“It’s almost dark, and the storm’s going to be bad. It won’t be safe here.”
“But for you, it will be?”
“Don’t worry about me.” He was quiet for a moment. “I need you to trust me. I’m trying to keep you safe.”
The word safe hummed in her ears like a soft echo on repeat. There was something in the sound of his words that made her want to believe him.
Am I overreacting? “One minute.” She went into the kitchen, spinning around in circles like a dog chasing her tail. She needed a weapon, but she was too frazzled to think straight.
She grabbed the largest knife she could find and walked back to the door. “You promise not to hurt me?”
“Of course.”
Her eyes fell shut for a brief moment as she tried to steady her heart rate. With her free hand, she cracked open the door.
But, holy shit, the man standing before her wasn’t Normal Guy.
No, there was nothing normal about this tall, well-built man with the bluest eyes she’d ever seen.
Not only was he gorgeous—he wasn’t Travis at all.
Chapter Three
He held both gloved hands palms up, noting the woman’s knife.
When Jessica had informed him the email account for Travis Davenport had received a message from the owner of the cabins, he’d phoned Eva immediately but his calls went straight to voicemail.
His last-ditch effort of a text to keep her away had clearly failed, but scrubbing the mission wasn’t an option.
His men rarely operated on U.S. soil. They tried to avoid it if possible, especially since they had significantly less to work with: no air support, drones, or missiles. Minimalistic ops so his crew wouldn’t draw the eye of either the public or law enforcement.
But in this case, their target was supposedly hiding within U.S. borders with no desire to leave, and they needed to lure the bastard out into the open.
“The photo of me online is a little out of date,” he said since the woman’s hazel eyes narrowed beneath her glasses.
People say eyes are the window to the soul, but Luke also saw them as the gatekeepers to wisdom—he knew the depth of one’s intelligence. He could tell from one long look into her irises that she was brilliant, which could prove troubling for him.
Her gaze dropped from his face and traveled down the length of his body. “You’re lying. You’re not Normal Guy.” She cleared her throat. “Travis.”
How could this woman see he was a fraud even though TSA at JFK couldn’t? “I’m not going to hurt you.”
“Go, please.” She started to slam the door, but he wedged his booted foot in the jamb.
“I’ll cut you,” she threatened, but fear flowed so strong through her voice he knew she wouldn’t actually go through with it.
Well, he hoped not. He needed his hand. He wanted to shove the door inward, but what if she fell back and cut herself? He couldn’t let an innocent woman get hurt, but if she stayed at the cabin she might as well paint a bull’s-eye on her forehead.
Jessica had done her homework and chosen the best location in New York: 100 acres of unoccupied land. And yet, here this woman was . . . occupying it.
“Just back up before she accidentally stabs you or herself,” Jessica said into his earpiece.
He followed her advice, knowing his sister was right.
A second later, the door closed in his face.
“Reason with her, but if she doesn’t listen, you’ll need to subdue her. I don’t think we have much time,” Jessica said.
“I’m not gonna hit her, and I don’t have any drugs on me,” he answered in a low voice.
He took a couple of steps back to assess the entry points of the cabin. He didn’t want to breach the place if he didn’t have to, but could he talk this scared woman into leaving her home with a stranger? Probably not.
“Figure it out and fast.”
“Roger that.” He knocked on the door again. “Listen, lady, if I really have to, I’ll come inside on my own, but I’d rather have an invitation.” He pressed his ear to the door, listening, but all he heard was the cool whisper of the wind as it brushed his cheek.
A few minutes passed, and she asked, “What do you want?”
His palm pressed to the frame of the door, and he bowed his head as he thought about what to do. He knew how to deal with criminals and terrorists—but a frightened woman in the woods? She had no intention of leaving because of the storm, so he’d have to be more creative.
“Listen, my ex-wife’s a little crazy, and so I needed a place to go where she wouldn’t find me. But she tracked my receipts, and if she comes up here and discovers a woman—”
“I could make up a better lie than that. Try again,” she snapped back.
“She’s right, you know,” Jessica said, and Luke rolled his eyes.
“All I can say is that you’re in danger, and if you stay here, you’ll get hurt. That’s the truth.”
The woman remained quiet for a moment, and then he heard the click of the lock. But this time when the door opened he found himself staring at the muzzle of a rifle instead of a knife.
Luke cocked his head and eyed the weapon. If it were any other day, he’d almost find the sight amusing. He’d bet the petite brunette had never loaded a gun before, let alone shot one.
He eased back a step and relaxed his stance, hoping to come across as less threatening. “I’m not the enemy,” he said calmly.
“How can I trust you when you clearly lied to me about who you are?”
“I’m safe.” He lifted his gloved hands and placed a palm over his jacket, on top of his heart. “I swear.”
Her gaze drifted over his shoulder to his Tahoe parked in the driveway. “Please pack up your stuff and go,” she requested.
Luke covered his ear to better hear Jessica as she said, “Drop her off at the rest stop three klicks east of our location. We’ll have Owen there, waiting.”
Owen added, “I’ll hold on to her until the op is over. We can’t risk her running to the police.”
Although he didn’t want to hold her captive it was better than having her wind up as collateral damage.
Luke couldn’t confirm aloud, so instead he took a hesitant step her way, noticing the tremble of her trigger finger. The safety was on, though, whether she realized it or not. “Eva, right?”
She swallowed, and a soft pink flush crept over her skin. “Yeah.”
“I’m going to take that from you, okay?” He kept moving in her direction, scanning the surroundings behind her, ensuring she wouldn’t trip and get hurt when he disarmed her.
Before she had a chance to react, he swiftly wrapped a hand around the stock of the gun, tipped it up, and yanked the weapon from her hands.
“I don’t want to die.” She held her palms facing him, terror filling her eyes.
He removed the ammo from the chamber and unclipped the magazine, and then tossed the weapon onto a nearby couch. He didn’t need to wipe it down since he still had on gloves. “And I’d like to keep you alive.” He pointed to her jacket. “Put that on. I’ll grab your bags, and let’s get you out of here.”
“I don’t understand,” she said, but was finally listening to him, thank God. She slid her arms into the sleeves of the coat and took a tentative step his way.
“The less you know the better.” He lifted her bags and motioned to the front door.
Once her luggage was stowed in his trunk she strapped in next to him in the Tahoe, and he removed his gloves and started up the engine.
“Who are you really?” she asked as they reversed out of the driveway.
“I told you.”
“You’re not some normal businessman from Charlotte, are you?” She removed her semi-foggy glasses and rubbed them against the material of her shirt beneath her jacket.
“You still want normal?” Jessica, the ballbuster, asked.
He almost laughed at his sister’s words, but Eva would officially think he was nuts. “I’m
no one important” was all he could say.
“I don’t believe you.”
His spine stiffened as he glanced at her again out of the corner of his eye. She placed her glasses back on and dug her fingertips into her denim-clad thighs. Her nails were short and pink, and he suddenly envisioned what they’d feel like biting into his shoulders.
She had the hot librarian look going for her: wavy dark hair stopped just past her shoulders, no makeup, a straight nose, high cheekbones, pouty lips, and gorgeous eyes beneath the glasses. She was probably shy and completely unaware of her beauty.
Her lip wedged between her teeth, and she cast him a quick look before he redirected his focus to the road.
Jesus. There was something about her, and it had the muscles in his legs tensing as he drove. He needed to focus, but it was hard with the sweet smell of her perfume drifting to his nose, reminding him of how long it’d been since he’d had sex.
He’d been on op after op for months, and he hadn’t had time to take a moment to breathe, to inhale the scent of a woman.
Maybe after this mission, he could take time off and have sex with some gorgeous woman on a beach somewhere. That’s all it’d be, though—sex. He wasn’t allowed to have a meaningful relationship. His life was one giant secret, and there was no room for a woman, especially not someone who’d need more than the web of lies he’d have to spin.
“Where are we going?” Her soft voice broke through his clouded thoughts. “The city is the other way.”
Lies bubbled to the surface of his mind, but for some crazy reason, he didn’t feel like voicing them. What was it about this woman that had him wanting to speak the truth—a woman he’d known for all of fifteen minutes?
Before he could say anything, Owen’s voice was in his ear. “Two unmarked black Suburbans and an eight-foot rental truck are heading in your direction. They’re less than four klicks out. I have eight heat signatures inside.”
“Get back to the cabin,” Jessica said.
Luke let off the gas, careful not to slide on the snowy roads, and made a U-turn.
“What’s going on?” Eva’s voice strained with concern and her hands clenched into fists on her lap.
He heaved out a deep breath. “There’s been a change in plans.”
“You’re going to have to run that by me again.” Eva’s eyes widened, panic causing her shoulders to tense up as he held on to them.
“Run into the woods as far as you can get and wait until someone comes for you.”
“I-I can’t. You’re not making any sense.” She started gasping for air.
“Listen, some really bad men are going to be here any second. They’ll search both cabins, and if they find you inside they’ll kill you.” He stepped back, snatched a phone from inside his jacket, and pressed it between her palms. “Turn this on in an hour. Someone will track your location and rescue you.”
She shook her head and stumbled back, almost falling onto the bank of snow behind her.
“We don’t have time. Do you hear me? You’re going to die if you don’t do exactly as I tell you.”
“I’ll freeze to death in the woods. Or animals will—”
“You won’t die out there, but if you stay here you will. The men who are coming probably won’t burn the house because they won’t want the attention, but they’ll murder any witnesses.”
“What men?” She zipped the phone into the pocket of her jacket.
“You’re right about me. I’m not who I said, but I’m also telling the truth about wanting to keep you alive.”
Jessica’s voice filled his ear again. “They’re coming right at you. The snowfall is slowing them down, but I’d say you have less than two minutes.”
“The snow is falling fast enough, so if you hurry, it’ll hopefully cover your tracks,” Luke told Eva.
It was getting darker out, and without Luke’s night-vision goggles he wouldn’t be able to see well for much longer. He assumed the men coming would have NVGs with them, though.
“I can’t do this,” she cried, as he grabbed her two bags from the Tahoe.
“Wait! What are you doing?” She came up behind him and grabbed his arm.
“I need to get rid of these.” He didn’t have time for explanations. They were down to the wire.
“My computer. No, that’s my life!” she screamed, but it was too late.
He tossed the bags over the thirty-foot drop on the left side of the driveway.
“No!” She bent forward, pressing her hands to her knees.
“Go,” he roared a moment later, frustration burning the blood in his veins as worry began to warp his sense of control.
“Who’s coming? What about you? Where will you go?” she asked, even though she continued to stare over the cliff as if he’d just tossed a body instead of bags.
“I’m staying here.” He unclipped his pistol from its holster, which had been tucked out of sight beneath his jacket—not that he planned on using it when the men came.
Eva turned in his direction and almost stumbled over the cliff upon noticing his drawn weapon. “Who the hell are you?”
“Don’t worry about me.”
He pressed a hand to his ear so he could hear Jessica. “We’ve lost visual now. They’ll be there any second.”
“Fuck. I’m gonna go dark now. You copy?”
“Copy,” Jessica said. “And we’ll rescue her; don’t worry. Owen’s already on his way.”
Luke tossed his earpiece over the cliff and then grabbed Eva’s arm, forcefully yanking her in the direction of the woods behind the cabin. “We’re out of time.”
“I don’t want to die.”
“You weren’t supposed to be here,” he said gruffly, having reached the edge of a thick brush of leafless trees.
She faced him, anger and fear tangled like a fierce and dangerous dance within her gaze. “Why is this happening?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“If I’m going to die, I want to know why.”
“You’re not going to die” was all he said, and then he turned his back to assess their tracks. “Now, go into the woods.”
“Come with me,” she cried.
“I can’t,” he said, looking back at her over his shoulder.
“Why not?”
“Because I’m the bait.”
Chapter Four
This can’t be happening. She crouched in the woods, peering down at the half dozen men in the driveway alongside the cabin Travis had rented.
She had been right all along. She’d die in the woods.
Afraid running would make too much noise, she opted to stay in place and be as still as humanly possible.
Her fists had remained locked tight in front of her lips, and she’d stifled a scream upon witnessing Travis surrender his gun and sink to his knees on the snowy driveway.
He hadn’t put up much of a fight, and for some reason, that surprised her. From the moment she’d laid eyes on him, she’d taken him for a man who wouldn’t give in so easily.
Bait? Did he want to be taken? It didn’t make sense. But what the hell did she know?
Three sets of headlights illuminated the driveway: two SUVs and what looked like a rental truck people used for short distance moves.
One of the masked men forced Travis’s hands behind his back and began nudging him in the direction of his cabin.
Other men were already inside, and every light had been turned on. She assumed they were tossing the place, but what were they looking for?
Her shoulders jerked at the sudden sound coming from . . . shit, from her. Her cell phone was still on and inside her purse. She’d almost forgotten she had it.
Curses came from the driveway and gunfire sprayed the woods.
She wasn’t on set.
These weren’t fake bullets.
No! She snatched her phone from her purse, turning off the call from her brother Harrison, and kept low as she ran, trying to dodge the bullets.
She tripp
ed and fell, hitting her head on something hard as a loud voice boomed, “STOP!”
Eva had to get back upright so she could move again even though the gunfire now ceased.
Her breaths were shallow and tears streaked her cheeks, but her legs felt weighted down by lead as she rose.
She gasped when someone grabbed her from behind. “No. Let me go.” She struggled, trying to break free, but two more people swooped before her.
“Stop resisting, or I’ll kill you now.” An accented voice found her ears and her knees buckled.
“Please, let me go,” she cried, even though her plea would be in vain. She was up against three figures in the dark, and they were probably armed.
Within ten minutes, she found herself back at the cabin, being pushed indoors.
Her palms landed on the floor, her knees banging against the hardwood. She slowly lifted her head to find Travis’s blue eyes pinned to her face.
He was on his knees, his hands behind his back, and he was shaking his head ever so slightly as if disappointed. “Don’t hurt her.” His gaze veered to an armed, masked man off to his right.
“Why shouldn’t we?” the man asked, his accent unrecognizable to her.
“She’s important to me.” Travis looked at Eva again, as if he were trying to send her a message with his eyes.
But she wasn’t receiving it. “No, I—” One of the men pressed something hard into her back, forcing her flat against the floor now. She turned her cheek to try and prevent her glasses from breaking. They pressed hard against her face, digging into her skin.
“If she’s special to you, all the more reason to put a bullet in her head.”
Oh, God. She squeezed her eyes closed, preparing for death. But how does one do that, exactly?
“She works with me. She knows everything,” Travis rushed out.
Peering out of one eye, she caught sight of the man’s dark shoes as they inched back a couple of steps from her body.
“Malik will want her brought in with me,” Travis added, making things worse in her eyes.
“She doesn’t matter. Kill her,” the man said so casually she couldn’t comprehend his words.
Finding His Mark (Stealth Ops Book 1) Page 3