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He hadn’t judged her Not the harsh way she judged herself Neither had Angelina They’d treated Cate tenderly, lovingly, but with a matter-of-factness that allowed her to retain that s had happened to someone else Not to her

Now that she are of her surroundings, Cate realized she could barely breathe beneath the blanket It was hot, stuffy, s She was also aware of the steady ruine and the SUV’s wheels as they ate up thedistance between themselves and the men who’d tried to kill her Vishenko’s men She had no doubt about that

The SUV slowed Then veered to the right Then stopped Cate heard the driver’s door open and close, but she didn’t move Didn’t speak

Suddenly the side door opened “Sorry,” a deep voice said above her as the blanket was abruptly re?”

Strong yet gentle hands helped Cate rise and come out of the SUV to stand next to it, and for a ained her equilibrium Then she steadied and was able to focus on the man in front of her

He looked so much like Alec Jones that he could be his twin brother But there were differences, and though Cate couldn’t have said exactly what those differences were, she knew in an instant this man wasn’t her cousin’s husband He was tall and broad-shouldered, just as Alec ith a muscular co trim Close-cropped auburn hair, also just like Alec And soft brown eyes Is it his eyes that are different? she wondered distractedly Not the color, no But the expression in them An expression that told her plain as words he found her attractive Man-woman attractive Alec had never looked at her that way Alec had known she never wanted any ain

But there was so else in this man’s expression that bothered her even , Cate knew he’dIt wasn’t obvious fros

“Who are you?” she asked abruptly “You’re not Alec”

“Liam Liam Jones Alec’s my brother”

She glanced around now, taking in their surroundings They were in a rest stop on the highway Not deserted, but not overly crowded, either There were no other cars in the parking area, but there were a couple of tractor-trailer trucks on the other side of the divider “Why have we stopped here?”

He sed his whole face fro extraordinary “You were so quiet I forgot you were under the blanket in the back,” he said in a deep voice that sounded like Alec’s in a way, but was also different soyou out sooner I stopped the first chance I had”

His hand went to brush back her tousled hair—a perfectly natural response under the circumstances—but Cate shied away Then despised herself as a cohen the smile faded from Liam’s face

“Sorry,” he said again, but there was a watchfulness in his eyes now A guarded expression she couldn’t read Not exactly But she knew he hadn’t aze dropped from her face to her dress and then to her arm, and when she looked down she realized the blood had already dried Not her blood, of course The blood of theher Men like this man

She didn’t kno she knew Lia about hiht froue state almost the moment the first shots were fired, the moment the two US Marshals had thrown themselves on top of her to shield her with their bodies But Liaun, she remembered that now And he would have used it, she remembered that, too Had he already used it? Was that how theher had been silenced?

“Did you kill them?” The question popped out before she could stop it

He obviously kneho “I killed one of theot the other one But there could have been others around—backup killers—there was no way to know So Alec told et you out of there”

She culled herand after the attack Then she said slowly, “‘She dies, this case dies, too’ That was Alec, yes?”