He chuckled, the sound lacking any warmth while he drove over potholes to the quiet road. "Baby, I've lived with death since my birth. Believe me, if I didn't have a promise to fulfill, I'd probably be ready." His grin disappeared, regret coloring his tone. "Sometimes the fight just ends, you know?"

"Then stop fighting," she said softly. What demons lived in the guy's head?

He drew in air. "After this job, I'm done fighting."

She tried to loosen her hands, but the seat belt didn't give. "What promise?"

"Huh?" He kept his gaze on the two-lane highway.

"You said you have a promise to fulfill. What promise?" Maybe she could get him to relate to her and let her go. That worked with serial killers, right?

"Oh." He settled back onto the worn seat, his gaze flicking over her. Finally, he shrugged. "To save my brothers since they did nothing but save my life since day one. I owe them, and I promised myself that I'd take care of them even if I don't make it. I owe them."

Brothers? The commander had mentioned soldiers that he related to as brothers. Was that what he meant? Didn't he betray them? "I don't understand." What about the Russians?

"I know." Thunder cracked overhead, and black clouds raced across the wide expanse of sky. A raindrop splattered against the gla.s.s. "I figured the less you knew, the safer you'd be. But the commander will a.s.sume I've told you everything, even if I haven't, so it's up to you. Do you want the truth, or do you want to go back to him and hope he believes you don't know anything?" Jory's odd gray gaze raked her. "Maybe you won't be in danger since you share a genetic link."

Why did he sound so doubtful? "I don't understand why you'd kidnap me." Unless he planned to use her against her father.

He leaned back into the leather seat. "To start with, I took you because you're going to write down what you remember from the new computer program you just created. Now I have you because the a.s.sholes chasing us consider you collateral damage and will kill you." His voice remained calm and almost thoughtful. No stress, no remorse, no worry.

She tried to calm her racing heart. "So?"

"So?" He glanced down, gray eyes intense. "I'm not allowing you to get killed just because I'm being hunted. I have a plan, and after you tell me what I need to know, I will make sure you get home safely."

Oh, she'd get free on her own, and she had no reason to trust him. For now, she needed to keep him talking until she found the right moment to escape. "Fine. Tell me the truth as you see it." Perhaps Jory was just delusional. He had been shot several times, and who knew what kind of damage that could do to a guy's head? Of course, considering he'd turned her body into a bundle of needy nerves, her head was screwed up, too. "Please."

"I'm an experiment created by the commander and Dr. Madison to be a killing machine."

Oh G.o.d. Her vision tunneled. "Like a robot?"

He coughed out air. "No. Well, not exactly. I think we're all human." Doubt lowered his consonants. "At least, I hope so."

"You said 'we.' "

"My brothers. We were raised together as an experiment, and we got loose five years ago. With the kill chips in our spines." His knuckles whitened on the torn steering wheel. "Chips implanted by your father and Madison."

Piper shook her head, the mere idea drying the spit in her mouth. "No. That's impossible." She'd been warned how charming and manipulative Jory could be before she'd stepped foot inside the computer room. "You're lying."

"Am I?" He kept his gaze straightforward. "Believe what you want, Piper. But something tells me you're more than a pretty face and a big heart. You have a huge brain or you wouldn't have been able to create that computer program so quickly. So use your brain. Figure out the truth."

A rock slammed into her gut. Too many questions a.s.sailed her, and the answers only lined up with logic she didn't like. At all. So she turned to watch the trees fly by as the storm gathered in force. "Where are we going?"

Lightning flashed across the sky, angry and violent. Jory swerved to avoid a downed tree limb. "How do you feel about camping?"

CHAPTER.

9.

JORY LED THE way through swaying pine trees, his mind fighting training, his boots leaving large imprints in the moist soil. While he could remain outwardly calm, emotions crashed through him in an unreal succession. Could the coma have unleashed emotion he had always banished? Or had it been Piper? The woman was... unique.

He didn't need to turn to be completely tuned into her. Breathing, heart rate, scent. What the h.e.l.l was happening to him?

But even now, Matt's voice rang in his ear.

Think. Don't feel.

The smart move was to head into the forest where the commander's air support couldn't find him. The forces would search all around but concentrate more on the city, thinking Jory would reach out for help.

So he had to find safety before reaching out.

Behind him, Piper mumbled incoherent words as she followed him through the dark forest. Every once in a while, he caught a b.a.s.t.a.r.d, a s.h.i.t-tard , and once she may have threatened to yank his b.a.l.l.s out through his ears. That one was his favorite so far.

He'd disabled the car after driving as far as possible into the forest and then carried her a few miles until she wouldn't know how to get out. At that point, being a smart woman, she'd chosen to follow him.

While probably planning his death.

He liked that about her. s.p.u.n.k and intelligence went nicely with her rounded a.s.s and gorgeous face. Too bad she hated him now.

Or maybe that was good. She was the commander's daughter.

But d.a.m.n, she intrigued him.

And when he'd finally gotten her talking about the program she'd created during their long car ride, she'd impressed the h.e.l.l out of him. Brilliant, really. His brain was already adding to her program, and by the time he was in front of a computer, he'd have it altered enough to save his brothers.

Which meant he could now let her go. They were probably still enemies, and he'd promised her freedom.

So why did the thought of releasing her make his gut hurt like he'd been punched?

The river rushed wildly next to the barely there path, surprisingly full from the many rains of the past several weeks. Coming off the Wasatch Mountain Range, it appeared crisp and cold as h.e.l.l.

He pivoted to put Piper in his peripheral vision. The woman kept glancing at the rushing river. "Planning to toss me in?" he asked.

Her head jerked. "Of course not." Pink rose to cover her high cheekbones.

"Liar." Why did they have to be enemies? Or did they? The commander would just hurt her, so maybe that should put them on the same side? Jory's unreal desire for her went beyond the physical.

Just who the heck was this woman?

Why did it matter?

The scent of wet pine permeated the air, while the roll of thunder in the distance promised a h.e.l.l of a storm heading in. They had to find shelter before rain began again, and from a cursory glance at the map, he figured cabins would soon line the riverbanks.

Abandoned cabins this late in the season.

From there, he could plan. It was doubtful a seasonal cabin would hold a cell phone, but he'd get his hands on one somehow.

The scent of smoke wandered through the pines.

Good. Late-season campers. For now, he had to get Piper to safety before the storm broke. She struggled on behind him, having suddenly gone quiet. So he paused and reached for her arm. "You all right?"

"Peachy." She shrugged him off, glancing into the rapidly darkening pines. "You have a plan here?"

"Of course." Although she probably wouldn't like it. A slight narrowing of the brush caught his attention, and he led her through a myriad of cottonwoods to a quaint cabin all boarded up.

Lightning zagged above, and Piper jumped.

"For now, let's get inside." He threw a shoulder into the door, and the rugged wood opened with barely a protest.

She stomped up the stairs and followed him inside. "No super-spy MacGyver moves, huh?"

The woman actually sounded disappointed by that, and Jory's chest swelled. It was rare for somebody to appreciate his geek side. "With an old door, the direct approach works best."

Her lips tipped in a quick grin she quickly quashed.

He sighed to view their new digs. A mattress took up one corner, while a small kitchenette lined one wall. The doorway took up a third wall, and a carved fireplace the final wall. No frills. Yet a sense of intimacy filtered through the tidy s.p.a.ce, speeding up his breath.

She swallowed. "You're kidding me."

"City girl." He immediately went for the wood and paper near the fireplace, no doubt kept in place for lost hikers. The scent of wood competed with the fresh scent of woman. Man, she went right to his head. He had to let go of images of Piper naked and get to the business at hand. The woman was way too appealing, and the fact that she might want him dead should cool his libido. Although it didn't. Seconds later, he had a fire going. The river rushed mercilessly outside, striving to reach the ocean so far away.

Piper hovered by the door, her body language saying it all. Thunder cracked like angry G.o.ds.

"There's nowhere to go, green eyes." He gestured toward the faded floral couch. "Take a seat and warm up."

A myriad of expressions crossed her face, each easy to read, and each more fascinating than the last. "No."

He barked out a laugh, unable to help himself. For sure he thought she'd go with either a heartfelt f.u.c.k you or another argument to let her go. Pure defiance looked good on her, even with the near exhaustion darkening those amazing eyes. But the lingering glimmer of fear there caught him up short.

"I know dozens of ways to kill somebody, Piper. If I wanted you dead, it'd be a done deal already. Please don't be afraid." Yeah, the words probably failed to rea.s.sure her, but he'd never been smooth with people. Computers made so much more sense.

Her lashes lifted, and her gaze sharpened. "I'm not afraid."

So brave, or rather, trying to be so brave. "Good. And I really am sor-"

Her eyes flashed. "Don't you even f.u.c.king think of saying you're sorry. You're not sorry. You're guilty as h.e.l.l of kidnapping, and you do not get to say you're sorry."

He nodded. "You're right. I'm sor-"

"Stop." She held up a hand, fury dancing red across her cheeks. "I will drown you if you try again."

Fair enough. He could give her that. No more apologies. "Fine. Then how about a plan?"

She lifted one eyebrow in an oddly endearing way. Most people looked dangerous or focused with the one eyebrow lifted. Not Piper. d.a.m.n cute. Way too d.a.m.n cute. "What's your plan?"

He licked his lips. "First, you get warm." Moving slowly so as not to alarm her, he drew her toward the sofa. "Please."

"No politeness." Her voice held snap, while her shoulders held fatigue. "Don't even think it."

"I won't," he said gently, his body relaxing when she sat nearer the fire. The world had chilled outside, and he wouldn't allow her to become ill. She seemed tough, but her skin was soft and her bone structure delicate. Then he crouched, placing both hands above her knees, startled again by the fragility of her bones. Touching her felt right, and the clamoring always alive in his chest quieted. "I'm going to find a phone and call my brothers. Then we'll figure out a way to get you home-if you want to go back home."

Her forehead wrinkled when she focused on him. "Of course I want to go home. Why wouldn't I?"

d.a.m.n, her naivete hit him square in the solar plexus, aiming hard for the bundle of nerves that could decapitate him. Or was it naivete? Being in the commander's vicinity meant strategies and lies, so maybe she'd just been in the dark for too long. The commander had gone so far as to plant false files about Jory. Part of him wanted to explain reality to her, while the other part thought it'd be best for her to retain a sense of wonder with her father.

He'd never had a father.

Sure, he'd Matt and Nate, but even then, they'd been brothers. They all probably had different egg donors, but it didn't feel that way. They were brothers, bound to the soul.

He liked it that way.

Even so, what about Piper? She had a real, living, flesh-and-blood father. But he was f.u.c.king evil.

Although, would he be evil with Piper? Jory knew his brothers could be brutal killers, and yet they loved and trusted each other completely. Maybe Piper had a chance to see, to experience, a different side of the commander. Although what Jory had already seen didn't look good.

Deep down, where hope still managed to keep a tendril hold, he hoped for Piper. He didn't want to tell her the full truth, but he might need her cooperation. "Didn't you wonder why the commander wasn't really in your life?"

She shook her head, her chin lifting. "He didn't know about me until I turned seventeen."

Jory blinked. s.h.i.t. Should he tell her the truth? The commander was lying to her, and it wasn't right. "He knew about you, sweetheart. He told me when he discovered he was having a girl, he decided not to get involved."

Twin splotches of red spun into Piper's face. "You're lying."

"I'm not." Should he have? Although he was suddenly experiencing emotions, he didn't know which ones to trust. Currently, he just needed her safe. "Piper, just think about it. For now, I have to go find a phone in one of the nearby cabins." He'd seen smoke, so somebody was out camping. "Can I trust you to stay here?"

She held her hands out to the fire, her shoulders shivering, dismissing him. "I don't have anywhere else to go."

The mournfulness in the statement hit him square in the gut, but he knew better than to apologize. "I'll be back as soon as possible, and then we'll figure out a way for you to get home."

She kept her gaze averted, her focus on the fire. "Fine."

He sighed. Yeah, he'd left her with nowhere to go, and that sucked. But at least he was keeping her safe. Temporarily. "I'll be back shortly."

Even so, he paused at the doorway to take one last look at her. Just to make a memory in case the night went to h.e.l.l, which was more than possible. In profile, she looked like perfection. Angled face, small features, strong jaw. She held her hands out to the fire, and shadows danced across her freely. She didn't look his way-pure stubbornness.

He loved that s.p.u.n.k.