Free Stepbrother Soldier's Baby: The Hero (The Complete Series) by Lila Moore

and there’s rarely justice.
    “What about all this?” I asked looking out the window.
    We had views of a large construction site. Men in hardhats were operating heavy machinery and building what looked like another skyscraper.
    “I can’t be honest about this,” he said. “It would put your life in danger.”
    “My life’s already in danger. You’re too late.”
    Nate’s jaw tensed. He rose and went to the window, then pulled the drapes shut.
    “Where are we?” I asked. “The UAE, the United Arab Emirates.”
    “Why are we here?”
    “It’s safe, for now. I have contacts here that can help us.”
    “Who were those people at the airport?”
    “We work for the same company. Or, I should say, we used to work for the same company. I’m pretty sure my job has been terminated after all this,” he said with a weak smile.
    I didn’t find it funny. “What did you do for them?”
    “I can’t talk about it.”
    I crossed my arms in front of my chest and gave him a severe look.
    He sighed. “It’s security work on black ops sites. The clients are very sensitive about their identities being revealed. The less you know the better.”
    “And now these people are mad at you?”
    “Well, they’re not happy,” he said drily. “We stole their private jet among other things.”
    “Will they come after us?”
    “Yes. But I’m going to stop them.”
    “How?”
    “I still have friends in powerful places. Once I can guarantee your safety, then you and Mia can return home.”
    “What about you?”
    Nate sat down on the couch beside me. Our legs touched. The warmth of his body took the edge off of my fears. I was still afraid, but with Nate by my side life didn’t feel hopeless.
    “I can’t go home.”
    “They won’t let you?”
    “Eventually, they will, but I can’t. There were things I saw in the war… things I had to do to survive… those images will haunt me for the rest of my life. You don’t want me in your life, sweetheart. I would just ruin everything innocent and good in you.”
    He brushed a loose strand of hair out of my face and behind my ear. I took his hand, seizing him by the wrist. I squeezed hard.
    “You’re the only thing good in my life. You’re all I think about, all I have to look forward to. Maybe this baby is a sign, maybe it’s meant to be.”
    He shook his head sadly. “Mia’s pregnant with my child too. Is that a sign that I’m supposed to be with her?”
    I still wasn’t convinced it was his baby. Maybe it was just wishful thinking on my part, but she’d been sleeping with Jackson for far longer than she’d been sleeping with Nate. Granted, it only takes once to make a baby. That was a lesson I learned the hard way. Still, it was not beneath Mia to pass off Jackson’s child as Nate’s.
    “Nothing happens for a reason,” he said. “Life is chaotic and random.”
    “I don’t believe that.”
    “That’s why I love you,” he said.
    I froze. I never expected to hear the ‘L’ word from Nate. I looked away shyly.
    “You want to believe the best about people. Maybe there’s a part of me that still does too.”
    “I just don’t understand why you put up with Mia,” I replied. “How can you trust her? She’s been sleeping with Jackson for… I’m not even sure how long. The baby has to be his.”
    “It’s still my responsibility.”
    “Why? Why is any of this your responsibility? Why can’t you just leave the past behind you and move on with your life? You could be happy. We could be happy together.”
    “Sweetheart, it’s not that simple.”
    I hated it when he took that tone with me, like he was trying to explain a complicated issue to a child.
    “If you can’t be honest with me, then I’d prefer it if you said nothing at all.”
    “I’m trying to be honest with you. There’s a lot I can’t talk about without putting you in even more danger. Right now, I can get you and Mia out of this. If you learn more, it could be too late.”
    “Too