Locked and Loaded

“You’ve made that clear,” Maddie said as she rubbed her hand over his chest. He doubted she realized she was touching him as they hid there, waiting. But he knew. When this was over…

He couldn’t think of that now. Now he had to keep her safe. The thought of her hurt—or worse—knocked the breath out of him.

He admired her spunk and determination. He couldn’t imagine living half a life under the constant threat of death and the watchful eye of the government. Knowing that a criminal sat in a cell somewhere plotting against her made Adam want to issue a threat of his own.

His gaze went to her mouth, slipping down her long neck then back to those lips. He was going to kiss her. In the middle of a sting, with his men a short distance away. It had been building for days. Weeks. He’d dreamed about the smoothness of her skin and how it would feel to wrap her legs around his waist. Now he would live it.

He lowered his head and as he did, he heard the dreadful words in his earpiece. “He’s coming.”

Locked and Loaded

HelenKay Dimon

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Award-winning author HelenKay Dimon spent twelve years in the most unromantic career ever—divorce lawyer. After dedicating all that effort to helping people terminate relationships, she is thrilled to deal in happy endings and write romance novels for a living. Now her days are filled with gardening, writing, reading and spending time with her family in and around San Diego. HelenKay loves hearing from readers, so stop by her website at www.helenkaydimon.com and say hello.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Adam Wright —This Recovery Project agent is stuck miles from home, babysitting a woman who is desperate to ignore him. He spends his days hovering over a computer and watching Maddie from afar…and his nights figuring out how to get a lot closer.

Maddie Timmons —She is a tough woman in an impossible spot. She paid for a bad relationship in the past with a broken back, a criminal investigation and a new identity thanks to the Witness Security Program. Now she needs help and that handsome computer hottie next door might be the answer.

Trevor Walters —A guarded, powerful and respected businessman. He’s made an informal agreement with the Recovery Project that might protect him, but he has other secrets…ones that could get them all killed.

Rod Lehman —The man who assembled the Recovery Project team. His off-the-books investigation into missing women in the Witness Security Program puts all the Recovery agents in danger.

John Tate —As the government administrator who decides who gets into witness protection he wields a tremendous amount of power. What he uses it for is the question.

Vince Ritter —He stays on the fringes of the Recovery Project, providing information and offering help. The problem is telling which side he’s actually on.

Luke Hathaway —The interim head of the Recovery Project. He has the unenviable job of making everything work. When he adds “keeping Maddie alive” to his list of tasks, he fears he’s made Adam and the entire team targets.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter One

Maddie Timmons turned over in bed for what felt like the fiftieth time. It had to be past two by now, but she refused to look at the clock and check. Not again.

The room had plunged into darkness hours ago when the sun ducked behind the mountains outlining the side of her cabin. The cool late-spring air couldn’t penetrate the thick windows near her head. She knew because she’d installed the laminated safety glass herself and then made sure the potential entrances stayed locked at all times. A security alarm took care of the rest.

She kicked off the covers and stared at the ceiling. Despite all the precautions, something made her restless. She couldn’t pinpoint a reason. She just knew her insides kept jumping around, pressing down on her chest and forcing her eyes open every time they tried to drift shut.

The unease had crept up on her that afternoon while she’d worked the lunch rush at the diner, doing the baking and serving the meals. Though in Sweet Home, West Virginia, the weekday “rush” usually meant about thirty people over the span of three hours.

She sat up and felt the mattress dip beneath her. Just as her feet hit the hardwood floor, the banging started on her front door. She heard the thud and the faint sound of a male voice calling her name.

The late hour. The frantic attempt to wake her. It all struck her as wrong.

Every nerve ending in her body screamed for her to run. Her cottage was blocked from the neighbor’s by towering trees, and the dark night would give her attackers the advantage. And she could not risk getting caught. Ever.

She slid her feet into the white sneakers that always sat by her bed. The knife she kept under her pillow slipped neatly into the waistband of her pajama shorts. She had to grab her bag and take off.

That was the plan. Get to safety and then call the number she’d memorized for a situation just like this. The same emergency she’d hoped would never arrive.

She crept across the floor and wrapped her fingers around the handle of her packed safety bag. She listened closely for any sounds of house penetration. Relief flowed through her when only quiet echoed back.

She rounded the corner and headed for the small secret opening to the space under the house. From there she could see the property and listen for footsteps. Then it was just a practiced run to safety.

“Maddie?”

She froze. The husky whisper sounded louder and deeper than before. And totally familiar.

She eased the duffel back to the floor in total silence. The mandatory escape plan ran through her mind, but she ignored it. Instead, she walked down the short hall that led to the family room. The cabin consisted of exactly two rooms plus a kitchen and bath. No matter how careful she was, how shadowed the rooms, she would come into view from one of the windows in two more steps.

“Maddie?” The knocking grew louder and showed no signs of stopping.

Her brain pleaded for caution. Every other part of her wanted to open the door.

With quiet steps, she crossed the smooth floor and flattened her stomach against the front door. A quick look through the peephole confirmed what she already knew. Adam Wallace wanted in.

She hesitated, thinking of all the ways this could be a trap, but reached for the locks anyway. Metal rattled in her shaking fingers as she rushed to get the door open.

He stood there, all six foot three of him. Sandy-blond hair, thin wire glasses and shoulders wider than the door frame. He was her next-door neighbor. The chatty, sexy computer nerd with the linebacker body who moved in and insisted they be friends, all while she dodged every attempt.

She grabbed the side of the door and carefully blocked his way into the house, knowing he could power through if he really wanted to.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“That’s my question.”

She had never seen him do this frantic-whisper thing. Sure, they’d only known each other a month, but he’d been so even-keeled all that time. “Adam, I don’t—”

He pushed the frames up on his nose. “I heard a noise.”

The implication of that statement hit her full force. Blood pounded in her ears. “What? Where?”

“I was watching a movie and thought I heard something crash over here. I came to make sure you were okay.”

As quickly as the adrenaline flooded her senses it receded again. No need to panic—yet. This likely was about a guy being lonely and nothing more. Why someone his age would choose to live out here, all alone, was a constant mystery. That question made her wary of him, just as she was wary of everyone else. She had to be.

But she did wonder how a man who towered over her and possessed those impressive arm muscles could look so sweet and comfortably disheveled at all times. Probably had something to do with the dimple in his cheek.

But he wasn’t smiling now. Energy thrummed off him as he glanced all around, barely looking at her.

“So, are you okay?” he asked.

“Of course.”

He finally focused his attention on her. The power of those grass-green eyes almost knocked her flat. Intelligence lingered there…and something else. Something she couldn’t pin down. His size signaled danger but his easygoing manner made her think geek. The guy was an enigma.

“Can I come in?” he asked.

“No.” The answer was automatic. Forget her curiosity and the hint of attraction. The response was the right one.

“Excuse me?”

Her grip tightened on the door. “It’s late.”

The frenzied moments faded as his eyebrow inched up. “I came over to make sure nothing had happened to you.”

“And I’m fine, so we’re good.” She couldn’t let him in—physically or emotionally. If he’d truly heard something, if danger lingered in the woods surrounding her unwanted adopted home, then she had to run. Dragging a computer nerd with her would only slow her down. And the rules were clear: travel alone and light.

“Okay.” He wiped a hand through his thick hair. With one last look behind him, he leaned in, sending warm air across her cheek. “If you need me, yell.”

“I’m—”

“Fine. Yeah, I know. You said that already. Many times.” He blew out a long breath. “Just promise me.”

Gone was the harmless cutie who’d caught her eye and kept it by coming into the diner every afternoon while she was on duty. He ordered pie and coffee and tipped her twice the bill. He never varied the scene…or he hadn’t until today. He’d always smiled and laughed, flirted and then left with a “well, I tried” mumble when she made it clear those efforts were going to waste.

That was then. Now his jaw clenched and his mouth flattened. The dimple disappeared the second she turned him down.

“Maddie?”

“I promise I’ll scream if I need you.” It was a little lie, so she didn’t feel any guilt in telling it.

“Okay.” He shifted but didn’t leave. “I’ll be close by.”

Sounded like a threat to her, so she shut the door in his face before he could say anything else. The locks clicked under her fingers as she studied him through the peephole and saw he continued to stand on her front porch.

He paced around as if fighting some internal battle. It took another few minutes for him to jog down the steps and head for his house.

The thudding of her heart took longer to slow. For the first time since he introduced himself, he scared her. Sent her mind racing in a hundred different directions at once. And this wasn’t the first time today. He’d lingered at the diner this afternoon, being more flirty than usual. He’d acted as if…

A smile spread across her lips before she could fight it off. Now that she ran down the clues it all made sense. This wasn’t about noises or concerns for her safety. The man was looking for a temporary bed partner.

She had to take responsibility for that. She’d given in and sat down in the booth with him for a few minutes today. For once, she’d returned the harmless flirting. That sweet smile of his had done it. His mouth had kicked up and she’d turned to mush. She’d always preferred bad boys—and look where that got her. Giving a hunky nerd some attention had felt right for a change.

Adam was more than two hundred pounds of sweet temptation, but the seduction stuff had to end. She couldn’t afford ties and refused to trust anyone who just popped into her life out of thin air. Starting tomorrow, she’d build the wall back up between them and hit him with a flashing stop sign until he turned his attention somewhere else.

She felt a kick in her gut at the thought of him finding someone else to joke with, and the feeling had nothing to do with fear. It was more like regret. The same emotion she’d lived with her entire adult life. But she’d survived it before and she would figure out a way to handle it this time, too.

ADAM WRIGHT BRACED his back against the side of Maddie’s house and listened. It was about three-thirty in the morning and he’d been waiting under her window for more than an hour. He’d tried to get into the room the logical way—through the front door and with an invitation—but Maddie was having none of it. Not that Maddie was her real name. Of course, Wallace wasn’t his, either.

The Recovery Project, the now-private investigation firm he worked for, had been tracking her for months. They found missing people and Maddie was more than missing. She was supposed to be dead. If he didn’t work fast, she would be.

According to their intel, the attackers would come tonight. Adam had seen the men roll into town earlier that evening, obviously out of place in their suits and black sedan. Fitting in around this part of West Virginia required a dependable pickup and jeans. Adam knew because he had been working the fake identity for more than a month. He’d abandoned the contacts in favor of glasses, temporarily traded his condo in D.C. for a one-bedroom cabin in the middle of nowhere.

People in town knew him as the guy who did computer work. In reality, he was a deep undercover. A former government agent on a mission to find his missing boss and figure out what role Maddie played in the corruption within the Witness Security Program, WitSec. For now he would treat her as a potential victim and then make sure the “potential” never turned into a reality.

At a crouch, he walked around the back of the house and along the opposite side. The sensor lights she’d installed didn’t click on because he’d disabled them. He’d spent a day wandering around in the dark, figuring out how to trigger her alarm and then another day learning how to get around it.

He used that knowledge now. He slipped a small metal box out of his pocket and held it to the wall next to the back door. The handheld computer lit up as it wirelessly hooked into her alarm and turned it off. The plastic key in his front pocket got him the rest of the way into her house.

The place was small and deadly dark. Not even the air moved. For a second he worried he’d waited too long, that she was already gone, but that wasn’t possible. He’d been watching, just hoping someone would make a move on her so he could react.

The boredom of behind-the-desk surveillance was killing him slowly. A man could only eat so much diner pie before his gut messed up his shot. He enjoyed that part of his cover, but he couldn’t afford to get soft. Or stupid.

But the days of lying around, watching out his window and checking in with his fellow Recovery Project agents long-distance were over. No more waiting. He was going to grab her and get her out of there.

Since all the cabins had been built long ago as temporary residences for forest service employees, the layout of this one mirrored his own. In a few steps he stopped at her bedroom door. When he didn’t hear screaming or anything else, he turned the knob.

Without any sound, he stepped across the threshold, his eyes focusing on the rumpled bed. The empty bed.

Yelling and aiming a lamp for his skull, she launched her attack. She flew at him from the left side. She was all over him, scratching and kicking, screaming threats and promises of pain. She jumped on his back as her fists pounded against his shoulders.

The base of the lamp glanced off his upper back. The spot went numb, but he couldn’t take a second to check it. He doubled over to throw her off balance. As her feet left the floor, his hands caught hers. He tried to fend off the blows without hurting her. He would if he had to. Hell, he’d knock her out if it came to that. He just hoped it didn’t.

“Maddie, stop,” he hissed at her.

“Get out!” Her hands smacked against the side of his head. She fought as though death was at her heels. “Now!”

He spun her around and grabbed her from behind, locking her arms to her sides. The trapped position didn’t stop her thrashing. She shifted and wiggled and made it nearly impossible to hold her still.

Someone had taught her to fight dirty. If Adam weren’t so busy getting knocked around, he might have admired her effort. But he didn’t have time for that now.

He grumbled in her ear. “They’ll hear you.”

The fighting ended as her body went still, as if the life was sucked right out of her. “What?”

“They’re here.”

Tension radiated off every muscle. “Who?”

“The two men making their way through the woods to get to you.” He thought about easing up on his vise-like grip but decided against it. This lady was no slacker. She would throw him through the window if she got the chance. “I have to get you out of here.”

She looked over her shoulder, her sky-blue eyes wild. “You’re a computer geek.”

He ignored the slam since he’d heard it all the time. Hitting the gym every day didn’t stop the perception. “You’ve been compromised. Your WitSec handler was dirty. He sold you out.”

As fast as her anger rose, her face went blank. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Yeah, that was the party line. Denial. Adam got it, even understood the reason for the web of secrecy, but it worked against them right now. Pretending ignorance could get them killed.

“We don’t have time for this.” He lifted her off her feet and dragged her through the house toward the front door, which wasn’t easy since she’d turned to dead weight in his arms.

“You can’t—”

“Stop talking.” At her openmouthed stare, he softened his tone. “If they didn’t hear all that screaming, we might still have a chance to get away.” Something in his words kicked up a second round of attack. As they walked, she put her feet out, balancing them on either side of the doorway and bringing them to a shuddering stop.

“Maddie, you have to—”

“Let me go.” This time her voice stayed at the level of a harsh whisper.

He watched the green lights streak through the woods. “The men are here. We’re out of time.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you.”

Holding both her hands in one of his, he pointed into the darkness and didn’t let up until her gaze followed his direction. “See those lights? They’re coming for you.”

“You don’t know that.”

He ignored her denials. “Right now, in the middle of the woods. They found you and will not stop until they get you.”

She shook her head, sending her deep auburn hair over her shoulders. “It can’t be.”

“This isn’t a friendly visit. They are here to kill you.” Adam didn’t bother prettying up the details. He needed her to understand before they both ended up dead in shallow graves. “I’ll explain it all, but later.”

A tremor shook through her. “You did this.”

“No.” He regained his double-fisted hold before she wrenched an arm loose and started hitting him again. “I’m here to save you.”

She stopped fidgeting. “How?”

“We run.”

Chapter Two

He knew she was in witness protection. No one should know. No one could know, not if she wanted to live.

Maddie inhaled, trying to slow her frantic heartbeat and come up with a plan. She focused on her training, on all the drills she’d run since she’d landed in the tiny town and slipped under the chilly blanket of anonymity.

Every brain cell screamed at her to take Adam down and run as fast as she could and not stop until she cleared the West Virginia line. She could handle the racing part. The question was how to win a battle against a man who outweighed her by a good seventy pounds.

At five-eight with long legs and a runner’s form, she rarely viewed her body as petite, but Adam loomed over her. Feeling small filled her with a twinge of vulnerability. She hated the sensation. It made her jumpy. Amazing how just when she thought she’d knocked all those useless emotions out of her brain, one came roaring back to crush her.

But she beat the insecurities back. Right now she needed all her control and concentration. “I know the way.”

He didn’t ease his grip on her arms. “Yeah, it’s called a back door.”

“Too obvious.”

“I’m listening.”

She ignored the tickle of his hot breath against her neck. “There’s a secret exit.”

“Show me.”

When he didn’t ask why she would have such a thing, or even flinch at the idea, she knew Adam Wallace—or whoever he really was—was not a simple computer programmer. His wrestling moves said mercenary. His knowledge of the most private part of her life made him downright dangerous.

So did being trapped in a small cabin with him. Attackers or not, she had to get outside. She’d get around them and then the next wave and anyone else who was tracking her down. That’s what her life had become—one long run to nowhere.

Open space was her only chance. That meant giving away the location of her escape hatch. Not that she’d need it now. With her cover blown, she’d be shuffled to a new state with a new identity. From there on she’d pull her life in tighter around her so as not to risk a night like tonight.

But she had to live through this mess first.

She tried to swivel around but couldn’t move. “You have to let go of me.”

“Not going to happen.”

“If we’re just going to stand here, you better figure out how close our visitors are. I’d hate to die because you’re busy making a plan and not moving from the middle of a room.”

“Fine.” He let go of her but kept his hands right by her shoulders, as if ready to grab her again if needed. “Talk.”

Matching his caution, she turned, barely letting her feet leave the floor. His hands found her forearms and only a foot of air separated them. At this distance she saw the sweet guy who tipped big after dessert had changed into someone lethal and commanding.

“It’s in the hallway,” she said.

“What is?”

“My escape route.”

“Let’s see it.” He walked her back toward the bedroom. His gaze bounced from her face to the windows beyond.

Even if she wanted to bolt, and she sure thought about it, she couldn’t. The timing was wrong and the man was too big. He also seemed prepared for action and that gave her an odd sense of comfort in the surreal moment.

She pointed at the narrow closet. “There’s an opening behind the ironing board. Though to look at you, I have no idea how you’ll squeeze in there.”

“I’ve never had a problem getting in before, no matter how tight the fit.”

His sudden grin made her think they were talking about different things. “I bet.”

“Where does it come out?”

“About twenty feet away, behind the small shed before the tree line.”