chapter 24
Nathan dropped the empty gun and surveyed the scene. A kill shot between the eyes had taken out the first guy, and a bullet to the heart had stopped the second. The third guy, the one yelling directions at the other two as he had hidden behind an open car door, had taken a bullet to the knee. He finally moved away from the SUV, his eyes a wild black and filled with desperation. Not exactly someone trained in combat. Good.
No emotion, no frantic thoughts zipped through Nate’s brain. Immediate calculations clicked through his thoughts. One target, holding a Smith & Wesson Black Ops Spring Assist Knife. Two dead from his hands, no threat there. Over to the left, Matt fought hand to hand with one man, while another bled out on a pile of old newspapers.
Audrey’s heart beat rapidly from the other side of the car, and the baby’s kept pace.
With measured steps, Nate kept advancing on the wounded man. “I have one alive here,” he said loud enough for Matt to hear. “Finish yours.”
A neck snapped with the finality of a quick death, and Nate didn’t bother looking. His brother wasn’t even breathing heavily.
Only one survivor. That’s all Nate needed.
His heart rate remained calm and steady, and no emotion clouded his movements. Just as he’d been trained. Quick as a snake, he kicked the knife out of the guy’s hand.
Blood slid down the guy’s face from a head wound probably sustained in the crash. Fury lit his black eyes, and more blood matted his stringy blond hair to his head. “You’re dead,” he growled.
Nate struck for the gut, doubling the guy over. A kick to the injured knee, and the man went down, dropping the knife. The blade imbedded in a discarded A&W Root Beer cup. Almost casually, Nate lifted the phone to his ear and speed-dialed Shane.
“What?” Shane asked, chewing on something.
“How soon can you get a tow truck to the middle of Jackson Street outside of Arlington to the west?” he asked, pressing his boot against the downed man’s jugular. The guy started to flop like a snake worshipper about to sing in tongues.
“Fifteen.” Shane stopped chewing and started moving. “I’ll have to steal it.”
“Hurry.” Nate clicked off.
“You have any tape?” Matt called.
Nate pressed harder with the heel of his boot. “No.” He slid his foot free, leaving an imprint of his boot swelling on the guy’s neck. Dropping to his haunches, Nate claimed the knife still stuck in the soda cup. He stood and stabbed himself in the chest.
The guy screamed.
Nate smiled and drew the knife down through the fat suit. He couldn’t stand the heat any longer, finally shucking the stupid thing. Cool air brushed his bare chest, and he nearly sighed in relief. “That’s better.”
With now-smooth movements, he dropped to his haunches, hand on the knife. He struck with a clean swipe to the chin. Red spurted instantly. “Hello,” he said casually.
The guy’s dark eyes darted around frantically. His hands curled into fists on the dirty rocks.
“There’s nobody left but you.” Nate wiped the knife off on the man’s dark shirt. “Know why?”
The guy swallowed, his eyes filling. “No. Why?”
“You’re the guy in charge, right?” Nate ignored the sound of Matt opening and shutting SUV doors as he searched for tape. “I heard you calling the shots.”
“Yes.” The guy looked over at his dead buddies, his face contorting in pain and fear.
Nate tapped the knife against the guy’s chest, regaining his attention. “What’s your name?”
“Jon.” He swallowed several times. “I have money. Anything you want. Don’t kill me.”
“How much money, Jon?” Nate opened his senses to the empty lots and abandoned buildings all around them. No heartbeats, no cameras. A report of shots may have been called in, but the police wouldn’t arrive to this area any time soon.
“Anything you want.” Jon eyed the knife. “Just don’t kill me.”
“Found duct tape,” Matt called out. “Not ideal, but it’ll do.”
Relief loosened the rigid muscles in Jon’s face. “You’re taking me hostage?”
“No.” Nate maneuvered the blade under Jon’s chin. “The tape isn’t for you.”
Fear scented the air. “What do you want?” Jon asked.
“I want to know why.” Nate didn’t see a need to expand.
“The woman.” Jon glanced at Audrey’s demolished car. “I’m supposed to get the woman.”
For the first time, anger pricked between Nate’s stoicism. “Why?”
Tears filled Jon’s eyes. “I can’t tell you.”
“Then I don’t need you alive.” Nate lifted a shoulder in a shrug and started to dig in with the knife.
“Wait!” Snot slid from Jon’s nose. “They’ll kill me if I say anything.”
“You have a more immediate threat to your life.” Nate saw no reason to lie. “I have no problem ending you right now.”
Jon sniffed. “Okay. We were told to get the woman. She was with Darian Hannah when he died, and she has information we want.”
Nate leaned down. “Information about what?”
“Beyond my pay grade, buddy.” Jon sighed, his body relaxing. “The people I’m with, they don’t share everything. She knows something.”
Nate scraped the blade over Jon’s Adam’s apple. “Does her knowledge come from Darian or 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 a*shole 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.”
* * *
Audrey swallowed and tried to look innocent from the dented examination table. Cool air brushed her 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.
* * *
Nate lifted his head as the shower in the other room turned off. Audrey had been in there for nearly 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 step away.”
“No.” As graceful as any dancer, she slid down him, her palms along his legs, to land on her knees. “I don’t think so.”
His cock hardened and pressed against his zipper, fighting to get out of his jeans. Nate held perfectly still. Don’t move. Her mouth was way too close to his dick. Way too close. The beast inside him, the one he secretly doubted held only human DNA, roared with the need to pounce. To take Audrey all the way down and make sure she knew exactly who she belonged to. His woman. Now and forever. “What are you doing?” he asked.
She chuckled, the sound all female and challenging. Staying on her knees, she skimmed her palms up the inside of his legs and his thighs. “I’m perfectly fine, and so are you.”
He groaned, fighting against self-imposed chains. But his feet wouldn’t move. He could easily jump over her and leave the cabin. Yet his feet remained in place, his thighs tightening, all the blood in his body rushing to one place.
The sound of her releasing his zipper echoed much louder than he’d expected in the small cabin. Not even the rain gathering strength outside masked the sound. When he’d changed after the fight, he’d just donned jeans. No shirt, no boxers. With a happy hum, Audrey took him in her hand.
His knees nearly buckled. “Don’t—”
Her tongue flicked out and licked him.
At that one contact, in that one second, the beast in him took over.