FRIDAY. UNKNOWN, IRAQ.

Riley caught sight of another pair of men in long, white garments. They were being trailed from both sides. That accounted for four of the eight they’d identified as a threat.

“Grant? Nolan? Can anyone hear me?” he said, keeping his voice low.

“They’re following us,” Erin said.

Fuck.

There was some kind of interference on the comms. Once again, whatever toys these people had didn’t make sense for the kind of operation they were running.

“This way.” Riley grabbed Erin’s hand and pulled her into the darker shadows of one of the homes.

“What are we doing?” Erin whispered.

Did he lie to her and keep her calm? Or did he bank on the hope she was cool under pressure given her background?

He rolled the proverbial dice and decided to take his chances. The woman in that video who’d fought back was someone he’d like to work with.

“We’re cut off from my team,” he said. “We have a vehicle parked past these homes behind a service station. I need to get us there and swing back to pick up my people.”

“And you expect me to sit here and wait?” Her voice went up in pitch. Three days in captivity could do a number on a person. He didn’t blame her in the least for not wanting to be alone in the dark.

“Can you run?”

“I’m not waiting here.” She seemed indignant he’d even ask.

He liked her fire. However, making a run out in the open like that put her at risk. These people hadn’t hesitated to fire on their team. Riley might not be able to stick to their non-lethal tools. If it came down to the lives of people taking shelter, Erin or his team versus the kidnappers, Riley couldn’t hesitate to make the call.

“Then I’m going to need you to run in front of me. That way if they fire, they hit me, not you. Got it?” He dug the keys out of his pocket and handed them to Erin. “Can you unlock the SUV for me?”

“Yeah.” She took the fob from him.

“Those guys are going to realize we lost them and circle back. We’re going to cut between these homes then straight across. Blue service station, tan SUV. Got it?”

“Yes. Let’s go.”

No tears. Not a bit of panic. Her voice didn’t even waver. God, if all their VIP assets were this calm Riley’s job would be a piece of cake.

He stepped out, fitting the butt of his rifle against his shoulder. Nothing moved in the narrow space behind the homes.

“Go,” he whispered.

Erin ducked between the two homes, sticking to the side where the shadows were thicker. Seeing her in action, it was easy to peg her as former military. The composure, how she moved.

They slowed to a stop closer to the street. Erin went to a knee, providing him a clearer view.

Sure enough, two of the kidnappers stood a few houses down, their heads together.

“Not yet,” Riley whispered.

The two turned toward their hiding spot, staring back toward the house where they’d held Erin hostage at.

In the distance little pops broke the stillness.

Someone had opened fire.

They’d hoped to pull this off without firing a shot.

The duo turned away.

Erin darted forward before Riley could tell her to go. His boot slipped on the hard-packed earth before he got traction, following in her wake. She had all the speed of a jackrabbit, outdistancing him in moments.

Men yelled off to his left.

Riley glanced at the pair, only to see the other two had joined them. One raised their gun. Fuck. Riley swerved. The bullet hit the dirt road a few feet away. Still too close for his comfort.

An engine revved to life.

Erin had made it to the SUV.

Another shot blasted the ground, this time on his other side.

A tan SUV roared out from behind the service station and flipped on its headlights, going directly to bright. Erin turned the wheel, putting the truck between the shooters and Riley. He threw himself at the passenger side, piling inside.

“Go!” he barked before he was even seated.

Erin stomped on the gas and shifted, turning them back toward the place she’d been held captive.

“Grant, Nolan, Vin, B—do you copy?” Riley didn’t like how long they’d been out of communication.

“Comms down?” Erin asked.

“They’re jamming us. All I’m getting is static.”

“What?” Erin’s face scrunched up, and she glanced at him.

“Yeah. I know.”

He rolled the window down. They’d surrounded the house, spacing themselves out around it. They’d hoped to flush people out with the flash grenades and maybe catch Erin. If Riley had to guess, the kidnappers had poured out of the house like a bunch of angry fire ants and swarmed the others, backing them into a corner. He tilted his head and listened for the sound of more gunfire.

“Where am I going?” Erin asked.

“Turn right here, then we’re going to go left, but I’m not sure where. They’re...that way.” He pointed diagonally, through several buildings where the sound of gunfire had come from earlier.

“Where are we? How long have I been here? Two days? Three?” Strain broke her voice.

“Pull over. Let me drive,” he said. She was the asset. It wasn’t her job to drive.

“I’m fine,” she snapped.

Damn, but he liked her fire. Riley couldn’t help but grin at her prickly response.

“You’re better than fine. Most people in your shoes have to be carried out. Turn!” He pointed at the intersection just ahead.

Erin yanked on the wheel. The rear tires skidded, and they swung a bit wide, but they made the turn.

“I see them.” She leaned forward.

Thirty yards down the street, two men in white took cover behind a car, their guns aimed at a broken-out storefront.

Riley leaned out the window and aimed. He didn’t relish taking these shots. His finger tightened on the trigger. The closest shooter went down, clutching his leg. The second shooter fled before Riley could get off another shot.

“Riley? Riley!” Grant bellowed in his ear.

“Fuck. I hear you. Get in.” Riley dropped to his seat.

Erin hit the brakes, and the SUV slid a good five feet before coming to an abrupt stop.

A man in green gear leapt through the shop front and went to a knee, rifle up, eyes on the road behind them. The three others followed, getting into the SUV. In moments they were loaded, and once more Erin laid on the gas, sending them shooting out of the small village into the desert alone on a long stretch of lonely road.

“Everyone, meet our chauffer, Erin. Erin, this is everybody.” Riley unbuckled his helmet and set it in his lap. The sun might have set and temperatures were dropping, but the gear was still damn hot.

“What the hell happened back there?” Grant demanded.

Riley winced, his TL’s voice coming in even louder through the headset. He pulled the comm out and let it dangle against his shoulder.

“Where am I going?” Erin’s voice quivered. Just a touch. If Riley hadn’t heard her speak evenly, he might not have noticed the tremor. She was strong, but she was also human.

“Pull over. Let me take it from here,” Riley said.

Besides the village behind them, they were miles from anything. The two-lane road stretched on for what looked like ever. The clear sky stretched out overhead, unbroken by a single cloud. Millions of stars twinkled at them under the crescent moon. If they were going to be followed, they’d see the headlights or hear the engine long before another vehicle got to them.

Erin eased the vehicle to the shoulder. She was at the end of her rope. She’d done as much as she could, and now she needed to collapse. Riley got out before she’d brought the SUV to a complete stop. He circled the front and pulled the driver’s door open.

She slid out, moving slower. This was the clearest look he’d gotten at her yet. He didn’t spot any wounds, no blood. Her features were tense, lips pursed. She’d served with the military. For a woman in combat heavy situations that meant becoming one of the guys, having to act tough. He was willing to bet the act was a defense mechanism. Despite rescuing her, he and his team were still an unknown.

“You okay?” he asked, keeping his voice low.

“Yeah.” She straightened her spine.

“Thanks for driving.” He held up his hand. “Go team?”

She frowned at his hand for a moment. Yeah, it was silly, but he wanted to break the ice. She smacked her palm to his with a nice amount of force. She might be shaken, but she wasn’t doing too bad

If he had to guess, Erin wasn’t accustomed to being the one needing help. She was the one who did the helping. Having the table turned on her had to be a strange and unwelcome experience.

Riley got behind the wheel and peered in the rearview mirror.

Still no vehicles headed their way. Whatever the kidnappers’ resources were, they didn’t extend to a car chase across the desert.

They got back on the lonely road headed toward Mosul, though they didn’t intend to go that far. A safe house awaited them a little way up the road, along with Erin’s bodyguard they’d been told to bring with them.

“Erin, I’m Grant Anderson. Glad to see Riley was able to get you out of there.” Grant extended his hand to Erin who gave it a little shake.

“We did the rundown already, boss,” Riley said.

Erin didn’t appear to want to talk, and he doubted she’d appreciate Grant’s form of talking at her.

“Good.” Grant eased back in his seat. “We’ll be at the safe house soon and we can address any injuries there.”

“Water?” Riley grabbed an unopened bottle from the cup holder and offered it to her.

“Thanks.” She twisted the cap off the bottle. “Do you mind if we crack a window? You guys smell a little ripe.”

Riley laughed and slapped his hand on the wheel.

Man, he liked her better in person. The picture didn’t capture that personality.

Forty-five minutes later they pulled into a small town at the intersection of two major highways. It wasn’t very big. Hell, Riley didn’t even need to pull up the directions to find their way back to their safe house for the night. Sometimes he wondered how Zain found these places, what contacts it took to find a private residence in just about any town in any country. Then again, if he knew Zain’s secrets he might get promoted, and Riley liked his spot on Lepta Team pretty well. It fit into his ten-year plan nicely.

Riley pulled the SUV onto the paved parking pad outside the home. The square, two-story building wasn’t much to look at, but the sturdy structure would offer them security for the night and a place to make a better plan for the next day. With any luck, they’d be in and out before their neighbors realized they were there.

“Riley, stay here with Erin while we check the place out,” Grant said.

“Copy that.” Riley leaned back in the seat and checked his mirrors.

There was no foot traffic, nothing unusual. They’d only paused at the house on their way through to lay eyes on it, take a piss break, drop off Erin’s bodyguard and the second vehicle.

The other four got out of the SUV, leaving Riley alone with Erin.

The silence stretched on for a few moments. Some assets liked to talk, others cried, some wanted to sleep off the ordeal. He could already tell Erin was thinking. See the occasional glimpse of a shadow in her eyes. He wished he could erase the last few days from her memory.

“Something on your mind?” Riley asked.

“This whole thing—it’s wrong,” she said.

“How so?” He didn’t want to put ideas in her head, but he was of the same mind.

“They jammed your comms.” She turned to stare at him. “An eight-person team breached a well-guarded facility in a heavily patrolled area—for what purpose? I’m not valuable. I don’t have security clearance. Their resources don’t match them. So either they bought the equipment—with what money?—or someone gave it to them because they wanted to hit that location.”

“Why would they do that?” he asked.

“Because someone wanted me out of the way or dead.” She slid down in her seat. “I think...”

“You don’t know for sure they were after you.” What was it about Erin Lopez they didn’t know? Why was she a target? He and the others hadn’t figured out why they’d grab Erin, either.

Erin studied him for a moment. He could feel himself hanging in the balance as she weighed him against something else. Could he say or do something to make her trust him? There was something about her eyes and that crooked smile of hers that made him want her to confide in him.

She glanced away, her mind made up.

“Two years ago, I was an assistant to the Project Manager on a job. It was...they were doing everything wrong. Pissing off the locals. The surveys were done incorrectly. It was a mess. People died.” Erin sat there for several moments without speaking. Whatever she was thinking about, Riley knew he wouldn’t like it. “A few of the people who kidnapped me? I think they were from that town. I think their family members were the ones we killed.”

Well, that escalated quickly.

Riley shifted in his seat and considered his next words carefully. He didn’t doubt that there was a reason for the events happening to Erin, but the logic leap didn’t make as much sense to him as it did to her. Right now, his job was to keep her calm and get her back to the States. That was it. Everything else would be sorted out by the authorities and her bosses.

“Why would they focus on you? And why come after you now? After all this time? Unless—hear me out—they were scared you’d give their Miss Universe contestant a run for her money?” he asked.

“What?” Erin snorted a laugh and looked at him.

“I’m just saying, you’d give her some stiff competition.”

“Yeah. Okay.” Erin shook her head. “If these people are who I think they are, they’d focus on me because after the explosion happened the people over the project gave me a script and put me on the PR round. People saw me as the person behind the incident. I was too naïve to realize what they’d done until it was too late.”

“Okay. That’s...not great. But still, why now?”

“I don’t know.”

“I’m not saying you’re wrong, but hear me out, okay?”

“I don’t think they care about beauty pageants.” She didn’t smile, but she didn’t seem as sad. He’d gotten her to laugh, to break the strain she’d been under. That was good.

“Their loss. Look, the truth is, we don’t know where they got the resources or why they targeted the facility. We don’t know why they grabbed you, and not anyone else. Right now, let’s focus on getting you some rest and back to the States. The authorities can sort this out.” He nodded at the lights in the house turning on. “Maybe your bodyguard has some better insight? He wouldn’t say much to us.”

“You brought Thomas?” Erin gaped at him, eyes wide, lips parted.

“Your bosses wanted him on hand to help us. Why?”

“Shit.” She pressed her hand to her forehead. “Nothing.”

“Erin?” Riley reached across and put his hand on her shoulder. “If there’s something bothering you, tell me. We’re here to protect you.”

“It’s nothing I can put into words. He just...gives me the creeps, okay?” She shrugged.

“I’ll coordinate with Grant and make sure you two are in different transports, how’s that?” After what she’d been through, he was willing to go the extra mile to make whatever concessions she needed. Besides, Mom had always said to trust a woman’s instinct when it came to safety. If Erin didn’t want Thomas near her, they’d comply.

“No, you don’t have to do that. It’s silly.” Erin glanced out the side window.

Riley caught sight of the flashlight in the front window signaling the all clear.

“Hey?” He reached over and put his hand over hers. She peered at him out of the corner of her eye. “It’s my job to keep you safe. If this dude’s a creep, say no more. We’ll handle it. Stay there. I’m going to come around and walk you inside, okay?”

“You take this job real serious, don’t you?”

“Haven’t lost a VIP asset yet.”

Riley grabbed his helmet and plopped it on his head. He got out of the SUV and did another glance up and down the street. Still nothing to set off alarm bells. Just a quiet night in a sleepy town.

He circled the vehicle and opened Erin’s door. She moved slower still, probably from days of exhaustion and fear. She’d collapse soon, and he wanted her inside when that happened.

“How about something to eat and a shower?” he asked.

“That sounds amazing. These clothes stink.”

“Well, we’ve got something for you to wear if you want a change.”

“Let me guess, its green with pockets all over?” She glanced at his gear.

“You’d look good in green.” He grinned. “Nah, just some yoga pants and t-shirts. Nothing fancy, I’m afraid.”

“It’s a step up from what I’m wearing now.”

“What about injuries? You okay?”

“Some bruises.”

“Well, there’s a cream for that.”

“Do you have a line for everything?” She chuckled.

“No, but I made you laugh.” That meant something in his book. She hadn’t yet smiled, but he was getting there.

Riley guided Erin into the house and through the back into the kitchen. If she didn’t have any injuries, the next important thing was getting her hydrated and fed.

The others were still going over security measures, but it was obvious Riley was on asset duty.

“Here, sit. Let me get you some water. Hungry?” He grabbed a bottle from the fridge and slid it across the dining table to her. She’d sipped the other dry during their drive instead of gulping her fill. Erin clearly knew what she was about.

She eased herself onto the chair at the head of the table and took the water.

“You don’t have to do all that,” she said.

“Actually, it’s my job.”

“Riley?” Brenden stepped into the room. He’d stripped off most of his tactical gear and had his hands out. He glanced at Erin and gave her a little nod. Riley had assumed that given Brenden’s POW experience he’d have an affinity for Erin’s situation, but as of yet he’d barely acknowledged the woman’s presence.

“Thanks, man.” Riley handed over his rifle and the rest of his kit, shedding well over fifty pounds in gear.

Now that he could move freer, he spent a moment scrubbing his hands and arms at the sink before diving into the fridge to see what they had to offer.

“Looks like our options are some kind of soup and a lot of grilled stuff.” He picked up the soup to start with. The broth would be easiest for Erin to try first before moving on to the denser foods.

“What about everyone else?” Erin gestured through to the next room where Grant was no doubt calling Melody to make his report back to Zain and the client.

“Looks like I’m on KP. They’ll come get food when they’re ready. Eat whatever you want now before those guys get here. They’ll inhale it all.” Riley grinned, determined to put on a positive front.

Erin continued to watch him with a befuddled expression that only got more pronounced by the minute. When he finally placed a bowl of soup in front of her, she seemed well and truly flummoxed. He couldn’t figure out why. She wasn’t in a hole in the ground. They were headed back to safety. He’d have thought she would be relieved.

“What’s that face for?” He leaned his elbow on the back of a chair. “My heating skills not up to par?”

“I’m just...amazed. You rescue damsels in distress, you think about the little people, you cook—what else do you do? Do you have brothers? And my God—are those your real eyelashes?”

Shit.

Riley ducked his head and heat crawled up his neck.

Those damn eyelashes.

“Do you like them? I put them on just for you.” He glanced at Erin and grinned.

She shook her head. At least she was asking questions unrelated to the last few days.

“I do have brothers. Three, in fact, but they’re all trouble. Every one of them. Well, I guess my cop brother isn’t all that much trouble. The others? Pure hell. Now, I don’t see any damsels in distress around here, but if you do, signal us and we can make sure she’s rescued.” He was willing to bet she had a plan to get away given the opportunity.

He winked, and she chuckled. He was growing to like the sound of her good humor. She wasn’t as tense. He wouldn’t say she’d relaxed, but it was a start.

“Do you want to call your family? Work? Anything before you pass out?” He checked the rest of the food heating in the oven.

“God—do they know?” Erin groaned.

“We don’t communicate with family unless the client asks, so I can’t answer that question.”

“Can you find out if they know?” She squinted up at him. “My mom is going to kill me if she finds out.”

“She doesn’t like you over here?”

“My mom? No. Her parents left Iraq when she was a teenager. A very rebellious, headstrong teenager, and she’s never been interested in coming back. If she had her way, I’d be like my sister. Married with three kids and a fourth on the way.” Erin leaned back and folded her arms over a very lean stomach.

“Sounds like my mom.” Riley shook his head. “She sends me pictures of the girls I went to high school with, keeping me updated about who they broke up with.” He shook his head. Those girls were nice, but they weren’t for him. He could never be the man they wanted.

“It’s sweet, but isn’t it the worst?”

“Yeah, and those poor girls. The pictures she sends me? She’s clearly stalking them at the grocery store to snap them.”

“Seriously?”

“I wish I was kidding.” Riley held his hands up.

“I can’t decide if that’s hysterical or the most embarrassing mother ever.”

“Oh, that’s not even embarrassing. You want embarrassing? My brother had a girlfriend for a couple months. Mom really wanted them to get married, but...what I remember of this girl? She’s not the settling down kind. Real free spirit. Anyway, mom sneaks into my brother’s house—they all live on the same ranch—and takes a picture of the two of them in bed one morning.”

“No.” Erin covered her mouth.

“Yeah, it gets worse. She then posts it on Facebook—”

“Shut up...”

“She doesn’t notice the ropes tied to the posts or the trashcan in the corner of the shot. God, my brother was pissed. The girl was embarrassed. Makes me glad I live far, far away.” Riley shook his head.

“Okay, you win.” Erin held up her hands in surrender, the left side of her mouth hitched up in that adorable, mischievous smile he’d only glimpsed in pictures. He wanted to keep that look on her face for as long as possible.

“So what do I win?” Riley grinned back.

Man, what he wouldn’t give for this to not be a job. He wanted to spend a few hours trading stories with her, making her laugh, then see where things went.