Jake was supposed to be a messenger to the world for Kemal Bekas. He’d managed to resist his attackers and snatch a suicide vest from their stash, using their tools of death as his way out the door . . .

And now, was Xander going to be in the same spot? Would Bekas try and force Xander to spread his messages of hate and death?

Jake clutched the small, folded piece of paper Emily had given him, trying to decide if he was making a mistake. Did he really want to drag his Marine buddies into this? To put even more lives at risk? They had fought side by side. He had dragged Michael’s bleeding body through the desert after Michael had been shot three times. He had waited until dark when the chopper came to rescue them.

Aiden, Ben, and Connor had all saved his hide more than once.

They’d take a bullet for each other—some already had. They were brothers.

But that had been long ago, and now Aiden, Connor, and Michael were engaged or married. If things went bad, they would leave widows in their wake. And Jake couldn’t be responsible for that.

But Ben Logan out in Vegas was single. Jake didn’t value his friend’s life less because of that, but he could feel less guilty about asking. There were lives at stake, after all.

Jake’s hand trembled as he opened the paper that had the number to Ben’s secure phone line. He wasn’t about to call the man’s personal phone, so thank God his sister had thought to write all those numbers down.

A rush of air escaped Jake’s nose as the phone rang. He peeked through the glass pane in the door. Alexa was sitting on a bench in the other room, her head resting in her hands. Was she crying?

It only took two rings for Ben to pick up.

“It’s me. It’s Jake.”

“Jesus Christ. Michael told me what happened to you,” Ben blurted. “You okay?”

“Not really, man. But I’ll be a hell of a lot better if you can help me.”

“Of course.”

Zero hesitation. Thank God. But Jake knew he could count on Ben; otherwise, he wouldn’t have called.

He hung his head and pressed a hand to the door as the weight of the day began to bury itself inside him. It felt as if he were weighted down by quicksand, and he was slowly sinking to the depths of hell.

“I’m in Barcelona with no money and no place to go. And a crazy terrorist, hell-bent on revenging the death of his family, is trying to kill me.” Jake almost laughed at the absurdity of his words. But it wasn’t remotely funny.

“Well, shit. Sounds like a lot has happened since you last saw Michael.” Ben paused for a moment. “I’m guessing you remember me. Since you called.”

“I remember everything,” Jake said grimly. He now remembered every death.

But also, every save.

Those saves were why he did what he did, after all. Why he put his neck on the line, and why he was about to put Ben at risk, too.

“I’ll be on the first plane to Barcelona. Probably take me twenty-four hours or so to get to you, though.”

“Actually, I need to get to Sicily. You, uh, know any rich people with private planes who can fly me to Italy?” Ben had high roller clients out in Vegas who paid him to keep them safe on their visits. Some of them were a bit shady, but Jake didn’t care as long as they could help.

Ben was silent for a moment. “I do, actually.”

“Good. And soon. I’m short on time.”

“Can you call me back in twenty minutes?”

“Yeah. Thank you.” Jake scrubbed a hand down his jaw, which was covered in stubble. “Don’t tell the guys, okay? Not unless we have no choice. Don’t take this the wrong way, but—”

“I know. You’re right. Besides, I love nothing more than blasting a bunch of motherfucking terrorists.” There was a hint of truth embedded in his humorous bravado. Ben had always been the wild card—the craziest of the bunch. But Jake knew he could trust Ben with his life.

“Why aren’t you rolling with the Feds on this one?”

Jake toyed with the right words to say. “My cover has been compromised. Also, I need to color outside the lines on this one.”

Ben snorted. “No more paint by numbers?”

Jake could picture his friend shaking his head, laughter in his eyes.

“I’ve missed working with you, man. Call me in twenty,” Ben said.

When Jake hung up the phone, he stared out the window at Alexa, wondering how she’d react to his plan. Without her, it would crumble like sand.

He tucked the paper back into the wallet, wishing he’d thought to get some euros before coming to Spain. Then, at least, he wouldn’t be relying on Ben’s connections for transportation.

“So?” Alexa was on her feet as soon as he came into the room. Her hands were locked tight at her sides.

He shoved his wallet into his back pocket. “In twenty minutes, I’ll know if my plan will work.”

“Why twenty minutes?” She crossed the room to stand in front of him, and her hazel eyes landed on his.

To think he had once thought he’d never see her again. And now here she was, standing before him. A British spy.

“A friend of mine with a lot of contacts is going to help us. Well, hopefully.” But Jake knew Ben would find a way. They always came through for each other.

Jake motioned for her to sit back down.

She hesitated, pulling her brows together, before going back over to the dark, wooden bench. She leaned the back of her head against the wall, and her hands fidgeted in her lap.

“We’re going to Sicily.” He sat next to her and pressed his palms to his jeaned thighs, staring down at his hands.

“Because of the drone?”

He could feel her eyes on him, so he dragged his gaze up to meet hers. “If Anarchy—well, Bekas and his men—are planning to hijack a drone, they’ll need to be near it to pilot the takeoff.”

“Won’t the military ground all drone flights now?” Alexa asked. “There’s no way Bekas will get a chance to overtake one.”

Military recon drones had been hacked before, but none had Hellfire missiles on board.

Not yet, at least.

“Tell me, Alexa,” Jake shifted to face her fully, “do you think it’s even remotely possible for someone to hijack a drone that’s still grounded at the base? Not just overtake it once it’s taken off, but manipulate the power and control functions of the drone before it’s up in the sky?”

“I barely know anything about the Reaper. But, considering we were able to manipulate the nuclear centrifuges in Iran to slow down their weapons program from thousands of miles away . . . and Anarchy was responsible for an explosion in Nevada all the way from Istanbul—yeah, I guess anything is possible. Well, especially now that they have Jason’s help.” She stood up and cupped the back of her neck before beginning to pace in front of him. “What’s a Reaper’s capable distance? Can it reach London from the Sigonella base in Sicily?”

“The Reaper has about a thirty-five-hundred-mile range, but combat range is usually a max of a thousand miles one way and a thousand back.”

“And if they don’t care about coming back?” she asked.

“I don’t buy it. It’s too far,” Jake said. “It gives the military too much time to retake the drone or blow it out of the sky before it reaches its destination. Bekas wouldn’t take that risk.”

“Okay.” She rubbed a hand over her face and then spun toward him. “Let’s say Bekas and his men pull it off, and they actually jack a drone. Maybe we could manipulate the connection between the drone and its correlating satellite. Jam the transmission.”

“If you could pull that off, and the drone loses contact with the satellite, then it would trip the default setting. The drone would autopilot right back to the base.” Jake was on his feet, feeling hopeful. “Could you do that?”

Her lip pulled between her teeth as she stared down at the floor. “I don’t know. May take more than just a computer. And it looks like Anarchy already got their feet wet hacking the drone, so they have more experience.”

Jake reached forward and splayed his long fingers over her shoulders. “Let’s hope we find them before it gets to that, but—”

“There are better hackers than me. Sam and—”

Jake was shaking his head. “You can do it, Alexa. I believe in you.”

And he did. He knew she wouldn’t let people die. She’d given up her life and her chance at love for the job. She wanted to help people, to do good in the world.

Alexa released a deep breath and nodded. “I’ll need things, though.”

“Give me a list.” Jake leaned in a little closer, wanting to kiss her, to pull her into his arms. He wanted to tell her everything would be okay. He could see the response in her eyes, in the way her breath hitched, in the way her lips parted.

But instead, he backed away. She’d had her reasons for rejecting him in London last year, but it still stung. He had wanted her, regardless of his job and the ocean between them. But she hadn’t wanted him—she wouldn’t even take the chance.

And she had lied to him about it.

He couldn’t think about that, though. He had no right to think of his personal life and feelings when @Anarchy was dealing the cards.

“Can you also ask your friend to try and access whatever files the NSA has on Anarchy, as well as the joint OP that took out Bekas’s family in Afghanistan? There has to be something I missed. We need to figure out his target. I can hack the NSA myself, but that will take time—time we don’t have.”

“Yeah, I can ask.” For a minute, Jake considered calling up Aiden. His fiancée, Ava, was a biochemist, but she was also a computer genius with great hacking skills. She’d get along great with Alexa. But what did that matter? The two of them would probably never meet.

Hell, he didn’t even know if they’d survive the next twenty-four hours.

* * *

Alexa stared up at the mansion ahead of them. “You sure about this?” she asked.

They’d been patted down and had to hand their weapons over to some sketchy security guys—were they making the right decision?

The home looked like it belonged to a Spanish royal. It was massive in size and had an Old World feel to it, with white stucco cement walls, terracotta roof tiles, and multi-level roof lines. There were two, tower-like chimneys and even a turret.

Her gaze swept over the structure, admiring the arches and rustic windows, adorned with planters. The grounds before it were stunning, as well. Beds of red and gold flowers spread from the front of the house like the rays of the sun.

“Who’d Ben say this guy was again?” She wondered if they were at the doorstep of some Spanish crime lord.

“Someone who owes my friend a favor.” Jake brought a fist to his mouth for a moment. “He’s fine, I’m sure.”

Alexa studied Jake’s tight jaw as he looked up at the home. Maybe this was a bad idea.

Jake picked up their black duffel bag. “Come on.” He reached for her wrist with his free hand and guided her down the path lined with palm trees. They skirted a circular, three-tier water fountain, and stopped in front of the massive double doors.

Before Jake could ring, one of the doors opened.

“We were expecting you sooner.” The man was tall, well-built, and incredibly attractive. His dark hair was short on top and tapered at the sides. But it was his very light green eyes that pulled her in. “I’m Cristiano. Welcome to mi casa.” He waved his arm and stepped back to allow them entrance.

Alexa had insisted that they scope out the city one more time before they went to see Ben’s contact. They’d tried to get as close to the hotel and casino as they could, hoping to catch a glimpse of Xander. But no such luck.

They did have a chance to enter their hotel room and pack their belongings—since, unlike Xander’s, it wasn’t a crime scene. Alexa reminded herself to be grateful for the little things. At least now she had a change of clothes and a toothbrush.

Jake began speaking Spanish, the smooth words flowing from his mouth, so sexy it could cause flower petals to curl up.

Cristiano nodded and replied, and Alexa gave a curt nod and smile as if she knew what they were saying. She should have studied Spanish, or at least paid better attention to the basic Spanish lessons she’d had in primary school.

Beyond Jake and Cristiano rose the beautifully curved stairway, its every stair covered with hand-painted tiles. Bronze and orange, with hints of red, weaved through the flowered designs. The style was a bit over-the-top for her taste, but that was probably the point.

“What can I get you?” Cristiano rested a hand on the small of her back, which had her flinching.

She blinked a few times and pivoted to face the man. “I, um . . .” She didn’t even know where to begin with the list of things she’d like to have at that moment. Like, for time to turn back a few hours so Xander would be safe. Or maybe rewind the clock to last year, when she’d first met Jake. This time, she wouldn’t let him go.

“I think we’re good. A place to rest, maybe, until we fly out.” Jake stepped up next to her.

“Of course. We’ll leave at eight in the morning and head to the airport. My pilot will have the jet fueled and ready,” Cristiano said without taking his eyes off Alexa. She wondered how many women had been pulled into his orbit by the sound of his accent or the glimmer of those pale green eyes.

But then she stole a glance at Jake, and her heart truly fluttered. “Thank you so much. Eh, muchos gracias.” She forced a smile and a nod toward Cristiano.

“De nada. Now, come this way.” Cristiano stepped back and extended his arm in the direction of the stairs.

Jake’s hand pressed to her back as she followed Cristiano up the steps. A group of men appeared below, exiting from a hallway under the stairs. They looked like bodyguards, with their dark clothes and well-muscled bodies.

Once on the second-floor landing, Cristiano pushed open the third door on the right and gestured for Alexa to enter. Jake followed close behind her.

The room was opulent, which was no surprise. A four-poster, king-sized bed took up the middle of the wall, with ivy and gold twining through the bedding.

Alexa sighed as she crossed the room to look out the large, expansive window. It was too dark to appreciate the horizon, but the pool down below was glowing with light. Even from above, the water appeared to drop right off the edge of the property, feeding down the cliff and into the sea where a few lit-up boats decorated the water.

Alexa’s eyes caught Jake’s in the glass, and she realized Cristiano had left them. She liked that the Spaniard was a man who didn’t press. Then again, he was probably glad to avoid any questions about himself.

Jake touched the glass, and then lowered his forehead until it rested against the window. “When this is over—tomorrow, maybe—we’ll need to talk. For now, we should get some rest.”

Oh. The gravity in his voice was like a poke of hot iron against her flesh.

As he started to turn away, she caught him by the arm, and he looked down at her, his brown eyes steadying on her slowly as if it hurt to look at her. “And what if this doesn’t end well?” she whispered.

Jake had been the only man who had come close to provoking her to think of the future, even though they’d spent only one week together up until now. She had thought she was crazy for feeling that way after such a short time—she had shrugged it off as intense lust. But now, with him standing right beside her, she knew without a doubt there had been a connection between them from day one. In all this time, it had only amplified.

“We’ll get through this. Trust me,” Jake said after a long minute.

She pressed a hand to her cheek and spun away from him, too much of a coward to confront him with what she wanted to say. “I need you to understand why I did it,” she pleaded.

“I don’t need to know. I get it.” His voice was eerily calm but had an understated disappointment that she could feel in her bones.

Alexa sank on the bed, bracing her hands against her thighs as she looked up at him. He casually leaned his back against the window and angled his head to the side, studying the floor instead of her. “I’m sorry I lied to you, but I didn’t want you to be angry at me.”

“And I get it—just don’t lie to me again. We need to be straight with each other if we want to take down Anarchy.”

She chanced another look and saw his hand at his thigh, massaging ever so slightly. When his eyes caught hers, he dropped his hand. He didn’t want her to know that he was in pain. She hated that. “Are you okay?” It was a stupid question.

“You should get some sleep. I’ll take the floor.”

“What? Are you bloody nuts?” She popped to her feet and came in front of him, and he took two steps back. “If you can’t stomach the idea of sleeping next to me, I’m sure there’s another bed you can sleep in,” she said, spreading her arms wide, “somewhere in this massive home.”

His brows pulled together, and his hand swooped up to cover her wrist, gently pushing her arm back down. His jaw ticked as he stared into her eyes, his chest heaving with a deep breath. “I’m not leaving you alone in this house. Who the hell knows who that man really is.”

She almost laughed. “I thought you said he was fine.”

“Sure. Look at this place,” he grumbled, releasing his grip on her. He turned his back and faced the window.

The tension weakened a little, but Alexa still didn’t think they were where they needed to be. They were going to have to depend on each other for survival. They would have to trust one another.

She closed her eyes for a moment and whispered, “Sleep with me.”

“No,” he quickly growled out the word.

“Why not?” Her eyes opened. “I don’t want to shag.” She perked a brow, trying to lighten the mood a little.

But he wasn’t smiling when he looked at her in the window’s reflection. His body remained stiff, radiating unease. “I need to accept the fact that there will never be a you-and-me,” he said as he turned, running his fingers through his hair.

And yet, wasn’t that exactly what she wanted right now? To throw out her rules, to ignore the thousands of kilometers separating them? “I was an idiot last year. I’m sorry.” She swallowed and took a step closer.

Jake placed a fist over his heart and looked up at her with hooded eyes. “I looked for you, Alexa. Even after you turned me down before I went back to Dallas—insisting it could only be a fling . . . even after you said your goodbye—I didn’t give up.”

Alexa’s heart landed in her throat. “You . . . what?”

His hand uncurled, dropping to his side. “I used my government pull to try and find you. But I only had a few photos on my phone to go on and no last name or address.” He half-grunted his anger and scrubbed a hand over the growth on his jawline. “Now I know why we never went to your place in the city last year. Or why, with all my government contacts, I couldn’t figure out who you were.”

She was gutted at that moment.

“You see, Alexa, now that I remember everything, I know the truth. I know that I tried to find you. But you didn’t fight for me at all.” His face was close to hers, and her body trembled with anger at herself. She despised her fear so much that she could hardly breathe.

“I did want you.” She paused. “I still do want—”

“But you’re a spy, so . . .” He went over to the bed and sat down, shaking his head as he did. He raised his hands, palms clasped and pressed his fingertips to his forehead.

Maybe Jake had been right to put this conversation off until after the OP. She was so rattled that she felt like dropping to her knees and crying. How could she fight @Anarchy if she felt she could hardly stand?

“I never thought you would look for me,” she said after a few moments of silence.

“Well, I’m not the kind of man to let a woman like you get away.” His words had become thicker as he spoke them, the Southern drawl a little more noticeable as emotion cut through.

“Jake.” She edged toward the bed, but was too afraid to sit next to him, worried he’d spring up and move away from her. If he did, she wouldn’t blame him.

He lowered his hands to his lap, but defeat wasn’t splayed over his face. Jake might be angry with her, but he still wasn’t a quitter.

“God, Alexa, I want to be pissed at you. Despite everything we’re dealing with, I still want to be stone cold pissed. Because I cared more about you than you did about me.” As he slowly rose to his feet, her breath hitched. Her nerves tangled, ready to snap. “But in all honesty, I can only be upset that you lied to me in Montana. How could I hate you for the choice you made? We both put country first. That’s who we are.”

Her body was going to give out beneath the weight of his words. “It has to be country first,” she said as her shoulders sagged. Although she may not be MI6 for much longer.

“You deserve a life, though. I hope you know that.” He cupped the back of his neck and his gaze narrowed. “I hope it’s not too late before you wake up remembering that you’re a person in this world, too . . . and you’ll end up having to save yourself.” With that, he started for the door.

“Where are you going?” she asked, her body growing stiff at the thought of him leaving.

“To find another room.” He peered over his shoulder at her.

She lowered her head at his words and tried to garner the strength she needed. “I thought you wanted to stick together.”

“Looks like you’re tough enough to take care of yourself, right?”

But she didn’t want to be. She wanted to be safe and secure, with his arms encircling her. “I need you,” she said as his hand rested on the brass knob.

His hand slid up the wooden door and pressed at the center as if he were trying to keep himself upright. “Don’t do this, Alexa. I asked you to be straight with me.”

“I am, Jake. I haven’t thought I needed anyone, not since my dad died.” They were words she’d never verbalized before, and she was worried she’d choke on her emotions as they wedged in her throat. “I was the strong one in my family. I held my mum’s and sister’s hands at Dad’s funeral, and I kept us together after he passed. I had to stay strong, so they wouldn’t fall apart.” Alexa’s eyes were like steamed glass—she could hardly see through them. “And even after everything I went through with Jason . . .”

She swiped at the fallen tears on her face and moved toward the door where he stood, his back to her. “I need someone tonight.” She released an angry hiss. “Not just someone. I mean—I need you.” She could feel the spider’s web of cracks forming in her as she bared her weakness to him. “Please, Jake.”

As her knees buckled beneath her and she gave in to the desire to fall, Jake’s arms came around her, pulling her tight against him, lifting her up. He brought her to the bed and scooted up next to her, locking his arms around her, resting her face against his chest as she cried. His hands slipped through her tangled, dark hair as he kissed the top of her head.

“I’m sorry. This isn’t like me.” I’m not supposed to be weak.

“Tell me about him,” Jake said after a few minutes, once her tears had turned to sniffles.

Alexa shifted back to look up at Jake, but he didn’t loosen his grip on her. She was tucked away and safe in his arms as if the rest of the world and all of its craziness were backdrops for someone else’s life.

She gulped, bringing her hand between their two bodies to wipe away the makeup beneath her eyes. “Well, I wouldn’t be an agent right now if he was alive.”

“Oh yeah?”

She smiled. “Yeah. He was overprotective, and I kind of adored being his princess.” A slight chuckle tumbled from her lips. “I know. How’d I go from Daddy’s Princess to a counterterrorist spy?”

“Princess. Terrorists.” He squinted one eye. “Nope, not a stretch.”

“Ha. Sure.” She tipped up a shoulder before relaxing back into his embrace. “My dad would have lost his bloody mind if I had told him I was going to be a spy.”

“What did he want you to do?”

“I was in school for computers, so he knew I’d be getting a tech job. My sister would have made him proud, though.”

“She’s an artist, right?”

“You remember?”

“Hell, I remember everything about everything right now. Some things I wish I didn’t . . .”

She couldn’t begin to imagine. “Lori had her first official gallery opening in Rome a few months back. She’s brilliant. And she has a baby boy now.” A squeeze of jealousy filled her heart. But would those things ever be possible for Alexa? A family? Kids?

He kissed her forehead, then brushed his thumb down her cheek as he held her gaze—and a fluttering in her chest that swept to her stomach had her feeling a glimmer of hope about the future.