her jawline, his touch gentle. “Hallie. Answer me.”
“I-I’m not hurt,” she whispered, her voice trembling.
His knuckles smoothed over the raw rope burns on her arms. “Tie them up. Use ropes on their arms and make them too tight.” His gaze didn’t leave her abused skin. “Anywhere else?”
“N-no,” she said.
He lifted her shirt to her bra and angled his head. “There’s a bruise on your ribs. From the gun?”
She gulped and nodded.
He looked over his shoulder to where Zeke and Zachary were tying Brad and Charles to chairs. Brad was babbling and Charles was coughing, still trying to dislodge the knife from his shoulder. “Their ribs are where I’ll start,” Trent said, slowly standing.
Hallie stood, reaching for his shirt. “Trent—”
“No.” He whirled on her, lifting her into his arms and striding for Austin at the door. “I’ll deal with you when I’m finished with them.” He deposited her in Austin’s arms. “Take her to my place.” He leaned in, his eyes so dark the green was almost gone. “You’d better be there, baby. I’m mad enough as it is. Do you understand me?” His voice dropped several octaves, which was much more menacing than if he’d yelled.
She gulped and nodded.
“Say it,” he ordered.
“I understand. I’ll be there,” she whispered, her entire body shaking.
He turned away as Austin carried her out into the raging rain and a waiting helicopter. Apparently the team felt safe enough to fly in the storm, although she had her doubts. The first scream came from the cabin just as the craft lifted away from the field.
* * *
Hallie paced by the fireplace while the wolf snored on the sofa. It had been hours. At least two. Austin had dropped her at the house, and she knew, she just knew, he was watching from somewhere outside. Maybe not only him. They were out there to make sure she didn’t try another run for it. What they didn’t know was that she’d meant her promise to Trent. She had no plans to leave until after he explained everything to her. Everything.
Lightning struck outside followed by more thunder.
He walked through the front door and hung up his jacket and coat before turning to stare at her. No expression lived in those green eyes. “Sit down, Hallie.”
Normally, she’d take exception to the order, but right now, she just didn’t have the energy. She pushed the wolf farther up the sofa and sat, crossing her hands in her lap. “Where are Brad and Charles?”
“They’re not your concern. I am.” He crossed in front of her. With the fire lighting him from behind, his face was shadowed and his expression impossible to read. He tucked his thumbs in his jeans pockets and studied her, the feel of his gaze physical. “I love you. Don’t know how it happened so fast, but it’s the truth. Thought I’d start there.”
It wasn’t what she’d expected. Her heart started to pound, and her body burst wide awake, reacting to him as it would to no other. She swallowed. “You have passports.”
“Yeah. I have a lot of passports.” He didn’t move. “I was with a specialized team in the navy and was taken prisoner and presumed dead.”
Harley stood, turned around, and set his face on her knee. She absently started petting him, already hurting for Trent.
He continued. “The group that took me didn’t have a country or even a name. They tortured us and trained us, forcing us to carry out missions. They were smart. First they forged bonds between us that couldn’t be broken. Or maybe we did that.” He ran a rough hand through his hair.
She shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
“That’s because it’s something that shouldn’t be understood,” he said. “I was with them for seven years. Zeke and Zach for five years, Austin for ten. They hired us out to the highest bidder, and if we failed on a mission, one of our brothers was murdered. They were tortured until we returned. There were fifty of us.”
She couldn’t breathe.
“Now there are twelve. We killed our captors and we got free. Only twelve of us survived, and we came here. Started over.” He rubbed the back of his neck, his fingers digging in so hard she could see the force in them. “There was a kid, younger than the rest of us. His name was Harley, and he came from Wyoming. Used to talk about the wide-open spaces and the freedom. That’s what we wanted. Needed.”
She petted the wolf, already knowing the answer but having