Brooke watched as Cade unhooked his jeans and slid them down his thighs. His cock sprang free, hard and big, and she moaned at the sight of it. Her heart raced and sweat prickled her skin, but she was far more interested than she was frightened. This was Cade, and he wouldn’t hurt her.

“Yes,” she said as he moved toward her. “Please, yes.”

He sank down on top of her, and she opened her arms and legs, welcoming him. She wanted the press of him inside her body, the sensation of fullness that would come with it. She hadn’t had sex in so long and she missed it. There was a moment of panic, and then it was gone.

Because she trusted him. Because Cade wouldn’t hurt her.

He lay on top of her, not inside her yet, but she could feel the tip of him at her entrance.

“Brooke,” he said. “Brooke.”

“Oh yes, baby. Yes,” she urged.

“Brooke. Wake up.”

Wake up? What?

Brooke’s eyes snapped open. Cade hovered over her, but he wasn’t lying on top of her. He also wasn’t naked.

Heat flooded her. And confusion. “Cade?”

“Yes, angel. You need to get up.”

She wasn’t quite processing what he was saying. The dream was fading but not easily. “Up? Why?”

“Trust me, angel. I need you awake, okay? We’re leaving.”

That got her attention. Ice rolled down her spine and into her toes. “Leaving? Why?”

“I’ll tell you on the way. But we need to get out of here.”

Brooke sat up and rubbed her eyes. Just a short while ago, they’d been eating takeout and watching television. What the hell?

“You’re scaring me, Cade.”

He looked apologetic as he loomed over her, holding her jacket in his hands. “I’m sorry about that. But we’ve got to go.”

Fear perched on her shoulder like an icy cloud. She shoved the covers back and sat on the side of the bed. She was still in her yoga pants and T-shirt, so at least she was mostly covered. Her shoes were beside the bed and she slipped them on, tying them as she looked up at him.

“I need to get some clothes.”

“No time. I put some stuff in a bag. Max is ready. I packed food and his bowl.”

“What’s going on, Cade?”

“I’ll tell you when we’re clear. Right now we need to go.”

Brooke got to her feet, but her legs wouldn’t obey the command to move.

“Now, angel.”

“I-I can’t move, Cade. I’m scared.” She hated saying it. Hated sounding so damned pitiful, but all she could do was remember that night when she’d been dragged from her bed and forced into a van. The nightmare had only been beginning then.

Cade came to her side and put an arm around her shoulders. “I’ve got you, angel. I’ve got you, and nobody’s going to hurt you. But I won’t lie to you. It turns out that Scott Lloyd was associated with some bad shit. I think it’s best if we get away from here while his killer is still on the loose.”

“But I don’t know anything about what Scott was doing. I’m not involved in any way.”

“I know. But it’ll be safer if we go. We don’t know who’ll come looking for information about Scott, so it’s best if you aren’t here.”

“Okay,” she said, her body shaking with fear. She told herself this was nothing like the night she’d been ripped from her bed, but the urgency in Cade’s tone didn’t help. Still, she sucked down the terror and went with Cade to the living room. He had a couple of bags sitting by the door.

“Is there anything else you need?” he asked.

“My computer?”

“Got it.”

She didn’t know that she’d be able to work but maybe. “Meds?”

“Yep.”

“I can’t think, Cade. You’re scaring me.”

He took her in his arms, holding her close for a quick moment. “I’m sorry. I really am. If I need to come back for something, I will. But my instincts tell me we need to go, and I never ignore my instincts.”

“I trust you.”

He gave her a squeeze and then let her go. “I know, angel.”

They gathered the bags, got Max, and left the building as quickly and quietly as possible. They took the elevator to the garage instead of the lobby. Cade tossed everything in his truck, put Max in the back seat and clipped him into the doggie seat belt she’d left in his truck earlier, and helped her inside. She shivered as she scanned the garage, her paranoia putting her on high alert.

Cade jumped into the other side and started the vehicle. Soon they were slipping through the garage and down toward the exit. Brooke couldn’t find her voice as she darted her gaze around, looking for evil men lurking behind corners. When they emerged from the garage and turned onto the street, she breathed a sigh of relief.

“What time is it?” she asked, realizing she hadn’t checked the time before now. And oh hell, where was her phone?

“It’s a little after one. Your phone is in your purse along with your charger.”

She blinked at him. How did he know what she was thinking?

“The last thing I remember is Rose and the Doctor battling the aliens.”

“You fell asleep. I carried you to bed.”

That explained the yoga pants and the fact she was still wearing her bra. She shook herself, trying to clear her brain. “How did we get from you carrying me to bed to running away in the middle of the night?”

He glanced at her. “Information from my team. Scott was involved in weapons black marketing to drug cartels in South America. Seemed prudent to leave.”

Brooke tried to process the anger that flared deep inside. Scott had been selling guns? All the while he’d been trying to get her into a relationship with him, he’d been doing something illegal. Even when he’d known she’d been abducted because of her relationship to Grace, he’d still thought nothing of pulling her into his life.

She thought of him returning her books, acting so hurt that she’d told him she didn’t want to get involved, and anger scoured through her like a flame. The bastard!

“How does any of this affect me? I only went out with Scott a few times, and we weren’t involved at all. I don’t know anything about his business.”

Cade’s fingers flexed on the wheel, and she knew it was bad news. “The man you saw outside the elevator… he isn’t on the security feed at all.”

Brooke’s stomach dropped. “How is that possible?”

“I don’t know. But it’s not good.” He glanced into the rearview and frowned. “I think we might have a tail.”

---

Behind them, a car’s headlights shone bright. Not that it was unusual in a city this size, but whenever he turned, the car did too. Not only that, but it kept a reasonable distance, never slowing or speeding up. Cade was suspicious of shit like that, so he decided it was time to do a test.

“Hang on, angel,” he said, whipping the wheel hard left and onto a side street.

Brooke squeaked. Cade mashed the gas and the truck leaped into action like a raptor taking flight.

The headlights appeared behind him, speeding toward them down the street. Someone had been watching Brooke’s building. Not only that, but they knew he was there with her. So if they were chasing him now, they’d probably been close enough to see that Brooke was with him.

Son of a bitch, he should have made her lie down on the seat. He hadn’t considered it because he’d thought he was ahead of the curve. He should have fucking known better.

Then again, whoever’d killed Scott Lloyd had been able to erase security footage. If they could do that, they could also watch and see when Brooke left the building.

Shit.

Cade stomped on the gas and hit the button on his steering wheel to activate hands-free mode. “Call Hacker,” he said, and the phone began to dial.

“Yeah, man.” Hacker’s voice was crisp and businesslike.

“Got a tail. Left Brooke’s building and someone was waiting for us.”

“Where are you?”

Cade checked the GPS and rattled off the street and cross streets as they passed each one.

“Hang on,” Hacker said, and Cade could hear the clicking of keys on the keyboard. “Okay, see that red light up ahead?”

“Yeah,” Cade replied. It was in the distance but getting closer quickly.

“Take a hard right there. Then another hard right. There’s a small alley. Drive down it until you come to a cross alley and then make a left. Turn off the lights and wait.”

Cade didn’t even question his teammate because Hacker knew his stuff. Brooke could hear the whole conversation, but she wasn’t saying anything. He thought she might be praying.

Cade barreled toward the intersection, then swung hard right at the last moment. He floored the pedal, then jammed the brake and swung hard right again. The cross alley loomed and he pulled a left, stomped the brake and engaged the emergency brake, then flicked off the lights.

Max panted in the back seat. Brooke didn’t utter a sound, but her chin dropped and she closed her eyes.

“Anything?” Hacker asked.

“Nothing yet.” The buildings were close together, and the alleys were literally small access roads that ran behind them. It was a good place to hide because you’d have to drive right up on someone’s ass to find them.

“Wait ten minutes. If he doesn’t show up, I’ll talk you out. There’s a network of small alleys you can traverse until you get to the highway. Which direction you want to go?”

“Get me back to Maryland. After that, I’m probably gonna head south. Get a hotel room somewhere quiet for the night.”

“Copy that.”

“Got to mute you for a minute,” Cade said as he glanced at Brooke.

Her face was white and she had a hand over her heart.

“Go ahead.”

Cade pressed the Mute button and touched Brooke’s shoulder. “You okay, angel?”

She glanced up at him, blinking rapidly. “I’m okay. Just feel a little panicky. I never expected…” She shook her head. “Yeah, I never thought I’d be in this kind of situation again. It’s a little overwhelming.”

“A little?” He said it teasingly, and she smiled for a second before frowning again.

“Okay, a lot overwhelming. But I’m better prepared now. I have you, I have Max, and I took a self-defense class.”

“Sounds like you’ve got it covered then.” He grinned and she smiled back.

“Yes, I think I do.”

“Don’t worry, Brooke. I know what I’m doing.”

“And if they find us before the ten minutes are up?”

“Nobody’s getting to you without going through me. And believe me, that isn’t happening. Not my first rodeo.”

Her smile was shaky. “I said I hated guns, but right now I’m pretty happy you have one.”

He winked. “I have two on me. Both hold fifteen rounds per magazine. Plus I’ve got extra mags. We’re good.”

She turned to look at Max, who sat watching them both, tongue lolling out as he panted. “You okay, Maxie?”

His tail thumped the seat, and Brooke reached back to scratch him. Cade checked his watch and then scanned the mirrors and the street. Nothing happened. He unmuted the phone and told Hacker he was back.

“Five more minutes,” Hacker said.

“Can you check for some motels on the route?”

“I can do better than that. I can book you something under an assumed name.”

“Yeah, sounds good.”

“I’ll send details to your phone.” He tapped some keys. “What’s the plan tomorrow?”

“I think we’d better plan for a meeting with Ghost.” Ghost was Alex Bishop, HOT’s second-in-command. He was a hell of an operator, and he’d more than proven himself to the guys when he’d taken over the unsanctioned shadow-ops mission to rescue Mendez in Russia.

Ghost was the guy you went to first. Mendez, or Viper as he was also known, was the big kahuna, the man in charge, and these days his plate was so full he didn’t need to be bothered until necessary.

“Copy that. Okay, got you a reservation, Mr. Jones. Sending over the details. And we’ve got two minutes to go.”

Brooke sat quietly, hands folded in her lap. Cade wanted to kiss her for luck, but he didn’t. The two minutes passed and nothing happened—no cars careening down the lane, no gunfire, no yelling or screaming.

“Ready to go?” Hacker asked.

Cade put his foot on the brake and released the emergency brake. Then he flipped on the lights. “Ready. Now get us the fuck out of here, buddy.”

“Copy that, Saint.”