His first reaction, when he realized they’d been paired together, was to let her go free. Not to go near her. Not to give that attraction a chance to grow, because he knew that was his only means to keep her safe. His attempt to be a decent man hadn’t lasted very long at all. Maybe she was still struggling with the idea of them together, but she’d get there eventually.

Truthfully, none of them were ever truly safe. Whitney was still after her. Cayenne was still under termination orders, and if Whitney sent a supersoldier after her, that soldier would have orders to kill on sight. At least with Trap and his team to protect her, she had a much better chance. If his uncles came after her, he’d be ready. They’d be ready.

Cayenne was no young child like his sisters and brother had been. She was no helpless woman like his aunt had been. She would fight and she would have her own arsenal, without even being armed with a gun. He was more than certain Cayenne had been trained to use a gun, a knife and every other weapon known to man. She probably could put together and take apart a bomb using an ink pen. She might not have had the practical experience, but Whitney believed in every soldier or assassin being trained and he wouldn’t have made exceptions – even if they kept her in a cage.

Trap nodded his agreement to Wyatt. His body was beginning to sweat. Little beads formed on his forehead and dripped down his face into his hair. He still couldn’t sit up, but his muscles were finally beginning to receive messages from his brain. Tremors started. Small ones. Hands first. His foot twitched. The woman had a lot to answer for.

He recognized that Draden, Mordichai and Wyatt were keeping a close watch on him in spite of nudging one another and poking fun at him.

Wyatt casually took his pulse. “Your heart rate’s up, Trap. Not a lot, because you’ve got that ice water flowing in your veins, but still, for you, it’s up.”

Trap worked his jaw. Doesn’t surprise me. She put me down hard.

Wyatt grinned at him. “Sexy as hell, right? Now you get why that woman of mine is so damned special. She makes me hard every time I piss her off.”

“You two like to live on the edge,” Mordichai observed. “Me, I’m going to get me a little yes-woman who wants to cook like Nonny, wash my clothes for me and fuck all night.”

“What does she get out of it?” Draden asked.

Mordichai looked shocked. “I told you. I’ll fuck her all night.”

Wyatt and Draden burst out laughing. Even Trap’s mouth quirked, although it wasn’t a bad plan.

“You think a lot of your skills,” Wyatt observed.

“’Cuz I’m that good,” Mordichai said.

Behind him, Malichai snorted as he walked in. “He giving you his life’s bullshit plan for a woman?”

“Just because you didn’t think of it first,” Mordichai snapped, “doesn’t mean it isn’t perfection. She’ll keep the fridge stocked with ice-cold beer for me.”

“She goin’ fan you when it gets hot?” Wyatt asked.

“Sure. Why not?”

Trap struggled into a sitting position. He was weak. Wyatt was right. He needed water and food and a few hours of rest. Bed sounded good. Too good. Coming up with a vaccine to protect not only him, but all of them, just as he’d done with Pepper and the girls, was going to take time. He needed his entire brain working, and right now, he was too weak to stand long, let alone think clearly.

“I don’ think Trap’s woman is goin’ to be fannin’ him,” Wyatt said, toeing the leg of the table. “She’s goin’ to be the one callin’ the shots. He went to the bar how many days in a row lookin’ for her like some lovesick calf?”

The good-natured ribbing had turned from Mordichai right back to him. He couldn’t deny he’d gone to the Huracan Club day after day looking for her.

“I was right,” he managed to croak. “She came, didn’t she?”

“And kicked your ass,” Draden pointed out. “Big badass Trap, the iceman. She kicked your ass.”

Yeah, he wasn’t living this one down for a while. He sighed. “Help me into the house. We’ve got the blood, store it for me, Wyatt. I’m all for resting.”

“Can’t wait to hear what Nonny has to say about you getting your ass handed to you by a girl,” Mordichai said, smirking. The smirk faded. “Of course, I’m not using the word ass or she might try to wash out my mouth with soap.”

“You know Nonny would do more than try, Mordichai,” Wyatt said.

They all burst into laughter. Draden and Mordichai both swept arms around Trap and helped him to his feet. He staggered and nearly went down as his legs gave way, but they held him up. Wyatt locked the laboratory after them. Ezekiel came down from the roof and joined them as they took Trap into the house. Gino came in from the swamp, silent as always, looking as if he’d been on a Sunday stroll.

Cayenne paced up and down the floor. Her bare feet sank into a soft, thick carpet, a luxury she’d never imagined in her life. The entire basement of the enormous building she now called home had been transformed. At first, when the workers had arrived to tear apart the upstairs, she was certain they would leave the basement area intact. Weeks had gone by, enough time for her to realize most of the houses in New Orleans and the surrounding areas were built up high and few or none had basements.

The long, two-story building had been designed so that any prisoners in the cells below the main floor would die if there was flooding and the water somehow breached the thick concrete and steel walls. She was certain the new owner – before she figured out it was Trap – would just leave the lower floor alone. She’d hoped he would.

She’d had to move out when they’d come to tear out everything and redesign it. She’d spent a very uncomfortable time in the swamp, creeping back to her building only at night. At first she’d messed with the workers, making them believe some swamp creature or ghost was around, but then she realized the renovations would just take that much longer. She let them get on with them.

Cayenne watched them, observing all the security measures being put into the building. Several times she saw Trap come in, and with him were blueprints he laid out on a table and showed his workers. She’d gotten ahold of the blueprints and saw that he was changing all the entrances to the tunnels and reinforcing all doors. He replaced the long rows of concrete with banks of windows up high, giving her views that took her breath away.