He only reminded her of the mess she’d dragged everyone into. Because she’d wanted romance. Her own happy ending.

A burn swelled her throat.

“Tae, this isn’t your fault.” His low tenor found its way under her skin.

She had to stop liking him. If she’d learned anything about Colt Kingston, it was that her heart couldn’t be around him and survive.

She shook her head. “You heard Logan. If I hadn’t run away, all of this would be contained. Now people are getting kidnapped and killed and—”

“Stop.”

She turned and gone was the guy she’d seen three hours ago, the one who had a look on his face that had turned the entire room quiet.

As if he just might use the gun he’d held on Logan Thorne.

She wanted to put her hands over her ears, close out the story Logan had told her, the one that connected the pieces.

The fact that President White had put together a private spec ops team to confront what they called the Petrov problem. And she’d sort of been a part of it, without even knowing.

“Arkady Petrov is a Russian general who was behind the assassination attempt of not only one of his own generals—one of the troika in power—but also our own president. We think he’s the current head of the Petrov family mob, and is planning an attack on America, via this new virus. But now that we found you, we need you to come back and finish your work on the vaccine.”

All that came out after Ranger had rounded on Colt, called him crazy, and told him to put the gun down.

She didn’t really blame Colt. The last twenty-four hours had her own head spinning—from the near catapult off the cliff to the snowstorm to the siege on Sky King Ranch. And to see Barry hurt, bleeding, and in pain . . .

“This is my fault,” she said. “I was played.” She shook her head. “I’m such an idiot.”

Colt blew out a breath as he sat next to her on the deck. “We see what we want to see, Tae. You’re not the only one who’s made mistakes that cost lives.”

She glanced at him. He had showered since the showdown at the ranch, since Sheriff Deke Starr showed up with a coroner, took their statements, and then carted Bad Russian Guy away. They then all called a time-out to get Barry to the hospital. Dodge and Echo had left with his dad, while Ranger and Noemi holed up in the study to get the lowdown from her not-so-dead father.

Colt wore his hair longer, now slicked back and drying in curls around his face. He’d changed into jeans, a long sleeve T-shirt, and cowboy boots. The guy could grace a calendar with the dark scruff on his chin, those mesmerizing brown eyes.