Total Surrender (15 page)

“You—your brothers.” Piper shook her head, trying to clear the dizziness.

Jory swept her up and strode toward his damaged SUV to set her in the passenger seat. “Scoot over.” Then he turned back around.

The black-haired brother frowned, surveying the scene. “I told you we needed one of them alive.”

Jory shrugged. “No choice. Take care of the bodies and the car. I need to get Piper patched up, and then I’ll call.” He pushed her to the passenger side and slammed the door, which only partially closed due to the damage.

Piper gulped and peered out the window. Identical frowns marred the rugged faces of the guys outside, and the brown-haired one muttered something that made Jory grin.

At the smile, a buzz of relief spread through Piper’s abdomen. “Should we leave them?”

“Yes.” Jory ignited the engine. “Matt and Shane can handle the bodies. For now, we need to get somewhere and talk.”

She hunched down, her shoulder hurting, her head aching, and her heart fucking breaking.

J
ORY OUTWARDLY KEPT
his gaze on the road while in reality he watched the woman huddled against the door of the vehicle. Her smooth skin had paled, and her hands trembled in her lap.

He’d scared the ever living shit out of her.

His hands tightened on the wheel, and his shoulders hunched forward. Yeah. He’d give his left nut to be able to shield her from his true self, but it was too late now.

She’d seen him in action. Hell. She’d seen him kill.

“I’m sorry I scared you, Piper.” Why was he apologizing to her? There was no going back now.

She blinked and wiggled her back against the door frame. “How could he have inserted a tagging device in my shoulder?” The bewildered tone of her voice hit Jory somewhere deep in his gut.

Jory sighed, wanting to lie to her. To tell her that maybe the commander had tagged her to keep her safe. “They don’t trust anybody, and every person is merely a pawn. Even you.”

Her eyes narrowed to a deep jade, the usual emerald sparks subdued. “Who were those men you killed?”

He shrugged, eyeing another back street. The noticeable damage in the SUV made them conspicuous, and they had to get away from the public. “I don’t know.”

She frowned. “Yet you were conveniently in place to smash your car into theirs right after they kidnapped me?”

Now
she got suspicious? “No. I was in place to seek you out after work.” Yeah, he’d planned to get her help in freeing Chance, and he might’ve thought about kidnapping her again to do it. But he hadn’t considered removing her tracking device until the opportunity arose and he had to get her out of there. “What did those men say to you?” None of this was making any sense.

She sighed. “Just a bunch of nonsense about bringing my father to his knees and ending his unholy quest.”

Jory started and glanced at her while turning onto a narrow back road. “They knew the commander was your father?”

“Yes.” She shook her head. “I don’t know how they knew.
There was a hack into the system the other day, but that information can’t be in the files, right?”

Who the hell knew? “Maybe. So they said they wanted to take the commander down? Unholy quest? Exact words?”

“Yes.” She pursed her lips. “All three had PROTECT tattooed somewhere on their bodies.”

Unease tingled through his gut. “What does that mean?”

“How the hell should I know?”

His burner phone buzzed, and he lifted it to his ear. “Yeah.”

“We’re in a bigger clusterfuck than we feared,” Nate said without preamble.

Weren’t they always? “I figured. What’s going on?”

“The men who tried to take the woman—”

“Piper. Her name is Piper.” Jory took a hard left onto a main road, hoping the window tint hid their faces enough from any cameras.

Nate growled. “Fine. The men who tried to take
Piper
are part of a crazy group against any genetic manipulation. They’ve been after the commander for years.” He sighed. “We thought we’d taken them out in DC, but it looks like there are more people in the group than we knew.”

That’s all Jory freakin’ needed. “How dangerous are they?”

“They’re insane. Apparently they know about your girl and her paternity.”

“Shit.” Jory didn’t bother to argue the designation of her as
his girl
. As of the moment, she was his responsibility, and that was just fine with him. “Did Matt take care of the bodies?”

“Yes.”

“How bad is the facility?” He couldn’t miss Piper’s sudden focus on him, and he couldn’t blame her for wanting to know about her father, regardless of his betrayal in tagging her without her knowledge. “Any casualties?”

“Yes. Two deaths and several injured—none the commander or Dr. Madison. Right now they’re no doubt trying to deal with the publicity of the bombing, so you have a little time before they come looking for Piper.”

“If we’re lucky, the commander will think the PROTECT group took out her tracker.”

“When have we ever been lucky?” With the last shot, Nate hung up.

Good damn point. He glanced toward the pale woman. “It looks like your father survived the bombing.”

She shuddered and suddenly focused on the rough foliage outside. “Where are we going?”

He could hear her heart speed up, and frankly, he couldn’t blame her for being frightened of him, even though he’d lose a limb before he allowed anything to harm her. “Somewhere safe. I’m taking you there to talk, and when we’re finished, I promise I’ll take you home.”

A myriad of expressions crossed her face as she weighed her options, finally resulting in a quick nod and a resigned sigh.

While he appreciated her agreement, he didn’t want her giving up or losing that spirit. “I need your help, Piper.”

She coughed out a slightly hysterical chuckle. “You’re kidding, right?” Crossing her arms across her chest, she pressed her feet to the dashboard and focused outside at the residential subdivisions blurring by.

“I’m not kidding. How’s your shoulder?” They needed to get a bandage on it as soon as they arrived.

“Fine.”

Damn, she was cute when pouting. Well, if she felt comfortable enough to put out her lip and ignore him, then maybe the fear had dissipated. “I don’t want you to be afraid of me.” Why the hell had he said that? He couldn’t control his damn mouth around the woman, his too-logical mind just scrambled like a hard drive on the fritz.

He drove between brick pillars. One proudly held an oval neon sign proclaiming
SUNRISE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY
.

Piper lifted an eyebrow and cut him a look. “Seriously?”

“Yes.” His gaze caught on her bruised cheekbone, and fury rose inside him. He should’ve used more pain when killing the PROTECT idiots. “Is your face okay?”

“Fine.”

Stubborn, contrary, brave woman. Her courage touched him deep, and he wanted to cuddle her close. A guy without emotion suddenly finding some.

He wound around several tame duplexes until reaching a tidy rancher painted an innocuous peach. Once he’d pressed the garage door button and driven inside, he finally breathed out. Good.

Shoving open the mangled car door took more effort than he’d expected, but he put his shoulder into it, and the damaged metal dropped to the concrete and bounced twice. He jumped out of the gaping hole and tapped the button attached to the wall. The garage door slowly shut.

Silence pounded around the sparse room, and peace descended.

Sure, any peace remained temporary. But still, he took several deep breaths and let his body relax.

Piper had remained in the vehicle, staring out the gaping hole in the driver side with a
what the fuck is going on, you crazy bastard
expression.

On her, the look was adorable.

Man, he had it bad. The kiss the other day had left her taste on his tongue, and even now, he wanted more. Something whispered in the back of his head that her taste belonged just there.

“Get out of the car, Piper.”

Glancing warily around the innocuous garage, she scooted across the seat and gingerly stepped out, trying to hold her ripped shirt together.

Even so, tempting glimpses of a pink bra and full breasts rolled an untimely need to his groin. His nostrils flared like a wolf catching a scent, and his instincts started to hum.

He covered her hand with his, leading her into the kitchen, scanning the room for any threats before allowing her in. Then he tuned into his senses, the ones he shouldn’t have, and listened as well as smelled the entire house. Nobody had been there.

The scents of woman and cinnamon tempted him, and his mouth watered.

Piper shook free and wandered toward the cream-colored refrigerator, which showed pictures of several elderly ladies playing bridge, cricket, and even golf. A postcard to “Aunt Edna” hung next to the pictures.

“Ah, where’s Aunt Edna?” Piper asked quietly.

Jory stilled. Shit. She didn’t think he’d off an old lady just to gain a safe house, did she? “Aunt Edna won a cruise for four the other day, and her nephew Jack came to take care of her place.”

Piper turned around, her lashes fluttering open. “Hi, Jack.”

“Hi.” He took in her pinched lips and her hitched movements. “Take off your shirt, baby.”

Piper knew exactly why he wanted her shirt off, and based on the pounding ache in her shoulder blade and the warm stickiness down her back, she needed a bandage.

She also knew he expected her to argue.

He eyed her, eyes veiled, sexual tension filtering around him. The man could overtake any environment, filling it with… him. The kitchen walls closed in, cocooning them in intimacy. His eyes burned into her in a move that even felt physical.

So she shrugged out of her shirt and let her still unhooked bra slide to the ground.

His eyes glinted, and his mouth slacked open.

Keeping a triumphant grin off her face, she turned around and placed her hands on the bright yellow Formica table. Yep, playing with fire once again. But the guy had been in perfect control since the second he’d rammed the kidnapper’s vehicle, and the woman in her wanted to take some of that away.

Instant warmth heated her from behind. Man, he moved fast… and silently. Then he dug in drawers until finding a clean dishcloth and opened the cupboard beneath the sink to draw out a first-aid kit.

“Take a deep breath, sweetheart.”

The low voice warmed something deep in her abdomen. “So, ah, how did you know the tracker was in my back?”

He pulled in air. “Ah…”

Her eyelids shot up, and her shoulders went back as memories awakened her. “Wait a minute.” When they were rolling around and kissing on Earl’s rug… when Jory had made her come like a locomotive. “The other night. You were searching me for a tracker?” The anger spiraling through her remained welcome, but the hurt dropped hard into her blood.

“Believe me, darlin’. That wasn’t my main focus.” Wetting the rag, he gently wiped off her back. “Not bleeding too badly, which is good.” Drying the skin, he then slid a bandage into place. “No stitches needed.” His voice came out low. Intense.

Oh, the man was sex on a stick and arrogant enough to think he controlled the damn universe. He was about to learn better. Just who did he think he was?

She set her jaw. “Is that all?”

“Yes.”

Not bothering to reclaim the ripped cotton shirt, she turned around, carefully keeping her face blank.

He inhaled sharply, that impressive chest moving with the breath. “What’s your game, green eyes?”

“Game?” She lifted an eyebrow and tried to look innocent, even as the cool air peaked her nipples. Her fully exposed, rather achy, nipples.

Crimson spread across his masculine cheekbones.

Yeah, she was tempting him. Teasing him. Completely messing with him. He deserved it for throwing her so off balance.

His smile was slow and somehow dangerous. Then his face softened in a way she’d never seen before.

Her breath caught, and she belatedly wondered if she’d pushed too far. “Uh—”

Warm hands manacled her hips and lifted, setting her down on the table. He stepped into her, his muscled thighs forcing hers apart.

She gripped the table, trying to keep from falling back. Vulnerability flashed through her, followed by a blast of heat so rapid it stole her breath. “What are you doing?”

He leaned in, hands flexing. “Picking up your challenge.” Smooth as silk, his lips brushed her cheek. “Didn’t you think I would?”

“No.”
Danger, red sign, clanging error message.
“I, ah, didn’t.”

“That was your first mistake.” His voice rumbled so close to her ear, the tenor vibrated just under her skin. Oddly soft, and intriguingly gentle.

“Wh-What was my second?”

“I’m hoping you make that soon.” Not giving her time to think, to react, he wandered his mouth down the side of her face, leaning her over to gain better access. With a low growl, he nipped at the area between her neck and shoulder. His mouth was hot, smooth. Devastatingly firm.

She shivered and bit back a moan. Her fingers curled into his chest.

He remembered. Just how to touch her. She was so out of her element.

“We need to talk,” she breathed, trying to calm her rioting body. Two more seconds, and she wouldn’t care about talking. She wouldn’t care about anything but the pleasure she already knew he could create. “Please.”

He levered back, keeping his hard groin against her needy one. “So talk.”

“Um. This is a bad idea.” How in the world was she even talking about this? Really. “I don’t trust you.” Yet did she? The man had taken on three armed kidnappers just to save her. That meant something.

“So trust me.” He slid his hands under her arms and curled one hand behind her neck to fist her hair. “What will it take?”

How was she supposed to concentrate with him so close, smelling of male and aggression? Yeah. Aggression. And damn if it wasn’t turning her on. “The truth.”

“I’ve never lied to you.” Those fingers tightened, one pressing on the pulse point beneath her ear.

Until this moment, she hadn’t realized that was an erogenous zone. “So you’re some super-soldier created by my father who escaped and is now back.” She tried for sarcasm, but her voice emerged way too breathy.

“Yes.” His thumbs ran along her jawline from front to back, and his eyes warmed as if marveling at the touch. “There’s something here, Piper. I have less than three days to live, and I’m not playing anymore. You feel it, I feel it, and I’m fucking tired of pretending otherwise.”

“I’m not pretending there isn’t something here.” She found lying a waste of time. “However, it might not be something good.” And they didn’t have time for it, since the clock was ticking to detonation. He’d be dead in days if she didn’t figure out how to reach his chip.

“You and me? We’d be fantastic.”

“Like you were with Mara from Vegas?”

His face turned to stone. Not froze, not stilled… just lost all expression. All humanity. Faster than possible, he pressed against her until she was flush against the counter.

She shivered, exposed and vulnerable. Controlled.