“You’ll need a gun.”

She didn’t doubt he was very aware that her jurisdiction ended at the border. Did she want to be armed in a foreign country?

“I assume you have an extra,” she said.

“Only if you’re prepared to use it.”

“To protect myself or you?”

“Either. I’m not expecting things to go that far, but I’m going in armed and if you’re coming, you should be, too.”

“Where are we going?”

“Mexico.”

Across the border could be a fun and friendly place or it could be a war zone. It depended on their destination. Based on how serious Garth looked and his insistence that she be armed, she was going to guess they weren’t heading for a resort.

“I’m prepared to use it,” she said.

He motioned to the steps of the private jet.

Five minutes later they were airborne.

Garth watched Dana buckle herself into a leather seat. She didn’t look happy, not even when he passed her a case filled with handguns.

“You can pick first,” he told her.

“Don’t do me any favors.” She picked up three different guns before picking a.45 caliber Glock. “You have extra magazines?”

“Underneath the gun.”

She raised the false bottom of the case and pulled out the extra magazine for the Glock. After checking the gun to make sure that magazine was full, she put both on the seat beside her.

She looked annoyed. He wasn’t sure if she was pissed that he’d tried to leave without her or that he was handing out weapons. Maybe both.

“You want some coffee?” he asked, walking toward the small galley in front. “Breakfast?”

She followed him and peered over his shoulder at the pot of coffee heating and the insulated boxes of food.

“There’s no flight attendant, so we’ll have to serve ourselves,” he told her. “I didn’t want anyone along who wasn’t necessary.”

“I must have been an unwelcome arrival,” she said, pushing him out of the way and opening the box.

There were containers of scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage. Hash browns, toast and a warm fruit compote. In a separate insulated container was milk, juice, sliced fruit and several Danish.

“You do know how to travel in style,” she murmured. “Are there plates?”

He pointed to a cupboard above the tiny counter.

“Do the pilots eat?” she asked.

“Not usually. They’ll come back and get coffee when they want it.”

She pulled out all the food and set it on the counter. They each filled their plates, then carried them back to the leather seats.

“You were up early,” he said. “How’d you know I was leaving?”

“I didn’t. I got lucky.” She glared at him over her breakfast. “You tried to leave without me.”

“Yes.”

“We have rules.”

“No, we don’t.”

Her brown eyes were bright with annoyance, her skin flushed. She looked like a woman ready to take him on. Normally he would welcome the challenge, but this morning he had a lot on his mind.

“We do now,” she snapped. “You don’t go anywhere without telling me.”

That made him chuckle. “Because you’re going to make me?”

“I’ll do what I have to.”

He was letting her hang around because she was a conduit to his sisters. Information flowed both ways, whether Dana recognized that or not. If he needed to set them up, she would be the method. Although that seemed less and less likely. He also allowed Dana to stay close because he enjoyed her company.

She was tough and strong, but still relatively naive. He would guess for all her bravado, she didn’t have the instinct to go for the cheap shot. His instincts had been honed while being held and tortured in a South American jungle. He knew he would kill to survive. She hadn’t been tested yet. Neither of them could know how she would react.

Oddly, a part of him wanted to make sure that didn’t change. He wanted to ensure she was never that scared, that up against a wall. He wanted to keep her safe.

Travel light, he reminded himself. Caring only brought trouble. Nick had been an easy friend. Nick had understood and could take care of himself. But Dana would require things he didn’t have to give.

“Dana, I’m cooperating because it suits me, nothing else. The day you get to be too big a pain in the ass is the day it all ends.”

“You don’t scare me.”

“I’m not trying to. I’m making a point. I don’t owe you or my sisters anything.”

Her mouth twisted. “You’re wrong. You do owe them and you know it. You hurt them because of something Jed did. That isn’t right. Now you have to make up for that.”

She sounded sincere. Did she actually believe that?

He looked at her. “Have we met? I’m Garth Duncan, ruthless bastard.”

She dug into her breakfast. “You’re not all that.”

“Sure I am.”

The corners of her mouth tilted up in an almost-smile. “Oh, please. I’m so not impressed.”

She was lying, but he could live with that.

Once again she was dressed for comfort, not style. Jeans, a pullover shirt shapeless enough to hide every curve. Her boots looked worn and she wasn’t wearing any makeup.

He was used to women who understood the power of a well-fitting skirt and just a flash of breast. Women who smelled like exotic flowers and sparkled with expensive jewelry. He guessed Dana didn’t understand the appeal and if she did, she didn’t care. He should have been able to dismiss her.

But he couldn’t. Maybe before he’d kissed her, but not since. There had been an instant connection, a compelling heat. He enjoyed sex and took his pleasure easily. This wasn’t about getting laid. It was about what he felt when she was in his arms. Hungry. Desperate.

Uncomfortable sensations for a man used to being in charge. Which meant he would have to tread carefully. He would have Dana, but on his terms.

They ate in silence. Dana finished first, then went and got a sticky Danish.

“Not counting calories?” he asked.

She licked frosting off her fingers. “Do I look like I need to?”

“No, but that is rarely why women do it.”

“I’m not that typical.”

“Yet my sisters are. How did you become friends with them?”

He thought she might avoid the question, but she finished her Danish, then picked up her coffee.

“I met Lexi first. We were in school together. I mostly played with the boys, but when I was ten or so, they stopped letting me hang out with them. The girls all got on my nerves. Too silly, I guess. I hated playing with dolls. But Lexi was different. Mostly she was by herself. Maybe it was being a Titan. The other kids thought she was different and she didn’t know how to convince them otherwise. We both liked horses and reading. It was just the two of us until Skye and Izzy got older.”

There was more to the story, but he didn’t press. He could fill in the details. How she would hate to go home because her father beat her. How Glory’s Gate was big enough to hide in. How being friends with Jed Titan’s daughter would be a measure of protection at home.

“Now they’re my family,” she continued.

“Is that a warning?”

“It’s a threat.”

He grinned. “Want to tie me up and punish me?”

“You wish.”

He glanced at his watch. “We’ll be there in less than an hour. We should talk about the meeting and what to expect. Things should go smoothly, but if they don’t we’ll need a plan. Before I forget, there’s a bulletproof vest in the back. Put it on.”

DANA FOLLOWED GARTH OUT of the jet onto the tarmac. The airport was little more than a strip of road in the middle of nowhere. There were mountains in the distance, trees and grass nearby and the only sign of civilization was a small building a hundred yards away.

The structure was more shack than house, weatherworn. The wood had once been painted red and blue but most of the paint had flaked away. There were holes where windows had been, and several lizards scampered across the uneven boards.

The heat was oppressive, especially for November. She’d dressed for an overcast, cool day in Dallas. The vest she’d put on under her sweatshirt added a layer of heat that made her sweat. She had her gun in her hand and an extra magazine in her left front pocket.

She had no idea where they were, what they might be facing, and there was a chance she might have to shoot someone. That wasn’t her favorite way to start a day.

She wasn’t afraid, exactly, but she was on edge. Her senses were heightened. She knew exactly how many steps it would take to get back to the plane and how fast she could move at a dead run. Based on what she’d seen of his body, Garth would move faster, which was good for both of them. Of course, if they were running and someone was shooting at them, the person running behind was more likely to be shot. Something she didn’t want to think about.

He checked his watch, then walked toward the building. There were no cars or trucks around, no signs of people, but she had the feeling they were being watched.

“You realize we’re prime targets,” she said, keeping pace with him. “Out here in the open.”

“Where do you suggest we hide?”

His point was a good one. There was nothing but cement and grass between the jet and the building. Nowhere to crouch or take cover.

“Don’t worry,” he added, waving the paper-wrapped package in his left hand. “This is a financial transaction. We’ll be fine.”

“If that’s an attempt to reassure me, it’s not a good one. We’re wearing bulletproof vests. That implies a certain amount of concern.”

“I’m a good customer. They have no reason to kill us.”

“So you’ve done this before?”

“Not so directly, but yes, I’ve used unconventional means to get information.”

She was carrying a damn gun and they were both wearing bulletproof vests and he considered this unconventional? She would have worded that a little more strongly.