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

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

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 pho

TRAVIS HIT THE GROUND, rolling and grabbing for the firearm in his boot holster. Every fiber of his body was hyper aware of his surroundings. His left arm burned, and he couldn't feel his fingers. There wasn't time to worry about the injury now, not with someone firing a gun at him. Adrenaline fueled his need to survive. Bliss. He had to get back to her. Had to protect her. She wasn't safe.He rose to his knees, gun raised and pointed toward the front of the SUV where he'd glimpsed the shooter.Daniel.It had to be him. Travis had caught a glimpse of a familiar car. The nagging sense that something was wrong had just started low in his gut, and then he saw the blast of muzzle fire. From there he operated on instinct, dropping to the ground, narrowly avoiding the shot.How had Daniel found him so fast? Why was he after Travis? What had changed to make him deviate from the plan? Daniel went after the girls and transient junkies.Pinpricks of pain started in the fingers on his l

TRAVIS KEPT ONE HAND on Bliss the whole walk from the car to the entrance of the police station, his gaze scanning the vehicles in the parking lot. Marcus strode ahead of them and the driver behind in a tight formation around her. Travis didn't breathe until they passed through the secured entrance. His leg twinged and his shoulder burned, but they were minor injuries as far as he could tell.Marcus led them through the warren of departments, moving at a brisk pace. Bliss nearly jogged at his side, puffing and out of breath by the time they made it to the inner sanctum. The homicide department, if Travis had to guess.Ryan and Jade had their heads together, staring at a file."Look what the cat dragged in," Connor drawled.Travis steered Bliss to a cushy office chair."Shit, you're bleeding.""Leave it," Travis snapped at Connor. He'd already pulled the glass out of his leg, and the wound on his arm was just a graze. It was the lack of sleep and focus that had been his undo