Page 1 of Entwined With You

Prologue

I don’t know him.

I can’t trust him.

Not really. I have to remember. I have to play a part. Because no matter how much I might want him, I must keep the past firmly in mind. Must force myself to keep the truth I now live by firmly in my head. The truth that he could be the one who took Sabrina’s wild light from this world….

How many times had he told her, “I love you?”

Had each kiss been a lie? Each promise a deception?

I don’t know. And yet somehow, I must find out.

I have to be careful. I have to be smart.

I need to keep my distance.

I need to protect my heart.

I need to find the truth.

And above all else, I have to keep my own secrets locked away safe inside.

All sound advice. A good policy. A solid plan.

And yet I can’t seem to follow my own edict. Because with every moment that passes, I sink deeper and deeper. And all I can do is hope that if I go under, he will be the one to pull me up to safety, and not the man who lets me drown.

Chapter One

September 2.

Braxton Reed stared at the date on the wall calendar, his ears ringing from the explosion, his skin hot from the flames engulfing the van across the intersection. Sabrina.

Oh, dear god, Sabrina.

The burning van. The concrete beneath him. His body aching from anguish and horror. The woman behind the wheel.

He tried to race forward, but he couldn’t move. He couldn’t see her. The world was swimming, blurring, and his throat ached from the force of his scream.

Over and over and over. Every—

“Brax? You with us?”

Ryan Hunter’s voice cut through the roar in his head, and Brax pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to force himself back to the present. To this September second. Not the one fifteen years ago. The one he relived every goddamn year.

“Agent Reed.” Ryan’s voice was sharper now, concern hiding in the stern tone.

Brax shook his head, then drew a breath. With a shudder, he met his boss’s vibrant blue eyes across the conference room table. “Sorry, sorry.” He curled his toes in his shoes, a trick he used when the memories stole his focus. Across the table from him, Mason Walker tilted his head, and Brax thought he saw compassion. He turned away; compassion was something he neither wanted nor deserved. “Rough night,” he lied, tossing out the first excuse he could think of. In fact, the night had been easy. Hard to have a rough one when you drank enough to keep all the demons away. Or tried to, anyway.

“Your work has been exemplary these last few months, Brax. You’ve been an excellent addition to Stark Security.”

Brax swallowed, waiting for the but. It didn’t come.

“That’s why I’m putting you on as Omega Team Leader. Cami will be your second. Mason will head up Alpha team.” He paused only briefly, but in the silence, Brax heard the words Ryan didn’t say: This is a test. I’m moving you up faster than usual. Don’t let me down.

“I appreciate that, sir. You can count on me.” He meant the words, hating that this meeting had to happen today. He shouldn’t have even come in. After so many years, he should know better. For him, September second should be a perpetual sick day.

“So what’s the job?” Mason asked, running his fingers through his dark hair. “And why are we running an Alpha team with an Omega one?”