Free Targeted by Carolyn McCray

CHAPTER 1
    Rebecca’s gaze drifted over the elegant dining room. Every
table set with the finest of linens and sparkling crystal held bubbling
champagne. She almost wanted to pinch herself, except she didn’t want to
wrinkle her silk dress.
    Weird. Her in silk. She was far more comfortable in
field-stained khakis. But the Hotel Oberoi Amarvilas restaurant was a five star
dining experience. And given that they were in India, most of the other women
were dressed in elegant saris, draped in deep blue and shiny gold.
    And for a woman who spent most of her time in a gray sterile
laboratory, the wall length aquarium brimming with exotic sea life and walls
hand painted in scenes from India’s rich mythology was just a tad overwhelming.
    She glanced across the table to Brandt. He too was dressed
to impress. A tuxedo, even. But his jaw was as square as ever, and those dark
eyes? No matter whether in a tux or battle camouflage, Rebecca remembered how
Brandt’s eyes twinkled under the torchlight in that jungle clearing in Ecuador.
Now they glistened in the candlelight. How far they had come.
    Brandt smiled warmly, putting his hand over hers. She knew
how he yearned to get back into the field, chasing down the baddest of the bad
guys, but he hadn’t complained a peep since being assigned close-protection
duty to her while the rest of his team tracked down and eliminated the
remaining members of the organization that had nearly killed both of them, the
Knot.
    Granted, she and Brandt had explored the “close” part of his
protection duties in great detail. Her cheeks flushed at just the thought of
this morning’s “exercises.” Six months into their relationship, and he could
still make her blush.
    And now they were here to celebrate the news that Brandt’s
team had taken down the last of the Knot. They could breathe easy again.
Tomorrow, after a quick sightseeing trip to the Taj Mahal for her and Fort Agra
for Brandt, they headed back to London. A part of her was thrilled to begin her
research in earnest again. To have a fully equipped and staffed laboratory at
her disposal? It was a DNA paleoanthropologist’s wet dream. But another part of
her feared for what would happen to their relationship.
    Brandt was scheduled to go back out into the field in just
three days. Could their bond stand the test of days, weeks, and even months of
being apart while he was on classified assignments? Would he meet another
damsel in distress, far thinner and used to wearing silk dresses?
    “Well? Romantic enough for Valentine’s Day?” Brandt asked as
he nodded to the bay window.
    Across the street lay the massive gates that led to the Taj
Mahal. The red brick structure was lit against the night sky. In her mind’s
eye, Rebecca could see beyond the walls to the treasure they protected. The
long, narrow pool reflected one of the modern seven wonders of the world. The
Taj Mahal’s huge white domes and minarets glowed brightly, reminding the world
of Shah Jahan’s love for his wife. Of course she was his third wife, but the
monument had become a symbol of everlasting love, nonetheless.
    Many may argue that Paris was the most romantic spot on
earth, but with all the reconstruction going on after their last visit there,
the Taj Mahal was absolutely the most romantic for her and Brandt.
    Rebecca squeezed his hand. “You had me at ‘Let’s go to
India.’ “
    Brandt leaned over and whispered. “You had me at ‘Are you a
moron?’ “
    Oh, God. He remembered the first words that she had ever
spoken to him. In her defense she was tied to a stake in the rain forest with
an anaconda wrapped around her chest. But still. Brandt was anything but a
moron. How many times had he saved her life? In Ecuador, Paris, Budapest,
Istanbul, and half a dozen other locales.
    “Brandt, I am so sorry for—”
    He leaned in and kissed her, interrupting her apology. His
lips, tender yet firm against hers, asked her to stop talking and start
kissing. Brandt’s