Relentless (Option Zero 2)

He turned his head and stared blearily at a blond stranger with icy blue eyes. “Who are you?”

“Gideon Wright. A friend of Hawke’s.”

That was good enough for Liam. Leaning his head back against the wall, he gave monosyllabic answers to the questions Wright asked. Even though there wasn’t a place on his body that wasn’t either bruised or cut, he felt numb. A heaviness had settled around his heart and emptiness flooded through his being. Although he was sure she hadn’t been there, he still felt as if he was leaving her behind.

“Here.” Wright handed him a bottle of water and a protein bar. “Chew slowly.”

Liam nodded and took a bite and then another. His first sip of cold, clean water went down easy and tasted like nectar. He took another swallow.

“Dammit!” somebody shouted. “We’ve got incoming!”

With barely enough time to comprehend what was happening, Liam grabbed on to the hanging belt behind him just as an explosion rocked the chopper. Another blast followed. Beeps and alarms blared through the cabin. As the helicopter whirled in circles like an out-of-control spinning top, Liam fought to hang on. The chopper took a sudden nose dive, speeding toward the ground. They were going to crash.

The pilot shouted, “Brace for impact!”

Liam’s thoughts spun. If he died today, he’d never be able to find Cat. He had to survive this. He couldn’t let her down.

A loud roar rushed throughout the chopper. He caught a glimpse of Xavier’s grim face a second before they slammed to the ground. Metal squealed, the world shook.

Agony seared through Liam’s entire body. And then there was darkness.

Chapter Five

Two months later

New York

NYC Public Library

Katarina Aubrey Starr stood on the steps in front of the lion statue known as Fortitude, just as she had promised. She wore a navy blue dress with white and yellow daisies, just as she had promised. When she’d described the dress to Lion, it had been hanging in her closet at home. She’d put it on this morning and had been appalled at the fit. That couldn’t be helped. This was the dress he expected her to be wearing. She had cinched the waist with a belt, used pins in strategic places to keep the dress from falling from her shoulders, and called a cab. Nothing was going to stop her from making this date.

People went up and down the steps, all strangers. Everyone seemed to have important errands to run or serious business to handle. None of them was her Lion. She might not have ever seen him, but she knew exactly what he looked like. She had envisioned him a million times. Besides that, how many men would be carrying a bouquet of pink roses up the library steps? So yes, she would definitely know him.

She told herself he would be here. Having no idea what his real name was or what had happened to him after she’d been rescued had not deterred her from making this meeting. He had to be here. There was no other option.

The sun beat down on her unprotected head and a small voice of caution told her to sit down. She’d been released from the hospital only two weeks ago and was still recovering. The last thing she needed was a setback. But she feared that if she moved, she would miss him.

A clock chimed in the distance, clanging twice. He was an hour late. She used the excuse that he might have arrived in the city from a different time zone. Yes, it was lame, and yes, it was a stupid hope, but still she stood, waiting.

She thought about what she would say to him. A thousand times, she’d reviewed in her mind the first thing she would do. Would it be too forward to throw herself into his arms? Probably, but that’s what she wanted to do. He had given her hope when there had been none. Without him, she was sure she would have given up.

When the clock chimed three times, she dropped down to the steps and sat. She could still see everyone. She wouldn’t miss him. Her limbs, especially her legs, were still

a bit weak.

What exactly did Lion do? The authoritative way he’d talked, the advice he’d given her about protecting herself, had sounded very knowledgeable. She assumed he was military trained. Had he still been in the military? Was that why he’d been a prisoner? If so, had he been able to escape?

The prison they’d been held in was gone—decimated. She’d seen the aerial photos. All that remained was a barbwire fence that had surrounded the structure. Everything else had been flattened. No one could give her any answers of what had happened. She’d been told only that there were no known survivors.

She refused to believe that Lion hadn’t survived. He had to be alive—she would accept no other option.

At four o’clock, she opened the small picnic basket she’d brought for them. Taking out the plastic container holding the apple slices she’d cut up this morning, she forced herself to eat a few pieces. Even though she wasn’t hungry, she needed to keep her energy up.

He was now three hours late. She pushed that knowledge aside. So what? Where did she have to go? Lion was worth waiting for. She refused to give up on him.

The call came just a little after five. Not surprisingly her mother sounded both concerned and angry. “Kat, where are you?”

“I’m in New York. At the library.”