“Pussy whipped,” Cash “Money” McQuaid said as he drove down a country road. Rain pounded the windshield of his Mustang GT. The trees swayed in the wind. He hoped the sudden storm passed as quickly as it had arrived.

On the other end of the line, Cody “Cowboy” McCormick snorted. “Dude, call it what you want, but no way in hell am I giving up three days of my life to fish with you when I could be in bed with my lady. No offense.”

“Not offended. I’ll catch all the fish on my own. Don’t need you or Cage to help me.”

The three of them used to take this trip together, but now it was just him. Remy “Cage” Marchand was married and Cowboy was on his way to the altar. Cash shook his head. Dumb fuckers. Not that he didn’t think Christina and Miranda were worthy of his boys—he totally did—but shit happened and people changed. One day it could all go to hell. And then what?

“Thought you were asking Camel on this one.”

Alex “Camel” Kamarov was the team sniper. “Fucker hates fish. Can you believe it?”

Cowboy laughed. “Sorry, man. Next time, okay? Miranda wasn’t supposed to be in town but her assignment was canceled. Can’t refuse a gift like that.”

“Pussy whipped.”

“You can’t piss me off, Money. Have fun. Don’t do anything stupid.”

“Like what? It’s fishing, not fucking.”

“They’ve got bars in the Shenandoahs. And waitresses.”

“Since when do I go barhopping on a fishing trip?”

“You might get bored out there all alone.”

Cash rolled his eyes. “I’m fine, mom. Now go hold Miranda’s purse and ask her if you can have your balls back.”

“One of these days I’m going to enjoy watching you fall for a woman. Then we’ll see who’s pussy whipped.”

“Not happening.”

“Never say never.”

“Yeah, I’m saying it.”

Up ahead, a car sat haphazardly on the side of the road. Another car partially blocked the road in front of it. It was the woman in a wedding gown who drew his eye first. Her wet hair clung to her face as she spun on her heel and started to run. A man sprinted after her, catching her by the waist and throwing her against the car.

Every one of Cash’s hackles leaped to attention. There was something very wrong about the situation. It was more than a bride and groom having an argument on their wedding day. He’d bet his left nut on that.

“Gotta go. Talk to you later.”

He didn’t wait for a reply before punching the button on his steering wheel to end the call. He skidded to a stop and flung the door open as the man advanced on the woman again.

“You guys need help?” he called, reaching for the Glock he’d left on the seat as he unfolded himself from the driver’s side. He tucked it into the Kydex holster wedged against his body as he started toward the couple.

The man spun around. The woman’s gaze jerked to Cash as he advanced. She looked terrified. His protective instincts flared. He’d spent his life removing that hunted look from people’s faces, and he couldn’t ignore it now. Cool rain dripped into his face, soaked through his clothes as he sized up the situation.

“No, we don’t need help,” the man said harshly. “This is none of your business.”

“Aw, man,” Cash drawled as adrenaline pumped into his veins. “Those are just the words to make me think it is my business.” He fixed his gaze on the woman. She looked cold and scared. “Are you okay, ma’am?”

She had dark hair and dark eyes. Her cherry lips parted. The lower one trembled. “No.”

Before Cash could say anything, the man drew a .45. Cash stopped moving. He had the Glock within reach, but he didn’t draw. Not yet.

“I’m not hurting her. I’m taking her back to her wedding.”

Fury boiled inside him. “Looks like she doesn’t want to get married, boss. Maybe you should accept her decision.”

The asshole made a show of the pistol. Cash shook his head. “You don’t want to do that. Not to me.”

“Yeah, I think I do. Get back in your car and keep driving.”

Cash stood for a moment. All he’d wanted was a quiet fishing trip. Not this bullshit. “All right. Think I’ll do just that.”

He climbed inside the Mustang and slammed the door. Then he revved the engine, released the brake, and shot toward the asshole. The man hadn’t been expecting it, so his aim was off. He fired, but the bullet ricocheted off the top of the quarter panel on the passenger side. Cash might’ve eased up a bit if not for that. Dude fucking shot his car, so Cash didn’t stop and the man had to dive out of the way or get flattened.

The Mustang slid to a halt and Cash jumped out. He was on the dude in half a second, disarming him and knocking him out with an uppercut to the jaw. “That’s for ruining my paint, asshole.”

Cash got to his feet with the .45, ejecting the magazine and clearing the chamber before tossing the full mag into the muddy water flowing through the ditch beside the road. He dropped the weapon next to the guy’s head and held out his hand to the woman. She hadn’t moved from where she’d plastered herself against the Mercedes.

“I suggest you come with me. Before this guy wakes up.”

She hesitated for a long moment. And then she seemed to make up her mind. “Yes,” she said, putting her hand in his. Her voice had the barest hint of an accent, but he couldn’t place it.

He escorted her over to the Mustang and opened the door for her. He piled her mud-splattered skirts into the car, surprised at how heavy they were. It was only when he was shifting them around so they’d fit that he realized she was barefooted.

Her eyes met his and something jolted inside him. “Where are your shoes?”

“In the ditch, I think. They’re not important.”

He glanced over. There was no sign of any shoes in the swirling water. He shut the door, then went around and got into the driver’s side. Within moments, he’d maneuvered them around the car that blocked the road. He wiped the water from his face and flipped on the heat. Not for him, but for her. Her teeth were chattering and her body shook, vibrating the seat beneath her.

“Where do you want me to take you?”

He could feel her eyes on him and he glanced at her. She was wide-eyed. “I… I don’t know.”

“Family? Friends?” Though maybe they were all at the wedding. Still, they’d have to know it wasn’t going down by now.

She shook her head. “There’s no one.”

“You’re dressed like that and there’s no one?” It was possible, he supposed.

“No.”

“I can take you to the sheriff’s department. They’ll help you get this sorted out. Get you back home.”

“No!” The panic in her voice made him gape at her. She swallowed. “No police. Please.”

Okay, going to have to take this one slow. He pulled in a breath and hit the mental reset button. Nice and easy, Cash. Don’t spook her.

“My name’s Cash. What’s yours?”

She hesitated. “Ella.”

“Okay, Ella. Look, nobody’s going to force you to go back to him. But the police can make sure you get home safely. You can file a restraining order against him. And then you can get back to your life and move on, right?”

“I…” She dropped her chin and shook her head. “I have nowhere to go. And I wasn’t marrying that man. I was marrying someone else, but I ran away. That was one of my uncle’s security people. He caught up to me—it wasn’t hard since I’m not much of a driver—and ran me off the road. If you take me to the sheriff’s department, they’ll take me back to my uncle. And I’ll be forced to marry Sheikh Fahd before the day is over.”

A prickle of unease slid down Cash’s spine. “Sheikh Fahd?”

He knew that name. The man was a Qu’rimi oil magnate and a cousin to the king of Qu’rim. He was also rumored to support the Freedom Force, the terrorist group that backed the rebels in the Qu’rimi civil war. There was no proof of that connection, but there’d been some chatter in intelligence circles.

“It’s not important. What’s important is that I don’t want to go back. I can’t pay you, but if you’ll help me hide for a few days, I’m sure the sheikh will leave.”

He was still struggling to understand how this wisp of a girl was supposed to be marrying Sheikh Fahd. She couldn’t be more than twenty. Maybe twenty-one. Clearly she came from money. Fahd wouldn’t marry a waitress he met in a bar. This woman was someone. But who?

“This is America. Nobody can force you to get married. Just tell them you’ve changed your mind.”

She shook her head. “You don’t know my uncle. Or the sheikh. If I go back, I’ll be married before nightfall.” She sucked in a breath. “I-I can’t give you money to help me. But I can give you something else. If you want it.”

He frowned. He didn’t want money. Or anything. But he was curious what she was offering. “What’s that?”

She bit her cherry-red lower lip, her lashes dropping over her dark eyes. “My virginity.”

Cash nearly choked on his own tongue. He shot her a glance. She still wasn’t looking at him. “Are you fucking serious?”

She lifted her lashes. The look in her eyes made him want to kick himself. He didn’t even know her and he hated that he’d hurt her.

“You aren’t interested?”

He gripped the wheel. Hard. What the hell was he supposed to say now? Whatever it was, he got the impression he needed to tread carefully.

“It’s not that you aren’t attractive, Ella. But I don’t expect payment. I helped you out because it was the right thing to do.”

She twisted the bejeweled fabric of her skirt in one small hand. “And now? Will you still help me, or do you plan to drop me at the sheriff’s department and wash your hands of me?”

Shit. It’s what he wanted to do. No doubt about it. But what if she was right and turning her over resulted in her marriage to Sheikh Fahd taking place anyway? Cash knew he wasn’t going to take that chance. She might be crazy or exaggerating—but if there was any chance she really could be forced to marry against her will, then he wasn’t putting her in that position.

“Jesus,” he bit out, staring straight ahead at the rain coming down. He still had two hours to drive before he reached the fishing cabin. It was isolated, sitting on a mountain and surrounded by woods and streams. Nobody would think to look for her there. And he’d have a couple of days to figure out alternatives.

“Yeah, fine,” he said. “I’ll help.”

“Thank you.”

She slumped in the seat and a shot of anger ricocheted through him. Not at her, but at the situation that would make this woman trust a stranger with her life rather than return to her family. It wasn’t right. Or normal.

What the fuck was he supposed to do with her in three days when the fishing trip was through? Hell, what was he supposed to do with her now?

Not take her virginity, that’s for damned sure. He had a policy about virgins: hell to the NO. Because virgins hadn’t yet figured out how relationships worked—i.e., they wanted one. He did not. Relationships were superficial at best, and he wasn’t about to pretend there could ever be more.

No matter what his teammates thought about it, love wasn’t real. At least not for him. Cowboy could cuddle up with Miranda all day long and convince himself he needed her more than he needed to breathe, but Cash knew the truth—if she left him tomorrow, he’d eventually get over her and find someone else.

Love was a con. And Cash wasn’t playing.