Seduced by His Target

by Gail Barrett

  His eyes stayed on hers, her courage impressing him like hell. Unable to resist, he reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, the silky feel accelerating his pulse.

  And suddenly, for the first time, he really saw her. He saw more than her dazzling green eyes, more than her heart-stopping face and tempting curves. He saw a woman with courage and strength, who was willing to put her life on the line to protect others from a violent fate.

  This was the woman who’d defied Amir. The woman who’d been willing to barter her own freedom to get Henry the care he required. The woman who spent her life healing battered women, using her medical skills to ease their pain. And this was the woman who’d fled her home as a teenager, willing to brave the dangers of street life to pursue her precious dreams.

  His throat thick, he traced her jaw, the purple bruise standing out in stark relief, proof of the violence she’d endured. He couldn’t deny her physical appeal. She had an uncommon beauty, a combination of sultriness and passion that had attracted him from the start.

  But her spirit impressed him even more. She didn’t have to lead this kind of existence. It would have been much easier for her to give in to her father’s wishes, marry a member of the Jaziirastani royal family and submit to the traditional role they’d prescribed. Or she could have cashed in on her exotic beauty, garnering fame and money as a model or a movie star. Even now, she could earn a fortune as a plastic surgeon catering to wealthy celebrities desperate to recapture their fading youth. Instead, she dedicated her life to helping the people the rest of society overlooked.

  Her altruism affecting him deeply, he threaded his hand through her glossy hair. He skimmed the graceful line of her throat, the tilt of her gray-green eyes. Her full lips were parting in a sensual invitation he was hard-pressed to withstand.

  And damned if he didn’t want to kiss her again.

  His mind clamored an instant warning, that he was making a mistake. This case was complicated enough. He couldn’t get involved with a woman under his protection, not with so many lives at risk. Giving in to the impulse before had been bad enough, threatening to blow his objectivity sky-high. But now...

  Now her spirit drew him like a beacon, torching a need in his jaded soul. Reminding him of a distant time when he’d been a different man, a man with honor and pride and ideals.

  Unable to stop himself, he shifted closer, his palm bracketing her jaw. Her pulse raced under his thumb. Her breath hitched, the soft sound luring him in. Their gazes tangled, then locked, heat pulsing between them, that attraction he’d felt from the second he’d met her building steadily out of control.

  And then her eyes fluttered closed, her lashes like soot against her pale cheekbones, her lips an invitation a better man would resist.

  He was no longer that man.

  He lowered his mouth to hers. Her sigh made his heart drum, her amazing warmth inflaming his blood. He took her lips in a blaze of possession, the velvety feel of her jolting every buried part of him back to life.

  The scent of her inundated his senses, her soft curves driving him insane. He sank into the kiss, giving vent to the urges mounting inside him, to the clamors he couldn’t contain.

  And she kissed him back. Her gentle hands clung to his shoulders. Her moist tongue dueled with his. Growling, he widened his stance and pulled her against him, needing the intimate contact, planting his hands on her rounded hips. Her answering moan shuddered through him like a shockwave, and reality began fading away.

  He wanted her. Badly. He trembled with the need to touch her, to lose himself in her sultry warmth. To pretend the past hadn’t happened. To forget the danger lurking nearby, to be worthy and whole again.

  But it had happened. He couldn’t erase his mistakes—or forget the man he’d become.

  And this wasn’t the time or place. The terrorists were waiting for him at the airstrip. He had an attack to stop. He’d spent too many years working toward this moment, sacrificing everything he’d once cared for, to lose sight of the mission now.

  Shaking from the effort, he pulled away. His breath sawed in the silence. His pulse thundered out of control. He tucked her head to his shoulder and held her against him, absorbing the shivers racking her slender frame. Then he tipped his head back and closed his eyes, his frenzied heart working overtime.

  Dumb, dumb, dumb. He had no business touching Nadine, no matter what she made him feel. Even if she weren’t the daughter of his target, even if he wanted to be different, he’d spent too many years living amidst the bottom-feeders of society to ever lead a normal life. He didn’t have it in him anymore.

  And she was a woman in his care, a woman depending on him to keep her safe. He had to keep his wits about him, no matter how much she made him burn.

  With difficulty, he pulled away. But the sight of her kiss-swollen lips, her incredible eyes blurred with desire, nearly obliterated his resolve.

  “Listen, Nadine.” His voice came out like gravel, and he cleared his throat. “I’m sorry about that. I shouldn’t have... It was a mistake.”

  A flush climbed up her cheeks. Her gaze skidded away. “Right.”

  “It’s the mission. We can’t—”

  “You don’t have to explain. I understand.”

  “Do you?” He lifted her chin, forcing her gaze back to his. “This isn’t a game. These men, Amir and Manzoor...they’re ruthless. They’ll kill us in a heartbeat. I’ve spent years training with them. I know how they think. They don’t value life like we do. They think their reward comes after death. And they won’t listen to excuses or reason. They won’t forgive any mistakes.

  “Right now, my cover is the only thing that protects you. I can’t show any weakness. I can’t reveal any concern about your welfare, or give them a reason to doubt my loyalty. Because if I slip up and they suspect I’m not what I’ve been pretending to be, we’ll both die.”

  Her eyes stayed on his. She touched his face, the feathery feel of her soft fingers sparking eruptions inside his veins. “I said I understand. I grew up around men like them, remember?”

  “I know.” And without warning, he saw yet another side to this remarkable woman—the woman who’d fled her abusive home. She’d defied her powerful father. She’d gone on the run in pursuit of freedom, surviving despite the odds. Then she’d faced down a gang killer and outwitted not just her murderous family, but the CIA, staying hidden for fifteen years. She was courageous. Incredible.

  A woman he feared he could care about too much.

  Needing to create some mental distance, he stepped away. “We’d better go. They’re going to be waiting for us at the airstrip. They’ll get suspicious if we take too long.”

  He opened the door to the alley and looked out. Safe. For the moment.

  Now he just had to keep her that way.

  * * *

  Nadine didn’t know which decision was crazier—forfeiting her only chance at freedom or kissing Rasheed again.

  She walked beside him down the dirt road leading to the airstrip, still trying to make sense of what she’d done. She had to stop her father. Even though the idea scared her, she was convinced of that. It was bad enough that he intended to kill her out of some sick, misguided belief. But she could not stand by and let him unleash a terrorist attack, extinguishing thousands of unsuspecting lives.

  But kissing Rasheed...that had been total insanity. She couldn’t begin to justify her reaction to him. He was exactly the kind of man she didn’t want— secretive, dangerous, violent. Definitely not a long-term bet.

  But the amazing way he’d kissed her... Shivering at the sensual memories, she slid a glance his way. She couldn’t deny that he compelled her with that rock-hard physique and unkempt jaw. His rough good looks, his sheer, unbridled masculinity stirred something inside her, thrilling her in a way no other man ever had. And his revelation that
he was a good guy, that he was working undercover to bring down the Rising Light terrorists had further penetrated her defenses, making him difficult to resist.

  It was the bleakness shadowing his eyes, that glimpse of remembered pain that had really laid waste to her walls. She was a sucker for the underdog, and this man had a tortured soul—which was exactly why he was wrong for her. Because even if he’d kissed her senseless, even if he’d shaken up her preconceptions, making her feel totally, erotically alive, she couldn’t deceive herself. Rasheed was a damaged man. Infiltrating that terror group had come at a cost. They would have tested him, making him do unspeakable things to prove his loyalty to their warped cause.

  And he’d paid a price for that. She hadn’t missed the desolation in his voice, the naked pain hollowing his eyes. Living outside the bounds of human decency—even with good intentions—had left its mark. Making him unpredictable. Unreliable. Wounded in ways that even a physician like her couldn’t heal.

  No matter how much he tempted her to try.

  They turned the corner, entering the main dirt road through town, and Rasheed took hold of her arm. Knowing that this was it, that she had to play the part of the resisting prisoner in case the terrorists were lurking nearby, she intentionally dragged her heels. But her reluctance was far too real. Every survival instinct she possessed screamed at her to turn around, break free from this mess and run like the devil before her last chance for liberty disappeared.

  “So tell me about your family,” Rasheed said, his husky voice drawing her gaze.

  “What do you want to know?”

  “Let’s start with the basics—who everyone is, the family dynamics, how they get along.”

  Struggling to focus on her family, she frowned. “Well, my mother died when I was a teenager. Aside from my father, there’s just my brother, Sultan, and me. And his wife, Leila. He got married just before I left home. He’s six years older than I am.”

  “He runs a real estate company?”

  “That’s right. He started off working in my father’s bank after college. He got his degree in finance. Somewhere along the line he went into business for himself.” She shrugged. “I don’t know much about him now, except that he’s successful and still lives at the family compound in McLean.” She’d kept tabs on him, checking online as the years went by to make sure she didn’t run into him.

  Rasheed gave her a nod. “Go on.”

  A barefoot child darted past. She sidestepped to avoid him, and Rasheed loosened his grip on her arm. “My father pretty much ignored me until I was older. He doesn’t have much use for girls. He only started paying attention to me when he decided to marry me off.” She’d been a commodity to him then, something he could sell to enhance his prestige. “Sultan was his favorite, being a boy.”

  “How did you and your brother get along?”

  She made a face. “We didn’t. He’s a bully. He bossed me around and made my life hell. My father encouraged him to torment me. He thought it made him a man.”

  Rasheed’s strong jaw flexed. His eyes narrowed a fraction, taking on a deadly slant. “And your mother?”

  Nadine exhaled, wistfulness whispering through her at the memory of her mom. “She was wonderful—kind, generous, courageous.... I don’t know what I would have done without her. She braved my father’s anger to make sure I had an education. She wanted me to have a life in America, to be someone in my own right and have the opportunities she never had. She died of cancer when I was sixteen.”

  “I’m sorry. That must have been hard.”

  She nodded, grateful for his sympathy. “It was. She was my ally. She brought me books, covered for me when I took part in academic things.” Even taking beatings for it at times. “And she opened an account for me in another bank without my father catching on. She deposited money in it for years, putting away money in case I needed to escape. I withdrew it just before I ran away. I wouldn’t have survived without it. I owe my life to her.”

  For a moment they didn’t speak. They continued down the dirt road toward the airstrip, her thoughts lost to the memories, the tropical sun making her sweat.

  “And your brother’s wife?” he finally asked.

  “Leila? What about her?”

  “Any chance she could be involved in this?”

  “I’d be shocked if she was. She’s too meek.” Naturally shy, her husband had further bullied her into submission with his cruelty. “But I didn’t really know her that well. They got married around the time my mother died, about a year before I left home. And she didn’t speak much Jaziirastani back then, just Farsi. She came from Iran.

  “But my brother...” She suppressed a shudder at the thought of Sultan. “I wouldn’t put anything past him. He was mean when I was a kid. Sadistic. He’s probably worse now. And I told you, he and my father were always close. So if my father is involved in this, I’d bet money that Sultan is, too.”

  The airstrip came into view. Her heart began to jackhammer, her anxiety rising several rungs. A small plane now waited on the runway, stacks of coca paste lined up beside it. Several men she didn’t recognize loaded the packages into the cargo hold.

  Rasheed tugged her to a stop in the shadow of a building, out of view of the other men. And as she watched, he began to transform. The muscles of his face turned taut. His expression hardened, every trace of gentleness melting away. And suddenly, he looked exactly like a terrorist—dark, deadly, remote.

  The kind of man she’d always feared.

  “You’re sure about this?” he asked.

  She inhaled, wondering again if she’d lost her mind. “I’m sure.”

  His gaze burned into hers. His mouth turned even grimmer, the planes of his face like stone. “I’ll do everything I can to protect you, Nadine. I promise.”

  “I trust you.”

  But gazing into his lethal eyes, the memory of that kiss still hovering between them, she was far less certain about her heart.

  * * *

  Had he made a mistake? Should he have risked bringing Nadine to the drug cartel’s island? What if something unforeseen came up, and he couldn’t get her back out?

  Racked with doubts, Rasheed stared out the small plane’s window four hours later as they prepared to land at San Gabriel Island off Colombia’s Caribbean coast. His CIA handlers wouldn’t have approved it. Involving an untested civilian in an operation of this magnitude presented too many uncertainties, no matter who or what she knew.

  But he needed Nadine’s help. He needed her insight into her family to help break this case open and stop the upcoming attack. It was the only hope he had.

  Still, as the plane decreased in altitude, and the terrorists began stirring in the seats ahead, he couldn’t halt his mounting unease. Because no matter how hard he tried to rationalize it, no matter how much he tried to convince himself that he’d done the right thing, his instincts warned him otherwise. Something was about to go wrong.

  And he couldn’t do a damned thing to stop it now.

  The plane banked left. Rasheed stared out the oval window at the white sandy beaches beneath its wings. Beyond the shore was the turquoise water, ranging from bright aqua near the island to dark navy as the depth increased. He spotted the coral-colored mansion fronting the shore, the guest cottages tucked beneath the palm trees on either side, the sparkling, in-ground pool. He knew from his intelligence briefings that the cocaine processing labs were deeper in the jungled interior, conveniently out of sight—along with storage buildings and housing for the guards and staff.

  The pilot made his final approach. He lowered the landing gear and raised the flaps, then dropped onto the paved runway with a gentle thump. The plane zipped along the manicured tarmac, splashing through puddles left by an earlier thunderstorm, and came to a stop near the end. While the engines powered down, a crew scurried up with a
rolling staircase and opened the cabin door.

  The terrorists all stood. Amir shot him a scowl, his eyes filled with undisguised resentment, and the foreboding inside Rasheed grew. The captives’ escape had humiliated Amir, subjecting him to their leader’s ridicule, and increasing his desire to see them dead.

  Even more worried about Nadine’s safety, he jerked his head at her. “Let’s go.” He kept his expression hard, his voice curt, knowing any sign of friendliness would alert Amir.

  He waited for her to stand, then preceded her down the narrow aisle, stooping over slightly to keep from bumping his head. He ducked through the open hatch, his belly tightening as he stepped into the waning sunshine and went down the flight of steps.

  The moist tropical air filled his lungs. A cool breeze rolled off the ocean, bringing with it the scent of salt. He scanned the coconut palms swaying in the breeze, the whitewashed hangars flanked by royal poinciana trees.

  His mouth twisted at the irony. The island looked like a pricey tourist destination, an exclusive, high-end resort—and no wonder. The drug cartel generated billions of dollars trafficking cocaine, a fortune they used to influence police and politicians throughout the world. And this was their leader’s domain. Everyone here was on his bankroll. His armed guards patrolled the grounds. No one came or went, or even entered the airspace around the island without permission from the cartel. Even the Policía Nacional stayed away.

  Nadine came to a halt at his side. Rasheed grew tenser still, the nagging anxiety inside him increasing as several black sedans sped across the tarmac, their engines growling in the quiet air. They screeched to a stop, and two men emerged from the lead vehicle—the short one distinctly Hispanic, the taller man Middle Eastern. Both wore black suits, the weapons in their shoulder holsters creating a telltale bulge.

  Then suddenly, Nadine went rigid beside him, her quick gasp putting him on alert. He shot her a glance, her shocked reaction provoking his instinctive need to protect.