THE night of the soiree, Swanny dressed while Eden donned her evening finery, and instead of leaving her gorgeous hair down, she arranged it in an elegant updo with tendrils floating delicately down the slender column of her neck.

She'd done her eyes in a dark smoky look with a hint of glitter on her eyelids and affixed dangly diamond earrings to her ears, and she wore a matching choker around her neck.

She looked every bit the supermodel she was. The heels she wore made her nearly as tall as he was, and he was a tall man, but he liked the idea that she fit him just right. He could tuck her underneath his shoulder and he didn't have to lean down to kiss her.

She checked her watch. "Can you see if the others are ready? Fashionably late is one thing, but late-late is altogether different. I don't want to p.i.s.s off the Aria representatives by showing up when the party is nearly over."

Swanny gave her a small salute and then went next door to check on his teammates. Nathan and Joe were inside Edge and Skylar's room and Skylar was laughingly helping her male teammates with their suits and straightening their attire.

"You guys ready?" Swanny asked from the door. "Eden's ready to go. Everything in place?"

Joe nodded. "Yeah, we'll take the lead. You follow behind with Skylar and Edge."

Swanny shook his head, unease creeping up his neck. "No, Skylar rides with you. Edge is with me. Put Skylar between you. Too much exposure up front."

Joe and Nathan gave him a concerned glance but didn't argue. "Okay, man, we'll play this your way," Nathan finally said.

Swanny nodded and then walked back toward Eden's suite with the others in tow. He slipped his key card in and then cracked the door partway.

"Everyone's ready if you are."

"Perfect! Let me just get my clutch."

Eden collected the beaded, sequined small purse off the bar and then went to meet them.

They immediately fell into step around her and escorted her down the stairs to the back entrance where the cars waited.

The drivers on hire were big burly men, well versed in personal protection. Swanny had no doubt they were packing as well, and it gave him a measure of relief that they had two extra men on Eden's protection detail.

While his gut wasn't screaming, it wasn't exactly quiet tonight and he couldn't pinpoint why. This was precisely why it didn't pay to become personally involved with a client. It could be that he didn't want her on display for dozens of wealthy men to salivate over. It could be that there was a real danger to her.

Things had been too quiet ever since Eden's brush with death when a sniper had taken a shot at her, and if Big Eddie Sinclair was to be believed-and the man was not p.r.o.ne to overexaggeration or bouts of hysteria-a very real threat lurked in the shadows, waiting and watching for an opportunity to enact his revenge against Eddie.

They weaved through busy Paris traffic the short distance to the upscale bar and restaurant that offered a private room. Swanny had already been over with his team to see exactly what they were dealing with.

They'd marked areas in the room Eden was to never be in. Where she'd present an easy target from a sniper shooting through a window. They also arranged for one of them to tail Eden the entire night, and she wasn't to go to the ladies' room without Skylar and Swanny to escort her, with Skylar going in while Swanny manned the door, temporarily shutting off access until Eden had exited.

They'd prepared well for the event. So why was his gut eating a hole in his insides?

Eden reached over and slid her long slender fingers through his much larger ones, his hand engulfing hers. As if sensing his sudden turmoil, she smiled sweetly and leaned over to kiss him, uncaring that Edge sat on her other side.

"Relax," she murmured. "What could possibly go wrong when I have Superman protecting me? I trust you, Swanny. You won't let anyone hurt me."

Her words settled over him, warm and comforting, but they did nothing to dissipate his sudden agitation.

The closer they got to the restaurant where the soiree was being hosted, the more twisted up he got inside. He knew he could very well jeopardize Eden's career or her account with Aria if he f.u.c.ked this up for her, but he could ignore it no longer. Her life was worth far more than some million-dollar cosmetics campaign. At least to him it was. d.a.m.n anyone else.

"Turn around," he barked into the small mouthpiece affixed strategically to his collar. "Abort. Abort, G.o.dd.a.m.n it."

To the driver's credit, he didn't hesitate. He executed a perfect J-turn in the middle of traffic and Swanny caught sight of the car carrying Nathan, Skylar and Joe doing the same, falling in behind them.

"What's up, Swanny?" Joe asked tersely. "What's going on?"

"My gut is screaming like a motherf.u.c.ker, that's what," Swanny said sharply.

Radio went silent. They were all preparing for the worst. No one on his team doubted his gut, as ridiculous as it might sound. It was just another reason he fit in so well with his teammates.

"What you feeling, man?" Edge murmured from his place on Eden's other side. True to Edge's nature, he never hesitated. He was always prepared for anything. He already had a gun pulled and was reaching for the other from the opposite shoulder harness.

"It's wrong," Swanny muttered. "It's all G.o.dd.a.m.n wrong."

"Swanny?" Eden whispered.

He turned to Eden, expecting anger or even outrage that he'd pulled the plug on what was a very important night for her, but all he saw were eyes wide with fear. Whether she was conscious of it or not, she was gripping both his and Edge's hands, her knuckles as white as the color in her face.

"What's wrong? What should I do? Tell me so I don't get in the way."

He admired her calm when she had to be scared to death. Swanny knew he wasn't exactly a pillar of rea.s.surance at the moment, his features locked in stone and examining every single car, person, business as they barreled by.

He carefully squeezed her hand and then reluctantly let it go. He needed both hands, not just one.

"You stay behind me at all times," Swanny said as calmly as he was able when his insides were screaming that Eden was in danger. "If for whatever reason you can't get to me, you stick to Edge. He'll protect you. Do not, and I repeat, do not present an open target. If you can't take cover behind me or Edge, then you hit the ground behind the vehicle.

"This car has bulletproof gla.s.s and a reinforced steel frame. It will withstand an impact that would demolish most other cars. You have your seat belt on?"

She nodded, her eyes still wide.

"Good girl. Now try to keep calm so I can get you back to safety."

No sooner had the words escaped his mouth when the world simply exploded around them. The front end of the car lifted, nearly flipping it over backward before slamming back to the road, fire and smoke billowing from the front.

The driver's head was lolled to the side and Swanny reached up to check for a pulse, all the while gathering Eden to his side in preparation for escape.

"What the f.u.c.k?" Edge yelled hoa.r.s.ely. "That was a f.u.c.king RPG!"

"Driver's dead," Swanny said grimly. "Everyone out on my side! The shot came from the right. Eden, as soon as I pull you out, you hit the street and don't move until you're told. Nathan and Joe will cover you."

"Swanny, you're bleeding," Eden said, a hitch in her voice. "And where are you going?"

"I'm going after the motherf.u.c.ker who attacked us."

"I've got your six," Edge said.

"One, two, three, go go go!" Swanny urged, kicking open the damaged back door and pulling Eden to the street, shoving her down roughly so she didn't present a target.

Nathan, Joe and Skylar ran up, guns drawn, cursing a blue streak.

"Cover Eden," Swanny barked. "Edge and I are going after this f.u.c.ker. Do not let anything happen to her."

"We won't, man," Nathan said softly. "I've been in your shoes. I know how it feels. We'll take care of your girl."

Swanny shot him a look of grat.i.tude and then ran down the street, his tux disheveled and blood-smeared. With the way people ducked and ran he must have looked like an angel of wrath, bent on the destruction of everything in his line of sight.

Mentally he went over those first moments when the world had gone all to h.e.l.l. The driver had suffered a direct hit but the shot had come from the right side, not the left. And why the driver? The a.s.sa.s.sin could have just as easily targeted the backseat and they might or might not have survived. The car was reinforced, and for the sole purpose of protection, but not many vehicles outside the military could withstand a direct hit from a rocket-propelled grenade.

Edge pounded the pavement behind him, guns drawn. Already in the distance sirens could be heard, and Swanny knew they had one giant cl.u.s.terf.u.c.k on their hands.

"Son of a b.i.t.c.h!" Swanny swore as he skidded to a stop.

Edge came to an abrupt halt beside him and the two stared down at the discarded AT-4. An older model, not the recoilless version found in more recent editions. Swanny glanced quickly around, taking in the disturbance in the soil, then snapped his attention back to Edge.

"f.u.c.k. The French police are going to be all over this. You got anything on you to do a check for prints?" Swanny asked.

Edge grimly nodded. "They don't call me Mr. Prepared for the Worst for nothing."

He reached into one of the breast pockets of his suit and pulled out a box containing gloves, tape and dusting powder.

"You got about one minute before we're made, so put it in high gear," Swanny muttered, listening as the sounds of the sirens grew louder.

Edge quickly went to work on his examination, carefully bagging evidence and dusting for prints. His gaze drifted to the same area of disturbance Swanny had already observed, and he lifted one eyebrow.

"Seems our a.s.shole can't afford more up-to-date equipment."

Swanny's gaze swept the area again, this time noting small patches of blood likely caused by the recoil. He wished the f.u.c.ker had blown himself up, but it was obvious he'd escaped. This time. If Swanny had his way, he wouldn't get another chance to get to Eden. It was time to crack down and crack down hard, which meant calling in Sam and putting every bit of KGI's might behind tracking down this son of a b.i.t.c.h.

"Let's get out of here," Swanny said. "I want to get back to Eden. She has to be scared out of her mind."

Swanny and Edge hurried back toward the scene. Swanny cursed vividly when he saw a swarm of reporters and news crews all homed in on Eden's pale face. Nathan, Joe and Skylar were doing an admirable job of keeping the vultures back, but police were questioning all four, which made crowd control next to impossible. After all, it wasn't every day a vehicle got RPG'd right in the middle of Paris.

There were murmurs and shouts all between tossing question after question the policemen's way.

"They want to know if this was a terrorist attack," Edge translated.

Swanny lifted an eyebrow at his friend. "Since when are you fluent in French?"

Edge grinned. "My mother is French. I actually have dual citizenship and was born in America. My dad was military, so I followed in his footsteps for a while but found fighting was more of a challenge. I thrived on the adrenaline."

As they strode rapidly to the scene, Swanny glanced over at his friend. "So why'd you give up MMA?"

Edge shrugged. "I was getting older. The compet.i.tion was getting younger. I wanted to go out on top so when I won the belt in the heavyweight division I announced my retirement a few months later. But I was still restless and wanted the adrenaline. I wanted to make a difference. I guess it's what bothered me most when I quit the army to pursue a career in MMA, because at least in the army I was making a difference. It wasn't all about me and my ability to pound a guy in the ring. When I heard about KGI, it seemed the perfect compromise. I knew I was qualified. I was a ranger. My skills weren't rusty because even after I left the army I still kept to my military regimen. Kept my shooting skills up. I guess even back then I missed it and realized I'd made a bad decision."

As soon as Eden looked up through the crowd and saw Swanny coming toward her, she broke away from the police and reporters and shoved her way through the resisting crowds. She threw herself into his arms and held him tightly. She shook violently against him. There wasn't a single part of her that wasn't quivering. Her teeth chattered and her skin was icy cold.

Swanny swore as he gathered her in his arms, covering as much of her as he could. She was in shock and it was obvious no one had made any effort to get her medical attention.

He buried his face in her sweet-smelling hair, such a contrast to the smell of fire, smoke and melting rubber. Even the scent of blood hung obscenely in the air.

"I was so scared for you," she whispered brokenly. "Oh G.o.d, Swanny, never do that to me again. I died a thousand times waiting for you to come back, so afraid you wouldn't."

Tears slipped openly down her cheeks as she swallowed back a raw sob. He tenderly kissed each drop of moisture away and then clung to her, anchoring her through the storm.

With Edge translating, Swanny got his point across in a blunt, take-it-or-leave-it fashion. Swanny wasn't leaving Eden exposed a minute longer. He was taking her back to her hotel and if the police wanted to question her, it d.a.m.n sure wouldn't be at a precinct.

The officers on the scene put up a token protest until Skylar very sweetly informed them exactly who Eden Sinclair was and that she was considered one of the most beautiful women in the world and it wouldn't look good for the police to hold a shaken, in-shock, scared-out-of-her-mind woman against her will.

The commanding officer on the scene couldn't backpedal quickly enough. He immediately arranged a police caravan to ferry Eden and her entourage back to the hotel, though Swanny made a mental note to check out and find another hotel. As soon as the news got out-and it would-the journalists, both legitimate and paparazzi, would be circling like vultures, which would put Eden in an even more vulnerable position.

Swanny quickly led Eden to their suite, holding on to her because she was far from steady on her feet. As soon as they were inside, she collapsed on the couch, leaned forward so her elbows rested on her knees and buried her face in her hands.

Silent sobs shook her shoulders, h.e.l.l, her entire body. She lifted her tear-drenched eyes to his, and it cut out his heart to see her in such distress.

"Why, Swanny? Why? I don't understand," she said, her voice cracking under the weight of emotion. "Why would someone want to blow up my car? Who could possibly hate me so much that they'd go to such horrible lengths to kill me? I don't u-u-understand."

Her voice broke off and she dropped her face into her hands once more, her shoulders heaving with the force of her sobs.

He went to her. He couldn't do anything else. A man who didn't comfort his woman when she needed it the most wasn't much of a man. She turned blindly to him, clinging to him like a burr, burying her face in his neck, wetting the collar of his shirt with her tears, "I don't understand," she whispered brokenly. "I just don't understand."

Swanny sighed because, G.o.dd.a.m.n it, her father should have been straight with her from the start, and now it was left to Swanny to piece together the entire puzzle so at least Eden could gain some understanding of what was going on around her. Something she should have been aware of from the start. And right now he didn't give two s.h.i.ts if it p.i.s.sed her father off and he fired KGI.

Because whether or not KGI was still a.s.signed as her security detail, there was no way in h.e.l.l he was leaving Eden's side until the a.s.sa.s.sin was taken out. Permanently.

CHAPTER 27.

SWANNY gathered Eden close in his arms, her face buried in his neck. He rubbed his hands up and down her back, offering her comfort and bracing himself for what he was about to tell her.

He'd do anything at all to spare her this pain, but if it saved her life, if it made her more wary and alert, then he'd lay it out to her as delicately as possible.

He stroked her hair and then gently pulled her away so he could look her in the eyes.

"Listen to me, honey. There's something-a lot-I need to explain to you. Something that you should have been told from the very beginning, and I'm risking a lot by going against your father's wishes, but you need to be told . . . the truth."

Her eyes widened in shock, a glazed look falling over her delicate features.

"My father? The truth? Swanny, I don't understand. What do you mean my father should have told me the truth? Are you saying he lied to me?"

Distress was a beacon in her eyes radiating to the rest of her body. She looked utterly bewildered, betrayed and devastated. Her lips quivered and tears crowded the corners of her lids, glistening on her eyelashes. G.o.d, but he hated what he had to do. Normally it wasn't something he would do. KGI answered to the party footing the bill, even when they disagreed.