Bound to Danger: A Deadly Ops Novel Read Online Free PDF

another really tall, thuggish-looking man entering.
    Her eyes widened in recognition. The tattoos were new, but the
thug
was Cade O’Reilly. He’d served in the Marines with her brother. They’d been best friends and her brother, Riel, named after her father, had even brought him home a few times. But that was years ago. Eight to be exact. It was hard to forget the man who’d completely cut her out of his life after her brother died, as if she meant nothing to him.
    Cade towered over Nash—who was pretty tall himself—and had a sleeve of tattoos on one arm and a couple on the other. His jet-black hair was almost shaved, the skull trim close to his head, just like the last time she’d seen him. He was . . . intimidating. Always had been. And startlingly handsome in that bad-boy way she was sure had made plenty of women . . . Yeah, she wasn’t even going there.
    She swiveled quickly, putting her back to the window so she wasn’t flashing them. Reaching around to her back, she clasped the hospital gown together. “You can’t knock?” she practically shouted, her voice raspy from crying, not sure whom she was directing the question to.
    “I told them you weren’t to be bothered, but—”
    The police officer cut Nash off, his gaze kind but direct. “Ms. Cervantes, this man is from the NSA and needs to ask you some questions. As soon as you’re done, the doctors will release you.”
    “I know who he is.” She bit the words out angrily, earning a surprised look from Nash and a controlled look from Cade.
    She might know Cade, or she had at one time, but she hadn’t known he worked for the NSA. After her brother’s death he’d stopped communicating with her. Her brother had brought him home during one of their short leaves, and she and Cade had become friends.
Good friends.
They’d e-mailed all the time, for almost a year straight. Right near the end of their long correspondence, things had shifted between them, had been heading into more than friendly territory. Then after Riel died, it was as if Cade had too. It had cut her so deep to lose him on top of her brother. And now he showed up in the hospital room after her mom’s death and wanted to talk to her? Hell no.
    She’d been harassing the nurses to find a doctor who would discharge her, and now she knew why they’d been putting her off. They’d done a dozen tests and she didn’t have a brain injury. She wasn’t exhibiting any signs of having a concussion except for the memory loss, but the doctors were convinced that this was because of shock and trauma at what she’d apparently witnessed.
    Nash started to argue, but the cop hauled him away, talking in low undertones, shutting the door behind them. Leaving her alone with this giant of a man.
    Feeling raw and vulnerable, Maria wrapped her arms around herself. The sun had almost set, so even standingby the window didn’t warm her up. She just felt so damn cold. Because of the room and probably grief. And now to be faced with a dark reminder of her past was too much.
    Cade took another step toward her and nodded politely, as if he barely knew her. “I know it probably means nothing coming from me, but I’m sorry about your mother.” His voice was deeper than she remembered. Masculine and oddly soothing.
    Her first instinct was to snap at him that he was right; it didn’t mean anything. But her mother had raised her better than that and she didn’t want to lash out at everyone she came in contact with. It made her feel even worse. She knew that was why she’d been doing it to everyone. If she was in pain, she wanted the world to be in pain too. But that was wrong. Plus, she wanted to know why Cade was in her hospital room. “Thank you. . . . So you’re with the NSA now?”
    Nodding, he took a few steps closer and pulled out something that looked like a wallet. He flipped open the black leather holder to show her his identification. As if she needed the proof.
    She looked at it, then at