Page 1 of Taylor’s Warrior

CHAPTER 1

A familiar sense of ice-cold dread settled around Taylor Markham’s shoulders. The ruthless way it dismissed the warmth of the late spring Texas sunshine made her shiver with apprehension. Though not an unfamiliar reaction to what she was about to do, the intensity of it was unusual and filled her with an even greater sense of foreboding. Ever since she’d started renting the mailbox, she’d been waiting for the day the reason for its existence blew up in her face. She had the oddest feeling today would be that day.

She’d checked the box regularly from day one. At first there’d been a reliable stream of short notes, each confirming he was still alive, but nothing about what he’d claimed he was going to do when this exile first started. Every time, she’d hoped her visit to the post office would deliver the news she was waiting for, that it was all over, but every time she’d been disappointed.

And then the notes had stopped coming.

Until now.

Maybe.

This time, it felt different.

Bracing herself for the big reveal, Taylor entered the building and the blissful sanctuary of air conditioning, her goal the bank of mailboxes. Pain radiated from her sweaty palm, its source the key she clutched so tightly, it left an imprint on her flesh.

With a surprisingly steady hand, she unlocked the box, then her sense of self-preservation made her hesitate. She liked the life she’d built for herself in Texas—what if this time, there was a message informing her she could return home to New York, maybe even resume her life there? Did she still want that? Did she really want to leave a life she loved, friends she loved?

Stop it. Just… stop it. You know what you have to do. It’ll probably be empty, just like it was last time, and the time before, and the time before that. You have to open it—you have no choice.

As soon as the box tilted, Taylor heard something far more substantial than a letter slide within it. That something was a Priority Mail package.

Sheer dread slammed into her stomach with an impact so violent, it almost made her puke. Pulse racing, she grabbed the cardboard box, tucked it into her tote, and then slammed the mailbox back into place before locking it and hurrying out of the building as if the devil himself were after her.

In the sanctuary of her car, Taylor lifted the box out of her bag. It tipped as she did so, and something loose slid from one end to the other. It sounded small and lightweight, but the weight of the box suggested it wasn’t the only item. Caution overruled curiosity; she stuffed the box back in her bag and started the car. All she wanted now was to get home, where she wouldn’t feel so exposed and vulnerable, and where she could examine the contents without worrying about privacy.

As she drove through the ranch gate, Taylor finally dared to breathe a little more freely. With no one around, she headed straight to her cabin, thankful she wouldn’t run into her friend Charity or Charity’s husband Nick. Aside from her father, they were the closest thing she had to family now, and the fact that she had to continue deceiving them about her past made her feel sick.

Taylor parked in front of her cabin and went inside. She needed coffee first, so left the box on the island in the kitchen while she made a cup. Coffee always put the world back on its axis.

With her hands wrapped around a steaming mug, Taylor leaned back against the counter and eyed the package, wondering if it truly did contain the end of her world. The prospect of having to start all over again somewhere else had her stomach roiling with nausea.

Procrastination, however, would change nothing, and with that in mind, Taylor opened the box. It contained two items—a high-capacity flash drive that accounted for the sliding sound, and a thick envelope that accounted for the weight. The envelope bore the KDT logo of Kilburn DefenseTech.

She set the drive to one side, then opened the unsealed, unaddressed envelope. It contained two further envelopes—one large, one small, both sealed. When she turned over the smaller one, her heart nearly stopped. It was addressed to her in a hand she hadn’t seen in years. Inside, she found a single sheet of lined white paper and on it, also handwritten, was a message from her father.

Tay, if you’re reading this, it means they’re coming for me. Keep this package in a safe place. Don’t open it, don’t access the drive, and don’t tell anyone you have this. Whatever you do, don’t try to find me. I’ll contact you as soon as I can.

Love you always,

Pops

KDT had been her father’s employer. The automatic conclusion was that the contents of the envelope came from there, along with whatever was on the drive. Was this also why he’d made a run for it and told her to flee at the same time?

What in the name of heaven did it all mean?

Logic and emotion crashed into one another, creating a storm of confusion and apprehension. Much though she loved her father and wanted to do as he requested, her instincts launched a fierce protest against it. Kilburn DefenseTech was a massive player in the arms industry, so whatever she was looking at, it was way too big for her to handle alone.

And regardless of the consequences for her friendships, she knew exactly who she needed to speak to.

On her way to talk to Nick Blackmore, she spotted one Rhys Dalton, stripped to the waist and cleaning his pickup—a gleaming, top-of-the-line model that was the automotive equivalent of a twelve-inch dick. Why he didn’t take it to a car wash like any civilized person, she would never know. It simply wasn’t fair that a man could be such perfect eye candy, possess rock-hard abs that could make any woman’s head rotate three hundred sixty degrees, and annoy her by the abominably thoughtless act of breathing.

Rhys Dalton was too attractive for her own good, and she did not want to consider what might have happened had she not been so resolute in her determination not to give in to whatever it was that curled her toes at the mere sight of him.

Just as she reached the ranch house, Lucas Brand and Rachel Thompson emerged, walking hand in hand. They made a stunning couple. Taylor’s heart warmed at the sight. No one looking at them would ever guess the hell of betrayal and near-death experience they’d recently been through. If ever there was a couple that deserved a happily-ever-after, it was them.

“Hi, Taylor. You okay?”

Taylor mentally crossed her fingers. “I’m great, thanks, Rachel. Is Nick around?”