If Eve expected to find a couple bottles of chardonnay in the basement, she’d thought wrong. When she flipped on the light and climbed down the cool, polished wood stairs, she found herself gasping at the four full walls decked out in rows and rows of racks, each one filled with a different bottle.

Holy cow. She turned a slow circle, not knowing where to look first. This kind of money wasn’t even something she could comprehend. As she stared at the collection, something Zane had told whispered through her mind.

After he’d been injured in Guatemala, he’d gone to Mexico to recover. To some compound. She hadn’t thought much about it then, but now she couldn’t help but wonder who it had belonged to and how well he knew these people with money coming out of their ears. His life now was completely different than it had been before. He hobnobbed with the rich and famous. Aegis had to pay him well. A lot of guys who left government work went on to make a killing in the private security field, and he’d inherited a good chunk of change when his grandparents had died. By staying with him, she wasn’t just jeopardizing his safety; she was jeopardizing a future that could be extremely successful for him.

Her chest tightened. Hand shaking, she grabbed the first red she came to, pulled it off the shelf, and headed back up the stairs.

The kitchen was empty when she stepped out of the cellar and closed the door. The vegetables hissed in the pan, but the wok sat on a cold burner, and the stove was turned off. Voices echoed from the front of the house. Voices Eve didn’t recognize but immediately guessed had to belong to Jake Ryder and whatever people he’d brought from Aegis.

Her stomach knotted, and she immediately thought of the failed op in Guatemala. Of Zane’s menacing voice when she’d called to make sure he was still alive. Of the hate she’d heard in his words. Others at Aegis had to hate her too. For over a year they’d believed she was a traitor, just like Zane had.

He doesn’t believe that anymore. He loves you.

That knot in her stomach twisted tighter, and perspiration broke out all along her skin. Hate she knew what to do with, but love . . . ? Love was a foreign emotion she knew she didn’t deserve.

“You look like shit, Archer,” a man’s voice said from the foyer. “I suppose it wouldn’t be fair to kick your ass right now, so I’ll save it for later.”

“Let’s not destroy Kendrick’s house, shall we?” a woman said. “He was nice enough to let us use it. I think the least we can do is make sure it’s still in one piece when we’re done.”

“See what I have to put up with?” the man said. “She’s no fun at all. Where’s Wolfe?”

“Through here,” Zane answered.

Eve stiffened. Seconds later, Zane appeared in the great room, followed by a dark-haired man wearing jeans and a blue button-down, and a woman in black slacks and a pale yellow sweater, with blonde hair tied back in a neat tail and wire-rimmed glasses perched on her small nose.

“Eve,” Zane said, “this is my ex-boss, Jake Ryder, and Marley Addison, his conscience.”

Marley snorted.

Ryder frowned. He crossed the floor and held out his hand to her. “Current boss. Jackass over there never formally submitted his resignation.”

His grip was solid, his eyes a dark brown, almost black, and Eve recognized the edge he held, marking him as former special forces. Eve released his hand. “Archer doesn’t seem to do anything anyone wants him to do.”

The corner of Zane’s lips turned down. He rested his hands on his hips, then looked toward Marley. “I think they’re ganging up on me already.”

Marley chuckled and set the bag she’d had slung over her shoulder on the ground at her feet. “Don’t look at me. He was in a mood all the way out here. I’m not getting in the middle of this one.”

Ryder glanced toward Eve at the stove. “You cooked? Oh man, a chick with a gun who’s not afraid of a kitchen. Forget about all the terrorist crap and you might be my fantasy woman yet.”

Marley snorted as she pulled a folder out of her bag. “Your idea of the perfect fantasy woman changes every five minutes.”

Ryder shot Marley a perturbed look, and as Eve glanced from face to face, she relaxed, just a touch. While she could definitely feel the tension between the two men, they were both working hard to keep things civil, and Marley was a good buffer. Plus the fact that Zane’s boss—ex or not—had flown all the way out here from Kentucky meant he was committed to helping. And that he cared. Which was a hell of a lot more than she could say for her superiors.

She pushed that thought aside and tucked the hair tickling the side of her face behind her ear. “Sorry. My cooking skills are limited to the microwave, and I’m not even good at that. Zane cooked.”

Ryder’s surprised gaze shot to Zane, then landed on Marley. “He is trying to butter me up.”

Marley lifted her brows. “I warned him ahead of time.” She glanced Zane’s way. “Three double Crowns on the plane helped. But food was a good idea.”

“I get no respect.” Ryder took the bottle of wine from Eve’s hands. “Why don’t I open this? I think we all need more alcohol.”

Zane moved into the kitchen, opened the cupboard door, and reached for a stack of plates. “Rice should be done in a few minutes. Then we can eat.”

Marley stepped toward the dining room table. “Shouldn’t we wait for Miller?”

Eve’s heart skipped a beat, and she froze, for a moment unable to think. “Miller’s coming?”

Marley looked Ryder’s way. “You didn’t tell them.”

He poured wine into four glasses and flashed Marley an annoyed look. “I wasn’t sure we should share that just yet.”

The sound of an engine cutting off echoed from out front. Heart in her throat, Eve bolted for the entry.

“Eve,” Zane said. “Wait—”

Her bare feet skidded to a stop, but Zane’s hand against the door prevented her from opening it. “Move,” she said.

“Hold on.” His hand landed on her shoulder, warm, solid, supporting her. Everything she always felt when he was close. “He might be alone. You need to be prepared for that. But if she is with him, don’t crowd her. Give her room. After what she’s been through, she might not be able to handle it just yet.”

“She’s my sister.”

“I know, but . . . she’s been missing for several days. I just . . . If she’s there—and I don’t know that she is—I want you to be prepared for the fact she might not . . . be her normal self.”

Sickness rolled through Eve’s belly, and images of what Olivia could have been through pinged rapid-fire through her brain. But more than that, she was blindingly aware that even now Zane was worried about her. About how she would react and feel when she saw her sister. Not about himself or the situation or even what she was doing to his future. His only concern was for her.

If she hadn’t believed his declaration of love earlier, she believed it now, and it sent a host of butterflies fluttering all through her already queasy stomach.

Nodding slowly, she closed her hand around the door handle. “I-I’ll remember that.”

He pressed his lips to her temple. “I’m right here with you. Don’t forget that either.”

How could she? Her pulse raced, and her heart felt like it grew every time he touched her.

Steeling herself for what she’d find, she pulled the door open and stared through the light drizzle toward the black sedan parked in the driveway. A man sat in the driver’s seat, but more than that, there was a passenger next to him. Someone small. A woman.

Eve stepped out onto the porch, and her heart lurched into her throat. “Olivia.”


Landon cut off the ignition and looked up at the lodge-style house. He’d been here only a few weeks ago with Kendrick. He had not planned to be back anytime soon.

He glanced toward Olivia in the passenger seat. She was eyeing the house like it might just jump out and bite her. “You ready for this?”

“Eve’s in there?”

She’d slept during the drive up here, and he’d thought about calling Archer to let him know they were on their way, but he hadn’t wanted to wake her. The swelling had gone down a little on her face, but dark circles had taken up refuge under her eyes, and he guessed she hadn’t slept in days. “Yeah. Along with some other people I work with. You don’t have to worry. You’re totally safe here.”

Her gaze slid his way, and when those rich green eyes landed on his, he felt that punch to the gut all over again. “Eve will freak out when she sees me. I-I didn’t think about that until right now. I-I don’t want to have to explain things, you know?” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I don’t want to have to talk about it.”

He laid his hand on hers, resting on her lap, and squeezed. To his surprise, she didn’t flinch, only opened her fingers and squeezed his hand back. “I’ll run interference, how about that?”

She exhaled a long breath and swiped her free hand over her face. “I’m such a mess. I’m sorry. It’s not your job to babysit me. I’ll be fine. I just”—she tried to pull her hand away—“I’ll be fine in a minute.”

“Olivia.” He gripped her fingers tighter. “Look at me.” Tears swirled in her eyes when she looked his way, and something in his chest knotted. Something he’d thought had died a long time ago. “I know what you’re going through. I’ve been there. You’re not a mess. You’re a hell of a lot stronger than any woman I’ve ever met. Remember that.”

She blinked several times. Movement on the front porch drew his attention. She looked in that direction just as the front door opened and Eve stepped out on the porch, followed by Archer.

For a heartbeat, he held her hand and wished they could go on being alone. But that was impossible—and totally fucking unrealistic. Olivia Wolfe was not the kind of woman who’d be interested in a man like him, especially not if she knew about his past. And as much as her pretty eyes might get to him, he knew it was lack of sleep and adrenaline that had him feeling crazy things for her. She wasn’t his type. He didn’t do relationships. And by tomorrow, he knew he’d no longer care.