Contents CHAPTER 1 “Rene, you dirty bastard, put your tongue back in your… 1 CHAPTER 2 Rene raked a hand through his hair. “What the fuck… 17 CHAPTER 3 Natalie couldn’t sleep. 33 CHAPTER 4 A shocked gasp and muffled “Sonuvabitch!” jarred her fully awake… 47 CHAPTER 5 A crunch sounded outside—a crisp scrape like a footstep on… 65 CHAPTER 6 As soon as the van pulled to a halt, the… 77 CHAPTER 7 Her body warmed as she cuddled closer. This close and… 91 CHAPTER 8 You don’t want to kill him…yet. 109 CHAPTER 9 Natalie finished bathing him and pulled the sheet up over… 125 CHAPTER 10 Mercifully, Inanna veered the conversation another way. “Erika, what did… 139 CHAPTER 11 Chessa stared into the stormy sky as rain began to… 153 CHAPTER 12 “Damn!” 171 CHAPTER 13 Chessa sat on the edge of the bed when Rene… 189 CHAPTER 14 Chessa tracked Nic down to his quarters in the barracks. 203 CHAPTER 15 Silence stretched between Nicolas and Chessa as they each dressed.