Page 10

FINN

I don't sleep.

How could I, with the taste of Nova still on my lips and the memory of her body pressed against mine burned into my skin like a brand?

Instead, I spend the night alternating between security checks and berating myself for the momentary lapse in control that led me to kiss her. Ten years in the CIA, two more in private security, and I've never crossed that line with a client. Never even been tempted.

Until Nova.

By dawn, I'm no closer to making sense of what happened or what to do about it. So I do what I always do when my mind is too full. I work my body until thoughts become secondary to the physical demands of exertion.

I'm splitting wood when the sun breaks over the eastern ridge, each strike of the ax a form of meditation. A rhythm that clears my mind and settles my nerves in a way nothing else can.

Lift. Swing. Split.

Lift. Swing. Split.

I'm on my thirty-seventh log when my security tablet vibrates with an alert. Someone’s approaching the main gate. I set down the ax and check the feed, tension coiling through my body until I recognize the vehicle.

Cade. My brother. The one person besides me who knows the security codes to the property.

Shit.

I grab my shirt from the fence post and head toward the cabin, intent on intercepting Nova before she encounters my brother.

But I'm too late. By the time I reach the main room, I can hear Cade's distinctive knock on the front door, and Nova is already padding down the stairs in sleep shorts and a tank top, her hair tousled from sleep.

She stops when she sees me, a small smile playing at her lips that does dangerous things to my self-control.

"Morning," she says, her voice still husky with sleep. "Someone's at the door."

I nod. "My brother." I run a hand through my hair, trying to formulate a plan on the fly. "I didn't know he was coming."

"Should I hide?" There's amusement in her tone, as if she finds my discomfort entertaining.

"No. It’s too late for that." I move toward the door, then pause, turning back to her. "About last night."

"Not now," she says, cutting me off with a small shake of her head. "We'll talk later."

The second knock is more insistent, followed by Cade's voice. "I know you're in there, Finn. Open the damn door before I override the locks."

I sigh and move to the door, unlocking it to reveal my brother standing on the porch with a grocery bag in one hand and a weapon visible at his hip. Cade looks like me, but harder, his face more weathered, his eyes carrying the shadows of things seen and done during his Delta Force years.

"About time," he says, stepping past me into the cabin. Then he stops, eyes narrowing as he spots Nova standing at the bottom of the stairs. "You have company."

"Cade," I say, closing the door and engaging the locks, "this is Nova. Nova, my brother Cade."

Nova steps forward, offering her hand with the easy confidence of someone accustomed to meeting strangers. "Nice to meet you."

Cade shakes her hand, his expression unreadable to anyone who doesn't know him as well as I do. But I can see the questions forming, the assessments being made, the protective instincts kicking in.

"Likewise." He glances at me, one eyebrow raised in silent interrogation. "Didn't realize my brother had a guest."

"It's a recent development," Nova says smoothly. "And a private one."

I'm impressed by her quick thinking, implying a relationship rather than revealing the real reason she's here. Limiting knowledge of her presence is still our best security protocol.

"I see." Cade's eyes flick between us, missing nothing. "Well, Harper sent food. She worries you'll waste away up here on your mountain."

He sets the grocery bag on the counter, then turns to me with the expression that means we need to talk. Privately.

"Nova," I say, "why don't you grab a shower while I catch up with my brother?"

She nods, understanding the unspoken request. "Of course. Nice meeting you, Cade."

We both watch as she climbs the stairs and disappears into the guest room. The moment we hear the shower running, Cade turns to me, his expression deadly serious.

"Nova Wilde is in your cabin wearing sleep shorts and looking like she just crawled out of your bed. Want to explain that?"

"It's not what you think."

"No? Because what I think is that America's pop princess is hiding out in your fortress in the middle of nowhere, which means she's in some kind of trouble, which means you're working a job you didn't tell any of us about."

Sometimes I forget how quickly my brother's mind works, how easily he puts together puzzle pieces to form an accurate picture.

"It's classified," I say, knowing it won't satisfy him but needing time to decide how much to reveal.

"Bullshit. You're not CIA anymore, which means you're doing this privately, which means you're putting yourself at risk without backup." His eyes harden. "Spill it, Finn."

I sigh, moving to the coffee pot to buy myself a few moments to think. Cade is right. Working this alone puts both Nova and myself at risk. Having backup, especially backup I trust implicitly, would be an advantage.

"She has a stalker," I say finally, pouring two mugs of coffee and handing one to my brother. "It’s a high level threat. FBI's involved but hasn't caught him yet. I'm keeping her off grid until they do."

Cade takes a sip of coffee, processing this information with the quick efficiency of a tactical mind. "How high level?"

"Blood message on the bedroom mirror. Multiple home invasions. Surveillance photos from inside her house. And he was there, in her home, while I was extracting her."

"Jesus." Cade's expression darkens. "Professional?"

"Maybe. Her security team was compromised. Someone was feeding information."

"You're sure this place is secure? That no one followed you?"

"I'm sure." The question should irritate me, but I understand his concern. "Private jet to a rural airfield. Joe King picked us up, no one else involved. We've been here three days with no contact except Frank and the FBI liaison."

"And Harper's regular grocery deliveries," Cade points out. "She's been here, Finn. She could have been followed."

The thought sends ice through my veins. Harper wouldn't deliberately put us at risk, but she doesn't have my training or Cade's. She might not notice surveillance.

"You think someone's watching the property?"

"I think we should make sure." Cade sets down his coffee. "I did a perimeter check on my way in. Nothing obvious, but I wasn't looking for anything specific. Now I will be."

I nod, grateful for his expertise and the unquestioning way he shifts into protection mode. The McKenna instinct to guard what's ours runs deep.

"I'll come with you."

"No. You stay with her." Cade checks his weapon with practiced efficiency. "I'll be back in an hour. If I'm not, assume the worst and activate protocol seven."

Protocol seven. Full lockdown, followed by evacuation through the tunnel system. A contingency I've never had to use but always prepared for.

"An hour," I agree, memorizing the time. "Not a minute more."

Cade nods and moves to the door, pausing with his hand on the knob. "She's important to you."

It's not a question, but I answer anyway. "She's a client."

"Right." He doesn't believe me. "And I'm the fucking Easter Bunny."

Before I can respond, he's gone, slipping out the door and into the forest with the silent efficiency that made him legendary in special operations.

I stand there for a moment, processing the unexpected complication of my brother's arrival and the potential security risk it represents. Then I move to my security system, checking all perimeter feeds and sensors for any sign of intrusion or surveillance.

Everything appears normal, but Cade's concerns have me on high alert. The idea that someone might have followed Harper to my property, might be watching right now, waiting for an opportunity to strike, sends protective rage surging through me.

I'm so focused on the security screens that I don't hear Nova approach until she speaks from directly behind me.

"Everything okay?"

I turn to find her freshly showered, hair damp and curling around her shoulders, dressed in jeans and a soft sweater that makes her look impossibly young and vulnerable.

"Fine," I lie. "Cade's just doing a perimeter check."

"Because of me." It's not a question. "Because having me here puts you at risk."

"No." I step closer, unable to stop myself from reaching out to tuck a damp strand of hair behind her ear. "Because having you here makes this place a target, and I won't let anything happen to you."

She leans into my touch, her eyes holding mine with an intensity that makes my heart rate pick up. "About last night."

"It was a mistake," I say, the words feeling like ash in my mouth. "I crossed a line I shouldn't have."

"Did you regret it the moment it happened, or did it take all night to talk yourself intothat realization?"

Her question catches me off guard with its directness. "Nova."

"Because I don't regret it," she continues, stepping closer until I can feel the heat of her body. "Not for a second."

"You should." I force myself to step back, to put distance between us. "I'm responsible for your safety. I can't do that effectively if I'm distracted by... this."

"This?" She raises an eyebrow. "You can't even name it?"

"It doesn't need a name. It needs to stop."

"Why?” She snaps. “Give me one good reason that isn't about professional ethics or security protocols."

"Those are good reasons," I protest.

"They're excuses."