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PART ONE
I.
Tears stung Taylor’s eyes as sharp twigs snapped beneath her knees gouging the tender skin. The barrel of a semiautomatic rifle prodded her damp cheek and threatened to capsize her. She whimpered, biting her lip as she fought to keep her hands locked behind her head. Her heart hammered. She was pretty sure she was going to get sick, and she could only pray it wasn’t on the polished boots parked mere inches away.
“One move and I will blow your head off.”
Her gaze snapped up at the man’s deep growl. She shuddered as his dark blue eyes pinned her to the spot as surely as his gun. They were as soulless and deadly as a shark’s. Shivering, she struggled to speak past the lump wedged in her throat, but his narrowing stare cautioned against it. He kicked her sniper rifle to the side, a look of disgust crossing his stern features.
“So this is what it’s come to?” he asked. “Getting women to go their dirty work. Did you think you were going to put a bullet in me and my partner, princess?”
She shook her head frantically. Her stomach lurched and her arms trembled as she fought the urge to clamp a hand over her mouth. Snorting a shallow breath through her nose, she surveyed what was left of the group. Three men lay sprawled on their stomachs in the small clearing, their clothes riddled with gore and bullet holes. Another had crumpled near the edge of the woods. Even from her vantage point, Taylor could see the sinister red stain spreading across his back. She refused to look at the final man who’d fallen a mere foot to her right. The warm, sticky droplets of his blood still clung to her face and mingled with the thick, greasy feel of the camouflage paint she’d applied that morning.
“P-please…” she stammered. “I swear I don’t know anything. I have no idea who these people are. I don’t ev-even have a real gun. It’s an airsoft!” she cried.
“Shut the hell up!”
She almost fell over with fright. The man’s fierce roar stabbed straight through her chest and threatened to stop her heart dead. It took everything she had not to crumble at his feet. Her teeth chattered involuntarily, clattering in a violent dance despite her best efforts to still her chin. The other man, his partner, turned to look their way and then crossed the clearing.
“Six cases, Josh. Mostly fully automatic weapons. There’s a few AKs and one grenade launcher. These boys meant to do some serious harm.”
Her captor nodded, his stare never leaving her. “It was a good bust. Fucking crazy paramilitary lunatics,” he muttered.
“What about this one? Where did she come from?”
Taylor glanced up, her eyes silently begging for reprieve as they locked with the most piercing green ones she’d ever seen. Her heart hammered when she found little compassion or mercy lurking in those pale shamrock depths. They flickered away from her to settle on his partner.
“I spotted her lurking near the edge of the woods. Probably some kind of lookout or scout.”
She paled as the other man shot her a dour glare. Her head shook in pleading.
“I was looking for my cousin. I swear. We were airsofting. I heard gu-gunshots and I got scared. I came up here looking for Bryce to make sure he wasn’t hurt. I never saw these people before. Please don’t hurt me.”
His stare narrowed, and he indicated to her rifle with a slight tip of his head. Taylor almost sagged with relief when his partner lowered his weapon and stepped away. Her respite was short lived. She forced a hard swallow as the other man crouched in front of her. Lean muscles and hard lines strained against his armor and black fatigues. He tugged off his helmet. Sweat clung to his skin and dampened the haphazard curls on his head. Pressing her lips together, she studied the tarnished silver crossbones on the lapel of his collar and stilled a fearful tremor.
“Playing, huh?” he asked. His voice was soft and silken with a slight rasp. “How old are you, sunshine?”
“Twenty,” she whispered.
A slight smile lifted one corner of his mouth. She couldn’t tell if it was genuine amusement or mockery. Not that it mattered. She would gladly take either over the press of a loaded gun.
“It’s a toy, Baas, but that still doesn’t answer what the hell she was doing trapezing around these woods.”
“She was playing war games with her cousin,” he said softly. He rocked to his feet with a quick and fluid grace. “Let her go, Josh.”
The other man shook his head. Taylor whimpered as his rifle swung in her direction and stopped short of the end of her nose. Her bladder throbbed and she pressed her thighs together with a shudder. “We can’t do that Baas. Who the hell knows what she saw out here. We don’t need the heat. For all we know she’s full of it.”
“So verify her story,” the curly haired one stated quietly, giving the other man a condescending look of reproach before turning his attention to her again. “What does your cousin look like? What was he wearing?”
She stuttered, stammering out the details as best she could remember. Her stomach rolled as Taylor prayed her memory didn’t fail her now. Luck had never exactly been on her side. Her mother had often laughed, calling it the curse of the Irish. It had seemed like a great joke back then. Now, it felt more like a nightmare waiting to happen. Holding her breath, she waited, her heart pounding so hard, she swore her chest throbbed as the one called Baas relayed the information into a small earpiece and waited.
He looked younger and softer than his partner did somehow, despite the chiseled angles of his cheekbones and jaw. With a straight, regal nose and lips that were neither too thin nor too full, he bordered somewhere between menacing and ruggedly handsome. It was hard to decide when those savage eyes and sweaty curls lent him a wild and slightly unstable look that chilled her to the bone.
She almost passed out from a lack of oxygen by the time he finally nodded.
“The girl’s story checks out. They spotted a young man matching that description near the bluff.”
The dark haired man shook his head. “We stil
l don’t know what she saw, or what she will say, Sebastian.”
“I didn’t see anything,” Taylor pleaded. “I mean ex-except for him,” she said jerking her head toward the corpse on her right. “But he pulled a handgun. You were just doing your job.”
“See,” Sebastian said softly. “Come on, Josh. Let her go. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. She’s harmless.”
Josh snorted. “No one is harmless. You know that better than most, Baas.”
“I won’t say anything. Ever. I swear.”
She flinched as Josh rounded on her. Her hands unlocked from behind her head and scrambled to find purchase behind her as she tumbled onto her rear. His hulking body loomed over her and she bit back a cry as he gripped her jaw, his strong fingers sinking into her cheeks until the warm taste of copper rolled across her tongue.
“You got that right, sweetheart, because we’ll be watching you and listening. One word to anyone, and I will hunt you down and blow that pretty little face of yours right off without so much as a blink. Do you understand that?”
Unable to nod in his brutal grasp, Taylor choked out a muted ‘yes, sir.’ He released her with a shove and strode across the grassy clearing. Numb, she lay half-propped on her elbows and struggled to get her breathing under control. What the hell had she walked into? Who were these men, and what did he mean they’d be watching? She couldn’t contain her miserable shudder.
Taylor glanced up in surprise as a hand hovered in front of her face in silent offering. Swallowing, she let Sebastian ease her to her feet. His intense stare roamed over her. She slammed her eyes shut, bracing herself for a blow as he lifted his fist. The gentle brush of his thumb across her cheek was startling.
“You had blood on your face,” he explained quietly. “Are you okay?”
Pressing her lips together, Taylor nodded. “Yeah, just a little rattled.”
“That’s understandable. I’m sorry you had to see this, but you really shouldn’t be running around these woods by yourself. For one, it is private property, and it’s not safe for a young woman to roam around an area like this unprotected. There’s no telling what might have happened if one of those men had spotted you on his own.”
“Who were they?” she asked, her gaze darting over the fallen bodies. Each of them was clad in green camouflage fatigues, most had a dangerous weapon strewn not too far from their side.
Sebastian sighed and shrugged. “Men with no regard for innocent lives. We tried doing things the nice way. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out that way.”
“I’m sorry,” she muttered, unsure of what else to say.
“It’s a job.” His face lit with a tired smile. “What about you? Can I help you find your cousin or walk you back to your car?”
“No. No thanks. I think I’ve caused enough problems for one day,” she said with a nervous laugh. “Thank you for what you did for me, though. I really thought I was a dead woman.”
“You would have been.”
Taylor shuddered and wrapped her arms around her slender body, hugging herself in an attempt to shake the sobering chill of his words.
“I’m not always such a bad guy, you know.”
She glanced up again, her mouth falling open in protest. Taylor nibbled her lip in confusion when Sebastian gave a quiet chuckle and a boyish grin split his face, highlighting the deep creases and dimples on either side of his smile.
“You don’t believe me?” he asked, lifting a tawny brow. “I’ll prove it to you then. Let me take you to dinner.”
Was he serious? Frowning, Taylor took an uncertain step back. She prayed her usual grace didn’t come into play. The last thing she needed was to trip on some upturned stick or jutting root. Her mind was still reeling, and her body trembled from the raw jolt of adrenaline and fear that had ravaged her for the past fifteen minutes. Was that how they intended to watch? Was this some good cop bad cop routine, or a prelude to another shock and awe? Her eyes darted to the gleaming silver pistol holstered at his hip.
“I—I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” she stammered.
His head cocked to the side and she squirmed in place as he studied her, a small smile still dangling from the corner of his lips.
“Come on,” he urged. “It’s the least I can do to make some of this up to you. I won’t bite. Tell you what; you can even name the time and the place. I’ll be there.”
Taylor blew out a long breath and raked her fingers though her tangled brown hair. She had to give him credit. The man was nothing if not persistent…and persuasive. His stare was numbing, hypnotic. Even though her hands still shook, and she was certain she still had blood splattered on her cheek, Taylor felt herself cave.
“Fine. Seven o’clock Friday at Cervillo’s.”
His face spread into a slow smile, and he winked. “Make it five and it’s a date.”
Twisting, Taylor turned in front of the mirror and inspected her profile. Her shoulders slumped with a small sigh and she tugged the decorative pin from her hair. Behind her, Bryce laughed, dropping against her pillows. A mound of discarded and rumpled clothes lay piled around him on the bed in a testament of her indecision. Their gazes met briefly in the glass as she shook out her long locks and attempted to finger comb her chestnut hair back into place. What the hell did one wear to dinner with an uber scary sexy Special Forces type with killer eyes and an even deadlier partner? She sighed, struggling to remember why she’d said yes.
“Because you really didn’t have a choice,” she muttered to herself.
“Jesus, Tay! You look fine. Just pick something and go already. You’re gonna be late.”
She stuck her tongue out at her cousin.
“Who is this guy anyway?”
“I don’t know, silly. That’s kind of the purpose of hanging out with someone isn’t it?”
“Hanging out? It’s dinner, Tay. Sounds like a date to me.”
She ducked as Bryce chucked a pillow her way.
“You met him in the woods, didn’t you?”
A small frown creased her face. Pouting, she shook her head and tucked her hair behind her ears. This time, she avoided meeting her cousin’s reflection.
“What happened back there anyhow? It’s been a week and you still won’t say shit.”
“Nothing happened,” she insisted. “I told you, I was running and I tripped. I must have cut my cheek or something.”
“Yeah. Kind of funny how that worked. You took a shower and the blood was gone, but there was no cut. Fess up, you were back there skinning rabbits or something, weren’t ya?”
Taylor smiled and shook her head. After shooing Bryce from the room, her thoughts returned to that day once again. Sebastian’s pale shamrock eyes had been an amazing combination of cajoling and commanding. There was a raw power that rolled off the guy. Everything about him had been terrifying and mesmerizing in the same breath.
She peeled out of the mini-skirt and added it to the cast-off pile. Somehow, under his greasepaint and body armor, she’d gotten a hint of sophistication. Her brow furrowed and she flipped through her clothes, yanking a black tank dress from the recesses of the closet. She pulled it over her head and smoothed it down over her curves. The dress stopped just short of her knees. It was sexy, safe, and comfortable. Her stiletto boots would give it a chic look. Throwing on a couple long necklaces and a bangle, she grabbed her purse and headed for the door before she changed her mind.
Cranking her battered Dakota into the parking lot at Cervillo’s, she wheeled around back where the beast wouldn’t roll away and take out anything valuable. Both the park and the emergency brake were suspect. She’d get around to having them fixed one day, but until then, it was better to play it safe than sorry. Flipping down the visor, she checked her makeup and her teeth one last time. It was as good as it was going to get. Her stomach lurched as she took a deep breath and slid out of the truck. There was no point in locking the doors. Smoothing the form hugging knit over her curves, she scann
ed the parking lot and headed for the restaurant.
A small scream bubbled from her lips as a hand shot out of nowhere and covered her eyes. Hard, lean muscles pressed against her back and she shuddered as warm breath fell against her ear.
“Shh. It’s all right. It’s just me.”
The soft, silken voice rang a bell, as did the low chuckle. Taylor slumped with relief and then glared as Sebastian released her and approached her side.
“You almost scared me to death!” she scolded, her eyes wide.
His smile was endearing, but unrepentant. “I’m sorry, Miss McAvay, but I was only trying to prove a point.”
“What point would that be?” Taylor asked. “That you can materialize out of thin air?”
Sebastian threw his head back with a quiet laugh. His sage eyes sparkled beneath the hazy, yellow glow of the parking lot lights. “I’m no Houdini. But you…” he lifted her hand and pressed the back against his lips. “You are stunning. You really need to stop putting yourself in dangerous situations. I might not always be there to protect you,” he teased.
“Meaning?” she asked.
“Meaning you really should at least carry mace. And next time, throw an elbow.”
Taylor stared at him for a long moment and gave a small shake of her head. “I’m not as unarmed as you might think.”
Sebastian smirked, one of his dark golden brows lifting in question. “Is that so?”
“Yes, sir. You were about two seconds away from getting your toes crushed by my killer heels,” she said, lifting a booted foot and turning it slightly for his appraisal.
She didn’t miss the gleam of approval in his gaze, or the lopsided tilt of his mouth. Both made her chest swell with a sense of accomplishment and pride. Turning her head, she studied him. He seemed even younger and almost innocent beneath the sulfuric lights and silver slant of the moon. Gone was the cold, hard look she’d remembered, and even his dark sandy curls had been tamed into submission. It was hard to believe this was the same man she’d encountered in the woods. A casual black hoodie and snug Henley shirt had replaced the menacing body armor. Whatever cologne he was wearing smelled wonderful. It was sensual and delicious with an undercurrent of warm chocolate and fire.
