WAY OF THE SHADOWS (7 page)

“Go,
Noelle, go...
I’ll be right behind you.”

And, over the roar of the fire, the voice from the darkness of her past spoke again.
I’ll always be with you.

A long tremor shook her body. Noelle ran toward the flaming doorway, and she jumped through the fire. There was a loud
whoosh
of sound, which seemed to fill her ears. Heat surrounded her, so hot, so—

Her body flew through the air, and she hit the snow. She rolled because Thomas had been right. Her clothes were on fire. She pushed out of her coat and kept rolling, then hurried back up to her feet, even as she pulled out her weapon.

I’m not burned. I’m not—

Thomas flew through the fire. The flames came with him when he left the cabin. He hit the snow, too, hard, and Jenny tumbled out of his hands. The coat Jenny wore was blazing. Noelle shoved it away, even as Jenny yelled for help.

Jenny wasn’t burned, though; she was safe.

“Thomas?” Noelle whispered.

He yanked off the smoking ski mask he’d used to cover his face. He was twisting, trying to put out the fire consuming his clothes and pants.

Noelle helped him, securing her weapon and slapping at the blaze. Her gloves burned away.

The fire died.

Thomas glanced up at her.

“Are you hurt?” Noelle whispered. She didn’t see any burns, but maybe it was just too dark to notice them.

He caught her hands. Her gloves were gone, only bits of fabric remained. “Are you?” Thomas demanded his voice an angry growl.

Noelle shook her head.

Somehow, they’d both made it out of that hell.

Jenny was sobbing.

Thomas rose to his feet. He picked Jenny up in his arms. “Watch my back,” he told Noelle.

She had her weapon ready again. The killer had to be close. He’d set the fire just moments before, but...

It wasn’t the time to chase after him. They had to get Jenny to safety. Jenny was the key. She could help them identify her attacker.

Noelle hurried her steps and followed closely behind Thomas. His hold was gentle on Jenny. He had to be freezing, but he didn’t slow at all. He was fast and strong, and his grip on the young woman was unbreakable.

For an instant, the snow-covered landscape vanished, and Noelle saw—

Not flames. Not snow. A forest. Woods.
Noelle remembered the moonlight that had trickled through the tops of the trees. She’d stared up at it as he’d held her. His grip had been so strong. So solid. She’d been...safe.

Noelle’s grip tightened on her gun as the image faded. She glanced back over her shoulder. The cabin was burning; the hungry flames consumed the place, destroying any evidence that might have been left behind.

But...

Jenny is safe. She survived.

Noelle was used to finding the bodies of the victims in her job as a profiler. She usually arrived too late to help anyone. But this... This was different.

We saved her.

She kept her gun up as she hastened after Thomas and Jenny.

I’ll always be with you.

The voice whispered through her mind, and the voice—it belonged to Thomas.

* * *

J
ENNY
WAS
LOADED
into the back of an ambulance. Thomas watched its lights flash on as the siren’s cry filled the night. Jenny had been sobbing when she was loaded up. She’d told him again and again how sorry she was.
He made her lure us into that cabin—he wanted us all to burn.

“I can’t thank you two enough.” Sheriff Hodges came toward him. He stared at Thomas, then Noelle with wide eyes. “That girl... You saved her.”

They’d nearly died with her. Thomas looked back at the wilderness. “When are the dogs getting here?” Because every moment that passed was another moment the perp could use to flee.

“We can’t send them out, not with the storm.”

He’d been afraid of that. The snow was already falling so much harder, and the howl of the wind was constant now.

The sheriff ran a gloved hand over his face. “Word came through on the radio a little while ago. The storm’s due to hit any minute. It won’t be safe to send anyone out. The snow’s gonna be too thick. The snowstorm will last all night.”

And it would give the killer out there the perfect cover for his escape.

“Jenny wouldn’t have lasted until dawn.” Noelle’s voice was soft. “If he hadn’t killed her, then the storm would’ve.”

Thomas could feel the push of the impending gales. As he’d carried Jenny, he’d fought to stay upright as the wind and the snow blasted against him.

“You two need to get secure for the night.” Hodges gave a firm nod. “I’ll get my men to check the area once more, but then I have to send them in. I won’t lose any of my people for that guy.”

No, they couldn’t put lives on the line.

And so the perp gets away, for now.

The sheriff nodded once more, then turned away. The wind battered against Thomas. He was wearing a borrowed coat a sheriff’s deputy had given him. Noelle was wearing a similar one, only its bulk seemed to swallow her.

She stared up at Thomas with unreadable eyes. Strange, he’d believed he’d gotten pretty good at reading Noelle’s feelings. But right then, he couldn’t tell a single thing about her thoughts.

Thomas cleared his throat. “We should get back to our place.” Driving would be a nightmare if they waited much longer. It was a good thing their rented cabin was near town.

Noelle nodded, but she didn’t move. “Do you jump through fire often?”

He hadn’t expected the question. He felt his lips curl in a grim smile. “Only when I have to.”

She inclined her head and spun, heading back toward the diner and their vehicle. Thomas saw Henry was out, watching them with wide eyes. The sheriff had taken the shovel in as evidence. Maybe they’d get lucky on the fingerprint check.

Maybe not.

But at least they’d found the girl.

When he’d rushed into that cabin and seen her there, the blindfold covering half her face, her red hair streaming behind him, it had been as if Thomas had run straight into a nightmare from his past.

Only I wasn’t the white knight then.

He’d been the man ignoring the cries for help.

They reached their SUV. Snow coated the windows, and Thomas shoved it away. When the vehicle was clear—well,
clearer—
he glanced at Noelle. Her eyes were on him.

What is she thinking?

“I was wrong about you,” Noelle said, and the howl of the wind nearly swallowed her words. “The profile that I had in my head... It was all wrong.”

He stiffened at her words. “I warned you before that you shouldn’t profile me.” Because he’d been afraid she wouldn’t like the man who truly lived inside him.

“I just didn’t realize how good you were at keeping secrets and telling lies.”

She knows.
“Noelle?”

She climbed into the vehicle. Thomas jumped inside with her. It was as cold in the SUV as it was outside. And the snow was falling in ever harder waves. He turned on the ignition. It took three tries for the motor to finally kick to life. The windshield wipers slashed across the glass, but they didn’t help him see any better.

The sheriff had been right. Thomas figured he and Noelle would be lucky to make it back to their cabin before the storm hit with its full fury.

He spared another fast glance for Noelle. She was staring straight ahead, her attention seemingly on the snow that blasted down on them, but he could feel the tension emanating from her body.

Oh, yeah, the storm was about to hit, and he had a feeling it just might wreck his world.

* * *

H
E
’
D
LEARNED
TO
cover his tracks when he was ten years old. But he didn’t slow down to erase his footprints. There was no need then. Mother Nature was erasing the tracks for him.

The fire was out. He didn’t even see the smoke drifting up into the sky any longer.

He’d watched the blaze, just for a moment, and he’d seen them escape.

Worthy prey.

Noelle had come out first. She’d been burning. He’d smiled at the sight. But the flames had been extinguished all too quickly. The male had followed her—and he’d brought out Jenny.

Jenny shouldn’t have made it out of the house.

Now two have survived.

That wasn’t acceptable. He’d have to correct that situation.

Jenny would be easy enough. She didn’t have any fight in her. But Noelle... Now, there was his challenge. He’d take her out first. Her and the agent who seemed to always be at her side. The fellow thought he was some sort of protector. No, he was just a dead man walking, and he didn’t know it.

He’d kill Noelle and her shadow.

It was just that the
shadow
had seemed familiar to him. Something about the man’s profile. His voice.
I feel like I know him.

His breath heaved from his lungs. The snow fell harder.

A storm...it would be the perfect cover. When the snow fell so heavily, no one would be looking for an attack.

No one would see him. Not until it was too late.

Chapter Six

The snow pelted down on their cabin. Noelle pulled the oversize coat closer to her body as she glanced back over her shoulder. Thomas shoved the door closed, pushing his shoulder into the wood, then securing the lock.

It was cold inside, but cold wasn’t the reason why Noelle was shivering.

Her past was coming back to her, and the images that kept flashing through her mind didn’t make any sense. They couldn’t be real. Not unless—

“I’ll get the fire going,” Thomas said as he stalked toward the large fireplace. “You should head upstairs. Get in a warm shower. Wash away the ash and get some feeling back in your limbs.”

There was no emotion in his words, and he wasn’t looking directly at her. She found, right then, she couldn’t take her gaze off him.

He bent near the fireplace. A few moments later, flames flashed up.

A shudder shook her as she remembered the fire that had nearly taken their lives.

Still crouching, Thomas glanced back at her. The gold of his gaze reminded her of the fire. “Go on upstairs,” he said again. “You’re shaking.”

“It’s not from the cold.” Well, okay, perhaps part of it was. She crept closer to him and to the warmth of the fireplace. Her hands were fisted in the pockets of her borrowed coat. “I need to ask you some questions.”

He looked toward the stairs. “The power might not stay on long, not if the storm is as strong as I’m thinking it will be. You should shower first, then we can talk.”

She braced her legs and straightened her shoulders. She’d waited long enough for this conversation. “Tell me about the first time that we met.”

His eyelids flickered as he slowly rose to his full height. He wasn’t looking at the stairs any longer. He was focused on her, and his stare was guarded. “Why does that matter?”

“Because I... I remember your voice.”

His jaw hardened.

“I can hear your voice in my head. You’re saying that...you’ll always be with me.”

He didn’t speak.

“But you’ve never said those words to me.”

He turned back toward the fire.

“At least, you haven’t said them since I started with the EOD. So that means you had to tell them to me
before
Mercer brought me on
.
” She was trying to keep her voice even and calm, but her heart was galloping like mad in her chest. “And the only
before
for me, the only time I don’t remember, is the forty-eight hours of my abduction.”

He looked back at her. His expression was unreadable. “You’ve had one hell of a night. We both have. After you’ve slept, I bet things will be clearer for you.”

“Doctors told me that same line for weeks.” Anger snapped in her words, and she tried to pull back the old fury. “‘Things will be clear...’ and ‘Give it some time...’ and ‘You just need rest.’” Her laughter held a bitter edge. “I’ve heard all of that a dozen times before. And guess what? Rest doesn’t help. Time doesn’t help.” Her lips pressed together, and after a tense moment, Noelle demanded, “But you know what
did
help? Seeing that poor girl tied to the chair.” She took a step toward him.
“Just like me.”
Because it had been as if she’d stared into a mirror of her past.

A muscle flexed along Thomas’s jaw. “She’s not you, though, Noelle. You’re just getting things confused.”

She sucked in a sharp breath. “Stop lying to me.”

He shook his head.

“You are. You’re lying. From the moment I saw you at the EOD, I felt like we’d met before.”

“Other missions,” he growled out. “Our paths have crossed. I can’t tell you what I was doing then; you don’t have the clearance.”

“Forget clearance!” The words came out as a yell as she shot forward and grabbed his arms. “This is my life! Tell me!”

He stared into her eyes. “I’ve seen you. You haven’t always seen me. The FBI works plenty of cases that merge with the EOD. Sometimes, you guys thought you were hunting serials, but you were after assassins. It was our job to contain those killers. My team did its job.”

“No, there’s more to this.” Earlier, she was sure that he’d started to tell her more. Back at the station, before they’d learned about Jenny.

“I’ve told you the truth.”

Her temples were throbbing, her heart breaking. “Not all of it.” She blinked because her eyes were filling with tears, and she would
not
let them fall. “I thought we were partners. I thought we could count on each other.” She dropped her hold and stepped back. “I guess I thought wrong.” She whirled away from him.

But his hand locked around her shoulder, and he spun her right back to face him.

“Thomas—”

His mouth crashed down on hers. She was so shocked by the move she just stood there a moment. Then...

“Damn it, I’m sorry.” He tore his mouth from hers, but he didn’t let her go. Thomas stared down at her with glittering eyes. “Let’s try that again....”

And this time, the kiss was softer. Tempting her, not taking or demanding, but seducing her instead.

Her emotions were about to rip her apart. She shouldn’t just be standing in his arms.

I’ll always be with you.
The memory of those words didn’t scare her. The words made her feel safe. The way being with Thomas always did.

Her hands rose to curl around his shoulders. She shouldn’t be in his arms, no, but nothing had ever felt more right to her before.

His mouth pressed to hers, and her lips parted. He kissed her, deeply, sensually, and she rose onto her toes in front of him. The anger that had been blasting through her changed. Desire rose, igniting like a firestorm because, suddenly, it was all too much. The past. The present. The fire. The fear.

She didn’t want to think anymore. She only wanted to feel. And Thomas, he was very, very good at making her feel.

Her hands shoved against his coat. He let her go, just for a moment, and that coat hit the floor. He stared at her, and she could read his gaze then, no problem. Lust and heavy desire shined in his eyes. “Noelle...”

She shook her head. She’d asked him to talk. He’d refused. Now... Now she just wanted to keep feeling.

Noelle tossed aside her coat. Kicked off her boots and ditched her socks. She was stripping in front of him, when she’d never had the courage to do this before, not in front of the only two lovers she’d had. She’d been so nervous with them. So afraid.

But there wasn’t any room for fear. Not with him.

Thomas pulled her against him and kissed her again, even as his hands slid over her flesh. His fingertips were rough, callused, but he was so careful as he caressed her. She arched into his touch. Wanting more. Needing more. She needed everything he had to give.

Lies. Truth. She didn’t know the line between them anymore.

She didn’t know what was memory. What was hope. She only knew desire.

He pulled her down onto the rug in front of the fireplace. She could hear the wind howling outside. She could feel the mad drumbeat of her heart, shaking her from the inside.

He ditched his clothes, and then he—he just gazed down at her.

“You’re the most perfect thing that I’ve ever seen.”

No, she wasn’t. Her breasts were too small. Her legs too long and—

He bent his head and took her nipple into his mouth. A surge of heat had her gasping his name. He kept kissing her breast, licking her nipple, even as his hand slid down her body. Her legs spread for him, and his fingers explored her flesh.

“Warm,” his voice rumbled against her, “so...
hot and perfect.
”

She felt as if she were burning then. The cold was long gone. Her breath heaved out in pants as he took his time learning her body. Stroking. Licking. Touching.

Kissing.

Everywhere.

Her nails bit into his shoulders. It had never been like this for her before. The passion so intense, her body responding so quickly. Maybe it was the adrenaline. The fear. The fury.

Or maybe it was just the man.

He positioned himself between her legs. His eyes blazed and—

“I need to protect you...”

Understanding dawned for her. She shook her head. “I’m safe.” She was on contraception, and she was clean. All of the agents underwent regular physicals and—

“I’m clean,” he gritted out, “and I want you...more than I’ve ever wanted anyone or anything.”

“Then take me,” she heard herself whisper.

His fingers caught hers and he pinned her hands to the rug. He stared into her eyes, his face a mask of stark need as he thrust inside her.

He drove deep and filled her completely. She gasped at the sensation because it had been so long for her, and sex with her other lovers had never been like this.

Heat. Need. Passion.

He withdrew. Plunged deep. Again and again. Her legs wrapped around his hips as she surged up to meet his thrusts. Every hard glide of his body pushed him right over her sensitive core, and her body tightened. Release was close, so very close and—

Noelle screamed when the pleasure hit her. No gentle wave. No crest of release. But an avalanche, which rolled right over her, stealing her breath and making her heart slam into her ribs. She cried out Thomas’s name, so lost in him she could barely see. Her body trembled, spasmed and she held on to him as fiercely as she could.

Then he drove into her once more. He stiffened, and the growl that broke from him was her name.

She tried to focus on him because she wanted to see him in that moment. The hard angles of his face. The pleasure in his eyes.

He bent toward her. He kissed her.

And he kept thrusting.

Her breath caught and she arched toward him. Because she realized the pleasure wasn’t over.

It was just beginning.

* * *

W
HEN
N
OELLE
OPENED
her eyes, she was still by the fire. The rest of the house was dark, but the fire blazed. Thomas was in front of the hearth, wearing a pair of jeans. He bent forward as she watched and he stirred up the flames.

“The power’s out,” he said, without looking back at her.

A soft cover surrounded her body. She didn’t even know where that cover had come from, but she pulled it closer.

“We should stay down here,” Thomas said, his attention seemingly on the blaze. “It’s warmer here, as long as we keep the fire going.”

Keeping the blanket with her, Noelle sat up. She brought her knees in front of her and watched Thomas.

“I didn’t...mean for that to happen.” His voice was low, rasping, and his shoulders were tense. “I know I pounced on you and—”

“If this is the part where you apologize,” she said, a bit surprised by the bite in her own voice, “don’t. I knew exactly what I was doing and exactly what I wanted.”

He looked back at her.

“You,” Noelle told him simply. “I wanted to be with you.”

He swallowed. She saw the faint movement of his Adam’s apple. “There are things you don’t know about me.”

She lifted her brows at that. “I’d say I know you pretty well by now.” Biblically well.

He glanced toward the fire once more. “You know what you read in the files Mercer gave you, but with me... He wouldn’t have shown you everything.”

Noelle forced herself to take slow, deep breaths. “And why not?”

The flames crackled.

“My father was a solider.” Thomas spoke slowly. “He was a damn good fighter and a good man.” His hand lifted and he stared at it for a second. Then he struck out with a powerful force that seemed to whip through the air around him. His hand was perfectly straight as it moved in a series of fast, hard glides—attacks that were both beautiful...and brutal. “He taught me how to fight when most kids were learning how to read and write. He wanted me to be prepared, always prepared for what life might throw at me.”

She waited.

“My mother didn’t like being a soldier’s wife. She left, and she took me with her.” His jaw hardened. “And he died on his next mission.”

“I’m sorry.” The words felt so hollow to her.

“My dad was good at what he did. His walls were full of medals and commendations. But when he lost us, I think he just stopped caring.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “I realized then just how dangerous love could be to a man. Love makes you weak. Vulnerable.”

She shook her head, even though he couldn’t see the move. “It doesn’t have to be like that.”

“It does...when love becomes an obsession. When it’s all you think about. When you can’t do your mission because you’re seeing a woman in your head. You’re worried about her, thinking about her, and you can’t protect your team, much less yourself.”

She didn’t know what to say then.

“I intended to live my life without any commitments. The missions
were
my life, and women... Sex was a necessity I took care of when I needed it.”

Noelle stiffened. Her hold on the cover tightened. Okay, he’d better not have just said she was some kind of itch he’d
taken care of.
The man needed to think again. He wasn’t—

He faced her. “You’re different, and I can’t afford the weakness that you make me feel.”

That was both good
and
insulting. “I’m not a weakness to you.”

“Yes,” he said softly. “You are. More than you know.” He rolled back his shoulders. “I should’ve known once wouldn’t be enough with you.”

She distinctly remembered at least two times. During the third, she’d—

“I should have kept my hands off you, but I couldn’t.”

Noelle cleared her throat. “I didn’t want them off. I wanted you.”

He shook his head. “No, you just wanted to stop being afraid, and I was close and convenient.”

Oh, the hell
no,
he hadn’t just said that. Noelle jumped to her feet. The cover almost fell, so she scrambled to keep it over her. Then she stalked toward Thomas, and she jabbed him in the chest with her index finger. “Listen up, soldier,” Noelle snapped at him.

His brows lifted.

“You are many things, but trust me, convenient isn’t one of them.” Not by a long shot. “You’re infuriating, you’re secretive and you’re deadly.
Convenient
doesn’t even make your top-ten list.”