"Quick shower," Gabe told Rachel. "We'll be out of time any minute now."He snagged his phone on his way through the room, reached into the stall to turn on the shower and stood Rachel on her feet inside. She clung to him for a moment, getting her balance."You certainly soothed my jangled nerves," she told him, grinning."Mine too."He climbed into the shower with her and adjusted the spray to cover both of them. But instead of reaching for the soap, he pulled her close to him and put his mouth to her ear."Rachel, I have something I want to say to you and I want to do it now, because it's always possible something could go wrong tonight."She froze. "You said I'd be safe. I believe in you, Gabe. In your ability to take care of me.""That's not what I meant." He let out a long, slow breath. "This…thing I'm involved in. Tonight may be what finally brings it to a head."When he paused, she said, "And?""And I have to tell you you're more than just a now-and-then person to me. Y
The blinds weren't closed so he could see what was happening outside. At the same time, he needed to keep below the level of the window sills. He'd taken the comm link Killian had given him, put on the thin wire headset and adjusted the earpiece."Ready," he whispered into the tiny mic."We're set," came back the voice of Randy Knowles, the team leader. "Red Team just called me that the guys we're looking for should be here within fifteen."Rachel turned on the bedside lamp, walked across the floor in front of the window, stretched, walked back to the bed and snapped off the light. Gabriel crouched low, pushed back his bight vision monocular and opened the blinds, slanting them just enough to let in the moonlight., allowing them to see out but no one to see inNow there was nothing to do but sit and wait. Gabe positioned himself in the living room where he could see both the front and back yards of the house. He'd taken a big chance, telling Rachel what he wanted. He hadn't even ma
Rachel sat in a chair at her kitchen table, cradling a hot mug of tea in her hand. She had no idea how long she'd been sitting there. Hours, probably. Gabe had tried repeatedly to get her to go to bed but she seemed stuck in one place, unable to move. The shock of seeing Lincoln Harris walk into her house, in a role she never would have ascribed to him, learning he headed a global terrorist organization, had frozen her into virtual immobility. And that he had been cold-hearted enough to kidnap his own parents. She was stunned at both the vileness of the act and the revelation of Lincoln Harris as an international terrorist. How could he have involved his own parents? Put their lives in danger>She realized with a sick feeling that this was a man with no conscience, no morals, no scruples. Her heart ached for Sam and Loraine and what they would have to face with this stunning revelation.Her house had been filled with men dressed in black, speaking in low tones. Dan Killian himself ha
PART ONE: Escape the NightAnya Kane raced through the dark streets, hugging the walls of buildings, her own footsteps echoing so loudly in her ears she was sure Virgil could hear her. She struggled for air, lungs burning, her side aching from running so far and so fast, but she couldn't stop. Her face throbbed where he'd slapped her and she could still feel the bruising imprint of his fingers on her breast when he'd come into the room.Virgil!God, what an idiot she was. She'd escaped one house of horror only to end up in another. Fleeing her home town of Burdette to the city had been the only way to get out of the awfulness that had been her home. Home? That was a laugh. Four walls that hid secrets of coldness and brutality. She'd had such hopes when she settled in San Antonio. Even when the first job didn't pan out, she kept going. Pushing ahead.Leaping from the frying pan into the fire.She could still hear the steady weeping, then the unholy scream, and the men arguing in lo
"Sorry the place is a little messy." Gus D'Amato unlocked the door to his condo and swung it open, gesturing for Anya to enter. "I wasn't really expecting company tonight.""I'm sorry," Anya began, but Gus stopped her."No problem, Anya. Just preparing you for a bachelor's place.""Oh." She managed a tiny smile as he ushered her into the living room. What she noticed wasn't any clutter but the magnificent view of downtown San Antonio from his living room. One entire wall was comprised of glass. From the vantage of the building's fifteenth floor, she could see nearly all the city spread out before her."Wow!" was all she could managed.Gus came up behind her, almost but not quite touching her. "I sometimes forget how impressive this is. Would you like a drink? Coffee? Tea?""Just a glass of ice water, please."He led her to a long leather couch and waited until she'd settled at one end of it. Anya was grateful for the fact that he hadn't asked her one question during the ride fro
Six months laterAnya smiled as Gus turned out the bathroom light, stripped off his boxers and slid into bed beside her. She loved the feel of his big, hard body and the warmth it exuded. She still could hardly believe everything that had happened since that night she'd called him afraid for her life. In the past six months Virgil Branson had been arrested for running a prostitution ring, one that was backed by a major cartel and that sent its women all over the world. Sold them off like a piece of merchandise.Anya, Stella and Amy had been star witnesses in his trial. Now her friends had been relocated, Virgil was in a federal prison, and she and Gus were building a life together. Something she never could have imagined in her wildest dreams.Gus slipped an arm beneath her and pulled her toward him. She loved the feel of his body against hers, hard muscles beneath smooth skin. And he always smelled so good—that delicious combination of soap, outdoors and male that was distinctive
He reached for their pillows and pulled them beneath her, piling them so her body could rest on them. Anya shivered with anticipation. The first time Gus had taken her from behind she'd been scared, aroused, panicked, a maelstrom of conflicting emotions. But as with everything else, he'd been slow, loving, tamping down his own rising need to arouse her to the point where she wanted it as much as he did.But still, he'd never taken her there. Would tonight be the night? As she'd come to know Gus over the past six months she'd learned he was a man of great sexual appetites. She'd also discovered he kept a large part of himself tucked away, leery of frightening her, knowing how her short brush with Virgil and his operation had traumatized her. Didn't he know she trusted him more than any other man she'd ever met? That she was ready for whatever he wanted? Desired?She wiggled her buttocks, hoping to send him a signal of some kind.His chuckle was low and throaty. "Getting anxious, are
There were ten people in the conference room down the hall from Gus' office. Anya knew two of them by name. The others were all strangers except for her boss, Jimmy Broughton. Everyone had full mugs of coffee and another pot was brewing on a little table in the corner. She tried to make sense of what everyone was saying but her brain seemed to be stuck in first gear. Nothing had penetrated since Gus had delivered the terrible message.She sat next to Gus, inwardly quaking but doing her best to maintain outward control. In her hastily donned jeans and t-shirt she felt not only rumpled but also exposed, as if everyone in the room could see beneath her clothing and identify what she and Gus had been doing.Although he was all business, Gus had taken her hand in his,holding it tightly, his warmth and strength seeping into her with a reassurance she desperately needed."That's the oldest trick in the book," he said again. "Pretend to be sick, get transferred to the prison infirmary and t