ERIN STOOD UNDER THE hot spray of water. She could still feel Riley's hands on her, his mouth against hers.This was becoming a habit.What the hell was she going to do about Riley? About all of this?Riley said his team was going to handle the mess she'd uncovered, but she was the one responsible for everything. Her relationship with him complicated everything. What Riley said ended with him. He didn't speak for the others or Aegis Group. That wasn't how these things worked. They were paid to do a job. That was their priority. If it came down to who to trust to do the right thing, she'd have to have faith in herself. People were dying, and she had the evidence to stop it. But at what cost? What if Mark killed her? What if something else happened?She could always take a copy of the video and send it to the police. Except the murders didn't happen in America. Someone at the Department of Defense, then? The last resort would be taking the video to the media. Exposing something l

THURSDAY. UNKNOWN, TEXAS.ERIN'S HEAD THROBBED AND her shoulders ached on top of the dull pain from her ribs. The one saving grace was that the floor was cool, giving her some respite from the heat. Her side still burned, and her toes twitched at the memory of the Taser.She kept her eyes firmly shut, sorting through the last thing she remembered.The man from the airport.He'd been waiting in the shadows outside the house. She'd stupidly walked out there and put herself in his path. He'd caught her off-guard and the Taser had robbed her of the ability to fight back at first. He'd hit her with something and after that it was fuzzy. She had fleeting memories of a car ride, being drug out by her feet, and then nothing.Had he dosed her with something?Her mouth was dry, but that didn't mean anything.What was she going to do?She took stock of her body, noting the pains and discomforts. Her ribs hurt, but that was nothing new. The back of her head was tender. The worst

THURSDAY. SOUTHLAKE, TEXAS."WHAT THE HELL HAVE you gotten me into?"Riley ignored Casey's complaints. It wasn't like Riley had shoved him in the SUV. Casey had climbed in of his own accord after getting gear from his vehicle."The signal came from a hundred yards that way," Grant pointed up a gravel lane. A construction sign indicated a new office building development.Riley took point, sticking to a few yards off the trail, still under the cover of trees. If they were able to track the laptop, what were the chances Mark could, too? And even if Mark wasn't here, they didn't want to give Erin's kidnapper any kind of warning they were there.The SUV backed off the curb behind them and flipped a U-turn. Melody was on comms, but muted with the plan to wait at the gas station down the street."Mom and Dad are going to love this story," Casey muttered."Shut the fuck up," Riley said."Guys, we're sticking to silence," Grant said.The darkness was fading with the coming

RILEY GLANCED IN THE rearview mirror. Grant and the others had hung back at the scene to explain to the cops what happened, freeing Riley and Casey up to go find Erin. The threat wasn't over."Where the hell are we going?" Casey demanded."I don't know. Erin left. Where would she go?" Riley swung his head back and forth.Melody hadn't seen a SUV come her way. That meant Erin had to have taken this road, but there were dozens of different ways she could have gone.The highway was ahead of them in another mile or two. From there she could get out of the city and go anywhere. Or, what if Mark had her?"Tell me about her," Casey said."What?" Riley frowned at his brother."Tell me about her. What is she like? Would she run from danger?""No." Riley shook his head. "She's a run into it kind of person.""Then why'd she leave? If the danger was there, what would make her run?""Someone is in danger." Fuck. Riley's brother was a genius.His phone began to vibrate. He dug

RILEY HELD THE DOOR for Erin and together they stepped out into the sunshine, leaving NexGen in their wake. Whether someone at the company was guilty or not would be the job of someone else. He kept his hand on her back, steering her out to the parking lot where Casey waited for them."Feel better?" he asked."Not really. Lighter, but not better." She stepped up on the curb, the red paved walkway between the rows of cars stretching the length of the lot."What's wrong?" He tugged on her hand until she stopped."I don't know." She lifted her shoulders.There'd been something sad and resigned about her since the hospital. He'd thought it was about quitting, but now he wasn't so sure. He stared down at her, all his thoughts jumbled together. He didn't know how to say what was in his head, but if he didn't get it out now, he might not get the chance. There was no guarantee they'd see each other again after this."Where are you going after this?" he asked."Miami, I guess." Ag