1.

Travis’ boots crunched with each step. The Nevada desert was rough terrain at the best of times. Today was not one of those.

The trail had deep ruts on either side just wide enough for an ATV to fit through. Acrid smoke hung low in the air from the house fire not even a mile away. The smoke mixed with the repugnant scent of death, decay, and animal feces, setting the tone for his foul mood.

He held his breath as he topped the hill and the crime scene unfolded in the small valley along the Muddy Mountain. A dozen or more forensics personnel from the Las Vegas police department clustered here and there around yellow markers.

Was this Bliss’ fate?

Would the serial killer treat her like he had these bodies? Or would he do worse?

Daniel Campbell might be the most dangerous serial killer on the loose in decades. And Travis had put Bliss squarely in the man’s crosshairs. This was his fault. The knowledge made him sick.

He should have told Bliss no when she insisted on going with him to rescue her sister, Wendy. If he’d known then that Daniel had Wendy’s entire family under surveillance, he’d have made a different call.

It should have been Travis Daniel went after, not Bliss.

“Travis, thanks for joining us.” Supervisory Special Agent Ryan Brooks strode toward him, arm extended. He breathed federal officer, from the close-cropped hair to the no-nonsense suit. He seemed a little out of place in the middle of the desert, but Travis wasn’t about to underestimate the man. He led the FBI’s Behavior Analysis Unit that specialized in serial killers.

Travis shook the agent’s hand and nodded at the man and woman at his back.

“I’m sorry to meet like this.” Somehow Ryan was able to cram sympathy and briskness into those few words. “This is SSR Connor Mullins and Jade Perez. The rest of our team is at the police station and Bliss’ apartment.”

“They find where the cameras are transmitting to?” Travis asked.

“Not yet, but our tech is working on that remotely,” Ryan replied.

After calling in Bliss’ abduction, it had only taken the cops thirty minutes to locate half a dozen cameras in Bliss’ home and five times that many at her sister’s residence.

The bastard had watched them make love, and then he’d taken her.

“Think you could walk us through what happened yesterday?” Connor’s voice rolled and lilted. Wherever the man was from, it wasn’t America, that was for sure. Travis’s money was on Ireland.

“Sure. Where do you want to start?”

“The beginning. Right now you are our only inside view into David Campbell’s life,” Jade said. The chilly December breeze blew her long, red ponytail over her shoulder.

“What about family? Co-workers?” Travis glanced between them. Someone had to know David better than him.

“Family is deceased, and he worked remotely from home the last two years. To our knowledge, you’re the only person that’s seen him,” Jade replied.

Shit.

Travis might not be an FBI agent with all the training, but he could read between the lines. This was not good news for Bliss. He glanced over Ryan’s shoulder to watch a forensics guy dusting sand off a small mound.

“How many do you think are out there?” Travis nodded at the dump site.

“No telling. They’ve found remains starting at that stone,” Connor gestured at a large rock and then flung his arm wide, “to about fifty yards that way.”

“It will take a while to match all the bodies,” Jade said.

“Wendy said there were three men with her. Even if he kept three men between his kidnapping and dumping of the women that’s...twenty-four possible victims.” Travis’ stomach knotted further.

“They’ve already identified thirty-two skulls,” Jade volunteered.

“Christ.” Travis shook his head. At the least, Daniel Campbell was responsible for forty lives lost once they factored in the women, and probably more.

“I hate to push, man, but we need to know what you know.” Connor took a step closer, standing between him and the scene.

“Yeah, yeah.” Travis nodded and dredged up that first memory of Bliss. “I went to records yesterday morning to pull the case files on the other women, look for similarities. Bliss walked in to report that her sister was missing. I figured, it’s the right time frame, the sister fits the profile, why not follow up on it? So we got some coffee, she told me what happened, that she saw her sister the night before, but yesterday she was gone. We went to Wendy’s house, and that’s when I found the security system had been tempered with. Digging back into the other cases, I was able to find out a few of them had security systems that were monitored by the same company. Between that, and the make and model of the car Wendy left in, we were able to track down David Campbell.”

“How did you know Wendy left in that car?” Jade asked.

“Wendy and her husband live in a gated community. We had a look at the security tape from the night before.” He was pretty sure those moments crammed into the security booth with her were the bedrock of this thing between them. Or maybe he’d been a goner from the moment she walked into the police station.

“But not Bliss?” Jade’s gaze narrowed.

“No. Wendy’s husband, Grayson, is rich. Her family isn’t. Bliss lives in an apartment complex about ten minutes away.”

“Why didn’t you call us or tell the cops when you located David Campbell?” Ryan asked.

“Because by then, Grayson had retained Aegis Group to get his wife back. I had to obey orders first.”

“Like a good soldier,” Connor muttered.

Travis ignored the comment. He was a SEAL. It was who he was. If the agent didn’t like it, he could fuck off.

“Why’d you bring her here? Why not leave her at her sister’s house?” Connor asked louder. The man was belligerent and starting to rub Travis the wrong way.

“Her sister’s mental state. She argued that I might do more harm to her than good if I had to manhandle her out of the situation. Since it appeared to be low risk, I agreed.” How did he explain to them the passionate way Bliss spoke? He was still positive that if he hadn’t taken her with him, she’d have done her best to follow him.

“Walk us through the rescue,” Ryan prompted. He glanced at Connor, who ignored the pointed look.

“I approached the house from the northwest on foot. I didn’t know at the time no one was home. I saw the path, followed it, and found Wendy. I had to tranq her to get her out of the cell. On my way back I saw that Bliss had driven up to the house. I made a beeline for the truck, secured Wendy in the back seat, and that was when I heard a shotgun blast. Bliss exited the house, followed by Daniel. I returned fire, covering her until she could get in the SUV, and we got out of there as fast as we could.”

“Did Wendy mention the other victims?” Jade asked.

“Yeah.” Travis nodded. “Called them Stumpy and something else. They told her about the other victims, how they wound up there.”

“And that was?”

“According to Wendy, Daniel kills the men, who he calls his test subjects, around the time he takes a new wife, as he calls the women. He forced Wendy to marry him at a drive-through wedding chapel under the name of Daniel White.”

“Lali was able to track down a half dozen wedding licenses we think were Daniel’s aliases.” Jade shook her head.

“We think he’s doing that to Bliss?” Connor asked.

“She doesn’t fit his profile. She’s not blonde or born in Vegas,” Ryan said, not looking at Travis.

“What you’re saying is he’s probably using her as a test subject. He wants to get back at her for taking away Wendy.” Travis didn’t flinch from the truth. In the SEALs, they hadn’t had the luxury of ignoring the truth, and it wouldn’t change now. The only difference was him. The agony of knowing these terrible things were happening to Bliss. He’d change places with her in a heartbeat if he could.

“We don’t know that,” Ryan said quickly. “What else do we know about the victims?”

“Did Wendy say anything about the Psycho Club?” Connor asked.

“Killer Club,” Jade corrected.

“No, nothing.”

“We need to talk to Wendy. Find out what she knows,” Ryan said.

“Good luck with that.” Travis chuckled bitterly. “Her husband has her on lockdown.” He curled his hands into fists. If he had the time to worry about Grayson Horton, he’d have already decked the guy.

“Where do we think he’s gone? He torched his house, abandoned his holding cells. The Buick was burned with the house. He has to have a plan,” Jade mussed out loud.

“Who knows?” Connor shrugged.

“He’s detail-oriented. He would have had a getaway plan. We aren’t dealing with a killer on the run yet,” Ryan said.

Travis had tracked criminals and terrorists across deserts, seas, and continents. He was going to find Bliss, and when he did, he would kill Daniel Campbell.

Everything hurt.

It was the first thought that swam up through the fog. Whatever party Bliss had gone to last night must have been something wild.

Who convinced her to go?

Her mouth was dry, and someone had let a herd of elephants loose in her head. It must be the landscapers. They always seemed to mow the tiny patch of grass outside her bedroom window for half an hour. They had the worst timing.

The bed lurched, and Bliss reached out to catch herself. Her hand smacked into a metal bar. Light stabbed her bleary eyes.

This wasn’t her bedroom.

She gasped for breath and blinked away the crud matting her eyelashes.

This could not be happening.

No, no, no.

Bits of last night teased her memory, but she hurt so bad.

What was going on? Was she going to die?

Across from her, shelves lined the wall. Strapped in like precious cargo were glass jars.

Glass...jars...

She squinted. Where had she seen those before? It was recent.

Light slashed in through the window above her, illuminating the jars.

Oh my God.

Daniel Campbell. She’d seen them in his house.

The diesel engine chugged loud enough to block out her thoughts.

She pressed her hand to her mouth and tried to pull her legs up, but the space was too narrow for her to do anything but lie on her back or maybe her side.

What happened? Where was she? Was Wendy okay? Had he hurt Travis?

Snatches of memory swirled in her head. They’d rescued Wendy, Grayson had arrived from London, and Travis had taken her home. After that it got a little fuzzy. They’d kissed and she knew there was more she couldn’t recall.

Had Daniel killed Travis? Was he dead?

Hot tears pricked her eyes.

Why her? Why this?

The overwhelming sense of dread settled on her, and the weight of it was suffocating.

Bliss didn’t want to die. Not like this. Who would take care of Wendy? What about her bucket list? There were so many things she wanted to see and do before she died.

She drew in a shaky breath and covered her mouth.

Panicking never solved problems. That’s what she told Wendy. When something bad happened, she needed to take stock of her situation and make a plan. That approach had weathered the storms before, why not now?

Bliss inhaled and wrapped mental arms around all her fear, anguish, and sorrow. She shoved it into a mental closet and locked the door. There was time to fall apart when she was dead. But for now she was still alive, and Daniel Campbell had no clue who he was messing with. She might not be a badass SEAL, but she’d never rolled over and given up for anyone. Someone would come for her, and when they did, she intended to be alive.

Oh, God.

She gulped down a deep breath.

Freaking out wasn’t going to do her any good.

Bliss peered through the bars, taking in her surroundings. This had to be some sort of converted motorhome. The insides had been gutted. The floor was covered in metal sheeting. A table, or something, was bolted to the center of the narrow space, maybe an arm’s length from her prison. She craned her neck to look toward the back of the motorhome, but it was shrouded in shadow.

The motorhome turned a wide right. She could see out through a few feet of the windshield. An awning blocked out the light. The vehicle lost speed and lurched to a stop.

A gas station.

She shoved her hands down to her sides and closed her eyes, forcing her body to relax.  Playing possum was her only defense right now.

The engine died, allowing the ambient sounds of country and western music to infiltrate the motorhome.

It wasn’t soundproof.

Good to know.

The driver groaned and shifted. He must have stood. One heavy footstep after another on the metal flooring made it easy to track Daniel’s movements to the door. It went against her instincts to remain quiet when it squeaked open, and the motorhome shook with each step down the stairs. The door slammed shut and for a few blessed seconds she relaxed.

She was alone.

Her body hurt, but a quick wiggle of fingers and toes suggested she seemed to be okay. Nothing hurt in a bad way, and nothing was chopped off.

She shifted so she lay fully on her back and began exploring her prison by touch. The bottom was plywood with a thin egg crate laid over it. An act of kindness? Or was that to muffle her sounds? She stomped on the walls at her feet and knocked on the ones over her head. They appeared solid, but not metal like the bars holding her prisoner.

The top of her prison was heavy, but appeared to have some give in it. The hinges were up against the wall, but what was holding it closed was a mystery.

She pulled her knees up as far as she could and wedged them against the top, pushing with everything she had.

The motorhome door opened. She squinted in the sudden light and pain stabbed her behind the eyeballs. She wrinkled her nose and forced herself to see past the pain.

Daniel Campbell.

The man chuckled and climbed into the motorhome.

That sound, it was the stuff of nightmares.

Bliss sucked down air and screamed, praying someone was outside, that they would hear her.

Daniel swore and closed the door behind him.

She grabbed the bars, shook them, and screamed again.

He went to a knee, fumbling with something on the outside and moments later the lid lifted. He swung his arm and punched her, right in the face. Stars lit up her vision, and for a second she couldn’t believe what had just happened. White hot pain seared her nerves. She cradled her face in her hands and rolled away from him, hunching her shoulders. It was instinct more than anything else, a weak attempt to protect everything vital.

“You shut up, or I’ll slice your throat now. They’d like that—my children. You’re only alive right now because you’re useful.” He dug a hand into her hair and pulled her backward, until she had no choice but to look up at him.

He held a syringe in his hand.

Her neck twinged, and a memory broke loose from the fog.

Wendy had called. Bliss had left her bed, no, she’d left someone.

Travis.

Travis had been in her bed.

She’d left him to go call Wendy back and something bit her.

No, it was Daniel.

She held up her arms, weakly trying to fend him off, but he jabbed the needle into her forearm. He shoved whatever was inside into her veins, watching her.

“W-why are you doing this?” she asked. There wasn’t a reason she could accept in existence, but she still wanted to know.

“Because I can,” he replied.

Her vision hazed, fading to black and all the fight leeched out of her.

She wasn’t dying, but she might as well be. She wasn’t a SEAL, she had no training. It was only a matter of time until Daniel killed her. Just like the other women.

––––––––

2.

Travis peered through the binoculars. By all appearances, the mansion on the hill was just that, a luxurious getaway outside of Las Vegas. That was, until one of the security guards came into sight. Even the most A-list celebrity didn’t have security packing semi-automatic weaponry, unless they were looking for attention. From his vantage point above the outpost, Travis could document the comings and goings of all the personnel assigned to Grayson Horton’s security detail.

Wendy had just become the most protected asset in America, and Bliss was paying the price.

What chapped Travis’ ass the most was that these weren’t just any hired toughs. These were federal agents. Badge carrying CIA officers. Which might explain some of Grayson’s hesitance about speaking to the FBI. The two agencies didn’t always play nicely together.

The phone in Travis’ pocket vibrated. For a moment he considered ignoring the call. Chances were it was Ryan Brooks calling him again to relay some bit of knowledge that wouldn’t help him find Bliss.

It wasn’t Ryan.

“Tell me something good, Gavin,” Travis said.

Next to the FBI’s technical analyst, Gavin might be his best shot at getting a lead on Daniel’s current whereabouts.

“Bliss’ cell phone last pinged off a tower off I-95 north of Vegas at four this morning.” Gavin was all business, unlike yesterday. No one at Aegis liked that someone had been kidnapped from under their noses. By now, everyone at the home base would know.

“Shit. There’s everything north of Vegas.” Still, it cut out the lower half of the country.

“I’m still working on Campbell’s history. The FBI doesn’t want to share, so you might get the same thing twice.” Keys clicked and things beeped in the background.

“I’m fine with that. Maybe the second time around it’ll jog something lose.”

“You about to go pay our CIA friend a visit?”

“Friend is a bit much.”

“Cool.”

“Hey, in my email I have a folder called KC. Look through it. See if it doesn’t help in the search for Campbell.”

“You want me to hack into your email?” Gavin asked. The sound of keys clicking in the background stopped.

“Don’t you already do that?” Travis chuckled.

“Well...yeah.”

“Then get to it.”

“What’s KC stand for?”

“Killer Club.”

“Okay...”

“It’s the project I’ve been looking into for the FBI. A club of serial killers.”

“The thing with your sister?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m on it.”

The line went dead, and Travis pocketed his cell phone.

He rose into a crouch and waited for the guard to circle around to Travis’ side of the building.

Three...

Two...

One...

Like clockwork, the CIA agent came into sight.

Travis slid off the outcrop of rock and down a sand and stone embankment. The scrub and brush kept him out of sight from the building below. He hit upon the footpath up to the radio tower at the top of the rise and got his feet under him. For the span of a few seconds he listened, testing the wind and allowing his senses to think for him.

Satisfied he was still undetected, Travis proceeded along the path. Judging from the lack of tracks, no one had bothered to scout up this far from the house.

The property butted up to the rocks with a fence on the other three sides. In theory, this house functioned as a layover and hideout for CIA operatives in the field. It also could double as a command center in case of an attack on the region.

For as high-tech as the structure was, it still had blind spots. Like the cameras that couldn’t be used due to the cluster of nests built around the poles. Because the southwestern willow flycatcher was endangered, the nests couldn’t be touched, and that left the whole back half of the property vulnerable.

Which just went to show that Mother Nature had the last laugh in the end.

He crouched behind the line of decorative boulders that fenced off the pool area. Grayson and Wendy Horton were twenty yards away, safe and snug inside the multi-million dollar mansion.

Travis checked his watch and counted down to the minute mark. The interior sweep at the top of the hour would be concluding, and if he was lucky, the CIA agents were bored and sloppy. If he wasn’t lucky, he might end up with a few more scars to add to his collection.

The time for hiding was over.

He slithered past the rocks, landing on his feet and strode around the pool.

Despite the tinting on the wall of glass, he could still see movement inside.

Travis reached the French doors. He held his breath, bracing for the gunshot and opened the door.

It swung open.

“Oh my God, Grayson!”

Travis ducked into the house as a man threw a weak punch at the air he’d just occupied. He shoved the man against the glass and held him there with his forearm.

“Grayson Horton, I’m Travis Ration,” he said.

“W-what?”

“Grayson, he’s not our enemy.” Wendy stood ten feet away, clutching a baby to her chest. There were dark circles under her eyes, but she’d showered and cleaned up since he last saw her.

“Ma’am? Sir?” Right on cue, a man in a suit strode into the living room, hand at his hip. From the befuddled expression, he hadn’t parsed out yet how or why Travis was there. Some security detail.

“He’s not hurting us,” Wendy said, reaching out to stop the CIA officer with one arm and hefting the baby up with the other.

“What the hell?” Grayson snapped. Travis let Grayson shove him away. “How did you get here?”

“I walked up to the door and let myself in,” Travis replied.

Pampered idiot.

“Who are you?” The CIA officer frowned. He hadn’t even pulled his weapon.

“Have you found Bliss?” Wendy stepped closer, her big brown eyes so much like Bliss’ it hurt to look at her. The sisters were almost complete opposites, except for the eyes.

“Not yet. Got a ping off her cell phone from early this morning. Looks like he was headed north.”

“Back to where...?” Wendy’s voice stuttered and died on her. Chances were she wouldn’t be able to speak about what had happened to her for a long time. The baby in her arms gurgled, content despite his mother’s anxiety.

“No, farther north it seems. He’s gone.”

Wendy sat down on a cream L-shaped sofa. Her tears could have been his, if he knew how to cry. She hugged the baby closer and rest her cheek on his head.

“He’s gone? Are you sure?” Grayson asked. He moved to stand next to his wife and lay a hand on her shoulder. The child waved a hand at his father. “Here. Give him to me”

Travis gritted his teeth and watched the tender exchange. Grayson took the baby and passed her a tissue, sticking close to her side while she fought a losing battle with the tears.

“Sir?” The CIA suit glanced between them.

“Get on already.” Travis waved the agent away.

Grayson nodded, and the suit went without argument.

So much for security.

“Where is he taking her? What are they doing about finding her?” Wendy sniffled and dashed the tears off her cheeks, but they kept coming.

“We don’t know. At this point, he’s disappeared completely. We have no leads.” But there were always leads. This time, Travis and the FBI didn’t have them, but the CIA was another entity altogether. He’d learned that every time someone said there weren’t any. The problem was asking the right people the right questions, and when necessary, applying pressure.

“He won’t get you, Wendy. You’re safe.” Grayson took a knee and gently wiped his wife’s tears away.

“But what about Bliss?” she asked.

Grayson glanced at him.

The man would do anything for Wendy—it might as well be stamped across his forehead—but he didn’t give a damn about Bliss. If he did, the CIA would already be leveraging their considerable weight.

“Your husband could help,” Travis said.

“He could?” Wendy glanced from Travis to Grayson, who suddenly found something interesting on the carpet.

“The people your husband work for could be very helpful.” Travis watched the hunch of Grayson’s shoulders, the furrows on his brow.

Wendy didn’t know.

“They could? How could they help?” She blinked her dark brown eyes at her husband, and Travis knew the man was a goner.

“Honey, let me talk to Mr. Ration for a moment alone, okay?” Grayson helped Wendy to her feet and guided her to a hallway.

He watched her leave before turning to look at Travis.

“She doesn’t know?” he asked.

“No. How the hell did you get in here? There are cameras and two CIA agents.” Grayson strolled to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water.

“I’m the best.” Travis accepted the water Grayson offered, but didn’t take a drink. He never trusted a man backed into a corner, especially when a woman was concerned. “You going to help find Bliss? Or hope Daniel Campbell stays content hacking your sister-in-law to bits?”

“I don’t want Bliss hurt,” Grayson said in a rush, hand up defensively.

“But you aren’t exactly calling in any favors to help her.”

“I...I’m not in good standing with the CIA right now.”

“That’s your problem.”

“I’m not paying you to rescue Bliss. Why do you care?”

Because...the reason was just there, out of view. Bliss was special. She was important.

“Because she’s an innocent in all of this. She wouldn’t have become a target if she hadn’t have been trying to protect Wendy.” Travis set the bottle on the counter and stared at Grayson. “Are you going to let her die, or are you going to do something to help?”

“What do you think I can do?” Grayson spread his hands.

The man might look like a weak patsy, but he was no fool.

“You design buildings. You figure out ways for the American government to hide their spy tech in those buildings. Which means you must know the people at the NSA. The ones who can run facial recognition software on all the security cameras they supposedly aren’t watching.”

Travis pulled out a photograph of Daniel Campbell and pushed it across the marble surface. Grayson frowned at the picture.

“The FBI is on the case. Why can’t they do it?”

“We all know there’s the NSA they tell us about, and then there’s the other one. Ask them, or when Daniel Campbell is done tearing Bliss into bits, he’ll come back for Wendy. A man with a plan this detailed isn’t going to let a loose end go.” His body was cold, numb. He’d never felt this way before. Rescuing people had mattered, but this time, it mattered to him.

Travis pushed off the counter. Time was ticking, and they didn’t have a second to lose.

Daniel stood ankle deep in the fresh powder and inhaled. The weather blowing in would cover his tracks off the main road, and then he could settle in for the winter. By the time spring rolled around, no one would be looking for him. Or the girl.

Speaking of, he needed to check on her. The drugs should wear off before too much longer and he’d need to do something with her. The bench cage was fine for travel, but he didn’t want her underfoot.

He pulled out his keys and examined the compass attached to the ring. With his bearings set, he trudged due west through the trees, counting off his steps. After the first few years, and one close call with the law, Daniel had implemented this back-up plan. A crash spot. The clearing along the hunting path was just big enough to fit his RV, and most importantly, his secret stash.

There.

The A-frame structure was small, not even big enough for a person of any considerable height to stand upright. He pulled the thatch door open. Snow and layers of leaves fell to the ground, but the shelter was otherwise intact. The only things inside were gas cans, and judging by the layer of dirt, they hadn’t been disturbed since his last trek up to check on the site.

He grabbed two cans and made the return trek back to the RV. While he could use the ATV to run out for supplies, the fewer people he saw the better. The gas in the shelter should keep him for two weeks.

A whole winter without the demands of work or society. Months to just be. And experiment. It was enough to make him almost forget the loss of his last wife.

Wendy.

He’d reclaim her someday, but not today.

A metallic clang interrupted his giddy daydreaming.

He frowned and picked up the pace, kicking up snow as he closed in on the Winnebago.

The girl.

She was bound to be a problem. Nothing like her sweet sister.

He tossed the cans down and jerked the door open. The bench top to the cage rattled. Bliss. No, he had to stop thinking of her like that. She was an object. A thing.

His newest test subject had her feet pulled up, as if to kick the lid. No doubt that’s what he’d heard.

Daniel stomped into the RV, leaving clumps of snow on the floor in his wake. It was beyond time to get her settled and out of his way. It would be interesting to see how she survived in this weather, what she could stand.

He unlocked the lid and grabbed a handful of her hair.

“No! No, wait!” She grunted and clutched his wrist as he hauled her to her feet.

The nice thing about being out this far was that there was no one around to hear her scream.

She scratched at his gloves and kicked his ankle, but otherwise she was too weak and clumsy from multiple doses of tranquilizers.

He scooped a length of chain out from under the passenger seat before dragging the female subject outside.

“The air smells fresher here,” he said, pausing for a second to appreciate it.

“Kill me already,” the subject said.

He glanced at her but didn’t respond. Her name was already fading from memory. She was no longer a person, or even a thing with feelings. She was part of his experiment. Part of his great test to figure out just how much a human body could withstand.

Daniel led the subject all the way back to the A-frame and secured his latest pet to the tree and then to the subject by way of a pair of handcuffs. He pointed at the shelter.

“Do your best to not die.”

Yet.

––––––––

3.

“Travis, man, you gotta eat something.” Ethan plopped a bag of fast food down on the hotel room desk.

Travis glanced at it.

He’d had burgers with Bliss yesterday. They’d talked about sex and vibrators. He hadn’t cared they were in a crowded, family establishment. One day with her and now it felt as if he were missing a crucial part of himself.

“Not hungry,” he said.

Travis tossed his clothes into his suitcase and carefully gathered his files while his Aegis Group co-workers, Ethan and Mason, ate. They had their own adjoining rooms, but hadn’t let him be since returning to the hotel.

“Where you going?” the kid, Mason, asked. He was the newest Aegis recruit, barely out of the SEALs.

“Don’t know yet.” Travis zipped the duffel bag and pulled his phone out.

“Where do you think he’s gone?” Ethan asked.

“Not sure yet, but he’d have somewhere outside of Vegas to run to if he needed. Some of the bodies they identified were from as far away as Flagstaff, so we know he travels. I just don’t know what the Vegas connection is.”

“What Vegas connection?” Ethan had forgotten his food and now leaned forward.

“The women. Every one of the women he picks are blonde, born and raised in Vegas, and until Wendy, they’d never had a child. We know he impregnated them, kept them alive until they had the kids, and then killed them. From what Bliss saw, we know he kills and keeps the babies. I’m thinking since he dumped the last two before they carried the babies to term, he just wanted to make sure the women could carry a child.”

“I think I’m going to be sick.” Mason’s lips curled, but he didn’t go anywhere.

“Why not set up here? Wait for him to come back, if Vegas is that important to him?” Ethan suggested.

“No.” Travis shook his head. “He’d keep those women for a year or more if they survived childbirth. If he escapes with Bliss, I don’t think we’d find her.”

“Okay,” Ethan brushed crumbs off his jeans and gestured to the files on the bed, “So saying he—”

Travis’ phone lit up, vibrating and ringing on the bed. He snatched it up and jabbed at the screen.

“What did you find out?” Travis asked.

“We got a hit. I’m not supposed to be able to ask for this kind of favor, but someone turned a blind eye.” Grayson’s voice was hushed and strained. Probably trying to keep Wendy fleeced.

Good luck, buddy.

“Where?” Travis didn’t give a fuck who he owed, not when Bliss’ life was in danger.

“Truck stop. I-95 up around Lake Tahoe.”

“That’s not much of a lead. He could be anywhere up there.” Travis grabbed his bags.

Both Ethan and Mason jumped to their feet, rushing into the adjoining room. Their half-eaten burgers and fries remained on the desk.

“I’ll see what else I can find out, but they got the make, model, and license on that motorhome, and the trailer he’s hauling.”

“Wait. Trailer? What kind? How big?”

“I’ll send the picture to you. It’s small. There’s a tarp over it, so I don’t know what is there. What do your fed friends have?”

“Nothing.”

“Damn. Will this be useful to them?”

“Don’t know. I’m not telling them.”

“What?”

“Later, Grayson.”

Travis hung up and paused at his hotel room door, mentally flipping through the scene at Daniel’s house that morning.

The Buick was there, but not the ATV. They’d rightly assumed he used that to get away, now they knew where to. Somewhere out there, he’d stashed an RV and the means to escape detection.

“We’re ready,” Ethan announced. He strode into Travis’ room, bag slung over his shoulder, followed by Mason.

“What are you doing? Go home,” Travis said.

“No way.” Mason shook his head. The kid was stubborn.

“We can stand here and argue about it, or you can accept that we’re going to fucking help you. What’s it going to be?”

Travis ground his teeth together. It was almost Christmas, and they should be with their families. Except Ethan had no one, not anymore. Travis didn’t know Mason well enough, but if the kid was anything like the rest of them, he probably didn’t have someone keeping the light on.

“Fine. We got to book a plane to Tahoe. Tonight.”

Hang in there, baby, we’re coming for you.

Bliss huddled under the old, moth-eaten blankets. She’d unearthed them from the pile of discarded things in the crevices of the shelter Daniel had left her in. The wind had picked up since the sun set, and icy fingers found their way through every crack and joint in the structure.

Her teeth chattered so loud she feared she might not be able to hear anything approaching. Frozen teardrops still clung to her lashes, but she didn’t bother wiping them away. Instead, she gently examined the business end of a stick she’d salvaged. It wasn’t old or rotten. For the last indeterminable span of time she’d worn one end down into something like a spear.

She wasn’t kidding herself. Even with a collection of stones and her spear wouldn’t deter anything set on eating or killing her. All she had to do was hold on. If she could just hold herself together, Travis would save her. She had to believe he was out there under the same night sky looking for her, otherwise, what hope did she have?

Daniel placed the last child in the half-circle. He smiled at the beautiful, shining faces. He was asking a lot of them to be up this early, but it was worth it. They needed to learn what they were. It was time they knew they weren’t just men and women.

They were gods.

And today they would receive a master lesson in where they stood with the rest of humanity.

He held up his finger to his lips, willing the children to be quiet. Of course they were excited, why wouldn’t they be? Most had only seen his wives. Until now, they weren’t old enough to understand what they were.

The little voices hushed.

They knew what would happen next. Last night he’d let them all watch as he studied his test subject in the dark. She’d never noticed the night vision camera bolted to the top of the structure. In his long years, he saw plenty of subjects attempt to thwart their fate, so her efforts were nothing new. Just one more habit to be broken. Until it accepted its fate.

He grabbed the side of the A-frame and pulled.

The structure splintered and cracked apart.

The subject yelped and screamed. The chain clanged as she scrambled to the side, breaking free from the debris.

She never made it to her feet.

Daniel grabbed her hair and thunked her head against the tree.

She lost her grip on the makeshift weapon and curled in on herself, huddling in the snow like the animal she was.

He crouched next to her. Unlike this subject, he didn’t need a weapon. He was the weapon. He was the creator of her fate.

“Oh my God.” She gulped and stared at his children.

“Look at me,” he snapped.

Her gaze returned to his face. Her pupils were slightly dilated, her focus off. Probably from the knocks to the head she’d taken yesterday and today. Well, that was her fault.

“Children, look at it.” He reached out and pinched her chin between his fingers, directing her to look up so they could see her throat. “This is what we rule over. We make them listen. We make them what we want them to be. This one will be the mother of our subjects. What?”

Daniel tilted his head to catch the faintest of voices.

“No, she will not give you a brother. She’s not worthy of that.” He spat at her feet and stood. “She’ll give us more subjects. More playthings.”

Travis peered into the darkened ranger station. Just his luck people got Christmas Eve off. Tahoe City was blanketed in new snow, and the police were spread too thin this holiday season to be of much help.

They were on their own.

Snow crunched as Ethan approached, phone in hand and a frown on his face.

“Can’t get anyone on the horn about a chopper,” he said.

“What about a small plane? There’s got to be someone who’d want to earn a buck,” Mason suggested. The kid was showing a surprising amount of ingenuity. Too bad the holidays rendered every solution a moot point.

“Nah.” Ethan shook his head. “They’re all short-staffed and grounded thanks to last night’s ice storm. Maybe we could get someone from the south side of the lake though. Sounds like they just got a dusting of powder.”

“Where are the ATV rentals?” Travis asked.

“I don’t know. Let’s find out.” Mason pulled out his phone.

Damn. Google. Why hadn’t he thought of that?

Travis’ brain was seriously scrambled. He should be focused, but every other second his mind went back to last night when he held Bliss. When she pulled him back to bed instead of kicking him out.

This was all his fault.

“Why ATVs?” Ethan asked.

“Daniel used an ATV to dispose of the bodies in a ravine. It was missing from the property when the cops swarmed the place. Grayson said the RV was pulling a trailer with a tarp on it. I’m guessing that was either supplies or the ATV.”

“Why the hell are you just mentioning this?” Ethan scowled.

“Sorry, it was in here.” Travis pointed to his head.

“You’ve got to get your head out of your ass,” Ethan said.

“There’s a bunch of ATV trails around the south side of the lake,” Mason announced. He turned his phone around and showed them a cluster of red dots.

“Let’s hit the road,” Travis said.

“What else haven’t you told us?” Ethan asked, falling into line next to Travis on their way back to the SUV rental. “Start at the beginning.”

“Which beginning?” Travis asked.

“The very beginning. We’ve got a drive ahead of us.”

The very beginning was almost a decade ago. Maybe longer. There was no telling how many bodies littered Daniel Campbell’s past. If they didn’t find her, Bliss could be next.

4.

Bliss hauled the bundle of straw and thatch over the burrow she’d made for herself out of rocks and packed snow. It was slow going. She couldn’t feel her hands, and most of her clothing was either caked in ice or soaked. The handcuffs were the worst. Solid bands of freezing cold metal she couldn’t escape from.

One more step.

One more handful of snow.

One more rock.

Since Daniel had scared her awake that morning, that had been her mantra. One more.

Bliss had never been one for the outdoors. She liked her comfortable apartment and her cushy bed. Beyond trying to stay warm, she didn’t know what else she could do. The stick spear had been her great, innovative idea, but even that was gone now, buried in the pile of rubble that had been the A-frame hut.

All during the trip in the RV she’d imagined a bloody, horrible death, full of screaming and pain. Freezing hadn’t been on her radar until last night. Now, even with the sun reaching its zenith, she couldn’t feel her toes.

Hell of a way to spend Christmas Eve.

At least Wendy was safe. The silver lining, if there was one, was that Bliss stood a better chance of surviving the elements than her sister. If there was ever a time to love her fuller figure, it was now. In her place, Wendy might already be dead.

“On your knees.”

Bliss cringed and turned toward the voice. She hadn’t heard Daniel’s approach, not with all the noise the chain made.

“I said, on your knees!” Daniel took two ground-eating strides toward her and lifted his hand.

“Okay, okay!” She dropped to her knees, hands lifted to ward off the blow.

He pulled back at the last second, slapping one hand into the other. She cringed anyway and curled her hands into fists. Fighting back hadn’t gotten her anywhere, so she needed to play along and hope she lived. At least she knew he didn’t intend to kill her yet. Just have her raped for his sadistic pleasure. It would take time to put his plan into motion, so all she needed to do was hang on. Just a little while longer.

Daniel muttered something under his breath and turned to face the tree. He produced a single key—not the one to her cuffs—and unlocked her tether.

“Come on. Keep up.” He jerked the chain, pulling her off balance.

Bliss threw out her hands to brace herself but still got a face full of snow. The chain rattled over the ground. She scrambled to her feet, partly crawling until she got them under her. Her frozen, numb limbs screamed at her, but she couldn’t take it easy now. Just a few more minutes on her feet, and then she could collapse. Granted, she didn’t know what was at the end of this walk.

It couldn’t be that bad, could it? Her kidnapper hadn’t had time to gather new atrocities to throw at her.

He led her back to the RV. She almost wept when he opened the door and attached the end of her chain to the chair leg of the passenger seat.

“Inside,” Daniel snapped.

Inside meant the jar babies and Daniel, but it also meant warmth, maybe a potty break and water, if she were lucky. She climbed into the RV, squeezing past Daniel, and stopped on the top stair, her jaw hanging open.

It was worse.

A body—a man—lay on the rolling metal table bolted to the floor. Blood dripped off the side. Her stomach churned, and she tasted bile.

Another man was on the floor, wearing a pair of handcuffs. He groaned, curled up on his side. Blood stained his clothes, and there was a gash on his forehead.

The man on the table gasped, and blood bubbled up between his lips.

“Oh my God,” Bliss whispered. She gripped the side of the built-in shelves.

“Yes, I am your god.” Daniel grinned at her. “Now we can get started.”

He walked to the other end of the RV. Metal cabinets stood open, each displaying their gruesome wears. Knives, kitchen utensils, tools—she didn’t want to know what he used them for.

“Patch his head up.” Daniel gestured to the man lying on the floor.

Bliss glanced around until she saw a small, black case with gauze sticking out of it. She could let the man die and postpone her torture. The idea repulsed her. She grabbed the case and hobbled around the table, keeping her distance from the body.

Where was Travis?

She’d thought for sure he’d find her in a day, maybe two. But...what if he wasn’t looking? The only reason he’d gone looking for Wendy was because the FBI asked him to, and Grayson paid him. No one would shell out that kind of money for her. What if this was it—stitching up Daniel’s victims, being tortured, and worse?

What would be the price of survival?

Could she pay it?

Travis glanced at his phone.

Ryan Brooks’ name flashed across the screen, and the device buzzed.

Again.

Travis rejected the call and pocketed the phone.

“The feds?” Ethan asked.

“Yeah. You’d guess they’d be off for the holidays or something,” Travis muttered.

They’d hit each ATV rental on the off chance one would be open on Christmas Eve, but no dice. Their leads were running out and Grayson wasn’t accepting his calls. The forecast tonight was for more snow. Any trail they might find would be covered up, and Daniel Campbell would get away.

Travis pulled into a scenic turn-off overlooking the bay and slammed his fist into the dash.

“Dude, it’s a rental,” Ethan said.

Mason was passed out in the back seat. They were chasing ghosts across the mountains. They weren’t going to find Bliss. Not at this rate.

“We’re too far behind him,” Travis said. He bit his thumbnail and stared out at the water.

“What do you want us to do?” Ethan turned toward him.

“In his position, what would we do?” Travis asked.

“Get out of the country.” Ethan snorted.

“At this point the only way Daniel could get out of the country would be to cross into Canada or Mexico. He’s on the do not fly list. So do we head for Canada and hope to find him?”

Ethan blew out a breath and laced his finger together behind his head.

“If I took Nate I’d never make it over any border. Amber Alerts would be everywhere, so I wouldn’t make it five counties over. The best thing to do would be to lay low, go off grid.”

“Should I know something?” Travis asked. He knew his buddy was taking the separation hard, but kidnapping his son was a whole other thing.

“No, just saying that if I wanted to take Nate and get away with it, that’s what I’d do.” Ethan shrugged.

“Talked to him?”

“Yeah, while we were waiting for the truck at the airport Molly let me talk to him a bit.”

“Good.” Travis nodded. “So, if we were Daniel, a wanted man with his mug all over the news, chances are he’d need to do the same thing.”

“Didn’t you say you think he’s been up here before?”

“Yeah, it would make sense. He got out of Dodge fast on a direct route to his hiding grounds.”

“Okay, so he’s probably thinking he’ll winter up here. He’s in an RV, so he either needs to plug up someplace or have a generator. He’ll need to be in proximity to supplies.”

“He’s not the hunting type. He might string people up and kill them, but he’s not a hunter. He’ll need to be near a store, but not anything too big. He’s got the ATV so he doesn’t have to move the RV so long as the weather is good.”

Travis glanced in his rearview mirror. A cop car pulled off the two-lane highway behind them, easing closer.

“Company,” he said.

Ethan leaned back and frogged Mason in the thigh. The kid shouted and grabbed his leg, growling at Ethan.

“Fuck. What?” Mason snapped.

“Cops,” Travis said.

“What did you do now, Ration?” Mason turned in his seat, rubbing his thigh. “Where are we again?”

“Emerald Bay, off Lake Tahoe,” Travis replied. He watched the cop stroll up the passenger’s side in the mirrors.

“What’s he doing?” Mason asked.

“Don’t know.” Travis pushed the button and lowered Ethan’s window.

The officer stopped and pulled his sunglasses off, squinting in the afternoon light.

“Afternoon, officer,” Ethan said.

Travis nodded.

“You boys okay?” The officer had to be around his mid-to-late thirties, not all that much older than Travis or Ethan.

“Yeah, just taking in the sights.” Ethan gestured at the impressive view beyond them.

“You guys here on holiday, or on your way somewhere?” The officer was looking for something. What, Travis didn’t know.

“We’re looking for someone.” Travis slipped the photograph of Bliss out of his pocket and a photocopied image of David Campbell’s license. “This is Bliss and David Campbell. You might have seen something about him on the news in the last twelve hours or so.”

The officer took David’s picture and whistled.

“I’m Travis, this is Ethan and Mason. We work for a private security company and have been working with the FBI on this case.”

“Wish it was nice to meet you boys like this. I’m Sergeant Matt Farrow. Heard about this guy. You think he’s here?” He handed the pictures back to Ethan, who passed them to Travis. “Got some ID on you?”

“Yes, sir.” Ethan collected Mason’s driver’s license and passed them to Travis. “We tracked Daniel close to the state line. Made a guess he might be in the area.”

“Anyone fitting his description roll into town in a late model Winnebago?” Travis asked. Chances were the officer didn’t know anything, but he had to hope.

“Sorry, haven’t seen many RVs lately.” Matt leaned against the door of the SUV.

It was the answer he expected, but it was still disappointing to hear.

“Two local guys did go missing this morning, though. That’s why I stopped to see what you were up to,” Matt said.

“Two guys?” Travis perked up. “How do you know they went missing?”

“Friends of friends. Couple of cousins. Their truck was found on the side of the road, and no one knows where they are.”

“Where’d that happen?” Travis pulled out his phone. “Can you show me on here?”

“You think this is related?” Matt took the phone and tapped around on the screen.

“This guy’s killed at least forty people that we know of. Probably more. He doesn’t have much of a cooling-off period.” Travis wasn’t willing to lump the disappearances up in Bliss’ kidnapping yet, but it was worth looking into.

“Their truck was found here.” Matt turned the screen back to them.

“That’s not that far,” Ethan muttered.

“What’s this?” Travis pointed to an odd dot on the screen.

“That’s the Bayview Trailhead,” Matt replied.

“Are there ATV trails?” Travis’ stomach knotted.

“Yeah, some go all the way out to Cascade Lake.”

Holy shit.

Of course.

Lake Tahoe was a major pull. But the smaller lake off to the south end? Miles of forest and seclusion?

It was perfect.

Somewhere out there, Bliss was waiting for him.

“Officer, I need you to call this number. Tell the FBI agent who answers everything you’ve told me.” Travis scribbled Ryan Brooks’ cell phone down on a bit of paper. He didn’t have time to call it all in.

“I can’t let you boys go out there if this guy is that dangerous.” Matt took the paper and frowned.

The hell he could. Travis wasn’t asking for permission.

“Travis?” Ethan held up his hand and looked at Matt. “I get it, you’re the local law enforcement, and we’re a truck full of guys you don’t know from Adam. It’s Christmas Eve. I’m guessing you’ve got a family. We’re about to go track this guy down. Do you really want to go with us? Or would you rather spend a bit calling around, checking us out, and give us a head start on this trouble?”

Matt frowned, clearly waging a war of rules and regulations in his head. Travis shifted in his seat, ready to just gas it and be gone.

“Fine.” Matt snapped cell phone pictures of their licenses and handed them back, with the addition of a business card. “Here’s my info. You run into anything or if you find those boys, let me know.”

Travis nodded and shifted into drive before the state trooper could change his mind. Poor guy did not want to get mired in a manhunt on Christmas Eve.

The signs for the Bayview Trailhead weren’t even a mile later.

Hold on, Bliss. We’re coming for you.

––––––––

5.

Bliss squeezed her eyes shut.

Daniel grunted, and a wet, sloppy pop resounded through the RV.

“Oh, God,” the man chained up on the floor next to her muttered.

Don’t look. Don’t look.

“There,” Daniel said in triumph.

He grunted again, and something hit the floor next to her. Warm liquid splashed her hands.

Bile coated the back of her throat and her head pounded.

“You monster, freak,” the hillbilly spat. He rattled the short chain that bound him to the bench. At some point the duct tape around his boots had come undone.

“Monster?” Daniel parroted back.

“Be quiet,” Bliss whispered. As long as Daniel was preoccupied with the dead guy, he wouldn’t bother them. It was too late for him, but she and the other man could still survive this. Couldn’t they? She had to wonder if it was worth surviving. If this was going to be her life, did she want to live it?

“Freak?” Daniel’s footsteps rounded the end of the table.

He was just a few feet away.

“That’s my cousin,” her fellow captive said. Anguish twisted his voice, and she could see his horror-stricken face in her mind’s eye.

Bliss pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, making herself as small as possible.

This couldn’t be happening.

There was no way this could be real.

“You know what the definition of a monster is? A monster is an imaginary creature.” Daniel’s steps came closer. “I assure you, I’m very much real.”

The man grunted and Daniel yelled.

Bliss’ eyes snapped open. The new captive had a knife buried in Daniel’s thigh, hilt deep. Where had that come from? She stared at his leg and the blood darkening his jeans. Daniel had one hand buried in the captive’s hair and the other grasped at the knife.

Bad could always get worse.

She scrambled back, crab-walking on her hands and feet. Her hand slipped in a puddle and she went down hard, knocking her head against the metal floor. She rolled to her side and face-planted in flannel.

The other man’s arm.

His dismembered arm.

The scream stuck in her throat, but she shoved up into a sitting position. The captive shot to his feet, grappling with Daniel. The knife was in Daniel’s hand and he held it up, poised to stab.

She froze, torn between self-preservation and the desire to fight back. Could they overpower him? She’d never before waffled on a decision. This was a whole new state of mind, and she didn’t like it.

Daniel cracked the other man in the head with the butt of the knife, sending the smaller man to his knees, but not down for the count. The captive lunged forward, taking Daniel’s legs out from under him. The knife clattered to the floor as the two men grappled with each other.

This was her chance.

It was time to be brave.

The choice was easy.

She shoved forward onto her hand and knees, reaching for the hilt of the blade.

Daniel took a step and kicked it out of her reach, sending it skidding across the width of the RV.

She stared up into his face, twisted in rage.

The other man had maybe two or three feet of chain. Bliss’ was closer to a dozen or more. She grabbed her leash and pushed to her feet, gripping the bloody table for balance.

“No you don’t,” Daniel yelled.

He yanked her back by her shirt. Seams ripped, but held. She sat down hard once more. The hillbilly held onto Daniel, but the fight was gone from him. Determination was the only thing keeping him going.

“I’ll teach you a lesson,” Daniel growled, sounding less human by the second.

Daniel unlocked the man’s chain and hauled both of them out of the RV. Bliss’ feet slipped and she stumbled over her own tether. Before long, the only thing keeping her upright was Daniel’s hold on her shirt.

He shoved both her and the man face down in the snow. The icy top layer broke, cutting into her hands and face. The blood from her clothes stained it pink.

“You want to attack me?” Daniel roared.

The other man was already on his feet. Free of his chains, the only thing keeping him bound were the handcuffs. She struggled to get up, but she had nothing left. Between the drugs, the elements, and nothing to eat or drink, she was done for.

“Kill me then, go on,” the man yelled.

Daniel hauled back with the knife and swung, slashing the other man’s arm and chest. He yelled and Bliss screamed, bringing her arms up to protect herself.

A scream rent the air.

Travis stilled. He didn’t even have to hold up his hand, everyone froze.

The sound reverberated on the rocks, through the trees. It was almost impossible to tell where it came from, but he knew.

That was Bliss.

She was alive.

For now.

“That way,” Mason said.

“Wait, we don’t know—”

“I do.” Mason jabbed his finger to the south and east. Toward Cascade Lake. “I grew up tracking in the mountains. That way.”

Another scream, this time shorter, spurred them on.

Mason took point, loping easily over the snow, kicking up a spray of white powder in his wake. Travis and Ethan flanked the kid to either side, keeping six to ten feet apart. The terrain was tricky, and the snow disguised roots and rocks that tried to trip them up.

Adrenaline pushed Travis onward. His hands were near frozen, so he gripped his gun and the handle of his knife tighter.

“Oh my God,” Bliss yelled.

A man shouted incoherent words.

Mason veered to their left, slowing his pace.

Urgency demanded Travis surge forward, but he kept one eye on the kid and the other on the trees ahead of them. If he acted on his feelings, he would get Bliss killed.

They broke through a stand of evergreens into a scene out of a horror movie.

“Daniel Campbell, freeze,” Travis roared.

His vision hazed red.

Bliss crouched on her knees, hands up. There was no way to tell if the blood on her clothes was hers or the other man’s. Daniel had one of the missing men by the scruff and held a knife to his throat. More liquid shined off the butcher apron wrapped around his girth. The poor guy in his grip was soaked and gasping for air.

“Oh my God, Travis? Is that really you?” She blinked several times, as if she wasn’t sure she believed he was there.

“Bliss? Stay calm.” Travis couldn’t look at her. If he did, he would rip Daniel Campbell limb from limb for what he’d done to her. There were other victims, other innocents, but this was Bliss. The one bright spot he could remember, and now the same darkness that poisoned him had touched her. It was a crime punishable by death alone.

“Put the knife down, buddy,” Ethan side-stepped toward the front of the RV while Mason went toward the rear.

Daniel’s gaze narrowed. He pivoted, putting his back to the RV and used the hunter as a shield.

“He said put the knife down,” Mason repeated Ethan’s words.

“I don’t think so.” Daniel kept the knife at the man’s throat and reached behind him, drawing a six shooter he aimed at Bliss. “If you don’t want me to shoot you now, stand up.”

“Don’t do it,” Travis blurted.

Bliss glanced from him to Daniel and back.

“Do it,” Daniel adjusted his aim to Travis, “or I shoot him.”

“Okay,” she stood on shaky legs.

“Bliss, no,” Travis said.

“Easy,” Ethan whispered.

“Don’t hurt anyone.” Bliss clutched a length of chain that attached to her wrists.

Daniel reached out and snatched the chain, yanking her close so fast Travis didn’t dare squeeze off a shot.

“There we go, this is better.” Daniel hugged Bliss to him, the gun pressed up under her jaw.

There was no way this was going to end well.

Variants, statistics, and past experience rattled around in Travis’ brain. He’d been here a number of times with different jobs. Hostage situations at gunpoint were bad. Unless they could turn the tables somehow. But how?

What had Bliss told him about the house?

What was the one thing missing in the fire?

“You aren’t getting out of here, Daniel. Think about your kids,” Travis said. The jars Bliss had reported were missing in the devastation. What were the chances Daniel had taken them?

“They are my flesh and bone. I can create more,” Daniel said without skipping a beat. “You want to know how this will end?”

“You dead?” Travis knew he should shut up, but that man had Bliss. He couldn’t line up his shot without seeing her pale face. Her lips were almost blue and there were leaves stuck in her hair.

“I’m going to kill this man and your two friends. Then I think I will skin you alive and make her watch. She and I will leave here. No one will find your bodies, and when I’m ready to put down roots again, she will bear me new subjects to experiment on. I’ll take something from her first so she doesn’t get any ideas about running away, but I’ll leave the important organs untouched.” Daniel stroked Bliss’ hair.

A tear rolled down her cheek.

She didn’t think they were going to rescue her.

He tightened his grip.

He’d show her.

One way or another, Daniel was going down. He only had six bullets, and it took a lot more than that to knock Travis off his feet. He had the scars to prove it.

“There’s a problem with your plan,” Ethan said.

“Yeah, we already told the FBI where we were. Local cops are on their way,” Mason said.

The two really did work well as a team, while all Travis could think about was how much he wanted to kiss Bliss again. Hold her.

He willed her to keep looking at him, to focus everything his way. When things went down, he hoped she didn’t see any of it.

Daniel glanced around, his gaze straying to the trees.

He hadn’t counted on backup.

“Nervous?” Ethan asked.

“Doesn’t matter,” Daniel said. “I have a plan.”

Daniel squeezed the trigger and fired.

Everything happened at once.

Bliss screamed and dropped to the ground, hands over her head.

Ethan grunted and went to his knees.

Daniel’s eyes bulged the second he realized he was exposed. He drew the knife blade across the other man’s throat and ducked around the front of the RV Ethan was supposed to be covering.

Travis dove for the other hostage. The hunter lay crumpled on the snow, hands clutching his throat. Travis hit his knees, shoving the man’s hands aside to replace them with his own. Blood leaked out from between his fingers, but it was sluggish. The man’s wide eyes darted around and his mouth opened, gasping for air.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Ethan yelled. “Go after him.”

Mason sprinted around the RV, but they all heard the ATV engine in the distance. There was no way they’d catch him on foot.

Daniel Campbell was gone.

––––––––

6.

Bliss perched on the hospital bed, her hands gripping the thin blanket they’d given her. Her feet and fingers were still cold. No matter what anyone did, she couldn’t seem to get warm.

The nurse said she was still in shock, or something like that.

At least the nurse had stopped talking to her and was going straight to Travis now.

Travis.

He’d rescued her.

They hadn’t said more than a dozen words to each other, but he hadn’t left her side. Not for a single instant.

“Bliss?” Travis’ hand rested on her shoulder, shaking her out of her deep well of thoughts.

“Hm?” She blinked at him. She’d missed something important, but for the life of her she couldn’t recall what had been said.

“The doctor wants to keep you here to monitor you. I’d rather keep you close.”

“Yes,” she said, cutting him off.

“Yes—what?”

“I want to stay with you.”

Travis meant safety. With him, there was no fear, no sense of dread. So long as he was there, everything would be okay.

He’s saved her.

“I’d really rather you stay for observation,” the nurse said.

“A man kidnapped me, took me across state lines, and made me watch while he chopped another man up into bits. I’m not staying here.” Where he could find her.

“Okay.” The nurse sighed and fixed Travis with her stare. “You have her instructions?”

“Right here.” He held up a folder.

“I...don’t have any clothes.” Bliss held the blanket around her a little tighter.

“I have you a bag in the truck. Is it okay if she stays here while I grab it?”

“Certainly. You’re the only thing happening here tonight, thank goodness.” The nurse smiled and breezed out of the ER bay.

Travis turned to follow in the nurses’ wake.

Invisible claws raked at Bliss’ back.

“Travis!”

He turned, his lips pressed into a tight line and his eyes unreadable. She couldn’t deny that he was what made her feel safe and secure.

“I’m going to step out in the hall and give Mason the keys. I’ll be right there. You can see me, okay?”

She nodded, hating the tremor that shook her body, hating the way she needed him, hating Daniel for picking her family out of everyone in Vegas to target.

Travis pushed the curtain aside. Men in suits, uniforms, and nurses milled around. The FBI had shown up at some point, but it was all a blur. He handed the keys off to a guy in jeans and a leather jacket. Mason. He’d mentioned the name before, but the details escaped her.

She was so tired.

But what if she went to sleep and Daniel was there?

“Hey.”

Her eyes snapped open, and she stared at Travis’ chest. She looped her arms around his waist and slid off the table. He eased her to the floor and kept his hold gentle.

Tears pricked her eyes. The damn things wouldn’t stop no matter what she did.

“Hey, you’re safe,” he whispered.

She nodded.

He had to be regretting his choice to stick around right about now, but she couldn’t be more grateful. Not only was Wendy safe because of him, so was she. This nightmare wasn’t over, not until Daniel was caught, but at least she was with the good guys.

“Travis?”

He turned, keeping her behind him. He was so big she couldn’t see around him, but a moment later he tossed a duffle bag she recognized from her apartment on the bed.

“I don’t know what I got, I just grabbed things and tossed them in.” He gestured at the blue bag. “I wasn’t thinking straight.”

“Thanks.”

“Want a moment to get dressed?”

“Sure.” Her knee-jerk reaction was to keep him close, but she couldn’t lean on him forever.

“I’ll be right here, okay?” He stepped past the curtain and pulled it almost closed. Through the narrow gap she could see his back as he stood guard.

Even that separation triggered a twinge of anxiety. She tamped down on the urge to rush to his side and instead opened the bag to see what Travis had brought for her.

She’d need a shower and food, but clothes first.

The bag was stuffed almost to bursting with jeans, workout clothes, her birth control pills, her boots, some flip flops, and random bits of clothes. She pieced together enough of an outfit to be presentable and dressed in jeans, boots, and a thin, long-sleeved shirt she was pretty sure he’d grabbed from her dirty laundry. Mixed into the clothing were other odds and ends. Some of them didn’t make any sense at all, but she appreciated that he’d thought about her needs.

He’d always intended to find her. In Travis’ world, there wasn’t room for failure. Even when she lost faith and thought he wouldn’t come for her—he hadn’t allowed it.

“Bliss?”

The sound of his voice tugged the corners of her lips into a smile.

“I’m ready.” She shoved the clothes and odds and ends into the bag, making sure some things went on bottom.

He pulled the curtain back and crossed to the bedside. He took her bag and slung it over his shoulder, as if that was what he was there for.

“We’ve got a rental ready for us.” His hand settled on the small of her back, and he propelled her out of the ER and into the waiting room. “I’m right here.”

Travis guided her to a waiting SUV and got into the back seat with her. The same man who’d taken the keys earlier sat behind the wheel.

“Mason?” she asked.

“That’s me.” He nodded at her in the rearview mirror.

He couldn’t be much older than her. He lacked the hardness that radiated from Travis, but there were shadows in his eyes. Whatever he’d been through was different, but no less life changing. It was a facet of a person’s character she wasn’t sure she’d ever noticed before, but now she did. Was that because she was different, too? Because Daniel had left his mark on her?

“Hungry?” Travis asked.

“Yeah, that soup they gave me at the hospital is pretty much gone.” Her stomach was making a meal of her spleen.

“I want to drop you two off, and then I’ll go out for food, if that’s okay with you,” Mason interjected.

“Nothing’s open.” Travis sighed.

“There’ll be a grocery store or something open if the restaurants are all closed,” Mason replied.

“It’s Christmas Eve,” Bliss said. She’d known it was just a few days away, but the last few blurred together...and here it was. “Do my parents know I’m okay? What about Wendy?”

“The FBI called them and let them know you were safe. They’ve all been moved to secure locations until the FBI can be sure Daniel isn’t monitoring them.”

“He was watching them?” She stared at Travis’ profile. She wasn’t hungry anymore.

Travis turned his head toward her. For a moment she didn’t think he would answer. “He had your whole family under surveillance. Once Wendy was no longer available to him, he latched onto you. I’m sorry, Bliss.”

She sat in silence, staring at the seat back ahead of her.

Daniel Campbell had cameras in her home. He watched her most private moments. All to what end? To stalk her sister?

Travis’ arm around her tightened, pulling her closer.

“We’re here,” Mason announced.

He pulled the SUV up to a large, two-story log cabin that was probably half the size of Wendy’s home. As such, it qualified as a mini-mansion in her eyes. Several other black vehicles and cop cars sat in the circle drive, and a group of uniformed men hung around the front door.

“Any requests?” Mason turned around and smiled.

“Hot chocolate and more chocolate,” she said.

“Can do.”

She scooted out of the truck with Travis at her back. A couple people turned toward them, and she felt the weight of their gaze.

“Inside,” Travis said for her ears alone.

He didn’t take his hand off her until they crossed through the doors of the cabin. There was more activity here. A lot more. Several groups were going over maps and paper taped to the wall while another group leafed through boxes of...she didn’t want to know.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“The FBI must have gotten back from the scene. I’m guessing they’re coordinating the search for Daniel from here. Come on, let’s find you a room upstairs away from all this. Brooks might want to ask you some questions later.” He propelled her to the wide staircase leading to the second floor.

Travis poked his head in several rooms before whisking a door open and gesturing for her to enter.

She peered into the rustic room. The wooden walls were rough, while the floors and furniture were modern and smooth. There was a flat screen TV and even a small bathroom with a shower stall.

“This good?” he asked.

“Yeah. Thank you.”

“There will be five agents, Mason, and me staying here. You’re surrounded and completely safe.” He set her bag down on the bed. “Need anything? Clothes?”

“How’s your friend?”

“Ethan?”

“Yeah.”

“He’ll be fine. Bullet nicked a ligament. They want to do surgery to patch it up. He’ll be back up in no time.”

“Oh. Good.” It didn’t sound that minor, but what did she know? “What about...the other guy?”

“Don England.” Travis blew out a breath. “They took him into surgery. Last I heard they’re still going. Sounded like he was stable, and they thought he’d pull through.”

She sat down on the edge of the bed. At least Don would survive.

“What next?” she asked.

“We’ll eat whatever the kid brings back and get some sleep.”

“What about Daniel?”

“The FBI are tracking him.”

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“If it weren’t for me you’d have caught him already. You’d be looking for him.”

“No, I wouldn’t. I’d have already been on a plane home. Without you, he’d have gone on killing people.” He opened his mouth and closed it. “I’m sorry this happened, Bliss. I should have stopped him. I should have known—”

“You couldn’t have known.” She wrapped her arms around herself.

“I should have. I’d never want this for you, Bliss.” His phone rang, breaking the moment. “I need to take this,” he said after glancing at the screen.

“Go on.” She waved him out of the room.

He looked at her for another moment. Her new skill to see the shadows on a person’s soul didn’t help her to decipher what he wasn’t telling her. He strode out of her room, pulling the door closed behind her.

Bliss sucked in a breath and hugged herself. She was safe, wasn’t she?

––––––––

7.

Travis stared at the map without seeing it. Every fiber of his body was acutely tuned in to the woman on the sofa.

It was almost midnight. The local law enforcement were either out manning roadblocks or at home with their families, leaving the FBI, Travis, and Mason to keep watch over Bliss and formulate a plan for what came next.

Some of them were keeping a little too close to her.

Connor Mullins barked out a laugh at something Bliss said. Travis couldn’t hear them. Not that he hadn’t tried.

She should be in bed, getting rest, instead of down here with the rest of them. Evidence and case details were everywhere. Why the hell were they subjecting her to this?

Because she was now their best lead.

Knowing the answer didn’t placate him in the least.

He wanted to bundle her up, lock her away, and keep her safe. But wasn’t his involvement what got her here in the first place? If he’d made her stay put and gone in for Wendy on his own, Daniel would have fixated on him. Or split completely.

It was his fault. All of it. Bliss would live the rest of her life with memories she couldn’t scrub away and a darkness no light would ever defeat.

“What is it with these white dudes doing all the really fucked up shit?” Benjamin tossed his notepad onto a table.

“Sure debunks the racial stereotypes, huh? We don’t see a lot of Hispanic or black killers. What do you think the ratio is?” Dmitri asked.

Travis tilted his head, curious about the line of reasoning. He’d never thought of it that way, but the two agents would have a different perspective.

“Ask Jade, she could crunch the numbers in her head. I’m too tired.”

“Okay everyone, get some sleep,” Ryan Brooks announced. “We’ve got a lot of ground to cover in the morning.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice.” Benjamin slapped the folder he’d been poring over down onto the kitchen table and strode after Ryan. The unit chief and communications liaison chatted on their way up the stairs.

“Come on, lass, time to get some shut eye.” Connor pulled Bliss to her feet and pushed her toward the stairs.

Travis wanted to deck the guy.

Didn’t Connor realize the trauma she’d just lived through?

Bliss chuckled and smiled, something he didn’t think she’d have mastery of yet. It just went to show how strong she was.

One by one the agents and Mason trickled up the stairs until it was just Travis and the red-headed woman. Jade. Such a strange name for a woman with red hair.

“You can go up, I’ll turn everything off,” he said over his shoulder.

He wouldn’t sleep much tonight. Not under the same roof with Bliss. He’d intentionally picked the room across from hers. If he couldn’t touch her, hold her, he’d at least be the closest one if something happened.

Jade glanced up from her tablet, one brow arched. Her eyes were those who had seen too much. Things beyond their years. It was a little unsettling, but only because it stirred up old memories.

“Trying to get rid of me?” she asked.

“Just offering.” He shrugged.

“You’ve been staring at the same spot for fifteen minutes. Why don’t you go to bed?”

His neck burned. With all the activity, he’d hoped to fade into the background.

“How’s your sister?” Jade asked.

“Emma?” He turned, taken aback by the question. Why would the agent care about that? “Good, last I talked to her.”

“Is she still seeing that detective?” There was a nonchalant way about her that was too careful, too casual.

“What do you want to know?” He narrowed his gaze, studying her. She was younger than the rest, late twenties if he had to guess, yet she dressed in clothes that could have been taken out of Connor’s suitcase instead of her own.

Jade sighed and set the tablet on the arm rest.

“Curiosity. They were under surveillance for a while because there was a remote, very tiny chance they were the copycat. Or one of them was. Before Lali pulled the plug monitoring them, Jacob made a conspicuous purchase.”

“What did he buy?” He curled his hands into fists. Emma was still his sister; if that cop did anything wrong, he’d have to answer to Travis first.

“He bought an engagement ring. Or at least that’s our guess.”

Travis stared at her. Emma, getting engaged?

“I’ll be damned.” He crossed to the sofa where Bliss and Connor had recently been seated and sank down onto the cushions.

“It’s none of my business, I know. I just...I can empathize with what it’s like to grow up with a certain heritage. Seeing Emma and Jacob together it was...I mean...” She shrugged.

“It doesn’t happen to all of us, you mean?”

Jade nodded.

Travis stared at her. Jade was bookish, shy, introverted, and extremely intelligent. He could tell that much just from looking at her. It was in the way she held herself apart from the others, how her focus went past people to the problem at hand. And yet, she was cute. Pretty. But she didn’t interest him like Bliss.

“What’s your story?” Travis asked.

“My parents were a serial killer team. They used me as bait to lure people away from groups, grabbed them, and killed them after inflicting sexual and physical torture.”

“Jesus Christ. Please tell me they’re dead?”

“They’re in prison.” She said it all so matter-of-factly, as if it didn’t touch her. As if it were just a list of details to be recited. “Travis?”

“Yeah?” His head was still reeling from the list of wrongs in a few short sentences.

“Bliss.”

His spine straightened and everything else ceased to matter.

“What about her?” he asked.

“She’s like us now. You seem to have built a connection with her. She’s going to need someone who understands her.”

“Connor seemed to be handling her pretty well.”

“Connor has a gift for making people like him. Talk to him. But she never answered any of his questions. She avoided them.”

“Wait, he was trying to make her talk?”

“Yes. I thought it was obvious. He was doing the talking, I was supposed to take notes on anything she said. We got nothing. She’s completely closed off.”

“Her brother-in-law’ll get her a doctor or something.” Travis would make sure of that. Wendy wasn’t the only one who needed care. The man had enough money to help Bliss out, that was for sure. He pushed to his feet. “I’m headed for bed.”

“Don’t discount yourself, Travis. Not all of us are beyond redemption.”

“Lady, you don’t know the things I’ve done.”

“I probably have a list somewhere.”

Jade didn’t know him. He wasn’t Emma. There wasn’t hope for more than what he had now. And Bliss was better off without him. The sooner the better.

He turned and stalked toward the stairs. Jade didn’t say anything else, just let him go. His feet thumped on the wooden boards. He wasn’t tired yet, but neither should he be allowed to mingle with the others. A couple hours cooling his heels and clearing his head could be the trick.

The light under Bliss’ door was off, and the hall was dark. He considered checking on her, but if she was already asleep the last thing he wanted to do was disturb her. Besides, Connor had probably tucked her in.

He pushed the door open to his room and stepped inside.

“What are you doing here?” he said before he could reconsider his words.

Bliss sat on his bed, her knees drawn up to her chest and the bedside lamp on. He closed the door behind him, more to keep the others from waking up.

“I couldn’t sleep,” she said.

“Did you try?”

“Yes.”

“You know you’re safe here? There’s two patrol cars outside, and you’ve got a whole team of people that will protect you.” Not to mention Travis would die before he let anything bad happen to her again.

“That’s...nice.” And yet everything about her posture, the way she wouldn’t look directly at him, and the cant of her shoulders telegraphed unease.

“What’s keeping you up?”

She shrugged.

“Nightmares?” he asked.

She nodded.

Damn, but he had a few of those.

He toed off his boots and circled the bed to sit next to her, his back against the headboard.

“I still have nightmares,” he said.

“About what?”

“My dad’s stories. My dad. Being over in the sandbox. Jobs going sideways.” Her.

“Do they ever go away?”

“Some of them do. Mostly you just start realizing it’s a dream, and it’s not as bad anymore.”

“How long does that take?”

“I’ll tell you when it happens.”

She chuckled, and an invisible fist squeezed his heart.

“I was hoping for a better answer,” she said.

“I’ve never been good for good news.”

“Good news, talking, sex, what else are you self-proclaimed to be bad at?”

“Hey, I never said I was bad at sex.” As he recalled, it had been quite good. Hadn’t it? “You seemed to like it.”

“I did.” She stared straight ahead.

He reached over and took her hand in his. Touching her calmed the anxious voice in his head that said this was all a dream. That she was still out there somewhere, waiting on him to save her.

She should be in her own room, not here with him. And yet, he couldn’t make himself say those words. It was selfish, but he wanted to be near her, to assure himself that she was safe. He didn’t have any right to her. In fact, she should hate him. But he still wanted her.

“You’ve got to get some rest.” He drew little circles on the back of her hand.

“I can’t be alone,” she said, so quietly he didn’t think he’d heard her right.

He hadn’t protected her the first time, but here she was, trusting him again.

“Do you want me to stay with you? Or would you rather I go get Jade?” The two women could bunk together with little to no issue. Besides, Jade might get through to Bliss where Connor had failed.

“Would you mind?” she asked.

Travis swallowed. It was temptation straight from hell, but for her he’d do just about anything.

“No.” He stood and held out his hand. “Come on. Let’s go back to your room.”

“Why?” She let him pull her to her feet.

“No windows. One point of entry. It’s the safest place for you.” He grabbed his bag from the dresser, his boots, and turned the light off.

“Oh.”

He guided her out of his room and across the hall to hers. All the lights from downstairs were off. He wished Jade a peaceful sleep.

“Get in bed.” He gently pushed Bliss toward the big king bed. The pillows and blankets were rumpled, as if she had attempted sleep to no success. “I’m going to use your bathroom.”

That, and give her a moment of privacy.

He took his time in the bathroom while keeping one ear tuned to Bliss’ movements. He brushed his teeth, flossed, and stared at his reflection for several minutes. When he ran out of things to do, he opened the door.

Bliss wore the same thermal shirt from earlier, but her jeans and boots were discarded at the foot of the bed. She stared at the ceiling, her brow lined with worry.

There was no real way for this to go well. It wasn’t like he slept in much besides his boxers. Plus, he had the memory of what it was like to hold her, be inside of her, stuck on repeat. She didn’t need a trip to horny town, she needed a safety blanket.

“Can we leave the bathroom light on?” she asked.

“Course.” He flipped the light back on and closed the door until just a crack of light slashed through the darkness.

Travis shed his jeans and shirt before sliding into the bed.

This was about her needs, not his. He rolled to his side and stretched an arm out over her, trapping her against the mattress. Every muscle in her body was tense, ready for something to happen, and none of it good.

He wished he could take this burden from her. Clear her mind. Let her be free to not be like him.

Eventually she blew out a breath and her hands slid up to grasp his forearm. She turned, drawing him closer until he spooned her from behind. He did his best to stay relaxed, even when she wiggled her ass against his groin in a move to get comfortable. Minute by minute the tension eased, until her breathing relaxed and he knew she’d passed out. Only then did Travis allow himself to drift off to a dreamland where a beautiful, curvy woman waited for him with mischief in her eye.

––––––––

8.

Bliss’ nose itched, but she didn’t dare move. It had to be early morning sometime. Already she could hear sounds below and the occasional door open or close on their floor. Any moment Travis would wake up, and they would have to face whatever today held in store for her.

She hadn’t slept as much as dozed off and on until her body just decided it was time to be awake. Though her dreams were uneasy, they hadn’t terrorized her like before. A difference she attributed to Travis’ presence.

It was Christmas Day.

Usually she would pack up her car and head to her parents’ house for a busy morning of presents and baking. It didn’t feel like the holidays anymore, though Travis had given her a present. Her freedom.

Guilt gnawed at her. Out there, she hadn’t believed he would save her, and he had. Then last night, she’d doubted him again when she allowed fear to cloud her judgment. It wasn’t his fault Daniel was crazier than they thought. She’d allowed herself to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

There was no anticipating psycho.

Travis’ eyes opened and he looked straight at her. There was no groggy, half-asleep period, just full alert aimed at her.

“Morning.” His sleep-roughened voice was a comforting sound.

She smiled and scratched her nose.

“Merry Christmas,” she said.

“Hm, it is, isn’t it?” He tightened the arm around her, pulling her across the mattress until he had her pressed up against him.

Her heart beat faster for a new reason, one that had nothing to do with fear.

“Sleep okay?” he mumbled into her hair.

“Yeah. You?”

“The best.”

She was only wearing a thermal top and panties. It wasn’t a lot of material between them. Was it wrong to think about sex at a time like this?

A knock at the door interrupted her mental tango.

“Travis?”

“Yeah?” he called over his shoulder.

The door creaked open just a hair. She could spy Mason’s profile, conspicuously looking away from them.

“Got breakfast. Doctors are taking Ethan into surgery now, thought you’d want to know,” he said.

“Be out in a minute.” Travis sat up, blocking her view.

The door closed, leaving them alone again. The sheets rustled and the bed bounced as he got to his feet. He clicked the lamp on and checked his phone. The dim light was more than enough to illuminate her fantasy material. Travis reached for the ceiling and stretched.

God, he was a work of art. Rough art, but still a thing of wonder.

A conspicuous bulge tented the front of his boxers. They’d had sex a few days ago, but she could still remember the feel of him inside of her.

Travis planted his knee on the bed and loomed over her, trapping her with one arm on either side of her shoulders.

“Looking at me like that gives me ideas.” His voice dropped and her nipples perked up.

Ideas? The naked kind?

He buzzed her mouth with a kiss, and she stopped breathing. It was just a scant few seconds of skin-to-skin contact, but she felt it to her core.

“Up.” He slapped her thigh.

She gathered the sheets and watched him step into the bathroom. Unlike last night, he didn’t close the door.

What were they?

Lovers?

Fuck buddies?

Friends with benefits?

He wasn’t sticking around, not for her, so it wasn’t a relationship. None of those labels felt right. She cared about him. They’d been through enough together in a week that even when he left she would never forget him.

She got dressed in her same jeans and boots, but changed out the thermal top for a sweatshirt. It wasn’t the height of fashion, but it was comfortable, and she was covered.

“What are we doing today?” she asked.

“Food. Check on Ethan. See what the cops dragged in.” Travis was half-dressed, which wasn’t a bad trade-off. She still got to see those abs. They were unreal. The kind of thing people painted on advertisements. He could sell just about anything with that bit of skin if he wanted to. Women would line up for miles to... She did not want to think about another woman touching Travis. This holiday season, he was hers.

“Any chance I can call my family?”

“I’m sure the feds can get you a line to their safehouse.”

“Safehouse?” She blinked at him.

“Yeah, given how he had you all under surveillance, they thought it would be safest if your immediate family was under protection.”

“Oh my God.” She blew out a breath and her eyes watered. “What did I do wrong?”

“You did nothing wrong. Nothing, understand?” Travis wrapped his arms around her tight.

“Yeah, but—”

“No, buts. Daniel Campbell is a fucked up man. He picked your sister and your family based on some parameters only he knows. You did nothing wrong. Nothing.”

She clung to him and buried her face against his shoulder until the tide of overwhelming fear abated.

Bliss lifted her chin and stared at him. A few days ago, she’d thought he was the sketchiest human being she’d ever seen. Now, he was her personal hero.

Travis lowered his head. Slow and tentative wasn’t his style, but he understood where she was at. She lifted herself up on tiptoe and kissed him, hooking her arm around his neck. A deep-seated ache throbbed low in her belly. He went on kissing her until her toes curled in her boots, and her nipples chafed the cups of her bra.

He lifted his face from hers, and she gasped for breath.

“Please don’t leave me.” As soon as the words left her mouth she cringed. Her whole life, she’d been the capable, independent one. Not this.

“I’m here. Nothing bad will happen to you.”

Travis squeezed her and rested his chin on top of her head.

She prayed he was right, that the nightmares were over.

Travis thanked the nurse and entered the ICU bay, Mason on his heels. Ethan’s body was relaxed, his head lolling to one side at an angle that was bound to leave a crick.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Ethan’s words were slurred and quiet. The anesthesia hadn’t worn off yet.

“Making sure they took the right leg.” Travis reached over and prodded Ethan’s left knee.

“You rat bastard. Stop.” Ethan pushed Travis’ hand away.

“Looks like they knew what they were doing.” He stepped back and hooked his thumbs in his pockets.

They’d been here a few times over the years. Sometimes they’d been in beds next to each other. Every time they’d pulled through.

“What’d the doc say?” Mason asked.

“Like I fucking know.” Ethan was perhaps the grumpiest when he was hurt. His soon-to-be ex-wife had often commented on his inability to handle pain or a little direction. Over the years she’d lost the fondness for his grouchy behavior. Maybe Travis should have seen their split coming, but he didn’t know the first thing about relationships.

“Go find the nurse or the doc, let us know what needs doing,” Travis said to Mason.

“Sure thing.” Mason pushed to his feet and strode out to the nurse’s station, a big smile on his face.

Nurses.

Of course.

“Where’s Bliss?” Ethan asked.

“Safe from you.”

Ethan flipped him the bird.

“Nah, I left her back at the cabin with the feds. They can keep an eye on her.”

“Found him yet?”

“Not a whisper or a word. Snow set in and covered his tracks. ATV trails run all through that area. He could be anywhere.”

“You think he’s gone?”

Travis sat in one of the two chairs and rubbed his chin. The profilers probably had a better idea of what Daniel would and wouldn’t do, but Travis had a gut feeling.

“He’s either right under our noses, or he’s long gone,” he said at last.

“Think he’s still after Bliss?”

“Wendy is the one he wanted, but now, who knows? He got caught because he took Bliss. If he’d left, I’d never have knocked Grayson for a favor and found her. Only reason the feds came here is because we were here. They had nothing.”

“This ain’t over, man.”

Travis shook his head.

“Wish I had both legs under me so I could have your back. This sucks, man.” Ethan sighed and let his head drop back against the pillow.

“Any idea how long you’re down for?”

“Couple weeks, then PT. I bet it’s two or three months before I’m back on the job.” Ethan’s face twisted up. They all knew the kind of work the guys on sick leave got. Menial crap that needed to get done, but the kind of stuff no one used to field work wanted to do.

“Home office is making arrangements to fly you home in a day or two, as soon as they release you. You’ll be in Mamma Dean’s infirmary before you’re released.” One of the perks about working for Aegis Group was the medical facility on the property. Mamma Dean was a retired Navy surgeon who didn’t know the meaning of taking it easy.

“Good. When you and the kid headed back?”

“I think Mason’s looking at getting out of here today or tomorrow. I don’t know when I’m leaving.”

“Want some advice?”

“No.”

“Too bad, fucktard.” Ethan jabbed at the buttons on the side of his bed until he figured out which one raised the head of the bed a bit.

“That’s it?”

“Fuck you.”

“You’re a real ray of sunshine.” Travis played it fun and easy, prodding Ethan for a reaction, when inside he went over every second at the campsite yesterday. Could he have done something different to keep them all safe and get Daniel?

“You should take some time. Spend it in Vegas or wherever with her.”

“Bliss?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?” He couldn’t deny that was what he wanted to do. Actually, he wanted to bundle her up and whisk her away to someplace where he knew she’d be safe. Somewhere Daniel wouldn’t look for her.

“Don’t be stupid. You like her.”

“I’ve liked a lot of women.” But none like Bliss.

“Bullshit.” Ethan’s words were clearer now, his face more animated. He was coming out of it, for sure.

“If it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t be here now.”

“If it weren’t for your sorry ass, I wouldn’t be alive now. Sometimes we have to take the good with the bad. I’m just saying, you like her. I’ve never seen you take to a woman like this before, so you shouldn’t let it go. Don’t be like me, man.” Ethan stared up at the ceiling.

Mason knocked on the door, followed by a woman in a white coat with a tablet and a folder of papers.

“Doc’s here to see ya, gimp.”

“Fuck you, too, Mason,” Ethan said. His jaw went a bit slack when Mason moved. “Sorry about that, Doc.”

“It’s okay.” She laughed and pulled up a seat.

Travis tuned out for most of their discussion. Bliss was still heavily on his mind. She didn’t need him in her life. He was too much trouble, his schedule haphazard, and the likelihood that one day he’d come home in a body bag was high. It was a price too high to ask any woman to pay. Most of all someone with their history. But he couldn’t deny that if anyone asked him what Santa could bring him today, it would be Bliss, in a smile and nothing else.

––––––––

9.

Daniel dropped the tool belt onto the bed. The right uniform, and no one cared what he was up to. Just went to show how stupid people were. The lot of them were only good for one thing: dying.

He checked the camera feed he set up that morning. The camera didn’t tell him more than who came and went at the FBI cabin headquarters, but at least he knew when certain members were there.

Bliss hadn’t set foot out of the building since she went in. He’d seen her through a few windows, enough to know the FBI hadn’t spirited her away somewhere else. They were making this easy for him.

By the end of the year he’d have Wendy and Bliss all to himself. And then he could get started. No one would find them, because they were all going to die.

Bliss clutched a pillow to her chest and tried to focus on the Christmas Day parade on the television. The FBI apparently didn’t know how to take a day off and were already discussing routes of escape Daniel could have taken. Try as she might, their voices were the only thing she could focus on.

“Everyone take a half-hour,” Ryan Brooks announced. Frustration vibrated through his voice. She couldn’t blame him—she was frustrated they hadn’t caught Daniel, too.

“Hey, Bliss?”

She looked up at the red-headed woman. There was something just a little off about her, but Bliss liked people who were different.

“I’m going to run out to pick up a few things. I didn’t pack enough clothes for this trip. Need anything?”

“Sure, whatever you can grab, I’d appreciate it.”

“Want to make a list? I know Travis said he had a bag for you, but...”

“Yeah, I think he got most of my dirty clothes in there.” Plus a few things...she couldn’t fathom how he’d grabbed those.

“Here. Write down your sizes. I can’t promise I’ll get anything fashionable, but at least you’ll have something else to wear.”

“You don’t have to do that.” Bliss chewed her lip. Her money and credit cards were still at home. It was the one thing she wished Travis would have grabbed.

Jade sat on the sofa next to her, holding her phone with both hands.

“I don’t have to, but I want to. Just write up a list. Plus, we can’t promise when you’ll be able to go home. You could be living out of that bag for a while.”

“Thank you.” Bliss jotted down a few things and hastily added a last item with an asterisk by it.

“No problem. If you’re up to it, I’d like to ask you a few questions later.”

Bliss nodded. Inwardly she cringed. She was the only living person who could divulge first-person information. Last she’d heard, Don was still out cold, in a medically induced coma to allow some of his injuries to heal and improve his chances.

Jade left without another comment. The other people were all over the house, making calls, putting together a sandwich, or talking in pairs. Since Travis and Mason had left to see about Ethan’s surgery more people had arrived. A few spoke to her, but most ignored her.

“Hey, Bliss?” Connor called to her from the kitchen.

She groaned to herself and got up. The guy was nice, but she was about done with him. The only person she wanted to talk to was Travis. Or her family. But they were out of the question.

“What’s kicking?” she asked, glancing at the three agents.

Connor, Benjamin, and Dmitri, if her memory was to be trusted. Granted, it wasn’t hard to pick them out of the crowd. Connor had the accent, Benjamin was often the only black man in the room, and she hadn’t quite figured out Dmitri’s ethnicity, but she was pretty sure it included both Russian and Latin heritage. The trio was pretty funny after-hours. She’d enjoyed their banter after dinner last night, though the nightmares had returned later. At least then she’d had Travis.

“Thought you’d like to put in a call to your family.” Dmitri handed her the cordless house phone, his kind smile putting her at ease.

She glanced at the pre-dialed screen and back at him.

“Seriously?” She’d accepted that wasn’t going to happen.

“Go for it. Keep it short, okay?” Connor patted her shoulder, and the three men moved out of the kitchen, giving her a bit of privacy.

She hit dial and pressed the phone to her face.

It rang once, twice—

“Hello?”

Bliss clapped her hand over her mouth. Her mother’s voice was the best thing ever.

“Bliss? Is that you?”

“Yes, Mom, it’s me,” she managed to get out.

“Oh honey, it’s so good to hear your voice.”

“Hello? She there?” Her father’s voice was distant, which probably meant he’d picked up another phone, and now she’d have to strain to hear them both. She didn’t care. She got to hear their voices.

“Hi, Dad. Merry Christmas.”

“Oh, Bliss, baby, we wish you were here.”

“Me, too, Dad.” She put her back to the fridge and squeezed her eyes shut.

“Are you okay? They wouldn’t say a lot about what happened.” That was her mother. Always the worrier.

“I’m fine. Just some bruises, a few scratches. I’m okay.” It wasn’t the outward injuries she was concerned about. “Are Wendy and the baby okay? Grayson with them?”

Her dad blew out a breath. She could imagine him sitting down and squinting at the ceiling. He always did that whenever someone asked him a question. “Last we heard from them, yes. The officers won’t let us talk to them much, but we had a check-in last night. They were good. Worried about you.”

“When can you come home?” her mother asked.

“I don’t know. No one’s told me much of anything.”

The front door opened, and she glanced at the entry. Travis stepped through the door. She held her breath as he scanned the room and spotted her. Her heart did a little flip and she waved.

“They’re telling us we need to get off the phone.” Her mother harrumphed.

“I’m being taken care of, Mom. Love you guys.”

“We love you,” her parents said in unison.

Their words were an auditory hug, something she needed so very badly. Bliss hung up the phone and swiped her hands across her cheeks. Being away from her family on Christmas sucked. Given the circumstances, it was even worse.

“Hey.” Travis filled her vision, blocking off the rest of the room.

“Christ, make some noise, would you?” She chuckled. It was good to have him near again. He wouldn’t always be there, but for now she needed him.

“Sorry. Eaten yet?”

“No.”

“I grabbed some stuff. There wasn’t a lot open.”

“Thanks. How’s Ethan?”

“Grouchy, so that means he’s good.”

“Good. They want me to talk about Daniel.”

“Are you ready for that?”

She shrugged.

“If you aren’t, they’ll understand.”

“But if I don’t, we might not find him.”

“They might not find him even with your input.”

“I know they want you to go out and help with the search, but do you think you could stick around for a little while and...I don’t know, just be here for that?” She wrapped her arms around herself.

Travis wrapped her in a hug and kissed her brow.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

She could face the nightmares with him by her side. She knew she could. But what would happen when he was gone?

Travis grabbed a soda at random and a chocolate bar one of the officers had offered up. Bliss’ tears were stuck on repeat in his mind, and he could still hear her trembling voice as she recounted every agonizing moment they’d been apart. He wanted to make all kinds of promises like she’d never be afraid again, that he’d never leave her, but those were irrational.

What she needed now was time to pull herself together. Sweets were one good tool to help combat the drop in blood sugar.

Jade entered the kitchen, her gaze on him. “She’s upstairs. Give her a few.”

He nodded. Words were out of his power now. All he wanted to do was punch something. Preferably Daniel Campbell, but he’d settle for the punching bag downstairs.

“You aren’t any use to her if you can’t be calm.” Jade pitched her voice low, for their ears alone.

“I am calm.”

“I tried talking to her, but she wasn’t interested.”

“I imagine she’s pretty talked out.” He couldn’t deny the satisfaction that it was him she turned to. “What’s next for her?”

“We’re looking into protective custody.”

“Permanently?” If she went into something like Witness Protection, he’d never see her again.

“Hopefully not. Daniel can’t have that many backup plans, and having been thwarted twice, he’s going to start splintering soon. We’ve notified the entire region to be on the lookout for his signatures.” She shook her head. “I don’t remember the last time we had a killer with two clear signatures like this. It’s highly uncommon.”

“What do you think about the Killer Club connection?”

“What we’ve been able to dig up on his Internet activity is nothing like what we ran into in Oklahoma. I’m not convinced he’s connected.”

“Have you found others?” This was a can of worms. Travis couldn’t afford to think about it. Not when Bliss needed him.

“Some.” She nodded. “That clown that kept popping up for a while is a good suspect. Crimes like his are clear copycats, which seem to be that group’s MO. Daniel is...different. If there’s ever been someone like him, it’s a hell of a long time ago.”

“Back to Bliss, where will you move her?”

“Can’t tell you that. Unless you plan on going with her.” Jade’s left brow arched ever so slightly.

The idea was tempting, but he had a duty to Aegis he couldn’t turn his back on. They’d given him a life and opportunities when no one else would. He couldn’t leave them.

When he didn’t answer, Jade continued, “She’ll go back to Vegas under protection, probably put her up somewhere for a few days until long-term arrangements are made if we don’t find Daniel. Maybe you could stick around.”

“Maybe.”

Jade checked her phone. “You should go up now.”

He nodded and headed for the stairs, taking them two at a time. The need to be near Bliss was eating him up. He paused outside her door to knock, and then opened the door.

Bliss sat in the middle of the bed. Plastic bags were strewn around, and instead of jeans, she wore pajama pants and a knit hoodie. A single red and green bag sat in front of her, out of place and festive.

“Here.” He handed the soda to her and ripped open the candy bar.

She took the drink and chocolate he offered without comment.

“The sugar sometimes helps the chemical fallout.”

“Thank you.” She patted the bed next to her.

He sat and offered her another piece of the candy bar. She took that as well and pushed the bag toward him.

“Merry Christmas.”

He stared at the gift, a knot of panic lodged in his throat.

“I didn’t get you anything,” he said. When was the last time anyone had given him something for Christmas? Sure, he and Emma traded cards, usually with a gift certificate, but that was about it.

“It’s a gift. You don’t have to reciprocate. I just...wanted to do something for you. It’s a lame thank you, so you don’t have to keep it.”

He handed her the rest of the candy and carefully pulled out each individual piece of tissue paper. The scent of leather clung to the wrappings. What the hell? And where had she found the time? He peered at the black lump at the bottom of the bag.

“I have a receipt around here if you want to take them back,” Bliss said.

Travis reached in and pulled out a pair of black leather gloves. Not the cheap kind that would flake and peel with a little use, but the real deal.

“You said your hands were cold yesterday, and I just thought it might be something you could use.” She kept rambling on, tearing the candy wrapper into little pieces. “I’m sure you have gloves, but whatever.”

“Thank you.” He slipped his left hand into a glove. They were snug, just the way they were supposed to be. “I don’t think anyone has ever given me something this thoughtful.”

“You don’t have to—”

“I’m serious. I usually spend Christmas on the job or by myself. This is nice. You didn’t have to do this, Bliss.”

“I wanted to.” She wrapped her arms around her legs.

“Thank you.” He gestured to the bags. “What’s all this?”

“Jade got me a few things.”

“I got it all wrong, didn’t I?” He sighed and took the glove off, setting them carefully on the night stand.

“No, but you got a bunch of my dirty clothes.” She chuckled. “There’s a washer and dryer, but no detergent downstairs.”

“Figures.” He sighed and stretched out next to her, his back to the headboard.

“I kind of want to know how you decided what to pack.” She chuckled.

“There wasn’t a lot of thought to it. I grabbed things, threw them on the bed. I know I knocked some stuff over and just tossed it in, too.”

“Ah, that makes sense then.”

“What?”

“The bags.”

The way her smile made her eyes light up, he wanted to capture that memory for all time. He reached out and cupped her cheek, relishing her warmth, the kindness she showed him. Except now he was staring, and she’d said something.

“Sorry, what?”

“Nothing. Doesn’t matter.”

“It does. What did you say?”

“I was just saying that it made sense why you shoved some of my, ah, bags into the duffle.”

“Bags?” He had to think that one over for a moment. “The bags.”

Those bags.

“Yeah, that was kind of funny to find last night.”

“I just thought you might need them? I’m not that thoughtful. It was really an accident.”

“Why would I need a vibrator with you around?” She smirked, and he was reminded all over again why he’d first found her so intriguing. It wasn’t often people argued with him, and she hadn’t backed down one bit.

“I thought you liked the variety?”

“I do.” She rested her head on her steepled knees. A bit of hair swept across her cheek, pointing at her mouth he wanted to kiss. “What’s next?”

He rested his head against the wall and blew out a breath.

Way to kill the mood.

“Depends if they find Daniel.”

“If they don’t?”

“Protective custody of some kind.”

“Just me or my family?”

“Not sure, but you and Wendy are the main concerns.”

“How long will you be around?”

“I’ve got a job that starts end of next week.” It was a short gig. Any other guy could take his place if it came down to that, but he’d volunteered, knowing many would still be packing in the quality family time. Screw it. “I’ll stick around as long as I can, if that’s what you want.”

“I’d like that, but I don’t want you to get in trouble because of me. I know this is just a job and whatever.” She shrugged.

He stared at her. The words he needed abandoned him. How did he make her understand how special she was to him?

“Or not. You don’t have to.”

“Bliss, I want to. It’s just hard to use the right words.”

“Oh. Can you use some of the wrong ones and see if I can figure it out?”

“I can’t help but think this is my fault, and you’d be a lot better off without me.”

“I’m going to disagree with you. Without you I’d never have found Wendy.”

“I know enough about killers to know that my actions have little to no bearing on what Daniel is going to do. But I can’t shake the feeling that if I hadn’t spoken to you, you’d be alright.”

“I’d be worse. I’d be grieving my sister.”

“And this is better?” He reached out and ran his fingers across the bruises circling her wrist.

“Better than losing her? Yes.”

He shook his head. No one had ever cared that much about him.

“You saved Wendy, and you saved me. Without you, I’d be a lot worse off.” She grasped his hand and laced their fingers together.

He’d promised himself to give her space, to step back and let her go, but he wasn’t that strong. She was this bright, beautiful thing that had become snared in his life, and he couldn’t resist her pull. Everything about her was good, so different from him. No one had ever called him good at anything, except killing and keeping clients alive.

If he were really a man, he’d get up right now and walk out the door. Bliss was stronger than she realized, and given a little time, she’d be okay.

“I’m...” Words stuck in his throat.

Bliss’ face was the only thing he could see. When had she gotten so close?

“Travis?” She licked her lips, and he stared in fascination at the glistening skin.

“Yeah?”

“Make love to me?”

––––––––

10.

Travis’ ears rang with her request.

“Make love to me. I want to feel something besides fear and helplessness. Please.” Her voice broke and she blinked a single tear.

“Shh.” He cupped her cheek and wiped the tear away. “You never have to ask twice, darlin’. Stay right there.”

She could have asked him for anything, and he’d have broken a dozen laws just to make her happy. Pleasing her, stroking her body to orgasm was no trouble at all. He wasn’t a man used to soft lovemaking, but for her he could be whatever she needed.

He got up out of the bed and flipped the lock on the door with shaking hands. It wasn’t much to keep anyone out, but if Jade or another agent came knocking it might give them pause before entering.

Travis turned toward the bed and paused. The other night he’d been pushed by a sense of need so sharp and deep that it might have been a dream. This time, he wanted each moment filed away in his memory so that Bliss would always be part of him.

She sat where he’d left her, legs still pulled up. If he didn’t know better, this could be a moment taken from any normal day. What would it be like to come home to Bliss every day?

He should say something, but again, the words he needed were gone.

Bliss grabbed the comforter and flipped the bags off onto the floor. She glanced up at him, an uncharacteristically shy smile pulling on her lips.

He grabbed the hem of his shirt and tugged it up. The bed creaked as he tossed the garment off. Bliss stared at his chest, her brow slightly wrinkled. He wasn’t perfect. Scars and incisions marked his body from head to toe, writing the story of his life on his skin.

“Do they hurt?” She flattened her palm over a long line just below his ribs.

“Nah.”

“I hate knowing you’ve been hurt.” She took a small step closer and covered an old bullet wound with her other hand.

“Part of the job.”

She kissed the jagged scar along his sternum where a man had tried to knife him. His knees went a little weak. Her tongue licked across his skin and his balls throbbed. Damn, but she was something else.

This was supposed to be about her, and he was the one getting all the attention. It just wasn’t right.

Travis cupped her face using both hands and nibbled her lower lip, drawing it in between his, sucking the taste of her into his mouth. She groaned and her hands slipped around his waist. He tilted her head to the side and deepened the kiss, stroking her with his tongue, inviting her to come out to play.

He slid his hands down to her ass, squeezing the round globes. She fit his hands so well. He rocked his hips against her, and she groaned into his mouth. The only hardship about taking her to bed was his impatient cock.

She wiggled her hands between them and rubbed the length of his erection. The denim was a cruel barrier, but this was not about him. He stepped back, breaking the kiss as she got the button through the tab.

Her cheeks were flushed and her lips swollen. It was a primitive satisfaction to see her turned on because of him.

He grabbed the hem of her shirt and tugged it up, breaking her fight with his zipper. His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth as her breasts were revealed, sans any sort of bra. Her nipples were tight, dusky brown peaks he couldn’t wait to taste again. The sounds she made when he licked them were the stuff of fantasies.

Bliss reached for him, but he crowded her back against the mattress and laid her down. He knelt over her, running his thumbs over her nipples, watching her squirm. She didn’t shy away from his gaze, and more often than not she stared right back at him, owning this beautiful body of hers and the desire she felt for him. He loved the rounded softness of her hips, stomach, and breasts, so different from himself.

“Travis, I want you inside of me,” she said without hesitation.

“Not yet.” He had to put her over the edge first.

She made a frustrated sound, something between a sigh and a growl. He chuckled and kissed the tip of her nose as he shoved his hand past the stretchy waistband of her pants. He cupped her mound, pressing two fingers against her folds. Her mouth opened and her eyes fluttered shut. He parted her folds, rubbing against her. Her hips shifted under him, but he was saving being inside of her for a few moments longer.

He sat back on his heels, tugging her pants and panties down her long legs.

This was what sex was supposed to be like. He’d deprived himself of human connection on a meaningful level besides his friendships. Caring for Bliss, and knowing she felt something for him, too, changed everything. He didn’t just want to please her, he wanted—more. It wasn’t just his dick, it was his heart.

He slid his hands between her knees and pushed them open, going to his elbows. She shifted and gripped the sheets with both hands. There was something erotic about the sight of a woman’s breasts from this angle, especially hers. Later, he’d have to spend more time between them, but her pleasure came first.

Bliss’ mouth opened, and her gaze bore a hole into his skull. She didn’t shy away from what turned her on, which was just that much better.

He licked the length of her slit, tasting the slightly salty tang of her skin.

“Travis,” she drew his name out for several seconds.

He spread her folds, licking her. He thrust his tongue into her pussy. Her hips came up off the mattress, and her knees squeezed his shoulders. The noises she made were even better than last time. Her hand found his hair, and her nails raked across his scalp.

“There, right there.” She gasped.

He slid his fingers into her, curling them against the sensitive g-spot while sucking on her clit. Her mouth dropped open, and her back arched. He felt the spasms of her vaginal wall before her first high-pitched moan. She grabbed a pillow, muffling the sounds of her orgasm while he stroked her, keeping the steady, even pace, milking her for everything he could until she lay slack and boneless against the sheets.

God damn, she was fantastic.

He eased out of her and carefully crawled up to lie next to her. The jeans were on the extreme side of uncomfortable now, but he could manage.

“Oh my God. Oh my God.” Bliss lowered the pillow to her chest and panted.

Travis allowed himself a chuckle.

“Good?” he asked.

She stared at him with wide eyes.

“Good? Great would be an understatement.” She grinned without some of the tension she’d carried earlier.

Bliss rolled toward him and threw a leg over his. He stared at the ceiling and mentally ran through what ammunition he had with him. The state of his razors. Anything but the feel of her breasts against his chest, the still-hard nipples prodding him, or her thigh rubbing up against his balls.

He knew every one of her injuries, had listened as the nurses uncovered them and then again when Bliss recounted the horrors. She wanted release, and he’d give her that, but until she had more time to heal, he wouldn’t presume that sex was on the table, no matter what she said.

She kissed his jaw and cupped his cheek, turning his face toward her. He hesitated—some people weren’t fond of their taste on another’s mouth—but she didn’t show any reservation. She kissed him and slid her leg over his hips.

“Careful.” He winced and adjusted his dick with one hand, the other busy copping a feel.

“Sorry.”

Bliss sat up, straddling his thighs. Her smile was the stuff better men wrote songs about. She grasped his zipper and tugged it down. He hurriedly cupped his dick before it got caught in the zipper.

“Hold on.” He grabbed her hands, staying away from her bruised wrists.

“What?” She frowned.

“Just, don’t think you have to.”

She tilted her head to the side.

“I mean, if you aren’t ready,” he said.

“Travis, Daniel didn’t rape me.”

“I know, but it doesn’t mean you’re ready. If you aren’t.”

“I don’t know if I should thank you for being considerate, or slap you for being stupid.” One side of her mouth screwed up.

“No slapping.” He cringed and covered his erection.

Bliss chuckled and ducked her head, kissing his mouth. He couldn’t keep his hands to himself. He palmed her breasts, capturing the hard nipples between his fingers. She groaned against his lips and her eyes parted.

“Are you really turning me down right now?” She stuck out her lower lip.

“No, but—”

She put her fingers over his mouth.

“Nothing good comes after but.”

Bliss replaced her fingers with her mouth while her other hand wrapped around his cock.

“You really want to turn me down right now?” she asked.

“No. I just want what’s best for you.”

“Can you stop being so considerate for a little bit? Are you really going to argue with me about having sex?”

He should.

She’d been through so much.

“No,” he finally said.

She smiled and planted a kiss on his mouth while her hands slid down to cup his balls.

“Any chance you have a condom?” she asked.

He sat up, pushing her back onto her heels, and slapped his wallet onto the nightstand. Tucked inside was a little precautionary protection. He grabbed it and ripped the packet open. If she was determined to have sex—with him—he was done fighting what they both wanted. He’d tried the selfless martyr route, and that clearly wasn’t for them.

Travis rolled the condom on by feel alone while Bliss’ mouth kept him busy. She pushed his shoulders and he lay back, cramming a pillow under his neck. This was a sight he didn’t want to miss.

She grasped his cock, her eyes a little wider.

“I thought I imagined it being this big,” she said.

“It’s only going to get bigger the longer you look at it.”

“Oh, really now?” She grinned.

She lifted up on her knees, and he grasped her hips, steadying her. Her grip tightened, holding him in place as she sank down. He held himself back, allowing her to go at her own speed. She planted her hands on his chest, her nails driving into his skin as she rose and sank, working more of his cock into her tight little pussy. Finally she sank down, taking the last bit of him into her.

Bliss sucked down deep breaths, her gaze a little unfocused.

He sat up, wrapping an arm around her waist, and kissed her. She groaned, sucking on his tongue, and clung to his shoulders. Her body relaxed further and the vice-like grip on his cock eased.

She pushed on his shoulders, and he released her, breaking the kiss and letting his hands drift down to her ass. There was no telling how long he’d last. Not long enough, that was for sure. Her body fit him better than the gloves she’d gifted him. There was a rightness to the world when he was in her.

Bliss rose on shaky knees.

“Christ.” He groaned.

“Bliss.” She kissed his cheek. “My name is Bliss.”

“I’ll remember that.”

Little sparks of light were going off behind his eyelids. She rose and fell, her breasts rubbing against his chest. He dropped back to the bed, giving her free rein to move as she liked. Her hands found his chest again, and her nails dug in.

Travis lifted his hips, moving in time with her.

“Oh—oh!” Bliss tossed her head back, her hips rolling. He could feel the flutter of muscles right before her vagina tightened in orgasm.

“Fuck—Bliss.” He grasped her hips, lifting her, and thrust, losing himself in the tight, hot feel of her body around his.

He squeezed his eyes shut as his orgasm spurted out of him. Bliss fell forward, collapsing against his chest, her breath fanning over his skin. He wrapped his arms around her.

If only every day could be spent with her.

––––––––

11.

Daniel lifted the cigarette to his lips, his gaze on the black SUV. He didn’t smoke, but it gave him a reason to loiter outside the hospital. Tapping the phone lines hadn’t told him anything he couldn’t have guessed on his own. What he needed was another way to keep tabs on them, especially once they returned to Vegas later in the day.

Three figures climbed out of the truck. The two men automatically put the smaller woman between them, not that Bliss was worth saving. But she was for later.

He waited until they’d entered the hospital, and then waited longer, letting the cigarette burn down almost to the filter. Disposing of the butt, he kept his head down and strode out to the parking lot, peering at the other cars. No one had pulled in after the two bodyguards, but that didn’t mean someone wasn’t waiting for him to expose himself. So far, the cops were looking in all the wrong places, the places some other idiot would go on the run. But not him. He had a brain.

Daniel pulled the spare rental key out of his pocket and clicked the fob. The black SUV beeped.

One more glance around.

No one was watching.

He circled the truck and opened the passenger door. A few belongings littered the console and floor board. Nothing useful. He dug into the back seat and came up with several bags. One of which had Bliss’ nametag already attached to it.

Perfect.

He dug into his pocket and pulled out the tiny tracking device. Disguised as a bit of garbage, it would blend into her belongings. With any luck, it would lead him right to her once they went to ground in Vegas.

A pair of black gloves stuck out of the seat pocket. He grabbed them, turning them over.

Nice.

He shoved them in his pocket and got out of the SUV, locking it with the rental key. Satisfied, it was time to get out of the city and hit the road. His new ride should be ready soon, and he needed to return the key before it was missed.

Daniel’s plans were falling into place.

Bliss peered out between the blinds. The upper-middle class house was one of many nearly identical models in the Las Vegas housing development. Except it wasn’t. This one was owned by the government. Not just the police, but the government. An unmarked police car had delivered them here and then left. Someone was supposed to bring Travis’ rental around eventually. From the talk that had gone on around her, she picked up that their arrangement was unusual.

The difference was Travis. His continued presence in her life made everything different.

“Where the fuck are they?”

She turned and watched Travis upend his bag onto the big bed that sat in the middle of the master suite. He’d marched in here and deposited both their bags on the dresser as if it were the most natural thing. She liked that. Liked knowing he would be next to her tonight when the nightmares came again. That when she needed him, he’d be an arm’s length away.

But only for another week, at best.

During the flight she overheard his hushed phone call. He was passing up work to be with her, and while she appreciated that, she couldn’t let his life stall for the sake of her comfort.

“What’s wrong?” She crossed to the bed.

“The gloves. I had them earlier, but they aren’t in any of my stuff.” A few days ago, his ferocious frown might have sent her into hiding. Now she just wanted to kiss him.

“They’re somewhere.” She shrugged. They’d packed in such a rush to make the flight before another front blew in. She doubted he really thought about what went where.

“But they should be here.”

“You’ll find them.” She climbed onto the bed and lay down on her side, watching him. “Heard from Ethan?”

“Yeah. He texted. Sounds like he’s still being a grump.”

“When will he get home?”

“Tomorrow, as long as flights aren’t grounded.”

“You guys seem really close.”

“Should be. We’ve known each other since Basic.”

“Yeah?” She curled her arm under her, eager to hear anything about his past.

Instead, Travis grunted and started folding his clothes.

Well, nuts.

“What was that like?” she asked.

“Basic? Bullshit.”

“That’s all you have to say about it?” She laughed and threw a pillow at him.

Travis caught it, folded it in half and sat on the mattress, the pillow under his forearm.

“I don’t have a lot of good memories from Basic.”

“Why?”

“I had a friend that enlisted with me. He couldn’t hack it, got kicked out and...it’s just bad memories.”

“Why? What happened?”

“Carlos went on to have a kid. It was his baby momma who went crazy, threatened to kill the kid, and I grabbed the boy while Carlos talked her down.”

“Oh, no.”

“Yeah.”

“But...what happened? You told me a little, but I’m guessing not the whole story.”

Travis sighed and stretched out, cramming the pillow under his head. He stared at the ceiling, hands crossed over his stomach.

“Carlos had a bad picker. He only liked the crazy women. He knocked up Priss right before Basic, and he always said getting kicked out was good, because he got to be there for her during the pregnancy. She was never right in the head. Every time I was home, they’d broken up and been back together a couple of times.”

She held her breath, dreading the end of his story.

“That last time, they were split up. She called, pissed about something that didn’t even make sense, and threatened to kill their son, Manuel. Carlos, he was scared. Real scared. So we went over there, and she’s hitting on this kid.” He swung his hand in the air, not looking at her. “He was seven, I think. She’s just wailing on him. Carlos grabs her, and I figure, this kid needs help. I grab him, get in the truck and go down the street until the cops come.”

Her heart hurt. On the surface he was just rattling off the details, but she knew how much it had to bother him. Travis was a protector. He’d acted with the best interests of the kid in mind.

“We must have sat there for an hour. I thought no one was coming. I didn’t have a cell phone, and all I’ve got is a screaming kid. Well the cops get there, yank me out, start yelling, and they haul me to prison and give the kid back to Priss and Carlos, who in that hour had patched things up and were back together. They stayed together all during my trial. Carlos, he lied through his teeth on the stand. It was awful, but he never was very strong when it came to women. Worst of it? I was in the pen maybe six weeks when I heard Priss killed Carlos on one of her crazy benders.”

“No!”

“Yeah. I got paroled a couple months later.”

“What happened to Manuel?”

“He lives with Carlos’ mother now. I go by and see him whenever I’m home.”

“Does he like you?”

“Yeah. He got all the brains his parents never had. Smart kid. Scary smart.”

“What did you do after that?”

“I got out and went straight to a bar. My sister, Emma, showed up, and we drank until we were seriously fucked.”

“Really?” Bliss laughed and tried to picture what Travis’ sister must look like. She had to be an interesting woman.

“Yeah, you don’t want to have a drinking contest with her. Our old man had her on the bottle young. She can’t drink me under the table, but she can hold her own.”

“Your dad got you guys drinking when you were kids?”

“My sister. My mom would have smacked him silly. Didn’t stop me sneaking a few beers.”

“Okay, wait...” She shook her head, rearranging the pieces.

“My dad stepped out on his wife a lot. He only had two kids though. Emma, whose mom is his wife, and me. We’re about a year apart.”

“And it’s your dad who had the run-in with the serial killer?”

“Yeah. BTK. He murdered my grandparents and made him watch.”

“That had to be rough.”

“It wasn’t a cake walk.”

“And you said a copycat tried to kill your sister?”

“Yeah, earlier this year, guy called himself BTKiller. He was...I don’t know, trying to recreate the original BTK murders because he thought he was the reincarnation of the guy. You’d have to ask Emma. He had this idea that if he killed all these people, her and this cop, he’d set his soul free or some bullshit.”

“And that’s how you got hooked up with the FBI?”

“Kind of. Their guys called me, asked me some questions. It went from there.”

She shook her head, mind reeling. They hadn’t even touched on his time in the Navy, doing whatever it was he did, or his job now. Danger was woven into the fabric of who he was. There was no use wishing him safe because, even doing something safe, he was dangerous.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing, I’m wrapping my head around all of it.”

“I’m not a good person, Bliss.”

“Right.” She rolled her eyes.

“You’re seeing me as the man you want me to be.”

“Or maybe you’ve decided to be a martyr because a few idiots said you were a bad apple? I can’t believe that. You’re a lot better than you give yourself credit for.”

“I’m not.”

“Fine. If that’s what you want to believe.” She rolled off the bed, stood and stretched.

If Travis wanted to be a martyr and believe he was some sort of awful human being because a bunch of bad stuff had happened to him, she wasn’t going to change his mind. But now she understood him a tiny bit better, and she liked what she’d seen.

“Where you going?” he called out as she left the bedroom.

“Kitchen.” She hadn’t stopped being hungry since they’d picked her up out of the snow. Sure, another meal would go straight to her hips, but they were hers, and she wasn’t about to feel guilty for being alive to eat.

Travis watched Bliss leave the bedroom.

She didn’t get it. And he didn’t know how to make her understand. His life was cursed. There was a darkness he couldn’t shake. He’d been born into it, and it would die with him. There was no future if she couldn’t accept that.

A future?

What the heck was he thinking?

He shook his head and sat up, busying himself with putting his clothes into a drawer.

There was no denying he liked Bliss. She was special, and he would be crazy to not want her in his life. But that was a something he couldn’t ask of her. He couldn’t offer her a stable home like Grayson. He wouldn’t be around to take her calls, have dinner or anything. She deserved better than him, and that was the end of it.

He put the last of his things away and headed downstairs, following his nose.

Bliss stood at the stove, stirring something in a pot. She was barefoot and bounced her hip in time to music only she could hear. Just the sight of her was a punch to the gut. This time two days ago he hadn’t been certain he’d ever see her again. And here she was.

It was enough to make a man wonder about the future. To want something different. But even trying to live part time in Vegas to be nearer to her wouldn’t be fair to her. He’d watched the stress that kind of separation put on Ethan and Molly. Sure, other guys made it work, but someone always suffered. He wouldn’t ask her to do that.

Travis crossed to the entry and the brown box the officer had left for him.

“What ‘ya got there?” Bliss asked.

He set the box on the kitchen counter and opened it. A couple of things for him, and two for her.

“Belated Christmas presents.” He held up the two items.

“Oh, you’re so thoughtful. I’ve always wanted my very own Taser. And Mace?”

“Will you be serious?”

“Fine. What’s up?”

“I want you to keep these with you. Have you used mace before?”

“I had some in college. I know the basics. Point it away from you. Aim for the eyes. If I get it on me, don’t try to wash it off with soap, use milk.”

“Good. And the Taser?”

“You sure that’s necessary?”

“It could be. I’d like you to have a gun, but first you need to know what to do with it.”

“A gun? Seriously? Me?”

“What? You operate a vibrator. It can’t be that much different.”

“I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that.”

“Look, I just want you safe. These are easy tools to keep around in case you need them.”

She sighed and tapped the spoon on the pot.

“Fine. How do I work it?”

They left the soup on to simmer while he showed her the basics of the hand-held device. It had enough juice to stop a man in his tracks long enough for her to get away. That was the most important thing he had to drill into her.

“If you’ll consider it, I’d at least like to show you how to shoot.” He placed the items back on the counter. Later he’d make sure they got into her purse.

“But they said we couldn’t go out.”

“Not now. Some other time.” He got at least a week off between gigs, sometimes more. Plenty of time to make a trip to Nevada.

“Like—what? You’re just going to come back to Vegas to teach me how to shoot a gun?”

“Sure. Why not? You don’t want me here?” Hadn’t he just decided that was a bad idea? He had no self-control where she was concerned.

She blinked at him for a second, then stared at the soup, stirring it slowly.

“It’s not that. I like you. But it’s hard to lean on you and know you’re going to leave any minute. I was starting to think I’d never see you once you left.”

“I never said that.”

“No...”

“I wouldn’t mind coming back if you wanted to see me.”

Bliss nodded. It wasn’t the reaction he’d hoped for, not that he knew what he wanted from her. It was all so tangled and twisted inside of him. He wanted her even when he knew the best thing for her was not him.

“I don’t have to,” he said.

“It’s just hard right now. I really like you, and I’m so very grateful you saved not just me, but Wendy... I don’t know where my head is. I’d like to see you though.”

“Cool.”

“But what if I’m not even here? What if they move me?”

“Then we’ll figure it out. Daniel can’t keep hiding forever. They’re going to catch him.” That, or Travis would. The most important thing right now was keeping Bliss safe. Once he was assured of her well-being, he would go on the hunt.

It was good to be back in his home city. Getting out of California hadn’t been as difficult as he’d thought. Granted, there were a few close calls, but his disguise had passed the test.

Daniel unlocked his secret bunker and quick-stepped down the stairs. It was time to find out where his girls were and plan for their get-away.

He fired up the computer and waited for it to boot.

Wendy was easy to locate. All he had to do was follow the courier from her husband’s place of work, and he’d know where she was. Bliss, on the other hand, was better concealed. Thanks to that piece of work bodyguard. Daniel hadn’t figured out how that one played into everything, but he was ready to find out.

A few clicks of the keys, and he brought up the GPS tracker tuned into the device he’d planted in her bag. The red pin plopped on the map, and he zoomed in to the very street she was sitting on.

“Gotcha.”

He grinned and clicked through his other feeds. The majority of his cameras were disabled, but a small number were still up and running. They all showed what he expected, abandoned homes.

Now, what about the man?

Travis.

That was his name.

“Who are you, Travis? And how will you die?”

––––––––

12.

Bliss peered into yet another drawer. The master bath was stocked with all kinds of things. Toothbrushes. Adult diapers. Children’s diapers. First aid kit. The list went on. If she didn’t have something, she now knew where it was stocked.

The digital clock on the counter ticked off another five minutes. She’d successfully hidden in the bathroom for over an hour. Travis had moved around the house, talking on his phone, chatting with her, and mostly brooding. Their conversation over dinner had consisted of a dozen or so words.

She liked him. A lot. And she did want him to come back to Vegas. At least that was her knee-jerk reaction. On one hand, she wanted more. For Travis to realize he was more than a string of other people’s mistakes. That he was a caring, thoughtful guy who just needed to let go a little. That there was more than just chemistry there. On the other hand...She didn’t know if she’d be living in Vegas. If he would be allowed to know where she was. And why the hell did she have such crazy strong feelings for a guy she met a couple days ago?

From the moment Travis had walked into her life, she felt like someone had her back. He believed her when she said her sister was missing. At the house she’d freaked out, and he was right there with her. When she pressed the issue of going with him, he didn’t try to keep her away. At every turn he’d had her back. What would it be like to have a partner like that? She’d always been the one pulling the weight of two people.

Then there was the chemistry. It was off the charts. She didn’t think it was simply switching out her nice guy type for a bad boy. It was a result as unique as Travis himself.

She was falling in love with him, and they were doomed to fail.

“Bliss?” He knocked on the bathroom door.

She flinched and turned toward the white pocket door. If she ignored him, would he go away? She couldn’t be so lucky.

“Yeah?”

“You done in there?”

“Almost.”

She held her breath and listened, but of course he couldn’t do her the favor of making a tiny bit of sound.

Freaking man.

Bliss turned back to the mirror. She’d showered. Dried her hair. Brushed and flossed her teeth. Scrubbed and moisturized her face. Was she missing something? Could she squeeze out a few more moments alone with her merry-go-round of thoughts?

The lock on the door snicked.

Her spine straightened and she stood at the tiny silver lock, pointing the wrong way.

Daniel?

The door opened. Travis stood on the other side, a knife in hand.

Bliss blew out a breath and turned to face him.

“Christ, don’t do that. You scared me.”

“You’ve been in here for a long time.” He closed the knife and slid it into his pocket without looking away from her.

“Yeah, so? There’s not a lot to do here.” She scooped up her dirty clothes.

He stepped back, out of her way. She crossed to her bag, opting to leave the worn clothing tucked behind the duffle for now.

“What’s bothering you?” Travis leaned against the dresser, watching her.

“Nothing.”

“Nothing is always something when a woman says it.”

She glared at him.

“Ethan’s ex-wife always said that.”

Smart woman.

“You going to bed?” he asked.

“Might as well.”

Travis had insisted they keep the TV off. If she had to guess, the news was still clogged with updates on Daniel’s whereabouts and his history of crime. The FBI had mentioned something about confirming over fifty bodies attributed to Daniel.

She climbed into bed and turned away from Travis.

He still wanted to see her.

The idea of never seeing him again left an empty ache in her chest. Could she ever have him? Would he ever truly be hers? She wasn’t even sure what he meant when he suggested still seeing her.

She listened to him brush his teeth and move about the room, getting ready for bed. Everyday actions that squeezed her heart in a vice. Why couldn’t this be their normal?

Travis turned all the lights off, save for the bathroom. He left the door open just a crack. For her. Because she needed the security of the light.

The bed dipped under Travis’ weight, and she squeezed her eyes shut. She wanted him, but she didn’t want to lose him. And right now, things were too uncertain to make any sort of call about the future.

He rolled toward her and she shifted as gravity tilted her toward him. She was intently aware of his presence, the sound of his breathing, the feel of his gaze on her.

“You need to get out of your head, darlin’. You’ll drive yourself crazy if you keep doing this to yourself. You’re safe. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” He turned and the sheets rustled as he stretched out on his side, closest to the door.

Travis thought she was obsessing about Daniel? That mental refrain had broken some point that morning, and she’d slept without the hint of a dream. His return to her life was a very real possibility, one she didn’t like, but she couldn’t control.

She held very still, listening to his breathing grow shallow and even. He could probably fool her into thinking he was asleep, so she chose to believe it for now.

Bliss rolled over, letting her gaze travel the line of Travis’ body. The sheet and blanket were down around his waist and the bathroom light cast just enough light she could see the tattoo on his upper arm.

She wiggled her toes and turned back toward the windows. There was no reason for her to have so much pent up energy. She’d barely slept, hadn’t eaten well, and it hurt when she moved certain ways. And yet, she wasn’t about to sleep anytime soon.

The digital clock ticked off the minutes, taunting her. She turned away, only to roll to her stomach and glare at the numbers.

Longest night of her life.

Or, second longest. There was no denying that night spent in the A-frame had seemed to go on forever.

She rolled to her side, tossing back the comforter tangling around her legs.

Travis sighed in his sleep. She froze, not even breathing as she counted to twenty.

The bedside lamp clicked on, casting a warm glow on the room.

“What’s bothering you?” he asked.

She rolled to her back and cringed.

“Sorry. Keeping you up?”

He rolled to his side, all that muscle on display.

“What’s bothering you?” he asked again.

“Nothing.”

“Bliss.” He tipped his chin down and gave her The Look. The one that said they both knew very well something was bothering her and she was hiding it. “I told you Daniel can’t get you here. There’s two sets of plainclothes cops stationed at either end of the street, plus one lives behind us. Daniel shows up, we got him.”

“Wait, we’re next door to a cop?”

“Yeah.”

“What about his family?”

“He’s single, and this is part of his job. I think he’s got a cop buddy roommate.”

“Oh. I’m not worried about Daniel.” She rolled to her side, chewing her lip. If she told him, she would become that girl. The clingy one who always wanted more. She’d never been that girl, but with Travis...It was all different.

“Then what’s got you tossing and turning?”

“You aren’t so bad at talking.”

“Bliss.”

She blew out a breath and spent a moment fluffing her pillow. He waited her out, watching her every movement. She was only prolonging the inevitable.

“What’s going to happen to us?” She couldn’t even look at him when she asked.

“That’s up to you.”

“That’s not a fair answer.”

“What do you want to hear?”

“That’s what I’m talking about.” She flopped onto her back. “Why do you have to put this on me? It’s like you’re just saying that to make me feel better or safe or something.”

“Put this on you? What the hell?”

“I mean...” She glanced at him and almost wanted to hide under the bed. His scowl was dark and unhappy.

“Let me get this straight, you think I’m in bed with you, fucked you, and stayed here to make sure you feel good? Darlin’ there are some things you can’t pay me to do and whore myself out is one of them.”

“That’s not what I meant!” She sat up, her restless nerves pushing her to do something.

“I’m not that kind of man.”

“I didn’t mean it like that. I just thought...yeah, we like each other, and you’re letting me focus on us instead of Daniel when you aren’t really interested.”

Travis scrubbed a hand over his face before answering.

“This ain’t that complicated.”

“Well, what am I supposed to think when you’re pushing all this on me to make the decisions? You haven’t told me what you think or feel.”

“I told you exactly what I thought, that it was up to you what you wanted.”

She grabbed the pillow and swung it at him. He deflected it easily with his forearm before lunging at her and pining her to the mattress. She squirmed a bit, but getting away from him was a useless expenditure of energy.

“What’s not clear enough about that?” he asked.

“Because what if I want something you don’t? What if you like me more than I like you?”

The scowl didn’t go away and he didn’t move off her, but he did let go of her arm.

“Don’t you get what I’m saying when it’s up to you? I want it all, but I’m not about to ask a woman to put up with my lifestyle or what I do. It’s not fair to you.” His voice retained the same rough quality, but there were deeper, vulnerable notes.

“Oh.” She let her hands rest on his biceps. Her voice trembled despite her efforts to speak clearly. “So if I said this was it, you’d be okay leaving and never seeing me again?”

“Yes.” His gaze narrowed. He didn’t like that answer, but she didn’t doubt that he’d at least pretend he would leave her alone, per her wishes.

She got the feeling Travis was the kind of man who got what he wanted and damn the consequences, and right now he wanted her. That desire was a palpable zing of electricity in the air, arcing between them, and she was surprised they couldn’t see the sparks.

“And if I said let’s be crazy and get married now?” She held her breath, dying to hear how he’d send that question back at her.

“I’d say wait until the morning.”

“Seriously?” She stared at him in more than a bit of shock.

Travis’ shoulders lifted.

He was serious. Holy cow, the idea didn’t terrify her. That rational part of her brain wasn’t screaming at her to stop now.

If he said yes, she’d marry him tomorrow.

Was she brave enough to ask? To put it out there?

Hell no.

Bliss licked her lips. “I’m not serious about the wedding chapel thing, but...I don’t like the idea of not seeing you again. And I don’t like the idea of not knowing where I stand with you. I’m not the kind of girl that just jumps into bed with a guy.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Use more words, damn it. What does okay mean?”

“I’m good with that. And you should plan on not jumping into bed with anyone else.”

She gulped and nodded.

“As far as where we stand, like I said, I’m leaving that up to you, because I can’t ask you for more than what you’re ready for.”

Everything. She wanted it all, but who fell for a guy they just met? That kind of stuff was for girls like Wendy. Not her.

“Then...dating?”

“I’m good with that. But Bliss, I can’t even tell you when I’ll be back or how long you might go without hearing from me. Some of the work we do...it’s important. It’s not all watching rich guys like Grayson tinker around. Sometimes it’s very dangerous.”

“Can you at least warn me about the dangerous stuff?”

“No.”

“Travis, if something bad happens I want to be prepared. Otherwise I’ll worry all the time.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“That’s not fair.”

“I said I’ll think about it. I need to talk with Ethan. Figure out how they handled it. Molly always was chill about stuff like that. But what if I’m sent on a sensitive assignment? I can’t promise that I will always be able to tell you everything, or anything. See what I mean?”

How did women and men deal with this? This wasn’t just a problem unique to Travis, there were all those men and women working in dangerous fields who had to routinely leave loved ones behind. It sucked.

“Okay, so long as we can still figure that out.” She could. Right? That wasn’t impossible?

He stared at her for several moments, the frown lines still wrinkling his face. She could only imagine what was in his head. He’d tried scaring her away once. He was painting the worst picture possible of a relationship with him. Did he think so little of himself?

She slid her hands up to his face, applying the barest pressure with her fingers. He lowered his head, gaze locked on her lips. The first touch of his mouth was gentle. It felt as though she’d kissed him a thousand times before, and as though this were the first time. Warmth pooled in her stomach and her restless feet rubbed against the sheets. She wanted to wind her body around his, to touch him, love him, show him things could be different.

“Bliss?” His lips caressed her with each syllable.

“Hm?”

“Where’d you put the bags?”

Her sex toys.

She sucked in a breath, both thrilled and apprehensive about his participation with her collection of sexual wonders.

“They’re in my duffle.”

Travis climbed off the bed, heading straight for her bag.

She sat up and pulled the baggy shirt she’d worn to bed off and shimmied out of her panties. Was that too forward? She didn’t think so, it was just being pragmatic. They were going to be naked so why not speed the process along?

Bliss clutched the pillow to her chest and watched him examine the contents of several pink drawstring bags. Pink was a safe color. Most of the time.

He selected three and left the rest on the dresser.

A promise for later?

Her body hummed with anticipation.

Travis crossed to her side of the bed and tossed the three bags onto the nightstand. He grabbed her pillow-shield, tugged it from her grasp, and deposited it behind her. In the blink of an eye she was flat on the mattress, his weight pressing her down once more, his mouth on hers. This time it wasn’t gentle or kind, it was hungry.

She rolled her hips and hooked a leg over his waist, undulating against him. His erection strained the front of his cotton boxers at just the right angle.

Travis growled something incoherent and sat up, grabbing one of the pouches on his way. She was left breathless, spread eagle on the bed with him kneeling between her thighs. This was usually the moment where she would have a bit of fluttering in her stomach, some worry about her body or scaring him away, but not this time. It was just—perfect. They were exactly who they were supposed to be together, and nothing about this moment was wrong.

He reached into the long pouch and drew out a curved, magenta dildo with V-styled ridges circling its girth.

That one.

Of course it would be that one.

She ran her toes up his calf.

“Should I know anything?” he asked.

She shook her head. Usually she’d need a bit of lube, but not right now. She’d gone from dry to wet in an instant.

“What do you like about it?” He turned the dildo this way and that.

“It’s good for g-spot orgasms. And I like the girth.” The last bit she managed o get out without stammering. It was awfully pretty and just different enough that it stood out in her collection. But in the girth and length department she was pretty sure Travis won out.

He stared at the toy a few more moments, his brow wrinkled, as if he didn’t know which end went in her.

She wrapped her hand around the base and tugged it from his grip. Some guys liked to watch, right?

Bliss closed her eyes, conscious of the blush creeping up her neck. She reached down, but Travis hands were there already. He spread her open while she guided the head of the dildo to her entrance. Her nerves were wound up just enough that she felt her body resist the tapered dildo.

Deep breath.

She slid the end in and out, keeping the strokes steady and slow. The ridges teased her vaginal walls. Travis’ hand covered hers and the angle changed, rubbing the front of her channel. She gasped at the shift in sensations and curled her toes, giving control of the toy up to him.

This.

This was what it could be like.

––––––––

13.

Travis stared, entranced by the sight of Bliss’ body taking the dildo. The silicone glistened with her arousal, and already she was making all those little sounds that drove him crazy. Her feet rubbed on the sheets, her hands fisting them. He didn’t mind her eyes being closed. At least if he made a mistake she wasn’t watching him do it.

The toy was harder than he’d expected, which made gripping it easy. He slid the full length of it inside of her, right up to the flared base. Her hips came up off the mattress and she gasped.

Had he found the spot?

He pumped the toy, slow and easy, fascinated by the way her body stretched around the oddly shaped dildo. It was fucking hot.

“Travis.” She hissed and peered up at him through narrow slits.

The goal wasn’t to make her come. At least not yet. He wanted to...play with her. This wasn’t just about scratching a sexual itch. Of course he wanted to spend a day inside of her, but there was also something far more intimate in this act. Plus, the idea of making her come over and over again had plenty of appeal.

He’d show her just how generous he could be in bed.

He continued lazily stroking her with the dildo with one hand and upended another, smaller pouch onto the bed. The small bullet was nothing like what she’d shown him their first night, but it was perfect for what he wanted to do. He’d had nothing but time to consider.

Bliss’s hips undulated, her motions faster, far more intent than his. He let the dildo slide from her pussy and tossed it a few feet over.

“No,” she wailed.

He braced an arm across her hips, keeping her right where he wanted her, and twisted the bullet on. The second he touched her mound with it she shrieked and her knees clamped down on his shoulders. He watched in fascination as her spine bowed and her body shuddered.

Damn.

He hadn’t even touched her clit or anything.

Her body went slack and he removed the tiny vibrator. He hadn’t realized how much stimulation the dildo had provided. Clearly he had a lot to learn about sex toys and Bliss’ body.

He was about to become the most dedicated student.

Travis turned the vibe off and crawled up her body. She looped her arms around his neck and hauled him down, wrapping her legs over his hips and kissing him deeply. He rolled them to their sides and kissed her back.

He’d made her that crazy. He’d pushed her to orgasm.

It was a surprisingly satisfying accomplishment.

Bliss reared back, wiggling out of his hold. He let her go, but instead of taking off for the bathroom, regrouping, or anything he’d expected, she slithered down his body, yanking his underwear down in the process.

“Wow, Bliss....”

He rolled to his back and stopped talking. There was something about a naked woman with intent in her eye. He couldn’t pass up the opportunity to watch.

She stripped his underwear off him and straddled his thighs. God, she was amazing. He hated the dark bruises dotting her flesh, but she’d overcome them. There would be time to address the rest of it. She grabbed the bullet he’d discarded and twisted it on.

“What are you going to do with that?” He eyed the vibrator with apprehension.

“You’ll see.” She grinned at him and bent until her ass was in the air and her elbows pressed into the mattress.

He wasn’t sure he wanted to see anything except her ass. Damn but he liked her butt. It was round and just right for his hands.

Bliss fisted his cock in a firm grasp. Nothing tentative or unsure about that. She slid her palm up and down his erection before licking up the underside, right along the vein that throbbed.

“Oh, fuck,” he muttered and thrust up into her grasp.

She placed the bullet just under the mushroom cap. He gasped, his hips shooting up off the mattress. The vibrator rubbed the length of his cock. It was weird. The sensations were arousing but also fairly...ticklish. He jerked his hips back and forth, the muscles in his shoulders and neck tightening.

“Breathe,” Bliss whispered.

He had a vague impression of her grinning at him, and her breasts resting on his thighs.

She leaned forward and wrapped her lips around his cock, her tongue swirling around the head. The wet heat of her mouth against his sensitized dick was amazing. Her hand wrapped around the base of his cock and she went to town twisting, licking, and sucking him.

Her hand cupped his balls and the bullet pressed right between his testicles.

He shouted and thrust far harder than he’d ever intend into her mouth. One hand wound up in her hair, the other in the sheets. His vision hazed, and he had the sensation of everything whizzing by, like they were on a bullet train.

Bliss sat up, breathing deep, and turned the vibrator off. Her chin was damp and a bit of his seed coated her lips.

He sat up and glanced at his still-erect dick.

“Did I come?”

“Uh, yeah.” She chuckled and swiped her hand across her mouth.

“God damn.”

Bliss smothered her chuckle behind her hand.

Oh man, he looked so confused. It was rather adorable.

“How am I still hard if I just came?”

She tracked his gaze to his erect penis. It hadn’t softened much, if at all.

“Some guys can come more than once.”

“Is that natural?”

“Yeah,” she chuckled.

“Oh. Okay. Cool.” He reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her up the bed and into his arms.

She giggled, relishing the feeling of being manhandled. This was a first. She’d never thought the idea of being tossed around in bed was that great, but with Travis? She could become a fan.

Travis kissed her briefly while he hauled them both up to their knees. He pushed her forward and she grasped the headboard with both hands.

Things went flying from the bottom of the bed until she heard a very familiar crinkling sound.

Oh, yes! She gave a mental cheer and peered over her shoulder in time to watch him roll the condom on. He caught her gaze and her grin widened.

He palmed her bottom with both hands, leaning over her. She could feel the press of his cock against her ass.

“Do you know how long I’ve been thinking about this ass?”

Her breath caught in her throat. He’d been thinking about her? For as long as she’d wanted him?

“The second you walked out of that police station, fuck, I knew I wanted you.”

He pulled back and the next thing she felt was the thick, blunt head of his cock. Unlike the dildo, he was warm, but just as unyielding. The teasing he’d given her earlier just wasn’t enough. She wanted him to pound into her, make every fiber of her body feel.

She pushed back, impaling herself on him. A groan escaped her lips. He thrust and she dug her nails into the headboard. His arm circled her waist, holding her up or captive, she didn’t know yet. He worked himself in and out, slowly, but she could feel his control eroding.

“Travis.” She tossed her head back. “Fuck me.”

“Like this?” He put real force behind it, enough to rock her forward and make the bed shudder.

Electric tendrils of lust snaked through her body.

“Yes,” she shouted.

He wrapped one hand around her throat, but didn’t squeeze. It was almost tender, the way he braced part of his hand against her chest.

Again he thrust, each pass of his cock branding her body as his. She moved with him, but it was mostly his contained power pumping into her, touching her in a way no toy would. There was no replacement for the feel of him inside of her or how he stirred her heart.

“Oh, Travis.” She leaned her head back against his shoulder as her body gave itself over to the orgasm. Her muscles went lax, and he held her, supporting her weight as he fucked the daylights out of her.

She held onto the headboard until he shouted and stilled, clutching her to his chest.

“That was fucking amazing.” She panted and kissed his hand.

Her heart was doing weird things in her chest. Things she didn’t have a name for, yet.

––––––––

14.

Travis focused on keeping his breathing even in an attempt to lower his heart rate.

He’d basically told Bliss he’d marry her.

What was he thinking?

He wasn’t. That was the problem. He’d been half awake and horny, so he’d said whatever it took to get in her panties.

A small voice deep down inside whispered, Liar.

It was almost seven. He could probably slip out, book a flight home, and be gone by noon. With a little distance between them, he was sure they’d both come to their senses. It was the right thing to do. Falling for a client never went well, and Bliss didn’t know what she was getting herself into. She could spout the nice line about accepting him for who he was all she wanted. Until the ugly reality set in. Life with him would never be easy.

He plugged his proverbial ears to keep from the chant of Liar out of his conscious thoughts.

The phone on the nightstand vibrated.

This was his opportunity.

He gently rolled her to her side, off his arm, and snagged the phone.

“Mm, Travis? What’s wrong?” She blinked up at him, not even fully awake.

“Office. Go back to sleep.” He hit the Answer button, grabbed his shorts and headed for the hall. “What’s up?”

“Damn, I thought you’d be up,” Gavin said.

“It’s been a long couple of days. What’s up? Find Daniel?” Travis pulled the shorts up and took the stairs down to the ground floor.

“No, man. Boss wanted me to see if you had Ethan’s hospital records. They didn’t come back with him.”

“Mason has those.” He peered out the window, looking first for the cops stationed at the end of the street. Not a soul was up yet.

“Oh, right, right. I guess he will come by today sometime then. Cool. Enjoy Vegas.”

“Hey, Gavin, wait.” Travis glanced over his shoulder, up the stairs. “Can you get me a flight back to base this morning?”

“Dude, seriously? I thought the boss was clearing you—”

“Yes or no?”

“Yeah, I can handle it, or I can pass it over to Ops. Actually, it’ll be faster if I do it. You want the aisle, right?”

“Yeah. Thanks, man.”

“See ya soon.”

Travis hung up and blew out a breath.

Part of him wanted to crawl back in bed with Bliss, keep the lie of a future going a little while longer, but he couldn’t do that.

Liar.

He turned the coffee pot on and tossed a breakfast burrito in the microwave.

There were cops and the FBI here to take care of her. Chances were, they’d reunite her with her sister, parents or both, and his presence would be completely pointless. It wasn’t as if he’d done anything useful since finding her, and in truth, all he’d done was get Ethan hurt and waste a lot of Mason’s time.

“What’s going on?” Bliss descended the stairs, her steps lagging and her eyes still heavy with sleep.

“Work. They need me to get back today.” The lie slid out, cold and hollow, but until they were back to being rational he would tell her whatever he needed to.

“Oh. Today? Like, right now?”

“Yeah, afraid so.”

“Hey, will you stop for a second and look at me?” She grabbed his hand and tugged him to face her.

He needed to set her straight, for both their sakes.

Liar.

Travis looked down at her tousled hair, her lips still swollen from last night. She’d put his shirt on, which he didn’t want to think too much about.

“I’m not sure this is going to work, Bliss. I’ve been going over it in my head and...I don’t think it’s going to work out.”

Liar, liar, pants on fire.

“Wait, what do you mean?” She snatched her hand back.

“I mean us.” He leaned against the counter, gripping the edge to keep from grabbing her and taking it all back. What the hell was wrong with him. “What are we going to do? Spend a weekend a month together? I can’t be tied down with too many responsibilities away from the job.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“I am.”

Liar!

“Your job means that much to you?”

“I don’t have to explain it to you.” He grit his teeth.

A job didn’t keep him warm at night or kiss him or make him feel like she did.

Bliss took a step back, her mouth working soundlessly.

LIAR!

He winced, both because that voice was right and—he didn’t want to hurt her. But one way or another, he would. There wasn’t a good thing about him, and the faster she learned that, the better. It would hurt her a lot less now than a year or five down the road, after they’d made all the mistakes and left all the scars that would never heal.

His phone beeped. Gavin was good. His flight information was all there in a nice, neat text. At least with work he knew where he stood, how to operate. He’d die if he stayed on with Aegis for the rest of his life. It was just a matter of time until he caught the right bullet in the wrong place. If he left Aegis, there wasn’t anything for him in the civilian world. He couldn’t support her, much less himself.

She was better off without him.

The voice didn’t call him a liar this time, because it was the undeniable truth. He might have feelings for her, hell, he very well might love her, but that was a curse.

“I’ll be out of here in less than an hour.”

The microwave dinged. He grabbed the still-hot breakfast burrito and headed for the stairs.

More like he fled.

This was the right thing to do.

Wasn’t it?

Bliss stood in the smaller bedroom over the garage, listening for sounds of the car.

Travis was leaving.

He was serious.

She still couldn’t wrap her head around it all. Last night they’d almost said they loved each other. You didn’t offer to marry someone you didn’t love, right? And today they were over. Done with.

The hole in her chest was so new and raw she didn’t really feel it yet. She was just...numb.

Travis’ rental backed out of the garage. She stepped to the side, out of his line of sight. It was one thing to wait around, mooning and depressed, it was another for him to know how much this hurt.

What had she done wrong? What was wrong with her?

She wiped her hand across her cheek. The tears she’d promised herself she wouldn’t cry streamed down her cheeks. She pressed her back to the wall and slid to the carpet.

Seven days. Was it really possible to fall in love with someone that fast?

Her broken heart said yes.

She hadn’t harbored any kind of illusions. Yes, she knew that things wouldn’t be easy with Travis, she’d have to be okay with less in exchange for being loved by him, but they could make it work.

God, she needed to pull it together. Jade and Connor would be here soon to—she didn’t really know. Move her? Question her?

They weren’t Travis.

She pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face in her hands.

Life just wasn’t fair.

Scene break.

Daniel started the dead cop’s car and eased out a full thirty seconds after Travis turned out of the residential area. He hadn’t been able to tell how many people were inside the house, but there was only one in the truck.

He’d take his chances.

Travis had to die before he executed the rest of his plan anyway.

“Keys, sir?”

Travis stared at the rental keys.

What was he doing? Was this really the right choice?

He was going to spend the next five days drinking himself stupid. At home. Alone.

His pocket vibrated.

Bliss.

“Excuse me?” He yanked the phone out of his pocket.

“Sure thing.” The attendant turned away, busying himself with paperwork behind the counter.

Not Bliss. Ethan.

“Hey, man,” Travis said.

“What the fuck are you doing up this early?” Ethan’s voice was raspy, low and slightly slurred. Drugs or alcohol? Maybe both?

“On my way to see you.”

“Why the hell would you do that?”

“I don’t know. You’re my friend?”

“Unless you’re bringing Bliss, I don’t want to see your sorry ass.”

Travis blew out a breath.

“What do you want, Ethan?”

“I want to know why you’re making a huge, fucking mistake.”

“Ethan, Bliss isn’t Molly.”

“Good. Because I’d beat your ass if you thought she was a good idea. The shit I’ve put up with. Wait—have you slept with my wife? Ex-wife?”

“What? No. Did someone say she did?”

“Oh fuck, don’t tell me you don’t know.”

“No, man, I don’t.”

“Yeah, she’s cheated on me. Yeah, I’ve caught her three fucking times. Believe me, stick with Bliss.”

Travis stared at the wall.

Molly? Cheating on Ethan? But they’d seemed so perfect.

“Listen, you like her. Don’t leave. Don’t come back. Stay there and get a ring on it. Girls like that don’t come along every day. Hear me?”

“Yeah.”

If Ethan and Molly couldn’t make it, what chance did they have?

“And I can hear you thinking. You aren’t me, and Bliss ain’t Molly. She told me she was unhappy years ago, but I asked her to stay. I ruined us and I know it.”

“Are you drinking, Ethan?”

“Fuck yeah I am.”

Shit. There was no telling what alcohol and the pills would do. Travis was going to have to make a few calls.

“You’ll never stop wondering what if if you come home now,” Ethan said.

Travis balled his hand into a fist. Damn Ethan for speaking his thoughts.

Travis knew the odds were against them, but what if he was wrong? Wasn’t it time for something to go right in his life?

“I’ll talk to you later, man. Put the bottle down.” Travis hung up and fired off a quick text to Gavin. Someone needed to keep an eye on Ethan. He jangled the keys at the attendant. “I’m going to need to keep these a bit longer.”

“Okay.”

Travis jogged out of the rental car shop and climbed back into his SUV.

The feds weren’t supposed to get to the house until noon. He had an hour and a half to beat them there and make things right.

It was crazy and he was probably stupid, but what else was there for him these days? Didn’t he deserve to at least try to be happy?

And Bliss made him happy. He’d been serious about getting hitched. Yeah, they didn’t know each other all that well, but when something was right it was right.

He loved Bliss.

And he was going to tell her.

Daniel pulled into the small parking lot outside a florist’s shop.

Flowers.

How typical.

His wives never needed such things. They were damn well happy with what he gave them.

The location was pretty perfect. Stores bordered the lot on three sides and a dumpster sat between him and the road. He had a straight line of sight to the SUV, now all he needed was for Travis to emerge.

He pulled out the cop’s gun and checked the chamber.

Good to go.

Daniel kept his gaze on the rearview mirror. He’d need to get out fast and pick up a new ride. Things would have to happen fast once Travis was dead, or the feds would move his wife.

Oh, how he couldn’t wait for Wendy to be back in his arms.

Travis strode around the corner of the building, a bouquet of roses in his hands.

Now.

Daniel pushed the door open, lifted the gun and fired—straight at Travis.

So long, asshole.

To be continued...

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Book List

Aegis Group

Dangerous Attraction, parts 1, 2 and 3

Bayou Bound

Picture Her Bound

Duty Bound

Bound Memories

Bound & Tamed

Other BDSM Titles

Committed

Bound with Pearls

Collar Me in Paris

Festive Seduction

Electric Engagement

So Inked

Under His Skin

The Harder He Falls

His Marriage Bargain

Good Guys Wear Black

Hot Tango

Line of Duty

Standalone Titles

Falling for His Best Friend

Dream Vacation (free read)

How Zombies Stole Christmas

Anthologies

Hot Ink

High Octane Heroes

.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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It can never be said that NYT & USA Today Bestselling author Sidney Bristol has had a ‘normal’ life.  She is a recovering roller derby queen, former missionary, and tattoo addict. She grew up in a motor-home on the US highways (with an occasional jaunt into Canada and Mexico), traveling the rodeo circuit with her parents. Sidney has lived abroad in both Russia and Thailand, working with children and teenagers. She now lives in Texas where she splits her time between a job she loves, writing, reading and fostering cats.

Sidney is represented by Nicole Resciniti of the Seymour Agency.

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Copyright © 2015 by Sidney Bristol.

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Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

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Dangerous Attraction: Part Two/ Sidney Bristol.—1st ed.