Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

T he feel of Connor's lips on hers still heated Zoe. What stunned her, was that she wanted more. And what kind of woman did that make her? Wanting more of his heat, more of his taste while she was married to another man? That was the problem, wasn't it? She didn't know if she was married, and she really didn't know what kind of woman she was.

One thing she of which she was sure. Connor was out there putting himself in danger just to protect her.

"Damn the man", Zoe said, shoving aside the memory of that kiss to check that a round was in the chamber and the safety off. "Kisses me, then goes out alone to face who knows what with an ax. An ax! Can you believe he did that, Duke?"

The hound lifted his head and cocked it sideways as if listening to her.

Despite her ire at the big man for going off into a potentially dangerous situation without backup or any real weapon, she smiled gently at Duke and laid her free hand on his head to scratch him between the ears. "I mean who does he think he is going out there like that? Paul Bunyan? And here I am, sitting here with one bum leg, basically bait."

"You're leaving me here as bait?" She leaned in closer, her arms on his shoulders, using one hand to stroke his hair just above his collar as the sexy music played around them.

"Not as bait," he whispered in her ear as they danced a very sexy salsa among other guests at the hotel. "Remember, we want them to think you're my vulnerability."

"Are you hoping they'll kidnap me?"

He kissed her earlobe, which normally would've sent shivers down her spine, but not with him. Never with him. "If we're lucky. But you are…"

"Unarmed."

"You are never unarmed, darling. I was going to say remarkably well trained for this mission. I should know, since I trained you myself." He released his hold on her hips, slid one hand down her arm to hold her hand and escort her back to their table where their target sat. Marcel Legrand. The Frenchman. His only loyalty was to his own bank account and his life of extravagant debauchery. He would buy and sell anything, anyone. People dying? No matter to him, whether it was one or ten million.

And Markus wanted her to seduce him.

Zoe blinked, coming back to the present.

Markus . Not her husband. Her mentor. A fellow operative. He believed in doing whatever was necessary to make a mission a success—use anything or anyone even if it put them at risk. Even her.

The wedding images flashed in her mind once more, but this time she saw the professional photography equipment. Beyond them was the warehouse they were using for their operation headquarters. Everything about the wedding was a fake. The pictures were backstory for them, images to put online and to show in their apartment. To convince Legrand they were a married couple because the sleaze-ball liked using other men's wives for his own pleasure, then using film of it to control the husbands.

Markus had used her. A bribe to let him into Legrand's inner sanctum. When Legrand threatened to use the film to show Markus' fake board of directors what a cuckold he'd been if he didn't set up the sale of a new laser operated missile, they were able to take the man down for illegal arms sales.

It had been her first mission with Markus. She'd na?vely followed his lead, believing his lies that doing whatever it took to make a mission a success was paramount, self-respect or honor be damned.

Flashes of a naked man, barrel-chested with coarse body hair and a balding pate holding her down in the bed as he basically raped her. Trying not to scream or vomit, she fought to pretend that she welcomed this defilement.

After that mission she swore never to let anyone use her body for their own purposes ever again. Her dignity and honor were too important to her. She also swore to never completely trust Markus Louder. He was a snake.

And the bastard wasn't dead.

Duke whimpered beside her. She realized she had a strong grip in his coat and quickly relaxed her hand. "Sorry, boy. It's not your fault. I'm not angry with you."

Duke laid his head on her thigh as if to comfort her. Gently she stroked his fur, letting it ease her anger as she thought back to that night on the mountain.

Headlight flashed in the rearview mirror. He was getting closer. The pouring rain made the road slick and hard to see. GPS was almost non-existent in this part of the mountains. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel and prayed. Only God was going to get her out of this.

Suddenly the road disappeared behind the mountain up ahead. Careful not to send the car into a tailspin, she pressed down on the brake to slow and make that turn.

The screech of metal slamming into metal bounced off the mountainside. The car jerked forward and the backend was pushing towards the edge. He was forcing her backend into the guardrail which crumpled at the impact.

As she fought to control her car, his front bumper grazed up the door panels of her sedan, crushing it into her, his tail slammed into her driver's side front end, forcing the car further into the guardrail. Trying to control her panic, she looked up to see his SUV blocking any chance of her escape back onto the road.

His passenger side window lowered. He stared right at her. Those golden-colored eyes—the right just slightly larger than the left—she'd know them anywhere, stared at her with hatred. The metal barrel of the gun in his hand flashed in her headlights.

Dear God, he was going to kill her!

The muzzle flash snapped her out of the trance. At the same time the back of her car swerved backwards to the right. Her head jerked as the bullet grazed her temple.

He took aim and fired again, but she lurched down below the dash, the bullet shattering what was left of her front window.

She crawled out the passenger side door, but realized she was pinned between the car and the guardrail. A sitting duck. In three strides over the slippery pavement, he rounded the hood of his SUV, and aimed again, right for her heart. The bullet slammed into her upper chest just as she lost her footing, forcing her backwards over the guardrail.

Zoe shook her head, her heart pounding so hard she thought it would explode.

She didn't know what was out in the forest, but at least now she knew who'd tried to kill her.

?

Connor stepped out into the open behind the trio, intentionally stepping on a branch to make it snap.

Startled, all three turned, weapons raised.

"Who the hell are you, Paul Bunyan?" the man closest to him asked.

"Luke, let's not piss off the very big man until we find out if he has Zoe," the other man said.

Still holding his ax with both hands, he shifted his gaze across each of their faces, the moonlight casting some shadows over their features. The third person was a woman. "Name's Connor Davis. All y'all Edgars?"

That question got the weapons lowered and aimed slightly away from his direction.

"Yes," the younger of the two men said. "How do you know?"

"Zoe told me she had cousins named Edgars. You're Luke and…" he paused to remember the names and assess the others. "I'd guess you're Matt. Which makes you?"

"Katie," the woman said.

Matt said, slung his rifle over his shoulder, moving a little closer to his wife. "Where is Zoe?"

"My cabin," Connor said walking forward, not waiting for them to follow. "About another hundred yards up ahead. Watch out for the creek on the right. The ice isn't thick enough to hold anyone."

"We saw blood up on the ledge," Katie said as they followed him. "What are her injuries?"

"She took a through and through to her left shoulder, missed the heart, and managed not to shatter her clavicle. Got winged on the left side of her head, no penetration, but a nasty skid mark. She broke her leg and has a lot of cuts, scrapes and bruises from her tumble down the mountain." He paused as they got to the cabin. The lights were still on and smoke from the wood burning stove puffed out the chimney. "I have to warn y'all. Her brain is screwed up. I don't know if it's from the head injury or the fall."

"Got news for you, big fella," Luke said. "It was neither. Her brain's always been a bit screwed up."

Connor saw red. Suddenly, he had the other man by the throat and pinned against one of the porch posts, dangling in mid-air. "Do not disrespect her," he ground out inches from the other man's face.

Luke clawed at his hand and kicked his feet, his face turning red.

"Let him go." Matt pulled on his arms.

"You're choking him!" Katie yelled. "He can't breathe."

A click came from the shadows. "As my brother said, let him go."

The red cloud in Connor's vision evaporated and he relaxed his grip, but didn't release his hold on Luke. Slowly, he turned to look at the man holding the gun on him as he stepped further out of the shadows. He resembled the other two men, although a little older and a bit stockier in build. "The older brother, Dave."

"Good guess. And as much as I've wanted to strangle Luke all these years, I take exception to complete strangers doing it."

Connor let him go and Luke stumbled slightly as his feet hit the ground.

The bale of a dog came from inside the cabin. A warning call.

Before he could determine if Duke was wailing about their visitors or another threat, gunfire sounded and a bullet slammed into the post an inch above Luke's head.

Dave and Matt whirled and returned fire.

Connor grabbed Katie and the still gasping-for-air Luke, shoving them towards the door. "Inside. Quick."

Hurrying in behind the pair, he froze. The bed was empty.