Rebecca Zanetti: Blind Faith

“If I don’t?” she asked quietly, awareness quickening her breath.

His hands flexed. “I know where you live, I know your daily routine in working for Senator Nash, and I know where you go when you need time alone. You can’t hide, you can’t outrun me—and you know it.”

The hairs on the back of her neck rose. “How long have you been watching me?” More importantly, why hadn’t she noticed?

“A week. Long enough to know the two apes near the doorway are following you, too. What’s up with that?” His hold tightened just enough to show his strength.

She shrugged. “They haven’t made a move, so I’m not worrying about it.” Not true, and by the narrowing of Nate’s eyes, she knew he could still smell a lie a mile away. “The commander is having me followed.”

Nate’s jaw clenched. “Why?”

“Dunno.” They didn’t have time to discuss it. “You should go now.”

“No.” He spun her, easily controlling their movements.

Her leg hitched, and she stumbled against him.

He frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” None of his business, that was. “What do you want to talk about?”

His gaze narrowed, and he spun her again. She tripped again. Her stupid leg didn’t move that way. She glanced toward the doorway and the two soldiers watching her. They’d straightened to alert stances. She tried to look normal.

“What’s wrong with your leg?” Nate asked, brows furrowing.

Oh, they were so not going into her injuries on the dance floor. “You almost sound like you care.” She threw his words back at him, gratified when his nostrils flared.

His gaze probed deep, wandering down her neck. He blinked several times, his chest moving with a harsh intake of breath. “I like your dress,” he rumbled, his voice a low whisper.

With his tight hold, she had no doubt the tops of her breasts were visible. “Nathan, don’t—”

“Don’t what?” His gaze rose to her lips. A light of a different sort percolated through his angry eyes. She knew that look. Her body heated and her thighs softened. His erection jumped against her, and she bit down a groan.

“One kiss, Audrey.”

Her eyes widened to let in more light. “No,” she breathed. One of his hands held hers, the other pressed against her back. Thank goodness. He couldn’t grab her and kiss her, no matter how appealing the thought. “Bad idea.”

“I know.” Nate didn’t need hands. His lips met hers so quickly, she never saw him move.

His mouth covered hers with no hesitancy, no question—as if he had every right to go deep. His tongue was savage and demanding, holding nothing back and accepting no evasion. He tasted of loneliness, anger, and lust. Hard, needy, demanding lust.

The men at the door were watching.

But her body didn’t care—instantly igniting instead of bolting. Her heart thundered in her ears, and she fell into his heat, uncaring of whether he caught her. He wrapped around her, his unyielding body holding her upright. He caressed her with his tongue, and she met him thrust for thrust, fierce pleasure lighting her on fire.

She forgot where they were, who they were, everything but the desperate need he created.

He broke the kiss, blatant male hunger crossing his face. His breath panted out even as he moved them in tune with the music.

She softened against him, allowing him to lead so she didn’t collapse. Her mind whirled, and she shook her head to regain reality. “Nathan, what do you want?” The question emerged as a breathless plea she failed to mask.

That quickly, all hints of desire slid from his face. His chin hardened. “Want? I want to know what happened to the child you were carrying five years ago when you ripped out my heart. Where’s my baby, Audrey?”

Nathan settled against the leather seat in the SUV, his gaze on the side entrance to the ballroom as rain smashed down on the windshield. Even though he’d expected some kind of reaction, the slam to the gut upon touching Audrey again had stolen his breath away. For a few moments he was a lovesick kid again who had hopes for a future with the girl beyond his dreams. After the song had ended, he’d had to walk away to pull himself together. Now, waiting outside for her, he settled himself.

He felt nothing.

She hadn’t answered his direct question about the baby and had instead spun away from him. That time he’d let her go.

But the second he had her alone, she was going to tell him the truth.

Cold and purposeful, he’d follow his mission parameters and get the information he needed from Audrey. First, he’d find his kid. Less than a week ago, he and his brothers had found Audrey’s mother’s video diary where the woman claimed Audrey was pregnant with Nate’s child. It had been recorded five years ago, before he’d escaped from the military group that had created him.

He’d instantly set out to find Audrey. After a week of following her, he knew the kid didn’t live with her. Had she actually given birth and left a child to the monsters who’d created Nate? That couldn’t be possible.

The nearly desperate hope that filled him at the thought of a child ached somewhere deep in his gut, making a mockery of his lack of feelings. So badly, he wanted a kid. Wanted his brothers to have kids. Matt and Shane had found love, and they should be able to have families. Real ones like they’d all seen on television so long ago.

They could create families and have what they’d never experienced as kids. Could be part of something good, and maybe have their bloodlines live on. Sure, they’d been created by monsters, but if they created something good, couldn’t that balance out their past?

Maybe someday that good would outshine all the bad they’d done.

But he wondered, since he hadn’t seen a child this past week, had the video been wrong? Was there ever a child? If so, how could Audrey not tell him?

Yeah, he wasn’t exactly a good guy, considering the missions he’d taken. He knew dozens of ways to kill somebody. But he’d let Audrey in, and she should’ve known he’d love a child. He would’ve protected that child with everything he was. A surprising loss flooded him, at both her lack of trust and the idea that maybe no kid existed. All he needed was the truth from Audrey either way. Once that was confirmed, Nate would gain her cooperation in obtaining access to the computer codes that would save his brothers’ lives.

Rain continued beating down on the windshield, the darkness swirling around outside. Of course, his senses were enhanced, and his vision rivaled a wild animal’s. In fact, he heard Audrey’s heels clicking toward the door right before she pushed it open. A slight hitch slowed her gait, and he wondered again how she’d hurt her leg.

Not that he cared. He couldn’t care—not again. His brothers came first, and saving them was his only mission. Probably his last mission.

Yet when Audrey stepped out into the deluge, he instantly slipped out of the SUV and hurried to open the passenger side door, his large hand protecting her head from the rain. After she’d settled her legs into his front seat, he shut the door, senses tuned in to their surroundings. So far, nobody had followed her out.

Good.

Stretching back inside the vehicle, he paused. “Give me your phone.”

She started and swung toward him. “I didn’t bring one tonight.”

He measured her breathing with his ears and listened for her steady heartbeat. She was telling the truth. “Why not?”

She shrugged. “GPS. Why make it easy for them?”

What in the world was she talking about? “Who?”

“Doesn’t matter.” She squinted out at the pouring rain. “Are we staying here?”