Stronger Than You Know by Lori Foster

EVENBEFORE KENNEDY BROOKS’S Uber driver turned the corner to where she lived, her skin prickled with alarm. It was well past midnight, a fact that couldn’t be helped.

She should have been home at dinnertime.

One delay after another had obliterated her schedule to the point she had to rebook her flight. After hours spent sitting in the airport, exhaustion pulled at her. She wanted nothing more than to collapse in her bed, with her own sturdy locks in place.

When the scent of smoke infiltrated the closed windows of the car, her heart beat harder. She had a terrible feeling that there’d be no rest for her tonight. Maybe not even in the foreseeable future.

“What do you suppose happened?” her driver asked, pointing to the strobe of red lights that pierced the dark night.

“Fire,” she breathed. And not just any fire, but in the apartment building where she lived.

Firetrucks, police and EMTs were everywhere. Neighbors she recognized clung together, many wrapped in blankets to ward off the cool Colorado evening air. Crowds of curious onlookers also lined the street, having left their own buildings to gawk.

Lifting a shaking hand to cover her mouth, Kennedy took in the enormous blaze that engulfed the entire building—including the floor where she would have been sleeping.

The driver couldn’t get close, and she didn’t want him to. “Stop here.”

He glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “Hey, you okay? Is that your building?”

“Yes.” She swallowed heavily. What to do, what to do?

Because she’d learned caution the hard way, Kennedy pulled additional money from her wallet. “Wait here, please.”

The young man eyed the cash, glanced back at the fire and finally took the bills. “For how long?”

“I just need to make a call.” She hesitated again. “I’m going to stand directly in front of your car, in the beam of the headlights.” She needed privacy for the call, but she didn’t want to be alone in the dark. “Leave them on, okay?”

“Sure.”

Knowing she couldn’t delay any longer, Kennedy hooked her purse strap over her shoulder and neck to keep it secure, dug out her phone and stepped from the car. It was an uncommonly cool September night, yet she felt flushed with heat, as if she could feel those flames touching her skin.

There was only one person she knew who might be able to deal with the present situation.

It was fortunate she had his number programmed into her phone, because her trembling hands refused to cooperate.

As the phone rang, she kept constant vigilance on her surroundings. She could almost swear someone watched her, yet when she glanced back at the driver, she couldn’t see him for the glare of the lights in her eyes.

“Hello?”

Reyes McKenzie’s sleep-deep voice caused her to jump, and not for the first time. He was six feet four inches of hewn strength, thick bones and confident attitude. A man with a big, sculpted body, thanks to the gym he owned—and his voice reflected that, bringing an instant visual to mind.

Pretty sure he had other interests, as well, which would explain the edge of danger that always emanated from him.

Just what she needed right now.

Clutching the phone, hoping he’d be receptive, she whispered, “Hey. It’s Kennedy.”

Sharpened awareness obliterated his groggy tone. “What’s wrong?”

Yes, Reyes was definitely the right person for her to call. Never mind that he had a wealth of secrets—for some inexplicable reason she trusted him. Mostly, anyway.

Tonight she had little choice in the matter. “Reyes, I need you.”

She could hear him moving as he said, “I can be out the door in two minutes. Fill me in.”

God bless the man, he didn’t hesitate to come to her rescue. Before anything more happened, Kennedy gave him her address—something she hadn’t wanted to share before now. Life had a way of upending plans, and hers had just been sucked into a treacherous whirlwind. “I’m not actually in the apartment building, though. I’m at the corner, behind a line of emergency vehicles, with an Uber driver. I don’t know how long he’ll let me hang out, though.”

“Are you hurt?”

That no-nonsense question held a note of urgency.

“No.” Not yet. “Could I explain everything once you’re here? I’m afraid it’s not safe.” She felt horribly exposed.

“Forget the Uber driver, okay?” The sound of a door closing, then jogging steps, came through the line. “Get close to a firefighter. Or an EMT. Stay there. It’ll only take me fifteen minutes if I really push it.”

Nodding, Kennedy looked up the street. The officials all seemed so far away, and there was a lot of dark space between here and there. “I...I don’t think I can.”

“Shit.” A truck door slammed. “I’m on my way, babe, okay? Get back in the car with the Uber guy and drive around in congested areas. Don’t go anyplace deserted, and don’t sit in one spot. Tell me you understand, Kennedy.”

“I understand.”

“Circle back in fifteen. I’ll be waiting.”

Yes, that sounded like a more viable plan. “Thank you, Reyes.”

“Keep your eyes open.” He disconnected, likely to concentrate on driving, and suddenly she felt very alone again. Reaching into her purse, Kennedy found the stun gun and palmed it. She’d practiced with the damn thing but had never actually used it on anyone.

She didn’t want to use it tonight, either, but she felt better for having it.

All around her, smoke thickened the air and tension seemed to escalate. She opened the back door and slid into the car, saying to the driver, “Could you drive, please?”

Exasperated, he twisted back to see her. “Listen, I have to pick up another guy from the airport. I can’t just—”

“I’ll make it worth your while, I promise.”

He eyed her anew, his gaze dipping over her body. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Oh, for the love of... Kennedy knew she was a mess. She’d pulled her hair into a haphazard ponytail, her makeup was smudged, and her clothes were sloppy-comfortable, suitable for a long flight. There was absolutely nothing appealing about her at the moment. “It’s not an invitation, so forget that. Just lock the doors and drive for fifteen minutes. Stay in busy areas—no dark, empty streets—and then you can bring me back here. I’ll give you another forty bucks.”

Considering it, he continued to study her.

A movement beyond him drew her startled attention. There, from the long shadows, two men crept toward them. “Lock the doors and freaking drive!” she screamed.

Disconcerted, he, too, looked around, and the second he noticed the men, they broke into a jog.

Coming straight for them.

“Jesus!” Jerking the car into Reverse, he backed away with haste, almost hitting a telephone pole. Spinning around, he punched the gas and the small economy car lurched forward down the empty street. Again his gaze went to the rearview mirror. “Who the fuck was that?”

Looking over her shoulder, seeing the men fade away, Kennedy sucked in a much-needed breath. “I don’t know,” she whispered. But I know they haven’t given up.

REYESDROVELIKEa lunatic. His Harley would have been quicker, but he couldn’t quite picture Kennedy strapped around him with the wind in her hair. Plus, he had no way of knowing if she’d be dressed for the cool night. Grim, he pulled up to the cross street in front of her apartment building. The road was closed off to through traffic, and the firefighters were still hard at work. Crowds had been pushed far back, held at bay by police officers.

Glancing around, he didn’t see Kennedy.

But he did spot two shifty-looking dicks keeping watch on everything. Dressed all in black, with black knit hats pulled low, they watched the streets instead of the fire.

Narrowing his eyes, Reyes did a quick survey of the area and didn’t see anyone else. The majority of people appeared to be enrapt with the fire—unlike these two.

Getting out his phone, he pulled up his recent call list and touched Kennedy’s name. She answered before the first ring had finished.

“Reyes?” she asked with shaky urgency.

“Where are you, hon?”

“I couldn’t come back. Two men are watching for me.”

“Yeah, I see them. Did they bother you?”

“They charged after the Uber car, but my driver got us away. I...I don’t know what they want.”

“I’ll find out. Give me two minutes, then circle by. I should be ready by then.” Belatedly he thought to add, “I’m in my truck.” Because Kennedy came to the gym he owned, and because they’d partnered in the rescue of a big alley cat, she was familiar with his ride.

“What?”With breathless panic, she screeched, “What do you mean you’ll find out? You can’t possibly—”

“Sure I can.” For a while now, he and Kennedy had been dancing around the fact that they both had secrets. When faced with danger, she’d called him, so obviously she understood the extent of his ability.

Tonight seemed like a good night for her to learn a little more about him. “Did you hear me, Kennedy? What did I say?”

“Two minutes,” she repeated blankly. “Reyes, don’t you dare—”

Seeing that the guys had noticed him, Reyes smiled and disconnected. Leaving the truck, he started toward them, his attitude amicable. “What happened, do you know?”

The men looked at each other. The taller of the two said, “Looks like an apartment fire.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” He was only ten feet away now. “Who started it?”

They shared another glance, and Stretch spoke again. “Who says anyone did? Might’ve been faulty wiring.”

“Nah.” He continued to close the distance, his stride long and cocky—with good reason. “Pretty sure you yahoos had something to do with it.” He grinned. “Amiright?”

Stretch reached inside his jacket, and Reyes kicked out, sending him sprawling backward. He landed hard, the wind knocked out of him.

His shorter friend took an aggressive stance.

Bad move. With a short, swift kick of his booted foot, Reyes took out the guy’s braced knee. He screamed in pain as his leg buckled the wrong way.

Quickly Reyes patted him down, removing both a knife and Glock. Still squatting, he shifted his attention to Stretch just as the guy got back to his feet.

Maybe hoping to mimic Reyes’s moves, Stretch tried to plant his foot in his face.

Reyes ducked to the side, grabbed his ankle and yanked him off balance again.

Down he went for the second time. Unfortunately, he cracked his head and, without so much as a moan, passed out.

“Well, hell.” Turning back to the shorter dude, Reyes prodded him. “Who are you and what did you want with the girl?”

Dazed with pain, his face contorted, the guy gasped, “What girl?”

“Dude, you are seriously whack. Want me to bust the other knee? I can, you know.” Using the muzzle of the Glock, Reyes tapped his crotch. “Or maybe you want me to smash these instead?”

Rolling to his side, he cried, “No.”

Heaving a sigh, Reyes stood. “What a wuss. C’mon, man. Give me something. It’s not like I really want to hurt you, you know.” Not much, anyway. But when he thought of these two planning to harm Kennedy...yeah. Red-hot rage. “I’ll give you to the count of three. One. Two.”

“All right! We were hired to grab her. That’s all I know.”

“Bullshit. There’s always more. Like where were you going to take her? Who wants her? And why?”

“I don’t know, man! We were paid half, and once we grabbed her, someone would call with an address. After we dropped her off, we’d get the other half.”

“Yeah? Planned to do this whole thing blind, huh?” Reyes heard Stretch groan and knew he was coming around. Probably a good thing.

“I mean...trust only goes so far.”

What a joke. Who the hell was dumb enough to trust these two? “Maybe your buddy has more info on him. If I find out you’re lying, you won’t like what I do.”

“Bolen woulda found out same as me, when we got the call.”

Sounded legit, but Reyes wasn’t taking any chances. Going over to Bolen, he quickly searched him, removing another gun and also taking his wallet. Inside he found a stack of hundreds, but nothing useful. When Bolen tried to sit up, Reyes pistol-whipped him. He collapsed again.

Glancing back at the other guy, who made a failed attempt to get up, he asked, “What’s your name?”

“Herman.”

“Ah, dude, you said that so fast I’m not sure I believe you.” When Reyes reached for him, the guy flinched away. “Man, you are seriously not cut out for this line of work.” He shoved him to his side and pulled his wallet from his back pocket. It, too, was padded with bills. “You guys got a nice paycheck for kidnapping, didn’t you?”

“I need an ambulance.”

“Yeah, probably. Pretty sure I fucked up your kneecap. You might never walk the same.” He searched through the wallet, curling his lip at a condom, a few interesting business cards for local joints, a coupon and a receipt. “Tell you what. Once I’m gone, you can try to crawl down there by the fire you set. EMTs are still caring for the people you hurt. Course that might raise questions you don’t want to answer, right? One thing could lead to another, then you and your busted leg might end up rotting in prison.” Reyes pulled out his driver’s license. “Huh. Herman Coop. Well, Herman, now I know how to find you. And trust me, if you ever bother the girl again, I will. You won’t like the outcome of that.”

“God,” Herman groaned, sweat soaking his face from pain.

“When good old Bolen comes around, you tell him I’m watching him, too, yeah?”

“Who the fuck are you?”

Headlights bounced around nearby, and he sensed it was Kennedy returning. With an edge of menace, he intoned, “Your worst nightmare.” Seeing Herman’s face, Reyes barely bit back his laugh.

He did enjoy spooking the knuckleheads.

Coming to his feet, he considered alerting the nearby cops, but he didn’t know how that might implicate Kennedy. Hell, he didn’t know her secrets or how serious they might be.

Should have listened to his family and researched her. In fact, he’d be willing to bet his computer-tech sister hadn’t listened when he’d told her to step down.

Research was what she did, after all.

Then he and his brother followed up in whatever way was necessary.

For now, though, all he knew for sure was that there was more to Kennedy Brooks than she let on.

He nudged the thug with the edge of his boot. “On your stomach, lace your fingers behind your head, and don’t move or I’ll send your balls into your throat.”

It took a lot of effort for Herman to painfully maneuver around, but the balls threat often worked wonders. Choking on his every agonized breath, Herman got into position.

“Stay like that,” Reyes warned again as he began moving away, one of the guns held at the ready in his right hand, the remaining weapon and wallets balanced in his left. He glanced behind him and saw Kennedy stepping out of the car, her eyes huge in the shadows. The driver lurched to the trunk, practically tossed out a rolling suitcase and allowed her to snatch a laptop case out of his hands. While she tried to get her luggage upright, the driver sped away.

Leaving her standing there alone.

Giving up on the goons, Reyes jogged to her. “Come on.”

Staring at the load he carried, she whispered, “What did you do?”

“Gathered intel, that’s all. Move it.” He got her to his truck, dumped the confiscated items onto the floor and practically tossed her inside. “Buckle up, babe.” He took her laptop case from her and shoved it to the floor as well.

After putting her enormous suitcase into the back of his truck, he gave one last look at the fallen men and a quick glance at the still-raging fire. The night had turned into a clusterfuck of the first order. But, hey, Kennedy had called him, not anyone else.

Overall, he’d claim it as a win.

TREMBLINGFROMHEReyebrows to her toes, Kennedy wrapped her arms around herself as Reyes drove away, putting the fire farther and farther behind her. Physically, anyway. Emotionally? She knew what could have happened, what might have been intended, and it left her painfully aware of her own vulnerability.

Hadn’t one tragedy in her life been enough? “Reyes?”

“Hmm?” As if he hadn’t just annihilated two men and stowed multiple weapons near her feet, he flashed her a smile meant to reassure. “You okay?”

The interior lights created a bluish glow over his dark hair and limned his wide, muscular shoulders. No man should look as good as he did.

From the first moment she saw him, she’d made note of his physique. Every moment since then had been an exercise of resistance.

Kennedy peered down at the floor. Two big guns, a wicked-looking switchblade and a couple of wallets shared space with her laptop case, leaving her feet little room.

Those men had planned to use those weapons on her. She felt sure of it.

After adjusting the heater, Reyes patted her leg. “I’ve got you, honey. You’re safe.”

Odd, but she did feel safe. The road ahead was long and dark, and she had no idea where they were going, but Reyes wouldn’t let anyone hurt her. She believed that.

“Babe? You’re worrying me.”

It shouldn’t have surprised her, but it seemed her call had further changed the dynamic of their relationship. They already had a loose friendship, formed during the joint rescue of Chimera the alley cat, so they were beyond being merely gym member and gym owner.

They’d never dated. She’d deflected his efforts to get to know her better. Instinctively, she knew Reyes was more than a simple man running his own business. Others might take him at face value, but she’d experienced things others hadn’t, and it had changed her forever.

With his secrets, as well as the lethal ability he usually tried to downplay, Reyes reeked of danger.

Plus, avoiding involvement with any man suited her just fine.

Now, that didn’t seem possible.

She might be bordering on shock, but she hadn’t missed the things he’d called her, like babe and honey. If he’d ever used endearments before, she didn’t recall it.

Usually she wouldn’t like it. Tonight? She wanted more than just his affection. She wanted his protection. She wanted his comfort.

She wanted him to promise her it would be okay.

Her eyes burned as she stared at him. She could pretend it was from the smoke, though she knew better. “I don’t have anywhere to go.” The enormity of the situation was sinking in, bringing a tinge of panic with it. “Almost everything I owned was in that apartment.” Another thought occurred to her, and she gasped. “My car! My car was parked in the lot behind the building...”

“Shh.” Reaching over, he clasped her knee, his thumb rubbing against the side of her thigh through her leggings. “I’ll handle it, okay? For now, just tell me what happened.”

Quickly she tried to tally her cash. She had credit cards—would it be safe to use them? “I don’t know where to go.”

His hold on her knee firmed. “With me. You go with me, Kennedy. We’ll work it out.”

Swallowing heavily, utterly relieved that she wouldn’t be alone, she nodded. “I guess I’ll get to see Chimera, so that’d be—what?” The way he grimaced made her fear something had happened to the cat, too. When they’d rescued her from the alley, she’d been half-starved and nursing three kittens. Reyes had taken the animals home with him, but so far she’d been joining him on the vet visits and splitting those bills.

“Chimera isn’t with me right now.”

Unreasonable anger swelled. “You got rid of my cat?”

“No! Damn, do you always have to think the worst of me?” He released her leg and squeezed the wheel with both hard-knuckled hands. “She’s with my dad right now. Or actually, my dad’s man.”

“Your dad’s man?” Kennedy blinked. “What exactly does that mean?”

He shook his head. “Tell you what. Let’s come back to that later, okay? For now, just know that Chimera is well loved and cared for.” He tipped his head to the pile of stuff he’d dumped on the floor. “Check out those wallets, see if you know either of those bozos. Keep their licenses out so I can give their names to my brother.”

“Your brother? The guy who’s even taller than you?” She’d seen him once at the gym, along with a woman who looked equally beautiful and badass, as if she could chew rusty nails while seducing someone.

The relationship to the brother had been plain. Both men shared superb physiques, incredible height and gorgeous faces. Reyes’s eyes were a warm hazel, but his brother’s had been bright blue. At six foot four, Reyes was tall, but his brother had a few inches on him. Of course she’d noticed the brother—it would have been hard not to—but unlike the other women at the gym that day, Kennedy hadn’t gawked.

“Babe, if you keep questioning everything I say, we’re never going to get this show on the road.”

Get the show on the road? Her life was in a shambles and he cavalierly—

“I got this, okay?” He glanced at her, then returned his gaze to the dark road. “Cooperation would be nice, but you have my word, I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

And there it was, that cockiness she knew would make her feel better. “Okay. Thank you.”

His grin created an over-the-top dimple in his cheek. A man like Reyes McKenzie didn’t need the added charm of dimples, for God’s sake.

“Licenses?” he prompted with an endless store of patience.

“Right.” Having a purpose galvanized her. Her fumbling hands accidentally dumped one wallet, and she didn’t care. Quickly she located both IDs, studying the faces, hopeful of making sense of what had happened. “No.” Deflated, she dropped back in the seat. Damn, she really had to get a grip. “I’ve never seen them before.”

“No big deal.” He glanced at her again. “How’d you get out of the apartment?”

“I wasn’t there. I was on my way home from the airport after a weekend in Texas.”

With no expression at all, he asked, “Doing what?”

She really didn’t feel like summing up her entire life for him, but she supposed it was necessary. “I’m a professional speaker, specifically for schools and colleges.” Every muscle in her body tensed. She watched his profile, counted five beats of her heart, then made herself whisper, “I cover the dangers of human trafficking.”

Slowly he nodded, as if that answered a question he hadn’t yet asked. “You have that knowledge from experience?”

Five more heartbeats, each strong and steady. It was a practice she’d learned to remind herself that as long as her heart beat, she was alive.

And as long as she was alive, she had hope.

Tonight she had more than hope.

She had Reyes McKenzie.

“Should I gather from your silence that you don’t want to talk about it?”

Giving up her scrutiny of his face, she stared out the passenger window. “I talk about it all the time. Professional speaker, remember?”

Accepting that, he asked, “How old were you?”

So matter-of-fact, as if she hadn’t just imparted life-altering news. Most people were taken aback at the mention of something as heinous as trafficking. They balked and usually changed the subject.

None of which would help a person taken into captivity.

What victims needed, especially young people, was information. Ways to avoid being taken, and what to do if they were.

No one had ever reacted as Reyes just had. So what was his real vocation? Definitely, he did a lot more than just running a gym.

“I feel like everything I say causes you this painful introspection. I’m sorry for that, okay? But the best way for us to tackle this is to first understand it.”

Kennedy knew he was right. She filled her lungs with a bracing breath. “I’d just turned twenty-one. Fresh out of college. A know-it-all.” In truth, she hadn’t known a damn thing, not about the real world. “I tell kids what to watch for, how important it is to have situational awareness, and what it means to risk going out alone.”

“Did you get taken from Texas? Or here in Colorado?”

“Florida,” she answered. Going into speaker mode, she insulated herself from harsh memories. “I was jogging on the beach, enjoying my solitude, thinking about my future...” She remembered it all in sharp-edged detail. “The next thing I knew, men had me, one with his hand so tight over my mouth I thought I would suffocate. I lost a sneaker in the sand. My shirt ripped.”

Again he cupped her knee, the simple connection offering needed comfort.

“I got stuffed into a van and taken to a house with a few other women, some of them drugged unconscious.” Tension gathered along her neck and upper spine. “That was punishment if you tried to get away. I saw two women held down while another woman injected them.”

“The woman who injected them—she worked with the traffickers?”

“Yes.” And that was something Kennedy still struggled with. How could one woman do that to another? She’d made a point of being the opposite. She helped not only women, but also children and some men.

“It’s an ugly business. Anyone who’s not a monster can’t make sense of it.”

Very true. “After a few weeks, I got away only because another one of the captives sacrificed herself. Literally.” Kennedy rubbed her forehead, thinking of Sharlene and how she’d tried to mother everyone, even the women who were the same age as her. “There was one guy known for cruelty. He wasn’t satisfied with rape. He...” Her throat closed. These were details she didn’t share during her talks, not because they weren’t important, but because they were far too personal.

Reyes lifted his hand from her knee, turning it palm up, waiting. When she put her hand in his, he enfolded it in his strength. Somehow, he seemed to know what to do to help.

Amazing.

“Her name was Sharlene. She was thirty years old and the most beautiful soul I’ve ever met. More than once she convinced a man that he wanted her instead of one of the other girls. She’d tell us to be really quiet, to avoid eye contact, and then she’d draw attention to herself.” Kennedy stared at him. “She was used so poorly, and she did it anyway—to spare the rest of us.”

“She did that the day you got away?”

“Yes.” Kennedy tightened her hold on his hand. “The bastard decided he wanted Sharlene and me both, so I had to go along. So many times, when it was just us girls in the room, Sharlene would coach us on what to do, what to say, opportunities to look for.”

“She gave you an opportunity,” Reyes said quietly, as if he already knew.

“She did, and it saved me.” The shallow breaths she’d been taking left her lungs starved, prompting her to suck in a deep, desperate inhale. “I knew that if there was a window near, I should go out it. If there was an unlocked door, I should try. If a car was moving slowly enough, I should take my chances on jumping out.” That night had been dark just like this one, but instead of cool, crisp air, the skies had hung heavy with heated humidity. “We were on a busy street and the customer, who was driving, braked to avoid another car that switched lanes. I didn’t know Sharlene was going to do it. I was pretty much just sitting there shaking. But all of a sudden she kicked the back of his seat hard, sending his face into the steering wheel. She kept kicking, too. I saw blood go everywhere. Then one car crashed into another, and the handler who rented us out was in the passenger seat and he reached back for her.” Kennedy tightened her hold on Reyes. “He had a gun, and he was threatening to kill her, but all she did was yell for me to go.” Kennedy swallowed hard, then whispered, “So I did.”

After lifting her clenched fingers to his lips for the brush of a kiss, Reyes asked, “You jumped out of the car?”

“And into insane traffic. Tires screeched and horns blared. More cars crashed. People stopped. One man came running over to help me, another couple was already on the phone to call the police. I looked back, and the guy who’d been driving was dead.” Heavy remorse, forever present, settled on her shoulders. Not for the cruel bastard who’d thought he could rent women to rape. But for a friend she’d lost too soon. “Sharlene also died in the wreck.”

“The prick riding shotgun?”

“He made a run for it. I don’t know what happened to him, but the police were amazing. Even with me babbling and sobbing, they understood. They did this incredible coordination between departments, all while caring for me. By the time the sun came up, they’d rescued the other women at the house and had arrested the creeps who’d caused so much harm.” Tears burned her eyes, and building emotion thickened her throat. “Sharlene didn’t just save me, she saved them, too, and lost her life in the process.” Blinking away the tears, Kennedy sniffled. “She’ll always be my inspiration for bravery, selflessness and morality. To me, she’ll always be my hero.”

“What was the handler’s name?”

She shook her head. “They were careful not to use names around us. I’d recognize him if I saw him, but that wasn’t enough for the police to find him.”

Sharlene had died, and that miserable excuse for a man had gotten away.

He was still out there somewhere, and that fact, more than any other, haunted her every day.