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A familiar dance.
The surprise of recognition took her off guard, and she looked up into laughing blue eyes framed by thick, dark lashes she’d always been jealous of. She had time to register that he’d let his hair grow—a shaggy mane of ink black that curled just over his ears and collar,and a face that was covered in a short, stubbled beard—just before her legs went out from under her. She hit the carpet with a thud. A hard body pressed her into the floor, and he held her wrists captive above her head.
“Hello, darling.” His breath whispered against her skin. “You’ve been practicing. Who’s your new sparring partner?”
“Gabe,” she said. “What do you want?” She bucked beneath him, annoyed at the familiarity of his weight on her.
“I want you, of course.” His lips glanced across her cheek to the corner of her mouth, and she sucked in a breath that brought her body even closer to his. After everything he’d done, he was still the only man who could make her feel less than whole when their bodies weren’t fused together. She hated him for it. She hated herself for it.
“Go to hell.” She struggled against him, but he shifted his weight to hold her down.
“I’ve been there, thanks.” He cupped his hand against her cheek—gently—softly. “You still feel good against me. Stop wiggling and we’ll talk. Don’t you want to at least hear my offer? Especially since I did your dirty work for you.”
She stilled her body and relaxed, hoping he’d get distracted long enough for her to make a move, and she spoke through gritted teeth. “I don’t want anything you have to offer. Just give me the flash drive.”
“I figure we have exactly four minutes to get out of this place before the new guards show up for the shift change and Armageddon begins. All I’m asking is that you come back with me and hear me out. If you decide to turn me down, then I’ll give you the flash drive with no hard feelings, and you can claim your bounty.”
Grace stared at him and tried to decide if he was bluffing. “You know I don’t trust you.”
“Yes, I believe you’ve told me that before,” he said, his gaze hard. “But what I’m offering will pay more than double any of the jobs you’ve recently taken. Hear me out.”
“Fine.” She knew her options were limited. “What are we waiting for?”
“Our rendezvous point is on the other side of the border,” he said, rolling off of her. She ignored the hand he reached out to help her up. “We’ve got twenty minutes to get there or we miss our ride.”
Grace had no choice but to follow him out of one hell and into another.
* * *
The woman hadn’t changed a bit in all the years he’d known her. She still kept her deep auburn hair braided tightly down her back while she was working. But he knew what it looked like spread across his pillow, and he knew what it felt like as it slithered like silk across his chest—glorious—a bright flame that was cool to the touch.
He looked at her critically, trying to decipher exactly why he was still attracted to her after the two years they’d spent apart. There wasn’t just one thing about her that stood out, but the entire package. Her face was thinner now—her cheekbones more pronounced—but it was still the face of a sea goddess. Eyes the color of emeralds, slightly tilted at the corners, and full lips that haunted his dreams. She was every desire he’d ever had wrapped in one tiny package.
He let his gaze drift down her body. She was thinner all over. The lush curves he remembered were gone, replaced by a compact body of pure muscle and athleticism. She glanced back at him and raised a brow at where his gaze had landed.
Gabe smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He’d been wrong. She’d changed a lot. There was a hardness about her now that hadn’t been there before. When she’d first started with the CIA, there had been hope and an ideal of the greater good. Now there was just emptiness—a cold, green stare that didn’t believe in anything—and it scared the hell out of him. Because it was no one’s fault but his own.
“We’ve just crossed the border into Venezuela by my calculations,” she said, slowing to a jog. “How much farther is your rendezvous point?”
“About another mile. Keep the sound of water to your immediate left.” He put his hand on her arm before she could take off again. “Wait.”
She stopped dead in her tracks, and Gabe could tell she was trying to hear what he had. They were silent for a few more seconds before the sound came again.
She blew out an annoyed breath. “It’s the new guards. You always did have ears like a bat.”
“What do you have on you?” he asked.
“My SIG and a hunting knife. How many do you think there are?”
“No more than a dozen. They’re noisy bastards. And not too fast.” He pulled his own pistol from the small of his back and checked the magazine. “I’ll give you a boost.” He replaced his weapon in his pants and laced his fingers together. He arched a brow as she looked back at him with irritation.
“I’m really tired of climbing trees.” She exhaled and put her foot into his hands. He launched her up so she could reach the lowest branch, and she swung herself up with ease.
“Do you have good visibility?” Gabe asked.
“Yeah, I see them,” she said. “You’ll have to draw them close enough so I’m within range.”
“Try not to hit me by mistake.”
