AllFreeNovel
Share Us
* * *
Isabella
Present day
Secrets.
Lies.
And a fantasy.
I’d watched him as he’d taken long strides into the club. He’d been taller than most of the other men, and certainly more powerful. He’d acted as if he was looking for someone right away, albeit quietly, as if he’d been trained not to have anyone notice what he was doing. However, he obviously hadn’t realized that he was like a fish out of water in his dark shirt and pants, regal yet terrifying.
He’d paid no attention as he’d walked through the crowd that every woman in the club hungered to throw themselves in his direction, men longing to beat his ass for taking their girl’s attention away. The man had exuded raw, primal needs with every breath he’d taken, every long stride of his muscular legs.
And I’d assumed that he was my prize for the evening.
I was no fool. I’d known for years that my behavior was risky as hell for several reasons. After living the pomp and circumstance lifestyle since I was a child, I’d only found solace in pretending to be someone I wasn’t. I didn’t need to worry about getting straight A’s because the senator’s daughter was required to maintain her high level of intelligence. Becoming someone else, I didn’t have to remember I’d been commanded to enter college at fourteen, losing my teenage years of going to proms or football games. And when I was dressed as someone else, I didn’t need to look over my shoulder, fearing my name alone would create a world of danger around my friends.
I could just be a young woman out for a night of fun instead of the highly respected scientist with an award-winning discovery in the world of nuclear fission. I held my purse against my chest, the ugliness of the situation hitting hard. The threats that had come into the laboratory had been real. I eased my hand to the rapid pulse in my neck, a sudden feeling of suffocation clenching my throat. Ignoring who and what I was had been foolish.
Reckless.
Deadly.
A man had died because of my antics. Oh, God. Was he dead?
Tonight I’d convinced myself that I’d finally leave the club with a man for the first time, indulging in evocative freedom without fear of being scorned.
In other words, I’d fucked up royally.
Somewhere in my mind I’d thought I’d be safe but playing both sides of anything could become deadly no matter the situation. I thought about the meeting I’d set up the next day, asking for help from the only man I’d ever been able to trust. He’d know what to do with the threats.
Now this.
My mind swirled with ugly thoughts, ones that had plagued me for almost two months. If I was right in my assumptions, was the soldier really who he purported himself to be?
So many questions rushed into my mind. I’d talked to no one about my discovery with the exception of the scientists who worked side by side with me the past year. Everything had suddenly imploded. Our unit had been highly guarded, enough so it had become a prison, the environment not conducive to my work. Then the questions had shifted in another direction, my discovery treated as if it had become a matter of national security. I hadn’t been a fool. I’d understood the capabilities, but I’d remained insistent my work would be used for saving lives, not taking them. Then I’d believed I could figure out who was threatening my entire unit all by myself. I’d been in way over my head acting as if I could handle a covert operation with almost no help.
Who was the man who’d been sent to protect me? I’d met dozens of soldiers, federal agents, and Secret Service men. None of them looked or acted like this guy. He was… rogue. That wasn’t typical for anyone who was awarded the position of protecting members of the first or second family.
As crazy as it sounded, I trusted Cobra. Had the friend I’d trusted hired the soldier? It was possible. Everything was turning into a blur and all I could think about fully was how good looking the man was. I was more shaken than I originally thought.
Cobra was everything a girl’s fantasy could be made of. He had the body, the chiseled jaw, and the dark and dangerous demeanor, but he was the real deal. A hired gun. Now it was time for me to not only chastise myself but condemn karma for stripping away the peace I so desperately needed.
I’d simply wanted to pretend I was a normal girl, enjoying my birthday with friends. Then he’d shown up, acting like the terminator.
Whoa. Wait a minute.
I blinked several times as the statement Cobra just made sank in. Stripping away my clothes, making me beg for more?
What had he just said to me? I was in shock for a few seconds, but the nasty side of me that no one knew about took over. I slapped him across the face, my fingers tingling afterward.
What force I’d used didn’t faze him in the least. No, it hadn’t. He grabbed my hand, squeezing until I whimpered.
“What did you say to me?”
“I suggest you don’t try and escape again.” His voice was velvety smooth and totally in control. “You won’t like it if you make me angry.”
