“I can’t escape them,” he said hoarsely. “They’re brutal, frightening, and they make no sense.”

“What was it this time?”

“I killed a man.” His big frame shuddered. “In cold blood. I was perched atop a building in some small desert town with a rifle and scope. Blew his brains out and the worst part was… I was glad to exterminate him.”

Liam’s voice cracked. “God, Jude.”

“The dreams aren’t always that bad.” No, sometimes they were worse. What his sweet, sensitive friend didn’t know was for the best.

“If you say so.”

He didn’t sound convinced, and Jude didn’t have the heart to lie. Instead, he drifted off to the comforting lull of Liam’s fingers raking through the strands of his hair, as he wondered what type of man dreamed of murdering other people without remorse.

And whether they were nightmares at all.

Lily glanced up from her computer to see Liam hovering in the office doorway.

He gave her a wan smile. “Emerging from e-mail hell yet?” “Getting caught up. What’s the matter?”

“Nothing, I… shit,” he sighed, unhappy. “Jude won’t be working today. He had a nightmare and now he’s down with one of those bastard migraines.”

She pushed back from the screen, straightening. “Oh, no. What can I do for him?”

“Not much except to help me check on him, if you don’t mind. I’ve got to run to the store later and get groceries.”

“Of course. I’ll keep an eye on him.” She was afraid to ask the next question, but she had to know for her report to Dietz. “Have any idea what the nightmare was about?”

He nodded, mouth in a grim line. “He killed a man, in his dream. Shot him in cold blood. That’s what a lot of them are about,” he whispered, shaking his head. “Death. Killing. Sometimes at his hands, other times at someone else’s. Almost as soon as I got him home from the hospital, it started. Though they’re getting worse, and it’s harder for him to recover after each episode. It’s as though he’s being torn apart.”

She stared at Liam, stomach flipping. If she’d needed more proof, she had it-Jude’s memories were trying to return. Despite her reluctance to administer the first dose, she couldn’t delay much longer. Either Jude would remember or Dietz would call her on the carpet for neglecting her orders.

Either way, she’d be a dead woman.

She met Liam’s worried gaze. “Has he seen anyone for counseling?”

He made a face. “Jude? You’re talking about the same guy who used to vanish for weeks and reappear without an explanation. He’s not exactly the type to share secrets.”

“Right.” And thank God for that. She hated to think of some poor, unsuspecting psychiatrist being silenced by Dietz. Never mind doctor-patient confidentiality.

She’d be damned lucky if Dietz didn’t focus on Liam as a potential threat to security.

“Anyway, I’d better run,” he said, glancing away. “You need anything from the store?”

“More of that wonderful Malbec you served with dinner the other night?”

“Done.”

“Liam… are you all right? Other than being worried about Jude.” Standing, she went to him, laid a hand on his chest. His heart thrummed a mad tempo under her palm.

“I’m not sure what you mean.” His body language said something else.

“You’ve barely made eye contact with me since our fun by the pool. Was it so terrible?”

“What? No!” He pulled her into a hard hug, then drew back and looked into her eyes, appearing genuinely shocked. “I loved being with you, and I’d do it again. I’ve just had a lot on my mind.”

“It’s nothing I’ve done?”

He shook his head, kissed the corner of her mouth. “I swear. Sorry I haven’t been myself, but I’m doing my best to shake off this weird mood.”

“Anything I can do to speed things along?” she asked suggestively. One male nipple hardened, poking her palm through his T-shirt.

“Later?” His smile softened the rejection. “I guess I’m not in the right head space lately.”

“I won’t push. But if you need a friend-”

“I know. Thanks.” He gave her another hug and extricated himself gently. “Gotta go.”

Watching him retreat, she sighed. What would happen to him after Jude was gone? She’d suggest bringing him into SHADO’s main compound, but what use would they have for a chef? Perhaps Michael could think of something. All she knew was the idea of leaving Liam alone, grieving, and out of a job did not sit well.

Yet coming up with a solution might not matter when Liam hated her guts.

She squashed the pang of regret and returned to her e-mail, still amazed at the amount of correspondence Jude received. She scheduled a couple of charity events and dinner with an acquaintance, rescheduled a meeting with an architect regarding renovation of a building Jude had purchased, and answered several pleas for donations. Seemed her “boss” was a generous man to those less fortunate.

What an irony.

Two hours passed with record speed and Lily blinked at the clock. She’d promised to check on Jude and she had no idea how long the other man had been gone.

She hurried out, heels clicking on the tiles, then digging into the carpet as she ascended the stairs. Too bad she couldn’t go barefoot, but she couldn’t dress down when anyone might stop by to see Jude.

What wasn’t underneath the clothing didn’t count.

She reached Jude’s bedroom to find the door cracked a bit, so she pushed it open and tiptoed inside. His big body lay sprawled on his stomach, sheets tangled around long legs, a slice of tanned, bare ass making her mouth water and fantasies run rampant.

Too bad the man was out of commission or she might be tempted to caress that delectable rump, see whether she could entice him to finish what he’d started between them the other day.

Considering her mission, however, perhaps it was better that he remain distracted by Liam and Tamara.

The thought depressed her and she shook it off, walking over silently to check and make certain he wasn’t in distress. He slept soundly, auburn hair spilling over his face, lips parted slightly. He looked so young and vulnerable, though she knew he was anything but.

“Why couldn’t you have been one of the good guys?” she whispered, aching at the sight of him.

But he wasn’t, and with Liam gone, his boss unconscious, she had a prime opportunity to extend her search beyond the previous boundaries.

Where…? Her eyes fell upon his walk-in closet, the door ajar. A tingle went up her spine and she crossed toward it. Was it possible?

The master closet didn’t share a wall with Lily’s room. Instead, it was situated across his room, on the outer corner of the house, on the wall with the window overlooking the pool. His office on the first floor was directly below.

The familiar thrill of the hunt warmed her blood. She was on to something. Easing inside, she flipped on the light, careful not to make too much noise. The space was so huge it could’ve served as a pro football team’s locker room.

Suits, jeans, slacks, and shirts-both dressy and casual- lined the walls on rods. Shoes of all types were parked on several rows of shelving, four pairs wide. Doing a double take at the clothing, she realized the outfits were organized by color and style, pants and the appropriate shirts hanging together. Liam had likely done this so Jude wouldn’t have to worry about trying to match his things.

The care and consideration that had gone into his gift brought unexpected tears to her eyes. With a quiet sniff, she began checking cubbies and boxes, what few there were. The closet was pristine, free of the typical clutter one might expect to find.

Next she pushed hangers aside, disturbing the clothing as little as possible. As she’d done in Jude’s office, she checked the walls of the space for seams, hollow places. What was unusual about the closet was the detailed molding work. People normally put effort into such decor in a living or dining room, not a place guests wouldn’t really see.