A towel suddenly appeared, and he covered her from neck to knees. “Hold still, Audrey,” he said, his face giving no quarter as he felt for the pulse under her neck. Counting, he waited, his gaze staying on hers. “What happened?”
Her mind fuzzed again. Good thing she was lying on her back. “I got a little dizzy.”
Matt leaned around Nate. “You have to take it easy.”
Shane nodded, peering around Nate’s other side. “You should’ve sat down.”
Fire raged through Audrey, and she stretched to jab his nose.
“Whoa.” Nate captured her hand and pressed it on the carpet. “Guys? Do you mind giving us a second?”
Matt ducked his head to get a better look at her face. “You sure she’s okay? We should take her to a doctor.”
“I’m fine,” Audrey said through gritted teeth. “Except there’s way too much testosterone in my bathroom all of a sudden with three of you here.”
“Four. The baby makes four guys.” Shane grinned quick dimples and stood back. “She’s okay.” He disappeared, whistling down the hallway. The tune was horribly off-key but sounded familiar. Mission: Impossible?
Matt patted Nate on the shoulder. “Call me if you need me.” The door closed quietly behind him.
Audrey struggled to get up, only to have Nate press both her shoulders to the ground.
“Stay still for a moment.” He remained on his knees, caressing her shoulder as if he couldn’t quite stop touching her. “I want you to take inventory from head to toe, right now. Slowly.”
“Nate—”
“Now.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine.” Taking stock, she mentally checked on every bone, every muscle, and all her skin. “I’m okay.”
“So what happened?” His huge hand smoothed back her hair as if she were something infinitely fragile and breakable.
For some reason, his kindness pissed her off. “Don’t worry, your baby is fine.” No way would he be so nice if she wasn’t carrying his child. At the thought, her eyes filled. All her life she’d been an experiment, cared for because of something having nothing to do with who she was or wanted to be. Her mother had wanted a daughter to carry on her own brilliance, and the commander had wanted to use her as a pawn. Even the senator needed her for intel.
And now Nate wanted her because she happened to be pregnant with his child.
Part of her knew she was being unreasonable, but the emotions wouldn’t stop bombarding her. Darn hormones.
“Okay,” he said slowly, his brow furrowing. “How are you?”
“You don’t care.” She sniffed, trying to turn away.
He bit his lip. “Is this hormones?”
“Yes.” She sniffed again. “I’m suddenly having a lot of them.”
“That’s normal, Audrey.”
“Oh, shut up, Nate.” She pushed him away to sit. What did he know about normal? “You’re only being nice to me because I’m knocked up with your kid.”
He cupped her jaw, his smile sweet. “Do you really believe that?”
“No.” She sat with her back against the wall and picked at a nub on the towel still covering her. “I feel weird.”
Nate sat back. “Weird how?”
She shrugged. “All of a sudden, things are popping out of my mouth I don’t mean. And I really, really wanted to punch your brother in the nose a few seconds ago.”
“Sweetheart, don’t worry about words—you can say whatever you want. As for Shane, we all want to punch him on a regular basis. That’s normal.”
Audrey huffed out a laugh. “Your brothers saw me naked.”
“I’ll kill them if you want.” He managed to keep his lips tight as he offered.
“Funny.” Embarrassment hunched her shoulders.
Nate leaned forward and glanced down the front of the towel. “First of all, they were worried about you and didn’t have time to appreciate your marvelous assets.” His lips wandered along her collarbone. “Unlike me.”
A quiver wandered down her back.
He tugged the towel down to kiss along the tops of her breasts. “My brothers should be the least of your worries.”
Warmth flooded her veins. “What should I be worried about?” she murmured, leaning back and allowing the towel to slip.
“I just read that having sex during the second trimester is fine,” he murmured, licking along her skin.
She blinked while desire awakened inside her. He was trying to calm her, to distract her, and it was working. Wait a minute. She threaded her fingers through his hair and clenched. The scowl across his features made her smile as she held him off of her. “Your brothers both can hear as well as you do.”
“So?” Nate’s frown deepened.
“So?” She pushed him away and shoved herself to her feet. “No way, buddy.” She couldn’t be quiet, no way, and she wasn’t giving the Dean brothers a free show. Or listen. Or whatever.
Nate smoothly stood. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope.” She gestured him toward the door. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like some privacy.”
He stepped into her space. “Last time I gave you privacy, you ended up on the floor.”
She lifted her chin to meet his gaze. “If you don’t get out of the bathroom, I’m going to make sure you end up on the floor.”
He held up his hands in surrender and opened the door. “More hormones,” he muttered as he disappeared from sight.
She sighed. “Nate, you know I’m going to work today, right?” she called out.
“The hell you are,” came the swift response.
Yep. She might as well get dressed before the battle of the day began. Now she’d have to take on all three of the stubborn Dean brothers, but not until she’d had breakfast.
* * *
She felt more human when she’d gotten dressed and fixed her hair, going minimal with the makeup. Her stomach rumbled, so she reluctantly exited her room to head to the kitchen.
“Nice boots,” Mathew said, his back to her as he finished scrambling eggs on the stovetop.
Audrey paused and glanced behind her to the empty living room.
“Shane went to scout the area and take notes on the men watching you, and I sent Nate for a run,” Mathew said, not turning around. “Sit down, Audrey. We need to talk.”
She hovered, her nerves firing. Matt Dean had always seemed larger than life—dangerous and hard as steel. Until she’d gotten to know him through Nate’s eyes, she’d feared him as much as she feared the commander.
Steeling her shoulders, she crossed to sit at the table, where two places had been set with milk, orange juice, fruit, and plates. How mad was Mathew at her for hurting Nate? Would he want her to disappear, even though she was pregnant?
He turned, a massive man—wearing a bright yellow apron at his waist.
Humor bubbled up and she coughed into her hand.
“What?” Mathew frowned down at the apron and shrugged. “Seemed appropriate.” Stalking forward with the grace of a hunting wolf, he slid eggs covered with cheese onto her plate.
Slipping the empty pan into the sink, he took a seat. “The eggs and cheese are good protein, and the fruit has all sorts of vitamins.”
She couldn’t do this. “Mathew—”
“Matt.” He unfolded his napkin, his movements graceful and deadly all at once. “Family calls me either Matt or Mattie.”
She swallowed. “We’re not family.”
Matt pinned her with those odd gray eyes. “You’re carrying my nephew. That makes you family.”
She frowned and reached for a fork. “But Nate and I—”
“Need to figure things out.” Matt nodded for her to eat her eggs. “Whatever you two decide works for me. But that doesn’t mean you’re not family now, whether you like it or not.”
Being part of Matt’s family didn’t seem like an easy road, but it might be the safest one available to her. “I’ll do anything to protect this baby,” she said, not sure if it was a th
reat or a statement.
Matt wrinkled his nose. “I wonder what that feels like.” He eyed her, cocking his head to the side.
“What?” Being pregnant?
“Having a real mom—one who cares.” Matt shrugged. “Through the years, we’ve all wondered what that would be like.” He pointed to her abdomen. “The little Dean in there is a lucky guy.”
Surprise and warmth flushed through her. “Um, thanks.” She took a bite of eggs and nearly groaned at the wonderful flavor. “I guess I don’t really know what that feels like, either.” Her mother truly didn’t give a fig about her and never had. Not really.
“Yeah.” Worry creased Matt’s forehead. “Talk about a bunch of lost people trying to raise a baby. None of us know what a normal family is like.”
She chuckled, finally relaxing. “No, but at least you know what family feels like. That’ll help.”
“Yeah.” Matt dug into his fruit and grimaced.
“What?” Audrey asked.
“I hate grapefruit.” He took another bite. “But I figured if I was going to talk you into eating it, I should try it, too.”
What a sweetheart. The guy would make an excellent uncle. “I thought you’d hate me for hurting Nate.” Crap. She hadn’t meant to bring that up during their peaceful breakfast.
Matt pushed the fruit cup away. “I’ve never hated you. For the brief time you were together, you made Nate happier than he’d ever been.”
“But I hurt him.”
“You did, but none of us ever thought it was because you’d stopped caring. We knew the commander forced your hand. You just made the wrong decision.” Matt happily scooped eggs onto his fork.
“The wrong decision?” She dropped her fork. “Are you crazy? You all sacrifice yourselves on a daily basis for each other, and I made the wrong decision to keep Nate alive?”
“Yep.” Matt eyed her downed fork pointedly and didn’t continue speaking until she’d regained it to eat more eggs. “Call it old-fashioned, but you don’t get to sacrifice for Nate. You know him better than that.”
The eggs were good. It was hard to hold on to temper with good eggs warming her tummy. Yet she gave it a good shot. “That’s Neanderthal-like and ridiculous.”
“Yep.”
Audrey tried to think of a rejoinder, but the lug was agreeing with her. She studied him, suddenly curious. “Did you ever find somebody, Matt?”
He stilled, sitting back to study her.
For some reason, she held her breath.
Finally he nodded, his entire face changing into something more approachable. “Yes. Her name is Laney, and she’s a pistol. Sweet, tough, and brilliant.” The love in his words held a determined strength.
Relief and the oddest gratitude filled Audrey. Matt trusted her. Really had made the decision to trust her. “Laney sounds amazing.”
“She is.” Matt grinned, looking almost boyish. “I have to admit, learning that Nate could have kids has given all of us hope. We’d love kids…” Something dark swirled in his eyes as his grin slid away. “If we live.”
“I know.” Audrey finished off her eggs, her stomach aching. Survival seemed nearly impossible sometimes, and she had to dig deep for hope. She eyed the orange juice. Nope. No acid for her today.
Matt leaned forward and rubbed his chin, his smile appearing forced. “Shane is married to a woman named Josie who gives him fits on a daily basis. It’s hilarious.” More sadness than humor colored Matt’s tone.
Apparently Matt was as worried as she was about the kill chips. Audrey’s head jerked up. “Shane is married?”
“Yes.” Matt nodded. “You’ll meet both Laney and Josie soon, when we send you to headquarters.”
Ah. Okay. Audrey took a deep breath. If she could get Matt on her side, Nate would be easier to deal with. Either way, she needed to stay in DC until she discovered the commander’s alternate training facility. “About that. I’m staying here.” She sat back to convince one of the most stubborn men alive to help her convince the most stubborn one. Either way, she was staying—with or without their agreement.
Chapter 22
Hours later, Audrey congratulated herself on a feat beyond most human beings: defying three Dean brothers at once. Even though she’d almost convinced Matt by the time Nate returned, Nate made some good arguments. They’d objected, but she’d persevered, saying she had work to do and wouldn’t leave the building—and she promised to head out of town the second they discovered the commander’s alternate training area.
She’d driven herself to work and hadn’t spotted or sensed the commander’s men tailing her, so maybe her mother had convinced them to back off.
However, now the Dean brothers had staked out the three entrances, so there was no way for her to leave without being seen. With the brothers so close, their enhanced hearing allowed them to listen in on her conversations. Was it enough for them? No. They had to give her a minute earpiece so they could communicate with her, too.
Her hair covered the device, and the volume refused to be turned off.
“What are you doing now?” Nate’s voice echoed in her ear, sending delicious tingles just under her skin.
She shifted her legs under her desk. “Trying to work on a budget for the senator’s Christmas party next year. Now stop bugging me.”
“Funny.”
She frowned. Oh. Bugging. Yeah, that was funny.
The senator limped inside to drop into a chair. “Mornin’.”
Audrey released her pen and leaned forward. “Are you all right?”
“I tripped while running last night.” The senator wiggled gray eyebrows. “Not as swift as I used to be, I guess. How was your medical appointment at the facility?”
Audrey coughed. “Fine. My leg is as good as it’s going to get.” She wasn’t quite ready to share her pregnancy news with the senator.
Nash sighed. “I do worry about so much medical knowledge and power being in one place without oversight. While I’m thankful the doctors were able to save your leg, I do fear what havoc they might wreak.”
“I agree.” The experiments conducted by the commander’s scientists needed to be revealed and studied. Who knew what laws had been broken and what victims had been used? She’d even been impregnated without her knowledge or consent. Who else had they used for experiments?
The senator leaned forward. “There are some laws of nature that can’t be broken. You don’t think they’ve tried to clone human beings, do you?”
Audrey shrugged. “I’ve read it’s medically impossible to clone humans, but who knows? I’ve never heard of it.”
“That’s an abomination against God.” The senator rarely let his religious roots show, but when he did, it was absolute. “You can’t create a soul from another human.”
Audrey kept silent, not wanting a debate so early in the morning. She figured if somebody was alive, they had a soul. But since the science of cloning had only reached sheep, cows, and possibly organs, she didn’t find the point relevant.
She also didn’t want Nate hearing such silly nonsense. The guy had always wondered if he had a soul, and she knew with every inch of her being that he did have one. “I’m sure everyone has a soul, Senator.” She shuffled papers. “Any news on Darian’s death?”
“My contacts confirm that the police have zeroed in on a suspect. Some crazy stalker from Darian’s football days.” The senator sighed. “He was such a good man. I can’t believe somebody would kill him.”
Audrey nodded. The commander had found a scapegoat to get her out of the limelight, now, hadn’t he? Even though the commander hadn’t been involved, he’d still set up some poor sap to get Audrey free and clear to continue working on his behalf. Somehow, when the truth came to light, she’d expose that lie, too. “Why did the guy kill the cabbie?”
“I don’t know. Something about wanting to kill anybody that had been in Darian’s vicinity.” The senator shrugged. “Crazy, crazy stuff. The guy is in custody, so you’re safe.”
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“Good.” She’d always been safe from the setup crazy guy.
The senator sighed. “To be honest, I wondered if the commander had Darian killed.”
Audrey shook her head. “Doesn’t make sense. While Darian worked as a lobbyist for a rival military firm, his death doesn’t really change anything when it comes to funding or your recommendation. The firm is still strong and wants funding.”
“I know, but I thought maybe it was a warning to me?” The senator rubbed his wrinkled forehead. “You and I have both been working with Darian.”
“No.” Audrey’s mind reeled as she tried to make sense of chaos. “The entire situation is too obvious. The commander would never have sent three men into a public bar to kill. He would’ve sent men late at night, and there wouldn’t have been witnesses.” Plus, no way would Audrey have been able to escape three of the commander’s men.
The senator leaned forward. “Who do you think the woman was? The one with Darian?”
Audrey smoothed her face into curious lines. “I have no clue. More importantly, why hasn’t she come forward?”
“Good question.” The senator stood, and his briefcase slipped open. Manila files, pictures, and a bunch of papers spilled out all over the floor.
Audrey chuckled and hurried around the desk to help. It was amazing the senator rode horses—the guy was such a klutz. Her knowing that fact made her feel like an insider, like they were close. Although she hadn’t met the senator until adulthood, the affection she felt for him seemed daughter-like. They’d both been alone in the world, so why not bond? He was the only man she trusted besides Nate. “Let me.” She scooted everything into a pile and stilled, taking up a piece of paper.
“What’s this?” she asked.
The senator peered over her shoulder. “That’s a drawing of the brand found on Darian’s shoulder. I copied it from the FBI interviewer.”
Great drawing with wonderful detail. Smooth ink lines showed a deadly, sharp dagger with the word “PROTECT” on the glinting blade. The menacing nature of the form sent shivers down Audrey’s back. “Did you draw this?”
“Yes.” The senator puffed out his chest. “You should see the charcoal drawings I’ve done of my ranch at home. When I retire, I may paint.”
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