballroom in Washington, DC. Tension rode high in the party atmosphere due to the hint of power threading through the air. The attendees of the political fund-raiser either had power and were desperate to hold on to it, or they were filching at tendrils and grappling to claim more.
Her reason for being there differed. Somewhat.
In fact, she’d give her seven-hundred-dollar shoes away in a nanosecond for the opportunity to curl up with comfy socks and Little Women. Sure, it was a classic, but it was about siblings and a nicer time. She owned several dog-eared copies.
The idea that people in real life could have families and make homes was as much fiction as the novels she read. Audrey’s talent lay in subterfuge and not in homemaking, unfortunately. She’d love to have kids and make the world a fun place for them—from birthday parties to the everyday cutting of crusts off sandwiches. Carol Brady from the Brady Bunch had the best job around, in Audrey’s opinion. Not only did Carol have a safe life, but she had a family. A real one.
Audrey took another sip of champagne, searching for the source of her unease. Where was the threat?
Her gaze swept past the two imposing soldiers dressed in suits standing by the outside exit, pretending to chat. They’d been following her for weeks, and they were certainly owned by the commander. He’d been having her followed, and the only explanation she could come up with was that he’d lost trust in her. If he’d ever had any.
He’d put her in the political world as an aide to a powerful senator to further the commander’s agenda, and if he discovered her own agenda, he’d have her killed.
But the two guys watching her proved that the commander wasn’t sure yet—she was still standing.
No, a stronger predator stood near. She felt him.
As if drawn by a magnet, her focus landed on a man leaning casually against the doorway leading to the dance floor. He looked familiar, but she couldn’t quite place him until recognition slammed into her, heating her ears and weakening her knees. It couldn’t be. It really couldn’t be.
Her fingers lightened their hold around the champagne flute, and she clutched tight to keep from dropping the delicate crystal.
How could Nathan be here? Heat flowed through her so quickly her lungs seized. Panic flared into her veins, and furious tears pricked the backs of her eyes. In a nanosecond, her entire central nervous system snapped like a live wire.
His gaze held hers captive as he lifted one lip in a mocking grin.
That one minor, sarcastic move dashed any silly dream she’d harbored of his finding her. Rescuing her. Declaring he still loved her and offering her a chance at a life with him.
At the realization, a very welcomed anger swept away her panic. She lifted her flute and silently toasted him, taking a deep drink and keeping his gaze, no matter how much the contact stung. Then, with a gentle smile, she turned to the men and excused herself.
Slowly, as if she had all the time in the world, she maneuvered around people, her hips nearly swaying. After five years of physical therapy, she almost walked without a limp. The high heels were in celebration of her doctor’s visit two weeks earlier, where the doctor proclaimed her leg was as good as it was going to get.
Now all she needed was a confirmation that her last surgery three months ago had repaired her internally and she could finally relax. Concentrating on walking smoothly, she made her way toward the dance floor and to him.
Even as she kept up a calm fa?ade, her mind raced. He had to get out of there. Didn’t he realize the commander still hunted him? For years she’d figured she’d be the bait to bring Nathan back, but she hadn’t thought he was stupid enough to seek her out. Especially in public.
The commander would have no problem causing a scene if it meant reclaiming one of the Gray brothers.
She reached Nate’s side and almost recoiled from the heat and familiar scent of the man. Male and spice, something undeniably dangerous—Nathan. All Nathan.
Instead, she held out a hand as if they’d never met. As if he didn’t still occupy every dream she had after falling into an exhausted sleep. “Hello. I’m Audrey.”
Nathan’s hand engulfed hers in a touch so familiar her heart broke all over again, even while desire unfurled inside her abdomen. “Jason McGovern. I work for the Neoland Corporation as a lobbyist.”
Ah. Good choice. Several executives from flush technology firms were in attendance at the ball. Audrey extracted her hand and forced an interested smile as she studied him. He had inserted brown contacts to mask his unusual gray eyes, but the longer brown hair seemed to be his. She had wondered if he would grow it out after escaping the military group that had raised him. A shadow lined his jaw, also looking natural. He’d definitely hardened even more in the five years they’d been apart. “Your disguise doesn’t hide much,” she whispered.
He lifted a muscled shoulder that revealed the true predator lurking beneath the classic jacket. “I’m done hiding.”
Those three innocuous words flared her neurons awake in terror. He had to stay underground, away from the commander and his men. “You can’t beat them.” Nobody could beat them. “Leave now, Nathan. Please.” She needed him alive, even if he hated her. The world had to keep him in it.
“Now, Audrey, you actually sound like you care.” He claimed her flute and finished the remaining champagne in two drinks, his lips covering the same spot she’d used. The hard cords of his neck flexed.
Feminine awareness zinged through her body and pebbled her nipples. The man had always been dangerous, yet an edge lived in him now that was as appealing as it was deadly. That edge tempted her on a primal level she’d hoped had disappeared when he had. Apparently not.
To mask her unwelcome desire, she moved to go. “Well, enjoy your night.” She expected him to stop her retreat and wasn’t surprised when his calloused hand wrapped around her bare upper arm, but she hadn’t anticipated his next words.
“Let’s dance.” He turned her toward the dance floor.
She balked. “No.” She couldn’t dance with him, couldn’t be touched by him.
“Yes.” His hold slid down to the back of her elbow, and he ushered her toward where the orchestra was playing “I Will Wait for You” by Michel Legrand. The warmth in Nate’s touch flared her nerves to life in an erotic need she’d worked hard to overcome.
She could either cause a scene or go along with him. Didn’t he understand if she protested, he’d be a dead man?
He turned and pulled her into his arms.
The bittersweet moment her body met his stole her breath away, while memories of passion and love assailed her. For the briefest of times, she’d belonged in the safe circle of his arms. The only time in her life she’d been truly happy and not alone. Ah, the dreams she’d spun, even though she’d known better.
Happily-ever-after didn’t exist for her. Hell, it didn’t exist for anybody.
The music wound around them, through them, proclaiming a romance that couldn’t really exist. His heated palm settled at the small of her waist.
Every instinct she had tempted her to slide against him, to burrow into his warmth. Her mind fought to keep her body calm, but her brain had never triumphed when dealing with Nathan. Her heart had ruled and in the end had been shattered.
Not again.
“Nate—”
“Shhh.” He tightened his hold and drew her into an impressive erection.
She gasped, her face heating, her sex convulsing. Blinking, she glanced up to see if the contact affected him, and stilled at the look in his eyes.
Furious. The man was truly furious. Even with the contacts masking his eyes, his anger shone bright.
She tried to step back but he kept her where he wanted her. Yeah, she knew she’d hurt him when she’d ended their relationship, but after nearly five years, he shouldn’t still be so mad. He’d had freedom for five years, which was a heck of a lot better than she’d had. She’d had pain and fear and uncertainty. She blinked. “What is wrong with you?”
His impossibly hard jaw somehow hardened even more. “Oh, we’ll discuss that shortly.” Threat lived strongly in the calm words. “For now, we’re going to finish this dance. Then you’ll take the north exit and meet me in my car so we can talk.”
“If I don’t?” she asked quietly, awareness quickening her breath.
His hands flexed. “I know where you live, I know your daily routine in working for Senator Nash, and I know where you go when you need time alone. You can’t hide, you can’t outrun me—and you know it.”
The hairs on the back of her neck rose. “How long have you been watching me?” More importantly, why hadn’t she noticed?
“A week. Long enough to know the two apes near the doorway are following you, too. What’s up with that?” His hold tightened just enough to show his strength.
She shrugged. “They haven’t made a move, so I’m not worrying about it.” Not true, and by the narrowing of Nate’s eyes, she knew he could still smell a lie a mile away. “The commander is having me followed.”
Nate’s jaw clenched. “Why?”
“Dunno.” They didn’t have time to discuss it. “You should go now.”
“No.” He spun her, easily controlling their movements.
Her leg hitched, and she stumbled against him.
He frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” None of his business, that was. “What do you want to talk about?”
His gaze narrowed, and he spun her again. She tripped again. Her stupid leg didn’t move that way. She glanced toward the doorway and the two soldiers watching her. They’d straightened to alert stances. She tried to look normal.
“What’s wrong with your leg?” Nate asked, brows furrowing.
Oh, they were so not going into her injuries on the dance floor. “You almost sound like you care.” She threw his words back at him, gratified when his nostrils flared.
His gaze probed deep, wandering down her neck. He blinked several times, his chest moving with a harsh intake of breath. “I like your dress,” he rumbled, his voice a low whisper.
With his tight hold, she had no doubt the tops of her breasts were visible. “Nathan, don’t—”
“Don’t what?” His gaze rose to her lips. A light of a different sort percolated through his angry eyes. She knew that look. Her body heated and her thighs softened. His erection jumped against her, and she bit down a groan.
“One kiss, Audrey.”
Her eyes widened to let in more light. “No,” she breathed. One of his hands held hers, the other pressed against her back. Thank goodness. He couldn’t grab her and kiss her, no matter how appealing the thought. “Bad idea.”
“I know.” Nate didn’t need hands. His lips met hers so quickly, she never saw him move.
His mouth covered hers with no hesitancy, no question—as if he had every right to go deep. His tongue was savage and demanding, holding nothing back and accepting no evasion. He tasted of loneliness, anger, and lust. Hard, needy, demanding lust.
The men at the door were watching.
But her body didn’t care—instantly igniting instead of bolting. Her heart thundered in her ears, and she fell into his heat, uncaring of whether he caught her. He wrapped around her, his unyielding body holding her upright. He caressed her with his tongue, and she met him thrust for thrust, fierce pleasure lighting her on fire.
She forgot where they were, who they were, everything but the desperate need he created.
He broke the kiss, blatant male hunger crossing his face. His breath panted out even as he moved them in tune with the music.
She softened against him, allowing him to lead so she didn’t collapse. Her mind whirled, and she shook her head to regain reality. “Nathan, what do you want?” The question emerged as a breathless plea she failed to mask.
That quickly, all hints of desire slid from his face. His chin hardened. “Want? I want to know what happened to the child you were carrying five years ago when you ripped out my heart. Where’s my baby, Audrey?”