Talia Shaw mentally ran through her to-do list, pleased with the outcome. Laundry folded and waiting to be put away. Dishwasher unloaded. All other household tasks complete with the afternoon to spare. She rarely took more than one day off a week from her job at Newton Laboratories, so chores tended to pile up.
Not that she had anything else to do. Work came first and it usually left little time for anything… or anyone else. She wasn’t complaining. She happily lived and breathed her research.
She carried the full laundry basket into the bedroom, placing it on the bed just as her cell phone rang. Her assistant’s name flashed on the screen, and she answered his call. “Hi, Chris.”
Christopher Eldridge was the best assistant Talia had ever had. He worked the same long hours she did without complaint and was as dedicated to their current research as she was. Although her reasons were more personal.
“Chris?” she said again when he remained silent, only the sound of breathing on the other end.
“I’m at the lab and something’s wrong,” he said in a hushed whisper that wasn’t at all like his normal moderate tone.
She narrowed her gaze. “What is it? What’s going on?”
“Someone else is here and everything is—” Dead silence followed.
“Chris?” she asked again, but the call had obviously been cut off.
That was odd, she thought, nerves prickling along her skin. It wasn’t unusual for her or Chris to go into work on a Sunday, but his low, raspy voice and the panicked tone, along with the insistence that something was wrong, weren’t normal at all.
She wished she wasn’t so paranoid, but she came by it naturally. Her mentor, Dr. Jonah Goodwin, was suspicious to the extreme, and he’d hammered into her the need to take precautions with every experiment and piece of work she was involved in. Especially now that she’d had success at last. It was that sense of caution and unease that had her hitting redial and calling Chris back.
Twice.
But voice mail picked up immediately each time.
She hung up and tapped the phone on the edge of the rubber basket, more than a little concerned. Was something wrong with their work? Could it be a problem with the last of the experiments they’d worked on before finalizing the formula? Possible, but he’d also said someone was there… Nothing made sense.
She bit down on her lower lip and decided to head over to the office and see what was going on for herself. Leaving her laundry on the bed, she grabbed her bag off the counter, picked up her keys and entry card, and climbed into her car.
She lived in an apartment close to the lab in the Arts District in downtown Dallas, and on a Sunday, she made it to the building, also downtown, in no time. The parking lot was nearly deserted, which she expected on the last day of the weekend. She saw Chris’s Prius in his usual spot, but there was no sign of her assistant.
She pulled her car to an empty location near the door and rushed inside, expecting to find the security guard at his usual post, but his seat was empty. Damnit. She’d wanted him to accompany her to the lab, in case something really was wrong, as Chris had said.
She glanced around, but other than the tall potted plants lining the glass entryway, she was alone. Which could be explained by a possible bathroom break for the guard…if she ignored the tingling inside her that had begun with Chris’s panicked, dropped call.
She had to see for herself. She swiped the card that let her past the metal barriers and headed into the elevators that took her to the fourth floor, where her lab was located. The doors opened to a quiet, empty floor. This was never a busy hallway during the week, so the silence didn’t alarm her on the weekend.
She rounded the corner and reached her workshop. She glanced through the window and was struck dumb by the sight. Her computers on the countertops were gone. Experiment tables with microscopes and other equipment for her research, missing. Stark white walls and clean countertops gleamed through the glass, mocking her.
Her heart began to pound hard in her chest, and she debated what to do. Chris was nowhere to be found, and suddenly going inside the lab didn’t seem smart, so she backed away from the door, just as the elevator around the corner dinged.
A man’s voice sounded from around the corner. “I know she’s here. Maybe I can trap her in the lab.”
Shit. She had to get out of here. She started down the hall, in the opposite direction from the elevators, checking over her shoulder as she made her way to the stairwell. She pushed open the door just as the man’s voice sounded again.
“No, I don’t see her yet.”
She stepped into the protection of the hall by the stairs and peeked out, but she didn’t recognize the man in the dark suit. Fear rushed through her and perspiration dampened her skin beneath her shirt.
Talia ducked out of sight and listened because she needed some kind of information to know what the hell was going on. What she was dealing with.
“I still don’t see her,” he said from his position at the lab. “But she’s in the building. Send backup.”
Talia didn’t wait another second. She eased the door closed without letting it make a sound, then ran down the stairs, treading lightly, grateful she had her ballet slipper shoes on to muffle the noise.
She needed to get the hell out of here. This staircase led to an exit on the side of the building near the parking lot. If the guy looking for her was the only one here now, she could run to her car and be gone before anyone else showed up. Opening the door would set off the alarms, but again…she had a chance of escape.
She had to take it.
Talia dug for her keys and held them in one hand. Then she drew in a deep breath and pushed open the door. Security alarms began blaring, but she ignored them, bolting for her car, not breaking stride as she fled across the green lawn and then onto the black asphalt.
She didn’t look back the way she came or toward the front of the building, and she didn’t hit the open button on her key fob until she was right next to the car door.
Climbing in, she locked the doors, started her small BMW, put the car in drive, and tore out of the parking lot, her pulse racing, sweat pouring down her neck, and panic rushing through her veins.
She forced herself to calm down and think for a minute. If everything was gone, someone had stolen her research. But they’d only get the final piece of the formula that comprised the treatment for a heart defect that would result in early death if not treated. She knew firsthand.
Absently, she rubbed the heart pendant she never took off, a gift from her mom, who had suffered with the congenital defect and died when Talia was only fourteen. She’d lost her dad to a heart attack when she was nineteen and away at college. To say treating heart ailments was her life’s passion would be an understatement.
Talia’s mentor had begun the work on the treatment, but ultimately he had retreated to his hermit life, and she had taken it over. But she’d listened to him and learned from his experience. She never kept all the pieces in one place. Just in case.
She and Chris had had a major breakthrough last week, and she’d informed her boss. Now everything in her lab was gone. She blew out a breath. Whoever had emptied her work space would soon find out they didn’t have the whole formula… Or they already knew and wanted the rest of her research. The pieces she’d hidden.
She needed to figure out what to do. She’d spent many years working on the treatment for this congenital defect and had believed that Newton Laboratories, who subsidized her research, would bring it to market with a reputable pharmaceutical company. One that would do right by the people suffering.
Keeping one eye on the road and another on her rearview mirror, she drove, no destination in mind. She couldn’t go home… If people were looking for her or the pieces of her work, they’d go there first. Not that they’d find anything, but she needed help.
She reached out one hand and dug through her purse for the familiar feel of her phone. A quick look down and she pulled up her favorites and hit the first person listed, her brother, Tate.
Tate and Talia. Her mother had loved the alliteration, bless her soul.
Talia hit send, fully aware it was twelve hours ahead in China, where he was visiting a client. Tate worked for Alpha Securities, a firm in New York, and he’d know exactly what she should do now.
He answered on the third ring. “Talia, what’s wrong?” he immediately asked, knowing she wouldn’t wake him unless it was an emergency.
She swallowed hard, glancing again in the rearview mirror as she drove. “I was at my lab and someone’s after me. I’m driving aimlessly and I—”
“Listen to me carefully,” he said, and she could picture him sitting up in bed, hair sticking out, and barking orders.
His commanding voice soothed her frazzled nerves, as did the fact that he didn’t ask for unnecessary details. He knew her job came with risks and certain dangers due to the high monetary stakes involved in drug development.
“Ditch the phone as soon as you hang up with me. Hop on 75 to Mockingbird and drive straight to Love Field,” he said of the nearest airport. “Leave the car in long-term parking and take a cab to Shane Landon’s house in Richardson.”
The name conjured up all sorts of memories, some of them good, the last one between them utterly humiliating. She hadn’t seen Shane since high school, but he and Tate were still friends. Since leaving the LAPD, Shane was a bodyguard. In fact, he sometimes freelanced for the firm where Tate worked in New York when they needed a hand.
Her brother had mentioned that much in her presence, and silly her, she’d catalogued any information on the sexy guy she’d stupidly pushed away in a teenage panic.
“Tali, are you listening?”
“Of course. Ditch the phone and leave the car in long-term parking.”
“Take a cab to Shane’s.” He rattled off the address, knowing with her memory she’d caught it the first time. “And do not use a credit card. Cash only. Call me as soon as you get there so I know you’re safe. Once Shane has details, he and I will make a plan.”
“Got it,” she said.
“I mean it. I’ll worry, so make sure you call me.”
“I know,” she murmured, grateful for her older sibling’s caring. Since losing both parents, they were all the family each had left and were extremely close, even with him living in Manhattan.
“I’ll let Shane know you’re on your way. Now go concentrate and watch for a tail.”
“Believe me, I am.” Not that she knew how to easily lose one if she discovered someone was following her. “Love you,” she whispered.
“Back at you.” He disconnected the call.
Talia glanced around her on the highway and realized there was nobody behind her. She pulled into the right lane, slowed a bit, opened the window, and with an apology to her life’s information on that cell phone, tossed the piece of metal onto the side of the road.
A little while later, she’d left the car in a dark corner of long-term parking, walked quickly to the nearest taxi stand in the airport, and given the driver Shane Landon’s address.
She ought to be nervous about seeing him again, but she couldn’t concentrate on anything but the stranger who’d wanted to trap her in her lab—and wondered what he’d have done with her if he had.
She shivered in the back of the cab, touching the locket on her neck for comfort.
“Want me to turn on the radio?” the driver offered.
“No. Thank you.” She just wanted to get to her destination so she could have the time to think and sort out the situation in her mind.
Finally, he pulled in front of a gorgeous home that was obviously new construction. She paid the driver the money she’d pulled out of her wallet—all the cash she’d had on her, and she was grateful she hadn’t had to ask the man to wait so she could get money from Shane.
She stepped out of the cab, shut the door, and the taxi sped off, leaving her feeling open and exposed. She rushed to the front door, looking over her shoulder constantly, and rang the bell, followed by some banging with her hand.
A car door slammed in the distance, and she jumped a good ten feet, immediately banging her knuckles on the door again.
Obviously, Shane wasn’t home, but just as clearly, she couldn’t stand out here, causing a scene. Nor did she want to be out in the open. She didn’t think anyone had followed her from the lab. They’d have shown themselves by now if they had, right? But still, she didn’t want to take any chances.
She’d seen a gate around the side of the house when the cab had pulled up, so maybe she could hide in his backyard until he returned. She glanced around. Still no sign of cars or neighbors.
She followed the walkway toward the driveway, then headed to the gate around back. Tall wooden fencing blocked anyone from seeing in—or out—which afforded her the protection she needed, as long as the lock was open.
She reached for the latch…and bingo. She expelled a long sigh of relief as she pushed the heavy slats open and stepped inside, shutting the gate and clicking it closed behind her.
Alone in the big backyard, with a large in-ground pool in front of her, she felt her shoulders sag at the respite from the panic that had been accompanying her for the last hour. She wasn’t out of danger, but at least she was marginally safe.
She exhaled hard and started for the patio chairs, planning to sit and catch her breath, when a deep thrum of music coming from the other side of the lawn caught her attention. The tunes played from speakers attached to the house.
She followed the sound to an outdoor shower stall. The swinging door was open wide, and Shane Landon stood inside, water sluicing down his tanned, muscular, completely naked body. His face was turned up toward the shower head, eyes closed, as he soaped up that glorious skin with his hands.
For a brief moment, the fear she’d been running from evaporated, and all she could concentrate on was him. His dark hair, wet from the shower, his biceps bulging as he rinsed off, the tattoos on his chest, and as her gaze traveled lower to his impressive package, her own body came to life. Her nipples puckered into tight points, arousal pulsing through her veins. She stared unabashedly until—
“What the fuck?” He slammed the shower off and stormed toward her, dripping wet, no towel in sight.
Obviously her brother hadn’t been able to reach him. He’d been indisposed… And the events of the morning came flooding back. Chris’s frightened call, finding her lab empty, her work gone, hiding from a man who’d wanted to trap her. It was like a thriller movie, but she was the one on the run, and this was her life.
The adrenaline that had guided her this far left her in a rush. “Shane,” she said, her voice shaking.
“Talia?” He stared at her in disbelief.
“I need you.” She took one step and her knees buckled.
He stepped forward and caught her before she hit the ground, his big, hard, naked body protecting hers with strength and heat.