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He’s trained to survive anything—except his past.
She saw too much. Now she’s marked to die.
Brody Rivers is Phantom Sector’s quietest, deadliest weapon. Lethal. Controlled. Emotionally untouchable. Haunted by a tragedy that almost destroyed his family, he’s built his life around one rule: never get close enough to lose someone again.
Skylar Beaumont was never supposed to be seen.
Undercover. Off the books. Disposable.
When Skylar witnesses the murder of a military informant, and recognizes the killer as a high-ranking officer, she becomes the most dangerous secret in the country. Captured, tortured, and on the brink of death before being rescued.
The truth will get her killed, but there’s no one else who can testify.
If she can stay alive.
Sent to protect her, Brody and Skylar are on the run, hunted by enemies who control the system meant to protect them. They’re forced to trust each other to survive.
Only one problem. Brody is drawn to the woman he knows he shouldn’t want, and Skylar is hiding a truth that could shatter what fragile trust they’re building.
As danger closes in, desire ignites, secrets unravel, and Brody must face the guilt that’s ruled his life.
Because this time, survival isn’t enough.
To save her, he’ll have to risk his heart.
To expose the truth, she’ll have to trust him with her life.
A Time to Survive is a high-stakes romantic suspense packed with: forced proximity, elite covert operators, undercover secrets, slow-burn, explosive chemistry, a haunted hero and a lethal heroine, and betrayal at the highest levels.

Chapter One
Skylar
Leo’s palm met the side of Skylar’s face with a brutal slap. Her head snapped to the side as the sound echoed off the walls of the cramped, dimly lit room. Ah, crap, that hurt! She was past seeing stars as Leo grabbed her chin in a forceful grip, turning her head so she looked directly into the black eyes of a devil. That's how she thought of him. Overweight, pot-marked face, scruffy beard and evil oozing from every pore.
Yeah, he was having fun beating her. Untie her hands and give her one minute with the son of a bitch. That’s all she wanted. And maybe a gun, or even a knife. She’d kill the bastard and not think twice about it.
"Who do you work for, bitch?" he demanded, his breath heavy with the stench of onions and garlic.
She swallowed back the bile that rose in her throat, shaking her head. “I was delivering papers to the captain,” her words slurred as she repeated the mantra she’d been saying every time they asked.
How long had they been torturing her? She’d lost track of time. Maybe a day? Longer? They’d shoved her inside the cramped room sometime last night and tied her to the hard wooden chair. She couldn’t see the hands on her watch, as if time suddenly stood still.
It seemed like forever.
They’d leave, returning a little while later to torture her again. Leo beat her face and arms while the other one watched. When Leo tired of using the palm of his hand, he’d beat her thighs with a leather whip. Not enough to cut the skin, but enough to make her cry out.
In the beginning, she’d fought the ropes that tied her wrists and ankles to the chair. They were too tight. The ropes had cut off the circulation long ago. Her efforts resulted in nothing but rope burns that only added to the pain. The last time they’d left, she hadn’t even tried to get loose.
The door opened, then closed as they walked out. She released a shaky breath and hoped they would stay gone. Forever would be nice.
Her life flashed before her eyes as a tear trickled down her cheek. Damn it, this wasn’t supposed to be how it all ended. The cruelest twist was knowing that after they ended her life, her absence would go unnoticed, except for maybe her boss. It was her choice to push people away, she reminded herself.
She squeezed her eyes shut. It was better that way. People only hurt you. Keep everyone at arm’s length and you’re better off. Oh, her boss might shed a tear or two, but in a few days, she’d forget all about her. Stuff like this happened in her line of work.
A spark of hope rose inside her. Barbara was a damn good boss. How tough would it be to track down where they’d taken her? Maybe they’d swarm the place and save her at the last minute.
Yeah, right, keep dreaming, she told herself. She had no doubt that her death would be the end result of their interrogation.
The haze of pain enveloping her refused to ease. Think about her training. That’s what she should focus on. The possibility of escape was nonexistent right now, anyway.
But what? Mom, think about her. A bitter laugh escaped. Oh, yeah, that should get her mind off everything else. Could she even call Betsy mom? She’d given birth to Skylar, so technically she supposed she was her mom. They’d have to locate her first. Skylar guessed she still lived in the projects. If they told her that her only child was dead, she might care.
She was a drug addict. Hell, Skylar didn’t even know if the woman was still alive. She clenched her teeth. The thought of her mother being dead shouldn’t bother her, but dammit, there were a handful of times that weren’t all that bad. Vague memories that crept to the forefront and wouldn’t let go. They were few, but they were still there. So maybe, if someone told Betsy that her only child had died, and if she wasn’t strung out on meth or cocaine, then maybe, just maybe, she might shed a tear.
Forget about Dad. When it came to him, she had no clue to his identity. She doubted her mother did either. Men came and went out of Betsy’s life. A couple of them were kind of decent, but they didn’t make up for the ones who weren’t.
Skylar learned to fend for herself from an early age. By three, she could spread peanut butter on a slice of stale bread. No bread? Eat it out of the jar. No peanut butter? Do without until Mommy remembered there was a kid in the house.
So, it was unlikely anyone would mourn Skylar for long after she left. Not that she’d be in a marked grave. More than likely, they’d dig a hole somewhere and dump her body inside.
They came back into the room. She tightened her fists. No, no! It was too soon after the last beating.
One man stood in the shadows. He liked to watch. Not that it mattered if he stepped into the light. She’d seen his face. Memorized every detail. She didn’t think that little bit of knowledge would do her any good.
Leo grabbed her chin, squeezing painfully. “Did you miss me, bitch?”
She whimpered, because that’s what her role called for, but the hate burning inside her was almost at the boiling point.
Leo released her and stepped back. His palm struck the side of her face. Pain exploded in her head. “Stop, please, just stop,” she cried out.
“What did she say?” The other man stepped out of the shadows. Dark, sinister. He was tall. Maybe six feet.
Skylar revised her idea of who tortured her. Leo was only a flunky. This one was the devil. A major, no less, although he wasn’t wearing a name tag. The rest of his uniform gave him away. He took an oath, damn it!
Yeah, she’d known what he was capable of, but she hadn’t had a face until she saw him murder the captain. Their informant. She’d been sent to get information from him. The man behind the illegal shipments wasn’t even supposed to be there. She was only meeting with the informant.
As soon as she saw the major pull the trigger, she realized what was happening, but she was still caught off guard. Her defenses dropped for a moment, but it was enough that she didn’t see the other man. Leo grabbed her from behind and put her in a chokehold until she lost consciousness. When she came to, she was tied to this chair.
The major stepped nearer, leaning down. “Tell us who you work for,” he spoke softly. “All this will stop, and we’ll release you.” His words were soft, but his eyes were as frigid as a winter day.
Release her? She almost laughed. Like hell they would, but she didn’t know how much more she could take before she finally broke. “I’m a civilian data analyst,” she mumbled. “Independent contractor.”
“No, sweetheart, that’s what you want us to believe. Now, tell us who you really work for. How much did you hear?”
She slowly raised her head, glaring at the man in front of her. What did she know? She’d seen him shoot the captain. Right before that, she’d heard about the illegal gun shipment going out at the end of the month. She knew there’d been a leak, and they’d discovered the captain was an informant. But she couldn’t say any of that without blowing her cover. “I’m an independent…”
He grabbed her blood-splattered, once white shirt, twisted it in his fist, and yanked with a violent tug. She jerked forward as the sound of material ripping filled her ears. The chair rocked once, twice, then settled back into place. Closing her eyes, she whimpered as the cool air washed over her.
Please, God, not this.
“Maybe she’s getting tired. Wake her up,” the major ordered.
Skylar gasped when a bucket of icy water washed over her. Uncontrollable shivers raced down her body. It had to be at least fifty degrees inside the small room.
The major pulled a knife from his pocket, pushed a button, and with a click, the cold steel of the blade sprang out. He lightly traced her collarbone. “Even with your face swollen and bruised, you’re beautiful. It would be a shame to leave a scar.”
A scar was the least of her worries. What if she pushed him? Would he lose his temper and plunge the knife into her heart? End it all right now. It would only get worse, and she didn’t know how much more she could take before she started talking.
So, this was it. "You mean like that ugly-ass scar you have?" she choked out, but he understood. The scar wasn’t that bad. It ran from the corner of his eye to halfway down his face, and could easily be covered with a little concealer. Apparently, the major had an overblown ego because her words had the desired effect. His lips tightened as rage mottled his face.
He scraped the point of the blade down her arm, leaving a trail of blood and a gash deep enough that it caused her to cry out, but not enough that she’d bleed to death. Still, it burned like fire. She gasped, her vision blurred. A thin stream of blood ran down her arm, dripping onto the floor.
“No, I won’t kill you fast because that’s what you want. I’ll kill you slowly, and you will talk, sweetheart. You’ll tell me everything. No more lies.” His phone rang. He cursed and grabbed it out of his pocket, bringing it to his ear. After listening for a moment, he stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him. His muffled words on the other side were impossible to understand.
The major returned, shoving the phone into his pocket. “I don’t have time for these games. I have to leave. Leo, take her to the country. Don’t dawdle. It may not be safe here.” He glared at him. “Kill her, then dispose of the body. If she’d known anything, she would’ve talked. No one can go through that much pain and not break.” He knelt in front of her, staring into her eyes. “It’s a shame, really. Wrong place, wrong time. Soon now, the pain will all be gone.” He ran his knuckles lightly down the side of her face.
Skylar tried to pull away.
He chuckled. “So much fire. If we’d met under different circumstances, I would’ve seduced you until you begged me to fuck you.”
She looked him right in the eyes, hers narrowed. “Someday, I’ll find you, and I’ll plunge a knife into your throat. The last thing you’ll see is my face.”
Something flickered in his eyes. Fear? Doubtful. He was too full of himself.
“Keep dreaming, sweetheart. I’m untouchable.”
The major straightened, glaring at Leo. “Don’t fuck around. Kill her, bury the body, and then disappear. I don’t want to hear from you until the end of the month. Nothing can get in the way of this arms deal. I have too damn much invested. If you screw this up, they’ll be burying you next. Got it?”
“Yes, boss.”
The major turned sharply on his heel and left without another word. How coldly he ordered her death. The man had no heart, no soul.
Skylar knew what he was capable of doing. She’d read his file, everything they had on him, except for a name and face. No one did. There’d been pictures of his victims. Other informants. The ones who talked to the major got a bullet in the brain. The ones who didn’t were no longer recognizable. None of them had ever seen his face or known his name. There’d always been a go-between.
Unless you were marked for death.
“I think we’ll have a little fun before you die,” Leo told her after the major left.
“Go to hell,” she mumbled.
Leo laughed as he grabbed her breast and squeezed none too gently. “I probably will.”
She refused to cry out, keeping her eyes closed. If he thought she’d passed out, he might leave her alone. Her ruse worked because he released her, grumbling as he untied her wrists from behind the chair, followed by her ankles. They immediately tingled painfully as the circulation returned. She wanted to shake them out, but was afraid Leo would do something worse to her.
He grunted when he hefted her onto his shoulder. Her eyes filled with tears. There wasn’t a place on her that didn’t hurt. Crying out wasn’t an option at this point. Maybe, just maybe, when he set her inside his vehicle, she’d land one good kick and at least have a chance of escaping. She had to hold on to that tiny seed of hope, even though she doubted there was enough strength left inside her.
Cool night air brushed over her as Leo stepped outside. A bird whistled from nearby as gravel crunched beneath his heavy steps. She opened her eyes, wanting to soak in as much of the evening as possible. She loved the outdoors. This was where she felt most alive, but would this be the last time she enjoyed being outside?
From the shadows, a harsh voice sliced through the air. "Put the woman down and freeze."
“Son of a bitch!” Leo muttered, shoving her off his shoulder and pulling out his gun.
Skylar tumbled to the ground with a hard thud. Pea gravel bit into her flesh. She moaned, curling into a ball. Attempting to make herself a smaller target. The new threat, whatever it was, likely spelled trouble. Nobody in her agency was aware of her whereabouts, and nobody would save her. So, who was this new threat?
Leo screamed when a bullet hit him in the leg. He dropped to his knees and grabbed her hair, pulling hard as he raised her head. Her scalp stung from the force he used. A moment later, she felt the cold steel of a gun pressed against her temple.
“Back off or I’ll kill the bitch!” Leo screamed.
Forgive me of my sins… she prayed. Damn, there were so many.
There was a whoosh, then a thud. Leo’s grip loosened, the gun dropping uselessly to the ground as he fell backward. She pushed up with her arms, body trembling from exertion, and stared into Leo’s wide-open eyes. She’d seen enough dead people to understand he wasn't her problem any longer.
This was her chance to escape. With every ounce left inside her, she stumbled trying to stand, but only made it to her knees. A wave of dizziness washed over her. She lost her balance. Reaching out, her hand landed on Leo’s flabby stomach. Bile rose inside her.
Everything around her blurred.
No! Dammit, she had a chance to escape. She couldn’t pass out now!
Did the Major want Leo dead, too? Was that why someone killed him? Was the man going to kill her now? She trembled.
I’m not ready to die.
Run!
She tried again to stand.
“Easy now,” a calm voice spoke near her.
Too late!
No! They would not take her alive! Not without a fight! She fumbled for the gun Leo had dropped, but powerful hands grabbed her before she reached it. No, she’d been so close! She cried out in frustration, moving to a sitting position. The shadowy figure loomed over her.
“Is there anyone else around?” he asked slowly and in a calm voice.
“No,” she said, shoulders slumping in defeat as her body shivered from the cold outside air.
“You’re safe now.”
Skylar dragged her gaze up to his face as he removed his outer, long-sleeved shirt and placed it around her shoulders, leaving him in a khaki-colored T-shirt.
Shrouded in darkness, his features blurred as tears filled her eyes. Damn it, she never cried. She was made of stronger stuff than to bawl now. She rapidly blinked her eyes and tried to bring him into focus, but it wasn’t happening.
Her only thought was that the major had come back for her. He was going to kill her. She pushed away with her heels, trying to escape. Before she put any distance between them, the clouds blocking the light from the moon drifted away, and she saw the man’s face.
Not the major. But who?
Dark hair and a beard trimmed close to his face. At least six feet, three inches. Broad shoulders, green eyes. She had no recollection of ever having met him. A lot of people had come through her life in the twenty-nine years she’d been on earth, but definitely not this man. She would’ve remembered him.
Strong arms picked her up as though she weighed nothing at all. She tried to wiggle away.
“It’s okay. No one’s going to hurt you. Who are you, and what did he want?”
More interrogation. No, please, she silently begged. Why didn’t they just kill her? But there was still a spark left inside her that wanted to live. “My name is Skyler Baxter,” she said, using the fake last name she used undercover. “I’m a civilian data analyst, an independent contractor,” she repeated the mantra she’d been saying over and over again.
“Why were they torturing you?” he asked again.
“Wrong place, wrong time.” She used the major’s own words. Any energy she had left drained away, and she closed her eyes.
“She still alive?” someone asked, his words coming as if from a long distance.
Someone touched her neck. His fingers gentle.
“Barely. Who the hell would torture someone like this? She’s only a woman.”
Skylar would’ve laughed if she’d had the energy, but then, if she had even a drop of energy left inside her, she’d kick his ass. Just not right now.
“Better question,” another unfamiliar voice chimed in as he joined the little group. “What the hell are we going to do with her?”
“How should I know? This must be the kidnapping victim Henry told us about. The woman said she analyzed computers or something. Her name is Skyler Baxter. I’m guessing a civilian.”
“Well, someone wanted her dead. Hospital? Let them deal with her. We have a job to do.”
“Two dead men tonight, and one who got away. If our informant hadn’t told us about this place, she’d be dead. We can’t take her to a hospital. Too risky. If whoever wanted her dead realizes she’s alive, he might return to finish the job.” This spoken by the man holding her. “We’ll take her to the safe house until we figure out what to do.”
So, they weren’t working for the major. But who? As the man holding her started walking, she must’ve passed out because the next thing Skylar knew, she was inside a vehicle and they were traveling down a road. She closed her eyes again. The next time she woke up, she was lying on a bed. Voices were coming from the other room.
“She needs medical attention. Yes, I started an IV and bandaged her arm where someone sliced it open. Her face is swollen and bruised, rope burns on her wrists and ankles, and it looks like they took a whip to her legs. "
Skyler frowned and turned her head, trying not to cry out, but damn, she hurt all over. She quickly assessed what had been done. He was right. IV fluid ran through a tube into her vein. There was a bandage on her arm. The one the major had cut.
Her frown deepened. Someone had undressed her, except for her panties. That was fine with her. The lacy bra had been soaked when Leo dumped the water on her. She wore a man’s shirt, different from the other one, but they’d left the bandaged arm free when they buttoned it. She inhaled and caught the fresh scent of soap. Okay, at least it was clean and dry. Where was her phone? Damn it, she needed to call in.
“I don’t have that kind of training,” the men continued to argue. “I can only hope to keep someone alive until they get professional medical help. Pete had medical training…”
“Whoa! You’ve got a lot more training than I do, Brody. Besides, isn’t your brother a doctor? Since our medic is in the field, call him for help.”
“I don’t want to pull my brother into this. He’s a damn good doctor, but he’s not trained for any kind of combat.”
“Someone has to take care of her.”
Screw this, Skyler thought. She’d take care of her own damned self. She only had to get up and walk out the door. Problem solved. They weren’t going to kill her since they’d given her medical care. At least, she didn’t think they would. For all she knew, they wanted to interrogate her as much as the major.
As she attempted to sit up, a jolt of pain shot through her and she groaned. She’d only managed to swing one leg over the side of the bed before someone came hurrying into the room.
“What the hell are you trying to do? Kill yourself? Your arm is going to start bleeding again.”
“I can take care of myself. I don’t need a babysitter.”
“Yeah, I can see that,” he said with more sarcasm than he needed.
She raised her head, and that’s when she got a good look at him. Even if her words weren’t slurred, her brain had suddenly quit functioning. He wasn’t what she would call beautiful. His beard was trimmed close to his face, more like he had a heavy five o’clock shadow, and he had a firm jaw. Nice tan, too. He probably spent a lot of time outdoors. He had a tattoo of an eagle on one arm and a badass dragon curled around the other. Good work, very detailed.
There was something rough about him, a hard, edgy look as though going into battle would be second nature. But it was his jade-green eyes that captured and held her attention. They were intense, as if he could see inside her soul.
That was unnerving. Did he suspect her true identity? No, that was impossible. She worked independently of other agents. That’s why the CIA hired her. She didn’t need anyone else to help her finish the job. She grimaced. Except this time.
And she still didn’t have a clue about who’d rescued her. Who were these men? They weren’t wearing uniforms.
“What the hell am I going to do with you?” he mumbled to himself. “Why were you even there?” he asked a little louder.
“Independent contractor. I work alone.” For now, she had to stick with her undercover identity. They might be mercenaries, and she certainly didn’t want them to know she worked for the CIA. “Take me back to the parking lot. My car might still be there.”
“The one where someone murdered the captain? Again, why were you even there?”
And so the interrogation begins again. “I was delivering my analysis to the captain. Someone killed him.”
His eyes narrowed. “Did you see who?”
She hesitated before deciding that a half-truth was her best option. “The man taking me to his vehicle, the one you shot, he was the only face I remember right now. The other one called him Leo, and he was supposed to kill me.”
“Why?”
“I’m not sure. They kept asking how much I knew.”
Here’s where it got sticky. How much should she tell the stranger? If he was a mercenary, Skylar’s answer could mean life or death for her. She decided that telling him a little might keep her alive.
“The man who shot the captain was in the shadows most of the time. It’s all a blur right now. I got a glimpse of his face, but only for a moment when he shot the captain.” She squinted as if trying to remember. She brought her hands up and massaged her temples, moaning.
“Give it time. It will all come back to you.” He grimaced. “You’re in no shape to travel alone. Besides, we had a glitch.”
“What kind of glitch?” That didn’t sound good.
“My team didn’t have time to clean up the mess. Someone else showed up. They’re aware Leo is dead, and you could still be alive. You’re not safe.”
It was time for questions of her own. “Who are you and your team?”
He hesitated, and she didn’t think he was going to tell her anything. “My name is Brody.” He didn’t get a chance to say more, even if he would’ve told her who he worked for, and that was debatable. Someone called from the other room, interrupting him. He walked away. The next thing she knew, he’d hurried back inside the bedroom.
“We have to go. The safe house might have been compromised.”
He scooped her into his arms. Stabbing pain shot through her. She gasped.
“Sorry,” he mumbled an apology as he balanced her, brought down the IV, and laid it on her stomach. At the last moment, he grabbed a pillow. He was gentle getting her into the backseat of the car, but it still hurt like hell. The pillow under her head helped. He hung the IV on the clothes hook above her before he hurried back inside. A moment later, he returned and tossed a blanket toward her. The door slammed shut, and they were driving away.
Safe house? Who were they? Definitely not the CIA or Barbara would’ve mentioned someone else on the case.
No, Skylar still held to the belief that they were hired guns, but they definitely didn’t work for the major. Were these men his competition? Did they want a piece of the action?
Her head began to pound. She was still alive. Right now, that’s all that mattered. The moment she was able, she would escape.
Exhaustion washed over her in waves. Talking to Brody had drained her. Some undercover agent she was. A few hours of torture and she was done for. She closed her eyes and let sleep overtake her.
Skyler wasn’t sure how long she’d been out. It was still dark outside, and she was still in the car going toward some unknown destination. What had awakened her?
Brody's whispered words barely made it into the backseat. Unfortunately for him, she was a light sleeper.
“Believe me, I hate to draw you into this, but I don’t have any other choice. No, that wasn’t possible. The only medic available was in the field. I patched her up, but she needs to see a doctor. Yes, the last time I checked, she was alive.”
There was silence in-between his sentences, as he listened to someone on the other end of the conversation.
“Her pulse is weak, and she has a long gash on her arm. Someone sliced it open with a knife. There’s a pressure bandage on it now, and they used a whip on her legs. The skin isn’t broken, only bruised.” Silence. “No, the cut on her arm isn’t too deep, and the bandage isn’t too tight. Her pulse was still the same after I bandaged it. And yes, I started an IV. I didn’t want to overload her system, so I slowed it down. I’m not a complete moron.”
She almost smiled at that. If her jaw didn’t hurt so much, she might have. Leo had forgotten himself once and hit her with his fist. The major had cursed him for being an idiot, and Leo apologized profusely to him, promising it wouldn’t happen again.
His slaps hurt almost as much, though. If Brody hadn’t shot him, she would’ve found some way to slowly and with excruciating pain, kill him. She only hoped her jaw wasn't broken. She didn’t think it was, but she wasn’t positive.
“Probably another hour,” Brody said, and Skylar pulled her thoughts back to his conversation. “Maybe less. Clinic, backdoor. Got it.”
His conversation ended.
Skyler closed her eyes again. When she woke next, they were pulling to a stop, and Brody was getting out of the car. He spoke to another man. Their voices sounded similar. The back door opened, and another man began speaking to her.
“I’m Dr. Paxton Rivers,” he said. “We have a stretcher here, and we're going to bring you out of the car and take you inside the clinic so I can see what we’re dealing with. We’ll try to be as careful as possible, but I can’t promise you this won’t hurt.”
“It’s okay. I’ve been through worse.” If she hadn’t been hurting so much, Skylar would’ve laughed at her joke. Before they even touched her, the agonizing pain she felt had stolen the last bit of humor.
“From the looks of you, I rather suspect you have.”
The doctor had a kind voice, and there was concern on his face. She hadn't heard a kind word in a very long time. She frowned. If ever.
The door at her head eased open. She flinched until she saw Brody’s face and relaxed. He took the nearly empty IV down and laid it on her stomach, then carefully slid his hands under her back. “I’m going to bring your shoulders toward Pax. We’ll slide you onto the stretcher, and after that, it’ll be easier on you. Once you’re in the clinic, Pax can examine you.”
Skylar noted he called the other man by a shortened form of his name. That told her they’d probably known each other for a while. Hadn’t one of the men mentioned he had a brother who was a doctor? She wasn’t too sure about anything anymore.
“Ready?”
She nodded, focusing on what was happening. Even that hurt. She gritted her teeth as they moved her out of the car. Oh damn, it hurt worse than she could’ve imagined. She tried not to cry out, but a small whimper escaped.
No emotion! It’s a sign of weakness and makes you vulnerable. Don’t let anyone see what you’re feeling.
“Want us to stop for a moment?”
“No, get it over with,” she ground out.
“Okay, here we go.”
She held her breath as they brought her out the rest of the way and laid her on the stretcher. Only then did she release a sigh of relief and draw in air.
The doctor quickly covered her with a blanket, but she was still shivering. They didn’t waste time getting her out of the cool air and into the clinic. When the bright lights hit her eyes, she blinked rapidly, head pounding as they wheeled her into one of the exam rooms.
Dr. Rivers turned toward Brody. “I’ll take it from here.”
“But…”
“I’m pretty sure I don’t need your help. I’ll update you as soon as I finish my examination. There’s a pot of coffee in my office.”
“Okay, fine,” Brody grumbled.
After Brody left the room, closing the door behind him and the pain eased a little, she studied the doctor. He had the same jade-green eyes as Brody. His voice was similar as well.
“Now, let’s see what we’re dealing with,” the doctor said.
“You’re related to each other,” she blurted.
The doctor looked surprised. “Very observant. We’re brothers.”
Figured. Skylar wondered if this one liked to argue, too. Since doctors were not high on her list of favorite people, she didn’t say anything more. The sooner he finished the exam, the better.
“Does this hurt?” he asked, sliding his hands over her ribs and pushing gently.
She flinched. “No, but your hands are damned cold.”
His mumbled apology was barely audible as he continued with the examination. “Who did this to you?” he casually asked, but his tone was anything but casual. She detected the anger behind his words and wondered why. He didn’t even know her. Brody had had a similar reaction. Strange.
“Wrong place, wrong time.” That was quickly becoming a handy excuse for why she’d been interrogated.
Dr. Rivers looked up, his gaze as intense as his brother’s, as if he waited for her to explain more.
For just a moment, her gaze narrowed. Had she misjudged the doctor? Was he trying to get information from her? If that were the case, it wouldn’t do any good.
She finally relented since he’d stopped the exam. “I saw someone murdered. The person who shot him thought I might have been an undercover agent or something. They were trying to find out if I was.”
“Are you?”
His question surprised her. Most people brushed her off as a secretary who worked behind a desk, which was why she turned out to be such a valuable asset. Someone, who happened to be breaking the law, had once told her she was too pretty, too feminine, to be an undercover CIA operative, and then had the audacity to laugh. She’d had him in handcuffs before he took his next breath. He wasn’t laughing when she hauled his ass to jail.
But she wasn’t about to blow her cover. “I’m a civilian data analyst.”
He didn’t look as though he quite believed her. Better to change the subject. “What’s your verdict?”
He hesitated, but apparently decided his question didn’t really matter. “Nothing broken that I can tell. If anything gives you problems in the next few days, you might want to get X-rays. That arm is going to need stitches, but we have something that I promise won’t hurt. The laceration isn’t as bad as I’d first thought. The liquid stitches will work and won’t leave a scar.”
He met her gaze when she didn’t say anything. His smile was kind. The brothers looked a lot alike. Both good-looking except the doctor was clean-shaven, and he didn’t have Brody’s hard edge.
She thought there might be a touch of something lurking deep inside him. An emotion he kept hidden from those around him. Not that she was an expert at seeing inside someone, but sometimes when she looked in the mirror, Skylar thought she saw something similar.
“So, what put you in harm’s way?” he casually asked.
She couldn’t be too careful. She looked away, clenching her jaw. Damn, doing that hurt like a son of a bitch, but it had the desired effect she wanted. Tears immediately formed in her eyes. “I was delivering papers to the captain. I’m only a data analyst. No one important. They kept asking me who I worked for, and they said I was lying. I’m not even in the military. I’m a civilian.”
His demeanor immediately softened as he took her hand and gave it a gentle, reassuring pat. “It’s okay. Brody will take care of you until you're stronger. His team is damn good at what they do. They’ll make sure you stay safe.”
“They’re mercenaries, aren’t they?”
“Actually, they work for…”
There was a knock on the door.
The doctor shook his head. “There's only one problem with my brother, he has no patience.”
A knot of frustration tightened in her chest. She still did not know who Brody was.
Friend or foe?