Zara didn’t want to open her eyes. He’d laid cooling cloths over her swollen eyes and face, soaking them in something each time they warmed and placing them back over her eyes. Gino. Gino Mazza. She woke often, too terrified to sleep. He murmured soft words of encouragement and tried to get her to sleep. She knew she was at the embassy, but she wanted out of the country. She knew what kind of influence Cheng and Zhu had. She couldn’t go back there, and she wasn’t going to sleep until she was safe far, far away from them.
There had been a delay and she knew Gino wasn’t happy about it. At the same time, she was running a fever and he gave her massive doses of antibiotics and told her it was just as well they weren’t flying in the air for hours while her body was so torn up. He was rough, bossy, scary, and sometimes, the things he said to her echoed the orders Zhu had given her. Zhu’s voice was always gentle, Gino’s not so much. That comforted her, that even when Gino was trying to be gentle, there was a note in his voice that said he could handle anything. Anyone. He could handle hell coming at him.
She didn’t need or want nice. She needed scary. Dangerous. Someone capable of stopping Zhu. She needed strong. Confident. A man willing to do things that Zhu was willing to do if necessary. She knew there weren’t too many good guys that were like Gino and she wasn’t about to get too far from him.
She’d been given painkillers, really heavy ones that gave her relief and allowed her to drift off, but all she saw when she closed her eyes was Bolan Zhu. He terrified her. She woke, every time she fell asleep, crying her eyes out. That added to the raging headache. Through it all, there was his voice. It had a rough note to it. Deep and raspy. Not the voice of an angel. The owner of that voice didn’t have the face of an angel either. More like a beautiful devil. She didn’t want him to leave her side and every time he tried to, to her utmost horror and humiliation, she’d grabbed his hand and clung.
Clung. Like a baby. She was one of Whitney’s GhostWalkers. A reject maybe. One that was useless as a soldier. She’d proven that. She certainly hadn’t been stoic under torture and as tortures went, hers had probably had been mild in comparison to what happened to most others. Cheng had acted as if Zhu had taken it easy on her. Zhu had acted the same.
A shudder ran through her body and she tightened her fingers around his. Her guardian devil. Gino. She wanted him to be real, a terrible demon, and she didn’t care if he was sent from heaven or hell to save her. He’d done it. He’d come for her and gotten her out. He’d carried her to the roof, strapped her to his chest to fly through the air, ran with her to the embassy and gotten her inside.
Zhu had come for her, staring at her, determined she come back to him. She knew he wouldn’t stop coming. Not ever. It wouldn’t matter if she was in China, or the United States, he would come for her. If he ever got his hands on her … She shuddered. It would be bad. So bad.
Strangely, Gino even used some of the same phrases when he talked to her that Zhu did. He wanted her to answer him when he asked a question. He insisted she look at him when he spoke to her. He had a way of dictating to her, using his voice to command her. With Zhu, she’d been terrified. With Gino, she was comforted. She felt as if Gino would take care of everything for her, make certain she was safe and secure.
She knew she was becoming too dependent on him, and it wasn’t fair to him. He did everything for her. He had to take her to the bathroom. See to her every need. She was horrified and humiliated, but he didn’t let her be that way. He was gruff about it, telling her to knock it off and that it wasn’t a big deal. He didn’t let others see her without her clothes and he even managed to tame her hair. He seemed to know when she was uncomfortable and anticipated her every need.
She found herself thinking about Gino as a man. His eyes. She’d looked up at him, and his eyes had caught her attention. Cool, nearly black eyes. Like obsidian. Gleaming like a cat’s. Fierce like a cat’s. Just as cool. His lashes were unexpectedly long and for some reason, she’d fixated on that. Held it to her. Did demons have long lashes?
They were going on day four and she still refused to let him leave her side. She couldn’t help it. She expected Zhu to climb through the window and take her back. She was desperate to get out of China, although to be honest, she didn’t think that would stop Zhu from coming after her. Gino had moved, trying to let go of her hand, and she refused to let him.
“You have to stop shivering or I’m going to have to climb in bed with you and share body heat,” he warned. “I was just going to step out of the room for a moment.”
He sounded serious. She didn’t care. She wasn’t losing him. She shook her head and tried to squeeze his fingers. His hand was significantly larger and stronger than hers, but he didn’t try to break away from her. He sank down onto the bed again.
“You’re killing me, Zara. We’ve got you safe. We’ll get you home and Bellisia will take good care of you. Everyone will. You’ll be doted on like every beautiful princess should be.”
She wasn’t beautiful anymore and she wouldn’t be ever again. She couldn’t bear to look at herself in the mirror over the sink in the bathroom. It wasn’t about whether or not those marks would leave scars or fade altogether; they were there, below the surface of her skin. Bolan Zhu had put them there and no matter how her skin healed, or how often she scrubbed, she would never remove what he put on her. Another shudder went through her.
She hated that she was such a coward—and she was. She couldn’t stand being in Shanghai. She couldn’t stop being terrified long enough to fall asleep. Seeing Bellisia would be wonderful. Brilliant. She couldn’t wait, but if her demon was thinking he might leave her, he had another think coming. She wasn’t certain, even if they were free and clear of Zhu, she would be able to let Gino go. That wouldn’t be happening until Zhu was dead, so it wasn’t happening at all.
“Not Bellisia.” She wanted to make that clear.
His hand swept back her hair, slid into the thick strands and massaged her scalp. “What does that mean?”
“You take care of me. Not Bellisia.” She didn’t care if she sounded needy or demanding or if he was sick of her. It was Gino who would keep her safe. He was her only chance and she wasn’t about to be separated from him, even if it was his idea. She wanted to be tied to him. She wouldn’t have minded if he handcuffed them together or tied her to him with a rope or anything else as long as he couldn’t break that tie.
She heard his soft laughter. He bent his head toward her, his breath warm against her skin as he brushed his lips over the swelling of cheek. “You’re going to be a little monster, bossing me around.”
She hadn’t thought about it that way, but she was okay with bossing him as long as he stayed close and kept Zhu from her.
The sound of the door opening had her stiffening. She struggled to open her eyes. Panic set in when she realized there were cool bandages over them and she couldn’t see. She reached up to rip them away and Gino caught her hand. He had insisted on putting cool gauze soaked in something over her eyes every half hour.
“Leave it, princess,” he commanded, his voice an absolute authority. All trace of amusement was gone. “What is it?”
“Trouble, Gino. Boss wants to talk to you,” Rubin interrupted.
Zara knew. He was there. Zhu was there at the embassy and he was going to force them to turn her over to him. A small, terrified whimper escaped. She didn’t even care that Gino might think her a coward. Let them all. Let everyone think that. She knew she was a coward and she wasn’t going to make apologies for it. She tried to throw herself sideways. All that mattered was escaping. Getting out of bed and running. Hiding. Shanghai was a big city. She could lose herself there.
Gino’s arm clamped down around her waist. “Stop, Zara. How many times do I have to repeat myself? He’s not getting you. I’m taking you out of here one way or the other.”
“You have to follow orders,” she whispered. “Everyone has to follow orders.”
“Ma’am, excuse me,” Rubin said softly. “We’re not exactly known for followin’ orders. We’re takin’ you home with us no matter what these people say.”
“The embassy has to fly us out of here,” Zara protested, but she subsided beneath Gino’s restraining arm, although she was still tense.
“We’re already looking into alternatives, just to give us options and diversions,” Rubin explained. “Gino’s handling it.”
“Shouldn’t have to keep saying the same thing, Zara,” Gino said. “I got you out, you’re staying out.”
She almost bit her lip, but it already hurt so she licked it instead. “Would you take the wraps off my eyes?” She wanted to be able to see. “Please?”
“Not yet. I want that swelling to go down. Give me a second to see what’s so important and I’ll be right back.” His fingers touched her face very, very gently, so gently she barely felt the whisper of his skin against hers, but it was enough to send her stomach tumbling off the edge of a cliff. She’d never had a reaction like that before to anything, and it shocked her enough that she froze and just nodded, hoping he wouldn’t noticed her accelerated heartbeat.
She should have known better because it seemed Gino noticed everything. His fingers brushed over her inner wrist, right over her pulse, came back and stayed. She resisted the urge to pull her hand away and instead, held her breath.
“Princess, I swear to you, I’ll get you out of here.”
Grateful he thought her heart had gone into overdrive because she was so fearful, she managed to nod her head to show him she’d be fine until he returned. She wasn’t, but Zara could justify being a clingy baby for only so long—then she’d lose what little respect she had left for herself.
The mattress shifted as Gino got up. Zara curled her fingers into the cool sheets. They felt so good beneath her back. The painkillers Gino gave her were surprisingly effective when she hadn’t thought anything could take away that all-encompassing pain. They held off the worst of the agony inflicted by Zhu.
The moment she allowed herself to think of the man and what he’d so casually done to her, her entire body shuddered. Shivers started again. Gino had managed to stop them by his presence. He seemed … dangerous. Predatory. Invincible. There was that same energy Zhu had given off, only Gino felt different when he was close to her, his energy merging with hers. He felt protective and even possessive toward her. She didn’t know what the possessive part was all about, but she needed protection desperately and he felt as if he could shield her. He was a rock. Solid. Steady. An anchor she’d never had before and wanted to keep.
Zara detested that she counted each second Gino was away from her, but she couldn’t stop. She’d never thought of herself as a needy person. Her best friends were Bellisia and Shylah, two women she’d grown up with from the time she was an infant. They weren’t born of the same blood, but they were sisters. She often, over the years, had wished she was more like the two of them.
She hadn’t excelled at being a warrior like the others. She’d come in last at everything—well with the exception of running. That was her one call to fame. Whitney despised her for her lack of talent, although she learned quite a lot and was proud of her capabilities—she just wasn’t quite as fast as her “sisters” in a battle. They coached her of course. Both girls were generous with their help, but she wasn’t wired for combat.
She knew Whitney would have gotten rid of her had it not been for her brain. Once he realized she had something to offer, he stopped her training and began to devise a different path altogether for her—but no matter how good she did on the outside, he made it known to everyone she was a failure and inferior to the rest of them.
Her fingers stroked the sheets, clutched at them. She couldn’t stop the nervous habit she’d never been able to get rid of, no matter how many times Whitney had told her he was done with her over her inability to stay still. She silently counted, drawing air into her lungs and breathing it out. Maybe she should go looking for him—Gino. She desperately needed him with her. Time stretched out and her heart began to accelerate. Not too fast at first, but beating harder, finding fear so that the acceleration started slow but ended up galloping.
Maybe he was sick of her clinging to him. Maybe Zhu and Cheng had made an appeal to their government, and to avoid an international incident, the American consulate was going to order her turned over to Zhu. What could Gino really do if that order was given? He’d have to turn her over to Cheng.
Panic welled up. She felt dizzy, unable to catch her breath. Her hands and fingers tingled, numbness setting in and that panicked her even more. She knew she was shutting down, terrified that Gino had left her alone and the real monster was coming. She braced herself for the attack, held her breath until she nearly fainted for lack of oxygen. She drew her feet up, struggling into a sitting position, not wanting to feel so vulnerable when he came. If she could make herself small, keep her legs and feet away from him, he might not be able to do as much damage.
“Zara. What the hell is wrong?”
Gino’s voice made her jump. She hadn’t heard him come in. But then she hadn’t heard him go out. Maybe he was part of some larger conspiracy, one of the many mind-tricks Whitney played on the women to see how they would handle a situation. She wrapped her arms tightly around her drawn-up knees and shook her head.
The mattress shifted as he sank down onto it beside her. She wished she could stop shivering, that air would find her lungs so she wasn’t gasping like a fish. It was humiliating to know he was seeing her panicked and out of control.
“Baby, listen to me.” Gino’s voice was soft, a whisper of sound, but it was all command.
There wasn’t anything else she could do—or wanted to do—but listen to him. She needed to hear his voice. That take-charge, reassuring tone that made something shaky and scattered all over the place, deep inside her, begin to settle.
“You have to find one person to trust through this, and I’m asking you to let that person be me. I’ll get you home safe. As long as you’re with me, no one is going to get to you, harm you, or take you back.”
She reached up and caught at the wrap around her eyes. She had to see him. She had to know he meant what he said, and how could she do that simply relying on her ears? She heard truth in his voice, but she needed to see it. His hand closed over hers very gently, but she couldn’t move her fingers let alone get rid of the bandage.
“I need it off,” she said, willing him to understand.
Apparently, he did, because he pushed her hands down and then his returned to the dressing. He slowly unwrapped the gauze and took it down from her face. She blinked a few times, surprised she could pry her eyelids open. She lifted her lashes completely for the first time since Cheng had hit her with his gun and Zhu had added to the mess by beating the shit out of her. Whatever Gino had used over the last few days had taken the swelling down dramatically.
Gino Mazza was intimidating. He had the widest shoulders and a chest that went on forever. It wasn’t that he was massively big, just muscular. She didn’t know a man could have so many muscles. The tight tee he wore stretched over so much definition she was afraid to breathe. His face was carved, as if from some immovable matter such as marble, or better yet, steel or iron. Granite. She didn’t know, only that it worked. He was both beautiful and terrifying to look at. She’d never seen eyes so intense. So compelling. If he walked into a room full of people, she was certain everyone would stop what they were doing to look at him. He was that scary—and that enthralling. If she wasn’t counting him hers, believing him to be her protector, she would have been screaming for help.
He had gorgeous eyes. She’d noticed them before when she could barely see through the tiny slits she’d been able to make; now, she was staring full-on into those, black, obsidian eyes. They gleamed. Shone. Almost as if there was a red or blue flame beneath them.
“I don’t like you leaving me.” She knew there was a reprimand in her sulky voice. She hated what that revealed to him.
“I told you I would be right back, princess. I was gone less than ten minutes.”
Could that be true? It had to be longer. It seemed a lifetime. She nodded to let him know she was listening. She willed him to keep talking. His voice steadied her as nothing else could.
“What did they want?” It was bad news. There was nothing on his face to give it away, but she felt his energy and he wasn’t happy. His expressionless mask hid his feelings from the world, but she would always know the truth, because he couldn’t hide his moods from her. Every emotion was part of his energy whether he liked it or not, and when his energy merged with hers, she felt everything he did.
“Nothing I didn’t expect,” he assured. “Cheng went to his friends in the government and complained about you, said you ran and hid inside the embassy and that you took valuable information on something he was researching for them. That it pertained to agriculture, but that in doing their research, they had discovered a new, biochemical weapon that could cause untold harm. They want you and the information back immediately.”
Her heart sank. She pressed her palm tightly over her heart. “I knew they’d do something like that. Does the embassy want me handed over?”
“The Chinese government doesn’t want you handed over. It would be risking an international incident. They also don’t want Cheng angry with them. He provides them with all kinds of information they wouldn’t get otherwise.” Gino swept his hand down her head, his fingers finding their way to the nape of her neck where they massaged to ease the tension out of her. “We’re leaving now for the airport.”
“Zhu will stop us.”
Gino shrugged, not in the least concerned. “He can try, but we’re slipping out a back way and we’ll have a military escort. Even if the Chinese were lying, and they weren’t, they aren’t going to want a shootout with us on their streets. They want you out of here so they can tell Cheng you were already long gone. I don’t think they believe Cheng about the biochemical weapon either.”
“I just want to get to American soil.” She knew Whitney would be waiting, but she didn’t want to think about that until she had to. She just had to get out of China and Zhu’s reach and then she’d deal with the rest. She didn’t doubt for a minute that Zhu wouldn’t stop coming for her. She tried to tell herself that once she was on another continent, he would leave her alone, but she knew better.
Her fingers found the dark tee stretched so tightly across Gino’s chest. Her fingers were shaking, but she dared to touch him, to gather the material into her palm and close her fist around it. “He’ll follow,” she warned, hoping he wouldn’t think she was a hysterical female. She knew she was acting like one, but she couldn’t make herself stop. “Zhu will follow.”
He nodded his head, his hand coming up to hers, catching her wrist between his thumb and index finger as he held her fist to him. “I’m well aware of that. He let me know with that little macho bullshit stare-down at the gates that he wasn’t going to let it go. Don’t worry, princess. One thing at a time. First, get you on the plane out of here. While we’re in the air, I’ll continue to work on you. You’re already healing fast. Your feet are the worst. The rest is deep bruising and lacerations. I know it hurts like hell, but there won’t be any permanent damage, unless it’s to your feet. He wanted your body flawless, but he didn’t want you to be able to run.”
Her heart clenched wildly in her chest. He believed her. He knew Zhu was coming after her. That was both terrifying and wonderful.
“After we’re home, I’ll get you to safety and we’ll sort things out.”
Safety was wherever Bellisia was. Bellisia had managed to escape Whitney. Zara wanted to see her as soon as possible. Once the capsule with the virus broke open she wouldn’t have much time. If Bellisia could tell her how she survived, maybe she could stay. Otherwise …
Her gaze jumped to Gino’s face. She didn’t want to be away from him. Never in her life had she felt safe, not until she was in Gino’s presence. “I’m putting you in danger.” She had to at least acknowledge that she knew what she was doing to him, what she was asking of him.
His smile was slow in coming, but when it did, it was gorgeous. It took her breath and sent her stomach into a slow roll. “Baby. Really? What the hell do you think I do for a living?”
She hadn’t thought about that. He was a GhostWalker. He had to be. She knew Whitney was extremely proud of the GhostWalker program and the soldiers who had volunteered. Unlike the girls he’d gotten from an orphanage to experiment on, these men had patriotically decided to serve their country. The experiments were done over and over on the disposable girls until Whitney felt he’d gotten it right, then he performed the operations on the male soldiers. GhostWalkers took on extremely dangerous jobs.
Still, it wasn’t about Gino being a GhostWalker. The others with him were GhostWalkers, and they didn’t feel the same to her. Gino was different. Colder. Darker even than the others. Scarier. Not in terms of what he could do, but what he was willing to do. She needed that coldness to keep her safe.
“I suppose that was a rather silly thing to say.”
“Nothing you say is silly,” Gino assured. “You’re scared right now, which is very understandable.” He glanced at his watch.
She was determined to be honest with him and she hoped he’d always be honest with her. She cleared her throat. It wasn’t going to be an easy admission. “Gino?” She had his attention. He always looked straight at her and seemed to give her his entire consideration. “I’m afraid of everything. All the time. I hate being in public. I’m always afraid. I don’t want you to think I get any better than this because you’ll just be disappointed.”
He leaned forward and brushed her forehead with his mouth. His lips. They felt soft yet firm. Cool yet quickly heating. His breath was warm. “Zara, I have no expectations, so you can’t disappoint me. That said, I don’t like you being afraid because it isn’t necessary, not when you’re with me.”
She looked down at her hands. One still clung to his shirt, like a little child’s. The other was a fist in her lap and she could still see and feel those fine tremors, which meant, because Gino was so observant, he would see them as well. “I’m no fighter. I know you think we were all trained, and I was, but I’m not like Bellisia. Ask her. She’ll tell you.”
“She told me she loved you. That you were her sister and you had a gentle soul. She asked me to protect you and I will, with my life. It isn’t necessary for you to be a fighter. We have them. I’m one. You be the calm in the eye of that storm for me. I could use that. When I lose my mind, and I will, you can center me.”
Her gaze searched his. He meant it. He wasn’t patronizing her, he actually meant it. The relief was tremendous. She took a deep breath and let it out. “I can do that.” They were connected, and that connection was strong enough that she was certain she would be able to find a way to soothe him if he needed it. Still, he seemed awfully cool under fire, unlike her.
There was a knock on the door. “Look alive, Gino, we’re leaving in five.”
“Wrapping her up now, Draden. Rubin, did you pack the supplies I asked for?”
“Got them here, Gino.”
The voice was so close it made her jump. She hadn’t known there was another man in the room with them. He just seemed to come right out of the shadowed area near the windows. Had he been there the entire time? She was afraid he had. She hadn’t taken her eyes from Gino to even look around the room. She would never have made a good soldier and no matter the training, she still wouldn’t. She could defeat an opponent—but only with the element of surprise. She had knowledge, but she wasn’t fast enough nor did she generate the power the others had. She could kill, but just thinking about doing so turned her stomach.
“Babe, you’re going to have to let go of me so we can move,” Gino said.
She felt the heat rising under her skin. She tried to snatch her hand back fast, but Gino’s fingers tightened around her wrist, holding her to him. He waited until her gaze jumped to his. “Stop worrying about the little things. I like you holding on to me. Understand?”
She didn’t but she nodded anyway. His eyes burned through her to brand her somewhere deep.
“I’m going to wrap you up in the sheet and carry you out of here. My boys are going to surround us. No one will get to you. Understand?”
He seemed to say that to her a lot. Zara nodded again even though she was used to worrying about everything—especially the small stuff. He removed the IV that dripped a painkiller into her along with fluids and then he stood, planted a knee on the bed, tucked the sheet under her, lifted her easily and rolled the sheet closer around her body, then cradled her close. He did it so quickly and efficiently she wondered how many women he’d rescued. She didn’t want to sound jealous or possessive so she didn’t ask him. She caught him around the neck and held on as he carried her out of the room.
Rubin followed them, and just outside the door, the others were waiting. The one he called Draden as well as two others.
“Zara, this is Rubin and Diego, they’re brothers. Our boss, Ezekiel, and you’ve met Draden. They all serve with me in my unit. This is Zara.”
There were a lot of murmurings of “ma’am.” She felt a little underdressed to be meeting people. She flashed a small, strained smile to the group of them and then subsided against Gino’s chest.
“Can you wait to use the bathroom until we’re on the plane? I should have gotten you there right away when I knew we would have to leave fast.”
She nodded. She would definitely wait. She wanted on that plane more than she wanted anything. At her agreement, they moved quickly, in perfect step, Gino in the middle of the formation, through the hall toward the back of the embassy. A corridor led down another hall, and they went out a back door to a waiting vehicle with the back passenger door open. Gino, with Zara in his arms, slid onto the seat and someone closed the door.
She found her heart accelerating all over again. This was either going to go smoothly or all hell was going to break loose. Chinese soldiers could ambush the car. If Cheng got wind of their leaving, if anyone was in his pay in the embassy and they found out, his security force, all ex-military, could ambush the car on the way to the airport. Cheng could have his guards waiting at the airport.
Gino’s arms tightened around her as the vehicle began moving. “You’re not breathing.”
“This is nerve-wracking.” It didn’t seem to be for him. She swore his pulse hadn’t gone up at all. It was the same steady, reassuring beat it had been all along. His breathing hadn’t changed either. Her breathing, however, was coming in ragged puffs she couldn’t control. Panic was beginning to set in all over again.
“Zara.”
“I’m trying.” She was. She’d warned him.
“You’re cool as a cucumber talking in front of hundreds of people. I could never do that,” Gino said.
“I throw up every single time before I go out there to talk,” she confessed.
“That makes you even braver. You still get your sweet little ass out there and you give your talk, which, by the way, I can barely comprehend.”
She liked that he called her ass sweet, although she wasn’t certain if she should be as happy about the ass part as she was. “Once I start talking about the developments in AI, I can’t help but forget where I am or how many people are watching. I like sharing because it’s the future and there are so many wonderful uses.”
“I listened to a few of your talks they had online and I have to admit, I could hear the enthusiasm in your voice. I hadn’t thought too much about artificial intelligence, but you made it so interesting, I started studying it to learn everything I could.”
She liked everything he said to her. He made her feel as if everything she did was all right. Not just right, but extraordinary. Or perfectly okay if she wasn’t good at something. He gave her that as well.
“Breathe, baby. Look to me when you get stressed. Every time. I’ll be close.” His fingers caught her chin in a firm grip, but one so gentle her heart turned over.
He lifted her chin so her eyes met his. Outside the shadowed windows, the brilliant lights of Shanghai burst past like long, colored streamers. Inside, it was the two of them, separate, even, from the driver. Gino’s eyes were very black, so bottomless, a fathomless abyss that she found herself falling into her. His eyes were every bit as mesmerizing as his voice.
“I want you to understand what I’m telling you. When we get home, I’ll be close. You get scared for any reason, you look to me. I’ll be there and you’ll know you don’t have to worry.”
He was offering her the very thing she had dreamt of her entire life. She had just wanted to feel safe—even if it was for just a few minutes. She hadn’t felt safe as a child. She’d known at any moment Whitney would come to subject her to pain and call her worthless and selfish. It wouldn’t matter how hard she tried, she would fail and he would be disgusted with her. During her teenage years, the pattern had worsened, especially when she was attending schools. It seemed the more she succeeded on the outside, the uglier Whitney was to her when she returned. The more he demanded. There had never been a place of safety.
“Zara.” He said her name softly. “I realize you don’t know me very well, but I’m a man of my word. I’ve offered you my protection. All you have to do is say yes, and believe. It really is that simple. Actions will bear out what I’m saying to you.”
She didn’t wait, didn’t dare take any chances he would rescind his offer. She was so terrified of Zhu, and she knew he would come for her. She had to make that clear to Gino before she accepted his protection—and she wanted to accept immediately.
“Zhu isn’t like anyone I’ve ever met, Gino,” she whispered, glancing toward the front seat and the driver. She didn’t want anyone to overhear her. “I think he’s a true sociopath, and he’s capable of extreme violence without feeling any emotion. He’ll come after me and if you’re standing in his way, he’ll hurt you.”
Gino was silent so long she was afraid he wasn’t going to answer her, that he’d finally decided she wasn’t worth all the effort he’d gone to. He didn’t look away and she couldn’t. She had to sit there on his lap, his arms tight around her, just staring into his eyes, her heart beating so hard it felt as if someone was taking a hammer to her chest.
“Do you think I’m a sociopath?”
It was the last thing she expected and she actually gasped, already shaking her head in denial. “No, of course not. Clearly, you have the ability to feel. Maybe too much.”
“How do you know?”
“Your energy merges with mine and I can feel your emotions, or at least catch glimpses of them. Can’t you feel mine?”
He didn’t answer her. He stared into her eyes for another long minute. “I can do the things he can without feeling a thing, Zara, although not to a woman. I don’t know why there is a distinction for me, but it doesn’t mean I’m not capable of beating the shit out of someone. Or torturing them. I have. I will again. I’ve put bullets in men’s heads. I’m not the good man you think I am.”
She recognized a warning when she heard it. She’d already known he was a demon, rising from the depths of hell to save her. Maybe she’d end up going down with him into those fiery flames, but at least she’d be safe on Earth and not shivering in a little ball all night alone in her bed if she stayed with him.
Her hand slid out of the sheet to reach for his hair. The dark, wavy mass was wild and unruly and the only thing on him, other than perhaps his long lashes, that brought any relief to his rough, hardened features. “You’re a better man than you think you are, Gino. I would choose you every time.”
“Mean it, Zara. Don’t say it to me because you’re afraid I won’t see this through for you. I will. I’ll stash you somewhere safe and …”
“No!” The protest burst out of her, an explosion of breath, of heart, of her wildly churning stomach. “No, Gino. I’m going to stay with you.”
She didn’t trust anyone else, not even Bellisia, to keep her safe. No, it was more than that. Maybe Gino wouldn’t succeed against Zhu, although she believed he had the best chance, but that feeling of safety he generated empowered her. She knew, once she wasn’t hurting with every breath she drew, she could live what little life she had left enjoying herself, rather than being terrified.
She wanted to see how Bellisia lived. She’d like to take a walk and taste freedom without worrying she might be late and one of her friends would be punished.
“Okay, baby, just remember I gave you every chance to bail on me.”
She nodded and snuggled deeper into him, burying her face in his neck. He didn’t shove her off him, but let her. She needed the reassurance. She liked him holding her. She knew Shylah didn’t like to be touched, and Bellisia hadn’t either. Zara had felt that way after the years with Whitney. No one had ever touched her in a kind way. There was always pain associated with touching. Not with Gino.
“Level of pain?” Gino asked.
“About a four right now, very tolerable,” she said, because she didn’t want him to think she was a big baby. She could handle a little pain if she needed to. “I don’t want to move. The drugs are working, Gino. Any more and I wouldn’t be able to think straight.”
“You don’t need to think straight. I don’t want you in any pain at all. There’s no need for it.”
The vehicle was slowing and she craned her neck to see out the window, suddenly scared all over again. “Why are we stopping?”
“No worries, we’re at the airport. The driver will take us to the plane. A customs official will be waiting to get us on the plane and out of here as fast as possible. The government doesn’t want you here. They really don’t want an incident any more than we do. We have fully loaded weapons and an escort. If we’re attacked anywhere, it would have to be explained.”
“Cheng has a lot of clout.”
“Yes, he does, but you’re an international treasure. You give talks all over the world. This wasn’t your first, and most of the officials think it’s ludicrous to think you’re a spy. You are very open, giving away important research to businesses in foreign countries that are interested. We took photographs as proof of what Zhu did to you. Can you imagine the outcry if that was made public?”
She would be utterly humiliated. She didn’t make a sound, but stared at him with what she knew could only be a horrified look.
He bent his head and pressed a kiss to her temple, right over the spot Cheng had slashed at her with his gun. “There will never be a need for anyone to see those pictures, Zara. Cheng is known to be a paranoid man. If you were already gone, they don’t lose face with anyone. The matter is out of their hands and therefore resolved.”
She hoped he was right, although she knew they had to have shown those photographs to government officials otherwise the Chinese wouldn’t have acted quickly to get her out of their country. Still, she knew what clout Cheng had. She couldn’t imagine customs looking the other way as she was raced up to the plane, covered in a sheet that even now was spotted with blood. She forced herself to breathe, matching the rhythm of his lungs. Slow and even. Steady. She couldn’t hyperventilate. “My passport was with my briefcase. Cheng took it from me.” Panic hit hard.
“You’re fine. I’m telling you, baby, we’re getting you out. Your passport will hold up.”
Zara felt as if she was holding her breath the entire time they waited for the plane to take off. First, they had to go through customs. It was unlike any customs she’d ever gone through. The man all but waved them through with the briefest of glances at documents. He carefully averted his eyes from Zara’s sheet-covered body. Gino still hadn’t put regular clothes on her, afraid they would rub, but she knew he had some. She was so used to the sheets that she hadn’t asked to put them on and now she wished she had.
Gino carried her onto the plane and took her straight back to where they’d set up an area designated for medical aid. He set her in the wide chair very gently. The pressure on her back and buttocks and the backs of her thighs made her gasp. She hadn’t tried to sit on anything but the soft mattress at the embassy.
“Once we’re in flight, I’ll get you settled in the bed and give you a good dose of morphine,” he said, seating himself beside her. “You’ll be able to sleep, hopefully for most of the ride. It’s long, Zara, a good seventeen hours.”
“Tell me about yourself,” Zara said. She needed the sound of his voice. She was looking out the window, noting the line of cars moving very fast toward the airport.
He shrugged. “I’m not the most interesting man in the world. Don’t have your brains.”
“That’s a relief. I don’t like people trying to prove they’re smarter than I am. I’ll concede every time, even if I know they’re full of crap. It gets so old. Do I really care?”
“Usually men, right?” Gino asked, giving her a small grin.
She noted he had a small dimple. It was intriguing in the middle of all that rough. She was a little shocked that she hadn’t noticed it before. “Yep. However did you know?”
“Competition. Ego. You name it, men have it.” He reached for her closest hand, the one she’d been twisting into the sheets wrapped around her. He wrapped his hand around hers and brought it to his chest. “I’m an only child. My grandparents on my dad’s side lived with us, but my mother’s parents were very close, neighbors, so I went between houses all the time. My father served in the Marine Corps and was best friends with Joe Spagnola’s dad, Ciro. They served together in the Marines. Joe serves with us in the Air Force pararescue GhostWalker unit.”
She couldn’t look away from his face, certain he was about to tell her something important. At that moment, the plane began to taxi down the runway. She looked out the window to see the line of cars turning onto the road leading to where the airplane had been waiting for them.
Her breath caught in her throat and she curled her fingers tighter into a fist within the sanctuary of his hand. He pressed her fist harder against his chest. “Look at me, not out there, princess,” he reminded. “I know you’ve had to count on yourself, but you aren’t alone anymore.”
“He planted a virus in me,” Zara blurted. She shouldn’t have. She should have kept her mouth shut. She had at least a week or longer to get back to Whitney before the capsule broke open. She just wanted to see Bellisia. Now she didn’t want to go back at all. Now she considered it might be worth it to let the virus take her if she could just have a few days of freedom—with Gino.
“I’m well aware,” Gino said. “When you were unconscious at the embassy, I did a full body scan. I knew what I was looking for because he’d done the same to Bellisia. He planted two capsules, Zara. The first and a fail-safe. He wanted to make certain you were dead. He knew we’d look for the first capsule and hoped we didn’t find the second. He also planted two trackers in you.”
“Cheng did a full scan as well as a brain scan, and he didn’t find anything.” She held her breath. She had more to hide than capsules of viruses and tracking chips.
“Because they’re attached to your ribs and Zhu beat the holy hell out of you. They’re encased in a new kind of PEEK-carbon nanotube which is invisible to X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs, but Zhu beat you so hard, he dislodged both of the nanotubes and the capsules were just peeking out. Once I go in, I’ll be able to remove the capsules as well as the tracking chips.”
“Go in?” she echoed faintly.
He gave her another small, reassuring smile. “I’m hell on wheels as a surgeon, baby, and that’s me bragging, pounding my chest and acting like an egomaniac just to impress you.”
She couldn’t help but laugh. They were in the air. The cars were sitting on the ground, watching them go. For the first time since she’d been taken prisoner by Cheng, she felt absolute relief.