Blind Faith (18 page)

woman. She might not be his, but damn, he wished she were. That they could ride off into the sunset like

one of those corny movies his sister-in-law Josie loved.

But they’d never see eye to eye about her mother. The psychotic bitch had made his childhood hell,

which he might be able to overcome. But she’d also hurt his brothers, and she may have had something to

do with Jory’s death. So Nate wanted her to pay.

Audrey wanted to protect her.

Nate had never had a mother, so he didn’t fault Audrey. But he couldn’t be someone other than who

they’d created. His job was to take out the threat, and that bitch would always be a threat.

Steeling his shoulders, he forced himself to focus and get back to work. Freeing his secured phone

from his pocket, he dialed his brothers.

Shane answered with a barked, “Status.”

“Secured.” Nate sat up. “What’s going on?”

“We’ve been monitoring the DC police force as well as the news. Darian Hannah, a man who’d been on

a date with Audrey Madison, was gunned down in a Virginia bar earlier today. What is going on, Nate?”

“Well, it wasn’t me,” Nate said dryly.

“I know it fucking wasn’t you,” Shane exploded.

“Give me the phone,” a deeper voice ordered. There seemed to be a bit of a struggle, and Matt came on

the line. “Nate?” Matt asked.

Nate exhaled. Good. Matt was always calmer than Shane. “I’m here.”

“What the blazes is going on?” Matt bellowed.

Okay. Not so calm. “Geez. Remember before you were both tied down by women? You used to be calm

and collected—unflappable, really.”

“Unflappable?” Matt asked, his voice dropping dangerously low.

“I’m fine, Mattie.”

Quiet seconds ticked across the line. “Stay where you are. I’m catching a flight out of here in the

morning. Don’t. Fucking. Move.” Matt rarely used that voice any longer.

“I’m going, too,” Shane echoed in the background.

Nate’s gut clenched. How did they not get it? “Stay there. Keep Josie and Laney safe. I’m fine.”

Matt exhaled in an old trick to control his temper. “You’re as important as they are, Nate. Deal with it.”

He blinked. That wasn’t how things happened. “I’m fine. Stay safe.” Did they not understand his role in

the family? His head spun.

“You’re
alone
, Nate,” Shane bellowed.

Nate blinked.

Matt cleared his throat. “Shane’s right. You’re so fucking alone right now, you’re not thinking. Never

alone, Nate.
Ever.
”

Pins pricked the backs of his eyes. If God existed, He’d done Nate a solid by giving him brothers.
These

men
as brothers. But he had to take care of the situation before both of his brothers ended up in the

commander’s crosshairs. They had families now, and they needed to stay safe. It was his job to protect

them. “No. Everything is secure here, and I don’t need help.”

“You do need help.” Matt sighed. “The reports show that a woman was with Hannah when he died. Was

Audrey present at the bar?”

Nate thought about lying, he really did. But he’d never,
ever
lied to his brothers. “Yes. She ran, the men

followed her, and I took them out.”

Matt inhaled sharply. “We can be there in hours.”

“I know. The second I need help, I promise I’ll call.” Not a chance. He’d handle the commander and

anybody else who came along. “I’m getting closer to the codes and to finding out what happened to Jory.

Trust me, Mattie.” He waited a moment and then sweetened the pot. “There’s a good chance the commander

has another base somewhere, and it might be closer to you. If Jory is there…” The Dean brothers would fill

in the rest.

“Fine. When are you going to infiltrate the commander’s Virginia base?” Matt asked, his words clipped.

“Soon. I’ll keep in touch.” Nate disconnected the call before his brother argued more. Time was

running out—Nate needed to destroy the commander soon, and hopefully he’d come up with a plan. For

now, he had five minutes until he could see how badly Audrey had been injured.

Five minutes seemed like forever.

Chapter 14

Audrey sat on the bed, pretending to read a magazine. Warmth cascaded from the heating pad on her leg

but failed to provide any relief. She hadn’t healed to the point of engaging in hand-to-hand combat. In fact,

since she’d returned home, she’d thrown up twice.

Now, after having taken a hot shower, brushed her teeth, and eaten some leftover banana bread, she

could finally breathe.

Her phone rang, and she glanced at the caller ID. “Hello, Mother.”

“Hello, Audrey. Was that you on the news?” Isobel Madison asked in cultured tones.

Audrey sat up on the bed and reached for the remote control to turn on the television. “I don’t know

what you’re talking about.”

From a flat-screen across the room, the news droned on about Darian Hannah’s death. His biography

and life were listed, as were his affiliations with technology firms and DC powerhouses. A witness from the

shooting confirmed that a woman had been with Darian when the shooters arrived. Another witness

concurred, saying the woman had been a blonde with dark glasses.

Good. Score one for the hat and glasses. Witness recollections were notoriously off base.

“That wasn’t me, Mother.”

Isobel sniffed. “It better not have been. Franklin is quite worried.”

Which made Isobel worried. Hurt spiraled through Audrey’s chest, and she bit back a sharp retort. What

kind of a life might she have had if the commander hadn’t manipulated Isobel so? “While I appreciate his

concern, there’s no need.” Would Isobel finally admit the commander was having Audrey followed? “Why

would you think that was me?” Audrey asked.

Isobel cleared her throat. “Franklin has had bodyguards on you for weeks, and one of them saw Darian

Hannah throw you into a cab. Care to explain?”

Audrey stiffened, her mind reeling. “Why would I need bodyguards?”

“Answer the question, please.” Isobel’s tone snapped a warning.

“It wasn’t me.” If all else fails, lie. “I don’t know who is following me, but they suck. I wasn’t with

Darian, and the bodyguard must’ve gotten confused.”

Silence reigned for a moment. “Very well. I’ll speak to Franklin.”

Audrey shoved down impatience. “Why am I being followed?”

“You’ll have to ask him.” Isobel hung up.

Isobel had to care somewhat, right? Audrey punched a pillow into a better shape for her back and

increased the volume on the television.

The reporter recapped the news while standing in front of the U.S. Capitol Building. When the senator’s

name came up, Audrey groaned. The reporter, a stacked redhead with voracious eyes, nearly hummed

while reporting that Darian had met with Senator Nash earlier that day. Unfortunately, according to the

reporter, the senator was unavailable for comment.

Audrey’s phone rang again as if on cue. “Hello?”

“Audrey. Have you seen the news?” the senator asked.

“Yes. I can’t believe it. Poor Darian.” Audrey sat up straighter on the bed.

A voice cleared. “A woman was with him. Was it you?” Ernie Rastus asked quietly. Resigned

intelligence echoed in his weary tone. The guy had been in politics for too long.

Oh. A conference call. “Of course not.” Audrey picked at a thread on her bedspread, forcing her voice

into calmness. “I have no idea who would’ve been with Darian, but I didn’t know him very well. The news

is reporting his meeting with you, Senator. Do we have a statement ready to go?”

“We’re working on it,” Ernie said. “We’re having a five a.m. meeting tomorrow beforehand. Can you

make it?”

“Of course.” She’d have plenty of time for the meeting before her doctor’s appointment out at the

facility, which took hours to reach via car. “We need to make the point that whatever got Darian killed had

nothing to do with the senator, and the senator needs to send condolences to Darian’s family.”

“Already done,” the senator said. “I’m glad you weren’t the woman in danger today, Audrey.”

“Me too.” The man showed far more concern for Audrey than her own mother had. Why couldn’t she

have had a parent like the senator? Heck, she didn’t even know who’d fathered her. Audrey finished the

conversation and hung up the phone as Nathan slipped inside the bedroom, closing the window and blinds.

The scent of male permeated the space. Cleanly washed male.

Her breath caught, and nerves flared to life along her entire body. He’d saved her life. And he’d killed

so brutally without thinking twice. But for her. He’d
protected
her.

Her heart thumped into overdrive. She pushed the heating pad off her leg and eyed the stitching across

his bare chest. “Where did you shower?”

His duffel bag dropped with a muffled thump. “Mrs. Abernathy kindly let me use her shower.”

“She’s at her weekly bridge game.” Audrey winced as she tried to slide her leg free.

Nate instantly slid onto the bed, large hands enclosing her aching flesh. “Let me.”

She shouldn’t. The second he touched her, she short-circuited. But as soon as he began to massage her

aching leg, she fell back onto the pillows in bliss. Pure, deep bliss. He had magic fingers. Or maybe her

muscles responded only to him with pleasure. Simple release and pleasure. “How bad is your chest?” she

murmured, her eyelids fluttering closed.

“Shallow cut.” He continued to kneed, wringing a blissful groan from her.

His hands tightened.

Rain splattered against the window, the storm increasing with a mournful wind. Audrey shivered, her

eyelids opening, the intimacy of the moment wandering through her like a fine wine. “Did you lock the

window?”

“Yes.” Nate reached and removed a gun from the back of his waist. The weapon thumped softly on the

night table when he released it. “Where’s your gun?”

Audrey pointed to the drawer.

He opened the drawer and removed the silver gun, checking it carefully. “Cocked with one in the

chamber.” Approval lit his gray eyes. “Good girl.”

Warmth spread around her heart. Darn it. She shouldn’t give a fig if he was proud of her or not. Yet she

wanted to bask in his approval anyway. “I’m surprised your brothers aren’t already here after seeing the

news report.” Without a doubt, those men knew everything about her, and that she’d been with Darian.

Nate would’ve told them.

“They have other things to worry about.” Nate’s tone didn’t invite discussion.

Audrey frowned. The television report caught her attention as a reporter noted that three men had been

killed in an alley very close to the bar where Darian Hannah had been gunned down by three men. It was

too early to report, but a source in the police department had identified the dead men as the ones who had

killed Hannah.

“Shit,” Nate said mildly.

“It took them longer than I would’ve thought to make the announcement,” Audrey mused.

Nate nodded and turned toward her. “I agree. Who do you think they were?”

Audrey had been running it around her brain. “I don’t know, but my best guess is that the commander

sent them.” But something didn’t feel right about that analysis, so maybe the soldier running in the street

had been the commander’s. Maybe they all belonged to the commander, and the guys in black were a kill

squad for her and not for Darian. Or they were after Darian because of something his hackers had

discovered. Life was way too confusing.

Nate rubbed his stubbly jaw. “The men in black weren’t that good. I mean, the commander would’ve

sent better skilled soldiers. Although you lost the one he had on you when Darian shoved you into that

taxi.”

“So much for training.” Audrey smoothed down her threadbare T-shirt. She should’ve put on a bra, but

she’d been too tired. “For the sake of argument, let’s say that the commander didn’t send those men. Now

he’ll be wondering who the woman is and who took out those guys.” The commander would have to at

least consider the idea that Nate or one of the Gray brothers had done the damage.

“The bigger question is who wanted Darian dead, and why.” Nate reached for her injured leg again.

“Unless you were the target.”

Her ears rang and heated. “The men didn’t know who I was, so they weren’t initially after me.” Warmth

of a different type slid down Audrey’s abdomen as she moved her legs away. The tiny shorts she wore to

bed didn’t hide much skin. She should’ve thought harder when getting dressed, but her mind had all but

shut down. In fact, life remained hazy. However, her body was springing to life with all sorts of interesting

tingles brought on by the half-dressed man sitting on her bed. On. Her. Bed.

His gaze wandered along her bare legs, eyes flaring ten kinds of fire. Gray and dark at once. Glittering.

Hungry.

No, this wasn’t going to happen. Not again. If she didn’t protect her heart, she’d lose it completely this

time. Getting over him had almost been too painful for her to bear. She couldn’t do it again.

“Audrey—”

“No.”

“I know.” Yet he reached out and slid a knuckle along her bare thigh.