Ryan Scott frowned at the text from his housemate.

Get home ASAP.

He had no intention of going home tonight. His plans included his friend’s bar, drinking himself silly then finding a pretty girl to take him home. That was his standard end of gig routine. He lived for the weekends spent between the sheets. Hell, most of his housemates followed the same routine.

Vito could handle whatever shit had hit the fan. He was the responsible one, anyway.

A second text hit Ryan’s phone before he glanced away.

This is serious.

Fuck.

Vito wasn’t a drama queen. He had a solid handle on what was serious and what could wait.

Swinging by the house wouldn’t start Ryan’s night off to a disadvantage. He could see what had Vito’s panties in a twist and still make it to the bar before it was too late to find a lady for the night. Hell, maybe he could convince Vito to do some living of his own.

Ryan scrawled his signature on the printout of his report. He’d spent a week as protection detail doing nothing more than sitting outside of meeting rooms, being talked over and treated like scenery. Some wealthy people had nothing better to do than blow money on something to make themselves appear more important than they really were.

Maybe it was time he look at trying to get on one of the teams.

He’d been happy enough doing the solo gigs with the occasional big op that he hadn’t considered tossing his name in the ring when the four specialized branches of Aegis Group were being developed a few years ago. Now, he was wondering if he’d made a mistake.

His phone vibrated again.

“Popular guy tonight, huh?” Ian Kelly smacked Ryan in the shoulder.

“Something like that,” Ryan mumbled. “You going to Trinity Hall tonight?”

“Nah. Baby’s been keepin’ the wife up. I’m goin’ to watch the kids while her and my sister relax.”

“You’re no fun anymore, man.” Ryan stapled the report together and pushed to his feet.

“Guess it depends on what kind of fun you’re talkin’ about.” Ian grinned. “I’ll have you know that the little ladies of the house think I’m quite fun.”

“Because you let them paint your nails and shit.”

“It was a manly shade of red. Very manly.” Ian flashed his fingernails. Most of the red paint had scraped off.

Ryan shook his head and slid the report into the box for their boss to go over in time.

“Later.” He waved goodbye to Ian and the office manager on his way out the door.

He pulled out his phone and got in the elevator.

Maybe he’d change out of the suit. Ladies loved the look, but he was eager to break out shorts and flip-flops.

When will you be here?

“Fucking hell.” Ryan jabbed the call button at the same moment the doors opened up to the first floor. He exited into the building lobby and stepped out into the cool afternoon. A front was blowing in, and before much longer they’d have about five days of rain, but right now was nice.

“Where are you?” Vito asked.

“Shit. The phone didn’t even ring. What is going on?” Ryan strode through the parking lot toward his Mustang.

“Not on the phone.”

“Not on the phone, what? Seriously, Vito, spit it out.” Ryan was in no mood for bullshit. If this was some sort of prank organized by their other housemates, he was going to flay their asses.

“Are you leaving? When will you get here?” There was a tense edge in Vito’s voice. Of all the guys, Vito was the most somber. He didn’t do jokes, and he hardly knew how to laugh.

“Yeah, I’ll be there soon. Is something wrong with the house?” Ryan and his old roommate Vito had gone in on a large, five-bedroom house as a rental with three other newer hires from Aegis Group. Ryan barely knew the others outside of work. He wouldn’t be surprised if Alec got into it with one of the others and started something.

“No.”

“Did you and Alec butt heads again?”

“Hurry up and get your ass here.”

Ryan ended the call and dropped into the driver’s seat.

What had his roommate spooked?

Vito had a history with the mob. He’d tried to go clean, breaking with his family’s expectations, but it had sucked him down and nearly cost him his life. There were times when Vito’s paranoia went overboard. Then there were the times that Vito’s sixth sense for death kept them all in the land of the living. Ryan had owed Vito a number of drinks for saving his neck over the last year.

Ryan cranked up the radio and headed toward home. The new route was a little longer, but he was glad to be out of the apartment. He’d never transitioned well to living in confined spaces after growing up in Oklahoma where everyone valued their elbow room. It was his hope that with the new house they would be on different enough schedules they wouldn’t be on top of each other.

He eased down into his seat and focused on the road. He’d always enjoyed a drive. Back in the day he’d take his grandfather’s 1960s truck out driving at night, the windows down, just to clear his head. These days he had a little more horsepower under the hood and the air conditioning was a hell of a lot better. The only thing he missed was pulling into the drive to see Gramps sitting on the porch waiting up for him.

Even with the slightly longer drive, he wasn’t ready to turn down the little, tree-lined lane their rental was positioned off.

The tree in the front yard needed trimming in a bad way. It had a few branches that were dying or had been damaged by the moving truck that were going to come down at the wrong moment if someone didn’t handle them. With his luck that someone would be him.

Four vehicles were parked in the drive and a fifth parked at the curb.

He frowned at the baby blue VW bug.

Did someone have their girlfriend over? He wasn’t aware that any of the guys had a girlfriend, but it wasn’t like he kept tabs on their love lives.

Ryan parked behind the mystery vehicle at the curb then gathered his suit jacket and tie. The grass whished against his shoes as he stalked across the yard. Alec opened the front door, standing just enough in shadow that Ryan couldn’t make out his features.

“What the hell is going on?”

Alec didn’t answer.

Ryan stepped into the ranch-style house and peered through the arch into the heart of the house. He glanced at the old, worn sofa that sat facing the flat screen TV hooked up to the assortment of gaming systems, but no one was there.

That was odd.

The other four guys were home, and no one was in the front room playing video games. Someone was always running one of the systems to the point the noise had become an issue. They’d agreed that in order for them to make the best use of the surround sound and to not interfere with anyone’s sleep schedule, this front sitting area had to be the gaming room.

“Who died?” Ryan asked.

Alec shut the door and jerked his head toward the kitchen.

“This silent treatment is getting old.” Ryan grumbled a few expletives to himself then proceeded through the arch into the main part of the house.

Silas and Paxton were in the kitchen manning the stove, cooking something that smelled and sizzled like fajitas. The only thing missing was their near constant shit talking. Of the five of them, those two were the ones with any real history.

Vito stood with one elbow on the bar, facing Ryan. Vito caught his gaze and nodded at the sectional sofa facing the large flat screen TV across the room.

A woman sat on the sofa, her back to them. Her brown and blonde hair hung loose down her back. That was the only thing he could see of her.

Ryan frowned and glanced at Vito who shrugged.

There was a girl there.

So what?

They were five bachelors, none of whom were repulsive. Women were a regular occurrence in the house.

Vito’s eyes widened, and he jabbed his thumb at the sofa.

Shit.

This was one of Ryan’s.

Which one was it?

He scrubbed his hand over his face and stifled a groan. He did his best to be as up front and honest with women as possible. Even shit-faced. He wasn’t relationship material. His schedule made even friends with benefits impossible because he could not be relied on to be there. It was why he tried to keep to the rule of once was fun, twice was nice, but three was out. Every now and then he either didn’t get it through to a girl, or she chose to not listen. Either way, he was going to break her heart and feel like shit for doing it.

Might as well get it over with.

Ryan crossed to the shorter part of the sectional and braced his hands on the back.

The woman glanced up at him.

Light brown hair framed an angular face. Her eyes were an odd mix of blue and green. Stormy. Her cheeks were splotchy with color and a bit of mascara stained her cheek. It was hard to gauge much about her in the loose T-shirt like dress and leggings, but she looked like the kind of woman he’d flirt with. Pretty. Twenties. Places to go and people who weren’t him to see. Which was exactly the kind of girl he typically hit on.

Two things struck Ryan at once.

She’d been crying.

And he had no fucking idea who she was.

“Hi. I’m Ryan.” He smiled, because that seemed like the nice thing to do.

“I know.” She blinked a few times, her shoulders slumping. There was no smile, no fawning, no overly excited hug, all of which were trademarks of a typical clinger. “You don’t remember me, do you?”

“Sorry.” He grimaced and shrugged.

“Oh.” She stared at the floor and took a deep breath.

A small, internal alarm began ringing in the back of his mind.

This wasn’t the typical one-night stand follow-up visit. If she’d left clothes or belongings here, the others would have grabbed them and sent her on her way. She didn’t want to throw herself at him. In fact, she was generally distressed.

Something was wrong, and it had to do with him.

What had he done? What if he’d said something? Had he pushed her too hard? Hurt her?

There was a mystery here he was going to get to the bottom of, but not with an audience.

This wasn’t a fling problem. This was something else. Maybe if he treated her like a client, he could get down to the heart of the issue easier. It was his work switch flipped on again, and he didn’t care. He’d gone to work for Aegis Group because it scratched that itch to keep him busy and on occasion do something that made people’s lives better.

“I see the guys offered you something to drink.” He nodded at the water bottle sitting on the coffee table. “You want to take that outside and talk?”

“Yes, please.”

“Come on.” He made sure to smile now.

Ryan circled the sectional to the French doors leading out to a small addition that they used as their gear storage room. Silas and Paxton were heading out tomorrow, so the table and chairs were covered in equipment. Ryan led his guest out of the house to the back patio where they’d have as much privacy as he could offer her that didn’t involve a bedroom.

“Have a seat?” He gestured at the second hand wrought-iron table and chairs one of the others had picked up at a garage sale.

“Thanks.” She slid into a chair and leaned her elbows on the table.

“Mind if I get your name again?” He sat across from her and stared at her hand lying against the metal.

“Carson.”

“Is that your first or last name?” Part of him wanted to reach for her, put her at ease. Without knowing why she was here or what he might have done that wasn’t appropriate.

“First name. Last name is Adair.”

“Carson Adair. Nice to meet you again.” He smiled again, but it had no effect on her. She was still tightly wound to the point her nerves were putting him on edge. “Want to tell me what’s going on, Carson?”

“I guess I thought you would remember me.” She drew lines on the table.

Ryan ducked his head.

This wasn’t the first time he’d been told after the fact that he’d slept with someone and had no memory about it. He’d thought he wasn’t getting blackout drunk anymore. He had a problem, and he knew it, but he contained it. Limited it to just his time off. Clearly it was a bigger issue than he was willing to admit to himself.

He forced himself to lift his gaze and look at Carson. Part of him didn’t want to. It would be easier to accept whatever assine thing he’d done without her pretty, tear-streaked face looking at him. He just hoped he hadn’t done something he couldn’t apologize for. It wasn’t his intention to make a woman cry. Ever.

“What—what happened?” he asked.

Carson tilted her head the tiniest degree. She really was pretty. He could see himself going home with her in a heartbeat.

“I’m pregnant,” she said.

Pregnant.

A baby.

She’d said, I’m pregnant.

Those two words were like being hit with a flash grenade and a Taser all at once. His ears began to echo and his vision narrowed to the wrinkle at the corner of Carson’s mouth. His muscles tensed to the point his body ached.

A child.

She was pregnant with his baby.

Of all the things she could have said that might be the worst.

He’d promised himself that he’d never make a child, that he’d never allow a kid to be born into anything but a world where it was wanted and loved. And now here he’d gone and fucked it up.

CARSON WAS GOING TO hell.

She watched Ryan pace in the grass, back and forth. Every so often he’d shove his hand through his hair, but that was it. He hadn’t spoken a single word. He hadn’t denied the possibility or pushed for evidence. He’d sat there like a statue for almost a full minute staring at her, then got up and walked into the yard.

She slid down in her chair and covered her mouth to keep the truth in.

This lie only had to work for a few days. Then she could let him off the hook. He’d never have to see her again.

She’d have to tell him the truth. Her conscience wouldn’t allow her to do anything else. Once the FBI had what they wanted, she would do whatever it took to make this man she’d only met in passing forgive her. Or not. For what she was doing to him she didn’t deserve forgiveness.

If her sister’s life didn’t depend on this, she might have stayed at the office and faced whatever was coming, the FBI be damned.

Ryan pivoted and stared straight at her.

The sunlight made his brown hair glint red. His brown eyes smoldered. Dressed in slacks and a white button down, he cut an imposing figure. When he’d locked eyes with her at Trinity Hall a few weeks ago, she’d felt a flurry of nerves. It was the intensity behind those eyes. He was a man who knew what he wanted, how to get it and wouldn’t be deterred. She’d never been the focus of any man like that. It didn’t even matter that he looked at other women that the same way, it was how she’d felt.

Only now instead of lust there was something else staring back at her. There was a tortured soul behind Ryan’s eyes.

Part of her wished she were telling the truth. After all, he had hit on her before Carson’s friend wrapped herself around Ryan. The rest was history. There was nothing to be done about that.

She drew in a deep, shuddering breath, and the next wave of guilt tears slid down her cheeks.

He crossed to the patio and sat in the chair at the end of the table next to her.

This whole thing was her plan. The blame rest on her shoulders.

She’d known as soon as the FBI told her what she had to do to protect her sister that Carson would need someone bigger and badder than the people after her. That was about the time her best friend mentioned the hot, buff guy she’d slept with was a professional body guard. The rest was some on-line sleuthing, a little investigative digging, and she’d crafted the perfect hook even her bio-mother would be proud of.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

“It’s okay.” I’m just screwing up your life, but don’t worry. I’ll be gone as soon as the FBI let me off.

“I...I don’t know where to start,” he said.

“Yeah, me neither.”

“I’m really sorry. I don’t remember a thing. When I’m off work for a few days I party pretty hard.”

“Noticed.” She chuckled.

Carson had never been a party girl. She was too uptight, too conscious that she had to be twice as better to be half as good at anything in life. Her only real friend had to forced her to go out.

“Can you...would you tell me what happened?” He squinted at her.

“Well, my friend and I met you at Trinity Hall.”

“Fuck...”

“The bar shut down and you and your—roommates, I guess—invited a bunch of people back here.” Carson shrugged. Truth was she’d hung out in the kitchen for a while until she realized Jessica wasn’t there for a quickie. Carson had spent the night in her car and had to roll Jessica out of bed in the morning so they could both get to work on time.

“I—I’m sorry. This is my fault.”

“I was there, too.” The lie burned her lips and her throat constricted to the point of pain.

“No. If I didn’t wear a condom, if I was that drunk, I had no business—just, no.” His face grew paler, almost sickly like. “What do you want to do next? About it, I mean.”

“Not sure.” Carson wrapped her arms around herself and braced herself for the rest of the lie. “I’ve got to figure out where I’m going to stay so I can think about that.”

“Stay? What?” Ryan’s frown lines deepened.

“I’ve been living with my parents, helping them out. They’re older. Mom found the first pregnancy test, and they freaked out.”

“Are you saying they kicked you out?” His mouth hung open, brows drawn down.

God, she was going to hell.

“They’re old school.” She squeezed herself tighter.

Ryan’s mouth worked soundlessly for a moment. He shook his head, clearly flabbergasted by the scenario she’d laid out for him.

“Anyway, I thought you should be the first to know. I don’t have any answers right now.” She lifted her shoulders.

“Look, Silas and Paxton are about to leave for a week. The house’ll be a lot less crowded tomorrow. You’re welcome to crash here. In fact, I’d prefer it if you don’t have somewhere you’d rather stay. We aren’t just a bunch of smelly guys, I promise. And I should be around for whatever you decide is next. Even if it’s just so you can tell me to fuck off. I want to be... I don’t know. Involved?”

She’d read him right. He was falling for her plan. This should be good news. Then why was heart twisting in her chest to the point that her eyes began to leak again?

What the hell was she doing?

Saving her sister. Helping the FBI. And paving the road to hell while she lied to a good man.

“Okay. Yeah. Thanks.” She wiped at her cheek.

“Great. Well, I guess let me tell the guys in case I need to go grab some extra stuff for dinner then we can get you settled.”

“Can I just sit here for a few minutes?”

“Sure.” Ryan stood up, towering over her. “Come in whenever you want to, or I’ll come tell you when dinner’s ready.”

“Thanks, Ryan.”

He smiled briefly, but it didn’t touch his eyes. The shadows were still there. He turned and walked back into the house, leaving Carson alone with her conscience.

It was done. And she hated herself for it.

No part of her wanted to admit how easy laying the trap had been. Her biological mother would be proud how easily Carson had snagged Ryan’s compliance. She wished it hadn’t come as natural as it had. These skills just went to prove that deep down she really was the one thing she hated: her mother’s daughter.

Carson covered her face with her hands.

She had to see this through. It was going to be more difficult than she’d anticipated.

Ryan had struck her as a nice enough guy at the bar when he’d sauntered up to Carson and delivered a line. She couldn’t even remember what he’d said, but she’d stammered out some kind of reply. Not five minutes later Jessica came back from the bathroom and latched onto Ryan. Carson hadn’t been terribly upset by losing the man’s interest. It wasn’t like she’d know what to do if things had progressed. More than likely she’d have gotten too nervous and left when he wasn’t looking.

She could talk to men just fine, but when things went farther, she lost her nerve. It never worked out for her, and truth be told she didn’t mourn the loss of it all. Relationships were fraught with minefields she didn’t have the strength or skills to withstand.

What time was it?

She checked her phone.

It was getting late.

Carson peered at the sunroom windows, but couldn’t make out anyone inside the house.

This might be her only chance.

She dug into her purse and pulled out the prepaid phone she’d bought at a corner store. Until this mess was over, she wouldn’t risk doing anything that might inform anyone where she was.

Carson plugged in her sister’s number and got up, walking to the distant corner of the yard while the line rang.

“Hey,” a voice whispered.

“Frankie? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. We’re at the movies. Just walked out.”

“The movies? I thought you’d talked Mom and Dad into going—”

“Relax. We left last night. They don’t suspect anything. The AC in the cabin is out, so management sent us to the movies while it’s fixed. I get no signal out there, by the way.”

“Jesus, Frankie.” Carson slapped her hand against her forehead. Her little sister never failed to wreak havoc on Carson’s blood pressure.

“How are you?” Frankie’s voice wavered a touch.

“I’m fine.” Carson smiled to try to override the strain in her voice.

“I’m scared.”

“Don’t be. We’re doing everything they asked us to do. Just...stick to the plan, okay?”

“What if they don’t hold up their end of the bargain?” Frankie asked softly.

Carson swallowed

She couldn’t entertain that idea.

“They will. Or we’ll remind them. Everything will be fine.” She had to believe that, otherwise why was she doing this?

The door to the house creaked open behind her. She knew without looking that Ryan was there. Watching her.

“Hey, Frankie? I’ve got to go. Check in with me later, okay? Tell Mom and Dad I love them.” Carson hung up the phone and turned toward the patio.

Ryan stood there waiting for her. He’d changed into shorts and a T-shirt. He seemed more human, approachable, like this. With the suit on he was another person. He’d been wearing jeans and a black shirt when they’d met. Honestly she’d assumed he was in college, maybe graduate school from the way he carried on. It just went to show that under all that intensity was someone else. Someone who’d made her feel alive in a crowded bar. In another life she’d have liked to get to know him. Maybe she’d be the girl he took home instead. Now there was no changing their path.

She blew out a breath and strolled back to the patio.

“Everything okay?” Ryan asked.

“Yeah. My little sister is just upset.”

“Does she know?” His brows rose.

“Yeah. She does.”

“Ouch. It seems like your parents are pretty harsh.”

“They can be, but it’s not like we’re angels.” Carson shook her head. She’d needed a strong hand when she was younger, and they’d guided her despite her attempts to self sabotage.

“You’re their kids though.”

“That’s not fair.”

“And kicking your daughter out because she got pregnant is?” Ryan shook his head. “Sorry, it’s not my place to say anything. Just—ignore me. This whole thing hits too close to home.”

Carson bit her lip. She’d assumed from his interviews following the viral video of him dressed as a cartoon prince dancing at a child’s birthday party that he had particular soft spots. Her research had supported that theory. It appeared that she was far more right than she’d guessed.

She picked up her purse and slid her phone inside, then grabbed the water bottle. Her knee jerk instinct was to go to her parent’s defense. And yet she was supposed to be playing the part of the estranged daughter. She had to be very careful about what she shared with him.

“Frankie and I, we’re adopted. And we’ve put our parents through hell. It’s not like their rules are totally unfounded. Without them...” Carson shook her head. At eleven she’d had more in common with an injured, terrified animal than a human being. She’d wanted to hurt people before they hurt her, because that was all she knew. The Adairs had taken her in and shown her kindness for the first time in her life.

“I’ll keep my opinions to myself.” He nodded at the door behind him. “Dinner’s ready. I hope you aren’t a vegetarian. These guys are too lazy to chop anything if they can help it.

“I think I can manage.”

“Ladies first?” He gestured at the door leading into the house.

“Thanks.”

Carson wanted to stay outside, where she could pretend she wasn’t going through with this crazy, mad plan. But she couldn’t. She had to keep going.