Jaya’s face burned with heat and she laid it on the cool window of the rental. They had landed without her having a second of privacy after taking the test. Jon had changed his shoes, and he kept stealing glances at her in the backseat as they left the airport in a deluge of sleet and rain.

All it would take was a nod or shake of her head to convey the message. All she had to do was look at him, meet his eyes, and give him the answer he wanted. Yes or no?

Like everything else in her life, she never did anything halfway. The two lines on the stick had showed up immediately. So much for the three-minute wait. But then she’d dropped the stick and it had slid under the vanity, and she’d heard Shelby outside the door…

And that bastard Colton couldn’t fly the plane straight if his life depended on it.

The window warmed from her hot cheek and Jaya shifted her face to find another cold spot. It was Ireland, so they were driving on the wrong side of the narrow highway, around a steep curve about halfway up a mountain. She was burning up, the embarrassment of puking on Jon the least of it. Was Finn okay? Where was her dad? What was Jon thinking? She needed five minutes — God could certainly grant her that, couldn’t he? — to show Jon the test results and see his reaction.

Because she wasn’t about to nod her head yes in the backseat of the dark car, with Colton and Shelby up front, while sleet pelted the windows. She wanted to be able to look Jon in the eyes and see whether they lit up or shut down. That would tell her what she needed to know. They needed a minute alone to share this hard-left turn both their lives had taken, and needed privacy to do it.

Fingers brushed across hers and she slid her gaze to the left to see his hand held out to her. She met him halfway and he slipped his fingers into hers, squeezing gently.

He’d said he’d stand by her no matter what, and she believed him, but he hadn’t said he loved her. Never mentioned marriage or raising a child together. Was it fair to him to ask such a thing? He lived and worked in DC, she in Good Hope. He traveled all the time, apparently even out of the country. When would he have time for her and the baby?

Could she raise the baby alone?

All the itchy, no-good feelings about absentee fathers pricked her skin. She didn’t have her mom to help out or her best friend. Even if Finn came back to Good Hope, he wouldn’t exactly be a reliable source of support, and good ol’ Dad was a lost cause.

If she was going to have Jon’s baby, he needed to be part of her life, not just dropping in on occasion. In essence, they had a lot to talk about and she wasn’t broaching the subject until they were alone and could discuss their future together.

“Car on our tail, coming up fast,” Colton said.

Jon released Jaya’s hand and pivoted in the seat. “Not expecting company.”

“That’s what I was thinking.” Colton’s eyes showed in the rearview mirror, the flash of headlights spotlighting the interior as the car got right on their bumper. “No one even knows we’re here.”

“It’s probably just some drunk,” Jaya said, rubbing her eyes. She needed a cup of something warm to shake off the cold, a toothbrush, and a warm bed.

“He’s not bobbing and weaving like a drunk,” Colton argued. “He came out of nowhere when we passed that last turnoff.”

Shelby looked between the seats, sending a glance at the rear window, then at Jaya before turning back. “Just let him pass.”

Colton must have taken his foot of the gas pedal because the car slowed. “Passing on this road won’t be an easy task.”

Since Jaya couldn’t see any farther up the windy road than what the headlights illuminated through the sleet, she had to agree. She hoped whoever it was got the job done—the bright lights shining into their car were blinding her and she was already working up a headache.

Next thing she knew, the drunk driver swerved into the passing lane and accelerated.

Good deal. Get on by, you ding-dong.

Finally, she could see again, at least somewhat better, the glare of the headlights focused on the curving road, no longer blinding her. Shelby watched the car as it pulled up alongside them. Colton continued to decelerate, the windshield wipers thwacking away and the heat blasting from the vents.

Over the cliff, an icy lake lay below, the snow looking a bluish-gray under the clouds. Here and there, a star peeked through and Jaya thought it looked cold and lonely out there, but also somewhat peaceful. That frozen landscape had no cares, no worries. It just was.

She looked back, noticing the passing car was still right next to her. From the glow of the dash, she saw the driver sneer.

What the…?

The car swerved suddenly, Colton swearing. Jon grabbed Jaya, keeping her from smacking her head into the window and shouted, “Get down!”

He pushed her head onto the seat before she could breathe and there was a jerk and a crunching noise as the passing car crossed the line and smacked into her side.

Shelby yelled, Colton put his foot on the gas pedal once more, and their rental did a small fishtail on the slick road. Next thing Jaya knew, Jon shoved her to the floor, there was a loud bam, and glass shattered.

The next few seconds went into overdrive for her, the car spinning, Shelby screaming, Colton swearing, and over it all, the sound of more gunshots.

The report was so loud, Jaya slapped her hands over her ears as she hunkered down and prayed for God to save her friends. To save her unborn child.

She felt the rental’s back end slide toward the other car, felt the impact, and there was another volley of gunshots. Was Jon shooting? Was the person in the other vehicle?

How could anyone drive this road and shoot at the same time? And why in the hell was someone shooting at them?

Finn. Dad. The cross. First, they’d kidnapped Finn, then blown up her van, now this?

It didn’t make sense, but it had to all be tied together.

Jon’s big body bent over hers, his weight pressing down, flattening her. Every cell in her body welcomed it and she gripped his coat hard.

Hang on, baby.

She wasn’t sure if she was telling that to Jon or the child in her belly, but it didn’t matter. She needed both.

Jon yelled at Colton to do a 180 and Jaya thought, oh hell no, right before Colton yanked the handbrake and they went spinning.

For a terrifying moment, she felt suspended with only Jon’s body keeping her from floating away, and then there was another jarring impact and everything came to an abrupt stop.

Heartbeat pounding in her ears, it took several moments for Jaya’s brain to catch up to the sensations in her body. Her hands refused to let go of Jon’s coat.

“They’re gone,” she heard Shelby say on a sharp exhale. “They went over the cliff.”

“The cliff?” Jaya cried. “Into the water?”

“Who the fuck was that?” Colton’s voice sounded far away.

The words rang in the car or maybe Jaya’s ears were just buzzing from the adrenaline overload. She felt Jon’s hands on her, sliding over her head, neck, and arms.

“Are you okay?” he asked, raising her up so they were face to face. In the dim light, she saw a trickle of blood running down his jaw from a cut on his temple.

Reaching out, she touched the blood, the sudden enormity of the moment washing over her. Her stomach flipped and…

Five…

Jaya knocked Jon’s hands away, climbing onto the seat, broken glass crunching under her butt and cutting right through her jeans.

Four…

She grabbed the door handle, yanking on it hard, but it didn’t go anywhere.

Three…

She shoved her shoulder into the door, but it had caved in from the abuse the other car had given it.

Two…

“I need to get out!” she yelled at Jon.

But really, it was already too late.

Understanding lit his face, but instead of moving away from her, he moved in.

His arms went around her and he hugged her tight. What was he doing?

She shoved at him, but he held her tight, refusing to let go. Next thing, she was in his lap and he kicked at the door.

The jammed door flew open, metal and glass spraying everywhere. Jon slid across the seat and hauled Jaya out, setting her gently on her feet, his hands holding her by the hips.

She waited for her stomach to explode, bending at the waist, ready to barf once more, and this time with sleet running down her back and Colton and Shelby in attendance.

“Jaya?” Shelby asked, coming around the end of the car. “Are you all right?”

What exploded from Jaya’s mouth was thankfully not her stomach contents. “No, I am not fucking all right!” She straightened, realizing she wasn’t going to vomit after all. “We were just shot at! We nearly went off the edge of this godforsaken cliff in the middle of nowhere! The other car did! And I’m losing my ever-loving mind!”

Jon tried to draw her close, pulling her into his strong arms and rubbing her back. “We’re safe. Whoever that was will never bother you again.”

She shoved at him but he didn’t let go. “I…this…what…”

Colton climbed out of the car, brushing glass out of his lap. The driver’s window had been shot out too. Over Jon’s shoulder, Jaya saw the car was peppered with holes.

Oh god.

“There were two of them,” Colton said, looking around at the icy night. The car was still running, but sounded a little off. The headlights bounced off the cliff at odd angles as if the front of the car had been damaged. “One driving and the other shooting.”

Jon had been shooting, hadn’t he? Where was his gun? She knew he carried one most of the time, but she rarely saw it. “Why?” she demanded. “Who were they? Why would they try to kill us?”

Kill. Her voice was too loud and the word echoed off the road, the car, the cliff, bouncing back at her. The man had grinned at her; his face would haunt her dreams, sure as heck. And now, he was lying at the bottom of the cliff. “Oh, God. What did we just do?”

Her legs went weak and it was only Jon’s arms that kept her upright. Tiny snippets of their future together flashed across the screen in her mind.

I almost lost him and the baby.

Sleet stung her face, the storm picking up intensity.

No. She wasn’t going to lose another person she loved. Not now when she was literally on the verge of having everything. “I can’t… I just can’t.”

Jon held her tight, cradling her against him. Over her head, he spoke to the others. “We need to get Jaya to a safe house. Now.”

“The B&B is out,” Colton said, moving toward the passenger side. “We’ve obviously been compromised. I’ll call Beatrice. She can find a new place. Shelby, you drive.”

“I’m not getting back in that car,” Jaya said. It was a death trap.

“We can’t stand out here.” Shelby stepped forward, feet slipping slightly on the ice. She rubbed Jaya’s arm. “We have to get off this road and regroup.”

All she wanted was to take Jon and go back to the US, go home.

Safety.

But Finn needed her. She had to get her shit together.

“It’s just… You don’t understand, Shel.” The car, beat and battered, rumbled ominously. The thought of getting back inside it and going anywhere on this ridiculously dangerous road made her queasy all over again.

“I do understand,” Shelby said. “You’re scared and you have every right to be.”

Colton stared at her over the top of the car. Jon stared too, his face a mix of crazy worry and expectation.

“I’m not scared for me.” Her hand instinctively went to her belly and she met Jon’s gaze straight on through the raining ice. “It’s the baby I’m worried about.”

“Baby?” Shelby and Colton asked at the same time.

Jaya held Jon’s hand, bringing it to her belly as she kept her gaze pinned on him. “Yes, a baby. Jon and I are pregnant.”

“An abandoned castle?” Jon tried to keep his voice lowered, but he was losing patience. The safe house had turned out to be less than his expectations, which hadn’t been all that high to begin with. “That’s the best you could do?”

On the other end of the secure line, Beatrice didn’t seem to think much of his tone. “It is Ireland, Nickleback, and, while I have been known to make miracles happen, I’m afraid in that remote area of the country, at 0400 hours your time, and short notice mind you, my options are limited.”

Which meant his were as well. “Who leaked our travel plans?”

“Jaya was obviously being followed.”

He shook his head, his mind a blur of Jaya, the baby, and the bastards who’d tried to kill them all. “No one fucking followed us from my apartment to the airport. After Jaya’s van blew up, I made sure we were extra careful, and no one could follow us once we were in the air, so it had to be someone inside SFI.”

“Be careful, Nickleback.” Beatrice’s tone brooked no tolerance for his line of thinking. “The only people here who knew about your plans are above suspicion. The most likely explanation—”

“Is that Jaya has a tracking device under her skin and a dozen other conspiracy theories, none of which are true.”

His boss was silent for a moment, but it was an extremely heavy silence. “In order to find her father, she would need to go to his last known whereabouts. Any moron with a few active brain cells could have figured out she was on her way to Ireland to look for Sean. The kidnappers seem to think she knows where to find him or at least the cross. What doesn’t make sense is why—if they need her to find her father—they tried to kill her before she did.”

They were all thinking the same thing. “The owners of the bed and breakfast—do you think they had anything to do with our surprise visitors?”

“You were registered under false names, but it’s still possible since that’s the exact place Sean and Finn were staying. Whoever’s after the cross could have ties to the Doyles, but we ran a background check on the couple and found nothing that tripped my internal radar.”

The Queen B’s radar was always spot on, but everyone made mistakes once in awhile. “We don’t have enough intel.”

“The place you’re at now is secure and you have the necessary accommodations,” she said. “For now, lay low, and I’ll be in touch with further instructions within the hour. How’s Jaya?”

Pregnant. “She’s a fighter. She’ll be fine.”

The line went dead and Jon blew out a frustrated sigh.

A baa sounded from the barn off to his left, apparently from a sheep he’d woken with his conversation. The caretaker had informed him and the others that the once luxurious grounds were now used by the man’s sheep and goats for pasture. But then the sheep and barns were only covers for the truth—the place was actually a black site used by Interpol, CIA, and MI6 to interrogate terrorists and other criminals. No surprise Beatrice had vetted it.

The caretaker, named Kieran, whose giant wolfhound looked about as old and grizzled as his master, emerged from the shadows near the door where Jon stood. The dog, whom he called Eamon, stayed right next to him. “The ladies are settled. Your friend is keeping an eye on them. Would you like to see the war room?”

What Jon wanted to see was Jaya. He wanted to be the one watching over her, not Colton, but he was in charge of the mission and that meant he needed to make sure the place was secure first and foremost. “I take it that’s where the security system and cache of weapons reside?”

“The security system, yes.” Kieran only nodded and started to walk toward the icy steps leading to a side door. He’d hidden their beat-up car in one of the barns and reassured Jon and Colton that while the maze of low stone walls to keep the sheep in didn’t look like the height of security, each contained rows of laser sensors and hid a multitude of smart weapons that could be fired from inside the castle via Kieran’s phone. “A few firearms as well.”

The world of intelligence and technology at work.

The wolfhound’s ears pricked and he didn’t follow the old codger to the stairs, instead issuing a low growl.

Jon swiveled to follow the dog’s gaze and cocked his own head to listen. The sleet had stopped and Jon picked up a soft, deep rumble. “Someone’s coming.”

The castle stood on high ground, a long, curving road leading to the main gate. Kieran ruffled the dog’s ears and brushed past Jon. “Lorcan’s bringing your supplies.”

“What supplies?”

Kieran gave Jon a curious glance. “Do you have wool between your ears, lad? Supplies—food, bottled water, bullets. You know, the basics.”

Jon followed him to the drive. “You don’t have bullets in the war room?”

“A few. This place is for torture, not defense, need I remind you.”

Torture. Great. “Who is this Lorcan?”

“A friend of your employer’s.”

Beatrice’s contacts must have made for a hell of a Christmas list.

So Lorcan, like Kieran, was someone Jon could trust.

Except, Jon really didn’t trust anyone, and Beatrice was a world away right now. Not to mention that added responsibility he had on his plate.

I’m going to be a dad.

The frozen landscape crunched under his boots as he watched a large van make the turn below. “Do you know why we’re here?”

The dog loped alongside its master. “No need for us to, right, Eamon?”

Kieran plodded ahead of Jon, quick on his feet for an old guy, and Jon let the subject drop. Obviously, Kieran, and probably this Lorcan fellow, were used to keeping their lips sealed about what went on in this place.

Looking back over his shoulder, Jon tried to ignore the creeping sense of doom looming over him. Not from the eerie shadows or the ghostly castle behind him. Nothing about this mission had been straightforward so far and he had the feeling he was missing a key fact. Maybe more than one. Someone had known the moment they’d landed in Ireland and had sent mercenaries after them.

But were they actually sent to kill Jaya? Whatever this cross was, it had attracted a lot of attention, but Beatrice was right—whoever wanted Jaya to hunt down her dad and return the cross shouldn’t be trying to kill her. After the van incident, he was more convinced than ever—

There’s more than one party involved.

The guys who’d kidnapped Finn were trying one tactic to get the cross back and there were others who quite possibly thought threatening Jaya would bring Sean out of his hiding place. Sean’s two kids, two different enemies targeting them.

Whoever the bastards were, they hadn’t tried to kill her per se. They had to have known she wasn’t in the van when they blew it up, and the men in the car had scared them good, but if they’d really wanted to take her out, they could have done it on that icy road, regardless of Colton’s driving skills.

Jon stalled near the drive, waiting for their new arrival to park. Under the cloudy night sky, the truck looked like a washed-out blue. The man driving got out, eyed Jon a moment, then not saying a word to Kieran, he went to the back and opened the latch. Eamon sniffed at the cargo and Lorcan scratched between the dog’s ears a second, as if they were old friends. It made Jon miss Nyx.

The man handed a large plastic container to Kieran. “Got everything on the list, including crackers and ginger tea for the pregnant one.”

Jon did a double take, closing the distance between him and the men in a couple strides. “How do you know she’s pregnant?”

Lorcan was bearded and wore a tweed cap pulled low over his bushy brows. “The Morrigan said to bring brown bread crackers and tea for the mam-to-be. Tea being the solution for every problem and all.”

Mam—mother? “Are you saying Beatrice already knew?” She had to be this Morrigan he referred to. Was it some kind of code name? “That’s who told you about the pregnant woman?”

Lorcan pushed the container into Kieran’s arms and said something in Gaelic that Jon couldn’t interpret. He was fluent in four languages, including his father’s native Lakota, but Irish Gaelic wasn’t one of them. Kieran chuckled and Lorcan got back in his van and drove away.

Kieran handed the heavy container to Jon. “Make yourself useful, lad. When you’ve finished in the kitchen, you can find me on the second floor, west side.”

He and the dog left Jon standing under the cloudy sky, the castle towering high into the fog.

The inside of the castle was about as updated as the outside, the kitchen a slight exception. A farmhouse sink, beat-up counters, and peeling paint added to the décor, but there was at least an electric stove and a fridge. Dingy lace curtains hung over the single window and the random overhead lights gave off a sickly yellow glow.

He set the container on the island countertop and started unpacking the assortment of dry goods, soda, cans of soup, honey, and marmalade. Wasn’t that a British thing? The crackers appeared to be homemade, wrapped in white cloth. Jon popped one in his mouth and it tasted slightly like wheat but had the consistency of cardboard. Maybe it was better with the marmalade or a piece of cheese.

Over the door hung a sign in the shape of a shamrock. All you need is a little good luck.

Boy, did he. So did Jaya.

If I didn’t have bad luck, I’d have no luck at all. Jaya’s words rang in his head.

Well, screw that. He might not be a lucky charm, but he would do everything in his power to bring her some good luck for a change.

Colton ambled in as Jon filled a kettle to heat water. “Food! Yes. I’m starving.”

“Do you know why Beatrice would use the code name Morrigan?”

“Because it’s Irish? Who understands anything the Queen B does?” He laid a gun on the counter and dug through the contents of the container. He pulled out a loaf of bread. “Is there a toaster?”

Jon got the water to heating and located a mug in one of the cabinets. None had doors, exposing their shelves except for under the sink where a pair of curtains hid the plumbing. He pointed to the slightly dented and rusty machine in the corner. “Is that one?”

Colton appraised the apparatus while unwrapping the bread. It smelled freshly baked and appeared to have raisins in it. “Yeah…looks like a electrical accident ready to happen. I’ll pass on toasting anything.”

He grabbed a knife and sliced the bread, offering Jon a piece. Jon’s stomach rumbled and he accepted it, hoping it tasted better than the crackers.

“So how are you?” Colton asked.

A totally normal question under most circumstances, except A) Colton never asked anyone normal questions; and B) they both knew what he was really asking.

“Fine. Good,” Jon answered, because shit, what was he supposed to say? A big, bad, former SEAL afraid of a baby? He stuffed his mouth with bread. “This isn’t half bad.”

Colton agreed, slicing a couple more pieces and dribbling honey on one before shoving the whole thing in his mouth. “I love wheat bread. Shelby hates it.”

Jon took a tea bag and tossed it into the mug. “Why am I not surprised?”

A chuckle. “We are nothing alike, that’s for sure. Kind of like you and Jaya.”

Back to that. “J and I have more in common than you might think.”

Done mincing words, Colton came right out with it. “You okay with the baby, then?”

“Of course.”

“Come on, man.” Colton dug through a cabinet and pulled out some plates. “You’re not a little freaked out? I would be.”

He added a little honey to the cup. His mother had often given honey to certain dogs suffering with digestion problems. “I’m completely freaked out. Doesn’t change anything. Jaya’s pregnant, I’m the father, and, no offense, but I really need to be having this conversation with her, since I just found out myself.”

“You haven’t talked to her yet?”

“I was a little busy finding us a new place to land.” The kettle whistled and Jon poured steaming water into the mug. “On my way to do that now.”

Colton put several slices of bread on a plate and handed it to him. “Don’t worry about security. I’ve been through the weapons cache, which is pretty sad, but it’ll do. I reviewed the security system, and I’ve got you covered. Go talk to Jaya, and if you need to get rid of Shelby, tell her I need her help.”

“You’re not going to harass me about screwing up? About Jaya in general?”

“You hitched your horse to that wagon, and while it pains me to see a good man go down under the heels of The Wicked Witch of Good Hope, all I can do now is pick up the pieces when the tornado is over.” He slapped Jon on the back. “Good luck.”

There was that word again. Luck. Jon added a handful of crackers to the plate of bread. “Thanks for the supportive speech. I feel so much better.”

Colton picked up his gun and stood in front of the door to the hallway. “What can I say? It’s a gift. I’m burdened with glorious purpose.”

“Okay, Loki.” Jon balanced the tea in one hand and the plate of bread and crackers in the other. “Burden your purpose out of my way.”