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PROLOGUE: LIAM
Liam – A Week Ago
Damn Niko.
Standing outside Kate Emerson's, now Katie Lawson’s, townhome in a nondescript suburban town in Pennsylvania, I can't shake the feeling of dread.
The last thing I want is to take her out of witness protection.
Correction: the last thing I want is to see her.
There's something about Kate that unravels me, makes me feel exposed and out of control.
Niko, once a stone-cold mob boss, has turned into a softie for his wife Elena. Now he wants me, Don Leone's ever-dutiful consigliere, to reunite Kate with her friend.
My FBI badge acts as a picklock, yanking her out of witness protection.
Ideally, another agent would handle it. But the truth is, the feeling gnaws at me - she's still in danger.
And if something happens to her...well, let's just say the embers of my humanity might finally flicker out.
Fuck!
I'd spent two weeks arranging her protection, and in that time, something changed. I find myself feeling sorry for her, wanting to make this drastic change in her life easier.
Spending so much time with her, talking, even laughing, my guard slips, and something about her gets to me.
Seeing her stirs something inside me, warming a cold heart. Once I realize it, I try to walk away. I like women, or at least sex. But I don’t do love.
I can’t afford whatever effect she has on me. But as I’ve discovered, walking away hasn’t completely rid her from my system.
The woman haunts my dreams.
For days after I left her in her new home, I woke with a hard-on and imagined her sucking my dick as I jerked off to relieve it. Eventually, I stopped masturbating, thinking that would rid her from my system. So far, it hasn’t worked to stop the dreams or the hard-ons. Fucking hell.
Knocking on her door, I brace myself for the rush of unwelcome feelings when I see her.
If I’m lucky, she’s packed and ready to return to Manhattan. I can get her in the car, to the airport, to her new place, and then never see her again.
Except… shit, fuck, hell… she’s Elena’s friend, so chances are good that I’ll see her on occasion when I’m with Niko.
The door opens, and there she is, smiling at me like I'm a fucking superhero. "Agent Rostova."
"Where's your bags?" I bark, hating how my chest tightens when her smile dims.
"Right here." She opens the door to reveal two suitcases. "I have a few boxes, but that’s it."
“I’ve arranged for the rest to be shipped.” I step inside her home, noting the warmth and scent of vanilla. It’s a reminder of how pure she is. She shouldn’t have ever needed to enter Witness Protection.
I want to blame Elena Fiori Leone, the Mafia princess who befriended an unknowing Kate and therefore put Kate in danger.
But the truth is, Kate’s dirty police chief father could just as easily be the reason Kate needs protection. But now, Giovanni Fiori, Elena’s father, seems to be after Elena’s sister, Lucia. And Kate’s father is MIA, probably dead.
I’m not convinced that Kate is safe, but if she has Niko’s protection, then she’s probably safer than living in suburban Pennsylvania.
I pick up her bags and march out the door. “Let’s go.”
She nods, getting her purse and following me out, shutting the door behind her. Once I get her and her bags in my SUV, I drive us to the small county airport where a government plane waits.
