Star’s house was Star. From the paintings hanging on the wall, to the lack of family photos, to the butterflies flying free on the wall behind her bed—all of it told me of a person who didn’t have much love in her life. I would have been in the same boat—except I had the Protectors.

The sterile way the guestrooms sat, with sheets over the furniture spoke to a lack of friends and an almost impossible social circle. When I went through other people’s places, I always had a sense of invading their privacy. With Star, there wasn’t much of anything to invade.

In the bedroom, I trailed my fingers along the side of the few pieces of furniture there and looked behind a picture frame on the wall. The lighting in the ceiling had no way of removing it without leaving a mark and the carbon monoxide detector is a high tech one that made all sort of computer reports to the fire station if anyone tried tampering with it.

The bedroom was clean of any surveillance devices.

I then focused my attention on the kitchen. The room sat open with the living room and dining room. And it told me she didn’t have any friends with children who visited often. Everything was a pristine white and light blue. The cushions sat perfectly on the sofa, the glass figurines were low enough for a child to get at. The painting over the fireplace of a giant orange and black butterfly didn’t surprise me for there seem to be a theme with the creatures.

One picture frame seemed out of order. All the others were perfectly set yet this one was askew. I made a mental note of it, finished my initial search and headed for the kitchen. Here, her personality screamed at me. Everything was stainless. The oven and fridge seemed brand new.

“Did you just renovate?” I asked her.

“No. Why?”

I glanced back to where she stood at the door with her arms folded and shrugged one shoulder. “No reason.” I traced my finger behind the fridge, just at the edge then continued my slow, methodical search and run through of the place.

Once I was satisfied, I led her out of the house, along a back alleyway and to where I’d parked the SUV. We climbed in and I closed the door. “So, what I didn’t want to have happened has.”

“What’s that?” She asked.

“Someone has been in your house.”

“How do you know?”

“There’s a device behind one of the frames in your living room,” I explained, glancing into the rearview mirror. “There’s one in your kitchen under the rim of the island, the end toward the back door, and there’s one in your bathroom upstairs on top of the medicine cabinet.”

I gave her a moment to sort of absorb the news.

“I’m assuming they couldn’t get the light fixtures down to put anything in them because of the way they are set up. But your house is wired for sound.”

“They were in my house.” It was more of a statement than a question on her part. “They were there, in the one place I consider sacred to me. How am I supposed to get over that?”

“I don’t know, Star. But you can’t fall apart on me right now.”

“Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do!”

I measured my words carefully while inhaling deeply. “Like I was saying, now is not the time to fall apart. You can crash after we find out who this asshole is—”

“And I kick him hard in the nuts, right? Because it’s the least I can do.”

I hid a smile but nodded. “That’s right. So, are you in?”

She paused before her shoulders rose and fell. Star looked me in the eyes and I could see rage flaring in her.

“Let’s do this.” She folded her arms.

“Okay. First thing’s first. We find whoever is listening on the other end of those devices. But, we should get you to pack a few things. When you go back into the house, be silent. Don’t speak. Do not drop anything. Just grab what you need, and we can go.”

“Where will we go?”

“Don’t worry. I got this.”

We scrambled from the car and made our way back into the house. I watched as she tiptoed through the house, picking up a few things and shoving them into a duffle bag. Once she was gone up the stairs, I wandered through a sunroom I hadn’t bothered checking them exited the house through a side door. The garage was locked from the front and the only other access was through the house. I quirked a brow at the red corvette that sat in the space. I didn’t think she had a clue about cars, but this little beauty impressed me.

Slowly, I walked around it, inspecting every bit of it I could. I looked through the windows to find a black leather interior and an updated sound system. But as the beauty of the machine caused my breath to hitch, an overly familiar sound caught my attention.

Strange, sometimes we miss things in the world, all because we were breathing. The chaos around us, even when silent, the hum of life tend to draw our minds away from the bad things right under our noses.

Curious, I slipped to my knees, I braced my palms to the concrete floor and peered under the luxury car. There it was, red number ticking down. From the looks of it, we only had two minutes before it went off.

Weird. When had that been placed there?

It dawned on me someone was watching Star’s home still. They wouldn’t have known Star was home otherwise. I tried racking my mind. There hadn’t been anyone out front and to be certain, I’d found a back way into the property. The only explanation was that the listening devices had indeed been active.

“Shit!” I growled.

I surged to my feet and motored into the house. “Star!” I shouted.

She poked her head out of the office. “I thought you said we had to be quiet!” She whispered fiercely.

“No time for that. We have to go now!” I grabbed her arm and began heading for the back door. Even as I did, I reached into the back of my waist and pulled out the Glock I’d stashed there.

“But my bag!”

“No, Star! Move!” I barked.

She stumbled against something, but I merely pulled her back to her feet and pushed her toward the door. Though she had no idea for the reason of my urgency, the numbers were counting down inside my head. We had about forty seconds left.

I wasn’t sure how big the fallout for the bomb would be. But I knew with the oils and gasoline in that car, we couldn’t move far enough fast enough. The farthest away we could get in the little time we had left, the better. To make matters worse, I could hear footsteps storming up the path at the front of the house and voices yelling to go around back!

“Reaper!”

“I know.” I shifted so my body blocked hers. From time to time I looked back to make sure we were out of the line of fire. We were barely to the car when the searing sound of an explosion about to go off filled the air followed by a loud boom! I wrapped my arms around Star’s waist from behind, pulled her into my chest as the shockwave lifted me off my feet. We sailed through the air, Star pressing her face into my neck and landed on the far side of our SUV. She moaned with my weight on top of her but I didn’t move. Debris hit the ground around us. The only burn on my body was against the back of my leg. I shook it and the debris fell off. I was pretty sure I’d have a mark there—what’s another scar on my war ravaged body?

When I lifted my head, my ears were ringing like crazy. “You okay?”

“You’re heavy.”

I chuckled and eased to my feet. I shoved the gun back into my waist before reaching down for her. She had a cut against her left thigh from hitting the ground. “We have to get out of here.”

“They blew up my house!” Star was incredulous as I bounded her into the vehicle.

“We will worry about that later!” I slammed her door and ran around the side just in time to dodge a bullet. Star screamed but I grabbed the gun again and turned. Even as I did that, I tossed the key to the SUV in through the window.

“Got them!” Star called.

A man made an appearance from what was left of the trees in the alley and I lifted my Glock and fired. The first bullet sliced through his right shoulder, the second caught him between the eyes. The engine roared behind me and I was behind the wheel and shifting into drive before the gunman even hit the ground.

“Keep your head down!” I shouted at Star.

Another bullet smashed the back screen and I could feel it wedge itself into the back of my headrest. But, I concentrated on getting both of us out of there.

All this over a reporter.

We managed to get to one of Brotherhood Protectors’ safe houses. After I ensured we weren’t being followed, I pulled into the garage and parked. While Star was still moping about, I climbed from the front seat and entered my security code to let them know it was me and not some intruder.

I escorted her into the house and sat her on a chair in the kitchen. By the time I found a first aid kit and returned, Star’s pupils were enlarged, her skin pale and—I touched her—clammy. I had to call her name three times before she even heard me and when I brushed a finger against her forehead she jerked around.

“Shit!” I muttered.

Nova Shuman was going into shock.

I set the kit on the counter and picked her up from the chair and kicked it out of the way. Lying her on the floor on her back, I dragged her bag in and pushed it under her legs to elevate them. After another round of checking her skin and eyes, I tapped at her cheeks. “Stay with me, Star,” I said. “Nova!”

“Hmm? No—yellin’.”

“Who am I? What’s my name?”

Her eyes rolled back, and I tapped her cheeks harder.

“No! Nova! Look at me!”

She refocused on me.

“What’s my name? Say my name!”

“Mav—Mav…” She swallowed hard, the white of her eyes becoming prominent again.

“Nova!” I barked.

“Mav—damn it!” She groaned and closed her eyes quickly but then met my gaze again. “Maverick Forge.”

“Good. What do they call me?”

“Rea—Reap—er.”

“Good, girl.” I smiled down at her. “I want you to focus on my face.”

“I don’t…” She heaved.

Instantly, I rolled her to her side. Not a second later, her body heaved again and she threw up. Holding her head into my stomach, I held her, hoping she’d stop shaking. I scooped her up and carried her into the living room, sat and pulled her into my arms hoping my body would warm her up.

“This is bullshit!” Star groaned. “Serious—bullshit.”

“I agree.” I whispered. “I need you to stop shaking, okay?”

She moaned and snuggled closer.

I couldn’t remember the last time I had a woman in my arms. Hell, I couldn’t remember the last time I had a woman period. After I left the SEALS I locked myself away. I genuinely disliked people for I had been burned so severely by those I’d trusted. They had been my brothers and when shit hit the fan, I was left hanging like I was a stranger.

I climbed in my truck and headed away from Montana. I wound up, almost six hours away in some small town and didn’t look back. Dating was another thing I ignored over the years. It didn’t make sense seeing someone when all I wanted to do was disappear—not exist.

As I sat there, holding her shaking frame, I wondered how I could turn my back on dating, on intimacy. I guess it was easier than putting myself out there and getting hurt. Having my heart ripped from my chest wasn’t something I could handle again.

The time ticked by until she stopped shaking. But now, she was sleeping. I checked her pulse, counting the seconds between each beat then set her on the sofa and grabbed the first aid kit from where I’d dropped it. When I went back, I hiked her skirt up a little. Though it felt as if I was invading her privacy, I couldn’t let the cut stay the way it was.

Tenderly, I cleaned the wound to find it wasn’t a very deep cut but enough to require some attention. I gave it a good patting down with some antiseptic then covered it with a band aid. After pulling her skirt back in place, I covered her with a blanket I found draped over the back of the sofa. I then delved into cleaning up the mess we’d made in the kitchen.

My phone chirped.

“Yeah?” I dropped it between my head and ear.

“Reaper, it’s Montana. I see you checked into one of our houses. What’s going on?”

“Mother-fuckers blew up her house, man,” I growled. “Set the device under her corvette.”

“Shit. You two okay?”

“Yeah. There were a few listening devices in the house.” I reported. “They were shortwave ones. Nothing too expensive. They looked like something you’d put in a room to catch a cheating spouse or your babysitter doing the wrong thing.”

“So, what are you thinking? Pro?”

“The bomb certainly was.” I dumped the dirty napkin into a nearby garbage can and pushed out a puff of air. “The activated the timer after they were sure she was home. Can you do me a favor?”

“Sure. What you need?”

“Send me everything you can on Nova. And I do mean everything.” I washed my hands and dried them in my thighs. “And I know you’re short on man-power right now but if she has any family or friends, they need to have eyes on them.”

“There is one friend…Estelle. But you will have to take Star and get her. She doesn’t know any of us. And it’s not like we can knock on her door and be like, come with me if you want to live.”

I sighed. Taking Star back into the open wasn’t a good idea. “How close is she with Star?”

“Best friends.”

“I was afraid you’d say that. Okay. I’ll make plans to have her extracted.”

“Need back up?” Montana asked.

“Can you spare it?”

“Yeah. Molly said if you needed a hand she can help you out.”

“Molly?”

“Long story. But know she can handle this. Besides, she puts up with Kujo.”

“Say no more,” I said.

“I’ll send someone to sit on her place until you get there,” Montana said. “Where’s Star?”

“Resting right now. I’m assuming she’s exhausted after almost being blow up.”

“Okay, I’ll send Molly your way and she’ll be bringing gifts.”

I chuckled. “Thanks, Brother.”

“I’ll have Swede send you the info you asked for right now.”

“Thanks.”

With our talk done, I sighed. It seemed in my absence the Brotherhood went and grew up. The world moved on without me. Thinking I had been forgotten sent sadness through me. I wasn’t sure why. I’d given up on the world a long time ago. Still, it tore at my heart with everything that had happened in my absence.

I checked on Star. Her dark hair was a mess, covering her face. Gently, I eased it all away and backed off. To occupy my mind, I grabbed my laptop and began pouring over the information Swede had sent me through a secure network. There wasn’t much on her private life. Most of the information was about people she’d either researched or written up. She took no mercy—politicians, athletes, actors, famous plastic surgeons—no one was above her scrutiny. Most importantly, none of these people had the know-how of making a bomb. Perhaps the doctors but I didn’t see them trying to blow someone up.

I sighed.

Then again, with enough money, anything was possible. Hired killers weren’t a thing of the past and all someone had to do was know a guy who knew a girl who went to school with another guy.

That might be a maze I really shouldn’t be trying to navigate.

The next thing I read was about a Roger Tandridge who was married to an Estelle Parks. I arched a brow. According to what I was reading, Star had an affair with Roger who had been married to Estelle. Star’s Estelle had to be a different person. Either that, or the two of them were the strangest friendship I’d ever seen.

“Reaper?”

I looked up. How long had I been binge reading her world?

“How you feeling?”

“Better. What happened?”

“You went into shock.” I rose and closed the screen.

“Oh—Sorry about that. It’s not every day my entire life blows up before my eyes.”

“Understandable.” I shoved my fingers into my back pockets.

“I’m starving.”

“I know. Montana is sending us some stuff.” I motioned to a chair beside my own. “Sit down for a while. I need to ask you something—its personal.”

“Hard questions again, Reaper?” I teased.

I grunted but smiled. “You’re worse than the guys.”

She crinkled her nose at me but slipped to the chair I offered. “Okay.” She sounded nervous.

“Tell me about Roger.”

“Oh.” Star rubbed her palms against her thighs and looked away from me. “I met him online. That’s how everyone is finding their Mr. Right these days. I thought I was a little more street savvy than most women. I could navigate the ax murders and muck to find a diamond, right? Someone once joked that I did better research than the FBI. I’ve done the research for other people, dug into my targets’ personal lives. I knew what to look for—or so I thought. We dated for a while. Things were perfect—I mean, yeah, we had arguments, but what couple doesn’t?”

She paused, and I nodded.

“We dated for almost a year. I didn’t want us to rush things so we never moved in together. But we talked about it—even talked about having children, getting—getting married.” Star’s shoulders rose and fell. “All these things I wanted—I wouldn’t settle for anything less. I mean, yes, sometimes he goes MIA but he always had an excuse. Anyway, one day I got the bright idea to surprise him at work. I figured, he was working hard. Him being on the road and my work taking me away from time to time. We didn’t really have much—um—alone time. I went out and bought lingerie—new stuff, that he’s never seen. I made him a lunch then got ready in just my coat, lingerie underneath—you know?”

A shiver trailed down my spine. The thought of taking her in an office, over the desk, against the walls—glass walls, had me fighting off a moan. Just the thought of pushing everything to the floor and having my way with her made for a very clouded mind. Somehow, I managed to give her another nod.

“I wanted to spice up our relationship. I didn’t want to have my man leave me because things got stale. I mean, they say you should never let your man leave the house hungry or horny, right?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

She frowned at me. “So, like I said, I even wore stilettos. I hate stilettos. But I knew he loved a woman in them—I did it for him. I showed up, his secretary wasn’t at her desk, so I let myself into his office. Turns out, the surprise was mine…his wife was there. She’d brought their daughter and lunch.”

“What?”

“Yeah.” Star sighed. “He was married with a child and I had no clue. Of course, Estelle was angry. I couldn’t blame her.”

“Same Estelle who is your best friend now?”

She nodded. “Yeah. She probably saw how shattered my world was. I wanted so much to have my Mr. Right. I thought Roger had been the man I had been searching for. He would spend nights with me. Whenever I wanted to have time together he was always there.”

“What did he tell his wife he was doing?”

“Late meetings. Early meetings. Business trips. Emergency hearings…”

“I’m sorry, Star.”

“Yeah—turns out I was falling in love with the jerk and all I was to him was a fucking meeting.”

She covered her ears for a moment and I assumed it was from ringing. That often happened when someone was close to a blast. I gave her time.

When she dropped her hands into her lap, I cleared my throat. I cringed to ask her anymore questions, but I had to. “Do you think he’s holding a grudge?”

“I don’t know.” She met my gaze. “Probably. He’s serving a life sentence for murder.”

“That escalated quickly.” I muttered. “Who did he kill?”

“His secretary. Blames her for getting caught.”

“How the hell does that work?”

She shrugged. “Because she wasn’t at her desk to stop me when I arrived at the office. Things just went terribly wrong with the whole thing.”

“Okay. I’ll find him and have a little chat. In the mean time we need to verify—”

A knock interrupted our chat and I rose. The weight of the gun in my waist reminded me of its presence as I made my way to the door. A woman stood there, red hair and fiery green eyes. She was hugging a couple of large grocery bags to her chest.

I opened the door. “Yes?”

“You must be Reaper,” she said. “Tadaa! The Calvary is here!”

I chuckled. “Molly, I presume.”

“Yes. Be a doll and help me with these bag, would you?” Molly asked. “I have a couple more in the truck.”

I nodded, stepped aside so she could enter then hurried out to her truck. I gathered all the bags I could find and carried them back into the house. After I set them down on the kitchen counter, I went back to lock up.

Star made an appearance then and the two women hugged. I made myself busy in the kitchen by unpacking the bags as they left me alone to chat in peace. I figured Star could use a woman’s presence after all she’d been through.