by Lori Foster
“If it turns out it really is Scott, you can tell him all about it. But my concern is that he wants you to come alone.”
Since she totally believed Scott was alive and arranging to reconnect with her, she waved off Enoch’s worry. “Where?”
Enoch sighed. “I don’t know exactly, but he said it’s where the two of you used to go to talk.”
She didn’t have to think about it at all; she knew exactly where he meant. “It’s definitely Scott!”
“You know where he means?”
“Yes, of course.” They’d often gone to the quiet spot near the river behind the privacy fence of her parents’ property.
“Tell Brand.”
“Are you nuts? Brand would flip out, and then he’d get all macho and protective and insist on going along, and since Scott doesn’t know or trust him—”
“He should trust him because you trust him.”
Unfortunately, her relationship with her big brother had never worked that way. She assumed he would always think of her as his little sister first, and a responsible, intelligent adult second. “I’m sure I can convince him, especially once he meets the guys, but until then—”
From behind her, Brand said, “Until then, you’re going nowhere without me.”
Sahara froze. Damn and blast, how had she forgotten to watch for Brand? She’d gotten so excited about seeing Scott again, about having his survival confirmed, that she’d been oblivious to everything else.
Through the phone, Enoch whispered, “Brand walked in?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll let you go.”
He disconnected before she could stop him.
And still Sahara didn’t move. She kept the phone to her ear, her thoughts rushing first one way, then another, as she tried to figure out how to explain.
Finally, deciding she’d just insist that she was the boss and this was her very personal business, she lowered the phone and turned to Brand with an artificial smile.
The smile vanished when she saw that he was on his own phone.
She heard him say “Leese? Can you get everyone together? Yeah, real important.” His assessing gaze met Sahara’s. “Your boss is planning to sneak out on her own to meet someone who may or may not be her brother.” He nodded, his smile grim, and said, “My thoughts exactly. Right. I’ll see you in an hour.”
* * *
ENOCH GAVE HER a look of sympathy as she entered his office with Brand and found Miles, Justice and Leese all waiting. They stared at her with mixed concern and resolve.
“Don’t you all have assignments?” she groused.
“Rearranged,” Enoch explained. “Leese has ninety minutes, Miles and Justice have two hours.”
“And Brand,” she remarked in a saccharine tone, “has all the time in the world to butt in.”
“That’s what I’m willing to take,” Brand said. “Your sarcasm.”
Realizing that he’d harked back to the discussion they should have had in the kitchen, she made a face.
“And I’m willing to give you all the leeway you need—as long as you don’t endanger yourself.”
Which meant no leeway at all.
“In turn,” he continued, “you could try a little trust.”
Seeing no hope for it, Sahara nodded. “You know I trust you.”
“Thank you.” To Enoch, Brand asked, “Got a conference room ready?”
“This way.” Enoch led the small troop down a hall to a private boardroom that featured a long table and ten chairs, a wall of windows overlooking the river, and a full coffeepot with cups, cream and sugar already set out.
Brand stuck close to Sahara, following her as she headed to the farthest end.
Disgruntled, she said low, “We were supposed to be talking about Becky.”
“Why? You agreed to try not to butt in, and I agreed to be understanding if you do.” Unlike her, Brand seemed to be taking everything in stride, and his inexhaustible patience made her want to scream.
He pulled out a rolling chair at the head of the table for her, then took the seat beside her as the others chose chairs nearby at either side.
She mean-mugged them, these men who worked for her—men she now considered friends.
They smiled back.
Damn it, they were all so wonderful, how could she stay annoyed? She knew they meant well, but they didn’t understand Scott. He’d run off again if she didn’t follow his directions to the letter.
As if he’d read her mind, Justice said, “Aw, buck up, buttercup. We won’t chase off your brother.”
“We can be subtle,” Leese added. “You know that, right?”
“And in case it isn’t Scott,” Miles explained, “we need to be there. You’re not dumb, Sahara. If you looked at this objectively, you’d admit we’re right.”
Brand leaned forward, his forearms on the table, hands clasped together and expression serious. “It’ll be okay, babe.”
The stiffness left her spine. Her life had been so much less complicated before these big, lovable lugs had entered it, but she knew deep down she wouldn’t trade them for the world.
“Enoch,” she said to her hovering best friend and ace assistant, “would you mind getting pastries to go with the coffee?”
He smiled in relief, recognizing the request as a return to the norm. “I already did. I’ll see if they’ve arrived yet.” He left the room with a new jaunt to his stride.
“We’ll wait for him,” Leese said. “After all, he’s the one who got the message, right?”
“From the PI, yes,” she said. “But I could just call him directly—”
“No,” Miles said. “That might tip off whoever contacted him—your brother or someone impersonating him. We didn’t all sneak in here just to blow the element of surprise.”
“Right.” She should have thought of that. “How did you sneak in?” Enoch had told her they’d come into Body Armor in a way that no one would know they had congregated. She had to admit, she was curious.
“Catalina drove,” Leese said. “Anyone could see her dropping me off near the parking garage entrance, but they wouldn’t have seen Miles and Justice, who were ducked down in back and entered low when I opened the back door to grab a jacket.”
Sahara nodded. “Very sneaky. I like it.”
“Sneaky,” Justice growled, “is you trying to go off without us.”
She held up a hand. “I’ve already rethought that and of course you’re right. I’m positive it is Scott, but on the tiny chance that it might not be, I agree I should have backup.”
“Well, hallelujah,” Leese said.
She turned to Brand. “I probably would have come to that conclusion on my own, so please don’t gloat.”
“Wouldn’t think of it.” His phone buzzed and he withdrew it to look at the screen, quieted it with a touch of a button, then put it back in his pocket.
Suspicion bloomed. “Who was that?”
Brand shook his head. “Not important.”
Before she could question him further, Enoch reentered with a tray of donuts, Danish and muffins. While he served coffee and the snacks, Sahara studied Brand.
She half turned toward him, asking quietly, “Was that Becky?”
He snorted. “After all you gave her, odds are she’d contact you before me.”
Feeling culpable all over again, Sahara looked down at her hands. “Then who—”
“So nosy,” he said in a mildly teasing tone, surprising her. “Actually it was Drew Black from the SBC.”
Her gaze shot to his, apprehension getting a stranglehold on her. She knew that Drew Black was the president of the mixed martial arts organization Supreme Battle Challenge, or SBC as it was widely known. “What did he want?”
Brand shrugged as if it didn’t matter. “I assume the organizati
on want an answer about the next fight. I’ve been putting them off for a while now.”
Her chest tightened. Sahara knew she could lose him to the sport he loved, but lately, what he wanted mattered more to her than what she wanted.
Of course, Leese overheard. “Have you made a decision?”
Both Miles and Justice tuned in, waiting for his reply.
Brand looked only at Sahara. “The fight they want me to take is in Japan. I’d have to start training now to be ready, and there wouldn’t be much time for anything else. Those two things combined made the decision for me.”
Sahara frowned, paying little attention to the buzz around her as Miles, Leese and Justice weighed in, discussing the other fighter, the venue, even the payout in the contract. She wanted Brand to sign on as a bodyguard, but she didn’t want him to skip anything important to him.
He’d already been struggling with his self-imposed obligation to Becky, and she’d only added to that burden.
She cut through the conversation to ask, “You’re worried about me, aren’t you?”
His dark gaze fixed on her. “Very.”
Aware of the sudden fascinated silence, she chewed her lower lip. “I wouldn’t want you to—”
“I know.” He covered both her hands with one of his own. “I have a lot to consider, but there’s time for me to decide. For now, let’s figure out this thing with your brother.”
* * *
THE MOST ALARMING PART, Brand thought, was that Scott—or someone pretending to be Scott—had chosen tonight to meet with Sahara. That made them scramble to create their plans.
Worse, it was dark as Hades down by the river where she said they were to meet. Not even the streetlamps reached, and with only a sliver of a moon and a few scattered stars, they could easily lose sight of her.
Brand, crouched down on the floor in the back of one of the agency’s SUVs, said, “Park so your headlamps light the way and leave them on.” He’d already disconnected the interior light so when he opened the door and followed discreetly, no lights would give him away.
With nervousness, or maybe excitement lacing her tone, she replied, “Okay. Good idea. I know my way, but still...there could be snakes out there. Or spiders, or—”
“You’re afraid of spiders and snakes?”
“Not when I can see them, but I don’t like the idea of stumbling into them in the dark.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t like that either.” Brand felt the surface of the road change as she drove off the asphalt and bumped over the rocky ground.
“I’ll get as close as I can,” she said softly. “But it’s been a while since I was here, and that was always on foot. I don’t think it’s safe to take the car too much farther.”
They’d driven an hour south along continually narrowing roads that followed the river. In the distance, Brand heard a barge horn echoing over the water.
“It’s really foggy,” Sahara whispered.
“We can cancel at any time,” he said fast, hoping to encourage her to do just that. “Say the word.”
“No. Foggy is probably good, in case anyone is looking for Scott.”
“You have the mic in your pocket? We need to make sure the others can hear every word, too.” The plan was for him to creep closer on foot, staying low in the dew-wet weeds and scrub bushes, while the others encircled the area, Leese on higher ground, Miles and Justice near the road, ready to close in if necessary. They’d gotten there earlier to find their hiding spots, to help avoid detection.
“I have it,” Sahara promised him. “We tested it and retested it.”
Enoch remained at the offices, monitoring the tracer tacked to Sahara’s sweater.
They’d done all they could to ensure her safety, short of refusing to let her go, and he knew well that no man could do that. Sahara was a woman who understood the danger, weighed the risk to each encounter and made her own decisions.
She was a woman who loved her brother dearly and would probably face off with the devil to get him back.
Brand briefly closed his eyes. God, he hated that Scott had put her in this position.
She stopped the car. “I can see the river from here.” She inhaled, then slowly blew out the breath. “Brand?”
“Yeah, babe?”
“I believe it’s Scott, I really do. But at the same time, I’m so afraid that he might really be gone and that I’m just fooling myself, and that would be so awful—”
“Shh,” Brand said, wishing he had the words to reassure her. He just didn’t know. If it was her brother, he was a real dick for putting her through this. “You’re the strongest person I know, Sahara. So strong, you leave me awed. You can do this, and however it turns out, we’ll deal with it.”
“Together?”
“That’s sure as hell my plan.”
Silence hung in the humid air, then she whispered, “Did you know I was falling in love with you?”
Jesus, she had a knack for startling timing. A new rush of protectiveness surged through him, making his voice rough. “I was hopeful.”
He heard the smile in her tone when she teased, “That was easier to admit than I expected.”
“I’m glad. Soon as we get through this, I’ll make a few admissions of my own.”
She started to twist to see him.
“Don’t,” Brand warned. “If anyone is watching the car, they’ll wonder who you’re talking to.” Was she stalling to work up her nerve? He imagined visiting the area with her brother at her side was vastly different from a late-night rendezvous under potentially dangerous circumstances. “I’ll be right behind you, okay?”
“Okay. Brand?” She hesitated. “You be careful, too. I couldn’t bear if you got hurt helping me.”
“After what you just told me? You can bet my plan is to have you all to myself tonight in bed, and after I’ve exhausted you, then we’ll do some talking.”
“That sounds nice.”
He heard an odd noise on the roof of the SUV and almost groaned. “Is that rain?”
“It’s just drizzling. I have an umbrella, and I won’t melt.”
From his crouched position in back, he watched her stiffen her shoulders.
“It’s time. Thank you for being here with me.” She opened the door and stepped out, opening her umbrella before closing the door again, giving him no chance to say anything more.
Brand waited until she’d had time to go a few yards ahead, then he slipped from the SUV. Dressed all in black, he blended with the shadows. Midway across, he could see ribbons of light dancing over the surface of the river. Farther away, traffic hummed over a bridge.
This area, though, was nothing but rough bushes, rocks and crowded trees that shrouded the shore in darkness. He could barely see Sahara as she gingerly sat on a fallen log.
Her voice, soft and uncertain, carried to him when she whispered, “Scott?”
Ducking down behind a damp cluster of barren trees, Brand withdrew his gun—and a strong flashlight. If necessary, he could use the light to distinguish Sahara from anyone else.
They both heard the rustling of leaves as a body emerged from the right. Tall, dressed in a black slicker with a hat pulled low. Brand tensed.
Sahara shot out of her seat, the umbrella held limply at her side. “Scott!”
The intruder’s arms opened and Sahara flew into them. Brand saw her feet leave the ground as the man hugged her hard, both of them oblivious to the rain.
Suddenly Sahara was sobbing, and Brand felt everything inside him clench in pain. He’d never thought to hear her cry like that, but now she wept with the same enthusiasm that she did everything else.
Her brother whispered, “Shh, shhh. I’m sorry, sis. So damn sorry.”
Sahara slugged him, then shoved out of his arms. “They told me you were dead!”
“I know.�
� He grabbed her in for another hug. “I had no choice, and I promise I can explain everything.”
“You could have told me you were alive!”
“No, I couldn’t tell anyone. I knew certain people would be watching you, and I’m sorry, hon, but you’re an open book.” He framed her face. “I didn’t expect you to deny it, though, and to send a damned PI haunting my every step.”
Sahara drew a shuddering breath. “You can come home now?”
“Not yet, but hopefully soon.” Taking the umbrella from her and holding it over them both, Scott led her back to the log.
Brand had to keep reminding himself that this was her brother, a brother she adored, so he couldn’t dismember the guy for making her cry.
But he wanted to.
“I can’t believe it’s raining.” Scott sat with his arm around her, his head tipped to rest on the top of hers. “You’re warm enough?”
She nodded, sniffled and dug out a tissue. “Yes. Where have you been, Scott?”
“Everywhere. Always on the move. Hiding.” He stretched out his legs and heaved a sigh. “That night on the yacht... I was supposed to die.” He touched his ribs. “The bastards stabbed me, but though it bled like crazy, it was only a superficial wound.”
“Stabbed?” With new tears making her voice thick, she asked, “You’re sure you’re all right?”
He nodded. “I dove overboard before they could do more damage. It was so dark, you couldn’t see past the yacht’s lights. None of them knew anything about boating, so they kept watching the water where I’d gone in.” He hugged her. “They didn’t expect me to surface at the stern.”
Sahara gasped. “The life raft!”
“You know I kept it strapped on the transom for easy access. They were excited, all talking at once, so they didn’t hear me unfasten it. Even once I had it, I kept swimming away from the boat.”
“You were bleeding?” she asked with a tremor in her voice.
“Yeah, and I don’t mind telling you, every shark movie I’d ever seen kept playing in my head.”
