by Maya Banks
“You take a hit?” Zeke demanded.
Isaac opened his mouth and them promptly shut it again. How the fuck did he answer that question? Yeah, he’d taken one hell of a hit. He should be on his way to the morgue to get a toe tag, but it was as if the wound had never happened. As if his heart and lungs hadn’t taken a mortal blow. How to explain that to his partners?
“No time for questions. I’ll explain later. Get me the fuck clear. Just don’t get your asses shot.”
“Not in the game plan, my man,” Dex retorted. Then he paused a second. “You need a medic?”
“No. Just wheels.”
“Shadow is on scene now and is scouting for the shooters. If they’re still here, he’ll take care of it,” Dex said.
That much was true. Shadow came by his code name because he was just that. A shadow that no one could detect. No one would ever know he was on them until it was too late.
“Good idea,” Isaac murmured. “But tell him to watch his six. There was more than one. Shots were fired from at least three different sources.”
“He’ll take care of it,” Dex said confidently. “I’m more concerned about your condition.”
“I’m fine,” Isaac insisted. “Just don’t like being a sitting duck.”
“We’ll have you out of here in no time. Just relax and keep your guard up. Zeke and I have you covered and Shadow will take care of any remaining threat.”
But what worried Isaac was that he hadn’t been the target. His thoughts froze. Or . . . Maybe he had been? The shots hadn’t been aimed at the woman. Not a single bullet had hit the vehicle she was closest to, while he, on the other hand, was lucky he still had his balls. This hadn’t been about him at all, nor was it a random shooting by rank amateurs. It had been an intended abduction resulting in collateral damage—almost. They wanted him dead and her alive. At least only one of the results they’d wanted had been accomplished.
Either way the mysterious angel was in serious trouble, and he’d be damned if he left her helpless and running from the assholes who’d made it clear they didn’t play nice. He had no idea what they wanted with her, but even as he contemplated the reasons why, he rubbed a hand over his chest—his completely healed chest that showed no sign of the very real kill shot. His unmarred chest gave him a pretty damn good idea why a bunch of damn assassins had her on the run and terrified out of her mind.
If her abilities were known—and he’d bet his last dollar that someone knew about her miraculous gift—they wanted it. There were any number of factions that would stop at nothing to have her under their thumb.
Fuck that.
She’d saved his life. And even if she hadn’t, after one look at the bruised and bloodied, fragile slip of a woman, there was no way in hell he wouldn’t move heaven and earth to make damn sure she was protected at all times. This was personal. This wasn’t a DSS mission where she’d be assigned to a team or another man. She was his to protect. And if Caleb, Beau or Dane had a problem with that, then they could go to hell. He’d hand in his resignation and take on the job himself.
“What the fuck?” Zeke roared as he and Dex appeared in front of Isaac. “You said you hadn’t taken a hit. Jesus fuck, there’s blood everywhere. You need an ambulance and to get to the hospital now.”
Isaac sighed and then simply pulled away the blood-soaked shirt so they could see the unmarred flesh of his skin.
“Look, guys, I know what it looks like but if I told you what happened, even with the shit you’ve been exposed to working for DSS, you’d likely haul my ass to a psych ward.”
“Try us,” Dex said calmly.
Isaac blew out his breath and then related the entire story, from the time he saw his door open to when he took a mortal shot to the chest and was miraculously healed by the mystery woman.
To their credit, the only response they displayed was a rise in their brows.
“So you just let her go? Without protection? So those assholes get another shot at her?” Zeke asked in disbelief.
“I made her take my ride,” Isaac snapped, glaring at Zeke. “I wasn’t in a position to protect myself, much less her, and I couldn’t justify such a huge risk to her when I knew my backup would be here within minutes.”
Shadow appeared seemingly from nowhere, but his scowl indicated he’d been privy to the entire explanation. Which was just as well, since Isaac really didn’t want to rehash it.
“And that helps her how?” Zeke asked in a persistent tone.
Isaac shook his head at how slow on the uptake Zeke was. And reinforced his glare, his nostrils flaring in irritation. “She took my company vehicle.”
Realization flickered in his teammate’s eyes.
“You going after her?” Shadow asked, drawing Isaac’s ire from Zeke and right on himself.
“What the fuck kind of question is that?” Isaac snarled.
“Okay, so when do we go after her?” Dex questioned.
“Now,” Isaac said impatiently. “Hell, it didn’t even look like she knew how to drive, so it’s not like it’ll be that hard to tail her. While we’re wasting time here rehashing shit that can wait, they could be on her even now.”
Zeke gave him a concerned look. “Shouldn’t you go to the ER or at least the private clinic used by DSS just to get you checked out?”
“And tell them what exactly,” Isaac said his patience fraying precariously. “That I was shot in the chest, heart and lung hit? Bled like a stuck pig and I felt myself dying and oh, by the way, my mystery woman laid hands on me and healed me? I felt the damage being repaired from the inside out. Trust me. If a doctor examined me, he’d find no evidence of a gunshot wound.”
Dex whistled. “That’s some pretty crazy shit.”
Isaac snorted. “After knowing what Ramie, Ari and Gracie can do, nothing should surprise you by now.”
“Yeah, man, but this is different,” Shadow said quietly. “She heals people. She pulled you back from the brink of death. You said it yourself. You felt yourself dying, shutting down, and yet now no one would ever know you’d even been injured at all. That goes beyond the psychic abilities our women possess.”
“Yeah,” Isaac said, blowing out his breath. “Now you’re getting it. Which is why I have to find her as soon as possible before someone else nabs her. She’s going to have a target on her back for the rest of her life. Probably always has. Makes sense to me now that I know the story and why she was trying to steal my ride, why her face was so battered and she wasn’t dressed for shit. Hell, she didn’t even have shoes, for fuck’s sake.”
Zeke’s expression blackened to the point of being murderous. “You never said some asshole had beat her up.”
Dex and Shadow’s reactions were no less volatile.
“Help me up and let’s get the fuck on the road. We’ll need to activate the tracking system on my SUV so we know where she is and how far she got, or if she’s still going.”
Though it was left unsaid, the grim expressions on their faces reflected the knowledge that she could already be in her pursuers’ hands.
THREE
“FUCK,” Isaac ground out from the passenger seat as Zeke drove and Shadow and Dex rode in the backseat of the SUV.
The men came to attention, and Zeke cast him a sideways glance. “What’s up?”
“There’s been no movement on the tracking device ever since I first got a bead on it a few minutes ago.”
Shadow shrugged. “Maybe she bedded down somewhere hiding.”
Isaac shot a look at Shadow over his shoulder. “You didn’t see her eyes, man. I’ve never seen eyes that were windows right into a person’s soul until I looked into hers. I don’t think for one minute she would stop running once she took off in my ride.”
Zeke looked pensive. “And yet she stuck around to save your sorry ass.”
Isaac sighed and rubbed a hand down the front of his face. “Yeah. She did. And why? I don’t get it. Never seen a woman that terrified in my life and it pissed me off. And ye
t when I told her to go, that there was no hope for me because I was fading fast, she refused. And after . . . God. Once she healed me, she was shattered because she knew she’d given up any opportunity to escape because of me.”
“Hell of a note,” Dex muttered.
“Yeah, tell me about it,” Isaac growled.
Why had she saved him?
People that desperate didn’t normally think of anything but themselves and yet she risked everything, had seemed grief-stricken that he was dying.
He wanted an answer to his questions, but in order to do that, he had to find her.
“So where’s your SUV?” Shadow asked. “If it hasn’t moved then it should be easy to find, right?”
Isaac held up the transmitter but didn’t volunteer the fear that gripped his chest over what they’d find. Or wouldn’t find.
“Three miles out,” Zeke said in a low voice. “Isolated area. She had enough sense to at least get to a secluded spot.”
“Hell, I doubt she knew where the hell she was going,” Isaac bit out. “She didn’t even look like she knew how to drive, or was even old enough to drive for that matter.”
“What did she look like?” Shadow asked curiously.
“Like an angel,” Isaac murmured. “A bloodied, bruised, beautiful angel. Bluest eyes I’ve ever seen and long, pale blond curly hair. Hell, maybe I hallucinated the entire thing and I’m just crazy as fuck.”
“You didn’t imagine being shot or us finding you lying in a pool of your own blood,” Dex growled.
“Just ahead,” Zeke said in a grim voice.
At his statement, the men drew their weapons. Zeke came to a halt a few moments later and they were out of the vehicle, guns drawn.
“Split off in pairs,” Isaac said. “According to the tracker, it should be straight ahead, just off the road in the woods. Zeke, you’re with me. Shadow, you and Dex circle around and come in from the front.”
Shadow and Dex melted into the woods while Isaac and Zeke took the straight route to where the SUV should be located. They were barely into the woods when Isaac halted and held up his hand to Zeke, pointing to where the SUV was parked haphazardly in a large area of brush, as if she’d tried to drive straight through it. To hide.
Isaac swore, not forgetting for one moment the sheer enormity of her selflessness and her willingness to risk everything so he wasn’t lying dead in his own blood right now. There was no way in hell he was going to let her fend for herself. Once he had her in his possession, he was going to do everything in his power to get her to open up to him and he damn sure wasn’t ever going to let her take that kind of risk again.
He crept stealthily toward the vehicle, Zeke taking his six. When he peered into the front seat, his heart sank and his pulse ratcheted up. God damn it. Had they gotten to her? Then he peered into the backseat and his knees went weak with relief. Until he got a full view of her.
She was curled into a tight, protective ball and even in sleep—and she looked completely wiped—there were deep lines in her forehead and she twitched and made whimpering noises. Or was she unconscious?
Had he done this to her? Had saving his life made her so helpless that she was incapable of defending herself?
And then he softened in places he didn’t think he had the capability to ever be soft in when he saw the tracks of silent tears sliding down her cheeks.
Zeke was no less affected and muttered a grim, “Fuck. What are we going to do, Isaac?”
“She goes with me,” Isaac said in a tone that brooked no argument. “No way I’m leaving her to those assholes. God only knows what was done to her before she managed to escape.”
Zeke’s expression became thunderous. “We should put a team on her so she has twenty-four-hour protection.”
“She goes with me,” Isaac snarled.
“Dane’s going to want a full report and a say in how this goes down.”
“Fuck what Dane wants. She’s mine. This has nothing to do with Dane. She isn’t technically a client. Therefore, whatever is done will be done my way, my decision.”
Zeke’s eyebrows went up, but he wisely didn’t push the point.
Isaac carefully opened the back door, not wanting to awaken her with a sudden noise. She’d already endured far too much fear and stress. He wanted to end that shit for her right now. But he also knew that she wasn’t someone who was going to trust very easily. He would have to be patient and extremely gentle with this woman.
He hesitated, almost touching her, as he stared at the tiny ball she’d curled herself into. She looked so fragile he was afraid to touch her. Hell, his hands were enormous compared to her bones, her hands, her arms. What if he hurt her unintentionally? But no way in hell would anyone else be the one to carry her anywhere.
Holding his breath, he gently smoothed one hand up her arm, testing her awareness. But he shouldn’t have worried. She didn’t so much as flinch. She was clearly beyond her limits, and guilt surged freshly through his veins.
She was a fucking miracle. He was still numb and in disbelief that he was here, whole, no evidence of having been shot, instead of in a morgue where his teammates would have the unfortunate task of identifying his body.
Knowing he needed to hurry, he slid his other hand beneath her soft body and then moved the hand resting against her arm so that he could put his arm underneath her legs. He lifted her effortlessly and began to back out of the vehicle, paying close attention to her every breath, movement or facial expression.
She still hadn’t shown any sign of rousing. This both worried him and relieved him. Holding her close to his chest, close enough that he could feel both their heartbeats, he strode toward his vehicle even as he gave orders to his teammates.
“Get rid of my SUV and then disable the tracking device. I’d destroy it, but Beau would throw one hell of a fit. But make it disappear for a while. When it’s safe . . . someone can retrieve it.”
When it’s safe. Now there was a leading statement. Knowing as little—which was nothing—about the situation he was now squarely in the middle of, having any idea when it would be over was the least of his concerns. Knowing what he needed to know in order to keep her safe and protected against harm? That was his number one priority. She’d saved his life without knowing a thing about him other than that he was dying a foot away from her. There was no way in hell he would allow her to suffer or be afraid a single day longer.
“What do you want to do, Isaac?” Shadow asked as Isaac carefully laid the woman in the backseat of their SUV.
When Isaac was satisfied she was as comfortable as he could make her, he turned back to see all three of his teammates gathered around him, their expressions concerned and questioning.
As much as he hated the idea of leaving the woman he considered his, as crazy as the idea of her belonging to him may be, his responsibility, to anyone’s protection but his, he knew he couldn’t simply disappear without giving Dane and Beau an explanation. He dragged a hand through his hair and muttered a curse. Then he pinned the three men with his intense stare.
“I have to go in and let Dane and Beau know what’s going down and that I’m out of commission for a while. I need the three of you to take her to my place and lock it down. I don’t want her out of your sight even for a second. I’m trusting you to ensure nothing happens to her. I’ll make it quick and be back as soon as possible, but I need you to do this for me.”
“You know we’ll do whatever you need, man,” Zeke said quietly. “Even after. This isn’t something you should be doing alone. That’s not the way we work and you know it.”
“But this isn’t an official assignment,” Isaac began.
“Shut the fuck up,” Dex said rudely. “Granted we haven’t worked for DSS as long as the rest of you. We’re the new recruits. But we’ve been here long enough to know that this isn’t the way shit ever goes down. We’re a team—family—and that means not leaving you on your own just because she isn’t an official fucking assignment. So suck it u
p. Can’t speak for the others, but you’ve got me as long as you need me. I’ll have your back and whatever you need done. All you have to do is say the word.”
Zeke and Shadow didn’t say anything, but their expressions said it all. They weren’t going anywhere either.
Isaac breathed out a sigh of relief. “Thanks. I really appreciate this. Let’s move out. I need you to take her to my place. One of you stays on her every single minute. I don’t want her waking up alone and terrified. The other two need to scout the entire perimeter and make damn sure no one’s poking around. This won’t take long at HQ, and I’ll meet you back at my place as soon as possible.”
“You got it,” Zeke said. “No one will get close to her, Isaac. Swear it to you on my life.”
Isaac gave him and the others a chin lift. “That was never in doubt. Dane only hires the best, so even if I didn’t already know how steady y’all were, just the fact that he hired and put his stamp of approval on the three of you would be enough for me to trust you with my life—and hers.”
Dex tossed him the keys to the other SUV and Isaac stole one last glance at the woman who’d miraculously healed him. He hated leaving her even for a short while, but he had no choice. Clenching the keys in his fist, he forced himself to turn and start walking to the other vehicle.
“Keep me posted,” he said, turning back for a moment. “I want to know if she comes around, how she is.” Then he sucked in a breath and stared at his teammates, not caring what they could read into his tone or expression. “Keep her safe for me,” he whispered.
“You know we will,” Dex said in a quiet voice. “Now go so you can get back to her.”
FOUR
ISAAC parked in the garage where DSS was headquartered in downtown Houston and quickly got out. He needed to make this short and sweet and then deal with whatever the consequences were. He didn’t give a shit whether he had Dane and Beau’s stamp of approval or not. It wasn’t even negotiable. If they wouldn’t stand down, he’d simply walk away.
He jerked in surprise at that thought as he got out of the elevator on the floor of the DSS offices. Quit? Walk away? From a job that was his entire life? The job that consumed him to the exclusion of all else? Never would he have imagined any scenario where he’d choose something else over his job—his teammates—his . . . family. But he wouldn’t even have to think twice in this situation.
She needed him and he owed her more than he could ever repay. It was also obvious she was in serious trouble, and if he didn’t protect her, who would?
He walked into the offices and nearly ran into Eliza. He hugged her fiercely and she didn’t even threaten to cut his nuts off, instead hugging him back just as fiercely.
As he stepped away, his gaze inspected her, leaving no detail out. She looked relaxed. Happy. Healed. There was a soft light in her eyes that had never existed before. Isaac supposed that was what love and redemption did for a person.
Then he also realized something else and frowned. “What the hell are you doing here, Lizzie? You aren’t due back at work for another . . .”
She scowled. “Three weeks. Yeah, yeah, I know. Not sure who the bigger asshole is—my husband for arranging three months off or Dane for agreeing to it. All without my knowledge or anyone asking me how much time I wanted off.”
“You were shot, woman. You nearly died,” he said gruffly. “Cut yourself—and us—some slack, okay? Especially that poor bastard you married. You damn near died in his arms. Hell, you did die.”
Her eyes softened and then she frowned again. “I get it, but three months? It’s not as if I hadn’t already had time off before the wedding.”
“Uh, do me a favor, Lizzie. Don’t push to come back just yet. Not until I get a chance to talk to you, okay?”
Her eyes immediately became piercing, concern crowding her features as she took a step back. “What’s going on, Isaac?”
He rubbed a hand through his hair. Lizzie not being back at work could be a huge help to him. It would mean he could enlist her help with his current problem. Hers and that of her husband, Wade Sterling. He had connections Isaac didn’t.
“Look, I don’t have time right now, Lizzie, swear. I have about thirty seconds to catch Beau and Dane while they’re both still in the same office. But I’ll fill you in later, okay? I may need your help. Yours and Sterling’s.”
Eliza frowned even harder, her concern sharpening as she took in his words. “You need me to stick around until you get done, then?”
Isaac sighed and shook his head. “I’ll get in touch with you and Sterling later if that’s okay. I have something to take care of after I talk to Beau and Dane.”
“Why don’t Wade and I just come by later. How about seven? I’ll bring dinner,” she said.
Relief made his head a little light. He’d been worried as hell about leaving his charge to speak to Lizzie and her husband and if they came over, not only would they see firsthand what he was dealing with, but he wouldn’t have to leave her.
“That would be great. And thanks, Lizzie.”
