1. Chapter One

Gaelynn hopped on her left foot as she snatched the Louboutin heel off her right. She’d kicked its twin off when the heel snapped a block back. She refused to think about what her bare feet were picking up off the sidewalk, focusing on her anger instead. That was her favorite pair of shoes. Well, in her top five, at least.

She scanned both sides of the street, looking for a place to disappear. Shed let emotion rule her actions and now she was paying the price.

Four months ago, the cult leader currently chasing Gaelynn kidnapped one of her best friends. She should have left. Packed up everything, quit her job, moved somewhere new with a new name.

She hadn’t. Damn it, she didn’t want to leave her life behind—again. She liked her life in Damruck. If she could just get somewhere safe enough to make a phone call…

There! A small diner full of people should be safe enough. She jumped at the clang of the bell over the door.

“Sit anywhere you like, hon.”

Gaelynn took an open seat at the counter and dug in her purse for her phone. The one good sense thing she’d done was not listen when Behemoth asked her to delete his number. She winced at the memory, but there was no changing the past.

The beefy man to her right gave her a chin nod and she smiled as small as she could and still be polite. The last thing she wanted was a stranger with a need for conversation.

“What’ll ya have?”

The waitress was beyond middle-aged, with a cragged face that spoke of long nights and countless cigarettes. Gaelynn gave her a genuine smile.

“A diet Coke and a large basket of fries, please.”

The older woman barked her order and moved to check on other patrons. Gaelynn finally located her phone in the giant Dooney and Bourke. Her hands shook so she put it flat on the counter and debated between a text or a phone call.

She settled on text. If she called she was likely to only get a series of grunts, and her Behemoth grunt-translating skills were rusty. She prayed he was awake and his phone wasn’t silenced. What if he was away on a job? He was the only sniper currently working with Superhuman Security, and he often worked as over-watch for his team members.

She chuckled to herself. Six months ago she wouldn’t know what over-watch was, or even that companies like Superhuman Security existed. Thanks to Virginia, she’d learned all about them when Virginia’s ex-husband pulled both her and their other best friend, Cate, into a big mess.

That mess had been cleaned up. The one involving herself and a cult leader was still a trash fire.

She typed out a quick message to the massive sniper. *It’s Gaelynn. Pretty sure I’m being followed. Help?*

She held her breath as she waited for a response. If he didn’t write back soon, she’d just call the main office line. Behemoth’s boss, Zeus, had told them someone always answered the phone.

The waitress put down her drink and fries and she looked up to say, “Thanks.” When she looked back at her phone, three dots were dancing at the bottom. She slumped in relief.

*Location?*

She caught herself before she snorted. Behemoth was considered wordy if he said three words at one time. Somehow, he managed to communicate more with grunts than words.

*Diner on the south side of the city.*

She sent that and then grabbed a menu. *Gal’s Diner.*

*Stay. OMW.*

She grinned and ignored the flight of butterflies in her stomach. Vital Benoit, AKA Behemoth, was off limits.

A tiny voice in the back of her head asked, why?

Shut up, tiny voice. Just because the man could clearly take care of himself in a fight, and he was her first thought when she realized someone was following her, didn’t mean he wanted to jump into her dumpster fire.

It wasn’t just that she didn’t want him getting involved in her past. Behemoth was the kind of man that liked control. He was always in control—of himself, of the situation, of as many of those around him as possible.

If there was one thing she couldn’t abide, it was being controlled.

Matthew Sonjour had tried to control her. When the truth of him finally filtered through the lies, that control became obsessive. It took eight months for her father and her to orchestrate her escape from Matthew’s compound. She vowed then to never let another man control her.

She needed control over herself. She knew Behemoth would want—need to control her. It was a zero-sum situation, as her friend Cate would say. No good outcome.

She just needed to convince her heart and her vajayjay of that because both those bitches were solidly in the throw caution to the wind and bone Behemoth camp.

Her internal struggle raged on while the beefy guy to her right threw a twenty-dollar bill on the table and slid from his stool. A new man slid into his place and all thoughts in Gaelynn’s brain came to a screeching halt.

Elliot, Matthew’s second in command, looked exactly as she remembered him. His love of sweets didn’t improve his squat stature or his balding head. He always had a slimy tilt to his lips. The ever-present grease that coated his skin shone in the diner’s light.

How had she ever thought him powerful? Next to the quiet confidence of Behemoth, Elliot was a rain-bloated worm.

He mistook her slow perusal down his body and his lips stretched over his skull into what approximated a smile. He tapped thick fingers on the counter as his eyes roamed her from neck to toes and she almost laughed in his face. It used to terrify her, the slow tap, tap, tap of his index finger on a handy surface. He was the one who meted out punishment—on Matthew’s orders, of course. He would tap his finger and make you wait for him to sentence you. He enjoyed watching you cower in terror at the thought of what he might make you do.

“You had to know I’d find you, Jane.”

She tilted her head at him and scanned the restaurant, looking for the goons he always had nearby. One stood just outside the front door. She assumed the other was at the back. “Did I?”

His eyes narrowed at her flippant response. “You’ve changed.” He flicked a finger at her purse.

She laughed. “Yes, I have. It goes deeper than the clothes, you know. I’m not the scared girl who accepted Matthew’s control.” She looked him in the eyes. “I will never be her again.”

“You will.”

“If you truly think that, you’re more delusional than I thought. Why not just let me go? Why go to all this trouble to track me down?”

He shrugged. “Matthew says you’re special.”

She chuckled. “I got away, and he can’t have that, can he? Makes him look weak for one of his star disciples to leave.”

The smile dropped from his face and he leaned in, making her want to offer him a Tic Tac. Nothing about him had changed. Not even his atrocious dental hygiene. “When we get back, you will tell everyone what a mistake you made. You will tell Matthew that I convinced you to return, and you will take the punishment I give you like a good girl.”

He leaned back and she took a deep breath of fresh air. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

He grabbed her forearm and squeezed, but she refused to let him see her wince. “Oh, I think you will.”

“No. She won’t.”

If Gaelynn was the fainting type, she’d have fallen out when the low rumble of Behemoth’s voice rolled over her skin. All the feelings she’d repressed since she’d last seen him came careening back. His heat at her back made her entire body warm. She leaned back into his chest and stared pointedly at Elliot’s hand clenched around her arm.

Behemoth clenched his fist behind Gaelynn’s back, keeping the other hand open and loose—ready to draw a weapon if needed.

When her text came through he didn’t think, he just reacted. He was in the car and pulled up to the diner before he consciously decided. All he knew was she needed him, and he’d be damned if he let her down.

She’d broken his heart when she walked away from him, but he wouldn’t turn his back on her. He still wanted her with the same all-consuming need. It hadn’t diminished one iota since the moment he saw her.

Mate.

His bear was right, and more ecstatic to be back in her presence than he was. She calmed his mind.

Some might assume he was always calm. He talked as little as possible. It didn’t pay to talk a lot when your father prized silence. It was a lesson he learned as soon as his mom died when he was four. Looking back, he could see how much of a buffer she’d been. Without her, his naturally curious and speeding mind grated against his father’s need for quiet.

He even understood it now, to a point.

His friends joked about needing a grunt translator to communicate with him, but when your mind never stops, being quiet on the outside is the only peace you have.

It made him an excellent sniper. He never got twitchy or fidgeted. He could stay still for hours.

That discipline came in handy in the diner. He knew a little about the past Gaelynn had with the thin, pale man pulling the strings of the slob sitting next to her. Not enough. He hadn’t wanted to pry, but with her safety at stake, he needed to learn everything. Fast.

But first he had to get her away from him and the two others posted at the front and back. His instinct roared for him to grab the man’s hand, snap his forearm like a twig and erase all trace of him from her skin. The only thing that held him back, aside from years of training, was the knowledge that she would hate it.

He had to let her control the situation as much as possible.

Even if it killed him.

He counted slowly down from thirty. Thirty seconds was long enough. After that, he would break the fucker’s arm.

“I’m not going with you, and I suspect you’re on borrowed time. If I know my friend here”—she tilted her head to indicate him—“there’s only so long he’ll wait for you to take your hand off me.”

He watched the man’s eyes flick to his and back to Gaelynn. A thin smile spread across his face. “If he touches me, I’ll sue him and everyone he knows. I’ll press charges and have him thrown in jail.”

Behemoth chuckled. This man had no idea who he was dealing with. It would be fun to show him.

“I believe I have an excellent case for assault that will trump whatever charges you can drum up against Behemoth.”

“Behemoth?” The man’s third chin bounced when he chuckled. “What kind of name is that?”

“Code name. Real name’s Vital Benoit.”

The man’s eyes clocked him and Gaelynn’s expensive clothes, jewelry, and handbag.

He could basically see the gears turning in the dude’s brain.

“You get yourself messed up with the Russian mob?” He tsked. “What you thought was the frying pan isn’t so bad since you went right into the fryer, eh, Jane? I thought you were smarter than to fall for a criminal.”

His mental count reached six. “Five… four…”

Gaelynn looked up at him, then back at the man who still had his hand wrapped around her forearm. “I suggest you quickly remove your hand.”

Vital snort grunted when he jerked his hand back.

“I think he’s disappointed he didn’t get to break your arm.” Gaelynn turned and got the waitress’s attention before asking for a to go box.

He growled softly at her back. He wanted her out of there. The man standing out front was armed. He hadn’t gotten a good enough look to see if the one in back had a weapon. How many more there were, he didn’t know.

She blinked her big brown eyes up at him. “I’m not leaving my delicious fries behind. They’re fantastic.”

Behemoth sighed and settled for wrapping his big body as much around hers as he could while monitoring the other man. He should have called a teammate for backup, or at the very least, done a lap around the diner to see exactly how many guys this man had.

Mate.

Yeah, yeah, he knew she was. The bear was just below the surface of his skin, itching to come out and lay waste to anyone who dared touch a hair on her head.

She left us. We bared our heart to her and she turned away.

He grit his teeth to stop the maudlin thoughts. He could sink into them later—or better yet, work on proving to her that he could keep her safe.

She dumped her fries into the Styrofoam box and he wrapped an arm around her waist to lead her outside. That’s when he noticed her bare feet.

“Shoes?”

“I had to ditch them. One heel fell victim to an unfortunate sidewalk crack and I couldn’t walk well with one foot four inches higher, much less run if I had to.”

He wasn’t aware he was growling until she put her hand on his chest.

“It’s okay. I can get new ones.”

He didn’t want her to have to buy new shoes. She should have been with him, where he could protect her. He should have known after Virginia was abducted by mistake, the man wouldn’t give up. He would keep stalking Gaelynn, keep sending men to take her.

He might not have been there to prevent her from being followed tonight, but he was never letting her out of his sight again.

If he had to kill the man to keep her safe, he would do it with a grin.

Gaelynn didn’t know how to interpret the smile on Behemoth’s face, but she suspected it was the result of thoughts of doing something violent to Matthew. She had to admit, that idea held appeal at the moment.

“Can we just leave, please?” She hated the weak sound of her voice, but at that moment all she wanted was to get away from Elliot’s beady eyeballs.

Behemoth grunted, which was all the warning she got before he bent and slung her into his arms. She squeaked a little but settled quickly. He was so big; it felt like the safest place she could ever be.

Why had she left again? She knew he wanted to date her, because he’d asked. Actually, he’d sort of told her that she was the only woman for him. Not in so many words, of course. Then she’d panicked and admitted that she’d never been on a real date.

He backed off and that was that.

Maybe it freaked him out as much as it did her.

The moment passed and he didn’t ask again.

For a date, at any rate. He had asked her to stay when his boss determined her risk to be minimal. She’d only been under Behemoth’s protection for two weeks but leaving felt like severing a much stronger connection.

There was no question she wanted him. Or, more specifically, her vagina wanted his dick. Her body was down with whatever his body wanted to do to her, and the idea both appalled and thrilled her.

In her small friend group, she was the adventurous one. The one always rooting for the others to do the thing, no matter how outrageous. She’d talked Cate into bungee jumping once, and yes, she claimed it even though Cate didn’t know that’s what they were going to do and backed out as soon as the harnesses were brought out.

She jumped. It was thrilling. When she escaped the compound she swore she would live life to the fullest. Do the thing, see the thing, enjoy the thing. Use the fancy soap. Wear the fancy clothes. Take up as much space as she could. She’d spent far too long being small and worrying about attracting notice.

That kind of freedom and sense of self made people think you were wiser than you were, more experienced.

Yep, Gaelynn was a virgin.

It was laughable. Her friends came to her for sex advice, and she had no first-hand knowledge. A fumbled kiss in a dark corner was the extent of her sexual prowess.

She’d tried to have one-night stands, and once even tried to let it happen on a third date, but she always panicked at the lack of control. Later, she told herself it just didn’t feel right, and when she knew, she’d know. It was the one part of her that made her feel strange.

She wanted to be intimate with another person. She really did. She just didn’t know how to go about it.

With Behemoth, it was easy. Anytime he was around, she wanted to jump him. Her therapist’s voice in her head said it had to do with her feeling completely safe with him, and she agreed. She had never given control over herself to another person since Matthew, but with Behemoth at the helm, it didn’t rankle like it should.

Eventually, it would. The control he’d want day in and day out would start to chafe. Then the fights would start. Little ones at first, but then they would become bigger and bigger until they eroded that lovely feeling of safety. One day they would wake up and not like the people they were with each other and that would be the end.

It was better for it to end before they got to that point.

She recognized the standard black SUV that Superhuman Security seemed to have a never-ending supply of when Behemoth stepped off the curb with her. He didn’t even have to juggle her in his arms to unlock the doors and set her in the passenger seat.

They reached for the seatbelt at the same time. With a grunt and a sharp nod, he backed away and let her do it.

“Where is your phone?”

She slid the device from her purse and handed it to him. Before she could stop him, he’d taken the case off and popped out the SIM card. He snapped it in half, dropped it in a nearby trash can, and handed the phone back to her.

“Someone could track it.”

That was it. That was all he said after breaking her phone. “It’s a good thing I know everyone’s number by heart.” She was too afraid to back up her data to a cloud service.

He grunted. “I’ll get you a new one.”

“Where are we going?” She honestly didn’t care, but sitting in silence made her nerves go haywire.

“My place.”

“Oh.” She nodded, her eyes already tracking nothing outside the window. She needed to pack. Despite how settled she’d become in Damruck, she’d still kept a light footprint. Her rented apartment had come fully furnished. Her clothes and personal items fit in two suitcases she kept shoved under her bed.

She’d move west, maybe. She didn’t want to go north. She lived in Connecticut for a year and froze her tits off. Maybe she’d go farther south. Key West could be fun.

“Stop.”

The grumble jolted her out of throwing a virtual dart at the map. “What?”

“You aren’t leaving, so stop planning.”

Her spine snapped straight. “I don’t believe you have any say over what I do or don’t do.”

He deflated a bit. “You’re right. But he won’t give up, you know. The way I see it, you have two choices: dig in and face him, or run for the rest of your life.”

She snapped her mouth shut. “Do your teammates know you can say that many words at once?”

A smile tipped the corner of his lips. “No.” His eyes found hers before returning to the road. “You’re comfortable.” He tilted his head before glancing at her again. “Safe.”

What the fuck was she supposed to do with that?

Her clit raised its hand like an overeager straight-A student. Oh! I know! I know the answer!

She ignored it. “I don’t think you fully understand Matthew’s reach and resources. If he gets hold of me, I’ll disappear into his compound and his control there is absolute. He has local government and law enforcement on his payroll. The federal government won’t intervene after the Waco fiasco. As much as I’d love to stand my ground, I have to run.”

“I’ll protect you.”