by Cynthia Eden
That she wasn’t strong enough to face the dangers in the world.
Wrong. Mercer didn’t know her very well. “This is a mistake.” She fought to keep her own voice as emotionless as his. Impossible. Emotion always ruled her.
Never him.
Hadn’t she learned that lesson long ago?
“No. This is your life, and I won’t risk it.” There was no give in his voice at all. “While you’re in Rio, Cale Lane stays with you.”
She was going to break the phone. In her mind, Cassidy could see it splintering beneath her hand into a dozen pieces. “If that’s what you want...” Because he always got what he wanted. When would she ever get what she wanted? Not bothering with any more words, Cassidy ended the call. After all, there was nothing else to say.
Her fingers trembled.
Cassidy turned toward Cale. She needed to phrase this right, in order to match up with the conversation she’d just had. Cassidy cleared her throat. “Mercer agreed that he’d made a mistake. Your services are no longer—”
Her phone rang.
Cale reached for her hand and pried open her fingers. He took her phone.
“Sir?” he said, and she knew he was talking to Mercer.
“Yes, she’s right here.”
Then he leaned forward and turned on the bedside lamp. She flinched when the light hit her. The sudden flow of light should have made Cale look less intimidating.
It didn’t.
She could see the hard edge of his jaw and the intense lines of his face. “I’ll stay with her. Every minute.”
The hell he would.
After a few more moments, Cale ended the call and stared down at her.
Emotions wanted to rip Cassidy apart right then. All of her hard work, for so long...for nothing.
“Mercer just promised me a briefing at 0600,” he said as his assessing gaze drifted over her. “You really going to make me wait until then in order to find out what’s going on with you?”
Not much time. “What’s going on is that I’m working a case, and your presence here jeopardizes its success.” Truth.
“Mercer doesn’t think so.”
That was because Mercer didn’t think she could handle things on her own.
“And you know the director...” Cale continued, rolling his shoulders as if pushing away a heavy burden. “When that SOB says jump, we’re all supposed to learn how to fly.”
Her breath rushed from her lungs. He doesn’t realize who I am. Cale had obviously decided that she was, indeed, another EOD agent.
Not quite, cowboy. Not quite. And he did remind her of a cowboy. Maybe it was that Texas drawl that slipped out every now and then. Maybe it was the hard edge that clung to him. The tough exterior.
But she was thinking of him as cowboy tough and he—he was thinking of her as the spoiled debutante. It grated, but as long as he didn’t realize exactly who she was, then his guard would stay lowered.
She’d had plenty of babysitters—um, bodyguards—over the past few years. She’d gotten pretty adept at handling them.
And dodging them.
Since Cale didn’t realize her true identity, that would make things even easier for her.
She smiled at him. A real smile.
He blinked. A furrow appeared between his dark brows.
“I think we got off on the wrong foot.” Cassidy even offered him her hand. Why not be friendly? That would help to make him feel even more at ease with her. “It looks like we’ll be...close...for the next few days, so maybe we should just start fresh.”
They’d be close until she could manage to ditch him and go after those gunmen on her own. They were in the city. Pinpointing their next attack area had been the tricky part. Now that she knew they were in the general area, she just had to track them.
Cale silently regarded her offered hand, the hand that was still hovering in the air between them. She wiggled her fingers.
His own hand lifted and finally closed around hers. Well, swallowed hers was probably a better description. Cale used his grip to pull her closer to him.
Caught off balance by that stronger-than-expected hold, she had to take a few quick steps forward.
She was suddenly way too conscious of her thin robe and of the fact that she had nothing on beneath that robe.
Had he noticed?
The gleam of awareness in his eyes said he had.
Oh, boy.
“Partners?” Cale murmured.
She nodded. He could believe that they’d be partners for a bit. A few precious hours remained before dawn and Mercer’s promised briefing. She could fool him until then, and surely she’d manage to slip away in that time.
“Partners don’t keep secrets from each other,” he continued.
He hadn’t let go of her hand.
Mere inches separated their bodies.
“Tell me about the case.”
His fingers slowly freed hers.
She took the breath that her starving lungs so desperately needed.
“I’m working on an abduction case.” Again, mostly true. And to think that Mercer believed she spent her days just spinning lies. There was some truth to her existence. Cassidy thought the best way to deceive was to use a mix of truth and lies. “Those men tonight, they took someone else a while back.”
More truth. A painful one, at that.
“Who?”
Before she did this “baring of the soul” bit, she’d really prefer putting on some clothes. If her soul was going to be exposed to him, then her flesh could at least be covered more. “Do you mind if I get dressed?” The question was supposed to be flippant.
Instead, her voice came out hoarse and soft and inviting.
She hadn’t meant it to be that way. Yes, Cale Lane was attractive—sexy and compelling in that dark and dangerous way of his—but she wasn’t interested in him. Was she?
Maybe.
Yes.
If they’d met in a different time. Different place.
Okay, maybe an entirely different life.
“You don’t have to dress on my account,” he told her. The hint of Texas was back in his voice, thickening the words.
“I’d better dress on my own account.” Because being mostly naked in front of the agent wasn’t a good plan.
Mercer would be furious.
So, what?
She held Cale’s gaze a moment longer, then scurried around him and headed for her closet. She fumbled quickly inside, grabbing her jeans and a T-shirt. “I’ll change in the bathroom and be right back.” She didn’t glance over her shoulder at him as she hurried into the relative safety of the bathroom.
She did turn the lock into place.
Snick.
Then she dressed as quickly as she could...before hurrying toward the window—and escape. She’d picked the hotel deliberately. She wasn’t staying there because of the five-star dining options or the perfect proximity to some of the main Carnival events.
She was in that hotel because it offered suites that were housed on the second floor—a floor full of balconies. And, so convenient for her, there was even an old-style lattice on the side of her building. Lattice that she could use in her bid for freedom.
Cassidy believed in the value of an escape plan. Because plans like that...they sure came in handy during situations exactly like this one.
* * *
THEY HADN’T GOTTEN their target. Ian Gagnon glared at the men around him. It should have been so simple. Those rich fools had been too afraid to fight back.
The plan had been perfect.
Slip into the party.
Grab the girl.
Get away.
They’d done the same routine a dozen times, all without any mistakes. But this time, with her, everything had gone to hell. They’d had to fight their way to safety.
Two of his men hadn’t made it out of that fire.
They’d fallen to gunfire.
Gunfire.
The party hadn’t just bee
n filled with helpless fools. The man who’d come so quickly to Cassidy Sherridan’s rescue—her possessive lover with the glittering gaze and the gun holstered under his tux—he was a threat that Ian had not anticipated.
But the man was a threat that could be eliminated.
He would study that mysterious gentleman. Learn his secrets and weaknesses. Everyone had weaknesses that could be exploited. Ian knew that well.
Cassidy’s lover hadn’t been alone in the ballroom. Another man had come to his aid, fighting, battling viciously. And a third person—a shooter, a sniper—had fired on Guan. The bullet had flown through the window and taken Guan’s life. Guan had been a valuable part of Ian’s crew. Strong, cruel, able to kill so easily—he’d been a key asset.
And he’d been caught unaware.
At least three men. All centered on Cassidy? It certainly seemed that way.
He’d get to her, but first, he’d have to separate Cassidy from her circle of protectors.
Or he’d have to simply kill those protectors. Payback, for the lives of his men.
He’d always believed in the value of an eye for an eye.
* * *
CALE WASN’T A FOOL. Cassidy might think he was misled by a wide smile and flirting eyes—and a very short robe—but this wasn’t his first case. He wasn’t some green soldier who’d be distracted by a pretty face. Or long legs.
So when Cassidy came shimmying down the lattice outside of her hotel, he was waiting for her.
The shadows hid him. All of the agents in his team knew how to use the shadows. So he stood in the darkness, watching her jump from the lattice and touch down gracefully on the cement. She was almost bouncing with excitement.
You thought you got away from me?
Not even close.
She glanced back up at the open bathroom window as she eased away from the building. She still hadn’t seen him.
Time to change that.
He stepped forward, moving soundlessly, the way he’d learned to hunt when Uncle Sam had first trained him to be an army ranger.
She still didn’t hear him.
And she was an EOD agent? Doubt gnawed at him. Cassidy sure didn’t act like an agent.
He reached out and curled his fingers around her shoulder.
Cassidy screamed.
Not like an agent.
An agent would attack first, not scream.
But Cassidy’s attack came seconds after her scream. She whirled around, striking out at him with a strong left hook. It would have been a good blow, if it had connected to his face.
It didn’t.
He caught her fist in his hand, freezing the blow. “Did you need some air?” Cale murmured, trying to sound mildly curious.
A shaft of streetlight fell on her face, and he saw her surprise as her jaw dropped open.
“Because, if you needed some air—” Cale shrugged “—I would have been happy to go for a walk with you. You should have just asked me.”
She tried to jerk back her fist. Because there was no place for her to run in that narrow alleyway, he let her go.
Cassidy was caged between him and the side of the hotel. Freedom wasn’t in sight.
He crossed his arms over his chest and waited, sure that whatever lie was about to spill from her full lips would be interesting.
“I didn’t expect you to be waiting.” She cocked her head as she studied him. Cassidy rocked forward onto the balls of her feet. “You must have come down here the minute I shut the bathroom door.”
Yes, he had. Cale wondered why she wasn’t trying to lie to him.
“How did you know?” Cassidy asked. “You shouldn’t have known.”
She looked quite different from the glittering debutante who’d been in the ballroom. Different from the seductive temptress in the silk robe who’d made him ache minutes before.
Now Cassidy was clad in jeans and a loose T-shirt, and her hair tumbled around her shoulders. He still found her sexy—no matter what, he kept finding her sexy.
Problem.
Because he wasn’t supposed to want her. That hadn’t been part of his assignment. He’d never mixed business with pleasure before.
Don’t start now.
“How did you know I was going to run?” Cassidy pressed. Nervous energy seemed to pour from her.
“Because Mercer told me that you would run.” If you let her out of your sight, she’s gone, had been Mercer’s gruff words. He hadn’t actually believed the man, at least, not until she’d said...
I’ll change in the bathroom and be right back.
“And your voice changed,” he said. A small hitch, barely noticeable, but he’d been paying careful attention to her. That little hitch had put him on high alert.
He’d known that Cassidy wasn’t coming back to him.
So he’d decided to go after her.
“My voice changed?” Her voice rose then. “Impossible. No one can tell when I’m lying.”
He flashed a hard smile. “I could.”
She frowned at him; then her gaze snaked over his shoulder. Ah, nice trick. Her eyes had narrowed even more, as if she was intently studying something behind him. Obviously, the lady was trying to distract him. If he followed her gaze and looked in that direction, she’d try to run away.
This wasn’t amateur hour. He wasn’t about to—
“Look out!” Cassidy screamed.
She didn’t try to run away.
She grabbed him, twisting with him so that they both fell in a heap, crashing onto the cement even as a crack of thunder broke the waning night.
Not thunder. He knew that sound too well—gunshot.
He rolled them, positioning their bodies so that he was on top of her, shielding Cassidy. He heard her mutter, “You’re welcome, cowboy.”
He lifted his gun. His gaze searched the area. The shot had come from the south, from the heavier shadows there. They had no good cover, and he had to get her out of there.
From what he could tell, the shot hadn’t drawn any attention. They were away from the main party streets, so this area of town was pretty deserted. And the shooter—well, he was probably just waiting for Cale and Cassidy to move.
They’d rolled behind an old sports car. One that they couldn’t hide behind forever. But some generous person had conveniently parked the car at the edge of the alley.
Your mistake, buddy, but thanks.
“Where’s your team?” Cassidy demanded in a low whisper. “You have a team, right? Shouldn’t they be here?”
His team was still back at the ballroom, talking with the local authorities and trying to figure out just who those men had been.
For the moment, he and Cassidy were on their own.
Cale quickly considered his options. He could try to get her back upstairs into her room.
And then have the shooter—shooters?—come up after us? Not the best idea.
Or he could get her the hell out of there.
Cale decided to go with option two. His left hand tightened on her. “When I say ‘move,’ you get into the sports car and you stay low.”
She turned her head, meeting his gaze. “You’ve got keys on you?”
Since it wasn’t his car, no, he didn’t. But that was just a minor point.
One, two... “Move!” He yanked open the car door. Cassidy jumped inside, staying low, just as he’d told her.
But the shooter saw their movements. He fired, and the glass exploded on the passenger’s side of the vehicle.
Cassidy yelled and ducked even lower.
Again—the yells weren’t the actions of a trained EOD agent. Civilians yelled. Screamed. Agents went to work.
Cale jumped into the vehicle. He shoved his hands under the dashboard, found the wires he needed—cars had always been a specialty of his—and he had the engine cranking to life instantly.
A good thing because more gunfire was exploding around them.
He shoved the car into Drive and slammed the gas pedal down to the floor
board. They raced from the scene with bullets chasing after them.
His right hand still held the gun, and his left kept a white-knuckled grip around the steering wheel.
“Are you okay?” Cale demanded as they rounded the next corner. The shooter could be pursuing them, so he barely slowed. He was pretty sure the sports car lifted onto two wheels.
She didn’t answer him.
“Cassidy!”
She was curled in on herself, crouching down on the floorboard. He could just see the top of her blond head.
“I’m okay.” Soft. “I just got cut from some of the glass. No big deal.”
He glanced in the rearview mirror. Saw only darkness behind them. But it wasn’t like their pursuers would come chasing with their bright lights on.
He wasn’t using his lights, either. Because if you wanted to blend in with the darkness, you didn’t flash a beacon.
“Are they following us?” Cassidy asked from her crouched position.
Maybe.
The car slid around another corner. He wasn’t getting on the main roads, the roads that would still be full of those celebrating Carnival. The party didn’t exactly stop just because it was after midnight. He needed to stay away from the party—and the cluster of people that would just slow him down.
He knew this area. This wasn’t his first time to visit Rio. The EOD agents had a house not far from their current location. A few miles, a few more backstreets.
Then they’d be safe.
Or as safe as they could be. He needed more intel to figure out what was happening. Why is she a target?
Cale didn’t like being the hunted. No, it was his job to be the hunter.
And for others to be his prey.
Chapter Three
A long sliver of broken glass protruded from Cassidy’s arm. Carefully, she curled her fingers around the glass and pulled it from her skin, hissing out a breath at the pain.
“What are you doing?” She didn’t look up at Cale’s growl. The guy often seemed to be growling. Not exactly Mr. Sunshine and Light, but then, in her experience, tough guys weren’t. They were dark and intense and the ones who were perfect when it came to pulling your butt from the fire.
Hello, fire. Her great escape attempt had almost blown up in her face. If Cale hadn’t been there...
It grated, but she needed the agent. She needed the backing of the EOD.