Lucan (Steele Protectors 6)

by Carole Mortimer

  Becca gasped and felt her face pale. “How do you know about her?”

  Lucan Steele’s humorless smile and dark and challenging gaze didn’t waver. “I know a lot of things, Miss Snow.”

  Everything seemed to stop. Becca’s heart. The blood pulsing through her veins. The air in her lungs. Even the clock on the wall and the dust motes in the air appeared suspended.

  This man knew who she was.

  Or who she had been.

  How?

  How could he possibly know that?

  Oh dear God, was it possible he was someone Ernesto Silva had hired to find and then eliminate her?

  “I believe you’ve made a mistake. My name is Shaw,” she finally managed to say. “Rachel Shaw.” She pointed to the nameplate on her desk.

  He gave a hard smile. “Your name is Rebecca Diana Snow, you were born on December tenth almost twenty-four years ago, in Washington, DC.”

  Becca wanted to deny it, to deny him, but her throat was too constricted for her to be able to speak, and her heart still wasn’t beating or air entering her lungs. A red haze appeared at the edges of her vision.

  “Sit.” Hands lightly grasped her shoulders and guided her down into her chair. “Head down between your knees.” A hand at her nape applied gentle pressure as she bent until her forehead touched her knees. “Now breathe. Deeply and slowly. Breathe, damn it,” he instructed in a hard voice when Becca remained unresponsive.

  Just when she thought she really was going to pass out, Becca finally managed to draw in a deep breath. Then wished she hadn’t as each of her senses became totally aware of the man beside her. She could almost taste his aftershave, along with a clean male musk that she guessed was uniquely him. She could certainly see and feel his height looming over her. Just as she was totally aware of the harsh evenness of his breathing beside her ear, forcing her lungs to breathe in and out in that same rhythm. And she was totally aware of the touch of his hand against her nape.

  “Better,” he approved, coming down on his haunches in front of her, but keeping his callused palm pressed against her flesh. “I’m here to help you, not harm you.”

  Becca found that hard to believe when he so clearly knew who she really was. She also knew, just from looking at him, that gentleness didn’t come easily to him. Hardness was there in every hard and unforgiving angle of his face, despite his attempt to soften his expression.

  Not only that, but he had destroyed her cell phone so that she couldn’t call her handler and ask her what she should do. This man claimed Bianca was the reason he had destroyed her phone, but Becca couldn’t understand what he meant by that. “I don’t know why you think I should believe anything you say.”

  Lucan realized that lack of trust was going to be the hard part when he couldn’t tell this woman the whole truth. Because he had agreed not to. A decision he heartily regretted.

  Because gaining Becca’s trust was only the hard part for now. No doubt this woman would voice plenty more objections once she knew what he had planned for her immediate future.

  There was also the fact that the moment he had touched the vulnerable skin at Rebecca Snow’s nape, he had felt a jolt of electricity along the length of his arm.

  What the fuck was that all about?

  Something he didn’t have time for.

  Convincing this woman to go with him was his priority at the moment. Without telling her all the reasons why.

  Because Becca’s sister Cassie hadn’t died in an accident seven years ago at all, but was also living in London and in the same Witness Protection system as Becca, under the name Hailey Frost. To add insult to injury, the sisters even had the same WP handler, Bianca D’Angelo.

  Lucan knew that if one of his brothers had practiced such a deception on him, he would hug the bastard in relief at knowing he was still alive, and then beat the crap out of him for making Lucan suffer the seven years of grieving for him.

  Hailey had explained the reason she’d had the government agency help to fake her death and had stayed out of her sister’s life. It was because she wanted to protect Becca.

  Lucan somehow doubted Becca would feel the same way about that once she learned her sister was not only still alive but had been living close to her all these years, but never tried to contact her or alleviate Becca’s grief for her dead sister.

  But that was for another time and for the sisters to settle at a later date. Right now, Lucan needed to get Becca out of London so that he could keep her safe.

  “We have to leave,” he told Becca abruptly as he removed his hand and straightened.

  She sat up slowly, pushing her ponytail back from a face that was now flushed rather than pale.

  Her eyes were the same dark green as Hailey’s, and surrounded by thick dark lashes. In fact, the sisters looked very much alike: the same smooth forehead, those emerald-green eyes and high cheekbones, a slender nose, and sculpted lips in a heart-shaped face with a pointed and stubbornly set jaw.

  “You’re leaving,” she corrected. “In fact, I’m calling security right now to have you escorted out of the building.” She reached for the landline receiver.

  Lucan closed his fingers about hers, knowing from experience how to keep the pressure just short of hurting her. “Don’t.”

  She looked up at him from beneath dark lashes. “I could just scream and attract the security guard’s attention that way.”

  “You could,” he acknowledged. “But you aren’t going to.”

  She blinked at the certainty in his voice. “I’m not?”

  “No,” Lucan stated firmly. “Ernesto Silva was released from prison four days ago, and he is currently in London looking for you.” The vicious bastard was actually looking for Hailey/Cassie, but if he couldn’t find her, Lucan and his brothers had every reason to believe the other man would home in on Becca, with the intention of getting to Hailey through her.

  “I don’t know who that is,” she denied, but her voice lacked conviction.

  “Look, I know this is a lot to take in.” Lucan’s voice gentled at the stark terror he could see forming in her eyes. “But I really am one of the good guys.”

  She gave a pointed glance at the jacket pocket where he had placed the pieces of her destroyed phone. “All evidence to the contrary.”

  Lucan knew how this looked, but he and his brothers had only learned in the last few days that Hailey Frost, employed at Steele Protectors for the past year and, like the rest of their employees considered family by all of them, was really Cassandra Snow, eldest daughter of a now-deceased US senator and his wife. Lucan had a hunch if his brother, Haydn, had his way, then Hailey would legally become a member of their family before too long.

  As Cassie Snow, her kidnapping had dominated the newspapers eight years ago, and the media had exploded with speculation following the shoot-out to rescue Cassie, in which two of the kidnappers were killed. It was quickly followed by the announcement of her parents’ deaths by a random intruder, and then the trial of the two remaining kidnappers.

  Ernesto Silva might be known as the head of one of the most powerful criminal organizations in DC dealing in drug trafficking and prostitution, but until he was actually caught breaking the law, the police hadn’t been able to touch him.

  His mistake had come once the kidnappers’ trial was over and he had no longer been able to contain his rage over his twin’s death. Taking out a gun outside the courtroom and trying to shoot Cassandra Snow had definitely been his downfall. He had quickly been apprehended and sentenced to ten years in prison for attempting to murder Cassie.

  All that had been followed just weeks later by the announcement that Cassie herself had died in an accident.

  Except she hadn’t.

  Again, why she had kept that information to herself was for Hailey to discuss with her sister, once the newly released from prison Ernesto Silva had been dealt with. For the moment Lucan’s only priority was to keep Becca alive long enough for the sisters to be able to have that conversa
tion.

  “I brought you a—” The woman who had left the building wearing Becca’s coat now stood in the open doorway, her wide-eyed gaze on Lucan before shifting speculatively to Becca. “I’m so sorry, Rachel, I didn’t realize you had company.”

  “I came to surprise Rachel and take her out for lunch.” Lucan’s fingers returned to curl lightly about Becca’s nape in warning, while outwardly giving every appearance of a man who couldn’t keep his hands off his lover. The electricity that once again shot up Lucan’s arm told him that wasn’t too far from the truth. This instant physical attraction and response had never happened to him before. Never. “It’s our three-month anniversary.” His lips smiled warmly at Becca even if his eyes were narrowed to warn her against not confirming his explanation.

  She stared at him as if he had suddenly grown two heads. Which, probably to her, and in view of their conversation so far, he had. But if she didn’t want to completely blow her cover as Rachel Shaw then she would use her obvious intelligence and go along with the impression he was giving the other woman; that the two of them were lovers.

  His body wasn’t averse to that idea, Lucan realized, his cock having started to engorge now too, just from his having touched Becca again.

  Whatever this was, he needed to get it under control!

  Except her skin felt like velvet against his fingers and palm, and her perfume was a heady combination of spring flowers and female musk that made his cock throb.

  Fuck, he had withstood six months of torture and deprivation from Taliban rebels without breaking, but now just touching or being near this particular woman made him want to throw her facedown over her desk and fuck the hell out of her. Even with an audience.

  Which, in itself, was revealing.

  After living in that hole in the ground for six months, Lucan now took his privacy seriously. To a degree his brothers complained when he occasionally went off-grid and they had no idea how to contact or find him.

  Damn it, he needed to either get a grip or ignore this unexpected—and unwanted—physical response to Rebecca Snow.

  Yeah, like that was going to happen when watching her straighten her shoulders, pushing her breasts forward and straining the buttons of her blouse beneath her suit jacket, made his dick even harder.

  Becca purposefully forced the tension from her body before moving closer to the man who had introduced himself as Lucan Steele.

  The same surname as the owner of her apartment building?

  Coincidence, surely.

  She forced a smile for Sheila’s sake, although she was inwardly still surprised Lucan Steele even knew what a romantic gesture was. The unmistakable ruthlessness in his expression gave the impression of him being completely independent of such things as romance and emotions. “Isn’t he the best!” she said warmly.

  “You’ve been holding out on me, Rachel,” the other woman admonished. “I want all the details when you get back from lunch.” She took off the black knee-length coat and handed it to Becca along with the borrowed umbrella. “I think it’s stopped raining for the moment, but you might need this later.”

  “Thanks.” Becca took both items, not quite able to meet the other woman’s searching gaze.

  “If we’re back late, I hope you’ll try to cover for her,” Lucan prompted Sheila as he took the coat and held it up for Becca to slip her arms into. “I have…plans for us for the next hour or so,” he added suggestively.

  Becca bit her bottom lip to stop herself from telling this man exactly what he could do with his plans. But she could see Sheila was eating all this sexiness up as she stared hungrily at Lucan. The other woman was obviously totally enthralled by the man she believed to be Becca’s lover.

  Becca felt an unaccustomed warmth entering her body merely imagining having this strong and powerful man as a lover. He was so big and muscular, with that aloofness and unmistakable strength, and yet his hand on her nape, while immovable, was also gentle, the fingers a light caress against her skin.

  He was also the man who, before Sheila arrived back, had just told Becca that Ernesto Silva was out of prison and in London looking for her!

  She had no idea how this man, Lucan Steele, knew about Ernesto or how he actually fit in to that scenario. But he definitely knew, despite her denials, she was really Rebecca Snow, and what a released-from-prison Ernesto Silva represented to her.

  Until Becca knew exactly what was going on, and with a curious Sheila also in the room, she intended to go along with what Lucan Steele wanted from her. She felt comforted by the fact he looked as if he was capable of killing if he had to, at the same time as he gave the impression she wasn’t currently his prey.

  At the moment, all he seemed to want from her was that she leave the museum with him. She could find out exactly who and what he was once they didn’t have an audience. Becca had spent years building up this persona, she had no intention of blowing it in just a few minutes.

  His arm about her waist pressed her tighter against his side, forcing her to place her squashed arm about the back of his waist. She was instantly able to feel the flexing of the muscles there in response to her touch, telling her this man, who might still represent a danger to her, wasn’t immune to her either.

  Becca smiled up at him. “That sounds wonderful, darling.”

  His dark eyes widened for a moment before narrowing again. “Let’s get out of here,” he bit out gruffly.

  “Bye, Sheila.” Becca had the chance to give the other woman a brief wave before Lucan Steele pulled her out of the room. “You don’t have to be quite such a caveman,” she protested as his arm about her waist allowed him to all but carry her down the corridor toward the employees’ entrance.

  “We’ve already wasted enough time,” he growled. “Now smile sweetly for the security guard,” he instructed under his breath, the smile curving his own lips looking more like a grimace.

  “See you later, Paul,” she told the guard lightly as he opened the door for them to leave. She had no wish to involve the people where she worked in any of this. She might not be sure of Lucan Steele’s role in any of this, but neither did she want him to tell her coworkers who she really was.

  Becca came to a halt once they were outside the building, pulling away from Lucan Steele’s hold on her before turning to face him. “Now tell me what the hell is going on. And I don’t mean just your name, rank, and serial number,” she added shrewdly. She was utterly convinced the shortness of his dark hair and the confidence with which he carried himself indicated he was or had been in the military.

  She listed the things she already knew about this man, so she could pass the information on to Bianca later.

  Name: Lucan Steele.

  Possibly thirty-five or thirty-six.

  With an obvious military background.

  The name could possibly be false, but she felt pretty sure his age and military background were spot on.

  “Well?” she challenged at his silence. “Are you going to answer my questions, or do I go back to work and forget the two of us ever met?”

  Lucan drew in a deep breath as he mulled over just how much he could tell this woman without involving Hailey. Whatever the outcome of this conversation, he could not allow Rebecca Snow to stay anywhere Ernesto Silva might find her.

  He decided to go with the basic truth. “We believe your WP handler, Bianca D’Angelo,” he stated pointedly, “has been compromised and has now passed on information of your new identity and whereabouts to the newly-released-from-prison Ernesto Silva. Because of that he is now in London, which puts your life”—and Hailey’s—“in danger.”

  Chapter Three

  Becca felt the tightening in her chest that prevented her from breathing, but she managed to fight it off this time before it could result in her almost fainting, like last time. More than ever, at this moment, she needed to keep her wits about her. “I could just tell you—again—that I have no idea who those people are.”

  “You could, yes,” Lucan
drawled. “But why would you continue to lie when we both know everything I’ve told you is the truth?” His mouth tightened. “Think about it, Miss Snow. How would I even know about you or Silva if I’m not telling the truth? And why the hell would I be trying to help you—emphasis on the trying!” he added disgustedly.

  “You could be working for him.”

  “I could be working for some drug-dealing whoreson of a bitch who threatens and uses and abuses women?” His voice had gone dangerously soft.

  Becca felt her cheeks warm. “I get the feeling you took great offence at that remark.”

  “How very astute of you,” he snapped, nostrils flared.

  Why did Becca believe him?

  She had trusted Bianca for eight years and known this man for only a matter of minutes. Yet there was a level of intensity and truth in Lucan Steele’s voice and those steady dark brown eyes that said he didn’t have the time or patience for lies or bullshit.

  There was also the fact, if Ernesto Silva really had been released from prison, Bianca hadn’t informed her of that release…

  It all came down to whether or not she dare trust this man.

  “Do you have any proof Ern—this man you spoke about, Ernesto Silva,” she corrected as she realized she had almost compromised herself, “has been released from prison?”

  Lucan took what looked to be a burner phone from his pocket, turning it on and pressing a few buttons before turning the screen for her to read.

  It took a minute for Becca to realize that she was looking at a list of prisoners released four days ago from jails all around the world. Ernesto Silva’s name was listed as one the men released from a DC prison on that day.

  If that was true, then by not passing on that information to Becca, Bianca had left her completely vulnerable to Silva’s promised revenge for the death of his brother.

  Even so, Becca still hesitated as she studied Lucan’s face for any sign he was lying to her. His gaze remained unreadable behind the dark-framed glasses. “Do you actually need to wear those, or do you just use them as a barrier between you and the rest of the world?”