Page 1 of Honor ’N’ Duty

Prologue

Kade Sampson pulled into the Regional Bank & Trust’s parking lot. The bank was hopping, forcing Kade to park in the back forty.

He turned off the engine, taking in the massive, two-story concrete and brick structure. With the never-ending bank of windows and the gold dome capping the second floor, it reminded him of the Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz. Kade’s older brother had done good for himself. Better than good, actually.

Like their father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, they’d both been West Point grads. But where Kade had gone the Army Ranger–law enforcement route, Josh’s expertise had taken him in an entirely different direction.

Now, as the newly promoted manager of RB&T’s central branch in Marlboro, New Jersey, Josh supervised more than fifty people, plus another hundred or so at the bank’s smaller branches scattered around North Jersey.

Not that Kade was surprised. He might have inherited their dad’s athletic abilities, but it was Josh who’d inherited their old man’s wizardry with numbers. No wonder he’d always kicked Kade’s ass when their dad forced them to play board games that taught strategy, like chess and Monopoly. Kade and Josh had always been fiercely competitive, and those games had been a way for them to blow off steam without actually coming to blows. Most of the time, anyway. A shrink probably would have declared their sibling rivalry unhealthy.

The second Kade stepped outside, a strong gust of cool autumn wind whipped open his suit jacket, exposing his Glock to half a dozen video cameras. He pulled down the flap of the jacket, holding it in place as he walked to the entrance. No sense putting the bank’s security team on red alert and tackling him the second he walked in the door.

He passed a brand-new silver Jaguar parked in the spot reserved for the bank manager. Knowing Josh, the Jag was probably the latest, top-of-the-line model. Kade could only imagine what his K-9’s claws would do to all that buttery-soft leather upholstery.

He pushed through the heavy glass door and was hit by the low hum of customers waiting on one side of the lobby for a teller and more conversation at the dozen or so desks on the other side. He didn’t know how Josh did it. Parking his butt at a desk all day would have killed Kade. Then again, his brother had a five-thousand-square-foot mansion overlooking the Navesink River in Rumson, one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in the state. The property boasted an enormous swimming pool and yard, plus a floating dock and a thirty-foot sailboat that he never used. The price tag on a place like that, let alone the taxes, made Kade’s head hurt. Probably pocket change for Josh.

Heading for the elevators, Kade stuck his finger in the knot of his tie, loosening it and popping open the top button of his shirt. The damned thing was itching the hell out of his neck. Smoke had it made. Usually, the only thing his dog had to wear to work was the furry suit he’d been born with.

He pushed the up arrow, still curious about the unexpected call he’d received last night from his brother. Josh said he had news he wanted to share in person, then invited Kade to lunch. Kade didn’t normally get down to Marlboro Township, but he’d been testifying in court for the local PD, and the courthouse was only minutes from the bank. The timing had worked out.

Half a minute later, the digital number above the elevator indicated the car was still on the second floor. He turned to look for the stairwell and promptly crashed into someone. “Sorry.” He reached out to steady the woman he’d practically body-slammed.

Light-brown, almond-shaped eyes fringed by thick lashes looked up at him from the most beautiful face he’d ever seen. Long, straight, jet-black hair framed creamy skin with a hint of olive. High cheekbones gave the woman a regal bearing.

“Uh, you can let go, now.” Rosy-pink gloss called attention to lips that lifted slightly as she looked up at him for a moment, then glanced warily at the open doors. “The elevator’s here.”

As she brushed past him, he inhaled her scent—subtle and sweet, like the honeysuckle vines that used to grow in his parents’ backyard and…pears. He guessed she was about five-six, taller in those skyscraper heels. When she turned, his gaze dipped to the strand of pearls around her neck and the lacy top of a camisole peeking out from the open collar of her white blouse.

Kade’s gut clenched at his unexpected reaction. Okay, so the woman was a knockout, but it was more than that.

Barracks bunnies always had a way of ferreting out the West Point grads and the Army Rangers, so he’d been with lots of knockouts. This woman did something to him. Something basic and instinctive that made everything inside him jump to attention like a police cadet on his first day at the academy.

The elevator started to close, and she reached for the button panel, holding open the doors. “Are you coming?”

“Yeah,” he managed after unswallowing his tongue, then joined her inside.

The doors closed and the elevator shimmied as it began to rise. A few seconds later, it lurched to an abrupt halt that had them both reaching for the handrails. A folder she’d been clutching fell to the floor.

“Oh, no.” Her knuckles turned white where she gripped the rails, her chest rising and falling faster.

“Hey, it’ll be okay. I promise.”

She gave him a tight nod.

He peered through the narrow slit between the doors, not seeing any light, then pushed each button on the elevator one by one. Still, the elevator didn’t budge. Next, he opened a small panel door beneath the buttons and pulled out the emergency phone. Seconds later, an operator answered.

“We’re stuck between floors,” Kade said, knowing the elevator company’s twenty-four-hour monitoring service would automatically identify the elevator and the building’s location.

“I understand, sir,” the operator answered. “Is anyone hurt?”

Kade looked at the woman who’d begun to tremble. “Negative.” For now. Although she looked ready to pass out. “How long?”

“Approximately thirty minutes.”

“Make it faster.” He reinserted the phone into the compartment, then took a chance and rested his hands on the woman’s shoulders. “It really will be okay. They know exactly where we are, and they’re sending someone to get us out.”

Her inhalations were still coming too rapidly, and her hands fisted tighter on the rails.