Seduced by His Target (9 page)

Unless she volunteered to stay...

His conscience balked. He’d already caused one woman’s death. He’d dragged his wife into danger she’d never asked for, and she’d paid the ultimate price. Did he now have the right to involve another vulnerable victim, to ask Nadine to give up her chance at freedom to help bring her family down? Would she really work against them if he did?

It was time to find out.

Chapter 6

R
asheed knew he was flirting with danger. Revealing his covert status could jeopardize the investigation, potentially imperiling thousands of innocent lives—not to mention his own. But he couldn’t see much choice. He had to tell her who he was.

“All right, listen,” he said. “The truth is that I’m working undercover.”

Seconds dragged past. Her eyes stayed fastened on his. “Undercover?” she finally said. “You’re saying you’re...some kind of agent? Like with the CIA?”

“That’s right. I’m investigating Amir and Manzoor. They belong to an elite contingent of the Rising Light, a Jaziirastani terror group. Right now they’re on a mission, heading into the United States. I infiltrated their cell to find out what that mission is. I didn’t know they were going to kidnap you. But now that they have, I need your help.”

“
My
help?” She sounded even more surprised. “I’m a plastic surgeon. How can I possibly help you?”

Hoping he hadn’t misjudged her, he started pacing again. A dog barked outside. The sunlight slanting through the gaps in the wallboards made stripes across the wooden floor. He returned to Nadine and stopped. “We think your father is the Rising Light’s chief financier. We’ve been investigating his link to them for years. The money travels a convoluted route from his bank in Virginia—Jannah Capital—to a Jaziirastani charity that supports this jihadist group.”

“What makes you think that?”

“A few years after 9/11, when tighter financial regulations went into effect, we started noticing anomalies in his bank—high-volume transactions, unexplained deposits, multiple accounts transferring funds into the same account overseas. They sent me to one of the bank’s subsidiaries, First Bangladesh, to check it out. I worked there for about a year, trying to follow the money trail, watching how the transfers came in and where they went. But I kept hitting dead ends. They disguise the transactions well. So I decided to go into the field instead.” He’d had no choice after al Kahtani got wind of his investigation, blowing his cover at the bank to shreds.

“That’s when I joined the Rising Light. I decided to approach the investigation from the other end, to try to uncover the people involved and see if I could make the connection back to him.”

Her forehead creased, her eyes turning troubled now. Realizing she wasn’t convinced yet, he went on. “It took me a while to gain their confidence.” Carrying out acts too repugnant to recall. “But I eventually worked my way up their ranks. Then, about six months ago, I got wind that they had something major in the works. I’d paid my dues, and they trusted me by then, so they agreed to let me in. That’s why I’m here, to find out what they’re up to and stop the attack.” And connect the plot to al Kahtani, the bastard who killed his wife.

“What are they going to attack?” she asked, sounding numb.

“That’s just it. We still don’t know. They compartmentalize their information. That’s standard tradecraft behavior. No one person has all the facts, except your father and maybe Manzoor. But whatever they’re planning, it’s going to be big. Internet chatter’s heating up. Governments everywhere are on high alert. We think it’s on the scale of 9/11.”

She pressed her hand to her throat. “And the plane you’re catching?”

“It’s taking us to San Gabriel, the island the drug cartel owns. The cartel is going to fly us into the States on one of their drug smuggling runs. The Rising Light hired them to sneak us in. The CIA is going to facilitate the flight, to make sure we can land.” And hopefully arrest the terrorists, assuming he’d unearthed enough evidence to pin on them by then.

“And you really think my father’s involved in this?”

“I know he is. All our sources tell us so. But I can’t prove it yet. He’s too damned smart. He’s got a firewall around him no one can penetrate.”

He plowed his hand through his hair. “Look. I know I don’t have a right to ask you this. And if you say no, I understand. I’ll get you to the river. I’ll help you get on a boat and escape. But I’d like your help.”

“But I still don’t see what I can do.”

“Stay a captive for a while longer, just until we reach the island. Fill me in on what you know about your family.”

“But I don’t know anything about them. I haven’t seen or talked to them in fifteen years.”

“You might be surprised. Any details you can give me, any bit of background information might trigger a clue. I’m desperate, Nadine. Thousands of people could die if we don’t stop this attack.”

Her face paled. She hugged her arms, her eyes filled with fear. “And my father? What if he catches me?”

“It won’t get that far. I promise. There’s another agent embedded on the island. We’ll help you get away. I only need you to stay with me for a day or two, just long enough for you to brief me on what you know, and then we’ll get you out.”

More doubts clouded her eyes. She nibbled her lush bottom lip, her indecision clear. He knew he was asking a lot. She’d spent nearly half her life on the run from her powerful family. Asking her to trade her freedom—and risk her life—was too damned much.

She lifted her eyes to his. “When is the attack?”

“As soon we get to the United States, I think. We don’t have much time.”

She swallowed, the movement visible in her slender throat. But then she raised her chin. “All right. I’ll do it.”

His breath caught. “You’re sure?”

She exhaled, the sound soft in the quiet room. “My father has tortured me long enough. I can’t keep running forever. And if there’s a chance I can help put a stop to this...”

Staggered by her courage, he moved in close. The afternoon sunlight sifted through the slats, painting silver highlights in her midnight hair. “I’ll protect you, Nadine. I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe. But I can’t lie. There’s no way to predict exactly what’s going to happen. There’s always a risk involved.”

“I know that.”

“And if you want to back out, if you don’t want to chance it, I understand. I can still help you get away. You don’t have to agree.”

“Yes, I do.” A haunted look darkened her eyes. “I’ve built a life now. I have friends, a career. I don’t want to keep starting over every time he catches up. He’s an evil man, Rasheed. Someone has to stop him before more innocent people get hurt. So if I can do my part...”

His eyes stayed on hers, her courage impressing him like hell. Unable to resist, he reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, the silky feel accelerating his pulse.

And suddenly, for the first time, he really saw her. He saw more than her dazzling green eyes, more than her heart-stopping face and tempting curves. He saw a woman with courage and strength, who was willing to put her life on the line to protect others from a violent fate.

This was the woman who’d defied Amir. The woman who’d been willing to barter her own freedom to get Henry the care he required. The woman who spent her life healing battered women, using her medical skills to ease their pain. And this was the woman who’d fled her home as a teenager, willing to brave the dangers of street life to pursue her precious dreams.

His throat thick, he traced her jaw, the purple bruise standing out in stark relief, proof of the violence she’d endured. He couldn’t deny her physical appeal. She had an uncommon beauty, a combination of sultriness and passion that had attracted him from the start.

But her spirit impressed him even more. She didn’t have to lead this kind of existence. It would have been much easier for her to give in to her father’s wishes, marry a member of the Jaziirastani royal family and submit to the traditional role they’d prescribed. Or she could have cashed in on her exotic beauty, garnering fame and money as a model or a movie star. Even now, she could earn a fortune as a plastic surgeon catering to wealthy celebrities desperate to recapture their fading youth. Instead, she dedicated her life to helping the people the rest of society overlooked.

Her altruism affecting him deeply, he threaded his hand through her glossy hair. He skimmed the graceful line of her throat, the tilt of her gray-green eyes. Her full lips were parting in a sensual invitation he was hard-pressed to withstand.

And damned if he didn’t want to kiss her again.

His mind clamored an instant warning, that he was making a mistake. This case was complicated enough. He couldn’t get involved with a woman under his protection, not with so many lives at risk. Giving in to the impulse before had been bad enough, threatening to blow his objectivity sky-high. But now...

Now her spirit drew him like a beacon, torching a need in his jaded soul. Reminding him of a distant time when he’d been a different man, a man with honor and pride and ideals.

Unable to stop himself, he shifted closer, his palm bracketing her jaw. Her pulse raced under his thumb. Her breath hitched, the soft sound luring him in. Their gazes tangled, then locked, heat pulsing between them, that attraction he’d felt from the second he’d met her building steadily out of control.

And then her eyes fluttered closed, her lashes like soot against her pale cheekbones, her lips an invitation a better man would resist.

He was no longer that man.

He lowered his mouth to hers. Her sigh made his heart drum, her amazing warmth inflaming his blood. He took her lips in a blaze of possession, the velvety feel of her jolting every buried part of him back to life.

The scent of her inundated his senses, her soft curves driving him insane. He sank into the kiss, giving vent to the urges mounting inside him, to the clamors he couldn’t contain.

And she kissed him back. Her gentle hands clung to his shoulders. Her moist tongue dueled with his. Growling, he widened his stance and pulled her against him, needing the intimate contact, planting his hands on her rounded hips. Her answering moan shuddered through him like a shockwave, and reality began fading away.

He wanted her. Badly. He trembled with the need to touch her, to lose himself in her sultry warmth. To pretend the past hadn’t happened. To forget the danger lurking nearby, to be worthy and whole again.

But it
had
happened. He couldn’t erase his mistakes—or forget the man he’d become.

And this wasn’t the time or place. The terrorists were waiting for him at the airstrip. He had an attack to stop. He’d spent too many years working toward this moment, sacrificing everything he’d once cared for, to lose sight of the mission now.

Shaking from the effort, he pulled away. His breath sawed in the silence. His pulse thundered out of control. He tucked her head to his shoulder and held her against him, absorbing the shivers racking her slender frame. Then he tipped his head back and closed his eyes, his frenzied heart working overtime.

Dumb, dumb, dumb.
He had no business touching Nadine, no matter what she made him feel. Even if she weren’t the daughter of his target, even if he wanted to be different, he’d spent too many years living amidst the bottom-feeders of society to ever lead a normal life. He didn’t have it in him anymore.

And she was a woman in his care, a woman depending on him to keep her safe. He had to keep his wits about him, no matter how much she made him burn.

With difficulty, he pulled away. But the sight of her kiss-swollen lips, her incredible eyes blurred with desire, nearly obliterated his resolve.

“Listen, Nadine.” His voice came out like gravel, and he cleared his throat. “I’m sorry about that. I shouldn’t have... It was a mistake.”

A flush climbed up her cheeks. Her gaze skidded away. “Right.”

“It’s the mission. We can’t—”

“You don’t have to explain. I understand.”

“Do you?” He lifted her chin, forcing her gaze back to his. “This isn’t a game. These men, Amir and Manzoor...they’re ruthless. They’ll kill us in a heartbeat. I’ve spent years training with them. I know how they think. They don’t value life like we do. They think their reward comes after death. And they won’t listen to excuses or reason. They won’t forgive any mistakes.

“Right now, my cover is the only thing that protects you. I can’t show any weakness. I can’t reveal any concern about your welfare, or give them a reason to doubt my loyalty. Because if I slip up and they suspect I’m not what I’ve been pretending to be, we’ll both die.”

Her eyes stayed on his. She touched his face, the feathery feel of her soft fingers sparking eruptions inside his veins. “I said I understand. I grew up around men like them, remember?”

“I know.” And without warning, he saw yet another side to this remarkable woman—the woman who’d fled her abusive home. She’d defied her powerful father. She’d gone on the run in pursuit of freedom, surviving despite the odds. Then she’d faced down a gang killer and outwitted not just her murderous family, but the CIA, staying hidden for fifteen years. She was courageous. Incredible.

A woman he feared he could care about too much.

Needing to create some mental distance, he stepped away. “We’d better go. They’re going to be waiting for us at the airstrip. They’ll get suspicious if we take too long.”

He opened the door to the alley and looked out. Safe.
For the moment.

Now he just had to keep her that way.

* * *

Nadine didn’t know which decision was crazier—forfeiting her only chance at freedom or kissing Rasheed again.

She walked beside him down the dirt road leading to the airstrip, still trying to make sense of what she’d done. She had to stop her father. Even though the idea scared her, she was convinced of that. It was bad enough that he intended to kill her out of some sick, misguided belief. But she could not stand by and let him unleash a terrorist attack, extinguishing thousands of unsuspecting lives.

But kissing Rasheed...that had been total insanity. She couldn’t begin to justify her reaction to him. He was exactly the kind of man she didn’t want— secretive, dangerous, violent. Definitely not a long-term bet.

But the amazing way he’d kissed her... Shivering at the sensual memories, she slid a glance his way. She couldn’t deny that he compelled her with that rock-hard physique and unkempt jaw. His rough good looks, his sheer, unbridled masculinity stirred something inside her, thrilling her in a way no other man ever had. And his revelation that he was a good guy, that he was working undercover to bring down the Rising Light terrorists had further penetrated her defenses, making him difficult to resist.