Page 20 of Zero Hour

“Well, good to meet you, Jasmine. And again—sorry about yesterday.”

She hesitated. “I know this might seem strange, but can I ask you something?”

Pat tilted his head, feeling himself drawn to those emerald flecks. “Sure.”

“What did Amir say to you? What made you attack him?”

Direct. No hesitation.

Now that was interesting. Then, he remembered she was a psychologist. Maybe it was professional curiosity. In any event, she was used to asking hard questions.

“It’s personal.” He dropped his gaze. “But I shouldn’t have reacted in that way. It wasn’t professional.”

She studied him, searching. Why did he get the feeling she was seeing more than he wanted her to? “You’re in the military?”

Damn, she was good.

He snorted. “Used to be. Is it that obvious?”

She shrugged, but her gaze softened. “To me it is.”

He frowned, pretending to be confused.

“I’m a psychologist,” she explained. “I treat former military personnel for PTSD, among other things.”

“Ah, I see. Well, I’ll let you get back to work.” Viper would have installed the feed by now. He didn’t want to blow it by overdoing it, even though the urge to talk to her for longer was strong.

She gave a hesitant smile, then stepped past him. “It was . . . interesting meeting you, Patrick.” That’s exactly the word he would have used.

He dipped his head. “Likewise.”

As soon as she disappeared, he slipped the earpiece back in.

Phoenix’s voice crackled through. “All clear. The feed is live.”

CHAPTER 8

What was it about that man? She’d met him twice, and both times she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him. It wasn’t just his rugged good looks or the way his shirt hinted at the powerful body beneath. It was the raw, dangerous energy he carried. A man who could pin someone to the ground and choke the life out of someone.

What did it say about her that she found that attractive? She must be going crazy. Or maybe it was just because he’d done what she couldn’t. And to a man she despised.

Still, that didn’t mean she wanted to see Amir die. Especially not in front of her.

Jasmine slid the key into the lock and opened the front door. The alarm panel blinked red. She entered the code, and the beeping stopped.

She’d been trained to help people, not see them throttled in front of her.

The house was silent. She was alone.

Jasmine walked into the kitchen. Yet, it was that forcefulness she found appealing. But then, she’d always been attracted to strong men. Unlike Adam, who had caved at the first sign of trouble.

Guilt slammed into her.

She shouldn’t think that way about Adam. He was a good man. A decent man. He couldn’t live with what Amir had made him do. But not a strong one. Not strong enough to handle what Amir had demanded of him. Not strong enough to fight back.

Instead, he’d taken the coward’s way out.

A scientist through and through, he’d shied away at any sign of conflict in their marriage. He’d buried himself in work and neglected his family. His son hardly knew him, and she’d fallen out of love with him years ago. The worst part was, he didn’t seem to care. He just worked harder, went away more often.

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