Undercover Texas - By Robin Perini Page 0,49
fingers together and held her close, his eyelids growing heavy. Her breathing evened out, but she didn’t move, didn’t pull away from him, she simply buried her hips closer and settled into a sound sleep.
Hunter sighed with contentment. He never wanted to move again. For tonight, for this moment, Erin belonged to him. They belonged together.
* * *
TERENCE COULDN’T FEEL HIS FACE. He rested his hand on the bandage. Perhaps that was for the best. He’d tried calling his mother. She hadn’t answered.
He had to get out of this place.
The weakness had dissipated, though he hadn’t let his jailers know. He’d had the training, he knew their games, their strategies. He just didn’t know what they really wanted. He’d received mixed signals.
The guy who’d brought him here would have been happy to kill him at any moment. The woman, too.
And yet they hadn’t.
If they’d wanted to get rid of him, all they’d have to do was hand him over to his clients. Terence had no doubt his mother wouldn’t have enough parts left to cremate.
Heavy footsteps sounded down the hall and headed his way. The steel door opened. The man entering held power. He was confident. Terence scooted up in bed. He had a bad feeling.
“Mr. Mahew, the worst our military has to offer.”
Terence scowled.
“Oh, you take offense? Too damn bad.” The man leaned over his bed. “I want to know everything you know, and I want to know now. This is your last chance.”
Terence shivered slightly. Something in the man’s cadence, something in his words didn’t sit right. He shifted away from the narrowed stare.
“Who hired you, Terence?”
“I told you, I don’t know. It was a cash job. Should have been easy money.”
“You knew Graham’s name.”
“I’d never seen him before that day. Some idiot let his name slip on the phone afterward. That’s all, I swear it.”
“That’s what I expected you’d say.”
The man tugged out a syringe. “This will stop your heart. The doctors will think the injuries were just too much for you. Your mother will have a body to bury, and, Terence...perhaps this deal that you agreed to wasn’t the most profitable.” The man’s voice had dropped into a very familiar accent.
“Oh, my God. It’s you? What are you doing here?”
“Haven’t figured it out yet? No one from overseas hired you, fool. You were chosen for a reason, Terence. You are expendable.”
The needle plunged into Terence’s arm. He looked down to see the syringe sticking out. Liquid heat burned under his skin.
He hadn’t expected this. He could usually smell a setup before the guy opened his mouth. He’d gotten greedy.
“You’ve figured it out, haven’t you, Terence? You were never going to get out of this job alive. I needed a fall guy. You’re that man.”
A strange heat pulsed under Terence’s skin. He blinked. His pulse raced. His throat closed off.
Terence clawed at his throat. “Please...won’t...tell.”
A door slammed open.
“No one has authority to be in...here.”
Terence turned to the woman. He reached out a hand. “Help...me.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh, no. It can’t be you. Tell me this isn’t true.”
“Damn it, Leona. Why did you have to be so damned efficient?”
Terence blinked again. His vision blurred. The man covered the woman’s mouth with his hand and plunged something into her arm.
He’s killed you, too.
Terence heard the words in his head, but nothing escaped his lips.
His breathing turned shallow. Darkness faded in.
Mama. I wanted you to have a nice house. I tried, Mama. I really tried.
* * *
THE TURQUOISE SEA LAPPED against the vacation bungalow. Hunter lay in bed, Erin cuddled against him, and he watched her sleep.
He toyed with the silky blond tresses, letting them slip through his fingers. He couldn’t get over how beautiful she was.
They’d had six days together. Six passionate, unbelievable days, and he knew it was only a matter of time until he had to leave.
“You’re watching me again, Clay,” she whispered, her eyes still closed.
He winced. Just once, he wanted her to use his real name, but like so many wishes in his life, he couldn’t hope that his dreams would come true.
He kissed her shoulder, tasting the smooth skin, then nipping her with his teeth. A shiver skittered through her. He loved her responsiveness.
She turned in his arms, and the sheet fell away from her breasts, revealing the soft curves. After their first night together, she didn’t hide herself from him. She trusted him.
She shouldn’t, but how could he warn her and not ruin everything?
He cupped her cheek, and his body hardened as she