“Love me.” The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.

Jessa stopped, her laughter silenced, but Cole wouldn’t take the words back. He was done being scared, being weak. How could he get what he wanted if he didn’t ask for it? Maybe he wasn’t good enough for her, but he could be. Loving Jessa had changed him already. He was better, and he would be the man she needed. If she didn’t love him anymore, he’d work day and night until she fell for him again. He wasn’t going to let his fucking uncle win for the rest of his life. He wasn’t going to be the same sort of miserable prick Martin had been.

She sniffled and got out of bed. “Cole, I don’t know if I can do that. I think the wounds run too deep.” She reached for her bag and pulled on her underwear. “I’m not the same girl I was when you met me.”

No. She was even more beautiful. Being a mother had made her stronger. “I’m not the same man.”

She worked the hooks on her bra and started to put on the jeans Hannah had given her. “I think you are, Cole. I don’t think a man like you changes. You need adventure. I can’t give you that.”

“You think I like getting shot at? Let me tell you something, baby. It sucks. It hurts, and I’m getting way too old for it. I would rather hang up my guns and spend the majority of my time playing Mr. Mom while you paint. But Jessa, there is one thing on this earth I am good at, and that’s tracking down people. Burke and I are the best. We’ve used our expertise to track criminals and terrorists, but we found a calling in finding missing persons. I don’t know if I can give that up, but I can promise that we’ll stay in the States, and we’ll always come home to you.”

She smoothed the sweater down, her eyes still wary. “I don’t…”

The door to the bathroom banged open. Burke rushed through, laptop in hand. He put it down on the desk and started shutting everything down. “Cole, get dressed. We have to get out of here. Hilary is in on this. She’s in on everything. And she put a tracking device in my laptop.”

Cole absorbed the information. It computed instantly. Fuck. Why hadn’t he considered that Hilary was their leak? She was a cold bitch. He hadn’t pegged her as the type to sell her beloved Burke out for money, but apparently he’d been wrong.

Jumping out of bed, Cole crammed his legs in his jeans, listening as Burke talked.

“The PI was on the up and up. I found his initial reports. There’s nothing about her marriage. He simply states she came back from Scotland and adopted a cat named Angus. He gives updates on the progress of her pregnancy. He did a good job. And Hilary hid it all.”

“Bitch. You know I never liked her.” Cole had always felt her disdain for him.

“It’s obvious from that one phone call I overheard that she wants Burke,” Jessa said, rushing to get her meager belongings together. “So she made sure I was no longer ‘available.’ I’m sure when Delgado made his offer, she didn’t hesitate. She wants Burke alive and me dead.”

“Fucking bitch. I will deal with her,” Burke promised, his face flushing a violent red.

“We’ll deal with her,” Cole replied, pulling his shirt on. “But right now, we’re leaving. We have to dump the equipment. If she put a tracking device in your computer, she may have put one in something else we’re carrying. And it’s almost six o’clock. Our time is nearly up. We leave now with nothing but the clothes on our backs and the cash. Let’s go.”

He had to get Jessa out of here.

His hand was on the door when it blasted open. The door exploded inward, hitting him directly in the head, sending him reeling.

Then chaos ruled. The moment the door fell away to reveal a gaping hole to the winter, something flew in. Cole caught sight of it. A cylindrical black object. Fuck. Flashbang. Cole leapt for Jessa, trying to cover her with his body, but he couldn’t quite reach her. She stood by the bed, her eyes wide with terror.

The stun grenade went off, deafening him. The sound shook the room, and his eyes shut to try to keep out the blinding flash of light. Heat and sound and fury all in one little package. Jessa screamed. He felt his brother beside him. Both tried to protect Jessa.

“Oh, Mr. Lennox, I don’t think you need that gun.” A smooth voice could barely be heard over the ringing in his ears. “Gentleman, take those two down.”

Cole turned to the sound, trying to focus long enough to get off a shot. And then he lost all control as twin darts bit into his skin, sinking into his flesh and sending fifty thousand volts through his system.

Fucking Taser. Every muscle in Cole’s body jerked and spasmed in a chorus of agony. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t scream. He couldn’t do anything. He registered that his brother was beside him, body also jerking. In this, as in all things, they shared the pain.

The horrible cracking sound cut off, but Cole knew it wasn’t over. Even his body couldn’t take a military grade Taser and leap back into the fray. He tried to make his arms move. Nothing. Fucking nothing.

“Gentleman, this was far too easy.” Marco Delgado came into view. He was dressed in an urbane suit, his hair perfectly cut, wearing a wicked little smile on his face. “I expected more. I suppose this means I win. I doubt you’ll let it pass, but I want to remind you that I kept my word about the boy. I’m not a monster. Just a son looking for revenge. And now I have it.”

He flicked a hand, and one of his goons walked forward, carrying Jessa’s body. Fuck. She wasn’t moving. His heart seized up. No! If she was dead, he wouldn’t be far behind. Jessa. God, what had he done?

“Ah, there’s the panic I wanted to see. I knew I was right about her when I bribed your secretary to send me the private investigator’s files. I saw the adoration on your faces that day at the Waldorf. I knew for certain she was the proper instrument for my vengeance when I realized you were paying a fortune to keep tabs on her.”

“Leeetttt heeerrr goooooo,” Burke groaned, his arms jerking as though he wanted to get his hands around the man’s throat.

Delgado scoffed. “No. And to answer the question in your brother’s eyes, no, she’s not dead.” Delgado put a hand on her back, sliding it down her curves. “She’s taking a little nap. In fact, I’m not going to kill her right away. That would be far too easy for all of you. You cost my father his life and the consortium I inherited, along with its good name in the business. I intend to get it all back, and your lovely lady will help me. Redheads are so hard to find, and they do so well in the more exotic places of the world. I’ll sell her. Imagine that as you search for her. Imagine all the men who will enjoy her body and her pain against her will. I know I intend to. Good night, gentlemen. I expect the next phase of our game will be challenging for you.”

And then it began again. Just as he managed to move his fingers with the slightest bit of purpose, the two men who stood over he and Burke, flicked the switch again. Fire lit through his system and he jerked. Angry tears he couldn’t stop blurred his eyes. His head jerked, striking the floor over and over.

Finally, darkness took him.

CHAPTER TEN

Burke came to in little stages. Flashes of reality. Flashes of horror. He blinked his eyes open, then slammed them shut when the lights were much too bright. Every muscle ached. Tired. He was so damn tired, as though he’d run a marathon. His muscles protested at any hint of use. His eyes drifted shut, and he wanted to let sleep take him, but something wicked played at the edge of his consciousness.

Jessa.

The events of the evening slammed back into his head with horrible clarity. Burke forced his eyes open. How long had she been gone? The tiny motel room shook. Thunder. A storm. God, Jessa was out in that storm, and he had no idea where, with a vengeful bastard determined to use and kill her. And where was his brother?

“Cole?”

“Fuck. I hate Tasers.” Cole sat up, patting his chest. Tiny blood spots dotted his T-shirt where the darts had bitten into his flesh. Burke looked down and could see his own.

He struggled to his feet, his muscles shaking. “We have to go. We have to find her.”

“Figure out where she is, yeah. What time is it? How long were we out?” Cole flexed his hand and stretched. His skin looked ashen, his eyes red rimmed.

“About twenty minutes.” Long enough for Jessa to vanish. Long enough for her to be lost forever.

“We have to alert the police, have the airports shut down,” Cole said. “Where’s the phone? Fuck. They took the phones.” He looked around the room. “They even took the goddamn landline. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”

Burke took a deep breath, forcing the air into his lungs. “We have to stay calm and find a phone, call Dex.” He darted for the door. There would be a phone in the lobby unless Delgado had murdered everyone in the motel and taken all their phones. Burke turned back to his brother. “Look around. See if they forgot anything.”

He threw open the door and stopped in his tracks. A woman stood outside their room, the rain beating on her. She was turned away from him, her blonde hair wet and mangled against the back of her dark coat. Despite the darkness, he knew who stood there, and he was shocked that the bitch had the gall to ever stand in his presence again.

“Hilary.”

Cole stomped to his side in an instant. “What the hell are you doing here?”

She turned slowly, as though forcing herself to make the movement. Mascara streaked down her face. Her blue eyes blinked in a vacant shock. Burke had never seen Hilary when she was anything less than perfect. Flawless makeup and hair. Designer clothes in the most flattering styles. Now Hilary was a wreck. She stood there, whole body shaking, and he knew she’d been through something terrible.

He didn’t give a shit.

“Burke.” His name fell from her trembling lips. She reached an entreating hand toward him. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“Is she fucking serious?” Cole growled low, his jaw tight as he grabbed her arm and jerked her inside, making Hilary cry out.

“Yep, and she’s got balls of steel,” Burke replied under his breath as he slammed the door shut. They needed answers from her. She was definitely the reason he and Cole had been parted from Jessa for the past year. She had to be in league with Delgado, but for some crazy reason she’d come here. Now, they had to use that to their advantage, get whatever information they could out of her that would help them locate Jessa. Scratch that; he had to. Cole would only try to intimidate and bully her. Burke knew how to handle Hilary, and she had a crush on him that he’d use to their advantage.

“Let me go, you animal. You’re just like the men you chase down.” Hilary fought Cole’s hold, her legs kicking.

God, he was going to have to play this right. He didn’t have time to torture her, though it would have pleased him greatly. But Jessa’s life was on the line, so he had to work fast to gain Hilary’s cooperation. Cole had to stand down.

Burke steeled himself for what he had to do, then turned a scolding look to his brother. “Cole, leave her alone. You’re hurting her.”

Cole turned, his eyes widening. His expression clearly asked what the fuck is wrong with you?

“You can’t treat her that way. Let her go right now.” He sent his brother a ferocious look.

Cole dropped Hilary like a poisonous snake. She wasn’t ready for it and crumbled to the floor in a heap.

Go with me. He mouthed the words.

Cole’s face fell. He gave a long-suffering sigh, clearly understanding. “Fine. I’ll go to the lobby. Take care of your fucking girlfriend quickly, Burke. Why is she even here? We don’t have time to deal with her…issues.”

Hilary looked up, her face sheet white. “I knew Burke was in trouble. I put a tracking device in the drive when that awful Dex James walked in and started demanding things. He was not a gentleman. Burke, I was so worried about you. I did it so I could find you.”

Was there any chance she’d just been concerned about him and hadn’t actually been working with Delgado? Burke mentally raced through the facts. No. She might have doctored those reports initially to keep them from Jessa, but she’d used the information to completely eliminate the competition. After all, if she could get Delgado to do her dirty work for her…why not? He’d wondered where she’d suddenly gotten the money for a new Lexus. There was no way Delgado could have found them tonight without Hilary’s help. Burke forced himself to remain calm. It was all he could do not to tear her apart. Had she felt even a moment’s compunction about helping her employers’ enemy and contributing to the potential death of an innocent woman?

Why the fuck hadn’t he nipped this worship in the bud earlier? Him not wanting to hurt her feelings unnecessarily and make waves in an otherwise smooth-running office may cost Jessa her life.

Cole gritted this teeth. “Be quick, Burke. We have to find my woman.”