noah waved them back, not looking even a bit intimidated. "i wish i'd known about you. i would have come for you."

her gaze fell to the floor. "maybe you should do that dna test. make sure i'm who you think-"

noah caught her chin and tipped her head back. "i would have come for you."

a tear slid down jasmine's cheek. "i didn't want to put you at risk." her attention shifted to drake. "i didn't want to put any of you at risk."

"yeah, well..." victor's voice had roughened. "looks like they put themselves at risk. and now they've got you right back in the crossfire, too." his furious stare was directed at drake. "maxwell case thought she was dead. everyone was supposed to think she'd burned in that fire. but now you're here, and you could've tipped off case!"

"we were careful." it was trace who replied. drake was too busy staring at jasmine. she'd just hurriedly wiped away the tear on her cheek. he hated to see her cry. "no one followed us."

"you sure about that? cause i'm not buying that story!" victor started to pace. "we need to move her to a new safe house. get her out of here so we can be sure this place wasn't compromised." he nodded toward saxon. "let's get her bag and start moving her out of here."

the guy really thought drake was just going to let her vanish again? "it's not happening," drake said simply.

"did you just give me an order?" victor glowered at him. "cause it sounded like you tried to order me around."

"i told you a fact. jasmine isn't going to vanish again."

"since when do you get to decide her life?"

since she became my life. he didn't tell the jerk that. what he felt for jasmine...that was between him and her. they needed to be alone for any more revelations.

"i want to...know you." noah's voice was halting as he spoke to jasmine. "i found out you were my sister in the same moment i found out you were dead-or, i thought you were dead." he exhaled. "i want to know you."

and drake just wanted her.

so he stared at jasmine. "you don't have to run." slowly, he advanced toward her. his hand lifted. touched the blonde hair. "you don't have to be someone else. you don't have to start a new life in a different place. you don't always have to be looking over your shoulder." that was exactly what she'd do, as long as case was out there.

"so what is she supposed to do then?" victor demanded.

drake didn't look away from jasmine. "stay with me. i can keep you safe. i can protect you. i can stop him."

her lips trembled.

"stay with me," he told her again, and the words were as close to a plea as he'd ever come.

"no, no way." victor thunked closer with his cast. "you are in way over your head, archer. you can't keep her safe. you can just get her dead."

"you underestimate me," drake said softly.

"no, i just know what you are." red stained his cheeks. "i mean, big deal, so you once pulled some missions when you were playing soldier."

playing soldier? oh, that jerk was pushing him too far.

"but now you spend your days drinking in casinos and flirting with women. you are in so far over your head because you're-"

trace's laughter stopped him.

drake let his own lips curl. "you shouldn't believe everything you read in your fbi files. jasmine isn't the only one good at pretending to be someone else." he let his hand fall away from jasmine's hair. "maxwell is already after me anyway," drake told him. "so i'll put myself up as bait. i'll draw him out. i'll stop him because the fbi sure as shit isn't having any luck."

victor snarled at him. yeah, the guy reminded him of an angry wolf.

"i'll stop him," drake said again. "and you won't have to run."

but jasmine shook her head. "he's not the only enemy i've made."

he leaned in close to her. "do you think i'm afraid?"

she searched his eyes. shook her head once more.

"then stay with me."

silence. tension stretched, filling that room, and...jasmine nodded.

"no!" victor was furious. "this is a huge mistake! jasmine, you can't trust this guy-"

"but i do!"

"you're his current addiction. he wants you, and the guy is used to taking what he wants. but what happens when he gets tired of you? when he gets bored? he'll toss you aside, and the lions will close in."

tired of jasmine? "not going to happen." he was being patient with the fbi prick, mostly because he knew jasmine had ties with the guy and since those ties were familial and not sexual, he was giving the man a bit of leeway.

that leeway was going to end.

"we have a helicopter waiting to take us out of the mountains," drake told jasmine.

"because your last escape flight went so well?" victor's face had darkened. "this isn't happening! jasmine, you're going with me and saxon. we'll keep you safe. the way we always have. you can count on us. you know it and-"

"i want drake."

victor stopped talking.

"i love you, vic, and saxon, you'll always be my champion, but i...i need more." her voice broke. "i don't want to start over again. i don't want to run anymore. i want to have a real life, and i want to stop pretending."

victor's face had gone slack with shock.

but saxon...he just nodded.

her hand curled around drake's. "i'll get my bag, and i'll go with you."

fuck, yes.

"but you have to promise me one thing."

he'd promise her the whole world. and he'd give it to her.

i will never feel that agony again-i will never lose her again.

"promise me that maxwell won't hurt you. that we will stop him."

easy enough. "i promise. princess, i've got resources that you can't even imagine." and all of those resources were in play then.

he'd found her. he'd get maxwell. end the nightmare.

jasmine gave him a smile. not the one that made her dimples wink, but one that still had his heart aching. then she looked toward noah. tentatively, hopefully, her gaze flickered over him as she backed toward the stairs.

no one spoke as she turned and climbed those stairs. when she disappeared at the top, drake wasn't surprised to see both saxon and victor head toward him.

"what in the hell..." victor grated, voice low because drake knew the guy didn't want jasmine overhearing this, "are you doing? you screwed her, and now you think you can take over her life?"

"she took my life." he faced off against the two men and knew that both noah and trace had closed in behind him. they always had his back. "and i will protect her with every bit of power that i have. she doesn't need to be afraid any longer-"

"because she has you?" saxon cut in. "i didn't see you doing a whole lot of protecting back at that cabin-"

drake drove his fist into saxon's gut. the guy grunted.

"for the cabin," drake murmured. "because it was my grandfather's, and i loved that place. you should've found another way inside."

saxon's eyes glinted. not with the rage drake had expected. almost with...humor? "i thought you'd hit harder."

"if you hadn't gotten her out of that warehouse, i would've."

saxon nodded.

"this is bullshit!" victor wasn't softening at all. "jasmine is under federal protection. you can't just take her out of here! i won't let you!"

"your federal protection didn't stop me from finding her. it won't stop him." flat. true. "you need more power than the feds are giving you. work with me. we'll take out case, and then you'll know that jasmine is safe."

victor's face twisted. "i don't like you, dammit!"

"because i'm the asshole who-"

"you aren't good enough for her." victor's words fired out. "you're too dangerous and you're unstable. you lack control, and you live on the edge too much. jasmine needs someone different. someone safe."

drake knew he would never be safe. and the edge-that was the only place he knew. he also knew one more thing. "you're right. i'm not good enough."

surprise rippled across victor's face.

"and i'm dangerous and uncontrolled, just like you said. but maybe that's what she needs. maybe she needs someone who isn't afraid to kill in order to protect her."

"i'm a federal agent, you can't tell me-"

"i would break any law, i would do anything, to keep her safe. no one will hurt her, not ever again, because i'll be with her."

beside victor, saxon gave another grim nod. "that's what a man should do. kick the ass of anyone who threatens his woman."

"jasmine isn't his." victor was still furious. "they just met. she's something different for him. she's-"

"she is different, and she made me...different, too."

then he heard the faint sound of jasmine's footsteps. coming back.

"you'll throw her away when you're done." victor's eyes blazed. "throw her to the lions at the door."

drake shook his head. "no one will take her from me." he paused a beat. "not case. not you. you may be her family, but i'm going to be her future." his low words were a vow.

"i-i'm ready."

he turned toward her voice. jasmine was at the base of the stairs, a small, black bag clutched in her left hand. her right hand was curled around a piece of paper. no, not paper. as she moved toward noah, drake saw that jasmine was actually holding a photograph.

"i thought you might like this. our...our mother is the one holding you." her lips hitched up in a half-smile. "and the people behind her-well, you know them, right? the thing i liked most about that picture...you can already see the love in their eyes."

noah's hand trembled when he took the photo.

jasmine gave him another of her dazzling smiles. noah just stared at her, lost.

i know the feeling, buddy.

then jasmine hugged noah. a quick, fast hug. she tried to pull back, but noah's arms locked around her and he held her tightly. he whispered something to her, but drake couldn't catch the words. when jasmine pulled back, her eyes glinted.

she eased toward drake. "wh-what's the plan?"

she had tears in her eyes. but jasmine quickly blinked them away.

he frowned at noah. "the plan is that noah and trace will stay here, keeping guard and making sure we aren't followed. you and i are heading for the helicopter. we're getting out of here, now." because his intel told him that this place had been compromised.

that's how i found it. the location had already been compromised. i was just lucky enough to beat the bastard here.

victor shook his head. "jasmine, you don't have to leave with him. we can protect you."

the guy needed to let it go. drake glowered.

"i do have to go. because when i left without him before, it ripped my heart out."

drake's gaze flew toward her.

she was staring at him. "i want to see what can happen."

i've never been in love, drake, but i think...i really think i came close with you.

he took the bag from her. twined the fingers of his left hand with hers. he didn't head for the front door. his motorcycle was back behind the cabin. hidden in the trees.

noah crossed his path. "keep her safe."

always.

then noah leaned toward him. "i love you like a brother, man, but if you do anything to hurt her, ever, i will bury you."

drake nodded. fair enough. it looked as if saxon and victor weren't the only angry big brothers he'd be facing.

but for jasmine, he was realizing that he'd face anyone. anytime.

he slipped from the cabin with jasmine at his side.

saxon crossed his arms over his chest and studied trace weston and noah york. "so what happens now?"

"now...we spring our trap."

victor was wobbling on his cast. the guy liked to pace when he was angry, and saxon knew that cast was seriously cramping his buddy's style.

"and if that trap backfires?" victor wanted to know. "what if drake winds up getting jasmine killed?" victor stopped wobbling and pointed at noah. "if she's really your sister, you should be scared as all hell. drake archer doesn't have the kind of history you can trust. he's a playboy and an adrenaline junkie!"

"he loves her," noah said simply.

saxon nodded. he'd already figured that out for himself.

victor's mouth hung open. "what? there's no way. he doesn't love anyone or anything-"

"you saw him when that warehouse exploded." trace weston's voice was low. "you already know how he feels, but you don't want to admit it because you don't want to lose her."