SATURDAY, MARK FOREST residence, Erbil, Kurdistan.

Mark paced his living room and stripped off gear.

Everyone had reported in. All his men were out of the danger zone. Thomas was, possibly, still imbedded with the targets where he was supposed to be. How long would that last?

This was supposed to have been taken care of already.

He’d given those desert dwellers the tools. He’d cleared the way for them to get in and out without getting caught. He’d done everything except pull the damn trigger. How hard was it to kill one woman?

They needed another plan. Some way to trap her and end this before things got out of hand. If she left Kurdistan, it would be harder to get to her, not to mention his team would grow more desperate to protect themselves.

He could cut them all loose and offer a bonus to the person who brought him Erin Lopez’s head. The problem there was, what would it do to future business? One or two incidents the government could cover up, but more than that and they’d be forced to take action or lose ground they’d gained.

The phone on the table vibrated and flashed. Thomas’ name blinked.

Thank God.

Mark snatched the phone up and continued pacing.

“Where are you?” he asked

“Some hotel in Ankawa,” Thomas replied.

The Christian district then.

“And Lopez?”

“No idea. The others claim she and one of theirs up and left with no warning.”

“We saw them leave.” Mark wasn’t sure there was a reason for the team to split and remain out of contact. Unless they suspected Thomas.

“What do you want me to do?” he asked.

“Stay with them for now. Do you still have your NexGen badge?” Mark had to think about the bigger picture.

“Yeah.”

“Okay. I’m working on something. Keep your phone near you. I’ll call when I have more.”

Mark hung up and continued to pace.

It was possible for Thomas to get to Erin’s office. If he could get rid of her files and whatever evidence she had on him, while the others made sure tomorrow was her last day on earth, this could be wrapped up nice and neat. It would all have to happen quickly and in perfect order, or else nothing would work.

First, someone had to find him Erin. Without knowing her location, nothing else could happen. Once they had eyes on the target, Thomas could use whatever excuses were necessary to take care of the evidence at her office. Then Mark could set the hounds lose.

They all had something to lose if Erin started digging. It made for a particularly motivating aspect of the job. No one would care if his team were simply doing what they’d been hired to do. They’d killed full well knowing what they were doing. It was why they’d been hired, after all. Mark hadn’t known they were caught on security cameras, and then he’d barely managed to silence the whistle blower before he took the evidence up the chain.

Mark had to get to Erin, no matter the cost.

SATURDAY, ERBIL ROTANA, Erbil, Kurdistan.

Erin lay in the big, plush bed. It felt as though she were being pulled down through the mattress. She was weary to the point that keeping her eyes open was a strain, and yet a growing part of her wanted to get up and pace the room. She wanted to move. To do something. Laying here cocooned in a robe, her belly full of rich food, lying next to a snoozing man seemed like the worst way to handle their current problems.

She turned her head and stared at Riley’s profile. The bathroom light cast a dark shadow on this side of his face, but it highlighted the ridge on his nose, that probably came from breaking it a few times if she had to guess. Despite the imperfection, he had a kind face.

She’d looked at him in those gray sweatpants last night and known she was a goner.

She could only lie to herself for so long.

Erin couldn’t do no strings attached. It wasn’t her. She cared too deeply, too soon. And Riley was a good man. He thought about her needs first. His focus wasn’t just the job, it was doing all parts of the job well. How many companies would have come in to save her and still considered the threat to locals? Not even the US military would have been that careful.

Was the attraction pulling her toward him born of feeling? A real connection? Or was he right? Did some part of her want to use him as a balm to her invisible wounds? This was the first time she’d ever had to evaluate her emotions, wonder at her motives.

She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

Riley didn’t move at all.

Erin got to her feet and crossed the room to the lounge chair by the window. She eased down onto the cushions and curled her legs under her, staring out the window onto the city.

When she’d first been recruited by NexGen it was for a specific set of projects. They’d pitched the idea to her and trotted out all the theorized good they could do. She’d seen the opportunity as a five-year plan. Get these things up and going, be the middle man between the company and the locals, make everyone’s life better—then she could go home.

Four years into this, and she finally saw the truth. There would always be pitfalls. There was no world where a perfect solution cured everything and made all sides happy. She’d naively thought that by doing her job on those projects, it would carry over and fix the whole system. In reality, all she did was steer the water flow so they avoided major disasters.

Maybe it was time she did something else. Something that didn’t put her life in danger just to make money for people in another country. If she died, the only people who would care weren’t even benefitting from what she was doing.

“You want to talk about it?” Riley asked.

Her head whipped around, and she stared at the dark lump that hadn’t moved.

“I thought you were asleep.” She considered throwing the decorative pillow at him, but then she wouldn’t have it.

“Not until I knew you were.” He sat up and scooted back to lean against the headboard.

“You could have at least said something.”

“And get my head bit off again? No, thanks.”

“I did say I was sorry.” She slouched farther down on the chair and turned back to the window.

“I wasn’t sure if I should still be afraid for my life.” There was a thread of humor in his voice, but it didn’t stop his comment from rubbing her raw pride.

“I have stuff I need to figure out.”

“I’m here if you want to talk about it. I’m a hell of a lot cheaper than a shrink.”

She chuckled. He’d probably understand her a lot more than a shrink would, too. After a few days, she’d never see him again, so what was the point in pretending she had any pride left? She was going to fall head over heels for the man, pour her heart out, and cry when he left. She wasn’t anywhere near as strong as she liked to pretend, but that was her secret. No one else had to know.

“Just...thinking about earlier. I like bitching about my mom, but I love her and everyone else in my family.”

“Yeah, don’t get me wrong. My mom knows how to be obnoxious as hell, but I don’t know what I’d do without her in my life. Or my dad. Even my fucking brothers.”

“Literally fucking brothers?”

“No.” Riley laughed.  “No, not like that.”

“I know.” She chuckled. “I was just thinking...if I died, if I wasn’t alive when you guys found me, the only people who’d really miss me are my family. And I don’t even see them but once a year. That’s screwed up, you know?”

“You love your job though, right?”

“I feel like my job has meaning, but I’m not sure I make a difference in the big picture. Is it worth risking my life for this? Do I have it all wrong?”

“From an outsider’s perspective, what you do does make a difference.”

“Yeah, but the kinds of things I put a stop to, shouldn’t there be laws or common sense about not doing them?”

“Probably. What got you thinking this way? I thought you were dead set on getting to the bottom of what’s going on?” Riley flipped on the bedside lamp.

“I still am. That’s different.” She glanced at him, her gaze locking on his bare chest. She was a sucker for a six pack in cans or flesh. Something about those little ridges of muscle did it for her in a way that didn’t make sense.

“How’s it different?”

“Because... Those people were hurt because I didn’t make people listen, and now they’re involved in something someone wants to cover up. I need to get to the bottom of this before anyone else is hurt, and then...” She shrugged.

“You want to do something else?”

“Maybe? I mean, I’m missing out on my nieces and nephews growing up. My parents growing old. And for what? A job? I’m not sure it’s worth it, in the big picture. Anyone who knows the language can work with the locals. There are people here who could do my job, maybe better than I can, so why not let them?”

“That’s a good question,” Riley said. “Is that what you were lying awake thinking about? Work?” he asked.

“Sort of.” She wasn’t ready to reveal her weaknesses to him.

“You can tell me to stop asking questions, you know?”

“Stop asking me questions, Riley.” She chuckled.

“Got it. Loud and clear.”

“No—I’m kidding.”

“When you were a kid, and your mom told you not to touch the burner when it was on, you touched it, didn’t you?”

“Two or three times, if memory serves me right.”

“Are you serious?” He laughed and crammed a pillow behind his head.

“I am my father, she likes to say.”

“Is he stubborn, too?”

“He makes me look reasonable.”

“That must be a trip.”

Erin smiled. Her father had taught her a lot about what determination could accomplish. Maybe that was why she’d dug in about her job, refusing to give it up even when she wasn’t happy here.

“My dad’s a softy,” Riley said. “I think that’s why my brothers were such assholes as kids. He’s a great guy, though. And my brothers aren’t complete assholes.”

“I miss my family. I don’t think I realized it until now.”

“It’s easy to take them for granted. I don’t go home near as much as I should, and I know it.” Riley’s voice changed.

Erin studied him, the far-off look and the way his face creased. “What happened?” she asked.

“Oh, the usual story. Me and a friend joined the Army, got into the Rangers. That’s where I first met Grant, but we didn’t serve together. My friend died. I didn’t. I can’t go home without thinking—why me and not him? You know? I still don’t know how to talk to his family. It’s just easier if I stay away.”

“That’s the hard part, isn’t it? Being the ones who survive, figuring out how to go on.” She stared at her hands. Tiny scars dotted her skin, reminders of days she’d rather forget.

“Some days, yeah.”

“And then you feel even more guilt because you’re alive and they’re not.”

“That’s when you start drinking.”

“Every time I came home my dad would pick me up. Just him and me. The first time, I was a wreck. They cut our deployment short because... Well, just because.” She shook her head as though she could shake off the memories. “Dad took one look at me and drove to the nearest bar. This little dive of a place full of old, Cuban men. We drank. Didn’t talk much. And after a few hours he took me home.”

Erin hadn’t thought about those times in a long while. She could still hear the clink of the glass, ice hitting the bottom. The smell of mint and lime covered up the unpleasant odors built up by age. The chairs were uncomfortable, and her legs were too short for the stools, but she’d loved that dive.

“Here.” Riley stood next to her chair and held out a glass to her. When he’d gotten out of bed or poured a glass, she didn’t know. Memories were a weird thing.

She took the glass, and he clinked the other against hers. They both tossed the liquid down without another word. The burn in her chest was proof she was alive at least. The taste was another matter.

“Yuck. What the hell was that?” She handed him the glass.

“Hell if I know.” He puckered his lips and blinked. “It seemed like a good idea at the time. I regret that.”

Riley set the glasses on the dresser, perched on the foot of the lounge chair, and patted her ankles. He stared at the ground, the muscle at his jaw twitching. She was content to watch him, take comfort in his presence.

What would it be like to find someone? A man she could share her burdens with?

What she felt for Riley was lust. The passion of desire. The pull of chemistry.

The man she wanted would have to be unique, patient, probably make her laugh and remember to be human. Basically, a lot like Riley.

“If you aren’t happy, find something else.” He finally looked at her. “My dad nearly killed himself working the farm, taking care of the livestock. Literally. Had this heart attack, and it made him—and us—realize he needed a break. Now? He drives a truck. He listens to self-help gurus, and he drives when he wants to.”

“Not sure I want to become a trucker.”

“You sure? The pay’s not bad.”

“If I quit, the whole point is going to be around family again.”

“You could probably find all kinds of translation work, couldn’t you?”

“Probably. I’ve done some freelance translation for the military from time to time.” With her background she could probably get a job in the government sector, but was that what she wanted?

“Well, it sounds like you’ve got some research to do.” He flexed his hand around her ankle.

“One thing at a time. I need to sort out what’s happening here, first.”

“And on that note, think you can sleep?” He slid his hand up her calf and back down.

“I need to. I don’t know if I can. I keep wondering what I did wrong, what I missed...”

“Don’t beat yourself up. You aren’t the bad guy here. From where I’m sitting, you’re one of the good ones.”

How sure was she? What if she had made the wrong call? What if this was her fault?

“Come here.” Riley took her hand and tugged.

She let him pull her around until they sat next to each other. He wrapped his arm around her waist and hugged her. She closed her eyes and leaned into him, soaking up his strength. He kissed the top of her head, sending a spiral of want through her body. She didn’t want to forget what had happened as much as she wanted to remember she was human.

Erin slid her hands around him. Nothing as warm as him could be fake. He was here, and this was real. She hugged him back and buried her face against his shoulder, inhaling the smell of soap and freshly washed man.

“It’s going to be okay,” he whispered again.

She wanted to believe that, but sometimes things happened that were out of their control. Like getting kidnapped and those days in the dark cellar. She’d never been more alone in her life, and during that time she’d thought about what her family would think and grieve about her. That was when she’d realized she wasn’t leaving a whole hell of a lot behind. Sure, her parents and sister would miss her, but she’d been absent from their lives for years. Her death would simply put an end to phone calls and cards.

Erin wanted to matter to someone. She wanted to hold onto another person and know they felt the same way about her. She wanted to stop being alone. Give up this pretense that her life was fine. It wasn’t. She wasn’t. She’d followed her heart when she chose this job, but it was slowly killing her by forcing her to be alone.

“Hey. Hey, don’t cry,” Riley whispered.

He cupped her cheek and lifted her chin. His face blurred from the tears. Great, one more thing to add to her list of mortifying events with Riley. She should start keeping one of those invisible tallies. She wiped at her cheeks, unsure when she’d begun leaking.

“Come here.” Riley hooked his arm under her knees and lifted her into his lap.