Chapter 2

Gray awoke with a start, twisting in his sheets, his entire body covered in a fine sheen of sweat. The still air in his bedroom felt confining—oppressive. He'd forgotten to turn on his ceiling fan or crack a window. Somehow, the flow of cool air over his skin reminded Gray that he was free—half a world away from his captors. Thousands of miles away from his hellish days of torture.

He'd been in anguish in his nightmare, fighting with his abductors in the dark, blindfolded and restrained, unable to move away from the pain they were inflicting on him. The lashings. The beatings. The sheer brutality of the hatred bleeding from them.

Gray huffed out a shaky breath, the racing of his heart finally beginning to slow as he took in the darkness of his bedroom. The silence. The complete stillness. His gaze tracked to the clock.

Oh-two-hundred.

He sat up, swiping a hand over his face, and stiffening slightly with the movement.

The scars he bore on his back were a constant reminder of the whippings he'd received. The torture he'd endured. Three fucking days in captivity, and it had felt like a damn lifetime, the pain excruciating and never-ending. And Gray hadn't even received the worst of it. They'd captured another man as well—a Brit—who'd been slaughtered right in front of him. Was Gray more valuable to the terrorists because the U.S. flag had been sewn on his uniform? It didn't make sense that he'd lived while another man had died, but then again, nothing about war was just or fair. Not the way the op had gone south. Not the hostage situation. Not the sheer brutality the kidnappers had shown to their fellow man.

Gray and his teammates had gotten out of the Army after his rescue, with Jett forming Shadow Security. While Gray had been reluctant to join the team and was the last man onboard, he'd come to realize this was his calling. They took on operations the government couldn't or wouldn't do. Rid the world of evil men. Righted wrongs. Saved countless lives.

He couldn't deny the training the U.S. Army had given him paved the way for the missions the team conducted today. And wasn't that fucking priceless. They'd been in no hurry to save him from hell, so he'd left without so much as a glance back.

Gray's bare feet hit the floor as he swung his legs off the bed, and he sat there in the darkness, suddenly wide awake.

"Fuck," he muttered quietly.

The incident with Lena earlier tonight had rattled him. She'd looked so fucking scared standing there, backed against the door to the armory. That prick hadn't even noticed she was frightened. Hadn't even considered she didn't want anything to do with him. Gray had seen her fear in an instant—the wild look in her eyes, the paleness of her face, the pulse jumping in her slender neck. She'd been fucking trembling as he'd taken her back upstairs, his arm loosely wrapped around her. The guy might've done no more than grab her arm, but it had terrified her. It had been all Gray could do not to pull her into his arms and assure her that he'd keep her safe.

He didn't do relationships, but hell. Something about Lena got under his skin. They felt like kindred spirits, in a way, even if she didn't realize it. Jett had confided to him once that he'd helped Lena with a bad situation years ago—an ex that was stalking her. Gray didn't know the details, and Jett had never uttered another word about it, but Gray could tell she was still slightly haunted. Lena was careful to keep her distance from the others and her private life private. No doubt it was for her own self-preservation, something he knew all too well.

And after her kidnapping two weeks ago?

Hell. No doubt that ordeal had given her a whole host of nightmares.

He could still feel the weight of her lifeless body in his arms. Recall the paleness of her skin, the weakness of her pulse. He'd wanted to hunt down the man who'd harmed her, but his priority at the time had been rushing Lena to the hospital. His teammates had swarmed the home, and that fucker had escaped.

Lena's shriek of surprise had him tearing out of the gym earlier. And when he'd seen that asshole touching her? Gray had been filled with rage. He'd wanted to punch the guy, pin him against the wall to show him exactly how it felt to be restrained and helpless. Lena had been too frightened to even move, and he hated that for her.

"Damn it all to hell," he muttered, standing up. The sheets fell to the ground, twisted up just like his insides currently felt, and Gray walked naked across his bedroom. His muscles bunched with the movement, his cock swinging free. Clothes felt too damn confining sometimes. Restrictive and unwelcome. Unless he was on an op with his teammates, when he'd sleep in his boxers, he preferred wearing nothing at all to bed.

He scrubbed a hand over his jaw, wondering if Lena was asleep right now—wondering what she wore to bed every night. His cock twitched, his blood suddenly rushing south. Lena was beautiful and sexy, with dark eyes and silky long, dark hair. She always wore stylish clothes, classier than he'd ever hope to be. She wouldn't be caught dead in the flashy things Anna often wore. Jett's wife loved attention. Lena was happy to stay out of the limelight but was classically beautiful. Her attractive, slim figure couldn't be hidden by her stylish attire. She had curves in just the right places—breasts that swelled against her tops, curvy hips, and an ass that he'd love to grip in his hands as he pulled her close.

Hell. Even her scent was enticing—some type of wildflower. Exotic. Sexy. Free. He wanted to bury his nose in her neck, inhaling some of her goodness, and then let his hands roam everywhere, making her moan his name.

Gray shook his head. That would never happen.

His cock was already half-hard just thinking about her, but he ignored his body's reaction. Lena could easily get a rise out of him—both literally and figuratively. He was more than happy to jump to her defense, and physically? She was fucking perfection.

Gray strode down the familiar hallway to his kitchen, not bothering to turn on a light, and poured himself a cool glass of water. After a nightmare like that, it would be hours before his mind could settle enough to enable him to fall asleep again. Ironic that he'd momentarily forgotten about it as his thoughts had turned to his pretty colleague.

His eyes scanned his dark kitchen, the digital clock on the microwave and stove looking brighter than usual in the middle of the night. Surprisingly, the darkness didn't bother him in his own home. Gray's senses were honed enough that he'd know if someone else were there. And while his Glock was locked in a safe, he didn't need a weapon to disarm a man. Gray had killed with his bare hands before, and he'd do it again, if necessary, the will to survive paramount above all else. Nothing mattered more than his freedom.

He took another swig of water, the cool liquid seeping down his throat but not stopping the torment of memories now resurfacing. He'd screamed in agony during his torture, no longer able to keep his cries silent no matter how stoic he'd tried to be. His throat had been red and raw when he'd finally been rescued, his back bloodied, his body bruised, his ribs broken. Jett had later told him he'd looked haunted—the same way Lena had appeared tonight. She might not have bruises on her porcelain skin, but she was tormented just the same.

Finishing his water, Gray strode back to his bedroom, unplugging his phone from the charger. He swallowed as he keyed in the code.

Bingo.

West had already gotten back to his earlier text.

West: Ran another check on the new guy. Nothing came up.

West: He's an ass but mostly harmless. Assuming Lena wouldn't agree with that.

Gray thumbed back a response.

Gray: Appreciate it.

There was a text from Jett as well, informing Gray that the new employee was no longer working at Shadow Security. Relief flooded through him. The man had frightened Lena, essentially trapping her against the armory door, and that was unacceptable.

Gray huffed out a breath and scrolled through his contact list, pausing on Lena's name. It was the goddamn middle of the night. He shouldn't bother her. Most sane people were sleeping at this time. The late hour didn't quell the urge Gray had to check up on Lena anyway. He'd driven past her place when he'd left Shadow Security earlier, noting that her car was parked in the driveway. The neighborhood had been quiet. Serene. He'd watched her home for a few minutes but seen nothing amiss, then come back to his own place.

She'd probably be pissed to know he'd looked up her address. Lena seemed to be the type of woman who valued her independence. She didn't date, as far as he knew, and kept her private life private. The woman clearly had a spine of steel to stand up to their boss. Jett would roll right over some people with his gruff demeanor. But Lena? She did her job and didn't let a damn thing faze her.

Until tonight.

He pushed the message icon, thumbing a text to her.

Gray: Hey. It's Gray. I had West run another background check on the guy. He's clean and shouldn't be bothering you.

Gray was shocked as his phone buzzed almost immediately.

Lena: Thanks. Jett told me he's no longer employed by Shadow Security.

Gray: Yep. He texted me earlier. Sorry if I woke you.

Lena: No worries. I couldn't sleep. Guess you might understand that.

Gray didn't answer right away and was still staring at the message when his phone buzzed again.

Lena: Sorry if I'm bringing up bad memories.

He hesitated, his eyes scanning over her text. Gray didn't need to burden her with his own problems. While his teammates were aware of his nightmares given that they deployed on ops together, he didn't need to cause Lena any additional strife. She already had enough to deal with given the kidnapping.

He was thumbing a reply before he thought better of it.

Gray: I'm usually up at random hours.

Gray: Why couldn't you sleep?

Lena: Bad dream. Then I thought I heard something outside.

He was calling her before he thought twice, already moving toward his bedroom. The line rang as he pulled on his boxers and jeans, his bare back reflecting in the mirror as he glanced over his shoulder. Scars crisscrossed his flesh. He shifted slightly, his muscles bunching with the movement. He was in top physical shape, but nothing could change the horror his body had been through.

Fucking terrorist assholes.

The phone rang again, leaving Gray to wonder if Lena was going to ignore his call.

Suddenly her voice was on the line, causing something in his body to awaken. He was still shirtless and barefoot in his bedroom, but his cock twitched against the confines of his boxers at the sweet sound of her voice. Adrenaline spiked through his veins, every muscle in his body now tense.

"I'm okay," Lena said as she answered.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he questioned. "It's the middle of the night. What did you hear?"

"I woke up after a bad dream and then thought I heard footsteps. It's probably just my overactive imagination." She tried to hide the slight wobble in her voice, and Gray felt his chest clench. She'd been spooked by whatever she heard. By whatever haunted her dreams.

"I'm coming over." He ended the call, something immediately settling inside him. He'd make sure Lena was okay and that her property was secure, and then be on his merry fucking way. If seeing her right now helped calm something inside his own restless mind, so be it. It's not like he'd be falling back asleep anytime soon. Making sure Lena was safe was better than dealing with his own nightmares.

After yanking open his dresser drawer, he pulled on a tee shirt. Gray didn't bother with a coat, just strode to his closet for a pair of boots. The night air bit into him as he went outside, but it was refreshing. Cold and crisp. Anything was better than his memories of the dry, oppressive heat in the desert and sweltering inside the goddamn tent that he'd been held in. Blood mixed in with sweat and sand made for a miserable situation. And wasn't that the least of it.

Gray yanked open the door to his SUV and climbed inside, starting the engine. He'd been to Lena's exactly one time, earlier tonight, but he already had the directions memorized. He ran a hand over his shortly cropped hair, noting his own wild-eyed gaze in the rearview mirror. He needed to pull his shit together. If there was a problem, tearing over there like a bat out of hell wouldn't solve it. Something twisted inside him, however, at the idea that Lena was alone and scared. She'd stayed with Jett and Anna right after the kidnapping and probably wasn't used to being alone in her house again. He could understand that.

Ten minutes later, Gray was pulling onto her quiet street. Her neighborhood looked much like his own—homes on big, wooded lots and a serene sort of calmness in the surrounding area. Her road didn't have the cookie cutter look of some new housing developments. It was for people who sought privacy and peace, something Gray knew all too well. The fact that he and Lena were more alike than different wasn't lost on him. Sure, he was an operative trained by the U.S. military, gruff and muscular compared to her sophisticated appearance and polished movements, but deep down, he sensed they were more similar than he'd realized before.

His gaze swept the area before he shut off the engine. There was no movement in his headlights, but if someone was there, no doubt they'd be hiding now. Biting back a curse, he stalked out of his car. Was he pissed about the situation or pissed he could never have a woman like the one he'd rushed to tonight?

Gray momentarily stilled as he walked up her driveway and Lena opened the front door, looking like a goddamn siren calling out to him in the middle of the night. The warm light from inside her home shone around her long, dark hair and pretty face like a fucking halo.

Lena was beautiful, vulnerable, and forbidden.

His heart stuttered as he swallowed, tamping down all those feelings for good, and then Gray was moving toward her.