Eve had obviously kept her family in the dark just like she’d done to Archer. But now wasn’t the time to worry about spilling secrets. “Olivia, look at me.”
When those pretty, gemlike eyes met his, his pulse sped up, but he ignored it. She’d been through so much, he doubted much more could shock her, but even if this did, he had to ask. “Your sister works for the CIA. There was a bombing in Seattle a few days ago. Eve was supposed to meet a man named Tyrone Smith and obtain a file from him. Something went wrong, and a car bomb went off not far from their meeting place. The authorities think Eve was involved in the bombing, but we know it’s all linked to your kidnapping. I need to know if Tyrone said anything else. Anything at all that might help your sister.”
Olivia’s brow dropped low as she processed his words, and then her eyes grew wide. Wide and—oh fuck—absolutely mesmerizing. “Western Avenue.”
“What?”
“We have to get to Seattle.” She threw back the covers. “There’s an athletic club on Western Avenue.”
“Wait.” His brow lowered as she tossed her legs over the side of the bed. “What? Hold on. Now you want to work out?”
She pushed to her bare feet. Wobbled. The hospital gown fell to her knees, but she was so small, it all but swallowed her whole.
“Olivia.” He was in front of her before he even realized it, wrapping his arm around her waist and giving her his body to use as a crutch. “Dammit, don’t fall.”
Her hands landed against his chest, and warmth bloomed beneath her palms. Against his belly he felt her tiny breasts and—oh shit—hard nipples.
Cold. She’s fucking cold in that open gown, not turned on. Get a grip, Miller.
He stilled and tried to get his head back in the game. Clearing his throat, he managed, “You need to sit back down. You’re in no shape to go anywhere. I’ll take you to Seattle when you’re better.”
“No.” She lifted her chin and looked up at him. “I have to go now. Don’t you understand? We have to get it before anyone else.”
“Get what?”
An exasperated look crossed her face. “The item in the locker at the athletic club. He said it was the only thing that would help Eve.”
Landon stilled. And even though his pulse was still roaring in his ears being this close to her, his brain was slowly coming back on line. “What’s the locker number? I’ll go.”
“No. She’s my sister. I’m going.”
And right then he saw a glimpse of something he hadn’t seen before. Strength. Rock-solid strength. The kind that proved she was a survivor and not a victim. She wasn’t thanking him for saving her life. She wasn’t whining and crying about what had happened. She was trying to walk out of a hospital she desperately needed to be in, more concerned about her sister’s well-being than her own.
Those gemlike eyes turned hard and resolute. And he pictured her in front of her class, when she had a rowdy student, laying down the law, not taking shit from anyone. A lot like him when he was in black ops mode. “Either take me to Seattle, Miller, or I’ll find a way there myself.”
Landon stared down into her strong, beautiful eyes. And his heart picked up speed. Because right then he knew Olivia Wolfe was not like any other principal he’d ever gone after.
And that meant he was in deep shit.
Eve’s stomach was a knot of nerves as she made her way up the curved staircase toward the second floor.
The house was beautiful. That fact, at least, took her mind off what she was about to do. Old timbers that spanned the high ceilings, gleaming wood floors, and plush, expensive carpets. Whoever owned this place was loaded. But then, she knew Aegis Security was the best of the best, and they had numerous high-profile, wealthy names on their client list. Names that could afford this as a second, third, or even fourth home.
She couldn’t fathom having money like that. Didn’t know what she’d do with it even if she ever had it. Someone thought she’d sold US secrets for money? They obviously didn’t know her very well. Her life was as simple as it came. At least it used to be.
She breathed deeply as she moved onto the second floor. An archway led to a huge game room, decked out with couches, a pool table, and a bar. Beyond that were four bedrooms and a theater room with a gigantic movie screen. All the rooms were empty, though, and right now she didn’t care about checking out the amenities. She had something more important to do.
Making her way to the far end of the hall, she pushed the double doors open and stepped into the massive master suite. Water ran in the bathroom somewhere to her right, and steam spilled from the open bathroom door. A monster king-sized bed, covered in expensive fabrics, took up space near the left wall, but it was the view out the gigantic windows that spanned two whole walls that stopped her feet. Not just of the darkening lake, but in the distance, the steadily fading view of an enormous mountain.
Sam would have loved this. He’d loved hiking, skiing, being in the outdoors. For a second, she tried to picture him here, but found she couldn’t. He didn’t fit. And the more she tried to conjure his image, the more she realized his face wasn’t the one she longed to see.
She sank onto the end of the bed and let the soft cotton and billowy comforter cushion her tired body. Let it give her strength. Her stomach knotted with every second the shower ran, but she held her ground and told herself that if she did nothing else for anyone ever again, she could at least do this.
The shower cut off. She heard Zane moving around in the bathroom. Her pulse sped up, and she tangled her fingers in the bedspread at her sides while she waited. Seconds later, Zane stepped out of the room, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped low around his lean hips. Water glistened on his sculpted chest and abs, and when he rubbed another towel over his dripping hair, the muscles in his arms flexed and released, reminding her what it felt like to be surrounded by him.
He made it three steps before he realized she was there. His feet stopped. His hand stopped its frantic rubbing. Slowly, he looked in her direction. And butterflies took flight in her stomach.
“I owe you something.”
A frown pulled at his mouth. “I’m not in the mood to get my ass handed to me again, thanks.”
She couldn’t stop the corner of her lips from curling. Even hurt and pissed at her, he could still make her smile. “I didn’t mean that. I meant—” Moment of truth. “I meant, I owe you the truth.”
He looked away from her, walked toward a chair across the room, and dropped the towel in his hand. “You don’t owe me any explanation, Eve. Let’s just call this what it is. Over.”
Her chest squeezed so tight she could barely breathe. “I was engaged.”
His hand stilled against the back of the chair. He didn’t say anything, but she knew she’d shocked him. And honestly, she’d shocked herself. She’d never told anyone this.
“It was in college,” she said, before she could change her mind. “He was a few years older than me. He was this computer whiz, and he worked for a company in Silicon Valley. We hadn’t told anyone we were getting married. I was in my senior year and was finishing up fall term. We’d planned to announce to our families at Christmas. It just . . . never happened.”
“Why not?”
The fact he asked told her he was at least a little curious. She steeled her nerves and went on. “He left for a meeting in Hong Kong a couple days after we got engaged. His plane was hijacked and diverted to Manila. You might have heard about it. Fifteen passengers were killed before authorities took control of the aircraft.”
He lowered himself to sit on the arm of the chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “I remember. Happened about twelve years ago, right?”