FROM STEAMY JUNGLES TO OPULENT PALACES, IT’S NONSTOP ACTION, DANGER AND PASSION FOR TWO SEXY AGENTS

To find a “dead” agent, intelligence analyst Kate Squire needs the man’s brother—retired Sphere operative Connor West. His skills as a trained assassin are essential for her mission…but her immediate, raw attraction for the man himself is not.

For a loner like Connor, trekking into the jungle with a secretive killer blonde at his side is not textbook. Caught between armed insurgents and hungry predators, he fears Kate may be his deadliest threat…until their very agency turns on them. Stranded, outmanned and outgunned, Connor has nowhere else to turn. Trusting the gorgeous spy may be the only way to get them out alive….

“I felt someone watching me before.”

Connor’s gaze swerved to her, his eyes intense and focused. It was difficult not to reach out and touch him, to complete that connection that burned hot.

“Did you see anyone?” His hand covered hers, no doubt to get her attention, but the gesture turned primal. She laced their fingers as she shook her head.

Connor didn’t drag his hand away. He brought his free hand to the back of her neck and pulled her close. “What are you doing?” Darkness danced in his eyes, and she sensed a danger that lay in wait in him.

“What do you mean? I’m holding your hand…and waiting for you to kiss me. I want you. I want to know what it’s like to kiss a man like you.”

He traced his finger over her lip. “You are a complicated woman, and I haven’t begun to figure you out.”

Her mind swam with thoughts, but her body ached for more. “You have all night.”

His eyes blazed. “You’re playing with a fire you can’t control.”

She pressed against him. “Don’t underestimate me.”

Dear Reader,

Connor West made a brief appearance in Shielding the Suspect as Brady Truman’s landlord. A former spy who could be called paranoid if it weren’t for the fact that “they” really are after him, he is an intriguing character and I immediately knew he would have his own story. Connor has met his match in Kate, a talented intelligence analyst who works best behind a computer. Connor prefers the outdoors, but when his brother goes missing, finding him will require both of their skills and all their cunning.

When I was growing up, my father and my brothers spent a lot of time outdoors: camping, hiking and exploring. I was never much for dirt and bugs, but I always loved their stories. I don’t know how many were fictionalized, but here’s an outdoor adventure of my own.

Happy reading!

C.J. Miller

Traitorous Attraction

C.J. Miller

www.millsandboon.co.uk

C.J. MILLER

loves to hear from her readers and can be contacted through her website, www.cj-miller.com. She lives in Maryland with her husband, son and daughter. C.J. believes in first loves, second chances and happily ever after.

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In memory of my dad: adventurer, scholar and mentor. Not a day goes by. <3

Contents

Part I: America

Chapter 1

Part II: Tumara, South America

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Part III: The Jungle

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Part IV: The City

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Epilogue

Extract

Part I: America

Chapter 1

Connor West had an eight-second warning before the knockout blonde with a too-serious expression showed up in front of his house. His perimeter security alarm beeped and her newer-model luxury sedan displayed on his smartphone screen. A camera situated along the driveway scanned her car’s tags and ran a DMV lookup. Another camera snapped a picture of her face and ran it through facial-recognition software.

Nothing popped up immediately on his computer, which checked his watch list first: federal and local law enforcement, known special operatives, and convicted and released felons. The woman in his driveway must be lost. Connor lived in the woods, far away from civilization, and it was how he liked it. He didn’t often get surprise visitors, and when he did, their arrival was either a mistake or delivered a problem.

Connor hoped she’d take one look at his cabin, spin her car around and hightail it off his property. He gave it an 80 percent likelihood she wouldn’t stop to ask for directions. Didn’t most people have GPS on their cars and their mobile phones? Why would she turn onto his private road? Had to be a mistake.

To his surprise, she climbed out of her car, one long, shapely leg followed by the other. She was wearing a pair of bright green shorts and a white tank top. In her hand, she grasped a small piece of paper. She looked between it and his cabin and back to the paper.

Yes, she was definitely lost.

He mentally urged her to get back in her car and not look back. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with her. Connor hadn’t seen another human being in a week and he was happy to have it that way.

To his annoyance, she walked up the stairs to his front door. Guess she wasn’t a woman who was easily put off. Connor hadn’t gone so far as to put no-trespassing signs everywhere. He didn’t think he needed them. The location spoke for itself.

The curvy blonde knocked on his door. He could either slip out of the back or pretend not to be home. She would get back in her car and he’d never see her again. He could return his attention to the book he was reading and forget this interruption to his day.

At her second knock, his curiosity overtook his annoyance. What if she needed help? If she didn’t turn and run at the sight of him, telling her she was at the wrong location and sending her down the road would take five seconds. Not difficult. She was a beautiful woman and Connor rarely had the opportunity to speak to a woman who looked like her. It would be his one social interaction for the month.

If her looks didn’t cinch it, her worried expression and terse mannerisms drew him to his feet. Leaving a woman lost and concerned didn’t sit right with him.

Connor opened the front door, expecting a startled reaction. A few months of forgoing shaves and haircuts in combination with his worn jeans and battered, holey T-shirt made for a distressingly poor appearance. She got courage points for not immediately fleeing at the sight of him.

The woman smiled. “Connor? Connor West?”

He instinctually reached for the gun tucked in the holster at his side and unsnapped the strap, letting his hand linger on the handle. Pretty face, short shorts and a tight shirt wouldn’t distract him. He was too smart to be taken out by a female assassin. He was a survivor and this woman wouldn’t get the best of him. Perhaps this visit would be more exciting than he’d first believed. “Hands where I can see them. I want your name and why you’re here. You get ten seconds and then I start shooting.”

Her hands went into the air, and unless she was a great actress, the shaking of her arms and trembling of her lips gave away her fright. She was missing the hard edge and the precise and skilled movements of a Sphere assassin. Perhaps not an assassin, then. “My name is Kate Squire. I have information about Aiden. He was a...friend of mine.”

Another surprise...and Connor hated surprises. His brother had been a friend of hers? She’d paused before that word. A friend? Or his brother’s former lover? Given Aiden’s track record, it was believable that he had been sleeping with this woman. She was his type. Tall, fit and blonde, with a smooth, sexy voice.

A stream of jealousy shot through him and Connor batted it away. What was the point of being envious of a situation he couldn’t change and that had been true all their lives? Aiden had been the handsome, fun brother. Nothing had gotten him down. Connor had wanted Aiden to be happy, had worked to make it the case, and Connor liked to believe that Aiden had been.

Aiden hadn’t mentioned this woman by name during any of their late-night conversations. Not unexpected, since Aiden had grown increasingly secretive and distant in the months before he’d died. Their last conversation had been in anger, a reality Connor deeply regretted. It made it harder to cope with losing Aiden.

“How did you find me?” Connor asked. He kept his home address off the radar. It wouldn’t be found using a typical internet search.

The blonde’s arms dropped a few inches. “Aiden gave me your address for emergencies.”

If Aiden had told her where to find his brother, they had to have been good friends. Why hadn’t Aiden mentioned he’d shared Connor’s information with someone? Why hadn’t Aiden mentioned this woman? His distrust was heightened.

“What’s your emergency?” Connor asked. This woman was at his home, claiming to have information and an emergency. How dramatic. Maybe it would feel good for her to get something off her chest, but in all likelihood, whatever she told him, Connor would already know or would find insignificant, as most everything was compared to his brother being dead.

Connor also wasn’t sure he believed her story. If they didn’t plan to outright kill him, it would be like Sphere to send an attractive woman and launch upsetting information at him to get him off guard. Sphere hadn’t given up on bringing him back in, and psychological games were their specialty. Connor wouldn’t fall for tricks. Aiden had been gone for seven months and Connor had made his peace with his brother’s death. He wasn’t getting taken in by a beautiful woman. Whatever this Kate Squire needed to say, he wouldn’t let it affect him.

“Could you please take your hand off your gun? You’re making me nervous,” Kate said.

He hadn’t realized he was clasping the handle. He removed his hand from his gun and put it at his side. If she gave him any reason to think she was reaching for a weapon, he could get to his gun before she could get to hers. “Answer my question. What is your emergency?” Connor didn’t take his eyes off her hands. A difficult task given that she had a lot of features worth a second and third long look.

She lowered her hands and he allowed it. “I heard you were tough but, wow, I didn’t expect this.”

What had she expected? If Aiden had told her about him, he would have told her Connor was a hermit who lived alone, who didn’t like visitors and who preferred the company of his books to people.

“I have something to tell you that might be upsetting for you. Do you want to sit down? Or do you want to get a drink first?” she asked.

No and no. “I don’t need to sit. I don’t need to drink. There’s nothing you can tell me about Aiden that will upset me.” Both he and his brother had worked for Sphere. They had completed missions and tasks that were difficult and dangerous. They had walked the line just shy of immoral at times, they had lived fast and loose, and they had loved the adrenaline high of working rogue missions all over the world in the name of liberty and justice. Whatever this woman had to say about his brother, whatever story she would tell, it didn’t change that Aiden was a good man with a good heart. Nothing would sully Connor’s memory or change his deep respect for his younger brother.

The woman folded her arms over her chest. “I’m the one who needs a drink.” She laughed, a nervous jitter. The sound was light and tingled in his ears. Kate took a deep breath. “I don’t want to get your hopes up and I don’t want to make trouble for you, but I believe Aiden is alive.”

Unrealistic hope flared at the word alive but realism tamped it down. “My brother is dead.” It was a fact. If his brother was alive, Connor would have heard from him. If Aiden’s lover had convinced herself Aiden was alive, perhaps it was a coping technique or the denial phase of her grief. Connor worked firmly in reality and the reality was that Aiden was dead.

The woman looked at the ground, and when she lifted her head, tears shone in her eyes. “I think he is very much alive and he might need your help. I think he was captured in Tumara and is being held by the Armed Revolutionaries in one of their prisons.”

Connor’s denial skidded to a stop. How had this woman known his brother was working in Tumara for el presidente and against the revolutionaries? El presidente was fighting to stay in power despite a burgeoning lower class who was demanding higher wages and better living conditions. Bruno Feliz was their outspoken leader. Armando Lopes, or el presidente, as the dictator was known, had assistance from Sphere to keep the revolutionaries down. Keeping Lopes in power would prevent upheaval, but Sphere only cared about the money.

Aiden’s involvement in the region was classified. He hadn’t spoken about his mission or the work he’d completed for Sphere. Connor knew what he had done from keeping his finger on the pulse of Aiden’s work, a task he’d found more difficult the deeper Aiden had gone with Sphere. “Where are you getting your information?”

Kate stepped closer to him. As she neared, the light scent of vanilla wafted over him. “I could get in trouble for this. For telling you anything about Aiden and his work. But I feel like I have to tell someone. I work for the same company you and Aiden did. I analyzed some intelligence we received from our overseas allies and I have reason to believe your brother is alive. My cover—that is, my work with the State Department—puts me in touch with important people.” She shoved a hand through her hair as if frustrated with her explanation. “I know this sounds crazy, but I need you to believe me.”

Connor’s thoughts shifted into overdrive. She worked for Sphere, the organization responsible for his brother’s death. Sphere’s agenda was buried beneath a flurry of excuses and stories and rationalizations. It was one of the reasons Connor didn’t work for them anymore. “You work for Sphere?”

Kate looked around as if someone could overhear them. At least she had the paranoid-operative part down pat. Not that he had room to judge.

“Yes. I work there,” she whispered.

“Let me tell you something, Kate.” If that was her name. “I know how Sphere operates. They told me he was dead. Now you are telling me he is alive. If someone gave you that false hope, I’m sorry.” They could be manipulating Kate into seeking him out. This could be another attempt to coerce Connor to work a mission for them. “If my brother was alive, he would have contacted me. You’re being played.”

Kate shook her head. “This isn’t a game. Aiden needs you. I have a picture in my smartphone that might change your mind. Can I get it out and show it to you?”

Connor nodded his assent, and Kate reached into her back pocket and withdrew a slim phone. She typed on it and then turned it to face him. Connor closed the distance between them, poised to react to any sudden movements. Sphere would take out a target by any means necessary: deception, surprise, full-on attack. If Kate pulled out a weapon, he’d disarm or kill her.

The picture on the screen startled him. Aiden was sitting on a dirt floor, a bamboo fence behind him. It was too small for Connor to notice any photo editing. She could have gotten a picture of Aiden and inserted it into the setting. A phony picture to tear at his resistance was a simple lie for Sphere to manufacture.

Connor should have told her to leave the moment she mentioned knowing Aiden. He should have forbidden the slim ray of hope that his brother was alive from shining on his thoughts. But the thinness of his brother’s face, the bruises, the worn and tattered clothes spooked Connor. Could Aiden be incapacitated and unable to send a message to Connor for help?

Thinking of his brother in desperate straits took hold of his core and shook him. If the picture was real, and if it was recent, it wouldn’t help him locate his brother. Unless Kate had more, Connor would have to mount his own operation to search for his brother. It would take time and resources.

Growing up, it had been he and Aiden against the world. To know the only person he’d ever trusted could be hurt, in need and alive changed everything. Kate might be lying, but was he willing to stake his brother’s life on it?

“Did you check if the picture was edited?” he asked.

“The picture is legit. I obtained it, with great difficulty I might add, from work. A contact of mine in Tumara believes I work for the State Department and that I have a streak of goodwill in my blood. He sent the picture to me in case it developed into an international incident. You know, American held against his will by the Armed Revolutionaries,” Kate said.

When someone lied to him, Connor usually knew it. He sensed it. Nothing about Kate screamed liar. What was her angle? “What do you want?” Connor asked, cutting to the chase.

“What do I want?” she repeated, her eyes wide and confused. “I want you to help Aiden.”

Was Connor ready to believe that this woman was telling the truth and his brother was alive? That he was already thinking about how to find Aiden told him that he’d bought Kate’s story. “Tell me what you know and I’ll take care of the rest.” He’d fill in or locate the missing information. If Aiden was alive, Connor would find him.

Kate blinked at him, her bright blue eyes giving away nothing. “If I tell you everything, you’ll take off and I’ll never hear from you or Aiden again. You’re taking me with you and I’ll tell you what you need to know as you need to know it.”

Gutsy. She’d shown up on his property, asked for his help and then set the terms of their arrangement. “Tell me everything and we’ll go from there.” She was right in deducing his intention. Once she spilled the information he needed, he’d ditch her. He preferred his work how he preferred his personal life: solitary.

“Nice try. We work together on this.”

“If you work for the agency, why not find him yourself?” It was as much a challenge as it was a test.

“I’m a computer analyst, not a field operative. I’ve completed the mandatory cross-training, but I am not foolish enough to attempt this alone.”

Sphere recruited two types of people: highly skilled assassins with unique talents, like him and his brother, and überintelligent supergeeks who excelled in their areas of technical expertise. Connor couldn’t envision Kate rapidly typing at a computer. Most attractive people used their looks to their advantage and she couldn’t do that behind a computer. Sphere liked attractive operatives to work the field. A good-looking woman could pull information easily from a smitten man.

Kate set her hands on her hips, bringing his attention momentarily to the dip in her slender waist and the roundness of her hips. “I know the odds are stacked against me. If you won’t help me, you’ve taken away my best option. But I can’t let this go. I won’t let this go.”

Connor glanced at her smartphone again. “This might be a setup. You might be too late. You could lose your life trying to save his when he’s already dead. They could be using you to find and tie off loose ends.” As he spoke the words, his doubts whispered less loudly. What if Aiden is alive?

“I don’t believe he’s dead. I won’t give up,” Kate said, her voice quiet and determined.

Connor would never forgive himself if Kate was right and he did nothing about it. She’d trapped him, as perhaps she’d planned. He had to take action. “Aiden is my brother. I’ll search for him until he is either home safe or I know this is a lie.”

Relief rushed across her face. “Thank you, Connor. You won’t regret this.” She reached for his hand and he jerked away. He wasn’t agreeing to an alliance with Kate. He’d search alone. Having another person along would bungle the operation.

He stepped back from the door and gestured for her to come inside. “Stand here,” he said, pointing to a location next to the entryway.

Watching her in his peripheral vision, he pulled his travel pack out of the closet. “I work faster and better alone,” Connor said.

Kate’s eyes narrowed. “You can work faster with information. Information I have. I speak Portuguese—the most common language spoken in Tumara—plus Italian, Spanish and Arabic. I know the area and the culture. I know the political climate.”

She was bound and determined to search for Aiden. He’d accept it. For now. He opened his bag to check his supplies. “I speak a number of languages myself. I have boundaries. I have lots of them. Respect them or I’ll leave you wherever we are without notice and I won’t look back.” He glanced at her in the mirror.

Kate’s eyes widened. “That’s fair.” She seemed unsure. “Spell them out.”

He waited a beat and she stared at him. She was serious. She wanted him to give her a list of rules, the dos and don’ts of spending time with him. Most people who met him quickly understood he didn’t like idle prattle, he didn’t like people being close to him and he preferred to be alone. The most comfortable path was to give him as much leeway as possible. He could be harsh and direct and didn’t hesitate to be blunt. What was it about Kate that made him censor and soften his words? “You want boundaries? Don’t talk except when you have relevant information. I’m jumpy and don’t like surprises. Give me space.” He composed a mental list of supplies he’d need for the trip.

She was looking around his cabin, seemingly eager to snoop around. He didn’t keep sensitive information here, so there was nothing to find. Even so, she hadn’t moved from the spot in the room where he could watch her most closely. She wasn’t seeing any more of his place. He didn’t give tours. “Aiden mentioned you could be grumpy. But I’ll do my best to respect your boundaries so long as you understand that I’m a woman who likes to talk sometimes, I don’t mean to surprise you, but given the nature of this situation, we’ll be surprised at times, and if we’re traveling together, you won’t be alone.”

Connor suppressed a smile. She gave as good as she got. He liked that. It had taken courage for her to come to him. He liked that, too. But he didn’t trust her. Trust was hard-won and easily lost. She hadn’t given him the whole truth about why she was here and he didn’t care for that in the least. He would find out what she was hiding, and if she double-crossed him, she would regret it.

* * *

Kate had seen Connor West only once before in person when he’d attended his brother’s memorial service seven months before. Connor looked remarkably different today. His dark beard was scraggly and unkempt, his hair in disarray and his clothes in need of mending, stain treating, heavy-duty washing and ironing. Or maybe they were too far gone and should be scrapped for cleaning rags. She should be disgusted by his appearance, but stress and guilt were making her feel strange things. Kate was still attracted to Connor. Maybe it was his confidence or the stories Aiden had told her about him, but the crush she’d had on him took hold of her and morphed into something more potent. She felt a little dizzy and wanted to get closer to him.

Kate shouldn’t have feelings for a man she’d seen only twice, including today, and hadn’t spoken to the first time. Connor had slipped into the somber room and had blended with the other mourners. His dark suit had fit him well, the jacket sitting across his broad shoulders and the tailored pants showing off his athletic build. His short hair was neat and trim, giving him an almost schoolboy appearance. A slight arch in his nose indicated it had been broken in the past, marring what would otherwise be considered model good looks. Kate had fought the attraction that sprang up. She’d learned her lesson about getting involved with special-operations men. That he was Aiden’s brother made her attraction even more unfortunate.

Kate wouldn’t have seen him at all, except she’d been waiting for him at the service. She’d owed him an explanation, something to help give him closure. To her dismay, she hadn’t gotten the opportunity to speak to him. Connor had stridden directly to the front of the room where a portrait of Aiden in a golden frame sat on an easel among the floral arrangements. He’d looked at the picture and bowed his head, bringing his hand across his face.

She’d averted her eyes, feeling she was intruding on a deeply private moment. When she’d finally looked back, Connor was gone. She’d searched the crowd for him but she’d had no luck locating him. Kate wasn’t entirely sure why he’d come. Perhaps he’d felt a sense of obligation to make an appearance.

Outside his home, even when he’d had his hand poised near his gun, Kate wasn’t afraid of him. She knew too much from Aiden about his older brother. Connor might be abrasive on the outside, but he was a good man who wouldn’t hurt anyone without a compelling reason. Male special-operations agents were a different breed of man. They could be chillingly cold and insensitively direct. Kate had learned not to let their words and tone intimidate her when she worked with them.

Kate reached into her handbag and withdrew two plane tickets. “I’ll tell you more when we arrive. You ready?”

“Are we traveling as ourselves or have you made other arrangements?” Connor asked.

Other arrangements, of course. Members of Sphere never traveled under their real names for business or pleasure. It was easier to cover tracks when using pseudonyms and fake documents. “We’ll be traveling undercover.”

Connor shook his head. “If you’re using an identity Sphere provided you, they’ll know exactly where you are and what you’re doing.”

Kate knew how the system worked. The tickets she had purchased and the identifications she carried had been generated using her personal resources. “Give me a little credit. No one knows I came here to talk to you and no one knows what I’m planning.”

Connor folded his arms. It was an improvement on his waiting-to-pounce stance. “Don’t underestimate Sphere. They know everything. It’s their business to keep everyone on their payroll under their control.”

Kate shivered. She didn’t like to think about the privacy she’d given up when she went to work for Sphere. Her financials, her personal life and her business life were open and available to Sphere for review at their discretion. But she had been careful about approaching Connor and creating their covers. She hadn’t made her plans at work or on any Sphere network or device. “They don’t know about this.”

Connor shot her a look of disbelief. “I’ll provide our travel documents.”

Kate suppressed an eye roll. That was another trait of special-ops men. They always thought they were right. “If you think it’s safer, then fine.” He was willing to come to Tumara. She was willing to make compromises to get what she wanted.

She had to make amends for what she had done and for the mistake she had made. Her guilt was severe and she was willing to risk her life to see Aiden safe.

Part II: Tumara, South America

Chapter 2

“When we land, are you planning to tell me more or do you need to keep me in the dark?”

Kate looked up from her ebook reader. It was the first time Connor had spoken to her on the long flight. His silence had stopped bothering her hours ago. He’d asked her not to make idle chatter and she’d respected the request. If he was angry at how she’d gone about convincing him to help her, she could accept that. “I’ll tell you what you need to know as you need to know it.” If she told him everything, he would ditch her. Maybe ditch her with enough resources to get home, but maybe not.

Her answer came out sharper than she’d intended. To her surprise, Connor appeared amused. “That’s the unofficial motto of the company where you work. Don’t believe it. It’s always better to know more.”

Was it? Kate had been happier before she’d uncovered one of Sphere’s secrets: they’d knowingly left a man behind enemy lines with no intention of rescuing him. If her contact in the Tumaran government hadn’t secretly passed on a rumor he’d heard and a picture of what looked like Aiden, she would have believed Aiden was dead. If she wasn’t successful in finding and liberating him, Aiden would die alone in a dirty cage. Now that she knew what Sphere had done, she couldn’t forget it and she couldn’t walk away from the situation. “Knowledge is power, but knowledge can also destroy someone.”

Connor’s smile faded and his eyes turned darker. “The job you’ve chosen isn’t an easy one.”

“I never expected it to be.” Although when she had been recruited by Sphere, she had been an idealist, expecting the agency to have pure and noble intentions. She had never heard of Sphere prior to them approaching her. Most people outside the organization had never heard of them. It was how they preferred it. When she accepted the job, she had viewed the agency as a superheroes-slash-secret-spies organization. Their resources had seemed infinite and their power unending. When they talked about the conflicts they had resolved and the potential disasters they had avoided, she had thought of them as the good guys.

Since then, she had developed a different view of her job and a much different view of the organization.

Connor studied her face, and his gaze dropped down for a second and then back up to meet her eyes. “I wouldn’t have pegged you as working there,” Connor said.

A mixture of insult and annoyance streamed through her. Kate had worked against the assumptions people drew about her from the time she was a teenager. Her blond hair, slim—which she used to think of as scrawny—figure and long legs brought to mind a woman with little brain activity who was overly preoccupied with her looks. It wasn’t the case. Her intelligence was her greatest strength. Either that, or the way people underestimated her. Pride lifted her chin. “I am good at my job.”

“No doubt. You wouldn’t have been hired if you were anything less than exceptional.”

No trace of sarcasm touched his words and they stunned her. He thought more highly of her than she’d first believed. Whenever she made an assumption about him, she was wrong. He hadn’t been happy to hear about his brother; he had been on edge and anxious. He hadn’t believed her proof that Aiden was alive; he’d questioned her extensively. He hadn’t wanted her help in locating Aiden; he’d wanted to work alone.

She’d be smart to remember not to rush to judgment about Connor. He kept his thoughts private and concealed, and might have been trained on intentionally misleading people. “If you know I’m competent, then have a little faith in me and trust that I’m doing the right thing.”

“We both know it’s unlikely I’ll trust you. When it comes to my brother’s safety and well-being, I’d rather not put a stranger in charge.”

Harsh, but honest. Most undercover operatives for Sphere weren’t known for their social graces. Those who were gifted with a silver tongue were often sent on missions that used their ability to con a target to meet their objectives. “Then at least recognize I will be useful in this mission,” Kate said.

His eyes traced down her body again. “Having you along will cause more distractions for me. I’ll need to watch over you.”

Distractions had a heated overtone to it. Was he flirting with her in his own Connor-esque way? Acknowledging the basic human attraction between the two of them? He could have picked up on her crush on him. Despite his borderline rudeness, her interest in him hadn’t diminished. The strange attraction was textbook. Her father had been a firefighter. Kate had adored him. He was strong, smart and successful with an edge of danger. It was the type of man Kate chased, perhaps wanting to have the deep, exciting relationship her parents had. “I can watch over myself.”

“If we’re a team, we should watch out for each other.”

Which was it? They were a team or she was an impediment to him? He was impossible. “You want us to work together.”

“I didn’t say that.”

Regardless of what he said or how he tried to confuse her, she’d act like a team the best she knew how. “I’ll look out for you and me, okay?” It was how she operated on a mission even if she was behind a computer. She could take care of herself. She’d had training from Sphere, including weapons handling, hand-to-hand combat and survival techniques. If she couldn’t handle this mission, she wouldn’t have insisted on coming. She had limitations, but she would rise to the challenge. She always did.

Connor shrugged, though not dismissively. “Working at a desk won’t give you the skills you need out here. I’ll do whatever I can so when I find my brother, he won’t be pissed that I let his girlfriend get hurt.”

“I’m not his girlfriend,” Kate said. Where had Connor gotten that idea?

Connor lifted a brow. “I don’t believe you.”

Kate sighed. His unwillingness to trust her was a problem. She had been forthcoming about the fact that she was withholding information about Aiden. Why couldn’t he accept she was telling the truth about her relationship with Aiden? “I’m getting accustomed to that response from you.”

Connor let the conversation lapse into silence. He liked doing things his way and he didn’t let anyone into his private thoughts. Fine. She could deal with that. She had enough on her mind. Her most pressing concerns were Aiden and ignoring the fact that she was in an airplane thousands of feet from the ground. Sitting on the aisle seat lessened her phobia of heights slightly.

Her e-reader was her diversion. She returned to her book. It didn’t hold her attention despite being the latest release by her favorite author. Kate’s thoughts switched to the captivating man in the seat next to her. Connor and Aiden looked very much alike. Both brothers were tall, broad and dark, though Aiden’s hair was a shade lighter. Connor had shaved his beard and cut his hair shorter, giving him an appearance more like his brother. The similarities ended there. Their personalities were acutely different. Aiden, though businesslike in the field, was warm in person. Ten seconds with him, and he had people eating out of his hand. He had never questioned her or Sphere. He did as he was told and he did it well.

Connor, on the other hand, was icy and distrusting. His distrust had cost them a full day. He had gone out of his way to organize transportation when she had made careful arrangements. He still thought she might be setting him up. Maybe he’d picked up on her nervousness and had assumed she was leading him into a trap, not suffering from guilt.

When the captain of the airplane announced they would be descending, Kate turned off her e-reader and closed her eyes, pressing her head against the seat. In a few minutes, they would be on the ground. A mild headache pulsed at the fringes of her mind and her stomach turned over.

“You look pale. Are you going to be sick?” Connor asked.

“No. I’m fine,” she said, her stomach dropping. She didn’t want to admit to him her fear of heights.

He swore under his breath. “Are you afraid of airplanes? Or heights?”

No point in lying. He’d already noticed her body language. “Just the latter and only when it’s high enough that I know falling will kill me.” A perfectly reasonable fear: falling to her death with nothing to stop her.

“Great. That’s great. Phobias in the field will get us both offed.” Connor was whispering, but the irritation in his voice was clear.

“I’ll be fine in the field.” She’d been authorized to work for Sphere and they had an extensive screening process. They didn’t think her height phobia made her a danger to anyone. Her primary job function was performed from behind a computer, but if her fear had been debilitating, she would have been eliminated as a candidate.

Connor didn’t let up. “You should have told me. Full disclosure. You’re playing a dangerous game.”

She rolled her head to look at him and opened one eye. “First, you asked for no such thing. Second, you haven’t told me any of your fears. Third, I wasn’t about to give you more reasons to want to ditch me.”

“One, fair enough. Two, I don’t fear anything happening to me and, three, I’ve already tried to ditch you. You’re a pit bull when you want something.”

A pit bull? He was comparing her to a dog. She chose to take his words as a compliment. “Thank you. Perseverance is one of my best qualities.”

“Your perseverance will get you killed. You’ve got to know when to back down and back away.”

That got him a full-on stare, eyes wide-open. “I’m not backing down on this. I will find Aiden.”

“We’ll see.”

Dismissive words. Anger gripped her. She would prove him wrong. “Yes, we will. And when I return to the States with him, I won’t invite you to the welcome-home party.”

“Just like a woman to worry about inconsequential things like having an exclusive party for someone.”

Her mouth opened. What a jerk! Her crush on him waned to almost nothing. Despite her frustration, she kept her voice low. “How can you say that to me like that’s all I care about? I sought you out to help your brother, and it wasn’t exactly easy to find you nor have you been particularly pleasant to work with.”

Connor shrugged. “I don’t know what you care about, but I’d wager most of your intentions are self-serving. Just like a typical, shallow woman. Do me a favor. When we’re looking for my brother, try to keep the whining to a minimum. I can’t stand to hear a woman jabber on about her nails and her hair and her clothes, especially when I have something important to do.”

She sputtered. Was asking Connor for his help a mistake? She wanted to help Aiden, but could there be another way? How could this be the amazing, considerate man whom Aiden had spoken of? Aiden had made his brother sound like a hero. But the Connor she was seeing was a self-centered, misogynistic—

The plane jarred against the tarmac and the pilot’s voice announced their arrival.

Connor grinned. “Look at that. We’re on the ground and you didn’t throw up on me or pass out. Nice job.”

Realization flooded into her. “You were antagonizing me on purpose?”

He winked at her. “Not hard to do and it distracted you, didn’t it?”

It had. Her anger lessened. “You didn’t mean any of that?”

“Not the insulting stuff, no.”

She wondered what he considered insulting. She didn’t question every word he’d said, though certain phrases replayed in her mind. Dangerous game. Would her perseverance get them killed? Kate didn’t thank him for the distraction, though she’d seen yet another side of Connor. He’d seen her need and had taken action.

When they debarked the plane in Carvalo City, the capital of Tumara, Connor said nothing to her. He gathered his carry-on from the overhead compartment, murmured his gratitude to the flight attendants as they passed and strode down the hallway into the main airport. He blended into the crowd around him. Connor didn’t turn around to see if she was following. Maybe he didn’t care. He disappeared around a corner and mild panic shook her. A man like Connor could vanish and she wouldn’t find him. He’d been trained by the best in the world in evasion and disappearance techniques.

A hand came around her forearm and pulled her into an alcove. Kate started. Connor’s grip on her arm was strong as he held her against his body. The tension in his muscles tightened his hard body and his eyes burned with red-hot emotion. “We were followed.”

The words were accusatory. “What? How?” She struggled to step away from him. He didn’t release her.

“I don’t know how. I thought you might.”

Her jaw slackened. He was quick to imply she was lying and trying to screw him over. “I was careful. We traveled under your arrangements, remember?”

He pulled her bag from her hand. “This has to go.”

She wasn’t an amateur. “I checked my things. They’re clean.”

His eyes narrowed. “Then it’s something on you.” He dropped her bag to the ground and his hands moved to her shoulders, inspecting the fabric of her clothes. As he moved his hands lower, Kate shrugged off his touch. His intentions were to find a bug or tracker on her, but the contact was igniting her desire for him, making her hot and bothered. “I don’t know if you’ve been living in the woods for too long and you’ve forgotten basic social decency, but you can’t feel me up in an airport. I don’t have any tracking devices on me.”

“I’m not feeling you up. This isn’t about a cheap grope in a public place. This is about keeping us safe and finding my brother. Take off all your clothes and change into mine. They could have sewn something into the fabric of yours. It’s not safe. They track every employee every moment of the day. The sooner you realize that, the safer you’ll be.”

Kate didn’t believe him. Her movements at work were monitored and her use of the computer equipment restricted, but Connor made it sound as if Sphere tracked her everywhere. They could request access to her personal financial documents or talk to her friends and family about her leisure-time activities, but she would have been alerted if she was under investigation. “You’ve lost it. They don’t know I’m here and they certainly don’t know I’m with you.” Aiden had mentioned his brother was paranoid about security and she had witnessed plenty to support it, but this was ridiculous.

“Change. Your. Clothes.”

A man and a woman walked past them, their heads bent together in conversation. Connor tensed and lowered his head, tucking it into the nape of Kate’s neck. The closeness and his hands on her shoulders sent lust spiraling through her. It was the wrong time to get turned on, but Connor did something to her. He had the confidence and the moves and just enough daring to make him dangerous.

“They’ve been following us,” Connor said.

Kate had noticed the couple on the plane, but it didn’t qualify the man and woman as stalkers or Sphere agents. They didn’t approach, and aside from a casual glance at them, neither seemed interested in her and Connor. Their disinterest was the most curious part. Not even a second glance at the couple lingering in a dark alcove in an airport?

What reason did anyone from Sphere have to follow her? Her boss had been clear he wouldn’t search for Aiden. Kate hadn’t told him she’d planned to do so because Sphere would have discouraged her or outright forbidden it. Instead, she had pretended to accept what he’d said and had made her plans to find Connor.

Kate hadn’t given a reason for her leave of absence, except to say she needed a break after months and months of long hours and high stress. Lots of her colleagues took sabbaticals from work. Vacations were encouraged to keep stress from causing mistakes. Her work leave shouldn’t have been a big deal or raised any red flags. Was Connor right? How closely did Sphere track her activities?

Connor took off in the direction from which they’d come.

Kate grabbed her bag from the ground and chased him. “Where are you going?”

“Getting out of this airport. You need to ditch your clothes and that bag,” Connor said. He tore the bag from her hand and shoved it inside a nearby trash can.

Kate looked at it and then him, confusion and fear overwhelming her. Her clothes and supplies were in that bag. He was making fast, impulsive decisions as she knew field operatives were trained to do. Indecision cost precious time that was sometimes in short supply. On her training missions, she’d had time to think and plan. Connor was moving in the opposite direction of the exit signs. With a final look at her bag, Kate left it in the trash can and followed him. Connor glanced over his shoulder.

“They know I made them,” he said.

Glancing behind her, Kate felt her heart rate escalate. The same man and woman from the airplane and the hallway were following them. Though they weren’t running, they were closing the distance and moving quickly. Could it be a coincidence that the couple had changed their direction soon after Kate and Connor had?

She wasn’t that naive. Not anymore. “What should we do?” Kate asked, accepting that Connor was the expert on this mission and they were safest following his directions.

Connor didn’t say anything. He’d quickened his pace. He pushed at doors as they passed, perhaps searching for an open one to duck inside. After several tries, a door popped open. They slipped inside an office with a window to the outside. She assessed their options. The L-shaped desk and bookcase were cheap particle board covered with laminate and the file cabinet was made of scratched and dented mental. Connor grabbed the desk and pushed it across the carpet. He slid the file cabinet in front of it, angling it against the wall to barricade the door.

He unlocked and opened the window. “It’s a ten-foot drop. Can you make it?”

Kate looked between the door and the window. Ten feet? That didn’t seem high.

The door opened partially before slamming against the desk Connor had used to block it.

“Open the door. Kate, please be reasonable. We’re worried about you.”

They’d used her name. She tossed away the final remnants of her flimsy theory that she and Connor had misread their intent. They were agents from Sphere.

“I’ll go out first and break your fall,” Connor said.

Break her fall? Running to the window, she looked down and her vision blurred. She’d told Connor her fear of heights only included life-threatening falls. Faced with one that might only injure her, dizziness washed over her and fear threatened to freeze her in her tracks. The desk moved across the carpet, and the file cabinet ground into the drywall and slid along the wall as the agents forced open the door.

Connor disappeared over the ledge, his backpack strapped to him. With a final look back, Kate mimicked his actions. She slipped through the window onto the ledge, refused to look down, wobbled at the edge and jumped. Several seconds later, she was pressed to Connor, his strong arms around her. He’d caught her fall as he’d said he would. As far as she could tell, nothing had been broken.

Her stomach was against his face. As she slid down his big body to get her feet on the ground, the friction between their bodies burned through her. She wove her arms around his neck to gain her balance. He set her down and his arms lingered around her. “Are you injured?” he asked.

The eye contact set off a tiny shower of sparks between them. “I’m fine. I think I lost my job, though.”

“Those are the stakes. The moment you pursued this course of action, you put your job on the line. Smart woman like you, you must have considered that.”

He’d worked for Sphere. He knew what it took to separate from them and the consequences if the separation was not amicable.

Kate’s stomach knotted with worry. She had considered it, but facing the reality was harder than she’d expected. Her home, her car, her bills and her reputation were at risk because of one decision she’d made. Refusing to turn back now, she forced the negative thoughts away. Her career wasn’t as important as a man’s life, and for the next several days or weeks, however long it took to find Aiden, she would stick to their plan.

Connor released her and Kate grasped his upper arms to steady herself. “Would you have left me behind if I’d been caught?” she asked.

“Would you have stayed behind if you knew it could save your career?” he asked.

“I jumped, didn’t I?” She’d made a clear choice.

His brow lifted. Had she earned a sliver of his respect? “Let’s move. They’ll get through the barricade soon enough.”

He hadn’t answered her question. He’d made it clear he didn’t trust her, but could she trust him?

The airfield encircled the terminal. With the openness of the layout, she and Connor had few places to hide. The garden surrounding the building was filled with drab green bushes, sparse in some areas, overgrown in others.

“Stay close to me,” Connor said.

At the moment, it was the safest place to be. Kate wasn’t trained to avoid Sphere agents or survive an altercation with them.

They crept along the side of the building. Though Connor tried to hold them from her, bush branches scraped at her face, arms and legs as they hurried. “This can’t be just about Aiden,” Connor said.

Kate took the branch he was holding and slipped past it. “If we find him, it would look bad for them, like they left a man in danger.”

“They have enough staff working to keep their name out of the media through threats or force. I don’t think they’d go through this trouble to stop us from finding one man. Aiden knows something or Aiden did something that they want kept quiet. Maybe they have tried to find him and failed. Maybe they want us to lead them to him.”

Connor was a conspiracy theorist and shades of doubt entered Kate’s mind. Kate had witnessed Sphere taking extreme actions to further their agenda, but she had been on the team that had worked the mission when Aiden disappeared and she’d never heard or read anything to indicate Aiden had displeased Sphere. If Aiden was alive and Sphere knew it, why the charade of a memorial service? Why not list him as missing in action?

Where the building ended and opened to the airfield, they had a choice. They could continue to race along the perimeter of the building or break away from the building, leaving them in the open until they reached the fence encircling the airfield.

If two agents from Sphere had been sent to track her or return her to the United States, would they have been working alone? Sphere assessed the difficulty and the importance of a mission before assigning operatives. Would they have spent the resources to send teams of agents after her? They knew she’d teamed up with Connor, his reputation legendary and his skill renowned.

“What’s the plan?” Kate asked, checking over her shoulder to see how close the Sphere agents were. She didn’t see them. Were they circling around another way? Would they trap her and Connor in a dead end? Kate wiped at her forehead, the sun and her fear overheating her. The Sphere agents couldn’t shoot at them, not out in the open in a foreign country with a complicated relationship with the United States. Not much comfort, since Sphere agents were taught plenty of ways to kill a person discreetly.

“The plan? Get away from the airport without being shot,” Connor said.

Kate inwardly sighed at his obvious statement. Connor wasn’t big on sharing details. According to what she knew of him, while at Sphere, he’d frequently worked alone. She could see why. At least he had a dry sense of humor that charmed her. “You need to give me more than that.”

“I don’t need to do anything,” Connor said, “except find my brother. You forced this partnership. You’ll have to deal with me as I am.”

“Are you trying to be difficult?” Kate asked.

The pause before he answered told her he was considering her question. “No. I am difficult. I don’t try to be. Didn’t my file tell you I don’t play nice with others?”

How had he known she’d read his file? It was a fair assumption. “You’ll have to learn.”

“You’re withholding information, too,” Connor said. “When you give me what I need, I’ll tell you more about my plan.”

Give him what he needed? He needed to relax a bit and trust her a smidgen.

“You want to trade information?” she asked.

“Tell me what you know about my brother and I’ll tell you how we’ll find him,” Connor said. He grabbed her hand. “But later. We’ve been found. Come on,” Connor said, turning the corner of the building.

Kate didn’t have time to see how close the Sphere agents were. They faced more open space and they ran across the tarmac. A baggage handler en route to a plane shouted at them in Portuguese to stop. They continued to run. When they reached the narrow strip of grass on the far side of the airport, a fence topped with barbed wire prevented them from leaving the airport grounds. “What do we do now?” Kate asked. She wasn’t climbing into the barbed wire. She’d heard of Sphere agents doing extreme things, but she wasn’t an agent. Her threshold for pain was minuscule.

“Look for another way out,” Connor said.

At least he hadn’t suggested taking their chances with the barbed wire.

Cutting through the grass, they followed the fence until it opened into an oncoming stream of cars, buses and taxis moving slowly toward the airport’s departures terminal. Kate felt better being among people. The more people around them, the safer they were. Sphere liked to work in secret.

If the Sphere agents had no other choice, how aggressive would they become to meet their agenda?

Connor’s gaze was sharp as he searched the scene, but his posture was relaxed. She was taking her cues from him. Going up against Sphere alone was a risky, and some would say foolish, decision. Having Connor on her side leveled the playing field.

“How will we avoid them?” Kate asked. The Sphere agents had disappeared from view, meaning they could be anywhere. “Maybe we should go back and explain.”

Connor whirled on her. “Go back?” He brought his face close to hers. “Do you have a death wish? Because we’re beyond playing nice and talking things over. Do you think you can reason with them? They know you’ve betrayed them. Sorry, sweetheart, but you’ve passed the point of return. We’ve got to forge ahead.”

Kate grasped for calm in a swelling sea of fears. He was right. Her throat was tight and her breathing came in shallow breaths. She was all in now.

Chapter 3

Connor knelt and dug through his bag. Removing a knife in a sheath, he slid it into the pocket of his pants.

A knife? “How did you get that on the plane?” Kate asked.

“Greased a few palms,” he said.

Unbelievable. He was full of surprises.

“No time to change now. You’ll have to change in the taxi,” Connor said, lifting his hand to hail a cab. When one stopped, he practically lifted Kate inside. He climbed in after her and barked the name of the closest city to the airport in perfect Portuguese with a hint of a Tumaran accent. The driver didn’t turn around to look at them, just jammed the gas and pulled away from the airport.

“Are we being followed?” Kate asked, turning to look out the back window and searching for any cars that were too close. In the distance, she could see el presidente’s palace set high on a hill overlooking the city. The white and gold of the building reflected the sun in a blinding glare.

“I’m not sure yet,” Connor said in Portuguese. He withdrew a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt from his backpack. “Take off your clothes and put this on.”

That earned a glance in the rearview mirror from the driver.

“Now? In a cab?” Kate asked. The road was congested with cars and trucks filled with people in plain view. Connor expected her to strip?

“Yes. Now.”

Kate watched to see if he would break into a grin. Was he joking around with her? If he was, she didn’t find him funny.

She had been careful about what she wore and, although Sphere had tracking devices as thin as thread that could be sewn into clothing, she gave it a low probability that she was being tracked. She’d buy other clothes when she could find a shop. Couldn’t it wait?

“I don’t want to be followed again,” Connor said.

“That wasn’t my fault,” Kate said. “We used your arrangements to get here. If you’re giving out blame, take some for yourself.”

Connor tossed the clothes at her. “Change. This isn’t a negotiation. I don’t see anyone on our tail and I’d like to keep it that way.”

She didn’t like being ordered around. But if he was right about Sphere tracking her, she couldn’t behave foolishly. Were they far behind them? The large white T-shirt and sturdy jeans didn’t leave her many options for modesty. She draped the white shirt over her lap and struggled out of her own.

Connor turned away. At least he was giving her what privacy was available in the backseat of a cab. His shoulders shook, making an effort to hide that he was laughing. Though he couldn’t see her, she glared at him. “What is so funny about this?”

“You. You’re what’s funny. I don’t appreciate the company, but I do appreciate the humor you bring to the situation.”

“I’m glad you’re entertained,” she muttered. Kate fought to pull the white shirt over her head without flashing Connor and the cabdriver. “I am trying not to get arrested for exposing myself.”

“Relax. You’re fine. Based on what we have planned, you should get used to me seeing you naked.”

Both her and the driver’s reactions were the same. Wide eyes, open mouths followed by an attempt to hide their shock. “Why do you do that?” she asked, getting the shirt on and pulling it as low as possible over her legs. At least Connor was tall and his shirt covered her to midthigh.

“Do what?” he asked.

“You say really rude, off-the-wall things. It’s like you’re trying to make me nervous or get a reaction out of me.”

“I’m not trying to do anything. This is who I am.” He turned and looked at her point-blank.

Was he waiting for her to remove her pants? She felt the challenge in his stare. If she was venturing out into the jungle with him, he would see her change clothes, assuming she managed to acquire more. Was this another test? To see if she had the nerve? She unfastened her pants and slid them down her legs. Heat flamed up her cheeks. She would prove she was capable of doing whatever came at her on this mission.

“All your clothes, Kate.”

Meaning her underwear, as well. Her mother had raised her to be a lady and that included wearing the appropriate undergarments. Even her sister, Elise, the A-list movie star, was known around Hollywood for her modesty and relatively conservative dress.

Kate strove for indifference. Her attempt was hindered by the look in Connor’s eyes. It wasn’t indifference written on his face. It was interest. His gaze trekked down her legs to her toes and back up again. By that time, she had removed her underwear and was pulling on his jeans. Kate pinched the waist. How would she get them to stay on? “Happy now?”

“Immensely. You have nice legs and it’s less likely we’ll be followed.”

His compliment both pleased and annoyed her. Most of the time, she downplayed her looks in an attempt to force the people around her to notice she was smart. Men found her attractive, but she wanted to be known as the smart girl, the resourceful one...not the hot one. Kate didn’t use her looks to get what she wanted. At least, not often and never when she was working. “I stay in shape.” She worked out at the gym before work two or three times a week and had for years.

“I can see that.”

His clothes smelled of him. Being in the small taxi, it was impossible to escape him or to ignore her attraction to him. He was Aiden’s brother, he was emotionally unavailable and he was dangerous. Though he didn’t make her feel threatened, he was a trained assassin. Such rationalizations didn’t destroy her attraction to him. Perhaps stress was making her crazy. “How do you suggest I keep the pants up?” Especially because she wasn’t wearing anything beneath them, she hated how they gapped.

Connor reached into his bag and withdrew a long piece of rope and pulled his knife from his pocket. He leaned across the seat and wrapped the rope around her waist. His hands slid around her back, guiding the rope through the belt loops. Where his hands brushed her bare skin, heat flared across her body. He cut the rope and then knotted it. The result was a belt she could tighten and loosen.

“Thank you,” she said and adjusted the rope.

“You’re welcome.”

Just when she thought she could use his rude behavior to demolish the crush she had on him, he did something kind. He was looking out for her. She didn’t appreciate how he spoke to her at times, but he was doing what he knew to keep her safe, and that counted for something.

Kate rolled the legs of the pants and sleeves of the shirt. At Connor’s pointed look, she removed her bra from under the shirt and pulled it out through the shirt’s sleeve. Being naked beneath ill-fitting clothes was not a feeling she enjoyed. She was far, far outside her comfort zone.

“What about my shoes?” she asked, meaning the question to be sarcastic and then regretting it because Connor might tell her to get rid of them, too.

“Keep them. It will be too hard to find replacements and you can’t run if you can hardly walk.”

She looked ridiculous in the oversize clothes, but it would have to do until she could get her hands on other clothes. When their car drew to a stop at a traffic light, Connor jumped out, jogged to a nearby trash can and shoved in her outfit. Getting back into the cab, he didn’t apologize. “If they’re tracking you by your clothes, best if they don’t know where we’re going.”

Her superiors at Sphere knew she believed Aiden was alive. She hadn’t shared the specifics her contact had told her, not wanting to endanger Marcus or his job. Sphere hadn’t pressed her for information. Now she wondered if they’d already known Aiden was being held by the Armed Revolutionaries. They’d gone to the effort to stop her and yet they hadn’t used those same resources to rescue Aiden. Curious. “They may know where we’re going. They could have the same intel,” she said.

Connor stabbed a hand through his hair. “Then we’ve got to get to Aiden first.”

“You know what the worst part about this is? To put this effort into tracking me when they could have put that same effort into finding Aiden.”

Connor snorted. “Whatever their agenda, it involves Aiden not being found. Tell me what else you know about my brother.”

A challenge. Kate wanted his trust. To get it, she would have to tell him what she could and trust in return that he wouldn’t ditch her.

* * *

Kate took a deep breath and switched to Italian. Smart. The driver wouldn’t likely speak the language and Connor did. “Your brother was hunting members of the Armed Revolution, trying to capture key players and to prevent a large-scale insurgency against the Tumaran government. His last verbal check-in was at a bar in Mangrove.”

Connor wasn’t familiar with either location. “What’s the population of Mangrove?”

“Hard to say. It’s a rural town in the middle of the jungle. Ballpark, maybe two hundred people.”

Depending on how friendly the residents of the town were with each other, gossip could spread quickly. They might find someone who remembered his brother and who could clue them in to the last moments before he disappeared. “Which bar? Do you have more details?” Connor wanted every piece of information that could lead to his brother. Connor looked around them. Traffic was tight and they could be boxed in. He wanted to be able to get out of the car and flee. He liked having options in case they needed to escape.

Kate shook her head. “I don’t know much about the bar. I wasn’t on shift when he disappeared. I don’t have access to the raw recording of that final conversation. If he named the bar, it wasn’t in the transcript I read. After I told my superiors about my belief that Aiden is alive, they revoked my security privileges on the files pertaining to that mission.”

Sphere was hiding something from her, but they were always hiding something. As the cab lurched forward, Connor felt his edginess move up a notch. He wanted to get to his brother quickly. “How many bars can there be in Mangrove? A town with two hundred people may only have one or two.”

Connor had considered the terrain, wildlife, weather and disease-carrying insects that they might encounter in Tumara before they’d left the States. “Do you have experience navigating in the jungle?” He guessed her answer was no.

“I’ve studied the region extensively. I can identify the types of vegetation we might encounter, those that are safe to eat and those that are poisonous. I know the—”

She’d done research. That wouldn’t cut it. “Actual experience, meaning, have you been to this jungle or any other?” Knowledge of an area was good. Being able to survive in the elements was better.

Kate lifted her chin proudly. “Don’t discount my knowledge, but no, I have not spent time in the jungle.”

“This is our stop,” Connor said to the driver. He tossed some cash over the seat and climbed out.

Kate scrambled out of the taxi and followed him. “Where are you going? Are you ditching me just because I don’t have experience?”

“I’m not ditching you. If I were, I would tell you first and then disappear. We need to change taxis. The driver’s already heard too much. We didn’t start speaking in Italian until later.”

His clothes hung on her, far too large for her thin frame. Baggy wasn’t a look he usually liked on a woman, but Kate wearing his clothes did something for him. It had been too long since he’d looked at and enjoyed a sexy woman. Kate fit the bill of sexy. Add to it smart and courageous, and it was hard not to admire the whole package.

A package that belonged to his brother and that was the rub. Why else would Kate insist on coming along? Connor would make another attempt to dissuade her from traveling with him into the jungle. He didn’t want to see his brother’s lover killed. “You should let me handle this. Aiden is my brother and I won’t give up looking for him. When I bring him back to the United States, the two of you can have a glorious reunion.” When he thought of her in Aiden’s arms, it bothered him more than it should. Aiden deserved happiness, and a woman like Kate—beautiful, smart and caring—could give it to him.

Kate threw up her hands. “You can stop playing that same, sad song. I’m not turning around and going home. I’m not leaving you alone to venture into the jungle. What if something happens to you? Who would know? I would never forgive myself for bringing you this far and then abandoning you.”

She was concerned about him. What about her job, her future and her life? She had obliterated her chances of returning to Sphere when she’d run from the agents at the airport. If she was involved with Aiden and Sphere knew about it, her position might have been tenuous anyway. A carefully constructed lie might save her—like claiming Connor had forced her to come along—but that was dicey. Sphere had zero tolerance for disobedience. “Most missions I’ve worked, I’ve worked them alone. You are not responsible for me or my decisions. You could return to the U.S. and your job. Tell them I forced you to help me. Say what you can to save your career.”

Kate’s mouth dropped open. “We’ve been over this. I can help you. I won’t lie to save my job at the risk of hurting someone else.”

Noble, but foolish. It was her funeral. He’d given her opportunities to change her mind. Connor could handle this alone. If she wanted to risk her life, so be it.

* * *

They found another cab, and Connor and Kate climbed inside. Connor had been walking as if his soles were on fire, and she was glad to sit again. Not that she’d utter one word of complaint. Hiking in the jungle would be more difficult and she was up to the task. Letting on she might not be able to keep up with him was unacceptable.

“Mangrove,” Connor instructed as the driver pulled away from the curb.

The driver hit the brakes, almost tossing her and Connor into the backs of the front seats. Only Connor’s hand across her chest stopped her from hitting her head. Between his arm and her bare skin was a thin layer of cotton. Her body responded and her breasts felt heavier and achy.

“No way, man. I don’t drive there,” the driver said.

Kate moved out of Connor’s reach. Was the driver refusing because of the distance or the location itself? Kate had read towns in the jungle could be lawless, and in the current political environment, with Bruno Feliz and the Armed Revolutionaries working to overthrow the government, jungle towns were havens for the AR, and skirmishes between the two sides broke out occasionally.

“That place is trouble, man. If you’re looking for sights to see, I’ll take you somewhere better. Cleaner. Safer for tourists. No cabbie in his right mind will drive you into the jungle. Not anymore.”

They didn’t want somewhere better or cleaner or safer. They wanted to follow in Aiden’s footsteps and find him.

Connor thanked their driver and they got out of the cab. They went through five more drivers and had to promise a hefty tip to convince someone to take them to Rosario, the jungle border town nearest to Mangrove. From there, the driver told them they could take a bus to Mangrove that would leave the next day.

It took thirty-five minutes to reach Rosario. As they drove, the landscape changed. Streets became less crowded, fewer cars were on the road, and houses and buildings became more run-down. Spray paint tagged the area as belonging to one gang or another. Few legitimate establishments operated from Rosario. The local economy was driven by gangs pushing drugs, prostitution and the sale of illegal goods. The gangs competed violently for turf, resources and money. The two most active gangs were the Snake Slayers, identifiable by the snake tattoos that covered their right arms, and the Blue Devils, who wore their group color prominently. Neither was directly tied to the AR, but Kate guessed there was some overlap in membership.

The cabdriver looked nervous as he let them out of the car. Connor paid him his fare and the sizable tip. The driver turned his car around in less than ten seconds, tires spinning in the dirt street and kicking up dust. Kate pasted on a look of what she hoped was confidence. With Connor at her side, she wasn’t as likely to be mugged, but she made him more of a mark. Her clothing brought stares, which she ignored.

“Gangs are active in this area. Be careful looking at anyone the wrong way,” Kate said.

“I’ll be careful,” Connor said, sounding unworried. “Tell me what you know about this town.” Connor was earning long looks from women who passed him on the street and—unlike the ones she was receiving, thanks to her ridiculous, ill-fitting outfit—they weren’t looks of disdain. Connor stood out as a foreigner and as a man. He was throwing off an approach-if-you-dare vibe, which both put people off and drew their attention.

“We need to locate the bus depot and find out when the next trip to Mangrove is scheduled.” Two women passed and gave Connor matching long, beckoning looks. He appeared unfazed and Kate was insulted. What if she were Connor’s wife? Didn’t she deserve some respect and not the open ogling these women were engaged in? “We also need a place to stay for the night. Based on what I can see, you’ll have your choice of beds,” Kate said.

Connor laughed. “You almost sound jealous.”

Not jealous. Justifiably insulted. “It’s not jealousy you hear in my voice. It’s disgust.”

Connor adjusted his backpack on his shoulders. “I’m not looking for a woman to warm my sheets. Places like this always have rooms for rent. We’ll pick the least dicey place we can find.”

Kate hid her revulsion. Least dicey place was still likely a downright dirty place to sleep. This town wouldn’t have chain hotels, just one-room rentals by the hour and by the night trafficked primarily by prostitutes. Though they could try to find transportation to take them elsewhere, they’d have similar options at any nearby town. Jungle border towns were notoriously dangerous, run-down and lawless.

“What’s the matter? You look mad,” Connor said.

“You’re not good at reading me. This isn’t mad. This is worry about contracting a disease from one of these places and concern that I won’t find a decent change of clothes.”

Connor patted her shoulder in a friendly gesture that bothered her. “I won’t let you contract a disease, and we’ll find you something that fits and some supplies.” He was treating her like one of the guys, which was a position she usually preferred to be in around the office and while working a mission. With Connor, it bothered her.

Despite her reservations, Connor had an easy time locating a place to stay. He knew where to look and how to negotiate on a price. If she were alone, Kate wouldn’t have known how to find a room to rent and would likely have had to sleep outside.

Their rented room was situated above a liquor store and was accessible from the back of the building via a splintering, wooden staircase. Based on the clientele and the women loitering around the entrance to the store, Kate guessed liquor wasn’t all they sold. Their room was in the middle of two others. It didn’t have working air-conditioning, but it did have a window fan, and with the lights off and the fan on the highest setting, the heat wasn’t suffocating. The wood-paneled walls were outdated and the vinyl yellow floor worn with age. The tiny bathroom had a shower that would be a tight fit for her. Connor might need to hang a leg out of it while showering. The room had a single bed and a fold-out green canvas cot. The whole place smelled of stale smoke, as if a chain-smoker had spent the night inside it.

“Were you hoping for something nicer?” Connor asked, tossing his bag on the ground.

Kate schooled her expression. She hadn’t expected five-star luxuries. “I didn’t have high expectations for this town. I’m glad we found a place.”

Connor opened his bag and withdrew a plastic tarp. “You can sleep on this if you prefer.”

She did prefer. She didn’t want to think about the bugs living in the mattress, on the floor and in the walls. “What about you? Where will you sleep?”

“Our sleeping arrangements don’t matter to me, but we should avoid the bed. I’ll crash on the floor. Before it gets too late, I need to head out for supplies and to check the bus schedule. Do you want to come? We might find a place to buy you something else to wear.”

Staying in this room and attempting to sleep had a certain draw to it. But what if Connor decided to take off on his own? What if he left her here? What if she were approached by a local? The wood door to the room had a lock, although she wouldn’t trust it to stand up to any force. As it was, sunlight shone through the cracks between the door and the frame. “I’ll come with you.”

“Because you don’t trust me or because you feel safer when I’m with you?” Connor asked.

“Both.” An honest answer. “I know the local language, but I don’t know who might decide I make a good mark to rob.”

“They’d be disappointed. We don’t have anything of worth to steal.”

Kate didn’t mention she had been carrying items of worth in her bag, the bag he had insisted she throw away at the airport. Mentioning it would shake the fragile, temporary trust between them. She had to prove she trusted his judgment and that hers, in turn, could be trusted. “Do you have money to pay for new clothes? I can pay you back.” She plucked at the overly large shirt, self-conscious about being bare beneath it. “I’ll be more comfortable hiking in clothes that fit.”

“I have ways to pay. I never leave the States without financial preparations. We’ll see what we can find,” Connor said.

They left the small room and walked through the town. Her shopping choices were limited. The town didn’t have a dedicated women’s clothing store and the outfits she could find were borderline indecent. She needed clothes suitable for a trek across the jungle, not a night of dancing in a hot club. Backless dress with miniskirt? Useless. Faux leather, skintight pants? Uncomfortable. Obviously, the stores catered to clubbers and prostitutes. On the plus side, they located a store carrying women’s lingerie. On the negative side, she could forget about comfortable cotton. Silk, lace and leather were the most bountiful choices.

Kate finally settled on a pair of men’s jeans, size small, a few tank tops and a pair of men’s boots. She would wear the tanks under the flannel shirt she’d purchased and over the ridiculous lingerie. She exchanged her shoes for the boots. They purchased a sturdy nylon waterproof pack and supplies: rope, first-aid kit, a lighter, a knife, a water canteen, rechargeable flashlight, a local map and some nonperishable food. Beef jerky and granola bars would be the main course for the next couple of days. Kate reassured herself she could do this. Her father had taught her to be strong and to roll with the punches.

The bus station was several blocks from the main shopping area. The schedule was written in chalk on a dirty slate board. Posted around the board were flyers with el presidente’s face with black X’s over it and sheets of propaganda both for and against the AR. Kate had read of the government raiding towns like Rosario and capturing people for questioning. Those people often disappeared.

The next scheduled trip to Mangrove was the following day, leaving late afternoon.

“I was hoping for something sooner,” Connor said, echoing her thoughts. “My brother is out there. Every second that passes grates at me.”

Guilt threatened to force the truth from her about her involvement. The hurt she had caused Connor and his brother was unacceptable. She had made a mistake, and because of it, Aiden had been captured. Now Connor was involved and putting himself in danger for a rescue op. Telling him about her mistake wouldn’t change what had happened and might make things worse between them. “I’m sorry. I wish I could do more to help.”

His head swerved like a laser in her direction. “You can do more. Tell me everything you know about my brother and what he was doing in Mangrove.”

Kate stuttered over her next words. She finally took a deep breath and started over. “I’ve told you almost everything I think is relevant to finding him at this point.”

“Tell me something about my brother that might not be relevant to finding him. What you think is unimportant might be critical.”

He was worried about his brother, so Kate ignored the implication that she didn’t know the difference. “Aiden adored you. You were his hero.”

Connor inclined his head. “He said that?”

“Yes. He used those words.” Hero. Courageous. Brave. Selfless. Every story Aiden told of his brother echoed those sentiments.

Connor ran his hand across his jaw. “Funny. I’m no one’s hero. Never have been. Aiden and I have always looked out for each other.”

That wasn’t the picture Aiden had painted. “He told me you had a difficult childhood.”

Connor’s back went ramrod straight. She knew immediately she had crossed a line. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to tread on a sore subject,” she said.

“I don’t like to talk about the past. Our childhood has nothing to do with the present,” he said.

She disagreed. Perhaps Connor had put bad memories behind him, but it still affected him. His problems trusting were deep-seated. “It doesn’t have to do with the mission,” she said, striving for neutral. Aiden had told her that he’d implored his brother not to live alone, not to shut out the world, but Connor didn’t listen. He had his own thoughts and feelings about life and he clung to them.

“I shouldn’t have said anything. I was just telling you what I knew about Aiden,” Kate said.

“Aiden’s perspective isn’t always accurate. We’ll get our tickets tomorrow.” He’d moved the conversation along. “I don’t want to let on to anyone about our plans. Let’s see what we can find to eat around here,” Connor said. He slipped his arm around her shoulder in a proprietary gesture. Heat crackled between them. Or was this one-sided? Completely in her head? Kate had never before been this self-doubting about a man. Most of the time, a man’s attention on her was take it or leave it. Whenever she’d had strong chemistry with someone in the past, they had felt the same. With Connor, she didn’t know where she stood. Some moments, it was as if he couldn’t have cared less about her. Other times, they behaved as a united team. The polarity confused her, and confusion wasn’t an emotion she embraced.

When she tried to shrug him off, he repositioned his arm and pulled her closer. Lowering his face to her ear, he whispered, “Interested people are watching. I want to make it clear to everyone that you are mine. Otherwise, you’ll have visitors.”

She’d read too much into his casual gesture. Kate turned to look at him. “I think it’s obvious we’re together.”

“It’s not obvious what our relationship is.”

“That’s because we don’t know what our relationship is. How can anyone else?” Kate asked, hearing the heat in her voice and throwing some ice on it.

“I wasn’t aware we had a relationship that needed defining. Our reasons for being together are clear. We have to find my brother and you’re holding the information hostage. I need to keep you, and therefore the information, safe.”

Kate mentally shook herself. Imagining an innocent touch was a hint of smoldering emotion just below the surface was ridiculous. “You make it sound like I have a choice. You’re not easy to work with. I had to make sure you brought me along.”

“Now that you’re here, do you regret it?”

Kate looked around her. She had never been to a place like this and she hoped to never be again. “I don’t regret it. I want to find Aiden. Besides, I have a feeling Rosario isn’t the most difficult part of this trip. The worst is yet to come.”

Connor laughed and slapped her on the back. “That’s the spirit, Kate. Now you’re thinking like a Sphere agent.”

* * *

Their food options were slim. A nearby tavern served meals, the scent of greasy meat and peppers carrying across the street. In the heat, it was borderline nauseating.

“We’ll try there,” Connor said.

It was better than eating nothing or foraging in the jungle for food. Crossing to the one-story wood building, they stepped inside, the door brushing against a bell hanging over it. Every eye in the room turned to them. Connor appeared not to notice, though she knew otherwise. Kate’s nerves jangled and heat fanned up her back. Her boots stuck to the floor as they walked.

Connor took a seat at the bar, his back to the wall. Nailed in the center of the dartboard posted on the wall was a picture of el presidente, his face pocked with dart punctures. The people of the town weren’t hiding whom they supported, though Kate would be careful not to openly take anyone’s side. El presidente could have moles planted everywhere, and she and Connor didn’t want to invite attention.

Kate sat next to Connor and ignored the stickiness of the seat. She’d probably have to burn these clothes after this trip and she wouldn’t worry about cleanliness now.

They ordered from a whiteboard posted behind the bar where two options were scrawled: enchiladas spicy and enchiladas fire. Kate chose the first and Connor the latter. With a side of beer, Connor seemed as though he was perfectly relaxed on the hard stool, his back propped against a wall that Kate wouldn’t have touched. Everything in the bar looked smeared with grease, booze or sweat.

“Enjoying your food?” Connor asked.

Though it was greasier than she would have preferred, she was hungry. “It’s good.” Her voice carried and she had no intention of insulting the owner. She reached to her side to check the time on her phone and frowned when she remembered Connor had made her throw away everything.

“Missing it?” Connor asked.

Not as much as she would have expected. It provided security in knowing help was a phone call away. Now help was next to her in the form of a good-looking, but slightly crabby, operative. “Habit. It’s useful.”

“I don’t know how you can stand to be plugged in all day. I see people staring at those things like it’s their whole world. What about interacting with the people around you?”

He was one to talk. “The man who lives like a hermit has a criticism about socializing electronically?” Kate asked.

He shrugged. “Carrying those things around and staring at them will get you killed. You’ve got to be aware of what’s happening around you.”

No sympathy, then, from him. Her email and text messages would have to wait until they found Aiden. Would her boss have tried to contact her to let her know she was fired? She pressed away the anxiety that threatened to wrap around her. What difference did it make to read an email or listen to a voice mail? Her career with Sphere was over. Period.

The door to the bar opened and a man strolled in. He wore a black bandanna around his heavily tattooed neck. Her instincts told her he was dangerous and Kate watched him from the corner of her eye. After looking around the room, the man strutted to the bar and leaned over it. “How much?” he asked in a low voice, his mouth close to her ear.

Kate turned to him in surprise. He had a snake tattoo that ran from his neck, disappeared under his black sleeveless T-shirt and reappeared on both arms. “The lunch? It was six—”

“No,” the man said, a faint hint of indignation crossing his face. “How much for an hour with you?”

Kate stared for a long moment before she processed his question. She waited for Connor to say something and glanced at him. He had an amused look on his face, but he hadn’t moved to interfere.

“I am not for sale,” she said, the words coming out in a stutter. Did she look like a prostitute? The clothes she had purchased in town and had changed into weren’t anything close to advertising sex. They were men’s clothes.

“I’ll make it worth your while,” the Snake Man said. He ran his finger along her hand.

Kate snatched her hand away. Worth her while? There wasn’t enough money in the world to make her sell herself to someone. She narrowed her gaze and lifted her chin. “I am not for sale,” she repeated. She had never encountered anything as overtly insulting as this man’s suggestion.

The Snake Man looked at Connor. “Tell your woman to watch her mouth.”

As though Connor was her pimp? The idea of it disgusted her.

Connor took a long pull of his beer. “She’s not interested. Move on.”

The Snake Man grabbed a chunk of Kate’s hair, and Connor was on his feet in a split second. Kate cringed, and Snake Man released her and retreated a step. “You don’t want to fight here. My crew runs this town.”

Connor’s nostrils flared. His posture had shifted from calm to aggressive. “You might run the town, but you don’t run me or her. I’m protecting what’s mine. Walk away and we’ll keep this from turning into a very ugly incident.”

The other patrons in the tavern were suddenly focused on their food and drinks, though Kate pictured their ears pricked up, listening to every word. No one wanted to get involved in a brawl, but everyone wanted to eavesdrop.

The Snake Man glared at Connor. “Don’t start something with me.”

“I don’t want to have to hurt you. But I will.”

Cold and unyielding. The man narrowed his gaze and took a swing at Connor. Connor caught the flying fist and squeezed, twisting the man’s arm behind his back. Connor kicked his legs out from under him and the man slammed to the ground. A sickening crack made Kate wince.

The man groaned. “You broke my arm! My shoulder!”

Connor released him and stood over him until the man rose to his feet and limped to the door, rubbing his arm. He stopped at the door and looked back. “You’ll regret this.”

“No. I won’t,” Connor said.

“Did you break his arm?” Kate asked.

“Probably fractured it. Some people don’t listen and have to be shown what is and isn’t acceptable,” Connor said, returning to his seat. “Sorry about that chauvinist, possessive act.”

Kate wasn’t upset by Connor’s macho overture toward the Snake Man. Connor had said and done what was needed to protect her. The quick switch from calm to violent had surprised her. “Thank you for stepping in. I can’t believe he thought I was a prostitute.”

“Don’t take it personally. I assume a fair number of women in this town work as drug runners or prostitutes.”

“Do I look like a prostitute?” she asked, her discomfort taking on an edge of irritation.

He didn’t answer right away. His gaze traveled down her body.

“Connor!”

His eyes met hers. “What? You asked a question and I was trying to imagine you as one just to see if he somehow misunderstood. Attacking me certainly didn’t give him points for intelligence.”

“And?” she asked. He had better give an answer firmly in the negative.

“Nope, I can’t see it. You’re too classy.”

She took pleasure in his response. Too much pleasure. It shouldn’t matter what Connor thought of her, and thinking she didn’t look like a prostitute was a far cry from saying he found her appealing. “Most men find me attractive.” She was fishing for a compliment and it pained her to admit it, even to herself.

“I know. It’s why I thought Sphere sent you to draw me out. I have a thing for beautiful, smart blondes with killer smiles.”

A thing for her? “You couldn’t have been less friendly when we met. If that’s your technique when you’re flirting, it needs tuning.”

“I wasn’t flirting with you.”

Her heart fell a little. “What were you doing?”

“Chasing you away. Hoping you would change your mind about coming on this trip. Hoping you would admit you were lying.”

“I didn’t run away, I won’t change my mind and I wasn’t lying,” she said.

“We’ll see if that holds.”

Kate had the feeling his statement was about more than this mission. How would Connor react when he learned the role she’d played in his brother’s disappearance?

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