She didn’t get the comment. “What?”

“Your lawyer sent Elijah Sterling to see me. That guy’s record . . .” Rick blew out a long, ragged breath. “It can’t be real.”

Leave it to Eli to swoop in and provide backup. “I ran his team. It’s real. He’s that scary.”

“Thanks to some well-placed comments by him, I have something to work with. I’m going to push back on the people who hired me,” Rick said to Gabe. “Make it clear Natalie’s leverage and this hidden information she compiled is not something you play around with. Buy a bit of room, let them see everything is okay, or at least convince them that they have a lot to lose if they don’t ease up.”

“How much time will this take?” Gabe asked.

“A week?” Rick shrugged. “Hell, I don’t know.”

“Good.”

The word clunked in her brain. An unending run away from some unseen threat? No, thank you. “How is any of what he said good?”

“Rick is going to handle his end, which will support all the threats Bast is making on your behalf.” Gabe talked slowly, emphasizing each word. “We’ll lay low while all of that shakes out.”

She knew he was trying to tell her something, but she didn’t get it. Didn’t really want to. They were talking about her life like it was nothing more than a cheese sandwich to be bargained for and discarded. She expected that from Rick. Not Gabe. “You trust him? You think whoever is paying him will just back off because we’re all waving threats around?”

Gabe nodded. “Yes.”

“Of course,” Rick said at the same time.

They seemed so sure. Both stared at her with an annoying stop-worrying expression. As if she was the one out of line here. “Up until right now I thought you both were pretty competent.”

Gabe stared at her for an extra beat before turning to Rick. “It’s time for you to go.”

“A storm is kicking up.” Rick touched the tab to his zipper as he glanced out the window.

“Then you should move fast.”

“Gabe.” Even she thought that might be taking the vengeance angle too far. If something happened to Rick out there, Gabe would not forgive himself. Forget how mad he might be, this guy was his brother, and Gabe had proven over and over again to be decent.

“I don’t believe for one second hanging out here for the rest of the day and tonight was his original plan. He has a plane waiting or some mode of transportation.” Gabe shot his brother a skeptical look. “I’m just wondering why you came all the way out here to deliver this news yourself.”

“Didn’t think you’d believe one of my employees if I sent him out here, talking in code and shouting about Bast’s arguments and Natalie’s leverage.”

“True, but Andy can reach me.”

This time Rick zipped his coat. “He hasn’t been all that helpful to me on this operation.”

She knew she’d liked Andy. “I wonder why.”

“I’ll walk you out. Make sure you leave.” Gabe grabbed his jacket with one hand as he shoved his brother toward the door with the other.

•   •   •

Somehow they made it out onto the porch. The snow had started to fall, a bit harder now than earlier. Gabe knew because he’d spent the early morning walking the area around the cabin, looking for tracks or any other signs of life. If he had known he could have stayed in bed with Natalie a few more minutes and let Rick come to him, he would have.

Natalie. Gabe shook his head. Fought off a smile.

She’d been on his side through this battle. Got all furious on his behalf over Rick’s choices about Brandon. Gabe often wondered if the world flipped upside down who would defend him. Now he had an idea. Had no clue what to do about it or think about her, but her loyalty meant something.

If a man could wrangle her into a relationship, she wouldn’t cheat. That might be a low bar for some men, but not him. Combine that with her resilience and sexiness and he was having a hard time thinking about anything but her.

Rick turned right before starting down the porch steps. “She’s not your type.”

True in some ways but not in others. The main difference is that with other women, Gabe had counted the days until it ended. With her he dreaded the day it would. “You don’t know anything about me.”

“Come on, Gabe. I told you the truth about what happened in the past because I thought you deserved to know.”

He didn’t pretend to misunderstand. This wasn’t about Natalie or work. “You told me because it was expedient to get what you wanted. Brandon.”

“I love that kid.”

The word grated across Gabe’s nerves. Before the admission and epic fight a comment like that would have filled Gabe with pride. It would signal that Brandon would always have family. Now everything Rick said came delivered with two edges, both sharp and dangerous. “So do I. Try to take him away from me and you’ll see how much.”

“You think he’ll love you any less if he finds out you’re his uncle and not his father?”

That question played over and over in Gabe’s head. Had for what felt like forever. “We will never know.”

“I need this, Gabe.” Rick blew out a long breath. “I’m not letting this subject drop.”

There it was. The constant threat that sucked the life out of everything else. “And I’m done talking. Have a nice hike.”

Gabe turned around and shut the door before Rick could say anything else. But one day, soon and before he was ready, Gabe would have to hit this horrible issue head-on. Then he’d see how much blood mattered.

FOURTEEN

Gabe shut the door, blocking out the cold wind and every memory of his brother. Inside meant Natalie. It was just the two of them, safe and warm. No new threats. No realities to face. And if Gabe guessed right, at least until Rick landed back in D.C. and delivered his report to whomever needed to hear it, very limited risk of attack.

That meant no more kissing Natalie while a warning light flashed in the back of his head to be careful. He’d told her he needed to watch the door and have a gun nearby. All true, up to a point. Now, not so much. And as soon as he burned off some of this anger toward Rick, he’d touch her. Really touch her.

She’d taken her boots off and stood up from her position kneeling on the couch where it looked like she’d been on some sort of guard duty. Her approach was cautious. She fidgeted as she rubbed her hands together. “Are you okay?”

“Sure.” He would be. He just needed a few more minutes, but staring at her helped.

Damn, but she was pretty. That face, round with big eyes. A body that left him breathless and a soft southern accent that appeared and disappeared depending on her mood. That part proved to be one of his favorite things about her.

“Gabe, please.” Her head tilted to the side and her soft hair fell over her shoulder. “I can see the distress in every line of your body. Hear it in your voice.”

“I can’t pretend he’s not trying to rip my life apart.” But he could focus on something else. Something clean and light and full of energy—her.

“Of course not. I wouldn’t expect you to, but why let him get away with bullshit answers and send him away?”

Now he understood. It made sense that she’d want concrete intel and promises in writing, though the ones she had didn’t appear to be all that rock solid. “Because he will make the report to the people who hired him. He’ll make it clear that they are engaging in a game of mutually assured destruction if they continue.”

She shrugged. “I’m not convinced that will be enough since they’ve known I held the leverage all along. Bast used it in the negotiations.”

“Clearly they thought that was a bluff or that they could take you out before you could use your leverage.”

“Idiots.”

“And none of that matters because by the time Rick gets back home we will be moving again.” He probably should have led with that. By this time tomorrow they would be out of here. Rick could send all the men he wanted to watch over them. They’d be staring at an empty cabin.