Page 7

As they strolled back to the hotel, Brad held Avery’s hand.

Never had he felt such a strong connection to a woman—not even his ex-wife.

But Avery got him. She understood what made a man like him tick.

Yet, there were still a lot of things he didn’t know about her—and vice versa.

They’d been dancing around each other for the past few months, neither willing to dive any deeper than they already had. Maybe it was time.

He squeezed her hand. “You know, you never told me why you left the field.”

There was a long pause, and he started to wonder if he’d stepped over a line he shouldn’t have.

But then she let out a deep sigh. “I’d been good at my job.

Maybe too good. One day, I’d hit a wall and felt my soul would never find redemption if I continued down the road I was on.

The people I’d been ordered to kill ...

their blood is still on my hands. Then there are the people I didn’t kill—the ones who got away, whether it was for a few hours, days, or more—the ones who ended up killing others.

Innocents who didn’t deserve to die. Their blood is on my hands too. ”

She reached up and tucked a few strands of her hair behind her ear.

“I was in a remote part of northern China, tracking a target and waiting for my orders.

I was only supposed to gather intel. My cover was that the embassy wanted to help the poor people in that region, and I was there with a team to assess what improvements were needed to help them survive.

“The man I was tracking was a ruthless bastard, just like his father. To me, they were the devil and his spawn.”

Another couple, out for a moonlight walk, approached them, and Avery paused, waiting until they were out of earshot again.

“The family’s empire had been built on the backs of others, and they didn’t care who they hurt in the process.

As long as the money was rolling in, nothing else mattered.

Lin Chao, the father, had inherited the legitimate family businesses, but that wasn’t enough for him.

He got involved in the drug, arms, and slavery trades.

He found dirt on every politician and member of law enforcement he could, guaranteeing they were in his back pocket. ”

Brad knew all about men like that and even a few women.

They kept his teams busy trying to take them down and save the innocent.

“Sounds all too familiar. China, Colombia, Korea, Russia, Mexico. Hell, there are even some of those bastards in the US. It doesn’t matter who they step on in their effort to rule the world, or at least their part of it. So, what happened?”

“The reason Lin Delan and his men were in the area was that they were forging a new route for their arms dealing. His men had terrorized the locals—assaults, rapes, stealing what little they had. One day, in the middle of the village, Delan shot a pregnant woman in the chest at point-blank range because she hadn’t moved out of his way fast enough.

Just pulled out his gun, shot her, then stepped over her bloody body like she was a mud puddle he was trying to avoid.

” Her voice had gone cold at the memory, and Brad gave her hand another squeeze, reminding her he was there for her.

“One of the men with me was a doctor. Out there, in the middle of nowhere, there wasn’t anything he could do to save her, but he could save the baby—she’d been just days away from giving birth.

He did a Caesarean, as the life was draining out of her.

Mere seconds after hearing her baby boy’s cry, she died.

Hours later, I got the order to take Delan out.

My superiors had found out he and his father had plans to eliminate the US ambassador to China in retaliation for the US’s interference in some of their illegal activities.

Had it come in earlier, that woman would still be alive, and her child wouldn’t have been orphaned. ”

Brad stopped in front of their resort and pulled her into his arms. He wasn’t sure if she was aware she was crying as she made no attempt to wipe away the tears, so he did it for her, cupping her cheeks and using his thumbs. “That’s why you went into nursing.”

She nodded as best she could with him holding her head.

“Mm-hmm. I needed to help save lives. I knew I’d done that with every person I’d killed and every piece of intelligence I’d intercepted, but after taking that bastard down, I was done.

I never wanted to take another life again.

I called Gene and told him if he didn’t pull me out, I’d be a walking time bomb.

I was back on US soil within forty-eight hours. ”

Gene McDaniel had been the head of Deimos since its inception nearly twenty-five years ago and was well-respected by those who worked for him and the presidents he’d served under.

There were very few people he reported to and POTUS was one of them.

From what Brad had heard about the man, McDaniel would be holding onto his leadership position until he was either forced out or carried out to the morgue.

“Smart man. I’m sure if you’d made that demand while you were still with the CIA things would have turned out a lot differently.”

His hands skimmed down her arms to rest on her hips as Avery cocked her head to the side and smirked.

“I’m sure too. But Gene knew I was serious.

He also knew I could still be an asset to the agency.

When I told him I wanted to leave for good and go into nursing, he was the one who suggested combining the two careers.

I’ve been taking care of injured or sick operatives ever since I became a licensed practical nurse.

While about half the states have reciprocity for my certification, the others don’t, and I would have had to jump through quite a few hoops to make that happen.

Gene took care of all that, so it didn’t matter where my patient was located INCONUS. ”

“Well, I’m just glad Texas was where Haven ended up because I would have missed out on someone who’s become very, very special to me.”

Bending down, he brushed his lips against hers.

It was there, right on the tip of his tongue, to tell her exactly how he felt about her.

Was this the right time? He’d never thought he’d get remarried, but now he couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to stand before their family and friends, with Avery in a beautiful, white dress, as they professed their undying love for each other.

Or maybe they’d elope, and it would just be the two of them.

Either way, he would love to grow old with her by his side.

He gazed into her eyes and suddenly he knew.

Avery felt the same way about him, but she was scared and uncertain.

She’d gotten to this point in her life without ever marrying.

Hell, as far as he could tell, there’d never been someone special, long term, in her life—someone who had cherished her no matter what came their way.

How the men who’d crossed her path over the years had never tried to snatch her up permanently, he’d never understand, but their loss was his gain.

While she wasn’t ready to hear his intent to someday put a ring on her finger—yup, Bradley Barton was officially off the market—he could at least start things moving in that direction.

With the moon and stars high above them and the ocean lapping against the shoreline, Brad prepared to say the three words he’d only said to one other woman who hadn’t been a blood relative.

He was certain he’d never say them to any other woman ever again.

Taking her hands in his, he brought them to his mouth and kissed her knuckles as he stared into her eyes, letting her see all the emotion welling up inside of him. “Avery, I love you.”

Tears filled her eyes as her jaw dropped. It took her a moment to gather herself before she threw her arms around his neck and held him tightly. “Oh, thank God! I’ve wanted to say that for weeks now, but I was so scared you didn’t feel the same.”

A grin spread across Brad’s face as he chuckled then leaned back so he could see her. “I think that means you love me too, right?” He desperately needed to hear the words.

“Yes! Yes, I love you, Shrek.” She went up on her toes and melded her lips to his. Never in his life had something felt so damn right.