"I'm so glad you decided to turn me back on, jackhole. How are things on your end? A grunt for good. Two grunts for bad and a snort for shut the fuck up, Royce."

Maddox snorted at his partner's words.

"Going by your response, I'm going to assume you and the delectable Hailey are together and you can't talk. I'm also hoping I'm not interrupting any inserting of your part A, into her slot B time."

He barely restrained from growling at Royce. The man was an excellent CIA agent, but his twisted sense of humor tended to piss others off.

"Let me get something off my chest. Otherwise, I think I might implode. When we get to wherever the hell you are taking us, the first damn thing you best do, after we are settled, is explain." She gripped his fingers a little tighter with each word.

Knowing his partner, and best friend could hear every word, Maddox swore loudly.

"Surely, you aren't planning on telling her the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you, God?" Royce asked a squeak in his voice.

Hailey swore he waged some internal battle as she watched Maddox's face after she made her announcement. If the man continued to grind his teeth, they would be down to little nubs, but that was not her problem. She wanted...no, she corrected herself, she needed answers. Her feelings for him went a lot deeper than fellow soldier, or even lover. Hailey had fallen in lust with him the first time she'd seen him over a year ago. He'd walked into the building wearing his Navy uniform, looking way too comfortable in his surroundings, almost arrogant, but she still thought he was the sexiest thing she'd ever seen. He'd filled out the Navy slacks like none other, and his biceps were so large, she didn't think her hands would go all the way around them. However, all that would be a moot point if what he told her was something she couldn't live with.

With hundreds of miles left to go, she sat back and closed her eyes. The warmth of his hand still in hers was not going unnoticed by either of them.

She jerked awake at the feel of the car coming to a stop, Maddox's hand still holding hers. "Are we there?"

He grinned, the dashboard lights highlighting his masculine features. "Yep." His left hand hung over the steering wheel as his eyes stared straight ahead.

A glance around showed her a brick ranch with a huge tree in the front yard. "Where the hell are we?"

"This is where I grew up. Home, I guess you could say."

His voice held a strange quality to it.

Night had fallen as she'd slept. She wondered if he had phoned ahead to tell his parents they were coming, but then they surely would have left a light on for them. The tire swing hanging from a branch looked like it hadn't seen much attention, yet the grass was freshly mowed and the home looked well-kept from the outside.

"Are we going in, or sitting out here all night?" She sat without moving.

"I'm going to pull into the garage." The driveway disappeared to the back of the house, revealing a three car attached garage with one door opening as they approached. Maddox released her hand once they'd cleared the entrance, shoving open his door. "I'll grab our supplies. I stopped about an hour ago and picked up some milk and a few other things from an all-night grocer."

"Dang, I must have been tired." A yawn caught her by surprise.

"You've been through hell. I'm shocked you haven't crashed before now." He hefted the bags from the backseat.

"I'll get the ones from the very back," she said, not giving him a chance to deny her.

She walked behind him up to the door, surprised to see the level of security on the old home. "Wow, your parents must be as security conscious as you."

Lights came on as they entered; the air had the scent of a vacant home.

Maddox went to the large fridge and put the milk and other supplies away while she silently waited. Without asking, she knew he was working up to telling her what she'd asked.

"Water?" he asked, holding a bottle of water in his hand.

She nodded, needing something to do.

"Let's go into the living room for this little chat, shall we?" Maddox, ever the gentleman, extended his hand for her to precede him.

The typical ranch-style home had an open floor plan from the kitchen to a large living room, with a huge picture window overlooking the front yard. More lights came on as they entered, yet not a speck of dust marred any surface of the place.

Patience wearing thin, she sat in the middle of the sofa hoping he'd sit next to her. Instead, he walked over to the fireplace.

"This was my home. See that tire swing out there?" He pointed toward the window with his bottle of water. "My mom and dad used to take turns pushing me in that when I was a kid." He took a deep breath. "You were right. I'm not in the Navy. My name is Maddox Lopez. I didn't lie about that. Hell, I think this is one of the first cases I've been able to use my real name."

The pain she saw in his eyes as he turned back to face her was like a knife to the gut. "Wait. Cases?"

"Hales, I work for the Central Intelligence Agency. We've long suspected someone on the inside has been selling out our agents, and their families to our enemies as leverage." He looked straight into the open area where a fire should have been, the hurt radiating off of him in waves.

"Your family?" she asked even though in her heart she knew.

"Five years ago someone showed up here and killed both my parents. Now, you might think it was some random murder, but I know the truth. My boss knows the truth. It was a professional hit, Hales. Do you want to know the details of how my mother was killed?" His knuckles turned white around the plastic.

She shook her head. "Do you think it was Dex who was leaking the information?" God, she couldn't fathom the pain he must've gone through. Nor, how Dex could have...

"No, I don't believe Dex is the mole. I believe he is just a small blip in the grand scheme of things."

"Damn it, Mad. You have got to be kidding me. I take a piss, and look what you go and do. Grow a fucking conscience," Royce growled. "Oh, yeah. SEAL Team Phantom is on their way, so try not to kill the friendlies."

"Fuck me running." Maddox pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What did I do?" She got off the couch, tired of sitting there while he stood apart from her.

He pointed to his ear. "My partner is talking to me."

7.

Hailey stared at his ear, the tiny device unnoticeable. "That's incredible. So, can he hear me then?"

"Tell her I think she sounds sexy, and I wish I could see her."

"Royce, I will beat the shit out of you." Maddox touched the small device.

"You guys sound like you're close." She ran her hand up his arm. His muscles flexed under her palms, reminding her of his strength.

He swallowed audibly. "He's my best friend, more like a brother to me. I'd trust him with my life." He gave a dry laugh. "What am I saying? I have trusted him with my life on dozens of occasions. More importantly, I'd trust him with yours."

His head bent and he swooped down, taking her lips in a kiss that sent her senses reeling. His tongue swept in, tangling with hers, then glided along the seam of her lips. He tasted like peppermint gum. She truly could imagine running her tongue over his for the next hundred years, and never get tired.

A cry escaped from her as he pulled her body flush against his, and moved to kiss her neck. Her eyes drifted open, every muscle in her body strung tight in anticipation.

Lights flicking off in the distance had her jerking against him. "Maddox, I think a car just turned its lights off at the end of the drive."

His fingers stilled on her breast. Calm settled over his features. His jaw firmed.

"Royce, I've got company. Where you at, buddy?" Maddox moved them away from the window, his hand wound around her elbow, securing her to his side.

She would fight with him. "What's the plan? Is Royce near?"

"He's not answering me." They went back to the kitchen while he began pulling weapons out of the bag.

"Shit. Did they follow us? How could they follow us?" Hailey looked around wildly. One minute she was making out with Maddox, thinking how much she wanted to make love to him, and the next they were loading up with weapons.

He looked up from where he was checking ammo. "Do you have anything on you from home?" His lips turned down, his eyes taking her in like she was the prey.

Black leggings and the shoes on her feet were hers, everything else was borrowed, or new, which she pointed out.

There was a slight hardening of his eyes. "I'm such a dumbass. If I was going to put a tracer on someone, I'd put it on something they don't change every damn day." He raised his finger. "For a female that would be her purse, phone, backpack in your case, and for a universal object or article do you know what it would be?" He laughed mirthlessly, then pointed at her shoes. "Your fucking shoes."

She tried to step forward, but his angry shake of his head stopped her. "I need to get you to the basement. There is a bunker down there. Although there isn't an escape route like the last place, you'll be safe there until help arrives."

Like hell. He planned to stay up here and fight whoever, and however many, came at them while she hid in a corner? Not happening.

"Listen, you aren't thinking clearly. We don't know how many are out there, nor do we know who. They are obviously wanting something they think I have, right? So it would make sense for you to go be scarce, while I stay up here and face what comes at us."

Of course his little hellion, standing there explaining how she wanted to be the one to take on the bad guys turned him on, and made him fucking nuts. He wasn't sure what to do or say that wouldn't piss her off, other than to shake his head in instant denial.

"I can't lose you, Hales." He shifted, taking her with him away from any of the windows. The hallway to the bedrooms was the only area where they were afforded that privacy. Although he had installed security and replaced all the furniture after his parent's murders, he hadn't thought he'd need to do more upgrades to the home. The bunker in the basement was installed years ago when he'd first become an agent.

He fucking hated being the hunted, when he'd always been the one doing the hunting. "I need to cut the power. When I had the house refurbished...after. I wanted to make sure the lights would come on in any room anyone entered, the lights would come on in any room you entered. That makes us a visible target."

"I'll stay up here and watch the doors. Can you shut the power off without turning off the alarms?" Her eyes darted down the hall. Outwardly calm, he could see a pulse beating in her slim throat.

He put his finger under her chin, stopping her motions. "Yeah. The alarm is on a backup system. Keep your eyes and ears open. Shoot first and ask questions later." Giving her a quick kiss, he strode back toward the living room and down the stairs to the basement.

Within moments the lights were out, pitch black swallowed him and the surrounding area. If he hadn't played video games and hide and seek as a kid down there, he might have been worried. Snaking his way back up the steps, he let the small bit of light from the outside be his guide. The almost silent beep in his ear gave him hope Royce was back online. He was locked in silence since he didn't want to speak in case someone else had the earpiece on the other end.

A fist reached out of the darkness, catching him off guard and knocked him into the wall. A stubborn will lit deep within him. He could make out two shadowy figures. The one fighting him, and another working his way around the center island.

Maddox let his voice rise. "What the hell were you doing, waiting inside for us all this time? Why didn't you show your faces instead of waiting till the lights went out, pussies?"

The man in front of him brought up his booted foot and kicked, missing Maddox by a half an inch. A stirring of air behind him, and then a glimmer of light showed a predatory smile cross the face of Dex in front. Maddox didn't stop to think, he dropped to the ground, reaching for the gun tucked into the ankle holster he always kept. A single shot rang out, as he rolled away from whoever was behind him.

His gut tightened at the sound of a heavy thud hitting the ground.

"Shit, you shot me." Dex's pain filled voice came out garbled.

Maddox kept his back to the island, easing around the solid surface, listening for any sound of movement. The fact he hadn't heard Hailey make any noise sent his inner caveman into overdrive. The small gun was pointed off to the side, while he pulled the Glock from the back of his pants. With both guns held at the ready, he made his way back to where he'd left his heart. If anything happened to her, he'd go on a rampage like nothing before.

The moon shone a beam of light on the tile between the area he was and where he needed to be. With his breathing even, he began to lift from his crouched position.

"I told you, I don't know anything. I wasn't part of that team." Hailey's voice sounded closer than it should have.

"Your friend Dex begged to say different. For a few million dollars, he told me and my employer you would tell us where we could find Jase Tyler. Now, if you want to continue to breathe, I suggest you come with me. And you, Maddox Lopez. Clearly, I have your girlfriend. Unless you want to die like the idiot on your kitchen floor, I suggest you let me take the girl."

Maddox's throat worked up and down as bile threatened to come up. He couldn't lose Hailey. If she left with whoever the man with the monotone voice was, she'd be gone from him forever.

"So what's it gonna be, soldier boy?" the man asked, acting like a shark playing with the small fish in the ocean before he gobbled them up.

His whole body tensed as he waited for the man to step into the beam of light. Prayed for that one shot.

"Don't do it, Mad. Kai and his team are here. They want that man alive. I know you want to tell me to fuck off, but the man he is searching for used to be on their team. He betrayed them, and almost got them all killed or some shit." Royce spoke slowly and quietly, never a good thing.

"Why do you want this Tyler so much?" He wasn't entirely convinced all wasn't as it seemed on Royce's end. His partner had gone quiet for too long during a mission. Something they never did unless the other was injured or doing extracurricular things. The latter Maddox knew Royce wouldn't be doing at this point in time.

A nasty laugh met his questions. "Do you think this is like the movies where you get me to talk, and someone on the other end of some recording device will hear my nefarious plans? Get real."

Just a few more steps and he was sure Hailey and whoever was holding her would be in his sights. "Hales, you okay?"