She was having his baby…

Even in the darkness he could see that. He took her arm and looked her over. “Are you all right? Did they hurt you?”

She didn’t answer. Instead she spat out, “There are men out there with guns who want to kill me and I have no idea why!”

“I’m not going to let anyone hurt you, Lily.”

“Why is it that things never change with you? There’s always danger.”

“We don’t have time for this now.” Taking her hand, he tugged her deeper into the dark hall. “We have to get out of here.”

She resisted. She’d had enough of the lifestyle Chase craved. Her baby came first now, and it needed stability. Something she’d never get from Chase, no matter how much she loved him. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

Hearing noises down the corridor, Chase pulled her against him, his breath hot and moist on her neck. His hand slid around to splay across her belly, reminding Lily of their child.

“Like it or not,” he breathed, “I’m your best hope of making it through the night.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Linda Castillo knew at a very young age that she wanted to be a writer – and penned her first novel at the age of thirteen. She is the winner of numerous writing awards, including a Holt Medallion, a Golden Heart Award, a Daphne du Maurier and a nomination for the prestigious RITA® Award.

Linda loves writing edgy romantic suspense novels that push the envelope and that take her readers on a roller-coaster ride of breathtaking romance and thrilling suspense. She resides in Texas with her husband, four loveable dogs and a horse named George. For a complete list of her books, check out her website at www.lindacastillo. com. Contact her at books@lindacastillo.com. Or write to her at PO Box 577, Bushland, Texas 79012, USA.

A Baby Before Dawn

LINDA CASTILLO

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Chapter One

4:00 a.m., August 2 7 hours since the blackout began

It was going to be a long night.

Chase Vickers should have been accustomed to waiting. In his line of work he did enough of it. But he’d never developed much in the way of patience. He liked to move. More to the point, he liked speed. Lots of it. Tonight, however, parked in the looming shadow of Boston’s Hancock Tower with the city in the midst of a blackout, he passed the minutes pacing as he waited for his passenger. Curbside, the sleek limo he drove part-time—and affectionately called Irma—purred like a big black cat.

Around him, plunged into darkness, the usually unflappable city of Boston was in a state of panic. Even at this hour the tower bustled with city police, Secret Service personnel and the occasional frightened civilian dressed to the nines. From the look of things, something big had gone down inside.

Chase had received the call for a client pickup just before 9:00 p.m. He was supposed to drive a foreign dignitary from Hancock Tower to Logan Airport. A simple enough assignment under most circumstances, anyway. Until the blackout hit en route. Traffic had crashed to a halt, and for the next three hours he’d maneuvered the big limo through spaces more suited to a Volkswagen. He’d dealt with an army of frightened motorists and angry cabbies, and dodged dozens of accidents caused by inoperative traffic lights.

Chase was comfortable in the dark and chaos. When he wasn’t driving dignitaries and high- ranking government officials to various destinations— most requiring a driver with a high-security clearance—he spent his days on mercenary missions for Eclipse, a secret organization he and three other of his Special Forces buddies had formed years ago. For a price, the band of brothers took on assignments the CIA, FBI and other elite military forces couldn’t get done. The kinds of covert operations that never made the newspapers.

Lately, those missions were the only time Chase felt truly alive.

He stood at the rear of the limo, taking in the chaos, wondering about its source. This was more than just a blackout situation. The arrival of additional Secret Service told him something significant had transpired. Was it related to the black-tie affair atop the tower? He’d read about the event. Something to do with a trade agreement…

Pulling out his cell phone, he was about to make some calls to see if he could get some answers when a chirp alerted him to an incoming text message. He hit Receive and watched the words scroll across the display.

Are you afraid of the dark?

The jagged scar above his left eye throbbed as the meaning of the words registered. Four years in the Special Forces and numerous missions for Eclipse had taught him to take every threat seriously, regardless of its source or how vague. The truth of the matter was, he’d made some enemies over the years. He’d ticked off some very dangerous people who would probably like nothing more than to pay him back in spades.

Chase knew whom to call. As much as Chase didn’t want to turn to his older brother—half brother, he corrected with a sneer—Shane Peters did seem to have his finger on the pulse. He punched in Shane’s number from memory. Five rings and his call went to voice mail. Another oddity—his half brother almost always answered his phone. What the hell was going on?

“Hey, it’s Vic,” he said, using the nickname known exclusively by his Special Forces and Eclipse counterparts. “Call me.”

He was about to get back in the limo when a thin young man with dark hair exited the tower and approached. The tuxedo told Chase the man was part of the black-tie affair. More than likely the dignitary he’d been hired to drive to Logan Airport.

He studied the man’s face; a flash of familiarity gave him pause. Something about the eyes. But as the man drew closer Chase decided he was mistaken. He had a near photographic memory; he would have recalled meeting this man. His green eyes and black hair made his face a memorable one. But Chase knew both could be easily altered.

He put on a smile and started toward his passenger. “Hell of a night for a blackout.”

“It’s a madhouse in there.” The man glanced at the limo with the admiration of a man who appreciated fine machinery. “You must be Chase Vickers.”

“The one and only.” Because he would require his passenger to do the same, Chase pulled out his wallet and flashed his ID and security badge.

The man fumbled with his own wallet. “I’m Sam Michaels.”

The name confirmed this man was, indeed, his assigned passenger, but Chase looked carefully at the driver’s license and accompanying photo ID anyway, putting both to memory. Samuel Michaels. Washington, D.C. Personal aide to the ambassador of South Africa. DOB 06-06-1981.

Confident everything was in order, Chase walked to the passenger door and opened it, ushering his client inside. “Logan Airport?”

The man smiled wryly as he climbed into the limo’s plush backseat. “Not that any of the airlines are operational in this blackout.”

“Where you headed?”

“London. Sometime tomorrow, if I’m lucky.”

“Hopefully, the power outage won’t last much longer.”

“Any idea what happened?”

Chase shook his head. “Most of the radio stations were knocked off the air, but some are bound to have backup generators that are up and running by now. I’ll see if I can pick up a newscast.”

Closing the door, he crossed in front of the vehicle and slid behind the wheel. Getting to the airport was going to be a challenge.

Chase wasn’t overly concerned. A speed freak and racing enthusiast, he’d never met a road or highway he couldn’t traverse no matter what the conditions.

He pulled onto the street, squeezing Irma between a city bus and a taxicab with inches to spare. The move elicited the simultaneous blare of a dozen horns but, like most professional drivers, he didn’t pay them any heed.

A second glance in the mirror told him Samuel Michaels was not a nervous passenger. Probably a good thing since getting him to Logan was going to take nothing less than a miracle.

“There’s a bar in the forward cabinet,” Chase said. “Help yourself.”

Sam Michaels smiled. “Looks like I might need a nip or two by the time we get there.”

“Hang on. Bump ahead.” Chase took the limo onto the curb to get around a BMW that had played chicken with a Ford pickup and lost.

He was so focused on maneuvering through the jumble of cars that for several minutes Chase did nothing but drive. Traffic eased marginally when he turned onto Interstate 93. Deciding to avoid the Ted Williams Tunnel for fear of an immovable traffic jam, he headed north toward the financial district.

When he finally took a second to look in his rearview mirror to check on his passenger, he found himself staring into the barrel of a sleek Ruger Mark III .22 pistol replete with a magazine release and front and rear sights. A killer’s gun.

“What the hell are you doing?” Chase said with outer calm as his gaze met his passenger’s.

“Repaying a debt.”

“What debt?” Adrenaline punched him like a fist, but he kept his eyes and voice level. “Who the hell are you?”

“It doesn’t matter who I am, Vic. I know who you are. That’s the important thing.”

Vic.

The only people who called him that were his teammates from Special Forces, three of whom comprised Eclipse. Once again his mind scrolled through possible enemies he’d made over the years, but he couldn’t recall any escapees or recently released inmates.

“What do you want?” Chase asked.

The man leaned forward. “You’re about to find out what it feels like to lose everything that matters to you.”

“What are you talking about?”

The man’s smile chilled him.

Chase knew it was crazy, but Lily came to mind. He hadn’t seen her for almost eight months, but the time apart hadn’t dulled his feelings for her. Lily Garrett was the only thing in this world that truly mattered to him. Had this man somehow found out that he’d once been involved with her? Was he going to hurt Lily to get back at Chase for some perceived wrong?

Knowing this wasn’t going to end nicely, Chase swung the steering wheel hard to the right. He caught a glimpse of his passenger trying to hold on while sliding sideways on the backseat. The gun came up. “Stop or I’ll blow your head off!”

Steel screamed against steel when the limo careened into a parked delivery van. The man’s temple snapped hard against the side window. Strapped in securely with his safety belt, Chase jammed the limo into Reverse and hit the gas. He saw a flash of blue steel in the mirror and jerked the wheel hard to the left. The passenger slid to the opposite side. Chase slammed on the brake and the man’s head struck the partially open Plexiglas divider separating the passenger compartment from the cab.

Ramming the limo into Park, Chase unbuckled his seat belt, spun and jammed his torso through the small opening. He reached for Michaels and snagged the collar of his tux. Cursing, the man scrambled back, grappling for his weapon. He tried to get off a shot, but Chase shoved his arm and the bullet went wide, blowing a hole the size of his thumb through the roof.

“Now that wasn’t very nice,” Chase growled through clenched teeth.

“Maybe I want you to be alive when we kill her,” the man snarled.

Her.

The man had to be referring to Lily. Panic gripped Chase. Was this thug planning to use her to get to him? The thought of some goon hurting her in the name of revenge made him break a cold sweat.

Too late, he saw the gun come up. He reached for the muzzle to deflect it, but because of his awkward position, he wasn’t fast enough. A second gunshot rent the night. The bullet struck his arm like a five-hundred-degree baseball bat slamming a home run. But he didn’t have time to feel the high-voltage shock of pain. The son of a bitch was already lining up for another shot.

Pulling away, Chase shoved the gearshift into Drive and floored the accelerator. The limo jumped forward like a big predator. The engine roared, the RPMs redlining. Chase cut the wheel. The front quarter panel clipped a streetlight. The limo spun. Chase saw the man slide across the backseat and crash into the door. Jamming the limo into Reverse, he hit the gas. The vehicle shot backward like a racehorse out of the gate and slammed into a parked car hard enough to whip his skull against the headrest.

Knowing this was probably his last chance to gain control of the situation, he reached for his own weapon beneath his seat and swung open the door. By the time he was out and had yanked open the passenger door, Michaels had slipped out the opposite side.

“Halt!” Assuming a shooter’s stance, Chase took aim over the limo’s roof and fired off three shots. But the man moved too fast, darting around cars and through the crowd. Within seconds, darkness swallowed him.

Chase stood trembling, wondering what the hell had just happened. The pain in his arm snapped him back to the situation at hand. He glanced down, saw blood soaking his sleeve.

“Damn,” he muttered. “Ruined my best shirt.”

But his mind churned with the threats the man had made.

I want you to be alive when we kill her.

The words echoed in his head like some terrible mantra. He hadn’t mentioned a name, but Chase knew the bastard was talking about Lily.

Jerking open the door, he slid behind the wheel. The engine had died. He turned the key and pumped the gas, but the motor only wheezed like a sick cow. Frustrated and more scared than he’d been in a very long time, he rapped his palm hard against the wheel.

“You picked a hell of a time to let me down, Irma.”

Chase threw open the door. Ignoring the blare of horns and throngs of stranded motorists, he broke into a dead run toward the only woman he’d ever loved.

IT WAS GOING TO BE a long night.

Lily Garrett rushed down the wide corridor toward Examination Room Two, her footfalls hushed on the tile floor. The hall was dimly lit, the only light coming from overhead emergency bulbs powered by generators that had kicked on automatically when the blackout hit.

She glanced at the wall clock to see it was just after four in the morning, and wondered vaguely when the power would be restored. An emergency room nurse at New England Medical Center, she’d been hard at it for sixteen hours. Her feet felt every hour she’d been on them. Being seven-and-a-half months pregnant wasn’t helping matters. Her stamina wasn’t what it used to be. Her body simply didn’t move as quickly as it once had. To make matters worse, the baby had chosen tonight of all nights to kick a field goal every minute or so.

As always, the thought of the child growing inside her made her think of Chase. For months she’d done her utmost to get him out of her mind, working many a night to the brink of collapse. When she wasn’t working, she spent much of her time with friends. Anything to fill up that great big hole in her life where he’d once been. But despite her efforts, he always found his way back. He was the kind of man a woman never forgot. The kind of man a woman went to her grave loving, no matter how many times he hurt her.

Damn Chase Vickers and his addiction to adrenaline.

Her decision to walk away hadn’t been an easy one. It wasn’t until she’d found out she was pregnant that she’d stuck to her guns and totally cut him out of her life. What kind of father would he make? The kind that turned a woman into a widow and left a child emotionally traumatized.

At any given time he was running off to war zones all over the globe. Any woman who loved him would always be left at home, wondering when he was going to come back. Wondering if he would come back. And she would inevitably pray that when he did, it wasn’t in a body bag.

Not Lily. She and her baby were better off alone. It wouldn’t be easy. But even as a single parent, she would be able to give her child stability. Chase Vickers didn’t know the meaning of the word.

Shoving thoughts of him aside the way she had every day for too many months to count, she yanked open the privacy curtain of the exam room and stepped inside. Four people had arrived a few minutes ago, victims of an elevator that had plummeted two stories when the power failed. The three women suffered various broken bones and bruises. But the man had sustained a closed head wound and was in serious condition.

Lily rushed to the gurney where the frazzled- looking emergency room doctor and respiratory therapist worked frantically to stabilize their patient. Operating on instinct, she noted vitals, called radiology for the second time and watched the emergency team work.

A firm hand on her shoulder turned her around. “Lily, if you don’t take a break, it’s going to be you flat on your back.”

She looked into her friend’s eyes and smiled. Karen Turner was a veteran nurse and damn good at what she did. With four children of her own and her first grandchild on the way, Karen knew the ropes when it came to pregnancy, too. She never hesitated to speak her mind, and Lily loved her for it.

“I mean it, kiddo. You’ve been here since noon,” Karen said. “That’s sixteen hours, honey. Go to the break room. Lie down on the cot for a while.”

Acknowledging the ache in her lower back, Lily nodded. “If I wasn’t so tired, I might argue with you.”

Karen laughed. “We got things under control here. Now scoot.”

“Only if you let me bring you a cup of coffee.”

“Sweet and black, honey.” She grinned. “Just like me.”

Smiling, Lily left the emergency room. The closer she got to the nurse’s lounge, the more she realized she’d overdone it. Again. Her ankles hurt. Her swollen belly felt tight. Her back ached. But with casualties pouring in because of blackout- related accidents, she couldn’t leave.

Deciding to make a stop at the cafeteria first, she veered right and headed toward the bank of elevators. The kitchen was closed at this hour, but she could at least get something from one of the vending machines.

The elevator doors chimed open and two orderlies hustled out. Lily stepped inside and hit the button, taking that precious time to massage her aching back on the ride down to the basement. Thoughts of a turkey sandwich on rye, and maybe a chocolate cupcake for dessert, enticed her as the doors slid open.

To her surprise the foyer was deserted. Beyond the double doors, the cafeteria stood in near darkness, the only light coming from auxiliary bulbs and four Exit signs, which switched on automatically when the power failed.

The darkness was odd even at this hour. New England Medical Center was a large, bustling hospital and teaching facility, like a self-contained city that never slept. The cafeteria was usually busy, but perhaps the generator had been diverted to handle the rush of incoming emergency patients or operating facilities.

“I just hope the vending machines work,” she muttered as she dug a couple of bills from her pocket and started for the nearest source of food.

She’d just fed a dollar into the machine when a sound behind her spun her around. Lily wasn’t nervous about the dark, and she was hardly ever frightened. But standing alone in the shadowy cafeteria, gooseflesh raced down her arms.

“Is someone there?” she called out.

When no one answered, she shook her head and turned back to the vending machine. “You ate my dollar,” she muttered.

The shuffle of shoes against tile made her turn again. In the dim light coming from the kitchen behind the serving counter, she saw the unmistakable silhouette of a man dash past the doorway.

The gooseflesh she’d felt earlier transformed into a chill. Before her pregnancy, she might have confronted him, demanding to know what he was doing there. Now, however, Lily was much more safety conscious. Before reacting, she always took into consideration the well-being of her unborn child.

The hospital was generally a secure work environment. But she knew many times blackouts brought out looters—and worse. Better to get back upstairs as quickly as possible and notify security.

Never taking her eyes from the kitchen area, Lily backed toward the nearest exit. She was midway there when she heard a sound behind her. Uneasiness mushroomed into fear when she spun and saw the man’s silhouette just twenty feet away.

“Lily Garrett.” He uttered her name in a terrible whisper.

All she could think was that he knew her name. “Who are you?”

The sound of a pistol being cocked hit her like a cattle prod. Lily knew nothing about guns, but she’d seen enough shoot-’em-up movies to discern the sound of a bullet being chambered.

Instinct propelled her to the adjacent door. She swept past benches and tables at a dead run. Her shoes pounded the tile as she burst through the door and down the corridor at a dangerous speed. At the elevator, she slammed her fist against the Up button. But there was no time to wait for the car. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the man’s shadow at the cafeteria door.

The gunshot blast rendered her momentarily paralyzed with fear. Plaster flew from the wall less than a foot from where she stood. Dear God, he’s shooting at me! An Exit light over the stairwell door at the end of the hall beckoned. Lily sprinted toward it. Panicked gasps broke from her lips as she ran. Behind her, she heard footfalls and knew he was coming after her.

She swung open the door and hit the steps running, taking two at a time. At the landing she paused to catch her breath. Suddenly, the door below burst open and banged wide. In the glare of the Exit light she saw the silhouette of the man, his face darting toward her, the dark shadow of a gun rising.

Lily spun and clambered up the stairs, terror and utter disbelief ripping through her with each step. All she could think of was her baby. But in order to save her child, she had to first save herself.

The hospital lobby was on the first floor. Even this time of night it would be filled with people. Lily shoved open the door. Dim emergency lighting illuminated the huge atrium.

“Help!” she screamed as she ran toward the information desk. “Gun!”

Startled glances swung her way. Two clerks looked up as she dashed to the counter. Lily set both hands on the Formica top, breathless with adrenaline and fear. “There’s a man with a gun!” she shouted.

One of the clerks grabbed the phone. “I’ll notify security.”

Lily looked toward the stairwell door and the bank of elevators, but the gunman was nowhere in sight. Had he followed her? Was he already amongst the throngs of people in the lobby?

“Where is he?” the second clerk asked.

Lily scanned the atrium. Several groups of people gathered near the potted palms in the center of the room. A few more stood near the gift shop. Beyond the glass revolving door, the lights of an ambulance flashed red and blue.

“I don’t know,” Lily said. “He was in the cafeteria. He had a gun and fired a shot at me. I think he may have followed me up here.”

“Honey, maybe you ought to sit down.”

The older clerk rose and moved around the counter. “I called nine-one-one.”

Lily didn’t think the cops could get there fast enough if the gunman decided to start shooting. She took one more look around the room, but didn’t see the man. “Where’s security?”

“They’re on the way,” said the older clerk. “They’ve been tied up all night with this blackout. People get crazy when it’s dark. Whole city’s gone mad.”

A gunshot shattered the relative peace of the lobby. On instinct, Lily crouched low, shocked the man would open fire with so many people around. In her peripheral vision she saw both clerks duck. To her right, a young security officer ran toward her, his pistol ready in his hand.

“Halt! Security! Drop the weapon now!”

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

The security officer clutched his shoulder and went down. Lily saw blood on his uniform. She looked around wildly but couldn’t spot the shooter. Screams filled the atrium as people scrambled for cover.

Dropping to her hands and knees, she crawled toward a grouping of furniture and potted plants. She could feel her breaths coming hard and fast. Her heart pounded so hard she thought it might hammer its way right out of her chest.

Setting her hand protectively over her abdomen, she peered over the back of the sofa. The lobby had gone nearly silent, as if holding its breath in anticipation of the next burst of violence. The shooter was nowhere in sight. Had he gone? After her encounter with him in the cafeteria, she was surprised he’d ventured into a crowded area. Unless she was the target.

The notion was ludicrous considering her humdrum lifestyle. These days all she did was work, in anticipation of the birth of her child. She was saving as much money as possible so she could give her baby the security she deserved.

Lily might have believed all of this was random. That she’d just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Then she remembered he’d whispered her name, and she knew this was not indiscriminate. But why on earth would someone target her?

She thought about the security officer who’d been shot. From where she crouched she could see him on the floor. Clutching his shoulder, he spoke into his radio. The need to help him taunted her. If she hadn’t been pregnant, she might have attempted it or at least tried to find an EMT to help her move him out of the line of fire. But she had to think of her child now. That meant staying put until help arrived. Where the hell were the police?

Movement to her right snagged her attention. Adrenaline burst through her when she realized it was the gunman. He walked calmly, brazenly among the frightened, cowering people, pointing his weapon but not shooting. As if he were searching for someone in particular.

Looking for her?

Terror closed over her like a giant, smothering hand. Closing her eyes, Lily fought a rise of panic. From his bulk, she could tell this wasn’t the same man she’d encountered in the basement, which meant there was more than one shooter. What in the name of God was going on here?

Gun drawn, the man systematically searched the atrium. People whimpered as he passed them by. Lily prayed he didn’t shoot. A terrible sense of helplessness descended over her. Crouching lower, she raised her head and peered over the sofa back. The shooter was less than thirty feet away, his eyes narrowed and scanning, the gun ready at his side.

Knowing she had mere seconds before he discovered her hiding place, she looked around for another. The front revolving doors were too far away; she’d have to cover too much open ground to reach them. Behind her, a dark hallway led to the public restrooms and a bank of pay phones. She didn’t get down here often, but she was pretty sure there was an emergency exit at the end. If she could reach the hall, she could sneak out the door undetected. But she had to move. Now.

Never taking her eyes from the man with the gun, she crawled backward toward the darkened corridor. Twenty feet away, he ordered several people facedown on the floor. Lily prayed he spared them, but she didn’t stop moving.

She was midway to her destination when a subtle noise from behind her nearly stopped her heart. She looked over her shoulder to see the dark figure of another man rush her. All she could think was that there was a third shooter, and her pulse went wild. A yelp escaped her an instant before he pressed his hand to her mouth.

“If you want to live, don’t make a sound,” he said, and dragged her into the corridor.

Chapter Two

If not for his military training, Chase would have surely walked into a bullet. It wasn’t the first time his instincts had saved his life. Maybe this time, they’d saved Lily’s life, too.

He almost didn’t see her. Not because of the darkness or the throngs of frightened people. When he’d entered the hospital ten minutes ago, he hadn’t been looking for a pregnant woman.

But a man never forgot certain things about a woman he’d once loved. Chase had spotted Lily from thirty feet away in near total darkness. Despite her bulging midsection, he’d known immediately it was her. He would know her if he were blind and deaf. He would know her by touch alone. By smell. By the way she breathed.

He couldn’t believe she was pregnant. Couldn’t believe she’d moved on to another man so quickly. He had to bank a quick rise of jealousy.

But there was no time for petty emotions now. From the balcony above the atrium lobby, he’d counted two shooters, possibly three. He didn’t like the odds, but he’d faced worse. For now, he had to focus on moving her out of there without either of them getting shot.

Lily struggled against him as he pulled her into the darkened hall. Terror and panic came off her in waves. She thought he was one of the gunmen, that he meant her harm, but there’d been no time to identify himself let alone talk her into letting him help her.

“It’s Chase,” he whispered. “Calm down. You know I won’t hurt you.”

She went still, but he could feel her trembling violently. Her breaths came in fast, short bursts from her nose. He’d approached her from behind and wrapped his right arm around her abdomen, placing his left hand over her mouth. Her body pressed flush against his. It was more lush than he remembered and so soft and warm that for a moment all he could think of was sinking into her and never letting her go. That the old attraction was still sharp after so many months shocked him almost as much as her pregnancy.

“I’m going to take my hand from your mouth,” he said in a low voice. “Don’t scream or those goons with guns are going to come calling. You got that?”

She nodded.

Slowly, he removed his hand.

She turned to face him. In the semidarkness her big green eyes looked black against her pale complexion. As always, she’d pulled her long curly red hair into a no-nonsense ponytail at her nape. She looked the same as last time he’d seen her. The same as in every dream he’d had about her in the months they’d been apart. Except for the soft roundness of her belly.

“What are you doing here?” she whispered.

Because he wasn’t quite sure how to answer, he eased her to arm’s length and looked her over. “Are you all right? Did they hurt you?”

“I’m okay.” Her eyes flicked to the lobby. “There are two men out there with guns who want to kill me and I have no idea why.”

“I’m not going to let anyone hurt you,” he said.

She noticed the blood on his sleeve, and her eyes softened. But realization dawned and the softness quickly transformed into anger. “My God, you’re part of this.”

“That’s not how it is.”

She looked as if she wanted to hit him. “Things never change with you, do they, Chase?”

“This is no mission,” he said, hating that his tone was defensive. His work with Eclipse and his penchant for risk taking had been points of contention between them from the beginning of their relationship.

“Save it,” she said.

“We don’t have time for this now, Lily.” Taking her hand, he tugged her more deeply into the hall. She resisted, but her efforts were token and he easily muscled her to the alcove outside the rest¬ rooms. “We have to get out of here right now.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you.”

“You don’t have a choice, damn it.” He glanced toward the lobby. “Those bastards mean business.”

“Who are they? Why are they doing this? Why do they want to hurt me?” Her questions came in a flurry.

“I don’t know,” he said. “We’ll figure it out later. For now, I need to get you out of here.”

“Chase, damn it—”

He cut her off, ushering her to the farthest wall of the alcove. “For once in your life listen to me.” He glanced toward the lobby. “Stay put. I need to see where they are.”

Pressing his back flat against the wall, he sidled to the hall entrance and peered into the lobby. The two gunmen stood in the center of the atrium, looking around. Chase slipped back to the alcove.

Lily had ventured only a few feet, her hand placed protectively over her abdomen. She’d always been strong willed and capable, not the kind of woman who needed or wanted protecting. But standing there with fear in her eyes and a baby growing inside her, she looked incredibly vulnerable. The need to protect her rose inside him in a dangerous tide.

“Let’s go.”

She didn’t resist as he pulled her toward the emergency exit at the end of the hall. A sign above the push bar on the door told him an alarm would sound if the door was opened. Since it was the only exit they could reach without being seen, he didn’t have a choice but to take it and hope the alarm had been rendered inoperative because of the blackout.

“If that alarm is intact, all hell is going to break loose when we go through this door,” he said.

“In case you haven’t noticed, hell already has broken loose,” she shot back.

“Can you run?”

She glanced down at her belly. “What do you think?”

“I think you don’t have a choice.”

Chase hit the security bar and shoved open the door. A shrill alarm split the air. “Run!” he whispered.

The door opened to the sidewalk on Harrison Avenue. Abandoned cars that had run out of gas during the massive traffic jam that had followed the blackout littered the street. Flames flickered from a drum where someone burned garbage, but there was no one in sight. The street was pitch- black and eerily quiet.

“This way.”

Chase pulled her into a run, and they headed north on Harrison at a fast clip. She didn’t complain, but he could feel her struggling to keep up. She’d once been quite athletic, so he knew it was her pregnancy slowing her down.

“Come on,” he said. “You can do it.”

“I’m moving as fast as I can,” she said between pants.

Behind them, a shout echoed, telling him at least one of the gunmen had spotted them. “Faster!” Chase shouted. “Run!”

A volley of gunfire shattered the night. A yelp escaped Lily when a bullet ricocheted off the brick facade of a building inches from her head. Terror whipped through Chase. He glanced at her, saw blood on her cheek and his heart stopped dead in his chest.

Lily must have noticed his expression. “Piece of brick knicked me,” she said. “Keep moving, Vickers.”

“That a girl,” he said, and urged her faster.

Midway down the block, the yawning black mouth of an alley beckoned. Praying they didn’t encounter a dead end, Chase cut right and they traversed it at a reckless speed, their footfalls echoing off the brick walls on either side. Considering the advanced stage of her pregnancy, Lily was amazingly fast on her feet. But not fast enough. Twenty yards in, another gunshot rang out.

“They’re still shooting at us!” she cried.

“Keep running!”

“I’m spent, Chase. I can’t go much farther.”

Cursing, he pulled his pistol from the waistband of his slacks and returned fire blindly, hoping it would be enough to slow their pursuers. All the while the thought of her falling to a bullet tortured him with horrific images.

The alley opened to another side street. Chase headed right toward Chinatown, a bustling section of the city where foot traffic, greengrocers, fish markets and ethnic shops crowded the narrow streets. Left without a vehicle, he figured their best hope of eluding their pursuers was to get lost in the crowd.

“Chase, tell me what’s going on.” The words puffed out on each breath as they cut down Kneeland Street.

“I don’t know,” he said.

Digging in her heels, she stopped and jerked her hand from his. “Don’t lie to me, damn it. We’re not talking about just me. We’re talking about this baby.”

He didn’t need to be reminded of that. The fact hadn’t left his mind since the moment he’d spotted her. Setting his hands on her shoulders, he looked into her eyes and recapped everything that had happened back at Hancock Tower. “I checked the passenger’s ID and everything was cool.” Remembering, he gritted his teeth, incensed with himself for having let the man get the jump on him. “Until he pulled a gun.”

“And you have no idea why?”

“No.”

“Why did you come to the hospital?” she demanded. “Why involve me?”

Looking left and right, he guided her to an alley that would take them into the heart of Chinatown. “When the guy was in the limo, he said some things that made me think he was going to hurt you.”

“Hurt me?” She laughed, but it was a tense, humorless sound. “Why? What made you jump to that conclusion?”

“He told me I was about to lose everything that I—” Realizing what he’d almost said, Chase cut the words short. “He mentioned you by name.”

Even in the semidarkness he saw the color drain from her face. “I don’t understand. Why me? I don’t even know these people.”

“Evidently, they know me.”

“But we haven’t been together for…”

Something pinged in his brain. “Seven-and-a-half months,” he finished.

But Chase’s mind was already jumping ahead to something he’d been wondering about since the moment he’d spotted her in the hospital atrium. Until now he hadn’t had a chance to work out the timing of her pregnancy. Looking at her, on some primal level, he suddenly knew.

He knew.

His heart raced. Not because of the men with guns, but because he was remembering the last time he’d been with Lily. Seven-and-a-half months ago…

When he looked at her, he saw the answer in her eyes. He saw the truth and it shattered him as surely as any bullet. “Is the baby mine?” he asked hollowly.

His own words stunned him. He stared at her, feeling his world shift on its axis.

Lily stared back, her green eyes startled and slightly defiant. A lock of curly red hair had come loose from her ponytail. She’d always hated her hair, but he still dreamed of it. His fingers itched to tuck the errant strand behind her ear, but he didn’t dare touch her. Once he did, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to stop.

“No,” she said quickly. “I—I had an affair shortly after we parted ways. I was…careless.”

The denial rang false in every way. Chase knew better than anyone that Lily wasn’t the kind of woman to jump from one man’s bed to another. That could only mean one thing: The baby was his.

His.

Holy Moses. The supposition slammed into him like a Mack truck traveling at a high rate of speed. The scar above his eye, courtesy of shrapnel in Afghanistan, throbbed again.

“You’re lying,” he heard himself say.

That she didn’t deny it drove home the cold hard truth of it. He felt as if he’d just been punched between the eyes with a set of brass knuckles. “I deserved to know the truth.”

“Yes,” she agreed. “You did.”

“Then why—”

She gestured angrily toward the dangers behind them. “Look at what you’ve brought into my life. Men with guns. That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you. This baby, my baby, deserves to be safe. I put her well-being above the truth. Above you. For that, I’m sorry. But your knowing changes nothing.”

“The hell it doesn’t.”

“You have no say in the matter.”

Chase wanted to talk about this. A thousand emotions churned inside him in a kaleidoscope of shock and regret and newfound optimism. But there was no time to voice any of them. They had to get out of this alley and to a safe place. “We can’t discuss this here.”

He reached for her hand, but she pulled away. “I’m not going anywhere with you,” she repeated.

For the first time, Chase’s temper kicked in. He was tired of being blamed for all that was bad and wrong in the world. Even more tired of being kept in the dark and denied the things that mattered most. So what if he had a dangerous job? Someone had to keep the bad guys away. “If you care so much about that baby, you’ll be reasonable.”

“Don’t you dare try to manipulate me using this baby,” she hissed. “There’s nothing reasonable about any of what’s happened.”

“Maybe not. But you know I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“How can you say that? It’s because of you that we’re in danger to begin with.”

The words stung, but he didn’t let himself react. There was no time for emotion or blame or the rehashing of ancient history. “I’m the only reason you’re alive right now. Like it or not, I’m your best hope of making it through the night.”

LILY COULD BARELY HEAR him over the hard thrum of her heart. She hadn’t wanted Chase to know about the baby, but she’d never been a good liar, especially when it came to him. There was no denying the timing of it. She and Chase had been together seven-and- a-half months ago. She knew lying was wrong. But for the first time in her life, she hadn’t cared. Since the instant she’d found out she was pregnant, the baby had come first. She’d done what she had to do and accepted the consequences of her actions.

She just hadn’t expected it to be so damn hard.

“These people want you, Chase, not me,” she said. “Wouldn’t it be safer if you walked away from us and left us alone?”

His jaw tightened. “They know they can get to me through you. If I cut you loose now, they’ll be on you like wolves on a lamb.” Stepping close, he set his hand against her cheek. “There’s no way in hell I’m going to let that happen.”

“Chase—”

“If I walk away, I may as well put the gun to your head and pull the trigger myself,” he cut in. “You’re a target now. I’m sorry it went down like this. I wish I could change things, but I can’t. Until I figure out who these bastards are, you need me to stay alive.”

Anger burst through the gnarly layers of fear. “That’s exactly why I didn’t—” She cut the words off abruptly, shocked that she’d nearly said them aloud.

But he finished for her. “Tell me about the baby?”

Lily couldn’t answer. Staring into his striking topaz eyes, she felt the old feelings begin to churn. A cauldron of anger and attraction and something deeper she would not acknowledge. But those feelings were tempered with the certainty that wherever Chase went, danger followed. With a child to think of, Lily could not let herself be drawn into the maelstrom of his life.

Shouting from a newspaper kiosk across the street saved her from having to answer. Chase glanced over his shoulder, his head cocked, his body going stone still.

“My God,” he said.

“What is it?”

“Vice President Davis has been kidnapped.”

“Is that what this blackout is all about?” she asked, shocked by the news. “Someone was after the vice president?”

“He was at the black-tie ball where I picked up the guy who ambushed me.”

“Do you think those gunmen back there are somehow involved in the kidnapping?”

“I’m going to find out.” He reached for his cell phone, hit a button with his thumb and cursed.

“What is it?” Lily asked.

“Battery’s dead.”

She might have laughed if the situation hadn’t been so dire. “What about Irma? Can you recharge the battery using the cigarette lighter?”

His eyes softened at her mention of the limo. “Too far away. I wrecked her not far from the Hancock Tower.”

She looked around the narrow, crowded streets of Chinatown, feeling uncomfortably exposed. “What do we do now?”

He glanced over his shoulder. “We need to get off the street and stay out of sight until I can figure out what’s going on.”

“You think they followed us?”

“Even if they didn’t, it’s only a matter of time until they start looking in this area.”

A chill swept over her at the thought of some unseen gunman hunting them down like animals. Already she loved her child more than her own life. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Chase was right. She needed him to stay alive.

Lily started when he took her hand. Her initial reaction was to pull away: she couldn’t risk getting too close to him. Chase Vickers was her one and only weakness, the one man in the world who could make her lose her head and forget about doing the right thing. With the baby to worry about, she couldn’t risk letting down her guard.

But she allowed him to lead her through a narrow courtyard, past a smattering of quaint shops, most of which were closed. A few of the die-hard shopkeepers who’d kept their stores open stood outside on the sidewalk, chatting in Chinese.

Lily and Chase reached a main thoroughfare. Cars jammed the intersection, engines rumbling, horns blaring. The smell of exhaust filled the still night air. Abruptly, Chase stopped. The next thing Lily knew he had grasped both her arms and ushered her quickly toward a narrow courtyard.

“What is it?” she whispered.

He pushed her against the brick of an old building and placed himself between her and the street. “We’ve got company.”

A deep chill passed through her body. She could almost feel the pistol sights leveled on her heart. Unnerved, Lily leaned against the brick and tried to catch her breath.

“Where?” she asked, resisting the urge to duck.

“Southwest corner. By the newsstand.”

She followed his gaze. Sure enough, the gunmen she’d encountered in the cafeteria stood at the corner, talking into a cell phone and gesturing angrily. She wished she could hear what he was saying because she was almost certain it had to do with Chase and her.

“What do we do now?” she whispered.

“I need to get my hands on a phone.”

Spinning, he urged her into a run. They sprinted through the courtyard, past a rusty fire escape and the darkened windows of a seafood shop where selections and prices were written in Chinese.

They ran for what seemed like forever. But Lily didn’t think about the discomfort or fatigue. All she could think about were the armed gunmen who obviously meant her harm. She’d always known something like this would happen. How could Chase do this to her and the baby? How could he place them in danger like this?

At the end of the block, she pulled her hand from his. Bending, she gulped deep breaths until the aching in her back subsided.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

She wasn’t all right. Not by a long shot. She was frightened and angry and worried. Her physical stamina had long since run its course. “I can’t keep up this pace,” she said between pants.

“Are you in pain?”

“No, I’m just…exhausted.”

Setting his hand protectively on the small of her back, he looked around, his topaz eyes scanning the surrounding shops and fire escapes that laced the old buildings like steel spiderwebs. When his gaze met hers, Lily saw concern and a tenderness she didn’t want to acknowledge.

“There’s a homeless shelter a few blocks away,” he said. “We can rest there and try to come up with a game plan.”

“All right.”

Avoiding the more populated areas, they stuck to the shadows beneath colorful awnings and darkened neon signs. Lily usually loved Chinatown. She walked it often, buying fresh vegetables and fish when she had time to cook. But tonight, the narrow streets and alleys seemed ominous. Every stranger they passed seemed dangerous. At every corner, she found herself looking for men with guns.

Even coolheaded Chase appeared uneasy. He held her hand a little too tightly. At every intersection he made her stop so he could check both ways, even scanning the tops of the buildings and fire escapes before they crossed the street. All the while his eyes took in every detail, assessed every person they passed.

This wasn’t like Chase. He was usually the kind of man who jumped first and thought about consequences later. Tonight, his recklessness had been replaced with a caution she’d never before seen. She didn’t want to think about what that meant. Was he concerned for her and her child’s safety? Had he changed? Lily didn’t think so.

She knew he cared for her. That he would protect her with his life. But it was too little, too late. Their relationship had already been shattered beyond repair.

At the north end of Chinatown, they passed an Asian man walking a fat brown Labrador retriever. Chase surprised her by stopping him and speaking in fluent Chinese. But then she’d learned to expect the unexpected from him. He was so unpredictable, so complex and intense, Lily had always felt a little out of her element when she was with him.

Chase removed his wallet and dug out two twenty-dollar bills. The man shook his head. Chase dug out two more twenties. Smiling, the man handed him his cell phone and gave a slight bow of his head.

“Expensive phone,” she muttered.

“Worth its weight in gold if I can find out what’s going on and get us some help.” He motioned toward a dilapidated building at the end of the block. A hand-painted sign welcomed them to the Joy Family Shelter of Boston.

The homeless shelter was nestled in a brick structure that had once been a textile factory. Plywood splattered with graffiti covered the windows. A colorful mural depicting a Chinese parade replete with fire-breathing dragons graced the brick facade.

At the door a white-haired man with a tiny matching goatee smiled at them. “Welcome to Joy Family Shelter,” he said in broken English.

Chase dug another twenty from his wallet and handed it to the man. Despite her unhappiness with him, his generosity touched her.

They entered a darkened foyer that opened to a large, rectangular room. A single battery-powered lantern sat on a bookcase, casting shadows onto scarred plaster walls and illuminating a dozen or so cots. Several were occupied by sleeping figures, many of which were women and children.

Chase led Lily down another hall and into a second, smaller room. In the darkness he found two folded cots in the far corner and proceeded to unfold and set them up.

Lily knew they wouldn’t be safe here for long. But she’d never been so glad to see a cot in her life. Her back ached with increasing intensity, telling her she needed to get off her feet, at least for a little while.

“You look dead exhausted.”

Bad word choice, she thought. Chase had unfolded a single blanket and set a thin pillow on the cot. For her, she realized. “I’m pregnant, not sick.”

“You need to rest while you can.”

“It’s hard to relax knowing men with guns are out there wanting to kill me.”

“I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” He patted the cot. “Come on, Lily. I’m worried about you. You’re pale. Lie down for a few minutes.”

Under any other circumstances Lily would have refused. She didn’t want to be here. Didn’t want to be with him. She wanted to go home where she would be safe and the world was predictable. But she could no longer ignore the ache in her back. She’d been on her feet far too long. At this stage of her pregnancy, she didn’t want to push her luck.

“What about you?” she asked, her gaze flicking to the bloodstain on his shirt. In the darkness it appeared black.

“I’m fine.”

“It’s a bullet wound, isn’t it?”

“It’s a graze.”

She shook her head, disbelieving he could be so flippant about something as serious as a gunshot wound. “God, this is so you, Chase.”

“I’ll take care of it as soon as we’re safe.”

“And when will that be?”

Grimacing, he lowered his eyes, but only for a moment. “Have you eaten?”

Back at the hospital, she’d been famished, but the terror and adrenaline had stolen her appetite. “No, but I’m not hungry.”

“There’s a soup kitchen in the back,” he said. “Let me see if I can rouse a volunteer and get you something to eat.”

Too tired to argue, Lily sat on the cot.

Before she realized what he was going to do, Chase leaned close and lifted her feet onto the thin mattress. “Lie down.” One side of his mouth curved. “Might be your last chance for a while.”

She looked at him as he leaned his tall, sinewy frame over her, his long, unruly hair framing his face. She couldn’t see it in the dark, but she recalled the jagged white scar above his left eye. He looked even better than she remembered.

His voice sounded so sincere, so concerned, she did as he said. The moment she stretched out, all the adrenaline that had fueled her for the past seventeen hours ebbed. Her muscles went slack as exhaustion staked its claim on her body. She didn’t want Chase to leave her, but she’d rather cut off her right hand than admit he made her feel safe.

He must have noticed her uneasiness, because he hung back. “You’ll be all right here, Lily.”

The way he said it almost made her believe it. Almost. But almost wasn’t good enough. “It’s not just me I have to worry about now.”

She felt his gaze drill into her with an intensity that left her breathless. “At some point we’re going to have to talk about that.”

Not now, was all she could think. She was too exhausted to face his questions and the truth she’d hidden for seven-and-a-half months. It wasn’t going to be a pleasant conversation. Lily had decided the moment she’d found out she was pregnant that she would never let Chase Vickers know his child.

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