But it had been too hard, and it had hurt too much. She had never felt so alone as she had during that first phone call after “it”—the event that changed everything, that eventually led to their breakup. She had barely gotten through the call, having to push back the tears and pretend everything was fine when she was talking to him. She’d never wanted someone to lean on so much. But Nicole couldn’t do that, especially not to the man she loved more than anything. So, she’d done the hardest thing she’d ever had to do, and she’d ended her relationship with him—without telling him the real reason why. Maybe it was the wrong decision, but it had been the only one she’d felt she could make.

  But it hadn’t been fair to Michael. No wonder he was looking at her like that. He deserved to know the truth.

  “Michael,” she began carefully. “I don’t want to make things harder than they already are. But we’re stuck here together - and you’re right. I’m sorry.” Maybe it was time for the full story to finally come out. It wouldn’t be easy to talk about, but maybe it would ease things between them if he finally understood why. “I...when I ended things—”

  Michael cut her off. “It doesn’t matter. It’s in the past. Just like you and me.” He stood. “Thank you for dinner. I’m going to do a sweep of the perimeter.”

  Nicole took in the empty room as the door shut behind him, and she sighed. It looked like things were off to a great start.

  4

  It took Michael a good hour to finish setting up the discreet surveillance equipment he’d brought with him. It wasn’t much. Not nearly enough to fully secure the perimeter. But he was working on limited time and resources here. Gathering together a full kit before bringing Nicole and Grant out here would have left them exposed for days of additional time—and that wasn’t an option. Besides, the real security of this place lay in no one being able to find it. That’s why he’d bought this piece of land in the first place. It was supposed to be an escape, a refuge.

  It had been…until now, when the only thing that had ever truly threatened his peace of mind was comfortably tucked away inside.

  He headed back towards the cabin, walking the fence line along the woods at the back of his property to check for wear and tear. Sure, he’d checked when they’d first arrived, while Nicole had been preparing dinner…but maybe there was something he’d missed. A second check wouldn’t do any harm and might do some good. There were a few small holes in the chain link. Simple enough to fix, though they made it clear that a fence like this wasn’t a real deterrent to someone who wanted to get to the cabin. Anyone with bolt cutters and opposable thumbs could tear through it easy enough.

  He could see the cabin from here. The lights in the windows. He could picture Nicole there, just as he left her. In his kitchen, using his shower, lying on the bed in his guest room. She wasn’t supposed to look so damn good. Not when she broke his heart.

  When I ended things...

  Michael ground his teeth. He didn’t care why she’d broken up with him—especially when the explanation came ten years too late. She had done it, and that was it. End of story.

  He raked a hand through his hair. When she’d ended things, it had gotten bad. He’d never loved anyone like he’d loved Nicole, had never trusted anyone like that, before or since. When he’d gone overseas, he’d done it with the certainty that she loved him back and would wait for him, that they’d be together forever. That thought had gotten him through BUD/S, through hours of grueling training, through endless days and nights of terrifying missions. She’d been his lifeline, the one he’d counted on—and when she’d ripped his heart out, there’d been nothing left behind but an ugly, aching hole. If it hadn’t been for Ken and Easton, he didn’t want to think about what might’ve happened. What he might have done.

  Now she was back. The same smile, the same throaty laugh, stirring up the same feelings. Making it all too clear he still had a few weak points in the armor he’d built up so carefully.

  Needing a distraction, Michael pulled out his phone.

  Ken picked up on the first ring. “Price.”

  “It’s me. Update.”

  “Already?” He could hear Ken grinning. “That bad?”

  Michael nearly growled. “Price.”

  Ken cleared his throat, and went into all-business mode. “I got the client into my apartment unobserved—no thanks to her, since she showed up at the office rather than waiting for me to pick her up. She’s irritating like that. Anyway, she seems to be settling in, and in good - if mildly infuriating—spirits. Police report no new developments since the last time I checked in with them.”

  “And when was that?” Michael asked.

  “Four hours ago. And then right before you called. Just wanted to stay on top of it,” Ken said after a moment. “No progress, but Detective Kayode assured me that the NYPD is giving the case their full and complete attention, and it’s only a matter of time, and to please stop calling her.”

  “How much time?”

  “She did not say that. Wouldn’t even ballpark it when I asked. I suspect she might be losing patience with the nosy ex-SEALs who are shoving their nose into her case.”

  Ken was trying to make light of it, but Michael could tell there was something else. “Everything all right on your end? With Ms. Yee?”

  Ken let out a hard sigh. “She’s fine. Driving me crazy, but fine. Got a little dizzy earlier, which she assured me is normal for pregnant women, and she won’t stop poking around my Fortress of Solitude—because that’s what she’s calling it now—asking questions, and being...around. But she’s fine.”

  The raw frustration in his partner’s voice made Michael smile. Ken had always been the most easygoing of their trio. It was rare for anything to rattle him, but it seemed that Holly Yee had handled it with ease. Michael almost wished he was there to watch—and possibly sell tickets. “Sounds like you’re enjoying this as much as I am.”

  Ken laughed. “Want to swap?”

  No. Michael tried to shake off that immediate, visceral reaction. He needed to stay calm. Logical. Whatever he was feeling. “Not a good idea. Like I said before, it needs to be me up here at the cabin. I know the landscape up here better than you. And someone in your building might notice if you disappear and someone else starts staying in your apartment.”

  “I wouldn’t be too sure about that. This is New York. I’ve never even met half of my neighbors.”

  Michael didn’t doubt, however, that Ken had files on all of them. “We can’t take any chances. And we need to keep Ms. Yee in the city, near a hospital. Believe me, it’s not like I’m enjoying this.”

  “No?”

  Michael took a moment before answering, clenching his jaw so hard he tasted blood. “No.”

  “Good,” Ken said, completely serious now. “Because I was there when Nicole broke up with you, without any explanation. You might not be Mr. Feelings, but I saw what that did to you. Me and Easton both. I don’t want you to go through that again.”

  “I won’t,” Michael growled. “We had our chance, but that’s done now.” And they didn’t get another. No one got a second chance from him. Not even Nicole. Especially not Nicole. It didn’t matter that she was here again, stirring up all those same feelings.

  “Good. How’s the kid?” Ken asked.

  “He thinks we’re up here on vacation. Nicole doesn’t want him to know they’re in danger.”

  “Makes sense,” Ken said.

  That surprised him. “Does it?” Michael asked.

  “Yeah. Kids get scared all the time, about stuff that isn’t even real. This danger is real. Why do that to him?” Then Ken sighed. “Or maybe not. I don’t know. What the hell do I know about kids?”

  None of them really did. None of them were the type to settle down. They had their work, their security business, their friendships, and that was enough. Michael had pictured more for himself once, with Nicole. The whole package—family, house, dog. But that clearly hadn’t ever been in the cards, or she wouldn’t have broken his heart without any explanation. And he’d never been able to picture it with anyone else. “The kid wants a dog. He tried to convince me to get one.”

  “Really?” Ken chuckled. “And what did you say?”

  “That it wouldn't work out. I don’t have time for a dog.”

  “Right. And that you have zero interest in getting one.”

  “Right,” Michael said.

  “Follow up—you do know that when you use your work computer to check out animal shelters online, it is possible for other people to see that. If, say, they have to get something out of your office while you’re not there, and you leave the browser open.”

  He had not known that. Not that he would ever admit that.

  “I did really like that three-legged one. The one that was rescued from being a bait dog for that fighting ring.”

  “I’ll check back in tomorrow.” Michael hung up before Ken could tease him anymore.

  He shoved his phone back in his pocket and looked over at the cabin. He could see movement in the room at the end of the hall. The kid’s room. He could picture it too damn easily, Nicole putting her son to bed. For a moment, he imagined a different life. That she was still his woman, tucking in their kid, and Michael rubbed a hand to his chest, trying to push back the mix of pain and regret that twisted at the thought.

  It didn’t matter. No second chances, he thought. Not even for him.

  5

  Nicole smoothed the comforter over Grant. “All set?”

  Grant nodded, and set his glasses on the bedside table, then hugged his worn, stuffed dinosaur close. “Mom?”

  “Yes, baby?”

  He blinked at her, slightly owlishly without his glasses. “I’m a big kid, you know? You don’t need to protect me.”

  Nicole smiled, blinking back tears. “I will always protect you.”

  “Yeah, but you don’t have to,” Grant told her. “Does Mr. Rinaldi know about it? Whatever it is that’s making you worried?”

  Nicole nodded. “Yeah, baby.”

  Grant gave a decisive nod. “Good. He’ll take care of it. He’s like Batman.”

  She had to laugh at that, picturing Michael in a cape and cowl. He’d pull it off better than most, she had no doubt. She could too easily picture Michael as the strong, silent protector in the shadows—with or without a cape. She bent forward to drop a kiss on Grant’s forehead. “Go to sleep. Sweet dreams. Love you much.”

  “Love you much,” he murmured back, yawning. He was half asleep by the time she shut the door. She left it open a crack and went to her room, just next door.

  It was actually a rather nice room. Small, but comfortable. It might even be considered cozy with a few personal touches, but alas, there were none—just the solid, rustic furniture and a simple lamp on the nightstand. The only decorations were a plain knotted rug that didn’t quite go with the dark, heavy curtains over the windows. Which was Michael all over. She used to joke that he liked the uniform because it meant he didn’t have to worry about coordinating an outfit all by himself. Back when she could joke with him. When she could make him smile, easy and natural, like he didn’t have a care in the world. When she’d been allowed inside those walls he’d built up against the rest of the world.

  But even when she’d been close to him, there had always been a side of him that was closed off and contained. Anything he put on display for the world to see was firmly, carefully neutral with no hint of anything personal. Nothing that might give a glimpse of who he was or what he might have going on inside. Nothing that might give you a hint of what he was feeling. He’d always bottled up every difficult emotion, shoved them down, fought like hell to avoid dealing with them. He’d done that with the loss of his parents at a young age, leaving him to be raised by his grandparents. He’d done it with every loss and setback he’d experienced while they’d been together. He’d probably done it over their breakup. She understood the impulse, but it didn’t seem to be making him happy. If anything, he was harder now, colder. There weren’t just walls up, he’d installed a moat and barbed wire.

  Which was just fine with her, Nicole told herself as she brushed her teeth and scrubbed the day off her face. If he wanted to go for the world record of being emotionally repressed, she certainly wasn’t going to get in his way. She changed into her pajamas and all but flopped into the bed, pulling the navy-blue blanket up to her chin. Annoyance simmering away, she snapped the light off.

  And almost immediately turned it back on again.

  This was all Michael’s fault. She’d wanted to mend fences—not perfectly, but as much as she could. She’d wanted to explain. To air things out, once and for all, even if it meant a fight. She’d rather fight about something, and be honest, especially about what she was feeling. Surely that was better than leaving all this tension and pain unresolved. But Michael refused to ever face anything like that. Always had.

  Frustrated, she pushed back the blankets and padded over to the dresser to get the laptop Michael had loaned her. He’d assured her it was secure. If she was too antsy to sleep then the least she could do was try to get some work done. Check in with the salon, see how things were running without the three bosses there. She trusted her staff, of course, but the salon was still her baby. She worried when it was out of her sight.

  It was waiting for her when she opened her email. The time stamp said it had been sent just a few hours after they’d left the city.

  It’s not too late. Call the police. You were mistaken about what you saw. Everyone makes mistakes, Nicole. Don’t make another one. Take back your testimony, or we’ll burn your world to the ground. Starting with your pretty little shop.

  Ice raced through her veins. Nothing like an ugly threat to put things in perspective. She tried to swallow back the hard lump that rose in her throat. She squeezed her eyes shut against the sharp ache of tears. She was not going to cry. She didn’t cry, ever, and she was not going to let these bastards make her start now. Still, Nicole felt the tears start to gather and threaten to spill out.

  If it was just the building that was damaged, it would still hurt. She’d worked so hard for that salon. They all had, Holly and Charlotte and her. All the sixteen-hour days, all the scrimping and saving, the constant, uphill struggle to make it a success and to keep it that way. Everything she had fought for and accomplished in her professional life was in that salon. But it wasn’t just the building. It was her staff, who were all counting on her to keep them safe and make sure they had paychecks to keep their own lives together. It was the neighborhood, which could suffer from collateral damage if there was a fire. The salon was the ground floor retail space in a building that also had several floors of apartments. How many people could lose their homes or their lives if the salon was torched?

  Focus, Nicole. She had to do something. She had to warn Angelica. She’d been the first employee Nicole had hired and had been with them almost since the beginning. Nicole had left her in charge, knowing that she’d take care of everything. But now she’d put Angelica and the rest of their employees right in the crosshairs. If anything happened to them, if they got hurt because of her…

  A knock at the door had her heart jolting in her chest. She quickly swiped away the tears that had gathered, putting a reassuring smile on her face as she walked over to open the door. Grant probably just wanted a glass of water.

  Michael stood in the doorway, his tall, solid frame taking up nearly the whole space. He was still wearing the jacket he’d pulled on before heading outside, and smelled of pine and fresh air. “I wanted to let you know that I locked everything up for the night. I’ll probably be up before you tomorrow morning, but if I’m not, don’t touch anything or leave the cabin until I am.”

  Nicole nodded, kept the smile in place through sheer force of will. “Okay. Sure.”

  Michael gave her a searching look. “What’s wrong?”

  She pushed back against the knife’s edge of fear, and stepped back, holding the door open. “I got an email I think you should see.”

  He crossed over to the bed and sat down, turning the laptop to read the message on the screen. Nicole could see him snapping into professional mode, his expression going hard and focused. “I’ll send it to the police in the morning, in case they can trace it. There’s a good chance they might be able to find out who sent the email.”

  Nicole tossed her hair over her shoulder and tried to give him a confident smile. She didn’t want him to see how much this had shaken her. “That would be great. But should we really count on it? Realistically, how fast are they likely to find anything? Will it be before or after the person who sent this finds us? Or starts going after my employees?”

  Michael’s dark eyes focused on her, his expression hardening. “That’s not going to happen.”

  “I certainly hope not,” she said. The smile was starting to hurt. “Otherwise, I’ll have to leave you a really bad Yelp review.”

  “Nicole.” Something in his voice, his eyes, made her look away. It was too much like the way he used to look at her—like he’d do anything in the world to keep her safe and happy. She couldn’t deal with that look right now. “Trust me.”

  “I do,” she said quietly. “I’m just…” Frightened. “Worried,” she finished. “I can’t let anything happen to my employees, not because of me.”

  “Let me worry about it. It’s my job. I won’t let anything happen to you, or Grant, or your friends. Or your business.” Michael stood and crossed over to her, and Nicole had to tuck her arms in tightly to her chest to keep from reaching out to him. He was looking at her like he had years ago. Before this whole mess, before she’d torn their lives apart. “Trust me. We know what we’re doing. We can keep you safe. All of you.”

  “Promise?” It came out a little unsteady.