was going to do something terrible to her, like kill her.
Or cover her mouth with his hand again.
“I’m just going to go, okay?” Sophia took a small step away from him. “I’m not going to look at you and I’m just going to go.”
The arm in front of her dropped. When he didn’t stop her, Sophia took another step. Then another.
“Just get in your car and leave immediately. Don’t let anybody else see you or believe me, the trouble will be much worse.”
Now that the voice wasn’t whispering, it sounded vaguely familiar. As Sophia took another step away she turned to look at the man behind her before she could stop herself.
But before she could get a good look at him she tripped over one of the boxes lining the stairs. She grasped for the railing but couldn’t reach it.
Just as she began to plummet down the stairs an arm reached out and grabbed her around her hips, sweeping her easily off her feet and yanking her back against him.
“Are you trying to get us both killed?” the voice hissed.
Now there was no doubt in Sophia’s mind that the voice was familiar. She shook loose from the arm that held her and turned to face the voice. When she saw him clearly she almost stumbled again.
Just as tall, dark and handsome as ever—a walking cliché. The man who had walked out of her life five years ago. Without one single word.
“Cameron?”
Sophia watched as shock stole over Cameron’s face. He was obviously as surprised to see her as she was to see him.
“Sophia? What are you doing here?”
“I’m taking pictures for a friend, for an arson investigation.”
“An arson investigation? Are you law enforcement?”
Sophia shook her head. “No. Not really. I mean kind of, but no.”
Cameron stared back at her in confusion and Sophia realized she wasn’t making any sense.
“I work for the FBI, but I’m not an agent. I’m a graphic artist.”
“You work for the Bureau? You’re here for them?”
Cameron seemed overly shocked at her mention of the FBI. Sophia shook her head again. “Well, yes and no. I wasn’t supposed to be here at all, but I’m helping a friend out by getting some pictures he wasn’t able to get.”
“Is anybody else from the Bureau coming?”
Sophia didn’t understand why Cameron was asking her this, but the only thing she could think of—the only thing that really made sense about any of his behavior here—was that he was some sort of criminal now and she had walked in on something illegal.
Sophia would never have thought Cameron Branson capable of a criminal lifestyle when she had known him before. He’d just gotten out of the military and had more of a love for his family than anyone she’d ever known. He definitely had not been any sort of delinquent then. Trying to figure out where he belonged, sure. But not a criminal.
But she guessed a lot of stuff could happen in five years that changed a person. Case in point, the man standing in front of her whom she both recognized and didn’t recognize.
Sophia took a step back from him. His hand, which had still been at her waist, dropped to his side.
“No, I’m not officially here for the Bureau. Nobody else is coming,” Sophia told him.
Cameron seemed to relax a little at that admission, which just confirmed Sophia’s suspicion about his criminal activities. Who else relaxed at the thought of the FBI not coming?
Sophia looked more closely at Cameron. His hair was much longer than the nearly crew-cut length he used to keep—it curled now at the top of his black T-shirt. His posture was less erect, more casual. His eyes...
Well, his eyes were still the most gorgeous shade of brown she had ever seen.
She’d nearly fallen in love with those eyes once, back when she was too young and stupid to know better. Back when she thought he was a stand-up guy who was interested in her and perhaps wanted a future together.
But she had grown up and left those dreams behind. He hadn’t given her much choice, when he’d left without a goodbye and without a single word in the five years since.
So whoever this man standing in front of her was—despite his gorgeous eyes—she needed to get away from him.
For more reasons than one.
* * *
CAMERON FELT AS IF he was having an out-of-body experience as the tiny brunette who had been clawing at his face moments before transformed from a stranger into Sophia Reardon.
This was not possible.
Seriously? Of all the warehouses in all the world, she had to be in this one? And moreover, somebody from Omega should’ve had the roads leading down to this area blocked so nobody who wasn’t supposed to be here—for example, a cute brunette with a camera—got through. Somebody was going to catch a load of trouble for this, Cameron would make sure.
But right now he had to get Sophia out of here before somebody from DS-13 saw her.
But man, she looked good. Cameron gave himself just a second to really look at her. He hadn’t seen her in five years. She’d been twenty-two years old then, but she didn’t seem to have changed much. Her straight brown hair was a little longer, now past her shoulders, but the natural blond highlights were still there. Through the dimness of the warehouse’s lights he could barely make out the freckles that still scattered across her cheeks and nose. And her stunning green eyes.
Eyes that were glaring up at him right now. He took a step toward her but she backed up. “I’m not going to hurt you, Soph.”
She stopped moving. “I know. I just... I’m pretty claustrophobic. I don’t want you to cover my mouth again.”
Cameron nodded. “Okay, no problem.”
“Why are you here, Cameron?” she asked with a great deal of suspicion in her tone.
Cameron couldn’t blame her for the unease, given the current situation. “It’s a long story and I don’t have time to explain.”
She jerked away from him. “Yeah. Explanations aren’t your strong suit. I remember.”
Cameron winced. He reached for her again, but then let his hand fall to the side. Sophia had every right to be angry at him about how things had ended between them five years ago, even though he had never meant to hurt her. Cutting casual ties had just been part of the life he’d chosen when he took the job with Omega Sector.
Of course, the fact that he had thought about her every day since he’d walked away from her had proven to Cameron that Sophia had been more than a casual tie. Now, with quite a bit more perspective, he realized he should’ve given
