Page 1 of Kyle (Gold Team #3)

“Do you have to go?”

Guilt started to claw away at my insides.

If my best friend only knew the real reason I had to go back.

The burning need and where that need stemmed from, then maybe she’d understand.

But she didn’t and she never would because I’d never tell her.

Telling her would mean I’d have to open up about my past and that was never going to happen.

“Yes,” I groaned, answering for the third time.

“Anaya,” Evette snapped then continued to berate me. “It’s dangerous. Kalee…”

My best friend trailed off, Kalee’s death still too painful to talk about.

Too fresh. It hadn’t been that long ago that Kalee Solberg was murdered in Timor-Leste.

And if the reports were to be believed, she was tossed in a pit with all the others who had been senselessly killed and left.

My beautiful, sweet, caring friend left to rot.

The thought so revolting I had to push it from my mind or I’d go crazy.

“Evie. I have to. Part of why is Kalee. She died over there doing what she thought was right. She was making a difference. ”

I’d met Evette London and Kalee years ago at a literacy event for under-privileged children.

The two of them had been friends since junior high and had quickly pulled me into their friendship.

We became fast friends. It was because of Kalee I’d joined the Peace Corps.

When we were both sent to the small island of Timor-Leste, we were so excited to go together.

Now she was gone.

“I’ve read—”

I’m sure she had read the reports. She worked for a newspaper and would have access to information before the general public.

“I’ll be fine. I’m not going back to Timor-Leste with the Peace Corps volunteers, I’ll have a bodyguard.”

“A bodyguard?” she gasped. “Anaya!”

Shit. Why had I told her that? Evette was a worrier, always had been. Out of the three of us, she was the most cautious. Kalee and I couldn’t even get Evie on a plane to fly to Timor-Leste to visit us. Evie was so insane about it she could recite NTSB crash reports verbatim.

“I have to go. My flight leaves in a few hours.”

“But you’ve only been home a few days. I didn’t get to see you.”

Guilt slithered its way down to my stomach. I’d purposely avoided her. But I knew if she saw me, I wouldn’t be able to hide my feelings from her. She’d dig them out of me and it would worry her more. I had to go back to Timor-Leste and no amount of begging from my friend would stop me.

“I know. I’m sorry. I won’t be gone long. When I get back, I’m all yours.”

“Please be careful.” I could hear the hitch in her voice and my stomach tightened. “I can’t lose you, too. We didn’t even get Kalee back to…” Evette trailed off. “To you know, bury her. Poor Mr. Solberg. I haven’t been over to see him yet. ”

I had tried, but when I went to his house, he hadn’t opened the door. I could see him pacing the front room through the open curtains, but it was like he was so lost in his grief he hadn’t heard the door. I’d left without speaking to him.

“I think he needs time to come to terms with her death. Give him time.” I hated to change topics on her, but I had to go.

“Listen, Evie, I have to finish getting my stuff ready and go meet with the two men who are taking me to Dili. My flight leaves tonight but I’ll email you from the plane and check in. ”

“Anaya—”

“I promise I’ll be safe.”

“Okay. But check in every day or I’ll fly over there and find you.”

“Right.” I smiled. There was nothing that would make Evie get on a plane.

“Bye, love you.”

“Love you. Bye.”

I glanced around my apartment, a place where I spent very little time, and spied my phone charger and paperback I’d need for the twenty-five-hour plane ride. I shoved the items in my backpack and grabbed my small duffle.

If all went well, I’d be home in a week.

I walked into the lobby of the Hotel Coronado and immediately spotted Beckett “Ace” Morgan and his wife, Piper. The man was hard to miss—between his almost-mohawk, close-cropped beard, and imposing demeanor, one didn’t simply walk past Ace without staring.

I’d met Piper Johnson, now Piper Morgan, when she was visiting her best friend Kalee in Timor-Leste. That was right before the rebels had decimated the village Kalee and I had been staying in and slaughtered the children and workers in a nearby orphanage.

Once again my blood heated thinking about what those savages had done.

Their evil knew no bounds. And what was worse than that were the so-called ‘private orphanages’ in the city.

They were nothing more than brothels. Young girls groomed for a life of prostitution, sold into the sex trade, or into servitude to old men who wanted to marry a young girl.

It was horrifying.

“Hi, Anaya,” Piper greeted.

Being back in the States had done wonders for her appearance; she looked healthy. However, her eyes told the real story. The tale of hiding in a crawl space for days with three orphans while the rebels had killed everyone right above their heads.

I wondered if she’d heard the same cries I had while I’d been hiding, praying the band of insurgents wouldn’t find me as they tortured and killed others mere feet away from me.

“Hi, Piper. How are the girls?” I asked.

She and Ace had adopted the girls she’d protected. Thank God for Piper and Ace.

“Adjusting. Ace is introducing them to the wonders of all things candy. So, I’m steady behind him reminding the girls to brush their teeth.”

I knew she was making light of the girls’ acclimation to life in the United States but the smile on her face was genuine.

“Declan and Kyle are waiting for us,” Ace announced.

“Thanks again for setting this up for me.”

I’d already met with Declan Crenshaw and Kyle Smith, the men who were going with me to Timor-Leste.

The meeting had gone well, Declan had asked most of the questions, which was good because every time Kyle spoke I’d been captivated by his deep voice and penetrating stare.

Kyle was the kind of man who held your eyes when he talked to you and demanded you did the same.

Not verbally of course, it was in the way he pinned you with his gaze.

He held you hostage and the ease in which he did it was disconcerting.

He made me nervous and when I was sitting across from him I’d had to fight not to squirm in my seat or blurt out all my secrets I was sure he was reading.

I figured no one hid much from Kyle, and that didn’t make me nervous—that scared the shit out of me.

I’d made an art out of hiding. I was good at it.

But I was no match for Kyle. Which meant I had to keep my distance.

And that was going to be hard considering we’d be sharing the same space.

Then there was the small problem that Kyle Smith was incredibly good-looking.

And not in the cute, boy-next-door way. No, in the, I’m-a-badass-man kind of way.

His posture and demeanor screamed danger.

An air about him that left no doubt you did not want to get on his bad side.

But when he smiled, everything changed. A gentleness crept in and that was even scarier.

And unfortunately Kyle had smiled at me a lot during our meeting.

He’d done it to try and quell my nervousness, not knowing that each time he’d done it, his smile had the opposite effect.

“If I can’t talk you out of going back, then at least I’ll feel better knowing Kyle and Declan will be with you.” Ace’s expression couldn’t be misinterpreted. He wasn’t happy.

“I have to—”

“I know you do. But that doesn’t mean it’s any less dangerous. And Amisha will not be happy you’re sniffing around her business. She makes a lot of money off the girls.”

Amisha, the woman who ran a private orphanage, was the reason I was going back to Timor-Leste.

“I know she does,” I ground out. “It’s not right. I can’t just pretend I didn’t see what I did. I can’t sleep at night knowing—”

Piper’s hand on my wrist stopped my outburst. “I think what you’re doing is brave and kind. But Ace is right, it’s dangerous. Please be careful.”

The sadness I’d seen in Piper back in Sydney after she, Ace, and his team were able to leave Timor-Leste with the girls, shone in her eyes. She was thinking about Kalee.

“I promise I will.”

“Thank you,” Piper whispered and looked to Ace.

His features were still hard, but they conveyed understanding.

He’d seen, it too. He’d been to the very orphanage in question.

The woman didn’t even try to hide her misdeeds.

She flat out had told Ace and Piper their oldest girl, Kemala, was almost ready to find a husband.

But Ace and his team had seen what went on next door.

Where the real horror happened. Where the teenage girls weren’t sold into marriage they were rented out by the hour.

That was why I had to go back. I knew what was happening and I’d never live with myself having that knowledge without trying to stop it.

I silently followed Ace and Piper into a small room the hotel rented for business meetings, and found Declan and Kyle already seated side-by-side behind a round table.

The two men were identical in intensity. The best way to describe them was, they had their game faces on. And that was scary, too. The danger that normally surrounded Kyle had been ratcheted up and it was sexy in a frightening kind of way.

Neither stood but Declan motioned for us to sit.

I took the seat farthest from Kyle thinking it was best to keep my distance.

There was something about the man that made my body sizzle with awareness.

And frankly it was alarming. He was not my type, yet he woke up all of my girly parts I’d forgotten I had.

His dark blond hair, tanned skin, and set-in-stone eyes were the opposite of what I’d once dated.

Once upon a time, I’d liked my men on the happy-go-lucky side. There was nothing cheerful about Kyle.