Disclaimer: I do not own any character but Zinnia Zahara. The rest belong to Christine Feehan and her Ghost walker series!

Prologue

Gideon Carpenter and Brian Hutton sat quietly sipping on their beers in a small bar in the heart of San Francisco. The two men were seeking refuge from the their home. Needing a breather from all the 'domestication' that was happening. Mack and Jaimie were happily married and Kane and Rose has followed suit. And with Rhianna home, it was only a matter of time before she and Javier tied the knot. For Brian, it was too much to swallow as he thought of Patsy Calhoun.

He had missed her and it was near impossible for him to reach her. Especially after her brother Jesse raked him across the coals for not spilling his guts to him from the very moment they met. As punishment, Jesse was being an ass. As for Gideon, it was nice to escape reality of his life. Gideon was the quiet member of their family. Always hiding up in the rafters, eye to his scope, content with watching over his family. Being part of the family day to day life was hard for him and they knew it. Never once did the question when he disappeared on them, needing a breather from the chaos of it all.

That being said, whenever he was around his family, he could joke and be playful like the rest of them. And on missions, he never failed them and he never would. They meant the world to him and he would gladly die for all of them. As for tonight, he needed the break and Brian was more than happy to watch his back. With Whitney being an ever looming monster in their lives, no one went out alone.

"Never picked you for a karaoke bar, Eagle," Brian teased.

"It's mildly entertaining," Gideon smirked as he tipped his beer to the drunken frat boys who were in the process of celebrating their buddie's last night as a single man. "What's your bet he's gonna be in hell tomorrow?"

Brian looked over at the groom-to-be and laughed. "He looks like a lightweight, betting he'll be puking his guts out mere seconds before having to be down the aisle," Brian joked before looking back at Gideon, his eyes darkened a little.

"Thinking about Patsy?"

"Get out of my head, Gideon," Brian said softly.

"Not in there. It's screaming across your face," Gideon replied as he did another scan of the bar area. They wouldn't stay long but just enough to get a break from the family.

Brian gave a wry laugh before grabbing his empty mug and indicated to Gideon's. "Want another?"

Gideon nodded and handed it over to his brother and proceed to track him from their table and to the bar. He watched as Brian politely flirted with the bartender who was filling their drinks. He knew Brian couldn't help it. He was a ladies' man. Gideon, however, was a pretty face, like most of his brothers but his silence tended to make women uncomfortable around him. Most of them falling back on the 'beware the quiet ones' saying.

Gideon watched as he Brian paid for their drinks and started to make his way towards their table but was bumped by one of the overly intoxicated frat boys and it seemed he was itching for a fight.

"HEY! Watch where your….walking….asshole!" the kid forced out as he got in Brian's face. His buddies coming to his support, egging him to take Brian out.

Brian looked over at Gideon, unsure of whether or not he should laugh at the kid or just knock him out. "You bumped me buddy but you're too drunk. Why don't you and your girlfriends here, head on home and sleep it off," Brian said as he tried to wipe some of the beer off of him. Great! Now I smell like a damn brewery. He thought to Gideon.

"Fuck you, asshole! Let's take this outside so I can knock your fucking lights out!" the kid said as he wavered a bit on his fit.

"You got him, Brayden! Kick his ass!" the drunk kids bachelor friend said as he whipped out his phone to video the fight.

Oh have mercy! Gideon, come save me before I send these boys back to their mamas in body bags. Brian thought to his friend even as Gideon came beside him. "I'm thinking we should just get out of here. Don't need to deal with his bullshit," Brian said as he turned to walk out the door.

"Yeah, no fun to drink when the toddler's are out throwing their tantrums," Gideon agreed, taking a stab at the young men who had ruined their small moment of peace.

As the two super soldiers turned to leave, they felt the impending punch that was making their way towards Gideon's face. But the blow never connected. Brayden's fist was stopped in mid-air as a young woman held him by the wrist. Her dark brown hair was pulled into a tight pony tail and her light emerald eyes glared darkly at the man who's wrist she held. She was dressed in business slacks and a nice jacket. Hardly any makeup graced her face, giving her a natural beauty that Gideon had never seen before.

"What the hell lady?!" Brayden said as he tried to take his arm back from her.

"I think you and your buddies have annoyed enough of the people here. I HIGHLY suggest that you all leave the property immediately. Or if you want, you can leave in brand new shiny bracelets as the police arrest you for disorderly conduct and public intoxication," she said, her voice like heat, sliding down to Gideon's most inner core, calling to him.

"Shit man, I can't go to jail. If I miss our wedding, Jaz will murder me," his one buddy said as he was in the process of gathering his things.

Brayden looked deep into the woman's eyes for a good hard minute before backing away and grabbing his coat. "This place sucks anyway, I know a great place to unwind," he said as the group left very quickly and the bar returned to more peaceful atmosphere.

The woman turned towards Gideon and Brian and gave them each a hard look. "Are you two going to cause problems as well?" she asked in a serious voice.

"No ma'am, we're on our way out," Brian said as he put his hands up in a defensive position. "Come on Gid, let's get home."

Gideon never once took his eyes off of her. Every word she spoke set a fire deep inside of him, a feeling he never truly felt before. She was shorter than he was but had a lean build to her and she knew how to carry herself. "You go on ahead. I think I'll stay for one more round," Gideon said as he extended his hand to her. "Gideon Carpenter. This is my brother Brian Hutton."

"You sure?" Brian asked. Even as he knew that his brother didn't need a wingman for this event, he still felt uneasy leaving him alone. That and Mack will kill him for leaving him alone but maybe Gideon getting laid might make him a little more sociable at home.

"Zinnia Zahara, but everyone just calls me Z," Zinnia said as she looked down at Gideon's hand, unsure if she really wanted to touch it before grasping his hand. The moment the two made contact, an instant electricity soared through them cause the two to quickly separate.

"Gideon?" Brian asked as he watched the two of them.

"Yeah. Go on ahead. I'll be back home soon," Gideon said, his eyes never once leaving hers. Zinnia was studying him, curious of him and she seemed to be as intrigued as he was.

"Yeah, ok, man. Just be careful," Brian said as he looked back over at Zinnia and gave her a hard look. He wasn't getting any readings from her. Nothing that would indicate that she was enhanced or a danger to Gideon. Nodding softly, certain that Gideon would be ok, he gently gave her a small wave. "Have a good night, ma'am."

Zinnia's gaze flickered to Brian and nodded, giving him a soft smile. "You too," she said as she watched him look between to the two of them before turning to leave the bar. Gideon held out a bar stool for her and took a seat at the bar. Getting comfortable as he watched her take the seat next to him. "Coke, please."

"So Zinnia, tell me about yourself," Gideon asked as their drinks were placed in front of them.

…..

The next morning, Gideon woke alone in a strange bed that wasn't his own. Gazing around the room, he realized he was in a cheap motel. Rubbing his face, he tried to remember the events of the night before. He hadn't drunk that much but he knew that his head was a little hazy. However, he wouldn't forget her. Zinnia. He thought as he remember the dark hair, emerald eyed woman that had sauntered into this bed with him and gave him a night he would not forget. But with all one night stands, someone always has to disappear and quickly. It seemed that Zinnia was the one to take on that role.

Looking over to the nightstand, he could see that his phone was flashing and that he had a lot of missed calls, voice messages, and text messages. All of them came from his family. Shit! I never made it home. Mack's going to kill me. Brian too for that matter. Hell, Jaimie is probably going to be the scarier one to face. He thought as he dialed home.

"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!" Mack's voice shouted. Gideon didn't even need to put the phone to his ear as he heard Mack shouting.

"Easy there, it's too early to be screaming. I'll be home soon. I'm perfectly fine," Gideon said as he stretched his naked body, looking over at the bed where he and Zinna had made good use of. "And dad, go easy on me, ok?"

"HUH! You'll be lucky if I do. Jaimie might not be so forgiving," he said as Jaimie started to yell at Gideon. "See! You're in for it. What the hell happened last night? You didn't come home with Brian."

"I met a girl."