“Does something have to be up for me to reconnect with an old friend?” Jaden’s comeback fell flat.
There was silence on the line.
“We have a mole.” Jaden dove right in.
“Shit. Do you know who it is?”
“I think so,” Jaden admitted. “The problem is, she’s one of our best.”
“Then you have to do whatever it takes to bring her out of the shadows.” Bear was right. Jaden could only think of one way to do that but damn it was dangerous…
His cell buzzed in his hand. He moved it away from his ear and checked the screen. Gunner.
“I have to take this one.” Jaden cursed the timing.
“Sure, I understand. You need any help out there wherever you are?”
Jaden figured he had to handle this one. “No. I got this. But, Bear…”
“Yeah?”
“Think we could grab a beer sometime?”
“I’d like that a lot.”
“Keep your eye on the news if you want to find me.” Jaden didn’t say goodbye. That word was too hard for him lately. He clicked over to answer the call coming in.
“Have you heard from Gabriel?” Jaden wasted no time asking.
“No.”
“Get men on it. He’s in danger. I’m afraid that I know who is behind all this. I think I know who’s calling the shots.” Jaden paused. “You’re not going to like this. I think it’s Helena. When you think about it, it makes perfect sense. She’s working with Menendez to draw out the man responsible for killing Tim and focusing on Lauren because I got the assignment.”
Jaden’s accusation was met with silence.
Then came, “Why you?”
“I gave him that assignment and now everyone around me has been shot. She’s using Menendez as a cover, infiltrating them to get close to the guy with the angel tattoo. She blames me for Tim’s death. Hell, I do, too. He was all she had. She tried to kill me when I was on assignment with Smith. When she didn’t succeed, she knew I’d be on my guard this time even more. She also knew I’d take an easy assignment while I healed and probably had access to the assignments in the database.”
“She got to the intel before I made it disappear. She’s been using the Menendez cartel as a front.” Regret laced Gunner’s tone as he caught on.
“This started with me, and it ends with me. I have a plan. I’ll need your help,” Jaden said.
“Name it.”
Jaden relayed a few details before closing the phone. His chest was heavy as his thoughts snapped to his biggest issue—a problem he didn’t want to face. If Helena kidnapped Max so she could target Lauren in order to draw Jaden out, the only way to keep her safe would be to distance himself from her.
To leave her.
A knife stabbed his chest. This was going to hurt far worse than a bullet to the heart. She’d awakened a place in him he thought was long dead. Now that it was awake, he couldn’t imagine the pain involved in shutting it down.
Jaden walked inside the apartment, woke her and sat on the edge of the bed.
Lauren took one look at his serious expression and sat straight up. “What’s wrong?”
She tried to touch him, but he pulled on all his strength and moved out of reach. “Gunner set up a safe house for you. You’ll be watched day and night. An agent will be here to pick you up in a few minutes.”
“And what about you?” She was pulling on her strength not to break down. He’d heard it in her voice before when she’d been talking about Max.
“I have a new assignment.” It wasn’t a lie. His mission had changed.
“So that’s it then. You ride off into the sunset, and don’t look back?” she asked bitterly.
“Look. It’s work. It’s what I do.” He needed her to believe that he could walk away even though it was killing him inside.
“Fine. Do what you have to.” She turned her face away from him.
Jaden stood up, dropped an envelope full of cash on the nightstand and then walked out.
Losing her forever was something he couldn’t fathom. He lied to himself, saying he’d see her again. In truth, he knew she’d never want to look at his face again after the way he’d just hurt her.
Jaden fired up his motorcycle engine, forcing his thoughts to what was important. She was safe now.
Anger burned through his lungs, making something as simple as taking in air painful.
What else could he do? Wheels were in motion. He had to sort out his thoughts, clear his focus, so he made damn sure no one would hurt her again.
Besides, he couldn’t concentrate when her body was pressed against his. Not even a holy man could resist that kind of temptation.
He was no saint.
No threat he’d be called up for that job anytime soon, either.
And right now?
He was a bastard instead.
By the time Lauren settled into the safe house, her body was nearing exhaustion. Alone was how she came into the world, and alone was how she’d probably leave. Life had a way of charting a course.
The apartment in the top floor of a downtown building was cozy, comfortable. Leather club chairs flanked an ottoman across from an exposed brick fireplace. An armoire in the corner encased a TV and DVDs. Save for the man parked outside her door, this felt as close to home as anything could, under the circumstances.
But without Jaden, even home seemed hollow.
All she could think about was a hot bath, candlelight, and a tall glass of wine. Arranging all her props, Lauren stepped into the bath water. She eased in and practically glided down the back of the tub.
In the warmth, her physical aches and pains melted into the water. The emotional ones wouldn’t wash away so easily. She exhaled slowly to clear her mind. No pressure. No outside distractions. She was alone with her thoughts. They wandered to Jaden first.
Her heart tore in
