Jake had vowed a long time ago never to reveal his true feelings, for several reasons. To start, she was his best friend’s little sister. As cliché as it may be, the unwritten rule between guys was very real. You didn’t date—or do anything else—with your buddy’s sister. Ever.
Sure, her brother had been gone for the better part of ten years now, but when Jake’s feelings for Olivia had first begun to change, Mike had still been around. Jake had no doubt that Mike would have kicked his ass from here to Timbuktu if he’d ever known even afractionof the thoughts Jake had entertained about the other guy’s sister. Especially the ones involving Olivia naked and in his bed.
By the time she’d lost her brother, there were other, more serious, reasons preventing Jake from taking things further.Come on, dickhead. Own up to it. It was the fucking lies that kept you from making your move.
Jakehadlied to her. About his job. The way he felt. And then there wasthelie. The one that had the power to destroy her.
Sometimes when he was with her, he’d forget. They’d be hanging out, and she’d tell him a funny story about something that had happened in her E.R. He’d be listening to her talk, and the guilt of his betrayal, the secret that years ago he’d sworn toneverreveal, would momentarily vanish.
Unfortunately, it never lasted. The damn thing was always there, hovering over him like a cloud of poisonous gas, just waiting for the perfect moment to swoop in and destroy the most precious thing in his world.
It didn’t matter that every lie he’d ever told Olivia stemmed solely from his need to protect her. Good intentions or not, Jake knew holding on to those secrets meant he’d never get the chance to be with the woman he loved.
It had to be that way. Not only to keep her safe, but also because Olivia deserved the world on a fucking silver platter, and Jake knew he could never give her that.
He did, however, give her as much time as he could between jobs. Since starting R.I.S.C.—the private security firm he owned—Jake had actually managed to never leave for an extended op without seeing Olivia first. This last time was the one and only exception.
With his line of work, he never assumed he’d make it back home in one piece. So, he made it a point to see her beforehand. Just in case.
Not once, though...not one time in all his years had Jake ever considered that he’d get back andshewould be the one gone.
Ah, Christ. Liv is gone.
His empty stomach convulsed again, and no amount of training could stop it. Minutes later, when the dry-heaves finally subsided, Jake’s quivering legs managed to take him back to the couch.
He sank down and rewound the broadcast. As much as he dreaded it, Jake needed all the information he could get before determining his next move.
Chapter 2
According to the news, Olivia had traveled to Madagascar a little over a month ago. She’d joined the effort to give medical support to those recently affected by a massive hurricane, which had hit one week prior to their arrival.
Last week, while preparing to return home, her camp had been ambushed by what authorities were calling ‘local drug runners’. The theory was, they’d been looking for whatever drugs or cash the Americans may have had. The killing was just for fun.
Jake's teeth ground together painfully. What the hell was she thinking, going into a place as volatile as that? Sure, Madagascar had some beautiful parts, but it also had more than its share of problems.
From what had been reported, the number of illegal incidents always increased after the often-occurring hurricanes. The more damaging the storm, the higher the crime rate.
