Blind Faith (20 page)

anybody want to hurt such a sweet little thing?

“I don’t really know.”

“Who would bring you here?” The question surprised him even as he asked it. Whoever had

brought her into hell should be shot. Twice.

She sighed. Her gaze darted to the ground, away from him, while her shoulders hunched

forward in defense. “I guess you’re going to find out anyway.”

“Find out what?” He reached out and placed a knuckle under her chin to lift her gaze back to

his. Her pretty eyes held more warmth than he’d ever seen, and he wasn’t ready to relinquish the

heat.

He was surprised by the sheen of tears in their blue depths as well as the shamed flush that

stole across her pale skin. He suddenly wanted to defend her against whoever had brought that

look onto her face.

“My mother brought me here,” she said.

He didn’t understand.

Audrey sighed again and tried to tug her face away from his hold. Although he knew better, he

kept her in place.

She stopped struggling and met his eyes directly. “My mother is Dr. Madison.”

He dropped his hand, and his shoulders went back. Shock and anger tightened his muscles.

“I know.” Pain and regret filled Audrey’s voice. “I have some understanding of the

experiments she’s conducted on you because of the commander, and I’m sorry. So sorry that they

hurt you.”

He stared at the top of her head, shining so brightly in the sun. Confusion made him blink. He

hated the sociopathic psychologist with every fiber in his being and had since she’d forced him into

the training field with the three older Brown boys. Nate had held his own, but he’d still ended up

with several broken ribs, a broken femur, and a cracked wrist.

He hadn’t healed by the time Matt had returned, and Matt had gone berserk, ending up in the

brig for two weeks after going after the Brown brothers. Christmas had rocked, though. It was the

best memory the brothers had, and neither Nate nor Matt regretted it.

Years later, Nate wanted Dr. Madison dead nearly as much as he wanted to see the commander

bleeding out over the packed earth of the training field.

“I’m sorry.” Audrey’s voice remained muffled as she scuffed one small shoe in the ground.

Nate brushed aside anger and opened his senses, studying her closely. His odd gift of being

able to discern a falsehood assured him she told the truth. The poor girl really was sorry and

actually
felt
shame.

Now she needed his assistance.

His heart warmed as the wish to help her roared through him. They shared an enemy, now,

didn’t they?

He snaked out a hand, tangling his fingers in her silky tresses. Desire unfurled through his gut.

They needed to understand each other, so a quick twist of his wrist jerked her head back to meet his

gaze. “If you’re playing me, you’ll regret it.”

“I know.” Her easy acceptance bothered him more than it should have. Then she smiled, and

he forgot how to breathe.

Years, scars, and pain later, Nathan awoke to a slight drumming of rain on the window and a sleeping

woman curled into his side.

Slipping out of the bed, he secured his gun to go check on the threat. He turned back to study the only

woman he’d ever loved, the one he’d have to let go in order to save his brothers. For the first time in five

years, he wondered if he could do it.

* * *

the scent of cooking eggs. “Morning,” he said as he stalked into the kitchen.

Audrey jumped and flipped around, a spatula in her hand. “Where did you go?”

“I wanted to check on the men watching you. They’re not bad.” Not that great, either. No wonder the

commander wanted the Gray brothers back so badly. “Why are you up so early?”

She expertly tossed the eggs. “I have an early press conference.”

About that. “I’d like you to call in sick and maybe take a vacation.” If he got her to safety, he could

better concentrate on killing the commander and decimating the entire organization.

“No.” Audrey slid eggs onto two plates and added a toasted bagel to each. She handed them to him.

“Table.”

He followed the order, slid the plates on place mats, and turned to face her. “Why not?”

She moved back to the stove. “Because I have work to do.”

He rubbed his chin, his instincts humming. “Turn around, Audrey.”

Her heart rate increased, so he tuned in to her breathing. Slow, calm, purposeful breaths. What in the

world was she hiding? “Now.”

She turned, her face placid. “What?”

Slowly, flexing his biceps, he crossed his arms and studied her.

She tilted her head to the side, sliding on a curious expression. “Nate?”

Oh, she was good. But he was better. So he remained silent, keeping his expression closed and his eyes

hard.

She blinked but kept his gaze.

He purposefully didn’t move. An inch.

A pretty pink flared at her chest and wound up her neck to cover her face. The blush had to burn, but

she didn’t turn away.

Admiration melded with irritation. He’d been trained by the best, and he’d spent too many moments

interrogating people and figuring how to break them. He wouldn’t break Audrey, but he’d get her to talk.

She rolled her eyes. “Is this really necessary?”

He knew she’d talk first. So he stayed silent.

Her fine eyebrows drew down. “Fine,” she huffed, slamming the spatula onto the stove and beginning a

lovely storm from the room.

He took a step sideways to block the exit.

She halted, her breath catching. Then she lifted her head, sparks glinting from stunning eyes. “Get out

of my way, or I swear, I’ll shove your balls through the roof of your mouth.”

Yeah. He loved her spunk. Slowly, he lifted one eyebrow.

Fire burst across her face. “What the heck do you want?”

“The truth.”

She backed away, her gaze darting away. “About what?”

He waited until she focused back on him. “On why you can’t leave. What’s really going on?” His mind

spun different scenarios, and nothing made sense. Except—“Why are you really working for the

commander?” She could find another way to be close to her mother without working for evil. Audrey

would never work for evil.

She swallowed. “I told you why.”

“You lied.”

She took another step back. “How dare you.” Her voice lacked any conviction.

What was going on? “You’re not leaving the kitchen until you tell me the truth.”

Defiance lifted her chin. “You want the truth? Fine. I’m working with the senator to close down the

commander’s organization and put the bastard in prison.”

Everything in Nate stilled. “Excuse me?”

Audrey hissed out air. “He needs to be held accountable, and you can’t do it. Sorry, but I’m in the

position to do it, and you need to get out of the way.”

Oh, hell no
. “The senator knows?”

“Yes.” She put both hands on her hips. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything, but I wasn’t sure how to say it,

and I knew you wouldn’t want my help. And I couldn’t tell you about the senator, because you’d be pissed,

and I couldn’t tell him about you, because I wouldn’t do that to you.”

The long string of words made his head ache, and a tension began to coil in his gut. This wasn’t going

to be good. “What are you talking about?”

“The senator and I have ulterior motives in working with the commander. We’re going to find out all

about the current organization, and then we’re going to expose him.” She belted her robe tight,

determination tightening her jaw.

Nate’s mouth went dry. “Expose him? You can’t expose him.” Letting the world know about the

experiments, about Nate’s brothers, would be a disaster. “He has to be killed.”

“No. The man deserves prison—forever. Trust me, we’ll bury any information about you or any other

soldiers. Darn it. I have to get ready.” Audrey limped toward the bedroom.

He stood and manacled a hand around her arm. “Ah, darlin’, you’re not going anywhere.”

She blinked, her gaze sparking to his. “Excuse me?”

He walked her backward to sit, every muscle he had turning to rock. “Start at the beginning.” Sheer

determination kept his voice gentle when all he wanted to do was bellow. But as he eyed her, sitting so

small and defenseless next to her scrambled eggs, her midnight-hair a mess from his hands, her lips a well-

kissed red, something in him awakened. Something dark and dangerous, something undeniably
male
raging

with the urge to protect and defend. Whether he liked it or not.

She rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I knew I shouldn’t tell you.” Creamy flesh beckoned when the neck

of her robe opened.

His gaze dropped, and he mentally shoved down interest. “Too late. Spill it.”

The plan she detailed made his blood slow down and go cold. It was crazy. They planned to trick the

commander into giving up all intel, and then they planned to have him arrested and incarcerated.

The naiveté nearly made him dizzy.

“Audrey, there is no way the commander is going to give the senator information that would hurt him.

There’s also no way that monster is going to jail.” The commander probably had more escape plans than

Nate did, if that were possible. “You’re going to get both yourself and the senator killed.”

Audrey shook her head, her body visibly vibrating with temper. “You’re wrong. We can do this the

right way.”

To have such trust. “What about your mother?” Would Audrey be able to testify against her mother, if

there actually was a court case?

“The senator promised she’ll be protected.” Audrey glanced down and picked at a loose thread on her

robe. “I know she doesn’t deserve it.”

Everything in Nate loosened. After how Isobel Madison had been to Audrey, after she’d used her, sweet

Audrey still wanted to protect her. Sweet and terribly sad all at once. And wrong. No way would the

commander or Madison go easily. They’d fight until the last second.

“Your plan won’t work, and it’s not going to happen.” Nate stood, his mind reeling. Where should he

send Audrey? “We need to get you out of town.”

She stood again and poked him in the chest. “No. I have a job to do, and I’m going to do it. Besides,

you need me to find out about the commander’s other facility. The senator will be able to get the

information, and you know it.”

Temper tickled the base of Nate’s neck. “Don’t think for a second of manipulating me like that. It’s not

going to happen.”

The stubborn tilt of her jaw seemed to harden. “Too bad, because I’m taking that bastard down.”

“Why?” Nate asked. “Why do you hate him so much?” It wasn’t as if the guy had trained her to kill or

ever beat her when she’d failed. Nate had a scar on his back that’d never fade because of the commander’s

cruelty.

Vulnerability and fury comingled in her eyes. “Everything is his fault. He hurt you, he hurt my mother,

and—”

Oh. Nate exhaled slowly. “Your mother made her own choices. Right or wrong.”

“Wrong.” Audrey raked a hand through her tousled hair. “She loves him, and she’s followed him her

entire life. My mother is a brilliant scientist, sought after by many institutions. We could’ve had a good

life.”

Ah. Realization finally cleared Nate’s thinking. Audrey couldn’t blame her mother, because, what kid

could? But it was easy blaming the cruel military leader. And who knew? If Isobel Madison hadn’t aligned

herself with the bastard, maybe she would’ve been a different person. “I’m sorry, Audrey,” he whispered.

Tears glimmered in her eyes. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. But I do have to get to the press

conference, and whether you like it or not, the senator is the only person who can find out where the other

military base is—the one where Jory might be.”

Nate hated that she was probably right, and the second he found the other location, he would take her

from DC whether she liked it or not. “Fine. But we do things my way, or I’ll take your butt out of town

right now.”

She sighed, her shoulders dropping. “Of course.”

Chapter 16

Black and formfitting, Audrey’s slim pencil skirt hugged her legs and ass while her bright yellow shirt

yelled hello. She’d curled her hair to land sexy and wild on her shoulders and had taken extra care with her

makeup, adding bright red lipstick. A completely different look than the muted gray pantsuit worn by the

woman with Darian Hannah the other day.

Flat black boots shined but allowed her free movement if necessary during the press conference. She

leaned against a wall over to the side, watching as the senator used his country accent to pacify the crowd.

A push woman from DCNT shoved her way to the front. “Senator, an anonymous tip came into the

news station earlier today that one of your aides was with Darian Hannah prior to his death. Can you