depend on him, I couldn’t risk Kelsey’s life for my injured pride.

It wasn’t like anyone would believe the truth if Kayden and company

decided to share it. Hell, they were quick to dismiss all the irregularities in the

initial report. And yes I knew there was a ‘they’, because there were a bunch of

powerful someone else's behind Kayden.

For now, that ‘they’ would be nothing more than a possible tool to get Kelsey

home safe. Afterward, if I played it smart, I could deny everything. My word against theirs. I took a deep breath and dove in, “Fine.”

Kayden’s lashes lowered, veiling a strange flicker before I could figure out what it meant. “Tell me how your ability works.”

Stalling for time, I straightened my shoulders and countered, “I have a better

idea. Let’s trade.”

His reluctant humor came and went. “Question for a question?”

Tempted by the thought of controlling our exchange of information, I

nodded. “You level with me and I’ll level with you.”

Speculative interest colored his voice. “I’ll go first.”

I shook my head. “Uh-uh. I go first.”

He took the couple of steps necessary to crowd into my personal space. Then he leaned in until a mere breath separated us, reminding me of things I didn’t want to remember. He was so close, too close. “Trust issues?”

I bared my teeth in a parody of a smile. “Just the ones you taught me.” Good

lord, he was hot. Literally. A disturbing heat radiated from him and curled around me, dulling the chill edge of nerves. Sucking in a shallow breath, I fought

not to reveal how unsteady he made me. “First question, why is he after me now?”

His gaze sharpened, an indicator that my attempt to appear unfazed failed miserably. He drew back, turned, and went to sit on the other side of the counter.

As he moved, his T-shirt tightened over the telltale lump in the middle of his back.

Nice to know he hadn’t resorted to pulling out his gun while we were

wrestling in the hallway. Which reminded me, I needed to find my gun.

“You’re hard to pin down.”

“Obviously not hard enough, since you and Tag found me just fine.” I

narrowed my eyes, his answer felt more like an evasion. “And that’s not an answer. Why now? Why me?”

He wagged his finger at me. “That’s two.”

I crossed my arms and stared.

He dropped his hand and drummed his fingers against the Formica. “You’re

next on his list.”

“List?” Not the answer I was expecting. “What list?”

“Nope, it’s my turn.” Despite his casual tone, his gaze remained serious.

“Tell me about your ability.”

“That’s not a question.” It took effort to keep my voice light and unaffected,

while every other part of me wanted to bolt. Instead, I headed toward the living

room with studied nonchalance, leaving Kayden to follow or not.

The scrape of wooden chair legs over tile preceded his response. “Fine. What

is your ability?”

Against my chest bone, my heart beat like a hummingbird on crack. Nerves

left my mouth dry, and a light sweat beaded my forehead. Classic signs of an

impending panic attack. Less than an hour in his company and whatever progress I made in the last few months went up in a puff of smoke.

Focus on the missing gun, Cyn.

With shaking hands, I pulled the cushions from the sofa. Maybe my gun had

fallen between them? No gun, instead my search garnered a total of eighty-three

cents, a paper clip, and stale popcorn.

“Answer for an answer, remember?” Kayden’s deep voice came from right

behind me.

I gave a tiny jump and turned, holding the cushion in front of me like some

plush shield.

“Tell me what your gift can do.” His quiet demand cornered me, leaving me