Selena filled up the bathtub, forcing herself to get a grip. She was no good to anyone if she wasn’t staying calm.
Too many deaths and too many betrayals on everyone’s part, including her own. She should’ve trusted Drake from the start, but how could she have known? He hadn’t told her about his involvement with the Agency any more than she’d told him about hers.
She loved Drake with all her heart. It had taken his hard edge to pierce her concrete wall. She wanted Eric and Drake safe, but getting Eric and Drake in the same room without Andrew’s men waiting to take them out was almost impossible. Heaven knew she wanted to turn to his touch. To feel the warmth and security he provided in those arms. She wished now he would’ve finished making love to her at the safe house.
Dropping her clothes to the floor, she stepped into the water, its warmth soothing. Longing seeped into her heart and body.
She needed Drake.
A shadow crossed the light.
She stilled her mind, quickly slipping into her clothes. Nothing sited in her peripheral vision, but she wasn’t taking any chances.
Someone was in the house.
She ran to Eric’s room. Eric was on his stomach, sucking his thumb. Still out like a light. She checked the bedroom and kitchen. All clear. Her feet were silent on the cool wooden floor. A fire had been started in the fireplace some time ago. The flames were high and the pieces of wood half licked.
Someone was playing with her.
A scuffling noise came from behind.
She turned. Movement came from the hallway.
Eric.
She retrieved her gun from the purse and headed down the hall. The only exit was through her. Someone grabbed her from behind, wrenching the gun from her hand. She fought to turn, but the man held her tightly against him. He was stronger than her, stilling her movements.
She twisted her body and laced her foot around his leg. Her hand reached behind her and went into claw formation. She brought her head forward. His hand pulled her head back and held her chin firmly. It was then she smelled the familiarity of the past catching up with her.
Drake.
“I warned you.” He turned her around and kissed her thoroughly, one hand held her head, the other, showing her what she was about to receive.
She fought the rising emotions of needing him inside. She had to stay focused.
His tongue seduced as he kissed her again. She brought her knee between his legs. He tensed, but when she stroked him with her knee, he relaxed. A hand curved around her bottom and stilled.
He groaned. She wasn’t wearing anything beneath it. He lifted the shirt and caressed.
Time had run out.
“Drake.”
“Larry was right. That killer smile of yours is hazardous to your health. He told me how you charmed and blackmailed your way back into the Agency. But right now, talking isn’t what I had in mind.”
Heat raced through her veins. She wanted to run but couldn’t. Her body and mind warred.
Drake tossed his shirt to the floor. His fingers moved to the button on his jeans. He undid the button and pulled the zipper down. He tossed boots and jeans to the side. She stared longingly at the hard-contoured chest, wanting, then shifted her gaze further below.
“Take your shirt off,” he said.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she whispered.
He smiled. “You’re right, but it doesn’t matter at this point.”
Heat pulsated, spilling down her leg. Her breath hitched. She backed away. He pushed her on the bed, kissing her while plunging two fingers inside. Her hips arched away, wanting, needing, yet fighting the heat. He held her in place. With slow, even thrusts, he continued. She bit back a scream.
“Honey, there’s no need to hold back. No one can hear you and I promise, there’s more to come.” He moved in and out, slow, long strokes, drawing each one back, holding, waiting, until she had almost caught her breath. He removed his fingers. Positioning himself above her, he plunged inside within one hard stroke.
She thrashed back and forth. Still he refused to let her go.
With each stroke, he gave warning, “You. Will. Never. Do. This. Again.”
The heat in his eyes matched the heat between her legs, the intensity rising to a peak. Even if she wanted to tell him she’d do it again if she had to, she knew better. The warning signs were all there.
Horny. Hot. Worry. And love.
She clenched her legs together, stilling the flow of heat.
He refused the power struggle.
She tightened her hold. “Why didn’t you just find someone else?”
Desire and the need to touch her body overcame him as he slowly buried deeper inside with each thrust. She couldn’t control him any more than she could control herself and came as Drake released, spilling inside her. She moved away, partially sitting against the headboard, coming down with each breath, each panting, placing her hand on his chest.
“I love you with every ounce of blood in my body. Move the hand, Selena. We are not finished.”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, willing herself to not to overheat from the rising explosion. “Drake.”
“Lady, you have ten seconds to spill.”
“Why didn’t you find someone to care of your … your … well, you know.” She inched away. “Men have needs.”
He placed a light kiss on her temple. “Is that so? And did you have needs taken care of?”
She knew better than to accept the gauntlet, because the casual question had a bite hidden in the midst. She hadn’t slept with anyone.
“But you would have,” he answered for her, reading her mind.
Drake meant Andrew. She couldn’t lie to him especially now even though she would have done it to save Eric only. “Yes.”
“You do realize who you’re married to? You would’ve committed bigamy for that scum?”
“Not for him.”
“It sure wasn’t for us.” Drake closed his eyes and sighed. He rolled away.
She didn’t move.
• • •
Drake couldn’t get past her defenses. In her state of mind, she had one purpose. Andrew’s baby. For some reason she felt the need to exclude him. From her life. Her work. And her heart.
How was he going to get through to her? He’d be damned if he let her continue to put herself in jeopardy. Right now the frustration of not touching her, making up for lost time and knowing she couldn’t trust him was eating away every bit of self control.
He walked away.
He had to get a grip on the situation.
The fire had nearly died out, leaving small traces of flames licking the coals. He grabbed three logs and threw them on the burning bed. Sparks flew out, but soon changed direction to cover the logs. He listened.
“Don’t stop me from going after Andrew,” she warned. “You won’t like me if you do.”
He advanced. “I think it’s you who’s not going to like me.” He didn’t hurry. He didn’t need to. She had nowhere to go but past him.
She tried.
She didn’t succeed any further than into his arms.
“As long as Andrew is on the run, you’re with me.” He lifted her into his arms. “You have two choices. Safe with me. Willing or unwilling.”
She wound her hand around his neck, caressed the hairs curling at his nape. She slid her finger down his lips and pressed a lingering kiss upon them. He slipped his tongue between her lips when she would’ve backed away. She sighed into the kiss.
“I love you,” he said.
• • •
He waited until he she had fallen asleep and called Larry. “Larry.”
“Speak.”
Drake laughed. “Nice to hear you’re among the living, too.”
“Listen,” Larry said, lowering his voice. “I’ve got three minutes exactly. Martha’s walking with her friends. After you left, all hell broke loose. The families all turned on the Donovans. Even the Donovans turned on each other. More wounded than killed which means their attorneys will get them free on technicalities. It didn’t go down the way you would’ve thought, having them cornered like cattle at the slaughterhouse. The moment the team moved in, they turned on us, uniting as a front. It’s like you can insult your own brother, but someone else do it and you’re in for a beating.”
“What about old man Donovan?” Drake asked, listening for any sign of movement.
“He vanished. Later someone found him slumped in the corner having a heart attack.”
“Andrew?” It was too quiet.
“No trace. I don’t like it.”
Drake didn’t either. “If he’s heading this way, I won’t kill him. At least not until I find out where your daughter is.” Then I’ll kill him.
Larry sighed. “I’m serious. Martha can’t take another dead-end lead.”
The line went dead. Larry wasn’t in for goodbyes.
A shadow crossed over. Selena had dressed.
“Drake?”
He reached for her as she came closer, scooping her into his arms.
“I’m sorry I kept my past a secret. I shouldn’t have left you that day.”
He sighed deeply. “But you would do it again, wouldn’t you?” When she didn’t answer, he had his answer.
“Where do we go from here?”
“The only place you two are going is hell.”
Andrew.
Drake reached for his gun.
“I wouldn’t, but if you want to, who am I to stop you?” Andrew pointed the gun at Selena.
Drake stopped cold.
“After you left, my father gave everyone the news … It seems I jumped the gun on proposing. You’re cemented into this family whether you like it or not. It seems you and I, dear sister, have the same father but different mothers.” He waved his gun in the air for her to come to his side. “Theresa wasn’t related to me. Dad had hand-picked her as my wife. He had said the marriage would bring true blood to the family.” Andrew laughed, squeezing the trigger slowly. “Dad always twisted his words.”
“I’m sorry, Drake.”
Drake’s eyes narrowed, growing blacker by the second as he watched Selena’s intent. “You’re a Donovan. You can never come back to me. You’re as dead as he is.”
“I died a long time ago, honey,” she said.
Drake’s voice was as cold as ice, his body filled with hatred. It was his eyes that gave his love away. Out of the corner of his eye, Drake noticed a few shadows crossing the yard in the moonlight.
A beam of light hit Selena.
Andrew noticed and seemed to welcome the higher octave of danger.
Drake dived for Andrew, taking him to the floor. Andrew’s gun slid across the floor.
Selena dived for Andrew’s gun, pushing the fire away from Drake. Andrew kicked her in the ribs and fired rapidly.
Andrew aimed his gun. Drake pulled the trigger. Andrew fell to the ground. Doors flew open. Glass shattered as the team entered, aiming their weapons at Andrew. Drake pulled Selena into his arms.
Danten strode into the room.
“I’ll take over. Just handcuff Donovan,” Danten ordered.
Several men hauled Andrew up, slamming him into the wall as they handcuffed him.
“I’ll meet the boys back at HQ,” Danten said. “I’ll process this one myself.”
Andrew smirked. Not in the least bit intimidated.
Danten shoved Andrew forward, keeping him slightly in front as they walked towards the helicopter. The co-pilot hopped out and opened the door. The pilot fell to the side, clutching his side. Shots rang out. Someone shouted for Andrew to halt. Wind whipped until the dirt in the fields looked like a cyclone. Another helicopter had been hiding. More shots rang out.
Selena, Drake and Danten made it to the pilot at the same time. Before he died, the pilot pointed to Danten.
• • •
The parking lot was almost empty. Larry’s car and an unknown sat side by side. Drake didn’t like leaving Selena alone. So he did the next best thing … he’d given orders to have guards 24/7 at her place while he sought answers.
The halls of the Agency were barren with the exception of numbers on the doors. No names. No directory. There was more to Larry forcing him on leave. More to Larry having a cabin in the same town as Selena.
Heated voices came at full blown speed as he narrowed the distance. Two women. One was Martha.
The other — Mary.
Larry’s dead silence was a giveaway as the two women let him have it.
Drake should’ve left him take the heat but being comrades, he just couldn’t do that to another man. Two against one wasn’t fair.
He opened the door.
Martha, Larry, and Mary stood in a circle. The women had their hands on their hips, their facial expressions frozen and pissed off. They rounded on Drake, daring him to side against them.
Hell had definitely frozen over.
He walked around Larry and sat in his chair, propping his feet on the desk. He’d wait until Larry was too exhausted to hide the truth. Women had this unfailing energy in heated times like this.
“Drake should have the specifics in how you arranged them to meet,” Martha said. “Tell him how you purchased a cabin a week before you forced him on leave, offering him a cool down place for as long as he needed it.”
Drake didn’t want to watch this one unfold, but he couldn’t stop himself. “I’d like to hear more on how you played matchmaker.”
Larry gnawed on his words carefully before answering, “I liked the cabin. I didn’t think twice buying it or offering it to a good man when he needs to get his ass straightened out.”
“Don’t go belligerent and almighty on me or I’ll leave you with these two. Alone,” Drake said, stressing the last word. “You might need me to sweep what’s left of you into the recycling bin.”
Larry took one look at what lay ahead of him and surrendered. “All right, but if you breathe one damn word of this to anyone, I’ll — I’ll sick them on you.”
“Don’t worry about me. It’s Selena you need to worry about. Is Eric okay?” he asked, making sure he was facing Mary.
Mary turned before he’d finished and nodded. “Yes, he’s fine. When you and Selena have a place to call home, Eric and I will come live with you. Between the three of us, he’ll be safe,” she said.
Martha wasn’t taking it well — whatever had gone down earlier. Stepping back, she massaged both temples. Larry came forward only to be stalled by her foreboding expression and warning. “I have a headache. I have this sinking feeling it’s going to be a very dry spell for you.” To Mary. “I don’t like you. Yet, I, also, have this sinking feeling we’re going to be very good friends. It’ll be like watching reruns of Reba.” Hand on door. “Drake, call me. We have some planning to do.”
Drake grinned at Larry as she sauntered out the door. “Way ahead of you, Martha. Actually, I think you’ll like what I have in mind.”
• • •
“I never meant to hurt Martha,” Mary said.
“How could any of us know how much one family could screw with so many lives?” Larry made the decision he thought he would never make. Retirement once this was over.
Larry drew Mary into his arms, not caring what Drake thought.
He needed it and she needed it. The lost time, the heartache, and a lost child.
“I would’ve told you I was pregnant, but Donovan knew who you were. He promised he would leave you alone if I stayed. I had to stay. Now our son is out there,” Mary said.
Larry’s fingers shook as he wiped her tears away. He pulled her away and kissed her cheek.
A shadow darkened the room.
“I’ll take over from here, White.” A bald man stood in the doorway.
Mary spun towards the sound of his voice. A man she had left behind in order to protect whom she thought was her son.
“Who is he?” Larry asked.
“She is no longer your concern, White.”
“Mack, I can handle this,” Mary said, seeing the residual anger of the past in his eyes. To White, “He was there when you weren’t. If he hadn’t found me, I would never have survived.”
Touching White’s face tenderly with the palm of her hand, she looked into his eyes. He knew she was saying goodbye to the past; it had to be this way. He knew his eyes showed his own goodbye. She kissed him gently on the lips, knowing Mack wouldn’t like it but would accept it. This time only.
Mary ran into Mack’s waiting arms.
• • •
Drake watched Larry’s face fall as closure settled into place. He nodded towards Martha’s picture. “She’s one helluva lady.”
“Yes, she is.” He picked up the frame. “She deserves better. I hope I can give her back the daughter she prays for every night.”
“We will. I may not be here for new missions, but I can guarantee I will help finish the old ones.” Larry’s daughter was still alive. They would all come to his aid.