Targeted

couldn’t knowingly put her in more danger. “Her house is probably being watched. It’s not a good idea.”

“Isn’t this what you do? Can’t you get us in without being seen?” She bit her bottom lip and he could feel himself caving.

“No.”

“Unless I’m your hostage, I’m going with or without you. Decide if you want to help me or not, because I’m going.”

She would too. He could see it in the stubborn set of her jaw.

And the truth was, he couldn’t physically restrain her and keep her captive. Not knowing her history. Hell, he couldn’t do it no matter what. Not to Sophie. “We’ll drive by, check out the area, and if it looks safe, I’ll double back and enter from the backyard. Do you know what kind of security system she has?”

“She doesn’t have one and she keeps a key hidden in case she locks herself out. Not that breaking in should be a problem for you.” He didn’t miss the wry note in her voice.

“Where’s her key?”

“In the fake plant hanging on the front porch. It’s in a small magnetic holder.”

His hands tightened around the steering wheel. He couldn’t comprehend that kind of naivete. “Please tell me you don’t have a key anywhere outside your place.”

“No.”

Thank God. “Do you at least have a security system?”

“No, but I live in a safe neighborhood.”

He snorted. “That’s going to change.”

“Excuse me?” She lifted a dark eyebrow.

“When this is all over, I’m having one installed for you.” She could make whatever she wanted out of that. He knew there was no future for them, but if he could take care of her, even in a small way, he was going to. She looked surprised but didn’t respond.

Since he already knew Hannah’s address, he took the shortest route there. Sophie was silent on the short drive over. As they cruised by Hannah’s bungalow-style home, he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. “Is her garage door normally closed?”

“Yeah, she keeps her car parked in it.”

He didn’t slow his speed as they cruised past, but there weren’t any vans or cars parked across the street. That was a good sign. But it didn’t mean her house wasn’t being watched.

“So, what are we doing now?”

“We aren’t doing anything. I’m going to park and do a little recon. You are going to wait in the vehicle.”

“The hell I am. This is stolen. What if the cops stop me while I’m sitting in it?”

Doubtful, considering he’d switched the plates. “That’s not going to happen.”

“I’ll follow you and you can’t stop me.” She unsnapped her seat belt as he steered into a spot behind a parked car on the street over.

He bit back a frustrated growl. Her stubborn streak had definitely not faded with time. “This’ll be easier if I can get in and get out without worrying about you.”

“She’s my best friend. I’m going.” Her fingers were already wrapped around the door handle.

Sighing, he said, “Come on.”

The street was quiet, and after a quick scan of the houses on the neighboring street, he picked the only house with a chain-link fence as opposed to a privacy fence. To give her credit, Sophie didn’t chatter and she stuck close to him. After the past couple of days they’d had, he couldn’t blame her for wanting to check on her friend. Jumping the fences was easy enough and there weren’t any big dogs or men with weapons waiting for them either.

When he was sure they weren’t being watched, he jimmied the back lock—which was worse than Mandy’s. He could have gotten the key, but didn’t want to expose himself more than necessary.

As they entered, all his survival instincts were on high alert, but there was no one in the house. He could feel almost immediately that they were alone. It was indescribable, but that sensation he got when danger was near wasn’t knocking away at his brain as it had so many times in the past.

The living room looked lived in, but nothing was broken or tossed. Same with the kitchen. When they reached the only bedroom, he leaned close to Sophie and tried to ignore his body’s response when his mouth grazed her ear. Under different circumstances he’d give anything to suck her earlobe between his lips and feather kisses along her soft skin. “Check to see if her suitcase and clothes are missing. I’m going to check the garage.”

She nodded and her hair tickled his nose. As she brushed past him, his cock went on full alert. It didn’t matter that the timing was inappropriate, his body just reacted around her. He deserved a fucking medal for keeping his distance over the past couple of days. Especially when she’d made it clear she’d welcome him into her bed. But if he crossed that line now, how the hell could he go back to his life without her?

He couldn’t.

Pushing back his hunger, he hurried to the garage and opened the door. He swept his flashlight around the empty space and froze when he spotted shards of glass and a red scarf near the garage door. It could mean any number of things, none of which he was informing Sophie about. If Vargas’s guys had taken Hannah, they’d have taken her car and disposed of it somewhere. That was why the house wasn’t a wreck. If the police were called, nothing in her house would look out of order.

As he pulled the door shut, Sophie’s subtle, exotic scent tickled his nose. The mango, citrusy smell would be forever etched in his mind. He schooled his face before turning toward her. “Her car’s gone.”

“A lot of her clothes and toiletries are gone too,” she whispered back. “That’s good, right?”

“Yep. Let’s get out of here.”

Once they were back in the SUV, some of the tension built up in his shoulders loosened a fraction. He felt guilty about keeping what he’d seen from her, but if he told her she’d be eaten alive with worry. And he wouldn’t do that to her. Not when she couldn’t do a damn thing about it.

She sagged against the leather seat. “I still can’t believe all this is happening.”

“I know, and I’m sorry you got dragged into any of it. I know I said it earlier, but you really are handling this better than any civilian I’ve ever worked with.” True, he hadn’t worked with many, but the few he had normally lost their heads. Hell, he’d worked with trained agents who lost their shit during gunfire.

She chuckled and shook her head.

Something told him that her time in foster care had a lot to do with her coping. She’d grown up learning to hide her emotions and put on a happy face for the world. Except with him. With him, she’d always been herself. Where most people had thought she was a snob growing up, he’d figured out early that she was just quiet. She’d moved around too much to let people in. Something he understood.

“How much longer until we get there?” she asked, drawing his attention to her mouth.

“Soon, I promise.” Though he wondered if that was a good thing. They would soon be sharing a room again, and he only had so much restraint.

“Thank God.”

Flashing neon lights and throngs of people wearing skimpy dresses and designer clothes passed them in a blur as they cruised down Ocean Drive. He’d never been to the hostel, but he recognized some of the landmarks from their Web site’s photo gallery. After turning down a few side streets, he located it off Washington Avenue.

“This is the hostel?” Sophie stared at him as they pulled into the semifull parking lot.

“Yeah, why?”

“It’s so . . . nice. I backpacked through Europe one summer and never stayed anywhere like this.”

Jack shrugged and unloaded their bags. The simple two-story building was located in the Art Deco district, and as long as no one was shooting at them he didn’t care where they stayed. He wouldn’t mind sleeping on the beach if he had to. Especially if he had Sophie to keep him warm.

As soon as they walked through the front door, they were greeted by two giggling, drunk college-aged girls