Chapter Two

Christian Zamora had the enemy in his sights, his weapon poised to eliminate the threat. He was going solo, with no teammate to watch his six. Crouching lower, he waited until the target moved. When it did, he squeezed the trigger.

"Damn it."

Christian smiled as the laser hit the mark, and Presley Parrish's vest erupted into a fit of blinking lights. Somewhere in the vast building that had been configured for war games was a hostage. Whoever found it without getting shot three times won some serious bragging rights. Only Dan Bradley and Grant Colton knew who or where the captive was. Dan and Grant had won the last time they'd competed, which meant they got to pick the hiding place and the prisoner. It might be a doll or a live person. Knowing Dan, it would be a dog, though Christian wasn't sure if it was possible to keep it from barking and giving away its location. Then again, Quinn Billings was one of the best dog trainers in the country, and with his facility on site, they could've borrowed one of his Belgian Malinois for the day. Those dogs were incredible, and Christian wanted one. He'd added his name to a list of adopters for dogs that didn't make the cut. Several pups were already adopted and lived around the compound, but the list of prospective owners was long.

Growing up, he'd always had dogs, but his life over the last few years hadn't been conducive to owning a pet. A stint with the U.S. Marines and then a job with the Drug Enforcement Agency hadn't allowed for much free time. He'd had to settle for quality time with his parents' black lab or his coworkers' various pets.

Returning his attention to the task at hand, he searched the perimeter. Christian had only been hit once, but his partner, Audria Giroux, had ditched him. Audria had left the game—with Christian's help—after learning the love of her life, former FBI Supervisory Special Agent turned CObrA Securities employee Reese Reneau, had also been playing. Reese had surprised her after leaving the hospital, where he had been treated for two gunshot wounds suffered a week ago during a case where they'd uncovered not one but two wanted criminals. Since Audria left to get reacquainted with Reese, Christian had to find the hostage alone.

At one time, he'd been a lone wolf, preferring to go solo. Now, he'd rather have the assistance of his coworkers. He trusted everyone he worked with to have his back and knew they felt the same way. It was the same camaraderie he'd experienced in the service.

He listened for any movement, but his coworkers were professionals. The only sound was the air conditioner humming cool air into the vast space. A small thump came from the direction he'd shot Presley. He didn't have the heart to tag her again.

Christian crawled around an obstacle and lifted his weapon when he spotted movement. A child holding an ice cream cone popped up silently, and thankfully, he refrained from shooting it. If he had, it would've cost him the game. Targets like that would appear to keep reflexes honed and sharp. In a real-life situation, it meant he hadn't killed an innocent.

Christian eyed the closed door ahead of him. He glanced around but didn't see anyone else. There were various rooms around the facility, and they could be set to explode when their doors opened. It would all be a virtual simulation, of course, or some other type of boobytrap that would cost him the game.

Still moving on his belly, he approached the entry and listened. He heard faint whispering. As carefully as possible, he got to his feet. With a finger on the trigger of his laser gun, he whipped the door open. He had a split second to take in the scene. Two men reached for their weapons. If they shot him first, it would end his pursuit, and he'd suffer endless teasing. Instead, he squeezed the trigger and shot them both. The overhead lights in the facility snapped on, causing him to close his eyes at the harsh glare. An automated voice announced that the game was over.

"Outstanding job, Zamora," Grant praised. "We didn't hear you approach. How did you avoid the sensor we put outside?"

"Yeah," Dan chimed in. "We set it to alert us when someone got too close."

"I crawled here."

"Ah. Good move," said Dan. He glanced over Christian's shoulder. "Where's your partner?"

"She was eliminated."

"You did this solo? Awesome," hailed Grant.

Christian walked over to the hostage. It was a stuffed animal that had seen better days but was obviously well-loved. It was tied up with rope and a strip of duct tape across its mouth. "Is that Yogi, Jamal West-Elliot's bear?" Jamal was the adopted son of coworker Declan Elliot and his wife, Kenzie Bryant Elliot.

"It is," Dan confirmed as he ripped off the tape and hissed. He turned it to show some fur clinging to the sticky side. "Oops."

"Jamal will slug you for that," Grant smirked. "You promised Yogi wouldn't be hurt."

"Yeah, so let's say we don't tell him. Sound good?" Dan looked from Grant to Christian for their approval.

The phone in Christian's pocket vibrated. He took it out and glanced at the screen. Time stopped as he read the name Aja Blue LaLonde.

An image of her appeared in his head. Tall, with lush, mahogany hair and striking blue eyes. Incredible kisser. Was it possible she'd thought of him as much as he had her?

"Christian?"

"Hum?" He looked up to see Dan and Grant watching him. "Sorry, I need to take this." He held up his phone and then stepped outside the room.

"Hello?"

"Christian? I don't know if you remember me, but we had a . . . let's call it a unique encounter about a week ago."

"Aja Blue. Of course, I remember you."

"Oh, well, good. That's good." There was a pause, and before he could fill the gap, she asked, "Are you still in Sedona?"

"No. I'm back home."

"Oh, you are? Where is that?"

"Indiana."

"That's pretty far from Arizona. I didn't know you lived there."

"We didn't do much exchanging of information." Only bodily fluids, but he didn't voice that part. "Aja Blue, are you being followed again?"

Her sigh was audible through the phone. "How did you know?"

"By the tension in your voice. Tell me what's going on."

Christian listened while she filled him in on the man waiting outside her office, the exact one who had been in Sedona last week.

"You're sure it's the same guy?"

"Yes, because of the hat. It has a unique purple band."

"Where are you right now?"

"In a Walmart parking lot."

Christian glanced at his watch. "It will take me a couple of hours to get there."

Her gasp was audible. "Wait, what? You're coming here?"

"Well, I can't do much from seven hundred and fifty miles away." Yeah, he'd checked the distance. He'd done a lot of reading up on her over the last week.

There was a pause, and then she said, "You would drop everything to help me? Why? You don't even know me."

"It's what I do. Besides, why did you call me if you didn't think I'd help?"

Somewhere, deep down, Christian hoped she would say it was because she couldn't quit thinking about him since their chance encounter. That sure as hell was how he was feeling. She'd invaded his thoughts, and when he slept, the visions of her had been both naughty and explicit.

She sighed. "If I'm honest, I hoped for your help. I wasn't sure what to do, and then I saw your card. It was an omen. I knew you would have the answer. I mean, Johnny Cash knows where I live and work."

"Johnny Cash?"

"You've never heard of the country singer?"

Christian chuckled. "I know who Johnny Cash is. Did he rise from the dead to haunt you?"

"Not funny. Wasn't he called the Man in Black? It's what I nicknamed my stalker."

"Gotcha. Don't return home until I get there. Is there somewhere safe you can go until I arrive?"

"I'll head to my assistant's apartment."

"I'll call when I land in Virginia."