THURSDAY. SOUTHLAKE, Texas.

“What the hell have you gotten me into?”

Riley ignored his Casey’s complaints. It wasn’t like Riley had shoved him in the SUV. Casey had climbed in of his own accord after getting gear from his vehicle.

“The signal came from a hundred yards that way,” Grant pointed up a gravel lane. A construction sign indicated a new office building development.

Riley took point, sticking to a few yards off the trail, still under the cover of trees. If they were able to track the laptop, what were the chances Mark could, too? And even if Mark wasn’t here, they didn’t want to give Erin’s kidnapper any kind of warning they were there.

The SUV backed off the curb behind them and flipped a U-turn. Melody was on comms, but muted with the plan to wait at the gas station down the street.

“Mom and Dad are going to love this story,” Casey muttered.

“Shut the fuck up,” Riley said.

“Guys, we’re sticking to silence,” Grant said.

The darkness was fading with the coming of dawn. Erin had been missing for hours. They had no way of knowing if she was alive, what she’d been through or why she’d been kidnapped. He just prayed that it wasn’t Mark. That man would have no reason to keep her alive.

They moved forward, crossing the damp earth while the concrete building rose out from the trees ahead of them.

“Guys? Guys, can you hear me?” Melody’s voice was strained.

“What is it, Melody?” Grant asked.

“Two SUV’s just blew through a red light over here headed your way.”

“Copy that.”

Riley didn’t need an order to pick up the pace. He’d torn through woods and rough terrain in worse conditions, but never with his heart pounding so hard.

They had to get to her in time.

The sound of engines and the crunch of gravel made the hair on the back of Riley’s neck rise.

“We’ve got company. Take cover,” Grant said.

Riley ducked behind a tree, Casey going to his knees behind a bush.

“I’m going to remember this the next time I visit you,” Casey grumbled.

Whatever.

Casey was a SWAT officer for the same reasons Riley had enlisted. This was who they were. It was an aspect of their personality the rest of their family didn’t understand.

One after another, two vehicles rolled past, leaving a plume of dust in their wake.

Mark’s guys.

Without a doubt.

Riley didn’t wait for Grant’s order. He turned and jogged ahead, Casey following close on his heels.

“Damn it, Riley,” Grant said through the headset.

They moved through the trees, under the cover of darkness. In the distance he heard the engines cut off and men’s raised voices.

Riley ducked through the underbrush onto the gravel road and sprinted, pumping his arms, sweat pouring down his back.

Erin might still be alive, for a few more moments.

“God damn it, Riley.” Casey was still right behind him.

They crossed through the construction fence and into the yard. Heavy equipment and a trailer sat on the cleared lot, waiting for the workers to arrive.

A shot blasted, breaking the stillness.

A hand grabbed the back of Riley’s vest, yanking him to a stop

In the distance, a man’s screams echoed off the concrete.

“Don’t,” Casey snarled. “You can’t run in there. This way.”

Footsteps churned the gravel behind them.

Riley and Casey ducked behind the trailer, crossing the construction site.

The two SUV’s sat with their lights on facing the building. Three men were clustered, focused on one point.

One man lifted his gun.

Erin would not be their next target.

Riley lifted his rifle, aimed and shot.

The man pitched forward onto the ground.

“Fuck—Riley,” Casey groaned.

“Stop right there,” Riley shouted. He stepped out into the open, gun up. whatever it took to get the focus off Erin.

“Police!” Casey yelled, falling into line with Riley.

Mark and the other man he could see whirled, bringing their weapons up.

“Erin? Erin, are you okay?” Riley shouted.

Someone from inside the building fired. The bullet hit the side of the construction trailer, sending bits of fiberglass flying.

Riley and Casey ducked, going different ways.

“You couldn’t wait a damn minute?” Grant hunched behind the trailer a few feet away. Nolan, Vaughn and Brenden were at his back. “They’re focused on this point. Nolan, Vaughn, Brenden, circle around. Riley and I will get to Casey and keep them focused on us. Go!”

The other three men sprinted for the end of the trailer.

“Casey, can you hear me?” Grant asked.

“Yeah, but they’re moving. They don’t care about us,” Casey said.

Riley leaned past the trailer. Mark and his guys were barely visible. They’d moved into the building.

“They’re after Erin. She’s all that matters.” Riley’s only play to distract Mark was to take the fight to him. “I’m going in.”

“Riley—”

“I’ll cover you,” Casey said.

Riley took a breath and stepped into the open, rifle up. He took aim at the first moving target in tactical gear he saw and fired. A second man went staggering sideways as Casey laid down cover fire. Riley sprinted into the building.

“God damn you Riley,” Grant snarled, hot on his heels.

There’d been three that Riley saw when they entered. Not enough for two SUVs. He’d estimate they were looking at six to ten people. Three were out of commission, so at best, three more were out there. At worst, seven. Not the best odds, but they’d deal.

Riley entered the darkened building. Footsteps pounded the concrete, and hushed voices made it near impossible to tell where they were all coming from. The last Riley had seen, the focus had been to his right.

He ducked through an open space between two walls. A fist struck out, almost knocking his gun out of his hands. Riley swung his arm, driving his elbow into the man. Casey was right behind him, driving the butt of his gun against the man’s temple. He went down heavy.

“Captured two on the south side,” Nolan said through the comms.

“We’ve got one here.” Riley handed his brother a thick, zip tie like restraint.

“Three down outside, that’s six,” Brenden chimed in.

“Thanks for doing that math. I was confused,” Nolan quipped back.

“Has anyone seen Erin?” Riley asked.

“Negative,” Brenden replied.

“Do we have Mark Forest?” Grant asked.

“No,” Riley replied, and the rest chimed in with the same answer.

Where the hell was Erin?

Riley stepped out into the morning light, peering around the site.

Both SUVs were gone.

“YOU’RE GOING TO BE okay,” Erin said.

She kept one hand on Khalil’s side, pressing the shirt she’d found in the back seat against his wound, and the other on the wheel. The young man groaned and threw his head back in pain.

“Hang on. Just a little bit farther.” She had no idea where she was going, but eventually she’d find a highway and hospitals were clearly marked when it came to highways. She hoped they found one before Khalil bled out.

Riley had come for them. If he hadn’t, she had no doubt that both she and Khalil would be dead. She wanted to be back there, she wanted to know if Riley had survived, but the best thing was to get clear of the combat. Her training had that drilled into her to the point she couldn’t go against it even if she wanted to. Besides, Khalil’s life depended on getting to safety.

Businesses clustered along the road. A far different cry from the seemingly rural area they’d been. A sign for Interstate 141 was posted at the red light.

She gassed it, barreling toward the overpass.

Which way did she go? West was out of the congested city. East sent her toward the morning rush hour, and hopefully a hospital.

“Khalil? Talk to me. Tell me about what you’ve been doing the last few years. Khalil?” She glanced at the young man, passed out in the passenger side seat.

Shit.

Erin cut off a pickup and merged onto the entrance ramp.

Khalil’s last act could not be kidnapping her. He had to live to see his parents’ killers brought to justice. He had to have a future.

She wove through traffic, her hands sliding on the wheel from the blood.

A blue sign with a white H beckoned her ahead.

The traffic slowed as morning commuters clogged the streets.

Erin jerked the SUV onto the wide shoulder and accelerated. She flew down the exit ramp and cut off traffic to the tune of half a dozen cars honking at her. Nothing mattered except getting to the hospital.

Red and blue lights blossomed in her rearview mirror.

She didn’t have time for them.

The road turned and a big, red Emergency Department sign came into view.

She ignored the lights and turned into the hospital. She drove straight up to the glass sliding doors with ambulances parked out front and slammed the car into park. Before her slippery hands could get the seatbelt off an officer with a gun in hand was at her driver’s side door.

Erin jabbed the unlock button, and the officer yanked the door open.

“He’s been shot. He’s dying.” She held her hands up.

The officer stared at her, then Khalil for half a second. The paramedics in the nearby ambulance behind her reacted faster.

“He was shot once in the stomach. I didn’t see an exit wound.” Erin kept her hands up while the paramedics put Khalil on a gurney and rushed him inside.

“Step out of the car,” the officer barked.

“Is he going to be okay?” Erin slid out of the car, watching the doors.

“Put your hands on the hood.”

She did as directed, too numb to do anything else. What were the chances Khalil would survive?

Once the officer and his partner were satisfied Erin wasn’t armed, they put their guns away.

“What the hell happened?” the shorter, stouter officer asked. He had a mean glare.

Erin swallowed. Did she trust them with the truth? What she knew, what was on that laptop, it needed to go to the right people.

“These guys... They came out of nowhere and shot Khalil.” She glanced back at the doors. It was at least a partial truth.

“Do you know what they looked like? Where were you?” the taller, dark officer asked. He had a kind smile and a gentler way of speaking.

“Yeah—”

“Excuse me?” The ambulance driver approached them. “I need you to move these vehicles.”

“Sure.” Erin glanced at her stolen vehicle. She couldn’t skirt the truth much farther.

“Park over there, around the corner,” the tall officer said.

Erin was too tired to do more than nod. She was better off here, with police, than by herself until she knew what happened to Mark.

She climbed behind the wheel and rolled the windows down.

The SUV would forever smell of blood.

She shifted into drive and pulled around the corner to wait for the officers who were, no doubt, going to back her into a corner.

Erin glanced over her shoulder.

The right thing to do would be to sit here and explain her story to these cops. How did she explain a kidnapping half a world away resulting in this?

She couldn’t lie. Not now. Which meant these cops were going to take her somewhere, ask a lot of questions and take away the laptop. If NexGen got it, she had no idea if they’d do the right thing.

The only way this would change was if a lot of the right kind of people knew about it. She had to cast a wide net.

Erin parked as close to the building as she could and locked the doors. The cops would be on her soon, which meant she had moments. She pulled out the laptop and set it on her lap.

The battery didn’t have much longer. She had to be quick.

If Mark was still out there, if he’d gotten away, he could come find her the moment she accessed the files. He could also wipe his servers and destroy the evidence.

It was worth the risk.

It was why she’d put it all on the line in the first place.

Erin connected to the hospital WiFi and emailed the link to Colborn. She glanced over her shoulder.

No cops yet.

She had a little more battery life left.

She opened a browser tab and brought up the Department of Defense website and began emailing every address she could find.

If one person knew, they could sweep it under the rug. If a dozen knew, someone would have to speak up.

She glanced over her shoulder again.

Where were the cops? This didn’t make sense.

Erin twisted to get a better view. Had she gone to the wrong spot?

A man stood outside her door, a gun aimed at her.

She hadn’t thought Mark could be that fast...

RILEY GLANCED IN THE rearview mirror. Grant and the others had hung back at the scene to explain to the cops what happened, freeing Riley and Casey up to go find Erin. The threat wasn’t over.

“Where the hell are we going?” Casey demanded.

“I don’t know. Erin left. Where would she go?” Riley swung his head back and forth.

Melody hadn’t seen a SUV come her way. That meant Erin had to have taken this road, but there were dozens of different ways she could have gone.

The highway was ahead of them in another mile or two. From there she could get out of the city and go anywhere. Or, what if Mark had her?

“Tell me about her,” Casey said.

“What?” Riley frowned at his brother.

“Tell me about her. What is she like? Would she run from danger?”

“No.” Riley shook his head. “She’s a run into it kind of person.”

“Then why’d she leave? If the danger was there, what would make her run?”

“Someone is in danger.” Fuck. Riley’s brother was a genius.

His phone began to vibrate. He dug in his pocket and shoved it at Casey while staring at the highway signs. Which way would she go?

“This is Casey.” He put the phone on speaker.

“The laptop just pinged. Southlake Hospital, south and east of your position,” Zain said. “Five minutes, maybe fifteen in traffic.”

“On our way,” Riley said.

“Any minute now I’m going to get a phone call from Grapevine cops. I’ll send them to your location. Have something to tell me, got it?” Zain didn’t say anymore.

Riley cut across the lanes and bullied his way into the turn lane. This hour, the morning rush was building. Fifteen minutes was probably generous.

“Is this seriously what you do?” Casey slid the phone into a cup holder.

Riley merged into traffic, grinding his molars. He didn’t care what Erin’s reasons for leaving were, only that they got her back safely. The others could sort out how Mark found her and the rest of it, so long as at the end of the day Riley could hug Erin.

“Erin, she’s your client, right? The person you’re protecting?” Casey asked.

Riley didn’t answer.

“Just seems like you’re awfully involved for her to be a paying customer.”

“Shut the fuck up.” The last thing he needed was his brother busting his balls.

“After what you’re dragging me into? I think I get to run my mouth all I want.”

Ten minutes later, Riley skirted traffic by way of the generous shoulder and exited SH114. The Southlake Hospital was just off the highway, with a well-marked set of signs. Riley pulled into the parking lot, scanning the vehicles for another dark SUV.

He let the vehicle roll forward, following the curve of the building.

“Zain said it was here,” Riley muttered.

“Could she be inside?” Casey suggested.

“Maybe?”

“There.” Casey sat forward and pointed.

A police SUV was parked at the curb. The front, driver door wasn’t fully shut, and one window was down.

That was odd.

Riley stopped next to the other vehicle. Casey got out before Riley came to a full stop, jogging to the car. He didn’t even get close to the cruiser before his body went tense as though a jolt of electricity went through him.

“Riley...they’re here,” Casey said.

“What?” Was Erin in the car? Riley got out of the SUV and circled to look into the police vehicle.

Two officers were slumped over in their seats. Casey leaned across, checking the officer’s pulse.

“Oh, fuck.”

“They’re alive,” he said. “Erin’s here. Go find her. I’ll take care of them.”

Riley whirled.

If Erin had been here, with these officers, then Mark must have incapacitated them somehow to get at Erin. She’d be close, and she could be in worse condition.

“Go,” Casey barked.

Riley nodded and turned away from the Emergency Department. Mark would want to get her away from people. She had to be nearby.

He followed the sidewalk around the corner of the building to a side lot sheltered by the ER department.

A dark SUV sat idling near the building and a man stood at the driver’s side, a gun pressed to the window.

Riley froze.

In the back of his mind he knew that even if Mark pulled the trigger, the glass would more than likely deflect the bullet. She could escape the first shot, but once the window wasn’t a barrier... Riley had from now until Mark shot or it could be Erin’s life.

The SUV door opened, a small foot ramming the door into Mark.

God damn it, Erin.

Mark staggered back, throwing out one arm.

This was the only chance Riley was going to get. He sprinted forward, staring down Mark. If all he did was stop the man from shooting at Erin that was fine. She could get away and that was what mattered.

Mark’s eyes landed on Riley. He swung his arm up and around, aiming at Riley. He didn’t veer or duck, he charged. Riley threw his full weight against Mark. The gun went off, almost next to Riley’s head as they tumbled to the ground.

A fist connected with Riley’s jaw. A knee with his thigh. Riley hauled back and punched at Mark, putting all his anger into it.

“Stop right there,” Erin yelled.

Mark’s gaze went past Riley to Erin standing over them, a gun aimed at Mark’s head.

The only thing that mattered to Riley was that Erin was safe.

ERIN SAT ON THE bumper of the ambulance while the first responders moved around her. Could it really over?

Mark was in custody.

According to Riley, the black ops Allied Security team was either dead or wounded, and accounted for. The videos made the employee list fairly easy.

All that was left was for the police to fit their stories together.

Erin had lied to them, and for that, she’d have to shoulder the guilt.

A pair of black boots stepped into her field of vision. They were scuffed and in one spot the leather pealed up. If he wasn’t careful that could get him hurt.

“You need new shoes,” she said.

“Erin?” Riley knelt in front of her. They hadn’t had the opportunity to speak since he’d taken Mark down. Between the injured and answering the questions from law enforcement, they hadn’t had a moment to speak. Riley’s brow creased and there were deep brackets around his mouth. “I thought we came to an understanding. I’ve got your back. Don’t you know that?”

“I couldn’t ask you,” she whispered.

“You could have.”

“And then what? You’d get fired. Khalil might have shot you. I couldn’t have asked you. Not for me.”

“Yes, you could have. You say, Riley, I’m going to do something stupid, and I need a partner.”

“I can’t.” She swiped at her cheeks. The person she’d say that to was the kind of person she’d live the rest of her life with. “Look what happened?”

All of this, those officers who could have been killed, Khalil, that was on her.

Riley kept that same unwavering gaze on her. “I’m going to put you in a very well-lit room and lock you there. For my own sanity.”

Erin sputtered a laugh.

“You think I’m joking? Because right now I’m not.” His stare held no mirth. “Waking up without you, knowing you were gone before I went looking, I didn’t like that. I thought we had an agreement, Erin. Doing the Lone Ranger act...

“It’s stupid?” She winced.

“I wasn’t going to say it.”

“I thought I was doing the right thing. I didn’t want you to get fired because of me. I had—I needed—”

“To do the right thing?” He smirked.

“Yeah.”

“About the right thing. What exactly did you do?” He narrowed his gaze.

“Well, it depends on which thing you’re talking about.” She glanced at an officer striding past them. From the sound of it, both cops were fine.

“The thing you called Colburn about?”

“Oh. That one.” She swallowed. Explaining why she’d saved her kidnaper would be easier. “I didn’t know what happened when we left. I didn’t know if you survived if they...”

Riley squeezed her hand.

“I had to do something. Riley...there wasn’t just one video.”

“Yeah, Zain figured the same thing out overnight.” Riley grimaced.

“Do you think they knew? NexGen?”

“I don’t honestly know.” He shrugged.

“That accident cost them a lot of money. The bad press was worse. Why would they pay for that? But who is to say they never hired Allied to do anything else?” She swallowed. “I need to go there.”

“Is that going to solve anything? Do you think they’re going to tell you the truth?”

“No. I need to quit, for me, which means I have to give them everything.” Erin could do that in good conscience. Too many people had access to the Allied Security server to make the email archive valuable.

“And then what do you want to do?” Riley asked.

Erin swallowed. Her gut said to follow him, but that was her emotions talking. “I don’t know,” she finally whispered.

“Well, do you want to start with meeting my youngest brother?”

“He’s here?”

“He’s probably why we haven’t all been arrested,” Riley whispered.

He stood and tugged Erin to her feet. She swayed toward him. She was running on fumes. Riley wrapped his arm around her waist and gave her a little squeeze.

She hadn’t wanted him to worry. She’d never meant for his team to run after her. And yet they had. If she had to go back and do it all over again, she’d have woken Riley up. She’d have asked the team for help.

“Come on.” Riley kissed her forehead then took her by the hand.

He led Erin over to a young man that shared Riley’s long lashes and brown hair. There was some similarity in their facial features, but she’d never confuse the two.

“Erin, meet Officer Casey Smith.” Riley grinned at his younger brother.

“Nice to finally meet you.” Casey offered her a hand. “What trouble are we getting into next?”

“Nothing, just taking a little drive is all,” Riley said.

“Oh, boy.” Casey rolled his eyes. “Let’s get it over with.”

Casey led the way to their SUV, Riley and Erin following slower.

She was going to quit. The knowledge was a weight off her shoulders. What came next, well, she’d have to figure that out.

Riley opened the passenger door for her while Casey climbed into the back seat.

Erin shoved the door shut.

Riley glanced down at her.

“Come with me?” She’d run into enough messes lately. This time she’d take the help she could get.

“If you seriously thought I was letting you go by yourself, you’re nuts.” Riley squeezed her hand.

Erin nodded. She was in love with Riley. She’d been halfway into it before she’d realized it was happening. When this was over she wanted to work on that. A man who’d run after her this many times was worth fighting for.

RILEY HELD THE DOOR for Erin and together they stepped out into the sunshine, leaving NexGen in their wake. Whether someone at the company was guilty or not would be the job of someone else. He kept his hand on her back, steering her out to the parking lot where Casey waited for them.

“Feel better?” he asked.

“Not really. Lighter, but not better.” She stepped up on the curb, the red paved walkway between the rows of cars stretching the length of the lot.

“What’s wrong?” He tugged on her hand until she stopped.

“I don’t know.” She lifted her shoulders.

There’d been something sad and resigned about her since the hospital. He’d thought it was about quitting, but now he wasn’t so sure. He stared down at her, all his thoughts jumbled together. He didn’t know how to say what was in his head, but if he didn’t get it out now, he might not get the chance. There was no guarantee they’d see each other again after this.

“Where are you going after this?” he asked.

“Miami, I guess.” Again, she didn’t seem as happy about that decision.

“Ever been to a farm before?”

“No.”

“Want to make a stop up north first?”

Erin opened and closed her mouth.

“It’s not a great offer. My mom’ll drive anyone nuts. I just...” It was his turn to search for the words and find them lacking. “I know this wasn’t what you signed up for, so just tell me to shut up and I’ll stop. I want to see you again, but not in a week or a month. What I’m trying to say is...”

I like you seemed like the smart thing to say, but he couldn’t form the words. His feelings were stronger than that.

“I’m not sure I’m kidding about locking you up somewhere if that means I get to keep seeing you,” he finally said.

“Is that what it takes for you to get a girlfriend?”

“I don’t know. I’m trying it out. What do you think?”

“Scrap that idea and try another one.”

“Okay.” He swallowed. “How about—I like you. I really like you, and the idea of putting you on a plane by yourself today, tomorrow, or whenever, doesn’t sit right with me. I want you to come with me, let my mother harass you until you can’t stand here, then let me take you home or wherever you want to go.” Maybe by then he’d have figured out the rest.

“Wow.” Erin stared at him, her eyes gone wide.

“That’s probably too much.” He ducked his head, heat crawling up his neck. At least he hadn’t said he loved her.

“I...don’t do casual well. The only reason it’s ever worked is because most guys are gone in a week at most. I’m rusty at relationships, but...”

“All I know is, this morning I woke up without you, and I don’t want to do that again.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in tight. He’d never wanted to be a better version of himself more than he wanted that right now. “I fuck up a lot of the good things in my life, but I’d like a chance to get it right. So if that means you need time or space or whatever, okay. All good things need time to grow.”

“You do know I’ve just about burned all my bridges, I’m jobless, and I’ve got nothing going for me right now?” She tipped her chin up, eyes searching his.

“I hear the beach is a good place to soak up some good ideas.”

“I think I’ve maxed out all the sun and sand good ideas.”

“Back home I always used to climb up to the hay loft and dig around for some up there.”

“Find any?”

“A few.”

“Then maybe that’s where I need to go.” She stared at his chest.

“I can’t promise my mother will behave.”

“At least I know where you get it from.”

He sputtered a laugh and kissed her forehead.

“My mama’s going to love you,” he said.

“What about you?” Erin asked.

“I’m trying very hard not to say anything stupid.”

“Why start now?”

“Because then I might say something like, I don’t like you, I love you, and then you might not want to go searching for good ideas in the hay loft.”

Erin blew out a breath and leaned against him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head against his chest.

“If you say it I’ll say it,” she said.

“It?” He grinned at her one eye glaring up at him. “I know it wasn’t what we agreed on, but I fell for you somewhere between, hey, let’s run away, and hey, let’s try to not die today. You think it’s okay if I say I love you?”

“Is it okay if I say I love you, too?”

“Hell yeah.” Riley didn’t wait for Erin to say anything else. He bent her backward and kissed her lips. Whatever came next, he wanted her in it.