Chapter One
Six months later London, England
He was tired of chasing a ghost. More than once he’d told himself she was a figment of his overactive imagination or a hallucination caused by too many blows to his head. That some three-hundred-pound bruiser by the name of Rudolph or Hans had rescued him, not a delicate-as-air blond angel named Ghost.
But she wasn’t a figment; he’d felt her, touched her, smelled her. And he couldn’t get her out of his head.
On his return from Brazil, he’d launched two investigations. One was to determine who else had been involved in his abduction other than Victor Lymes. The other was to find his mysterious rescuer.
The investigation into his abduction had taken less than a week. Lymes, working with two of the hotel employees where Lucas had been staying, had seen an opportunity and taken it. The plan had been to ransom him and split the earnings. The two conspirators had confessed immediately when confronted by the authorities. The two men Lucas had killed in Brazil had apparently been locals Victor had hired there. The case was wrapped up quickly, neatly. Quietly.
The second investigation hadn’t gone as well. It was as if the young woman who’d aided in his rescue didn’t even exist.
“Kane, do you agree?”
Lucas jerked his head around. Staring out the window like a daydreaming bored employee didn’t exactly inspire confidence. The twenty executive members of Kane Industries stared at him as if he had a third eye.
“Yes, the takeover should go through without a hitch. Just make sure we have jobs for everyone.” He made a pointed stare at Stanley Humphries. “If I hear that even one worker was displaced, heads will not be the only body parts rolling.”
The stiff nod of agreement was belied by the mutinous expression on Humphries’s face. Lucas noted it, adding to his growing list of concerns. The man had become increasingly belligerent and uncooperative over the last few months. Lucas knew he was going to have to do something about him soon.
Though Humphries wasn’t a member of the executive board, he’d been with Kane Industries for well over thirty years and had earned his spot in making decisions. However, Lucas had become aware of recent shortcuts and mismanagements that the man was directly responsible for.
When Lucas had taken over his family’s empire, he’d been determined to do a few things differently. That included making sure no one was adversely impacted as Kane Enterprises thrived. Humphries apparently didn’t like that concept.
Lucas needed to make a decision about the man’s involvement in future projects. Times like this, he wished for his father’s tough-minded decision making. Lucas could kick ass and kill with the best of them, but when it came to dealing with wayward employees, he was at somewhat of a loss.
Harbin Nickels, CFO of Kane Industries, stood. “I think that about wraps up everything we needed to review with you, Lucas. Anything else that comes up, we can go through your assistants. When do you leave for your trip?”
His mind occupied between finding a ghost and disciplining an employee, Lucas answered with a careless “A few hours” and then was silent.
He knew they stared at him for several seconds before they made their way out of the room. Being distracted wasn’t good for morale. A distracted leader led to uncertainty in his employees. He’d worry about that when he returned. Now he needed to get on his flight to Paris and talk with the one man he believed could help him.
Paris, France Last Chance Rescue headquarters
“Noah, did you give Micah another piece of chocolate?”
Before moving his gaze from the computer screen in front of him, Noah swallowed the remaining evidence. Turning to her, he gave his most innocent look. “Mara, why would you say that?”
Hands on her hips, amazing eyes flashing, Samara advanced toward him. “Because he’s as hyper as a wildcat. Angela’s with him in the conference room, chasing him around the table.”
Before he could proclaim his innocence of giving their two-year-old son chocolate, Samara added, “And because you have chocolate on your chin.”
He sighed. Nothing got past his Mara. “So come over here and lick it off for me.”
Her eyes darkened and she got that look on her face that could heat his blood in an instant. She came toward him and then stopped. “Wait. What time is Lucas Kane supposed to be here?”
Noah groaned and looked at the clock. “Fifteen minutes. Not near enough time.”
“Here.” She handed him a tissue from a box on his desk. “Get the chocolate off for now. We’ll stop at the store on the way home and get some more for later.”
He grinned, already anticipating the night ahead. “Deal.”
Settling into a chair across from him, she returned to the topic of their upcoming meeting. “So you really just want my observation on the man? Nothing more?”
“Right.”
“Are you planning on telling him you know McKenna?”
“No. Her association with LCR must remain private. But I want to meet with him before I mention his search to her. When she relayed the details of his rescue, it got me interested in him even more.”
“How so?”
“For a British billionaire, sounds to me like he handled himself a little too well. About as well as any LCR operative. There’s got to be more to him than just inherited wealth and a keen eye for the next moneymaking venture.”
“Think he has military training?”
Noah shook his head. “Records show that he spent most of his years collecting degrees and prepping himself to take over his family’s empire. No military training mentioned.”
“Perhaps he had someone train him. As high-profile as he is, maybe he felt he needed to know how to defend himself.”
“Could be. That’s where you come in. I want your impression. I may be biased.”
She smiled. “That’s because you’re protective of McKenna.”
“I’m protective of all my operatives.”
“True, but whether you want to admit it or not, you have a special fondness for McKenna.”
Noah couldn’t deny it. He did feel much more like McKenna’s big brother than her boss. Not that he was technically her boss, since she still wasn’t officially employed by LCR.
Though all active LCR operatives were freelance and could work when they wanted, he considered them full-fledged employees. McKenna, not so much.
LCR’s first encounter with McKenna had been unusual. One day, during the middle of an op involving the rescue of a young teenager, McKenna had just shown up. One of his operatives had been injured, unable to assist. McKenna had gone after one of the kidnappers, jumping on his back and taking him to the ground. Dylan had been on the op, along with Shea and Ethan. All three had regaled him with accounts of her bravery. Problem was, she’d disappeared as soon as the rescue was complete.
The second time she had assisted was in Paris. Based upon the description he’d been given, Noah had known this was the mysterious rescuer he’d been told about. He had cornered her before she could disappear. She hadn’t liked being trapped. Had been almost feral in her fear. They’d talked—or at least as much as he could get her to talk. That’s when he’d learned her name, McKenna. He’d also learned enough to know that not only was she incredibly brave and surprisingly skilled, she was also the most alone person he’d ever met. And he’d met a lot of alone people since starting LCR.
Though McKenna had never officially become an LCR operative, most of his people thought she was. Noah gave her that support and allowed her the anonym- ity for one very important reason: McKenna needed to feel that she was part of this organization, whether she realized the fact or not. Even though she turned him down every time he asked her to become an operative, he had high hopes that someday she would change her mind.
When LCR operative Gabe Maddox’s wife, Skylar, had been abducted, McKenna had contacted Noah with the offer to assist. It was during that operation that she learned that Lucas Kane had been abducted by the same man. McKenna had assisted in Skylar’s rescue and then stayed back to rescue Kane, too.
No one knew where McKenna came from or even where she lived. Though Noah was more than aware that he could do his own investigation, he continued to refrain from it. At some point he might have to. For right now, he wanted to allow McKenna the anonymity she obviously needed.
Samara had gotten to know her better than anyone at LCR. One of the many reasons he wanted his wife to meet Lucas Kane. The man had not stopped looking for McKenna from the moment he arrived home after his rescue. Noah wasn’t about to give up any secrets on McKenna, but he wanted Mara’s opinion on Kane. He trusted his wife’s judgment over anyone’s.
“So McKenna has no idea he’s looking for her?”
“She knows he’s looking. As you know, she’s got good instincts about that.” He and Samara both believed McKenna was hiding from someone. But until she was ready to ask for their help, all they could do was wait until she chose to trust them. “I just don’t think she knows how determined Kane is to find her.”
“Why do you think he is so determined?”
Noah shrugged. “Could be as simple as he wants to thank her; somehow I think it’s more. With his contacting LCR, he eit...
