“I’ve never in my life felt cleaner than I do after taking a bath in that pond,” Audrey told Jameson earnestly. “And my ensuite shower has eight jets.”

“Simple living,” he told her, stretching his long, muscular legs out toward the sun. He gazed up at the sky.

“It’s almost three,” he told her. “Are you sure they’ll find us all right?”

A small smile touched Audrey’s mouth and she nodded.

“My family could find an ant named Bob in a colony,” she boasted. “You have no idea what they can do.”

“Maybe they should try naming Oculus Bob,” he jibed and she glowered at him.

“Let’s see if you have any more luck. After all, you have more abilities than most of us do.”

He kissed her playfully, while his hand lingered lovingly at her waist. “We’re not sure about that yet, remember? Besides, I was just kidding—”

The sound of a helicopter above them attracted their attention and both sets of eyes turned upward to see the aircraft headed toward the clearing where they had been camping since making it to Las Puertas the previous day.

After stealing into a villa while Jameson distracted the homeowners, Audrey had managed to send an SOS telephone message to her father.

While she’d told Jameson that all was well, she had no way of knowing for sure that they would be rescued with such a vague message. After all, she’d never been forced to use the signal before.

Looks like it worked out after all.

They’d laid low, watching for signs of anything suspicious, or men following them, but as she had suspected, there was nothing.

Is Oculus becoming predictable or sloppy?

She hoped the former was true and she jumped to her feet to grab for his hand as they waved the chopper down.

As it landed, the duo rushed toward it, both dressed in newly stolen clothes from another house.

“Is your father going to be hard to impress?” Jameson yelled jokingly over the sound of the helicopter blades.

“Well, at least you’re wearing a shirt now, so he might be more forgiving than he would have been had he met you while we were in the jungle,” she teased.

They got to the door and threw it open. Audrey paused and blinked in surprise.

“Roan!” she shouted. “What are you doing here?”

Her cousin flashed her a disarming grin.

“Saving your ass, it seems,” he chuckled. “Get in.”

Audrey scrambled onto the chopper and Jameson followed quickly behind, pulling the door closed in his wake. In seconds, the chopper lifted off and with a huge sigh of relief, Audrey watched the greenery fading away.

What a beautiful country, she thought. I hope I never see it ever again.

“I’m Roan Conway,” her younger cousin introduced, sticking his hand out toward Jameson. “Who the hell are you now?”

“Roan, don’t be rude,” Audrey chided. “Jameson is one of us.”

His eyes grew wide and interested.

“One of us how?” he demanded.

“It’s a long story and we’ll talk about it on the plane home, but first, are there any police alerts out for us? Have you heard anything on the scanner or the radios?”

“Not a peep. If Uncle Aiden hadn’t gotten your SOS, we would never have known you were in trouble.”

“You monitor each other on police scanners?” Jameson asked in disbelief. But Audrey’s brow knit and she ignored the question.

“Jameson,” she said slowly. “We’ve been running for eight days.”

“Almost eight and a half,” he yawned, settling back.

“Weren’t you worried about your assistant calling in your disappearance?”

He sat up suddenly, worry coloring his face.

“What do you think that means?” he demanded. “I know she’d be worried about me. If she didn’t alert the authorities that I was gone…”

“It’s a good thing,” Roan said, casting his cousin a curious look. “Isn’t it? You don’t want locals looking for you, do you?”

“Not if that means that something happened to Tonya,” Jameson insisted, the worry plain to hear in his voice. “Maybe they did something to her. I have to get in touch with her.”

“No, please,” Audrey said. “You’re not getting in touch with anyone. We talked about this.”

“You also said that no one I cared about would get hurt.”

“Roan, do a search on the Landrys,” Audrey instructed her cousin and he instantly produced a laptop.

“You’re going to have to give me more than ‘Landry’,” Roan sighed and Audrey nodded at Jameson.

“Philip and Amanda Landry, Berkley, California. And then check on my brother and sister.”

“They’d go for your parents first,” Audrey and Roan intoned simultaneously. Roan’s eyes jerked toward Audrey.

“Ah. So he’s being chased by Oculus too.”

“Just do the damned search.”

Roan scanned through and shook his head.

“Nope. Nothing’s happening but I’ll check the siblings.”

“Charlie Landry of Butte, Montana and Abby Potter of Clarington, NC.”

Again, Roan shook his head.

“Nope. Nothing.”

He beamed, flashing a set of even, white teeth.

“Unless you’re banging your assistant, you don’t have anything to worry about,” Roan offered tactlessly and Audrey glared at him.

“Do you have a burner on you?” she demanded.

“Am I Xavier Conway’s son?” Roan asked her lightheartedly.

“Give him the number to your office,” Audrey instructed Jameson, her chest tight.

“Why?” He asked suspiciously, before giving Roan a card.

“Roan, call the number.”

The men exchanged a glance as the helicopter ducked toward a small, private airport where the Conways’ private jet was ready for take-off.

“What do you want me to say?” Roan asked.

“Ask when Dr. Landry is expected back.”

“Oh…he’s a doctor too?” Roan’s eyes narrowed.

“Will you please make the call before we get on the plane?” she asked with exasperation.

Roan didn’t argue finally, and did what he was told. Audrey sighed heavily, knowing what was coming. She refused to meet Jameson’s eyes.

“What are you doing?” he asked, but she didn’t answer.

“Yes, hello. Is this Dr. Landry’s assistant?” Roan asked, his young voice magically transformed into that of a diplomat or someone exuding authority. “Yes? I’m sorry dear, I’ve forgotten your name now…oh yes, Tonya, that’s it. Would you tell me when I can expect him back from his vacation?”

Audrey smothered a groan and Jameson grunted aloud but it was covered by the whirring of the helicopter as it descended.

It wasn’t a vacation, Roan!

“Oh, darling, it isn’t work if you’re doing it in Central America,” Roan replied smoothly, covering his own error. “Even if the five-star accommodations are fleeting.”

Audrey watched as he continued the conversation and finally hung up.

The pilot opened the door to the helicopter and the trio spilled off the tarmac and hurried toward the waiting plane.

“Well?” Audrey demanded when they got on board. “What did she say?”

“That’s he’ll be gone indefinitely.”

Audrey watched as Jameson’s shoulders tensed and he shook his head.

“But I told her six months,” he mumbled.

“She knew better,” Audrey replied, reaching for his hand.

“What do you mean?”

“She knew better, love, because she’s your handler.”

Audrey welcomed a warm embrace from Sage, and then kissed her dad’s cheek, before following Jameson into their new home.

Well, it wasn’t really new anymore, but at first it had been so strange to have Jameson there with her. The family hadn’t had a “newcomer” amongst them for so many years that it had been awkward at first.

But Audrey refused to let him go. It wasn’t safe for him anymore. Oculus knew exactly who he was – and worse, they knew that he knew who they were.

And, she had finally admitted to herself and him, maybe she did need him. There was something so visceral, so magnetic about the connection they had growing between them. Audrey had never felt anything like it.

And besides, it turned out that they worked well together. Most of the time.

The months following their return to the compound had been eventful to say the least.

Aiden and the others had been shocked to learn of her involvement with the CIA in trying to drive Oculus out into the open – and equally as surprised by how Jameson Landry was in as much danger from the perilous group as the Conways were.

Audrey marvelled at how well Jameson fit right in with her family – now. Her dad and uncles had welcomed him to the fold, after learning about all they had been through and how Jameson had fought to bring her home safely from the jungle. Even Drake had come around when he realized that Oculus was responsible for screwing up another soldier’s life.

Together they all decided to help Jameson learn what other powers he had and how to control them.

And they weren’t going to give up the fight to destroy Oculus.

Her concern that the connection she had with Jameson might disappear when they weren’t running for their lives diminished with each day they remained on the compound, working side by side on what to do next.

She knew now, that while she had tried so hard to get away from the security of her home, the compound was a safe haven for both her and Jameson. As long as they were together, it didn’t matter where they called home.