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Way of the Shadows
Cynthia Eden








“It’s not you that I’m afraid of, okay? It’s … this place.”


He was silent behind her. But his fingers moved lightly against her stomach. Almost as if he were caressing her.

“We’re safe.”

Her gaze slid to the right. His gun was there. Within easy reach. “Sometimes, I don’t ever feel safe.” As soon as she said the words, Noelle wished that she could call them back. She’d never made that confession to anyone.

“Why not?” His hold tightened.

Noelle shook her head. She was feeling warmer, so much warmer now. The shivers and shudders were easing. “Because I’m never sure what waits in the darkness.”


Way of

the Shadows

Cynthia Eden






www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)


New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author CYNTHIA EDEN writes tales of romantic suspense and paranormal romance. Her books have received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, and she has received a RITA


Award nomination for best romantic suspense novel. Cynthia lives in the Deep South, loves horror movies and has an addiction to chocolate. More information about Cynthia may be found on her website, www.cynthiaeden.com (http://www.cynthiaeden.com), or you can follow her on Twitter, www.twitter.com/cynthiaeden (http://www.twitter.com/cynthiaeden).


A big thanks to Denise and Shannon at Mills & Boon Intrigue—thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to write about the Shadow Agents.

For my wonderful readers … thank you for all the support that you’ve given to the men and women of the EOD. I hope that you’ve enjoyed their tales!


Contents

Cover (#u7f339dc4-cb1e-56f0-9446-a5bb309b9b32)

Introduction (#ua8728543-c3eb-5505-8641-bc7e8ae40513)

Title Page (#u618fa5d9-1747-5c55-9d21-a8f2b7215aa0)

About the Author (#u762bf888-abaa-5fca-9c94-8b3f3c310f9d)

Dedication (#u104b033c-0719-5d11-866a-4385100f7490)

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Extract (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)


Prologue (#ud2c811f4-6a9e-56a3-bc19-ac165c737609)

The darkness was all she knew. It surrounded her, seemed to suffocate her. It bound her as deeply, as securely as the ropes around her wrists.

Fear coiled around Noelle Evers as she waited in the dark. She was waiting for her own death, and she knew it. That certainty was there, filling her mind—that and nothing else. So when the door opened and she heard the squeak of wood, Noelle tensed.

The light spilled forward. The wood squeaked again.

Someone was coming toward her....

The beam of a flashlight slit through her eyes, blinding her because it was such a sharp contrast to the darkness.

“Found her!” A man’s voice called. It was deep and rough, heavy with relief. “She’s alive!”

Noelle squinted as she tried to see past that bright light.

More footsteps thudded toward her. Then hands were on her. Rough, strong hands. They pulled at her ropes then yanked her out of the chair and to her feet.

“It’s all right,” that deep, rumbling voice told her. “You’re safe now.”

She didn’t believe him.

There were more lights then, sweeping into the room. It looked like...a cabin? She was in a cabin? In the darkness, she hadn’t been able to tell anything about her surroundings, but she could now see glimpses of an old, log-lined cabin.

She licked her lips. Her mouth felt so dry. She had to swallow three times before she managed, “H-how did...I g-get here?”

His face was in shadows, but he was tall, with broad shoulders and a gun strapped to his hip.

Noelle backed up when she saw the weapon. Her feet slipped on something. She glanced down and saw a twisting mass of rope near her feet.

“Easy,” he told her, and his grip tightened around her arms. “I’m a deputy. We’re all with the Coleman County Sheriff’s Department, and we’re here to take you home.”

She’d...she’d been at home...sleeping in her bed... Noelle remembered that. She’d gone to sleep—and awoken to darkness.

“Sheriff!” Another voice cried out then, breaking with what sounded like fear.

The deputy pulled Noelle close as he hurried toward that cry.

The flashlights all hit the far left corner of the room. They fell on the man sprawled there. A man who was dead—his throat had been cut. The man stared sightlessly back at them while his blood formed a dark pool beneath him.

The deputy’s hold on Noelle tightened. “Who is that?” he demanded.

Noelle started to shake.

“Ms. Evers...” His voice gentled a bit. “Is he one of the men who took you?”

Tears leaked down her cheeks. “I don’t know!”

Voices rose. Shouted. More men and women came inside the cabin. More lights.

Too bright.

Noelle’s shoulders hunched. She looked down at her wrists. They were bloody and raw. And her hands—her hands were stained with blood. So was her gown. The gown she’d worn to sleep when she climbed into her own bed.

This isn’t my home. But she couldn’t remember how she’d gotten there. Noelle only knew darkness.

The deputy pulled off his coat. Carefully, he put it around her shoulders. “Tell me what happened.” He was leading her from the cabin keeping his fingers around her arm. “Get me a medic!” He called out to another one of the men swarming the area.

Then she was outside. The night air was crisp, but she could still smell blood.

Because it’s on me.

“I want to go home,” Noelle whispered. “I want to see my parents.” Noelle was seventeen. She was a sophomore at Coleman High School. She was cheering at the football game on Friday. She was—

Noelle’s knees gave way and she would’ve hit the ground if the deputy hadn’t grabbed her. He lifted her up against his chest, holding her tightly. “Medic!” the deputy yelled.

She wasn’t just shaking any longer. Noelle’s eyes rolled back in her head as giant shudders jolted through her.

The deputy carried her to a gurney. He and the medic strapped her down. “What the hell is happening?”

“Noelle!” She heard the scream distantly, but she knew that voice. It was her mother’s voice. Noelle tried to respond, but she couldn’t speak.

“She’s seizing,” the medic snapped. “We need to get her stable!”

The darkness seemed to close in again. She didn’t want to go back into the dark.

Something bad waited in the dark.

Death waited.

But Noelle couldn’t fight, and the darkness took her once more.

* * *

THE NEXT TIME Noelle’s eyes opened, she was surrounded by a sea of white. The scent of antiseptic told her she was in the hospital even before the room came into focus.

She blinked a few times then saw her mother’s tear-filled gaze. “You’re okay, baby,” her mom whispered.

Noelle didn’t feel okay.

“We need to ask her some questions.”

Noelle’s gaze darted to the left at those words. Her father stood close by. He looked pale, and...older than she’d ever seen him.

Right next to her father, Sheriff Morris Bartley stood, his stare on her. He leaned toward Noelle.

“She just woke up,” her father gritted out.

“I know.” The sheriff sighed. “But she’s the only one who can tell us what happened. I got a dead body, and I got her and I need to know—”

The darkness waited.

Noelle gave a hard, negative shake of her head.

“Noelle, how did you wind up in that cabin?” the sheriff asked her.

“This needs to wait,” her father barked.

The machines around Noelle began to beep, faster, louder.

“Who was the dead man? Is he the one who took you? Is he—”

“I don’t remember,” Noelle whispered. Her throat hurt. She hurt.

The sheriff exhaled on a rough sigh. His hands gripped his hat. “Start with what you know. Tell me who took you from your house. Tell me how you got to that cabin and how—”

“I don’t remember.” Her voice was even softer now.

The sheriff’s brows shot up. “Did you leave your house willingly? Is that what happened? Did you—?”

He didn’t understand. “I don’t...remember anything.”

Her mother gave a little gasp.

“I was in my room, in my bed.” Noelle’s heart galloped in her chest. The machines raced. “Then I was in the dark.” She blinked away the tears that filled her eyes.

Something happened in the dark. Something bad.

“I don’t remember,” she said again, and it was almost as if...as if the words were a vow.

The machines beeped louder around her. Noelle’s mother pulled Noelle into a tight hug.

And, over her mother’s shoulder, Noelle glanced up and met the eyes of the sheriff. There was concern in his gaze and suspicion.

I don’t remember.

There was only darkness in her mind, and Noelle didn’t know if that was good...or bad.


Chapter One (#ud2c811f4-6a9e-56a3-bc19-ac165c737609)

Fifteen years later...

The plane dipped, hitting another hard patch of turbulence, and Noelle Evers locked her fingers around the armrest on either side of her body. The private plane was currently flying over an area of pure-white land in Alaska, and Noelle was afraid they might be diving right into that snowy landscape at any moment.

“Relax,” a low, gravel-rough voice told her. “We’ll be landing in just a few more minutes.”

The voice—and the guy who went with that voice—pulled Noelle’s attention from the narrow window. She looked at the man seated directly across from her.

Thomas Anthony.

Tall, dark, deadly...and, currently, her partner on this assignment. Thomas “Dragon” Anthony was a man who seemed to always put her on edge.

“If you’re going to be working with the EOD,” Thomas murmured as he lifted one dark eyebrow, “rough flights will be the least of your worries.”

Noelle forced herself to take a long, deep breath. She didn’t want to show any weakness in front of Thomas. The man made her far too...nervous. Too aware.

Noelle was new to the EOD—the Elite Operations Division. She’d been recruited by EOD Director Bruce Mercer a few months back. Normally, the agents in that secretive group were all ex-military. They belonged to some of the most elite military units operating in the world. The agents were recruited to join the EOD because of their skills and because they were deadly when it came to their missions.

Noelle wasn’t ex-military. She didn’t specialize in killing or hunting prey. Instead, her specialty was getting inside a killer’s mind. Before Bruce Mercer had used his pull to get Noelle into the EOD, she’d been working as a profiler at the FBI.

But then one of the EOD agents had gone rogue...and Mercer had brought her in to profile the agents there.

To hunt a killer within the division.

“You don’t fit, you know,” Thomas added in that deep, dark voice of his. A voice that made her tense and think of things she really shouldn’t.

The plane bounced again. Noelle swallowed. “You mean because I lack the military training?”

“I mean because when we get into a life-or-death situation—and we will—you won’t be prepared to take the necessary action.”

Her eyes narrowed at those words. Way to insult your partner on the first case. “Look, I might not be an ex–Army Ranger—” as he was “—but I worked at the FBI for five years. I’ve been in plenty of dangerous situations, and I’ve handled myself just fine.”

Thomas’s lips quirked a bit. They were sensual lips, with a faintly cruel edge. Thomas was a handsome man, if you went for the deadly, dangerous type. As a general rule, Noelle definitely did not go for that type. She preferred safe guys, with a capital S.

And everything about Thomas spelled DANGER. From the top of his midnight-black hair down to his well-worn hiking boots, the guy just oozed a threat. Maybe it was because she’d read his file. She knew just what he was capable of doing—what he had done. Thomas didn’t need any weapon when he went after his targets. He could kill—and had—quite easily, with his hands. He’d earned the nickname of Dragon while at the EOD because he was a martial-arts expert—he attacked with brutal control, and his opponents never had a chance against him.

Cold. Hard. Dangerous.

Thomas had a firm, square jaw, a blade-sharp nose and sculpted cheekbones that gave him a strong, fierce appearance. His deep, golden eyes reminded her of a lion’s gaze. Maybe because every time she looked into those eyes, Noelle felt as if he were a predator and she was his prey.

We’re partners. Partners. Mercer had sent them on this trip to Alaska because they were supposed to be hunting a killer. Together.

“You’ve never killed anyone,” Thomas said as he tilted his head to study her. “Death is a way of life for EOD agents.”

“Yes, well, I’m sure this will shock you, but FBI agents see plenty of death, too.” Death was rather her specialty. “I know killers, and you can trust me to do my job.”

Her job... Her job was to question the suspect they were pursuing. To break through the very public façade the man presented and to determine if Alaskan Senator Lawrence Duncan was the man who’d recently plotted the destruction of the EOD.

Thomas’s eyes narrowed just a bit as he gazed at her.

And there it is again. He was looking at her with a touch of familiarity. As if he knew her.

Too well.

But Noelle hadn’t met Thomas Anthony until she started work at the EOD just a few months before. They were most certainly not intimately acquainted.

No matter how Thomas might glance at her.

“You’re doing it again,” Noelle blurted. Then she could have bitten her tongue when his face tensed. She was normally so much better at controlling her emotions and her responses to people, but Thomas just put her on edge.

“Doing what?” Thomas asked voice totally emotionless.

“Staring at me...as if—as if we’re—” She floundered because what Noelle really wanted to say was...As if we’re lovers. But they weren’t. No way would she have forgotten him.

It was just...the intensity in his eyes...the heat...

“I make you nervous,” he said.

Why lie? “Yes.”

“Because you know what I’ve done.” His gaze slid to the files on the seat beside her. “You read all of our files, right? When you were trying to decide which EOD agent was actually a psychotic killer in disguise.”

That had been her first assignment at the EOD. This outing to Alaska was her second.

“So, what’s the verdict, doc?” The doc was mocking, but Noelle was a doctor, a psychiatrist. She’d been trying for years to understand the demons that chased people.

Ever since she’d woken up in a small, southern hospital with her life shattered around her.

“Tell me...” Thomas continued with his gaze assessing. “Am I dangerous? Am I psychotic? Is that why you tense up every time I get near you?” He leaned forward. “Are you afraid I’ll hurt you?” Then, before she could respond, his jaw hardened even more. “Because that’s not the way things work at the EOD. You trust your partner, or you don’t trust anyone.”

She couldn’t seem to take a deep enough breath. Thomas filled the space around her so completely.

The pilot’s voice floated over the intercom then, announcing their impending landing.

Thomas leaned back.

But Noelle’s hand flew out. She touched his wrist.

Thomas stilled.

“I know you’re not psychotic. You’re a soldier. A damn fine one, at that,” she added because it was true. “And if I seem nervous...” Tell him. “It’s not you, really. I have a...very hard time getting close to people.” Mostly because Noelle had made a habit of putting a wall between herself and others.

Once, that wall had been necessary for Noelle’s survival. But now, she didn’t know how to live without that protection.

His gaze dropped to her hand.

Noelle slowly pulled her fingers back.

After a moment, Thomas’s stare lifted once more to her face. “You’ll be closer to me than you will be to anyone else.”

Goose bumps rose on Noelle’s arms. Was that a promise? Or a warning?

Then the plane began its descent, and she held back the other questions she wanted to ask him.

* * *

THOMAS ANTHONY WAS used to danger. He was used to pain. He was used to surviving any and every hellhole on earth. As an Army Ranger, his job had been to get the mission accomplished, no matter what.

But his job had never involved working intimately with Noelle Evers, not until now.

She doesn’t remember me.

He’d known that, of course, from the beginning. From the first day he’d glanced up at the EOD and found himself staring into her warm, hazel eyes. Just looking at her had been like a punch to his gut. He’d wondered if she’d seen the flare of recognition in his eyes, but...

No, she hadn’t shown any awareness of the past they shared.

That was a good thing. Her not remembering helped him. Because if she ever did remember what he’d done...

She’d be terrified of me.

Even more afraid than she already was.

And, despite her words, Noelle was afraid of him. Thomas knew a whole lot about fear, and he was certain of the emotion he saw in her eyes.

“The senator will see you now,” Paula Quill said as she pointed toward the closed door on the right. The woman’s blond hair was pulled back in a perfect twist, and her face was schooled to show not even a hint of curiosity about their visit. As the senator’s assistant, Thomas figured the woman was used to keeping that mask of hers in place.

They were in the senator’s mansion, a too-big, mausoleum-type place Thomas didn’t like. But they’d needed to track the man back to his lair, even if that lair was in one of the most isolated spots in Alaska.

“He’s waiting in his study,” Paula added. Paula was pretty, a woman in her early twenties, and based on what Thomas knew about the senator, Paula was exactly the guy’s type. The senator was single, and from all accounts, quite a ladies’ man.

The EOD also suspected the man was a killer.

Noelle breezed past the other woman and headed into the senator’s study.

Noelle and Paula...they were night and day. Paula was icy reserve, cold perfection.

But Noelle...with her dark, red hair and her striking face...she was heat. Fire.

Passion.

The senator turned at Noelle’s approach, a fake smile on his face. Senator Lawrence Duncan was forty-two, rich and currently the chief suspect in the recent bombing of the EOD office in Washington, D.C.

Someone with a whole lot of power had hired an assassin—a man known as the Jack of Hearts—to take out EOD Director Bruce Mercer and to destroy the EOD in the process.

Right now, all of their intel was pointing to Senator Duncan as being that person in question.

“Senator Duncan.” Noelle’s voice was smooth, giving no hint at all to her southern roots. “Thank you for seeing us today.” She offered the senator her hand.

And he held it far too long. “How could I refuse?” Duncan murmured. “Though I’ll confess, I don’t quite know why the FBI wants to see me.”

That was their cover. They were acting as FBI agents because even U.S. senators didn’t have clearance to know about EOD missions.

But if this guy is the one we’re after, he already knows far too much about the EOD.

“We have some questions to ask you,” Noelle murmured. “About a killer who was recently hunting in D.C.”

Paula pulled the door shut, sealing them inside the room with the senator as she left.

The senator’s gaze swept over Noelle. He was still holding her hand and looking far too appreciative as his gaze dipped over her.

Noelle was a fine-looking woman, no doubt about it. Tall and curved, Thomas had seen plenty of men pass admiring stares her way. And every time those guys gazed at her with desire flaring in their eyes, Thomas wanted to drive his fist into their faces.

He cleared his throat. “I’m Agent Thomas Anthony,” Thomas said. A full, fake dossier had been created with his FBI credentials, just in case the senator wanted to dig. “And we certainly appreciate your cooperation.” Bull. Thomas didn’t appreciate anything about the jerk, and if the guy didn’t let Noelle’s hand go in the next five seconds—

Noelle pulled away from the senator. “Are you familiar with the killer known as the Jack of Hearts?”

Duncan blinked. “Ah...I read about him in the paper. Wasn’t he the serial killer who left playing cards at the scenes of his kills?”

Not exactly. Jack had been a murderer all right, but he’d been an assassin, not a serial killer. His kills hadn’t been for pleasure. They’d been for pure profit.

“That’s him,” Noelle inclined her head toward the senator. Thomas noticed her gaze swept around the study.

Thomas followed her stare. Duncan was a hunter. The trophies from his kills filled the walls of the room. And so did pictures. Pictures of cabins. Of boats. Of smiling women who stood at his side.

“Ah, well, I’ve certainly never met the man.” Duncan took a seat behind his desk. He motioned toward the couch on the right. “So I don’t see how I can—”

“When the authorities caught up with him,” Noelle interrupted smoothly. “He was planning to escape on your boat, the Dreamer. It was docked in D.C., and Jack had intended to slip away on that vessel.”

The senator’s eyes flared with surprise. “I hadn’t realized that. I heard he was at the dock, but not that he was planning to use my boat.”

Thomas thought the senator’s response seemed a little too perfect. Almost rehearsed.

“Do you have any idea why he might have selected your boat?” Noelle didn’t sit on the couch. Neither did Thomas. They both kept standing. Noelle pulled a photograph from the manila file she carried, and she pushed it across the desk toward the senator. “Take a look at Jack, and tell me...have you seen him before?”

The senator’s gaze darted down to the photo, then right back to Noelle. “I see so many people on the campaign trail. Our paths could’ve crossed, and I wouldn’t know it.”

“Why did he choose your boat?” Thomas demanded because the senator had conveniently not answered that particular question.

Duncan’s gaze—a dark brown—darted toward him. “Agent...Anthony, was it? I have no idea why he chose my boat. Perhaps it was just convenient for him. The right escape boat, at the right place.”

Thomas wasn’t buying that. “Before he died, the killer implied he knew you. That you’d hired him to do work for you in the past.”

The senator’s jaw hardened. “I have dozens of people working for me at any given time. You can check with Paula to see if this—this man was part of our extended staff, but I’ve certainly had no personal experience with him.”

“I’m not talking about hiring him to work as part of your campaign team.” Thomas knew his voice had roughened. He also knew Noelle was carefully studying the senator’s reaction to their questions. “I’m asking if you hired him to kill for you.”

The senator shot to his feet. “This is outrageous!” He pointed toward the door. “Leave. Now. I will not stand for this sort of harassment!”

“It’s not harassment,” Noelle said quietly. “It’s just questioning. And we thought it would be better for you if we did that questioning here, away from prying eyes, instead of back in the limelight of D.C.”

Anger burned in Duncan’s stare. “Now I see why I warranted a personal visit from the FBI. It’s certainly not every day that I’m tracked to my home like this....” His breath heaved out in what was probably supposed to look like an affronted rush. “I don’t like the accusations flying from you two.”

“We’ve made no accusations,” Noelle replied. Thomas had to admire her. She was good at keeping her emotions in check. “We’re simply asking you questions.”

“You’re done with your questions.” The senator stomped toward the door. “You want to see me again, you talk to my lawyer.” He yanked open the door and gave them a hard glare. “Hope you enjoy your trip back to D.C. By the time you get there, I’ll have already talked to your supervisor. You’ll both be lucky to have jobs waiting on you.”

Oh, Thomas was sure the jobs would be waiting. He was also sure they wouldn’t be leaving Alaska anytime soon.

The mission isn’t over. It’s just started.

“Thanks for your time, Senator,” Noelle said. “It’s certainly been enlightening.”

Duncan frowned at that, but Noelle just headed right past the guy.

Thomas took his time following her. He’d been around men like the senator before. Men born with silver spoons shoved deep in their mouths. He often wished those guys would choke on them.

“You and your partner should be careful,” the senator muttered. “This is a dangerous part of the country.”

Thomas froze. Had that jerk just threatened them? He turned his head and met the senator’s dark stare.

“No one comes into my home and tries to destroy me,” the senator spat at him. “No one. You’ve just made a very powerful enemy.”

Thomas fought the urge to roll his eyes. “Right. In case you can’t tell, I’m terrified right now.”

The senator frowned.

It was Thomas’s turn to smile. “Something you should know, too. I’m a bit of a hunter, like you.” He motioned to the trophies on the wall. “Only I don’t hunt animals. I take out the humans who are too dangerous to be walking the streets.”

“I—” The senator’s face reddened.

Thomas leaned in closer to him. “We know what you did. We know what you are. Soon, the whole world will know, too.”

The senator’s shoulders hunched.

Thomas nodded. “We’ll be seeing you again, soon.” Because they hadn’t come all the way to Alaska for some quick turnaround trip. They’d come to Alaska to get the proof they needed. Proof of the senator’s guilt. They weren’t leaving until they’d accomplished their mission.

Satisfied he’d made his point, Thomas exited behind Noelle. Paula watched them with wide, wary eyes. Thomas knew she’d overheard plenty of their conversation. If you’re smart, lady, you’ll get away from the senator, as fast as you can.

But Paula appeared to have frozen in place.

Thomas and Noelle didn’t speak again until they’d left the senator’s mansion. Once they were back inside their rented SUV, Thomas glanced at Noelle.

She was staring up at the senator’s home.

“Don’t keep me in suspense,” he drawled as he cranked the vehicle. A light dusting of snow had started to fall. “What did you think?”

She didn’t glance his way. “It’s too early to tell.”

He didn’t buy it. Noelle made her living by reading people. By looking past the bright, shiny surface they presented to the rest of the world. He pulled out of the winding drive and headed back toward the cabin in town that the EOD had rented for them.

They hadn’t bothered with getting a room in the local lodge—they’d needed more permanency.

They were planning to stay in Alaska for the long haul.

Until we can bury the senator.

“But I do know he was lying to us,” Noelle added.

Thomas wasn’t a profiler, and he knew that. The guy had barely been able to hold eye contact with him, and the senator had reacted far too strongly to their questions.

“So he’s our guy.” Thomas kept his hold steady on the steering wheel. He’d driven on snow-covered roads plenty of times. But those roads were sure different from the dirt roads of his youth.

“I think he could be. The man is controlling, dominating, and he’s—” Noelle hesitated. “I think there may be quite a few layers to the senator.”

“Yeah, well, your job is to peel away those layers, isn’t it? To find out what hides underneath.” That knowledge made him nervous. He didn’t want Noelle to ever see beneath the surface he presented. Thomas had told her before she shouldn’t profile him, but he’d caught her staring at him a few times, her eyes curious.

What does Noelle see when she looks at me? He knew what he saw when he looked into her eyes.

The thing I want most.

But when she stared at him, Thomas wondered if she just saw a killer.

Unfortunately, that was exactly what he was.

* * *

“THEY NEED TO VANISH,” Lawrence Duncan said as his fingers tightened around the phone he had pressed to his ear. “Hell, yes, I know the risks, and that’s why I’m telling you...they can’t make it out of this area.”

His heart was racing in his chest. It had been pounding too fast from the moment his study door had opened and FBI agent Noelle Evers had walked inside. He’d recognized her instantly, even after all those long years. “She’s a threat,” he said flatly. “One that should have been eliminated by now.”

Silence stretched on the phone line.

“Do it,” Lawrence snarled. “Or I will.” Even though he hated to get his hands dirty. But too much was at stake in this situation. They were already too exposed. And when Noelle put the pieces together—

I’ll lose everything.

He heard the rough rasp of breathing on the other end of the line. Lawrence waited, hoping to hear—

“They’ll die tonight.”

He smiled. “The snowfall is just going to get heavier. They’re on their way to their cabin now. That means they are heading your way.” He’d taken the liberty of acquiring all of his information earlier. His assistant, Paula, had a knack for discovering information. Even before the agents had entered his home, Lawrence had known where they’d be staying in town. “With weather like this, it will be easy enough for them to have an accident.”

A fatal one.

The senator hesitated. “Just...don’t leave obvious wounds on their bodies.”

“Don’t worry, there won’t be any bodies to find.”

The words should have chilled Lawrence, but he’d lost his conscience long ago. The first time he’d seen a kill, his life had changed.

And the blood had stained his hands ever since.

* * *

THEY’D BEEN DRIVING for about twenty minutes when the bright flash of headlights illuminated their rental vehicle. Thomas narrowed his eyes as he glanced in the rearview mirror. He could hear the growl of a fast-approaching vehicle behind him.

Even as the snow continued to fall in heavier waves.

“Where’d he come from?” Noelle asked as she turned in her seat to glance back.

Thomas’s hands tightened around the wheel. Adrenaline spiked in his blood as the other vehicle’s engine growled again and seemed to come even closer.

“What is he doing?” Alarm sharpened Noelle’s voice. “Maybe we should slow down, in case he wants to pass.”

The road was narrow and surrounded by trees. Up ahead, an old bridge crossed over what looked like an ice-filled lake.

“We’re not slowing down,” Thomas said because his instincts were screaming at him. A dark road. A driver who was—

The other vehicle slammed into the back of Thomas’s SUV. The impact was jarring, and he had to fight to keep the SUV from swerving off the road. “Hold on,” he growled to Noelle. “Just hold—”

The other driver came at them again, hitting even harder this time. The SUV’s wheels slipped on the icy road as the bridge loomed before them.

“It’s a truck,” Noelle gasped out. “I can see its outline. It’s big and—”

It hit them again. Noelle’s words ended in a scream because the SUV flew across the slick road. They were heading for the bridge. The SUV started to spin as the tires slid right over the ice.

“Thomas!”

The SUV slammed into the side of the bridge. The impact was on Noelle’s side, and Thomas’s gaze immediately jerked toward her as fear clawed through him.

Her hair had fallen over her face, and the echo of her scream seemed to shudder through his whole body. “Noelle?”

Thomas could hear the other vehicle’s motor growling again. The SOB was going to come at him again. And if the truck hit them, they could easily plunge into the frigid water.

They had to get out of there, fast. “Come on, baby,” he said, the endearment sliding from his mouth without thought because it was her. “We have to move.”

The bright headlights were on them again. Coming fast, too fast.

Noelle’s head lifted. She blinked at him. “Thomas?”

He yanked her free from the seat belt. He was already out of his, too. He shoved open his door.

The vehicle slammed right into Thomas’s open door. Metal crunched, groaned—and the door ripped away as the truck drove their SUV harder into the side of the bridge and its old railing.

“Climb out the back!” Thomas yelled. “Hurry!” He pushed her into the rear seat. He had his weapon in his hands, and he turned back, aiming toward the other driver.

Who are you? What in the hell is happening?

His bullets blasted through the other vehicle’s windshield. The truck stopped its advance. Noelle had made it into the backseat. She forced open the rear door, and Thomas followed her, barely fitting in the small escape space because the vehicle was wedged so closely to the railing.

He’d just cleared the vehicle when—

The truck hit them again. Only this time, the railing broke. Glass shattered. Metal crunched. And the wooden barrier splintered.

Thomas grabbed tightly to Noelle, and he lunged forward with her, hurtling them toward the woods near the edge of the bridge. They hit the snow and rolled down the ravine, tumbling again and again as they flew toward the bottom.

The SUV crashed into the frozen lake, sending chunks of ice into the air.

Thomas and Noelle finally stopped. They were about two feet away from that lake. Noelle was on top of him, and he quickly reversed their positions, holding her tightly. He could hear the growl of the other vehicle’s engine, and then...

“He’s leaving,” Noelle whispered.

Yes, he was. Because he thought he’d gotten his prey?

The engine’s snarl grew softer as the truck drove away.

The snow kept falling.

Noelle pushed against his shoulders. Thomas rose slowly, and he pulled Noelle to her feet. Their SUV was partially submerged and sinking fast. Damn it.

“Are you all right?” Thomas asked her as his eyes swept over her. He didn’t see any injuries, but he wanted to be sure she was all right.

“He just tried to kill us!” She sounded incredulous.

She was also shaking.

Because it was cold out there. He shouldered out of his coat and pushed it toward her. When she tried to refuse, Thomas just wrapped it around her shoulders. “Senior agent,” he snapped at her, still remembering the flash of fear he’d felt in the SUV. “That means you do what I say. Right now, I’m saying...take my coat.”

She pulled the coat closer. Thomas yanked out his phone. They’d rolled a good twenty feet from the road. A heavy darkness was already sweeping over the area. He lifted the phone—and realized it had been smashed to hell and back during the tumble.

“Tell me your phone’s working,” he said.

“I...I think it’s in the SUV.”

Hell.

The temperature was too low. It was getting too dark. No one was going to see them down there, and if anyone did happen to come along that lonely stretch of road again, it could very well be the same jerk who’d just tried to kill them.

Noelle started to climb back up toward the road. He caught her arm, stopping her. “Was your gun in the vehicle, too?” Thomas demanded.

She gave a grim nod. “Yours?” Noelle asked softly.

“You know I don’t need a gun to kill.” She was still shivering. They had to get to safety, fast. “But I’ve got the weapon.”

“Stay to the shadows as much as possible,” Thomas told her, keeping his voice quiet, too. In this area, any noise would carry easily. “He could come back, but we have to travel close to the road because running through the wilderness sure isn’t an option for us.” Not unless they wanted a slow death.

“I thought I saw a turnoff, a mile or so before the bridge,” Noelle told him. When she spoke, a small cloud appeared before her mouth. It’s too cold out here. “Maybe there’s a cabin there. Someone who can help us.”

Maybe. Right then, that turnoff sounded like their best chance. He kept his hold on her arm, and they started walking through the darkness.


Chapter Two (#ud2c811f4-6a9e-56a3-bc19-ac165c737609)

“You need to strip.”

The cabin door slammed closed behind Noelle. At Thomas’s growled words, Noelle stiffened. “Excuse me?”

They’d been walking for what felt like an hour. They’d taken the turnoff from the main road and slogged ahead until they’d found this place—a rundown, one-room cabin, which looked as if it hadn’t been used in years.

It was as cold inside as it was outside. Noelle couldn’t stop the shivers that rocked her body.

“Your core temperature is too low,” Thomas told her flatly. “We have to get warm. The snow wet our clothing, so we have to ditch it.” He was leaning over what looked like one very ancient fireplace. “Lucky damn night,” he rasped. “There’s some old wood here.”

Uh, yeah, but how were they going to light that fire and—

He pulled out a small kit from his pocket and went to work. A flame flared seconds later.

Her breath expelled in a relieved rush.

Still kneeling in front of the fire, Thomas glanced back at her. “There was no way I’d come into the Alaskan wilderness without a fire kit.”

She shivered. Again.

“Strip,” he ordered once more.

The cabin was deserted, so they sure weren’t going to get any rescue crew out there that night. But if they didn’t warm up, soon, Noelle realized the odds of them making it until morning weren’t going to be high.

Thomas headed toward her.

Noelle tensed.

“There you go again,” he said, and he sounded angry. “When will you learn, I’m not going to bite?”

“I—”

He brushed by her and yanked open a small closet. No, he yanked down that closet’s door; the old thing just literally fell off its hinges. “This will have to do for kindling ’cause we aren’t finding any dry wood outside.” He broke the door into heavy chunks. He had the fire flaring even higher when he added it. His back was turned to her as she inched toward that inviting warmth.

“My clothes are hitting the floor,” Thomas told her bluntly. “Yours need to do the same.”

Because they were soaked. But...

He stripped out of his sweater. Dropped the shirt he’d worn under it for layering. When he bent to remove his boots and socks, the firelight flickered over the tight muscles in his chest and arms. He had to work out—a lot. She’d never seen anyone with such sculpted muscles. As she stared at him—probably too long and too hard—Noelle could just make out the...scars on his body. Twisting, sharp, they snaked around his abs and lined his back.

She remembered the wound notations in his files. He’d been captured on a mission a while back. Held. Tortured. But, by the time rescue had come, all of his captors had been dead.

Thomas turned then. He still wore his jeans. His eyes met hers. “It’s not personal,” he told her in his deep, dark voice. “It’s survival.”

She felt her cheeks burn. Well, at least burning was better than freezing. Noelle fumbled and her clothes started to hit the floor. His jacket. Hers. Her sweater. Her undershirt. Her boots. Her socks.

Her fingers were fumbling, uncoordinated, as she tried to unhook the snap of her jeans.

“Let me.” His voice was rougher than before, and his fingers were suddenly working at her waistband. He was so close, seeming to surround her with his strength. Noelle tried to pull in a deep breath, and his scent—masculine and crisp—wrapped around her.

Her zipper eased down with a hiss of sound.

She jerked back from him. Nearly fell. Would have, if Thomas hadn’t snagged her arm so quickly. “Easy,” he murmured.

Easy was the last thing she felt right then.

His fingers slowly uncurled their grip. “I’ll spread out our clothes to dry. We should try to get some rest near the fire.”

Noelle didn’t hold out a lot of hope regarding rest. She bent and pushed her jeans down her legs. Then she looked up. Thomas had turned his back to her, but he’d stuck his hand out behind him, obviously waiting for her jeans. She pushed them into his hand.

“The rest,” Thomas pressed.

“No way,” Noelle said, aware that her voice held a sharp snap. “I’m keeping on my underwear, and I want you to do the same.” Her panties and her bra were dry enough, and she was absolutely not planning to flash him any more than necessary.

Noelle thought she heard Thomas sigh, but he bent and finished spreading out her clothes. And his. And—

“Sorry,” he said, voice a bit wry as she jerked her gaze off him and back toward the fire. “But I’m not wearing underwear.”

No, no, he hadn’t been.

Noelle dropped toward the fire. She sat on the floor and pulled her knees up toward her. She was still shivering, and the tips of her fingers and toes were starting to ache.

A few moments later, Thomas eased down next to her. He reached for her.

The flinch was instinctive. She’d been withdrawing from people ever since—well, ever since she’d been seventeen years old and she’d woken, terrified, in a cabin that had actually looked a whole lot like the one they were currently in.

Her shoulders hunched.

“We need to share body warmth,” he said again. “Don’t worry I think I can control myself here.”

Okay, now he was just mocking her.

But his hands gently curled around her, and he eased her fully down on the wooden floor next to him. Then he curled his body around hers. His left arm slid under her head, almost like a pillow, while his right curled around her stomach and pulled her back against the warm, hard cradle of his body.

“I think that I can,” he added roughly, his breath blowing over the shell of her ear.

The fire crackled in front of her.

Noelle swallowed and tried to figure out what she was supposed to do in this situation. Being naked and trapped in a one-room cabin with Agent Thomas Anthony certainly hadn’t been on her to-do list.

“I think we have confirmation of the senator’s guilt.”

His rumbling voice seemed to roll right through her.

“We visit the senator,” Thomas continued grimly, “then less than half an hour later, some maniac tries to kill us. Connecting those dots sure isn’t hard.”

No, it wasn’t, and Noelle had never been the type to believe in coincidences. She tried to put a little more space between their bodies.

Thomas just pulled her right back against him. “He left the scene because he thinks we’re dead.”

“If we hadn’t cleared the SUV right then, we would be dead.” Her own words were quiet and they gave no hint to the terror that had rocked through her as she fought to get out of the vehicle. As cold as it was outside...if they’d plunged beneath the ice in that lake, survival would have been only a dim hope. “But I don’t know if the senator did this himself. He strikes me as more of a guy who hires out his dirty work.” After all, that was exactly what they thought he’d done in D.C.—hired Jack to take out the EOD.

And as far as getting rid of her and Thomas, well, she was sure that counted as dirty work.

“He just tried to kill two federal agents,” Thomas’s lips brushed against her neck. Had he meant to do that? Surely not. “Whether he did it himself or he hired someone, we’re getting the guy. At first light, we’re finding a way out of this place, and we’re going after him.”

First light. That certainly seemed very far away.

“He panicked.” That was the only explanation she had. “Something set him off during our meeting.” Something they’d said or done.

“He got set off because the FBI was at his door. The guy’s probably trying to run as fast and as far as he can right now.”

Noelle wasn’t so sure. If he thought they were dead, why would he bother to run?

“But I’ll find him,” Thomas vowed. “I won’t stop until I do.”

The fire surged a bit higher then, sending sparks into the air.

“We should get some sleep.” His voice softened a bit. “Who the hell knows what we’ll face tomorrow.”

Since they’d just survived one attempt on their lives, Noelle knew he was right.

Her gaze drifted away from the fire. She glanced at the flickering shadows lining the walls. This place... It was just like the cabin that haunted her nightmares. Those nightmares chased her wherever she went, no matter what she did.

“You’re too tense,” he said. “Look, I get that you don’t like me, but—”

“I like you just fine.” How awkward was this conversation? But he had a right to know... “It’s not you that I’m afraid of, okay? It’s...this place.”

He was silent behind her. But his fingers moved lightly against her stomach. Almost as if he were caressing her.

“We’re safe.”

Her gaze slid to the right. His gun was there. Within easy reach. “Sometimes, I don’t ever feel safe.” As soon as she said the words, Noelle wished she could call them back. She’d never made that confession to anyone.

“Why not?” His hold definitely tightened then.

Noelle shook her head. She was feeling warmer, so much warmer now. The shivers and shudders were easing. “Because I’m never sure what waits in the darkness.” But she wasn’t talking about the darkness outside the cabin. She was talking about the darkness in her own mind.

He was silent behind her.

And Noelle found she couldn’t stop talking, not to him. Not then. “When I was seventeen, I was...taken.” Just saying the words hurt, but it also seemed a relief to put them out there. “I was missing from my home for over forty-eight hours before the police found me.” She was glad she wasn’t looking into his face when she told this story. Noelle wasn’t sure she wanted to see his reaction. “Forty-eight hours,” she said again, whispering the words. “And to this day, I still can’t remember a single thing that happened during that time.” When she tried to remember, she only saw the darkness.

“Maybe you’re better off not remembering.”

That was what her mother had told her, over and over. Her mother had thought it would be better to just move forward. To put those two days into the back of her mind and pretend they hadn’t happened.

But they had happened. They’d changed her.

“When the police found me, a dead man was in the cabin with me.”

Silence. Then, “You think you killed him?”

“I was tied, bound to a chair. Someone else was there.” The man’s accomplice? Another shudder had her body quaking. But she didn’t know if that shudder came from the cold or from the fear in her belly. “A killer was there, and I can’t remember a thing about him.”

That scared her more than anything else. Because that man—that killer—he could be anyone. He could be anywhere. She could have met him a hundred times and never known.

She’d become a profiler because of what happened. Because she wanted to be able to see the murderers out there. To look behind the masks they wore.

What she’d discovered during the course of her career was that monsters were real. They just wore the guise of men.

Her eyes squeezed closed. She didn’t know why she’d revealed so much to Thomas. In the harsh light of dawn, she knew she’d regret sharing so much with him. But, right then, she still just felt that strange relief.

And the fear slid away as the fire warmed her and he held her close. It was odd to feel so secure...in the arms of a dragon.

* * *

THE DOOR TO Lawrence Duncan’s study opened with a rasp of sound. Lawrence glanced up, expecting to see Paula, but she wasn’t in the doorway. Still, he smiled when he saw just who had come to pay him a late-night visit. “I take it that you accomplished our task?”

His visitor took a step inside his study. “Their vehicle won’t be found.”

“Good.” His eyes narrowed as he studied the man before him. “This shouldn’t have happened, you know. I’m supposed to be clear. Instead, I’m cleaning up your messes.” His breath heaved out. “Noelle Evers. She should’ve died years ago, and we both know it.”

The floor creaked as the man edged closer to Lawrence. “I didn’t want Noelle to die this way. I wanted—”

“To cut her throat yourself? Yes, well, I know how you enjoy getting up close, but that wasn’t going to happen.” Lawrence shot to his feet and paced toward the window on the right. When he looked out, he just saw darkness. “She’s not some scared kid any longer. She’s FBI. And if we hadn’t taken her out then—”

His words ended, cut off with a gurgle of sound because—because a knife had just sliced across his throat.

“I was saving her for later.” The words were snarled into Lawrence’s ear. “She would have been special. Now she’s gone.”

Lawrence’s hand flew to his neck, but he couldn’t stop the flow. His knees gave way. He tried to grab for the window curtain, but his bloody hands just slipped over the fabric. He hit the floor.

His eyes were open and staring up at the killer above him.

“You were a threat, too,” the killer told him. “Because you knew what I’d done.” He smiled down at Lawrence. “But you won’t tell anyone now, will you? You can’t tell anyone.” His smile faded away. “And I won’t be on your leash any longer. From here on out, no one controls me.”

* * *

SHE WAS ASLEEP in his arms. Noelle’s breathing was easy and soft, and all of the tension had drained from her body. She was a silken weight against Thomas, and her scent—light and sweet—wrapped deeply around him.

He’d told her that it wasn’t personal. That it was just about survival.

He was such a liar. With her, everything was personal. It had been, for far longer than she realized.

His left arm was still under her head. His fingers were starting to go numb, but Thomas didn’t care. She was comfortable, and he had no intention of moving. He’d dreamed of holding her before, but he hadn’t ever thought he’d actually get this close to her.

Some dreams were so much better in reality.

His lips brushed lightly over her hair. If she’d been awake, he wouldn’t have dared such a move. But asleep...

I’ll make my control hold. It was a good thing she wasn’t aware right then. There’d be no hiding the arousal he felt when she was near.

He figured an hour had passed. The flames were still crackling. They were secure for the night, but he had no intention of closing his eyes anytime soon. With his perfect temptation nestled so closely to him, sleep wasn’t exactly high on his priority list. Besides, he wanted to keep her safe, and keeping Noelle safe meant someone had to stay awake for guard duty.

“Let me go...”

The words were so soft that, at first, he thought he’d just imagined them, but then Noelle began to struggle lightly against his hold. “Please,” she whispered, and the plea cut right through him. “Don’t hurt me.”

Never.

She twisted in his hold, her struggles growing stronger. “Let me go!”

“Noelle.” He knew she was having a nightmare. She’d revealed so much to him in the darkness. “Noelle, you’re safe.” With him, she’d always be safe. He wished she would realize that.

She rolled then, and he eased his hold as she turned toward him. Her body came flush against his, and he was stunned to see her eyes were wide open. “Noelle?”

“I won’t tell,” she said, and her voice was wrong. Too soft. Too lost. “Just let me go.” Her hands pushed against him.

He shifted his body, caught her hands and pinned them lightly to the floor. “Look at me.” Thomas said the words deliberately because he knew Noelle wasn’t seeing him. She was just staring at images from her past.

How often did this happen? How often did she get trapped in the same nightmare?

“Don’t hurt me...”

She was breaking him. Thomas had to make Noelle see what was right in front of her. Damn it, he’d worried when he saw this place it might stir up her past, but he hadn’t exactly been given a choice. It had been this dump of a cabin or nothing, and he hadn’t planned to just stand by while she suffered.

“Noelle...” Her name was a growl of frustration. Then he did the only thing he could—Thomas kissed her.

He’d often thought about kissing Noelle, tasting her. But he’d sure never imagined their first taste would be like this.

Her lips were soft beneath his. He kissed her slowly, carefully. He wanted to pull her back from the past and get her to see the present. To see him.

She stiffened against him as he kissed her. He knew awareness was flooding back for her. He knew he should pull away.

He also knew that he wanted her more than he’d ever wanted any other woman.

So when her lips parted in surprise, he didn’t do the right thing. He didn’t pull back and ask her if she was okay.

He kissed her harder. He thrust his tongue into her mouth, and he savored her. With every movement of his lips against hers, Thomas just wanted more.

He wanted everything.

One day, he’d get it.

Her breasts were pressed to his chest. Her smooth legs were trapped between his thighs. And—

She was kissing him back. Slowly at first then with more passion, with a need he hadn’t expected.

Desire surged within him. Noelle wants me, too. He’d never expected to find the passion hiding behind her fear.

His heart thudded in his ears. He was so close to having her. Only the thin scrap of lace she wore shielded her from him. When he’d first seen the black bra and that tiny bit that passed for her panties, lust had surged through him.

He wanted to touch every inch of her then.

He freed her wrists so he could explore her body. He’d make it good for her. He’d give her so much pleasure. Enough to chase away any nightmares that ever dared to whisper through her mind again.

When he let her wrists go, her hands immediately curled around his shoulders. He kissed his way down her throat. Her pulse raced beneath his mouth, and Thomas had to lick that spot right there. She moaned lightly, and his teeth grazed over the flesh. He wanted her so much his whole body seemed to flash molten hot.

“Thomas?” Desire was in her voice, and he loved the sound of his name on her lips.

His hand was on her rib cage. He wanted that bra gone. He wanted—

Her.

“Thomas...no, we’re partners.” Confusion fought with the desire in Noelle’s husky voice. “I— We can’t.”

Oh, they could. They could do it so well and so long, but Thomas stilled at her words. His head lifted. He met her stare, and he knew she’d read fierce hunger in his eyes.

Her hands seemed to burn against his skin. He was so close to the thing he wanted most. So very close.

Thomas pulled away from her and rose to his feet. His jeans were still a little damp, but he pulled them on. Staying naked with her sure wasn’t an option then. He turned his back to her as he yanked up the zipper.

“I...I didn’t mean to let things get so far.” Her soft voice came from behind him.

He sucked in a deep breath, then glanced over his shoulder at her. She’d sat up and her hands were now curled around her folded knees. Damn. Noelle was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. “You were having a bad dream.”

Her brows rose at that.

“I kissed you to try and wake you up.” Only she hadn’t been sleeping, not really. He thought maybe she’d had more of a flashback than a nightmare. Thomas cleared his throat. “I’m the one who didn’t mean to let things get this far.” Not yet. He had plans for Noelle, and those plans hadn’t included this pit stop at a rundown shack in the middle of nowhere.

“I don’t remember the nightmare.” Her gaze dropped from his. “But then, I never do.”

He turned to fully face her. The fire crackled behind him. “Maybe it’s good to get a few things out in the open now.”

Her chin lifted as her eyes found his once more.

“I want you.”

“We’re partners—”

“It’s a temporary assignment, and we both know it. Mercer doesn’t plan to keep you in the field. He wants you in the EOD main office, working up your profiles. This is a one-shot mission for us.” So the normal rules weren’t applying. When it came to Noelle, Thomas had no rules. “I want you,” he said again, “and unless I’m mistaken, you want me, too.”

She didn’t speak.

His jaw locked. He’d felt her desire, tasted it. He knew—

“I do,” Noelle said, the words so quiet he had to strain in order to hear them.

His heart seemed to stop at that admission.

“But I know better than to take everything I want. Especially when what I want can be dangerous to me.”

“You can trust me,” he growled. He wasn’t a threat to her. Damn it, yes, he knew the stories that circulated about him at the EOD. That the Dragon was a cold-blooded killer with ice in his veins and that he killed without remorse. That isn’t me. He needed Noelle to see him for the man he truly was.

Her body tensed. “I can’t trust myself.”

He didn’t even know what that meant.

But before he could question her more, he heard the faint roar of—an engine?

He saw Noelle’s head whip toward the door, and he knew she’d heard the sound, too. He grabbed for the rest of his clothes and dressed as quickly as he could. Noelle was scrambling to her feet and pulling on her still-wet clothing.

His fingers curled around his gun. Was that a rescuer coming to find them, someone who’d been alerted by the smoke rising from the old chimney? Or was it the maniac in the truck, coming back to finish them off? Thomas had known the fire would pose risks for him and Noelle. The smoke would give away their location, but staying warm had been a priority.

The roar of the approaching engine grew louder.

Noelle hurried to Thomas’s side. “Stay behind me,” he told her with a firm glare. “Until we find out just who is coming this way.”

“You’re the one with the gun,” she said with a shrug as she lifted her hands. “Letting you take the lead is more than fine by me.”

He cracked open the front door. He could see the bright glint of headlights coming toward the cabin. That roar—it was from what looked like a snowplow. Thomas could just make out its bulk.

He inched onto the sagging porch, keeping his gun at his side. A quick count showed him three vehicles were coming his way, and none of those vehicles looked like the truck that had run them off the road. Actually one of those vehicles—

A siren screamed on. Blue lights flashed.

Right. One of those vehicles looked like a deputy’s car.

More bright lights flooded the scene, illuminating Thomas and Noelle on the porch. Thomas wisely kept his weapon hidden.

Noelle’s arm brushed against Thomas’s side. “We’re FBI!” Noelle called out as she moved forward. They were both supposed to keep using that cover, no matter what.

Doors slammed. Two men ran toward them. “We were hoping it was you,” one of the man huffed out. “I’m Sheriff Glen Hodges. Your FBI boss has been calling our office for hours because you missed some sort of check-in.”

Ah, that boss would be Mercer, and yes, they had missed their check-in. Thomas was actually surprised Mercer hadn’t sent the National Guard after them. When it came to protecting his agents, Mercer was as fierce as any lion.

“We saw the smoke,” the man beside Sheriff Hodges said, as he rocked forward onto the balls of his feet. “No one has been using Brian Lakely’s place in years, so we thought it might be you.”

Thomas advanced toward the men.

“Did you have car trouble?” Hodges asked, shaking his head. “How the heck did you wind up out here?”

“We had car trouble,” Thomas agreed softly. “And the trouble started when some bozo ran us off the road and left us for dead.”

“What?” The shocked exclamation came as the sheriff shot back a good two feet. “But we don’t have trouble like that out here in Camden—”

“Well,” Thomas drawled, “it looks like you do now. Because someone out there just tried to kill two federal agents.” Thomas planned to get his hands on that someone very soon.

Senator Duncan, I’m coming for you.


Chapter Three (#ud2c811f4-6a9e-56a3-bc19-ac165c737609)

“Uh, are you real sure you want to do this?” Sheriff Hodges asked as he slammed his car door and turned toward Noelle and Thomas. The snow was still falling.

They were outside the senator’s home. She and Thomas had insisted they be brought straight over. Noelle wanted to look into the senator’s eyes and see his reaction to their survival. If he was the guy who’d just tried to send them to an icy grave, his reaction would tell her everything she needed to know.

“Senator Duncan...” The sheriff’s voice was cautious. “He has a lot of power around here.”

“We’re not worried about his power.” Noelle brushed past the sheriff and headed for the gate that led to the senator’s property. It was ajar, so she just kept marching right up to the front door. She was wearing a thick coat about two sizes too big, a spare that Hodges kept in his trunk. Gloves covered her fingers, and a big woolen cap swallowed her hair. Thomas followed right on her heels. After what they’d been through, there was no way they’d allow the senator to slip through their fingers that night.

“Maybe you two should go to the local doc’s place,” the sheriff said as he rushed after them. “Make sure you’re not suffering from some kind of trauma.”

Noelle wasn’t concerned about trauma. Before she could slam her fist against the door, Thomas beat her to it. He pounded hard enough to shake the facade.

Lights flooded on from the interior of the house.

“I’m gonna be in so much trouble,” Hodges muttered.

The man needed to grow a backbone.

Eyes narrowed, Noelle focused on the door. When it swung open a few minutes later, a disheveled Paula Quill stood in the doorway.

“Agents?” Paula shoved back her hair. “What are you doing here?”

Noelle advanced and Paula fell back. Noelle figured that counted as an invitation to enter the place. “We’re here to see the senator, now.”

“But it’s the middle of the night!” Paula’s hands tightly gripped the front of her robe. “You can’t just barge in here—”

That was exactly what they’d just done. Noelle glanced to the left and saw a light was on in the senator’s study, and its door was slightly open. Just like the gate. The senator should really watch that tendency to keep inviting folks in.

“The senator is sleeping,” Paula snapped as she moved to stand directly in front of Noelle. “You’ll have to come back in the morning if you want another appointment with him.”

Noelle simply walked around the other woman and headed for the study.

“Sorry, ma’am,” Thomas murmured to Paula, “but this appointment can’t wait.”

Noelle’s steps quickened as she approached that study door. Thomas was close. She could hear him following her. “Senator Duncan,” Noelle called, raising her voice, “I hope you—” She fully pushed open the door, and her words broke off.

Noelle didn’t see the senator in the office. He wasn’t at his desk.

“I told you,” Paula said, voice tight. “He’s asleep. He’s upstairs! Now, leave.”

But...Noelle could smell something in that room. A familiar, gut-tightening scent. Instead of leaving, she advanced. Every muscle in her body tightened.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw Thomas’s eyes were narrowed and currently sweeping over the room.

She looked behind the desk. Looked behind the leather couch...

And saw the body.

“That’s not sleeping,” Thomas said flatly as he peered down at the senator. “That’s dead.”

Paula ran toward the sofa. When she saw Duncan, Paula screamed.

* * *

“OUR CHIEF SUSPECT is dead.”

Noelle glanced over when Thomas made this grim announcement. They were at the sheriff’s station in Camden, in fresh clothes, and the two of them were currently heading the investigation into the senator’s death. When they’d found the body, Sheriff Hodges had pretty much gone into shock.

“Things like this just don’t happen in Camden...” Those had been the sheriff’s hushed words once Paula Quill finally stopped screaming. It had taken at least fifteen minutes to calm down that woman.

To Noelle, it appeared as if the quiet town of Camden was having one hell of a night.

“Yeah, Mercer, I’m sure the guy in the truck wanted us dead. It was no mere hit-and-run. We were targeted.” Thomas turned toward Noelle as he kept the phone to his ear. “My money was on the senator being behind that attack, but with him dead...” Thomas exhaled. “I’m not sure what’s going on now.”

Neither was Noelle.

“Right,” Thomas said into the phone as his shoulders straightened. “We’ll keep the FBI cover, and we’ll report back on everything we find.” He ended the call and tossed his phone onto the nearby desk.

They’d taken over one of the empty offices at the sheriff’s station so they could have some privacy—and a base for their operations.

“Mercer wants us to stay here until we find the killer.” Thomas ran a hand through his hair. “Our FBI cover positions us to lead the case, so he thinks we can control the investigation.”

They could. If Sheriff Hodges called to verify their credentials, Noelle knew Mercer would just pull strings to make sure that verification went through without a hitch.

“Tell me what’s happening,” Thomas said as he crossed his arms over his chest and studied her. “You’re the one who knows killers so well.”

Yes, she did. Noelle cleared her throat. “The senator knew his killer. There was no sign of a struggle, and since none of the alarms were triggered in the house, I’m thinking Duncan even let the guy inside.” A bad mistake. He’d trusted the wrong person. “There were no hesitation wounds on the senator’s body. The knife sliced straight across his carotid artery. The senator...he would’ve been dead in moments.” With his throat cut, the man hadn’t been able to cry out for help. He’d just been able to die.

Noelle forced herself to take a long, deep breath. “I think we’re looking for a man who has killed before.” If it had been the killer’s first time, the attack would’ve been more disorganized. Senator Duncan might have even been able to fight back. “And knife attacks...they’re more personal. Using a knife is a type of intimate kill for many perpetrators.”

His golden eyes gleamed. “So you think the man we’re looking for was a friend of Duncan’s.”

“Friend, relative, maybe even an employee. He was someone who had access to the senator. Someone who could come to his house late at night and expect a meeting.” She wasn’t going to ignore the obvious. “I can think of one main reason for a meeting that late.”

Thomas nodded. “A meeting that probably occurred right after our accident on the bridge.” His hands dropped back to his sides.

Yes, they had both heard the M.E. reveal the estimated time of death.

“We already suspected that the senator didn’t like to get up close with his dirty work. He sent someone in D.C. to attack Mercer, so maybe he sent someone to take care of us, too.” She licked her lips. “Only that someone turned on the senator.” Why? It was her job to find out why. Her job to understand the killers. Their motivations. Their darkness.

“You think we’re looking at a professional.”

“Of a sort, yes.”

“So...” Thomas cocked his head to the right as he studied her. “What will this professional do when he realizes that he didn’t succeed in taking us out? If, of course, he was the one who came after us.”

Well, that was easy enough to answer. “There are two choices. He’ll just cut his losses and get out of town or he’ll try to finish the job.”

Thomas’s lips curved into a chilling smile. “I’d like to see him try.”

* * *

HIS HANDS WERE SHAKING.

The killer glanced down at them. They were trembling again. And even though he’d thrown away his bloodstained gloves, he could swear he saw red on his fingertips.

Duncan’s gone.

It felt so good to be free of the jerk. Duncan had always been controlling him...warning him.

No more.

The sun had risen. The snow had finally stopped falling. It was his day. No more taking orders. No more hiding.

He’d do what he wanted.

The FBI agents were gone. She was gone.

And the senator’s body would be found at any time.

He was free.

The sound of laughter drifted on the wind. The light, musical sound caught his attention. He glanced over at the diner on the right. It had just opened for breakfast. He watched as a young girl—looked as though she was barely sixteen—tried to push back the drift in front of the entrance. She was laughing because the snow kept falling back on her. Her red hair glinted in the light.

He stared at her, remembering the past.

She was so busy at her job she didn’t even see him. The road was empty. The diner always opened first thing. It would be a while before any locals wandered into the place.

He started walking toward her. She didn’t even look up as he approached. He could see her name tag.

Jenny.

Jenny must be new at the diner. He’d never seen her there before.

Then he was just a few feet from Jenny.

Her hair was a deep, dark red. She’d braided it and the braid hung over her shoulder. He was so close to her. Close enough to touch.

Jenny looked up then, and she gasped when she saw him. A hand rose to her chest, and the shovel slipped from her fingers.

He smiled at her. “Morning, ma’am.”

She blinked, and some of the alarm faded from her gaze. That was good. That was real good. He didn’t want her scared. Not yet.

He drew even closer to her. Close enough to catch her scent. She smelled sweet. He liked that. His gaze slid toward the diner. The shades were still pulled. He couldn’t see in. That meant no one could see out.

“We’ll be open in about ten more minutes,” Jenny told him. “The cook’s getting things going now.”

The cook. That would be the big, ex-lumberjack named Henry. But if Henry was getting things going in the kitchen...

Then he can’t see us out here.

And Jenny was so perfect. She reminded him of what he’d lost.

His hand lifted and brushed over her cheek.

Her eyes widened as she sucked in a sharp breath. “Mister—”

“It will hurt, Jenny,” he warned her.

Too late, Jenny opened her mouth to scream.

She never had the chance to make a sound.

* * *

NOELLE WAS ABOUT to fall flat on her face. It took all of the energy she had to climb the steps leading up to their cabin.

This place wasn’t like the one-room shack they’d slept in before. This cabin was more like a luxury resort and as far from the place in her nightmares as possible.

The EOD was footing the bill for these digs, so Noelle was more than happy to escape to the fine lodgings.

She’d been up for over thirty-six hours, minus that one rough hour of sleep she’d gotten while she’d been in Thomas’s arms.

Her gaze slanted toward him. I want you, and unless I’m mistaken, you want me, too. His words kept echoing through her mind.

The problem was Noelle wasn’t used to taking what she wanted. She was used to closing herself off from others. Used to waking from dark dreams she could never fully remember—alone.

“We need to head back to the sheriff’s station at eighteen hundred hours,” Thomas said as he secured the front door behind them. He glanced around the cabin. A spiral staircase led upstairs. “That gives us a few hours to sleep.”

And sleep was certainly her priority because of the whole almost-falling-on-her-face bit, but...

She kept thinking about what it had been like to be held in his arms. To kiss him. To touch him.

His head cocked as his eye raked over her. “Something wrong?”

“I’m just...trying to figure out who could’ve killed the senator.” Well, she should be doing that, anyway.

He grunted as he headed toward her. “Mercer is arranging for new clothes to be delivered to us.”

Since their bags were at the bottom of an icy lake, she appreciated the arrangement.

“Get some sleep, get some food, and then you’ll be able to work up a profile.”

He sure sounded confident. But it wasn’t as if she just waved a wand and magically figured out a killer. “I’ll need to head back to Lawrence’s place. I want to search every inch of that house.”

He flashed her a hard smile. “Already on the to-do list. Mercer wants us to find evidence proving Lawrence is our guy—and if the senator was working with anyone else in the attack against the EOD, we need to find out just who that person is.”

Right. Because the case wasn’t closed, not even with the death of their chief suspect.

“There are supposed to be two bedrooms upstairs,” Thomas added as he glanced up at the winding staircase. “Pick which one you want, and I’ll take the other.”

I’ll take the one with you.

Wait, no. She had not nearly said that. She must be more exhausted than she’d realized. Noelle turned on her heel and hurried toward the stairs.

“Do you need to talk?”

Her hand curled around the bannister. His voice had been so rough. “About what?”

“About the nightmares you have.”

How could she talk about what she didn’t remember?

“You begged someone not to hurt you. Pleaded for them to let you go.” The hardwood floor creaked beneath his footsteps. “And you promised not to tell...”

She glanced over her shoulder at him. “I don’t remember any of that.” Her heart raced in her chest.

“You do when you let down your guard. When you sleep, that veil in your mind falls away.”

She shook her head. “I... No, you’re wrong.”

He was just a few feet away. “Have you ever thought that maybe you just don’t want to remember?”

The dead man on the floor...the blood on her hands...

“I want to remember.” Those forty-eight hours had shattered her life. Her mother had wanted to push them away while Noelle had desperately wanted to grab that time back.

His gaze held hers. “There are plenty of moments from my life that I wish I could forget.”

She thought of the scars on his body. His captivity. “What if you had the scars, but no memory of how you’d gotten them?” She didn’t have scars on her body. Not on the outside, anyway. But those two nights had left deep marks inside of her. “Every time you looked at them, wouldn’t you wonder?”

He took another gliding step toward her. She tilted back her head to keep meeting his gaze.

“When I look at the scars I have now,” Thomas said, “I remember how much my captors enjoyed cutting into me. They wanted me to break.” His eyes narrowed. “I didn’t. No matter what they did to me, I didn’t break.”

No, the Dragon hadn’t. But had she? In those lost hours, what had Noelle done?

“Then I remember what it was like to kill them.” His hands fisted. “You know what I am and what I’ve done. But when I close my eyes, I don’t like seeing the bodies in my mind.”

You know what I am. She reached out to him and pressed her hand to his clenched fist. “You’re a soldier. You survived. You fought. That’s what you did.”

His gaze fell to her hand. Her skin was so pale while his was a dark tan.

“You need to be careful,” Thomas warned her. His stare was still focused on her hand.

“Careful?”

“You already know I want you, and right now...my control isn’t real strong.”

She pulled back. “I didn’t mean—”

A muscle jerked in his jaw. “I know what you meant, but I’m running on no sleep and the memory of you being nearly naked in my arms. So you should go to your room, I’ll go to mine, and when we wake up in a few hours, we can just pretend we never crossed the line between us.”

The line between partners...and lovers?

“I’ll stay hands-off, and we’ll keep things just business.” The gold in his eyes heated. “And we’ll get the job done here so we can head back to D.C.”

That was the right thing to do. They had to work together. But... I want him.

Noelle turned away. She climbed up the stairs. She was right at the top when she just had to look back once more.

He was still standing at the base. That hot, golden gaze was focused on her.

“When did we meet before?” Noelle asked quietly.

A mask seemed to slip over his face.

“Don’t lie to me.” So, maybe she was also running on no sleep and the memory of him being so warm and naked beside her. Because she sure felt as if she’d been pushed to the edge. “You’re familiar to me. And sometimes, sometimes...like right now, I’ll catch you looking at me as if—as if you know me.”




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