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CHAPTER 5

Tac-Ops safe house

Later that evening…

“I can’t believe my father owns this place.”

Slade entered the last of the security system’s six-digit code before turning and facing the woman standing in the cabin’s modest entrance. “You didn’t know?”

“Nope.” Shadow shook her head while letting her beautiful gaze soak in the rustic scenery. “I had no idea this cabin even existed. Of course, up until a few hours ago, I also didn’t know my mom was a government spy, so there’s that.”

He bent down and picked up the bags they’d packed for their stay and carried them farther into the open space. Their first stop after leaving the office was at a big-box store so Shadow could get enough clothes and toiletries to last her several days. After that, they’d made a quick run by his apartment so he could grab a few extra things, as well.

“I knew it was here,” Slade commented on the cabin. “But this is the first time I’ve ever been.”

He had to admit, the two-story structure was the nicest safe house he’d ever seen. With its exposed log walls, wooden floors, and windows that stretched damn near to the ceiling, it looked more like a hunter’s resort than a place to hide out from a killer.

“The master bedroom is over there.” Slade pointed to the doorway on their left. “But you and I will be sleeping upstairs.”

With her backpack slung over the same shoulder she’d recently shrugged, Shadow turned back around to face him.

“You and I?” A playful look flashed behind her stunning gaze. “I’m flattered, big guy, but don’t you think you should at least take me out to dinner first?”

His heart thumped and his dick twitched at the mere idea of the two of them sharing the same bed. And though he knew her comment had been made in jest, there was something other than quipped humor hiding deep within the woman’s sarcastic demeanor.

She’s as tempted by the notion as I am.

“There are two bedrooms on the second floor.” His jaw muscles twitched with the clenching of his teeth. “I’ll take the one closest to the stairs.”

That way, if danger did somehow manage to find them, it would be his ass on the front lines. Not hers.

All signs of humor left her playful expression as she told him, “In case I haven’t said it yet, I’m sorry.”

“Why?”

“Why am I sorry?” A soft huff of a breath fell from the half-smile lifting one corner of her luscious lips. “Oh, let me count the ways. Let’s see, I’m sorry for going MIA on the team and not coming to you guys instead. I’m sorry I’m the reason you were shot at last night…and for almost shooting you myself. And I’m sorry because now, because of me, you’re stuck pulling babysitting duty in the middle of nowhere for however long my father decides.”

“That sounds like a lot.”

“Yeah, well…” A small shrug. “Apparently, so am I.”

The woman was a handful. A fact that had been made clear from the very start. But Shadow was also intelligent, capable, and determined to right a wrong from her past.

Even he couldn’t fault her for that.

“You already apologized for your little disappearing act,” Slade told her. “And yeah, you should have come to us first. But I understand why you did what you did.”

“You do?”

He gave a quick nod of his head. “You went to Ohio to get justice for your mom while also trying to protect the team and your father by keeping us out of the loop. Not saying it was the right call, but…I get it.”

“Thank you.”

“There’s something else you need to accept, though.” Slade stared back at her with laser focus. “You have to know that what happened to your mother wasn’t your fault.”

Shadow frowned, her lids blinking quickly as she gave her head a quick shake. “I never said it was my fault.”

“Didn’t have to. The guilt you feel is written all over your gorgeous face.”

He hadn’t meant to call her gorgeous while discussing her mother’s murder, but the compliment had slipped out as though it was the most natural thing for him to say. Luckily, the conflicted woman either hadn’t caught it or was choosing to ignore it altogether.

“I was a kid when she was shot, Digger.” Her tone thickened with defense. “It’s not like I could have done anything to stop a grown man with a gun.”

“You’re right.” He took a slow step toward her. “You also had no way of knowing it was Stanton behind that mask.”

“I should have known.” She set her backpack down onto the log, dining room table to her left. “I’d met him before that night. Once, when my parents invited him over for dinner.”

“So you met the guy one time when you were six years old, and you think that means you should have known it was him? Come on, Shadow. You’re a hell of a lot smarter than that.”

The two stood there, staring at one another as though they’d reached an impasse. Nothing he said would ease the misguided guilt the woman felt, and she’d never be able to convince him she was a fault for anything other than possessing a daughter’s undying love.

Was it a smart choice to go running after a killer by herself? Absolutely not. Did he understand why she’d felt the need to do so? Yes. He did. But what he needed to make sure she knew…what he was certain she didn’t fully understand was that?—

“You’re not alone in this, you know?” Slade held her gaze as he gave the solemn vow. “The team and I…your father…we’re going to figure this all out. I just need you to promise not to do anything reckless in the meantime.”

“Me? Reckless?” She shot him a sideways smirk. “Never.”

“I’m serious, Shadow. You might know computers, but I know killers. And one who’s willing to send a guy to shoot up a fucking motel room just to take you out isn’t someone we should underestimate. Shit goes sideways again, I need to know you’ll do like you did at the motel. You do what I say when I say it. No questions, no arguments.”

“In spite of recent events, I’ve never been very good at following orders.” The gorgeous blonde shrugged. “Just ask my father.”

“Your father isn’t here, princess. I am.” He took another step toward her.

He was standing so close to her now, Shadow had to tilt her head back to keep looking him in the eyes.

“Why do you call me that?” she asked with what appeared to be genuine curiosity. “Do you think I’m a spoiled brat? Because I can assure, that’s not even close to the tr?—”

“Your bed.”

Her lips clamped shut as her delicate features twisted with obvious confusion. “I’m sorry?”

“You asked why I call you ‘princess’. It’s not because I think you’re spoiled.” His throat worked a hard swallow. “It’s because of your bed.”

“My…bed.”

Shadow’s brows dipped toward the center as Slade ran a hand over his scruff-covered jaw. He was doing a piss poor job of making her understand, so he parted his lips and tried again.

“Before I left Charlotte to come find you in Ohio, your father gave me a file. In it was information about Stanton dating back to before his days working at that law firm with your mother. It also included a copy of the official police documents from her murder investigation.”

“Okaaay…”

Explain better, dickhead.

“There were pictures in the file. Ones that showed the house you were living in at the time. One was of your bedroom. It was painted a light pink, and your bed was a twin-sized?—”

“Princess bed.” Shadow smiled fondly with a slow-moving nod. “I remember.”

The blues in her eyes darkened, her stare softening with emotion he hadn’t intended to conjure. But it was there, all the same, and Slade could feel himself becoming lost in her magnetic gaze.

The little girl she used to be was still in there. Still frozen in time, unable to break free from a trauma no child should ever have to endure.

Shadow’s lips parted slightly, the movement pulling his attention away from her baby blues. The craving to taste her was instant and strong as she inched herself closer to where he stood frozen in place.

She didn’t stop until her body was barely separated from his. And when she rose onto her sneakered tiptoes with a gentle lift of her delicate chin?—

“Shadow…”

“Shh…” The defiant whisper was as entrancing as the woman herself, making it impossible for him to pull away.

With a feathered touch, her lips brushed lightly over his, and though he knew he shouldn’t, Slade couldn’t help but accept what she had offered.

He reached up, sliding a palm against her flawless cheek. Shadow leaned into his touch, her lids falling shut as she brought herself closer to him.

More than ready to get lost in what he knew would be an incredible kiss, Slade placed a gentle hold on her hip and started to let his own eyes close. With his next breath, he pulled her body flush with his, and just as their lips pressed together for the very first time…

His phone began to ring.

They both froze, and it was all he could do not to yank the damn thing out of his pocket and throw it across the room. Instead, he dropped his hands back to his sides and removed himself from Shadow’s personal space.

Instantly recognizing the ringtone, he let her know, “It’s your father.”

“Of course, it is,” Shadow sighed, not bothering to hide her disappointment.

“I have to take it.”

“I know.” The smile she gave didn’t come close to reaching her eyes. “It’s okay. While you talk to him, I’m going to head upstairs and take a shower. When I come back down, I’ll make us some food.” She went for her bag, which was still on the dining room table, but as she started for the stairs, she stopped and turned back around. “There is food here, right?”

Despite his own feelings about the untimely interruption, Slade felt his lips twitch with the urge to smile. “Your father assured me the kitchen is fully stocked.”

She held his stare a beat longer before giving a quick nod and turning away. Slade reached into his front pocket and pulled out his phone, watching from behind as she climbed the thick, log stairs.

“Garrison,” he answered the call in his usual, gruff manner.

“I take it you two are getting settled in okay?”

Owens’ ironically timed question had Slade studying the space around him as a moment of paranoia began to set in.

“We are,” he answered the other man’s question, quickly clearing his throat to avoid any semblance of nerves. “Shadow just headed upstairs for a quick shower, then we’re going to have a bite to eat before calling it a night. I was about to do a perimeter sweep when you called.”

Okay, so that last part was only partially true. He had been thinking about how he needed to check the security of the cabin’s exterior, as well as the immediate area that surrounded it.

But then she’d looked up at him with those big, blue eyes and brought her mouth to his, and then…

And then, we almost kissed.

Technically, they had kissed, but only just barely because his damn phone had chosen that exact moment to start ringing. Now, Shadow was upstairs and stripping down naked while he was stuck down here, talking to her dad.

Probably a good thing, otherwise, who knows how far things would have gone?

A lot farther than a chaste, closed-lip kiss, that was for damn sure. And that was a complication he didn’t fucking need.

“Good to hear it,” Owens’ deep voice filled the phone’s speaker once more. “I wasn’t sure how well my daughter would handle being locked away with you in the woods.”

Despite his most recent thoughts, Slade found his muscles tensing defensively in response to the other man’s comment. “Meaning?”

“At ease, Digger.” His boss’s British accent was more prominent than usual. “That wasn’t intended as an insult, but rather a warning of sorts. Shadow’s not the kind of woman who likes to be caged, as I’m sure you’ll soon discover.”

“Don’t worry, sir,” Slade assured the other man. “I’ll make sure she’s well-protected.”

“Of that, I have no doubt. Truth be told, I’m just as worried about how you’ll fare once this is all over and done with.”

Me?

He frowned. “Why me?”

But rather than answer his question, Owens instead said, “Stay safe, Digger. I’ll touch base with you again in the morning. If you need anything before then, you know how to reach me.”

“Copy that.”

A second later, the phone went silent, letting him know his boss had just ended the call.

Slade blew out a breath and shoved his phone back into his pocket as the sound of running water turned his attention to the top of the stairs. Doing his best to ignore the fact that she was up there right now, wet and naked, he headed that way to let her know he’d be outside.

His booted feet hit the bottom step, and he didn’t slow his pace until he’d reached the top. He followed the sound of the water, turning right, and continuing to the room at the end of the hall.

Since the bedroom door had been left half-open, he called out her name and waited. When there wasn’t an answer, Slade took a quick peek, just in case she hadn’t gone into the shower just yet.

After a quick scan of the room, his gaze slid toward the bathroom door on his left. It, too, had been left slightly open, but only by a couple of inches. He padded across the carpeted floor and lifted a fist to knock.

“Yeah?” Shadow’s voice reached him through the sound of rushing water.

“I’m going to—” Slade’s voice cracked, which was something that never happened. So he cleared his throat with a frown and started again. “I just wanted to let you know I’m going to do a perimeter check before I lock up for the night. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay,” she hollered back, not sounding concerned about his leaving her alone in the least.

Given that she’d gone on a solo hunt for a killer, spending a few minutes alone in a secured cabin likely had no place on Shadow’s spectrum of fear.

It was that lack of fear that prompted him to add, “I hope it goes without saying, but you need to stay inside while I’m out there.”

“Not a problem,” Shadow didn’t hesitate to respond. “This shower feels too good to go anywhere at the moment.”

Bet it would feel a whole lot better if I were in there with you.

Slade nearly choked on the thought—and the erotic picture it brought forth. Turning his head, he started to leave when movement caught his attention from the corner of his eye.

On reflex, he looked back, inadvertently glancing through the narrow space between the door’s edge. He stopped mesmerized by what he could see in the partially-fogged bathroom mirror.

Holy shit.

He knew he should look away, but his eyes refused to let him. It was as if they were being held hostage by the image filling the reflective glass.

Mounted opposite of what appeared to be an impressively large shower, the mirror allowed him to see only a sliver of the woman standing inside. Her image was covered in a layer of steam that had clouded the shower’s glass door.

Part of him felt ashamed for watching her like that without her knowledge or permission. But the other part of him…the primal, male part that was filled with a longing like none he’d ever known…couldn’t help but cherish the stolen glance.

His heart kicked against his ribs as the sight of her beautifully blurred silhouette stole his breath the second she came into view. Committing the moment to memory, he could only just make out the gentle curves of her body.

Her shoulders and the dip of her waist. Hips he could see himself holding beneath the grip of his palms. Legs he longed to have wrapped around him while he drove himself harder and deeper into her hot, wet?—

No.

Slade looked away, nearly releasing a growl of self-loathing for even having those thoughts. This was Shadow for Christ’s sake. He shouldn’t be stealing a peek at her in the shower…or anywhere else for that matter.

Probably shouldn’t have kissed her downstairs, either then, huh?

Wanting to kick his own ass—for the sort-of kiss and a multitude of other reasons—he marched out of the room and back down the stairs. Step after forceful step, Slade didn’t stop until he was fully outside, standing in the middle of the cabin’s front porch.

He sucked in as big a breath as his lungs would physically allow. Images he shouldn’t want to see filled his head, and he forced them away with a single, hard shake. Then he went back inside, reset the alarm, and shut the door behind him as he crossed the threshold once again.

Double-checking that the lock had automatically engaged, he pulled the pistol from its concealed holster at his right hip. With his attention back on keeping her safe, rather than getting her into his bed, Slade looked around at the scene before him.

He was met with nothing but the darkening sky, thick trees, and a small yard filled with well-trimmed grass. The evening air had grown colder even in the short time they’d been inside, but he used the chilling breeze to help sharpen his senses…and keep his mind far from distraction.

Slade went to the right, his gun held tightly in his fist as his head moved on a constant swivel. The dense woods that surrounded the structure was a double-edged sword, offering both the cover they needed to keep the cabin hidden away from prying eyes, but also the perfect hiding place for the enemy.

The chances of anyone finding them out here were less than slim to none, but that didn’t keep him from ensuring the area was secure. There wasn’t any room for error with any job he and the team took on.

Especially not with this one.

Because again, this was Shadow. The woman who watched over him and the other Tac-Ops men every time their boots hit the field. Her work may be done thousands of miles away from a computer, but that didn’t make her any less vital of a member of their team.

Even if she wasn’t a part of Tac-Ops, however—or his boss’s daughter—Slade would still do whatever it took to keep the sexy blonde safe. Not simply because it was a job he’d been assigned or an order he’d agreed to follow, but because despite the fact that they’d only recently truly met, he couldn’t imagine his life without her in it.

And there was a man out there who wanted Shadow dead. A man willing to risk everything he’d worked for his entire life in order to make that happen.

Anyone with as much power and political pull as Senator Stanton had to be desperate to attempt such a potentially damning move. And he knew as well as anyone, desperate men were some of the scariest of all.

They were unpredictable, making their decision and the consequences that followed, impossible to foresee. While those with nothing to lose could be every bit as dangerous, a guy like Stanton—a former CIA assassin with enough friends and money to back up his cause—made Slade more fearful than any of the terrorists he and his team had chased.

But as he continued checking the rest of the perimeter, Slade knew the fear he was currently feeling had nothing to do with self-preservation and everything to do with the thought of something happening to the woman waiting inside.

Speaking of Shadow…

He climbed the front steps and entered the code on the exterior keypad connected to the cabin’s state-of-the-art security system. The tiny light at the top turned green as the locks audibly disengaged, and he opened the door and stepped over the threshold once more.

Shutting the door behind him, he went to the interior keypad and entered the same code. With the alarm active and ready to alert them of anyone stupid enough to try to break in, Slade turned and started for the stairs.

He made it three whole steps before he froze mid-stride, the sight of Shadow walking down the steps toward him momentarily stealing his ability to even think.

Fresh from the shower, her long hair lay damp around her shoulders and the top portion of her arms. Her face was free of all signs of makeup, and she looked much more relaxed and comfortable in a pair of black leggings and an oversized t-shirt.

Slade wasn’t sure how it was possible, but somehow she looked even more beautiful than before. But one thing he did know—the only thing that seemed to be perfectly clear—was that, when it came to this woman, he was in serious, serious trouble.