Thursday. Boston, United Kingdom.

Tanya swallowed, but her secrets kept sticking in her throat. They wanted to come out, and someone needed to know, but were these the people to trust? The ones Orlando sent to get her?

Her urge to blurt out the truth was an indication of how close she was to unraveling. Without Quade, she was crumbling, and no amount of digging in could keep her from falling apart. If she could only think, she could figure a way out of this.

“I think there’s been a misunderstanding.” The man waiting for her outside the car smiled. His expression was disarming, pleasant. Whoever he was, he seemed to be the merry band’s leader, and therefore he was the last person she’d trust.

He was good, she’d give him that.

She was already fighting the urge to trust that All-American face of his, but he had no idea what he was up against or what was really going on. Unlike Isaac. She could feel his eyes on her and she’d seen understanding in his gaze. He knew. He got it. But she still didn’t trust him.

“What is there to misunderstand?” She swallowed down her fear, that horrible tangle of toxic emotions that would strangle her if she gave it the opportunity.

Instead, she studied the man studying her. He was tanned, his hair sun-bleached to a light brown. Tiny scars dotted his neck, so small someone who didn’t know what they were might have missed them. She’d seen cigarette burns enough in her life to recognize them for what they were.

“Orlando wants me dead. You found me for him.” Tanya had to get control of the situation—and herself. Only one of those could be easy.

“Hold on.” The man frowned. “Those guys, they weren’t the ones holding you for ransom?”

“They were the ones protecting me from Orlando,” Tanya said.

The other two men finally got out of their car. Her brain was starting up, getting back into the game. No one else came out to greet them or assist with the gear. Five-man rescue team. No country identifiers, so they had to be private sector. None of them appeared to have a clue what was going on.

She was so fucked.

They might as well kill her now.

“Okay, we’ve got our wires crossed somewhere. Why don’t we all go inside and we can get this sorted?” Mr. All American said.

These men were mercenaries. Orlando couldn’t operate in the UK. He’d made too many enemies. So he’d sent people after her. These men would transport her back to Orlando, no matter what she said. Her opportunity for making contact was closing, and fast. If she didn’t get the intel out soon, it would be too late. Orlando hadn’t yet sold the weapon, but he would. Something that valuable couldn’t sit for long.

Tanya wrapped her arms around herself, her mind whirling a mile a minute. Her best chance was to encourage these men to see her as a weak woman. She’d done a good enough job creating that image, thanks to nearly losing it in the van and car.

Isaac was looking at her, still. She could feel his gaze like a hot brand on her skin.

Most likely, it wouldn’t matter to these men what Orlando did with her, so long as they were paid. They didn’t know her, and they didn’t care about her. But Isaac might.

“Hey.” Isaac placed his hand on her shoulder. He had a steady, comforting gaze she wanted to fall into. He wasn’t the leader of the group, but he had a firm control of the moment. “Let’s go inside, figure this out. I promise, we won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

She nodded and let him guide her forward.

The walk would give her the chance to collect her thoughts, make a plan.

Isaac kept a steadying hand on her elbow, offering support when she slipped on the cobblestones outside the barn and a warm touch that grounded her in an unexpected way.

“How do you know him?” she asked, keeping her voice low.

“It’s mostly reputation and a gut feeling. I’ve met him a few times and, let’s just say I didn’t care for him.”

Interesting.

Mr. All-American led them along the long, low buildings that had once been servants’ quarters, the kitchen and workshops for maintaining the grounds, toward the estate house. Judging by the newer walls on the east and southern sides, the property had been cut down, reduced to the garden and buildings. The walk and fresh air helped calm her physical fear, but gave her no solutions to her problem.

She was still a dead woman walking.

They entered the main house through a back door that led into the breakfast nook.

Tanya glanced around the space, taking in the work done to update the house, make it more modern and comfortable. It was cozy, without being personal. A rental property, then. Orlando could likely find this with relative ease. He’d tasked her with tracking down targets in similar circumstances and coordinating their kidnappings. Those had been the worst things about her job—pretending the screams and pleas didn’t bother her. She wasn’t that cold or callous.

The signs of her would-be rescuers were everywhere, from a few laptops to bags of gear and a suitcase.

“Let’s chat in here.” Mr. All American gestured into the great room.

She hesitated and glanced at Isaac.

In the span of a few minutes, he’d become her safety net.

“I’ll be there in a moment,” he said quietly, as though he understood.

She nodded, too tired and worn out to parse out the meaning of her reaction, and followed the other man.

Isaac and the other men peeled off, stripping out of the outer tactical gear and stowing their weapons in travel trunks with false bottoms. They were a well-oiled machine, used to working covertly, that much was obvious. But they were still mercenaries hired to do a job. She needed to remember that. Even Isaac, who offered her such pretty promises, was a hired gun.

“All right, my name is Kyle.” Mr. All-American smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He was serious, now. “This is Isaac, Felix, Adam and Shane. We work for a company called Aegis Group, and Orlando hired us to bring you home. He believed you were kidnapped to get back at him.”

Tanya glanced at Isaac, again. His gaze was firmly on her, that strong jaw of his clenching tight. Was he keeping his promises and opinions to himself?

“She says Orlando wants her dead.” Isaac never glanced away from her. For some reason, his statement eased more of her tension. He believed her.

“Why would you think that?” Kyle asked.

Tanya swallowed.

What version of the truth should she tell them?

Reality was stranger than fiction. If she told them the truth, the unvarnished bones, they might leave her immediately.

She’d go with what she’d told The Patrol. There was enough circumstantial evidence to back it up, and if it’d worked once, it could work a second time.

“Someone was stealing money from him. Orlando thought it was his accountant, and that I was sleeping with him. He killed Quade and would have killed me if I hadn’t run.” She crossed her arms over her chest and hunched her shoulders. Blaming money and sex were the easiest options, though the story was pure fabrication.

“How’d you end up here?” Kyle frowned.

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend?” Tanya shrugged, too tired to muster more of an act for their benefit. “Orlando has problems moving things through the UK because of the people he’s pissed off. I figured if I had any luck of getting away from him, I’d start here. Please, don’t take me back to him.”

She glanced from Kyle to Isaac.

God, she hated herself right now, but she wanted to live.

“No one is making you go anywhere.” Isaac stepped closer to her before anyone else could speak.

“Isaac is right.” Kyle glanced at the other man, a silent order passing between them. “We can’t make you go anywhere you don’t want to go, and we won’t force you to go where you don’t want to.”

Tanya swallowed. Did she believe that line? Not really. Why would Orlando pay a team who might not deliver what he wanted?

Orlando would figure out where she was, and if he’d figured out the depth of her betrayal she had no doubt he’d send more people after her. He had to have guessed she knew his client list and what he was trying to sell. That alone was worth her life.

What the hell was her next move? The one person she was supposed to be able to trust wasn’t answering her calls.

“Why don’t you lie down? Isaac can show you to a room. You can rest, and we’ll work out what comes next.” Kyle nodded at the other man.

She could do with a few moments to think, work out what came next. If they left her to rest without a babysitter around, she might get her hands on a phone. That would be good, since she’d lost the burner.

“I’d like that, thanks.” Tanya glanced at Isaac.

The muscles at his jaw twitched, and his lips were pressed so tightly together they were white.

Dissention in the ranks.

Because of her, the job, or Orlando?

“This way, please?” Isaac gestured toward the front stair.

He placed his hand on her back, the heat of his touch sinking through the knit fabric of her dress to her skin. She walked slowly, her limbs heavy, the dread weighing her down.

“Do you need anything? Want anything?” Isaac kept pace with her up to the second floor.

“To not go back to Orlando?” A very real tremor of fear snaked through her.

“It’s not our thing to make anyone go where or do what they don’t want to.” He smiled, the expression warm and honest.

“I hope so. Any chance I could use a phone?”

“Do you think that’s a good idea right now?”

She couldn’t truthfully answer that.

He led her down the hall, neither of them speaking.

From here on out, the less she said the better. Allowing their team to come up with their own narrative to believe would be better than whatever she could brainstorm. She was quite simply out of her depth.

“We’ve covered the windows, so if you could please stay away from them for safety concerns, I’d appreciate that.” Isaac opened a bedroom door and held it open for her. The light was already on.

They’d arranged this. How interesting. From top to bottom, they’d planned for her needs, their security, transportation, housing, and what else?

“Thank you.” Tanya paused just over the threshold and peered up into his eyes.

Isaac was assigned to her, or something. Because he was comforting? Or some other reason? Was this his job on the team? Did he get the frightened women? Or was the tiny thread she felt pulling her to him unique?

He stared back at her, one corner of his mouth twisted up. Another time and place she’d like to pick his brain, find out what made him tick, the reasons he took on a job like this, but her plate was full right now. The less she knew about him the better. He was her mark. The person she had to con to get out of here alive.

“Please—don’t tell Orlando where we are?” Her fear wasn’t at all feigned.

He glanced away at the mention of Orlando’s name, the smile vanishing.

Did Isaac have some sort of experience with Orlando that had left a bad taste in his mouth?

“Like I said, if you don’t want to go back to him, no one is going to make you.” Isaac stared at her. “I’ll figure out a way to put him off. The longer we go without checking in, the better our plans for getting you out of here will be”

“Thank you.”

“Rest up, and I’ll see you in a little bit. We should have dinner soon.”

Tanya turned toward the bed, but she couldn’t sleep yet. She’d sent a message on the burner, and she needed to speak to the recipient. Did she dare try calling?

Isaac didn’t want to leave Tanya alone. Once again, his gut screamed at him to stay close. She struck him as a confident, strong woman, and so far she’d been on the verge of a panic attack since the moment he got her away from those thugs.

Then again, a woman that strong could be playing him, couldn’t she?

“Do you want any tea? Something to drink?” he asked.

“No, thank you.”

She glanced over her shoulder at him, those eyes of hers so haunted and dark. He couldn’t imagine what she’d seen. Then again, this was the life she’d chosen. He really should remember that.

“All right. Oh, and if you want to call someone, just let me know. I can set you up with a secure line.” He took a step back and cringed. He had to get out of here before he made another wild, crazy promise.

“I don’t know who I’d call, to be honest.” She sat on the edge of the bed, hands braced on either side of her.

“There has to be someone who wants to know you’re okay.”

“No, not really.” She swiped at her cheeks.

Shit.

Isaac spied a box of tissues on the dresser. He grabbed them and offered the box to her.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“You’re going to be okay.” He really needed to keep his mouth shut.

“I hope so.” Tanya smoothed her sweater dress down over her thighs and smiled at him, the expression so sad it almost broke his heart just to look at her.

Damn it.

He wanted to trust her.

He did not have any love for Orlando, and if she was running from him, she had some dangerous enemies. But this was the bed she’d made for herself. He had to remind himself of that—again—before he swore to stay on this job past the reasonable termination point.

“You’re staring,” she said.

“Sorry.”

She frowned and tweaked her dress lower.

The gesture seemed odd. She’d been Orlando’s girlfriend, his arm candy, and yet she didn’t want to be looked at. Then again, Orlando often wanted to be the center of attention, so his girls would have to be comfortable sitting backseat.

“You must think I deserve this. That I’m a terrible person.”

“I never said that.”

“It’s the way you look at me.” She gestured at his face then dropped her hands to her sides, shoulders slumping. “I never meant for things to go this far. It was just a bit of fun before I went back to school, and then... I couldn’t get away.”

She wrapped her arms around herself and stared at the floor.

It was a common story. Hardworking girl takes a break from it all, gets involved with something or someone, then before she knows it she’s caught up in more than she bargained for. The problem was her delivery. Those hollow words were delivered with such practiced ease they couldn’t be her truth.

“Hey.” Isaac knelt in front of her. Fuck it. He was going with his gut. She might not be a complete innocent, but she didn’t deserve whatever Orlando would do to her if he got his hands on her. “No one is blaming you. We’re just trying to understand, you know?”

Tanya nodded, her gaze distant and haunted.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“For what?”

“For believing me. For talking me off the ledge earlier. I really was about to pass out.”

“I believe it.”

There was a flicker of intelligence behind her eyes. Given time and the chance to catch her breath, she was figuring out the situation. He could almost hear the gears whirling in her head, but he already had a theory.

“You were never just Orlando’s girlfriend, were you? I mean, a guy like him doesn’t hurt for female company if he wants it. You did something else for him, and that’s why he wants you.”

To her credit she didn’t say anything, but her lips parted and she sucked down a breath before she caught herself.

“We can help you better the more you tell us.” He pulled another tissue out of the box and held it out for her.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You hear yourself, right? Did you just buy that line?”

“No.” She stared down at her hands. “But I have to say it. If I say it enough I’ll start to believe it.”

“Or you can trust me.” Isaac studied her face, the way she collected herself, shuttering her gaze. “I’ll figure it out eventually.”

“I hope you don’t. For your sake.”

“There’s a bathroom down the hall if you want to wash up, maybe get this dirt out from under your nails. Dinner should be ready soon.”

Tanya didn’t say anything else, and he didn’t pursue more conversation. She had secrets, reasons why Orlando wanted her found, and she wasn’t sharing them.

Isaac took the stairs, forcing himself not to hurry straight to his laptop.

Kyle and the others were assembled in the Great Room, their befuddled stares almost uniform.

“We did just rescue her, didn’t we?” Felix gestured at the stairs.

“Yeah, I’m not sure we did.” Isaac grabbed his laptop and tapped the keys. “There’s no way that woman was just Orlando’s girlfriend.”

“Why? What makes you say that?” Kyle stood next to the writing desk.

“Keep an eye on the security cameras. I don’t think she would try to sneak out, but she’s scared enough to consider it.” Isaac nodded at the flat screen TV they’d rigged as their surveillance hub.

“Shane, Felix, Adam?” Kyle nodded at the others.

The three men moved out, heading to different parts of the house where they’d have the widest field of vision on the grounds. They were old pros at this sort of thing. After all, not every asset they rescued wanted to be brought home.

“What’s going on?” Kyle pitched his voice low.

“I don’t know.” Isaac tapped the keys, bringing up the phone line. “She’s too...afraid. It’s not right. She was scared of being rescued. What’s Orlando up to that’s worth killing her over?”

“Shit.”

“We did disconnect the phone lines, right?”

“We did.” Kyle leaned against the table and crossed his arms over his chest. “What do we do? Bring her down here and make her tell us what’s going on?”

“No. Making her tell us whatever she knows isn’t the answer. She’s genuinely afraid of Orlando. If she thinks we’ll help keep her alive, protect her secrets, she would have no reason to leave.”

“So, don’t talk to her? I should bring Zain into this.”

“No. If he knows, he’ll report it up the chain. We took this job because of Orlando’s connection to the boss.”

“I can’t keep something like a shit storm from Zain.”

“Give her until tomorrow.” Isaac rolled his thoughts around. “She’s been backed into a corner. Let’s give her space, some time to sleep, eat, relax in a setting where she’s not at risk and maybe she’ll ask for more help tomorrow. If we don’t force her to trust us, she’ll come to that conclusion faster.”

“She likes you. Think you could work that angle?”

Isaac grimaced.

“What? You don’t want to spend time with a pretty lady?” Kyle gasped.

“Fuck you.”

“You’ve been a real pleasure to deal with the last few days. Want to clue me into why I should keep putting up with it?”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about.” Isaac stared at his laptop. The reasons were all on his cell phone. A half-dozen missed calls from Ruth and twice that from Mom.

“Try to be less of an asshole, okay?” Kyle straightened and sighed. “I’ll heat up the food.”

Isaac hoped that a more casual gathering of their team would give Tanya time to relax and begin to trust them. Unless she was the enemy. Then all they were doing was giving her time to make a move.

Thursday. Epping, United Kingdom.

Robert Ellis paced the rooms of his empty house.

Where was Orlando holding his wife? Was she okay? How scared was she? Who was taking care of her? When would he see her again?

This was his fault.

He should have taken that first threat seriously. There was risk in working for MI5 and Interpol. Everyone knew that. He’d glanced at the letter, skimmed it and tossed it into the garbage. It wasn’t until Donna turned up missing that he’d realized his mistake. And now he was playing god, choosing who lived and died.

The people in the field knew the score, but Donna didn’t. She was his wife, not an agent. No one influential. Just the love of his life. And now she was in danger and the only way to save her was to trade a life for hers.

In hindsight, he should have taken the letter up the ladder to management and requested assistance. But it was just a letter. A few lines of hastily-scribbled words with a thinly-veiled threat. Nothing substantial.

He should have looked into it, but the reports from Quade and his partner were too important to spare a moment of time from his focus. And now Quade was dead. Whoever his partner was, they were adhering to protocol. Robert’s phone rang and rang. His voicemail was almost full of messages from her, but he couldn’t listen to them. If he did, then he’d have to tell Orlando what he knew. As long as he didn’t listen to the messages, he could protect her and Donna. This way, at least Robert was truthful when he said he didn’t know.

What Robert wouldn’t give to go back in time and make it right.