Page 12 of Axel (Reed Hawthorne Security #6)

Savvy

I’ve been staring at the ceiling for the last hour. Despite being exhausted, I can’t relax. The wind has been gusting, and every time I hear a twig snap, I worry it’s Bob coming for me. I turn to my side again, hoping to get comfortable.

“You all right over there?” Hunter asks.

“Fine.”

“You’ve been tossing and turning for the past hour.”

“I can’t shut off my mind.”

He sits up, and the blanket falls away from his chest. Why isn’t he wearing a shirt? It’s freezing in here. But at the same time, I can’t complain because this man is built. He looks good.

“I can show you something that will help you relax,” he says.

I laugh. “Wow, that sounds like a line.”

He laughs. “It does, but I promise it’s not. ”

“You sure? Based on how your sister described you, it sounds like coming on to women is second nature to you.”

“Damn, one minute you’re nice, and then next you’re back to this.” He moves to the fireplace and tosses a piece of wood in. “You really don’t think much of me, do you?”

“What? No, I think you are nice for the most part.”

He turns. “For the most part. Admit it, you’ve had a chip on your shoulder when it comes to me from the moment we met. Why?”

He wonders why. I can’t be alone with him without it evolving into some kind of argument.

I sit up and wrap the blanket around my shoulders. “I don’t have a chip. Do you realize you are incredibly defensive around me? Anything I say, you take personally. It’s exhausting.”

Then I go to the bedroom and change into a T-shirt and jeans. I don’t want to be around him anymore.

When I return to the living room, he’s sitting on the couch with his face in his hands.

“What are you doing?” he asks.

“Leaving.” I’m out the door before he can stop me, but I don’t get too far.

On the road, there is a tree halfway down, and it has taken the electrical wires with it. My car is parked on the other side, and there is no way I can get to it safely.

Why didn’t I just park in the driveway? Because I worried about getting pinned in the driveway, and I wanted a fast getaway if necessary. Of course, I was thinking about Bob, not that Hunter would show up. Now I’m stuck here .

“Hey,” Hunter says as he walks up to me. He takes my hand in his. “Don’t go. It’s not safe.”

His words barely register because all I can focus on is the electricity shooting through my body at his touch. It startles me, and I jump back out of his grip.

“Sorry,” he says and then shoves his hands into his pockets.

Something cracks above us. Hunter picks me up with one arm under my legs and one around my back. I instinctively wrap my arms around his neck. He runs us onto the front porch. A large branch falls where we were just standing.

“We need to stay inside,” he says as he opens the door and carries me in. He slowly lowers my legs to the floor. The moment he steps back, I want him to touch me again.

No. What’s going on? I quickly shake that thought away. On some level, I can admit he is good looking, and it’s been quite some time since I’ve been with a man. I’m sure that’s all this is.

“Thank you for saving me,” I say. At least I can be polite. “It looks like we’re both stuck here after all.” I grab my blanket and settle back in near the fire.

“Where the hell were you going to go?”

I’m surprised by the anger in his voice.

“To my car to go anywhere else. What does it matter to you?”

Hs sighs loudly. “Because you’re in danger. That’s why you’re here.”

I wrap the blanket around me tightly. “I can’t sleep and want to go somewhere else. ”

He steps over to me and sits behind me. Then his hands touch my shoulders. “Let me help. I promise this isn’t a pickup line.”

He massages my shoulders, and at first, his touch is turning me on. But then, for the first time since we’ve been here, I begin to relax. After about ten minutes, I yawn.

“Thank you,” I say.

He stops and stands up. “I hope that helped.”

“It did.”

After he gets himself back under his blanket, he stares at me.

“What?” I ask.

“Please don’t leave. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you.” He looks away, jaw clenched like he hates admitting it.

And I’m sitting here, feeling things I shouldn’t feel.

Squishy things. Hunter really is a good guy underneath all the arrogance.

I stare at him. Is he arrogant? Or did I assume he was?

And why is he being so nice now? He barely tolerated me before.

I guess he really is worried I’ll try to leave.

I fall asleep, thinking of my past interactions with him.

When I wake, daylight is streaming in through the window, and the sound of a chainsaw blares outside. I shiver.

“Fire went out,” Hunter says as he works to get it going again. “It gets cold here.”

I get up, wrapping the blanket around me, and walk to the window. “Looks like a crew is working on the tree and wires. ”

“That’s good. Hopefully, we’ll get power back soon.”

I join him in front of the fire that’s now going again.

“I know you’re scared,” he says.

“I am not!” I say too defensively. “No, that’s a lie. I am scared.”

“I’m sorry you’re dealing with Bob. But know this, as long as I’m with you, I will protect you.”

Deep down, I believe him. When he’s here, while he annoys me sometimes, I do feel safe.

“Thank you. But you can’t stay with me forever. You need to get back to work. I need to get back to work,” I say.

“You met Agent Stevens. She’ll be taking Bob down soon. Until then, I’m assigned to protect you.”

I stare at the fire as that sinks in. He’s here because of work.

I am work. He’s not here out of real concern or because he likes me.

Those things I felt when he touched me? They were in my head.

They weren’t mutual. Thankfully, I didn’t say or do anything foolish.

But I did let my emotions get away from me. Knowing I’m only work is disappointing.

We sit in silence for a while. I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve lost all track of time. I’m jolted out of my thoughts when the power comes back on.

Hunter jumps up. “I need to charge my phone. Hopefully, the Wi-Fi will be working soon, too. I need to check in.”

I go to the window and watch the crew work. Then I try to turn my phone on for the first time in days. It’s dead, too. I go to the bedroom where my charger is and plug it in .

As I walk back toward the fire, I hear Hunter’s voice from the other bedroom. I step closer to the door and listen.

“Anything you can find on him would help. The FBI is investigating. Thanks.”

I return to the fireplace. No need for him to catch me listening in. Hunter joins me a minute later.

“I spoke to Trip. He’s our guy when we need someone to find information for us. He’s going to see what he can find out about your boss. Then we’ll make a plan on how to keep you safe.”

“A plan?”

He rubs his hands together in front of the fire. “Yeah, we can probably stay here for a while. But I’ll make sure we have a backup place, too, just in case.”

Stay together? “How long do you think we’ll need to stay together?”

He shrugs. “Not sure. I’ll check in with Stevens a little later to try to get an idea.”

“But if you had to guess.”

His gaze moves to the window. “At least a few days. Likely no more than two weeks.”

Two weeks? I can’t be stuck here with this man for two weeks. I’ll go crazy. Or make a fool of myself. I’ve always wanted to take a trip down the East Coast. And this may be a good time.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get food and be fine.” He grins.

“Thank you, but you don’t need to do this. I can take a road trip and stay away from here for a while. It’d be good for me to be alone. ”

I leave him and go to the bedroom to pack.

“I asked you not to leave, and you are trying again the first chance you get?” He leans in the doorway like he’s been standing there a while, arms crossed.

“Well, it’s better than you babysitting me for two weeks.”

“It’s not babysitting. And lounging around here seems more appealing than running from town to town.”

I shrug but keep packing.

“Are you afraid to be here alone with me?” he asks.

I keep my back turned to him. “Why would I be afraid of that?” My heart is beating hard. Did I give myself away by staring at him too long?

“Oh, I don’t know. Because we can’t go five minutes without arguing.”

I chuckle but am relieved. “I think we can get along.”

“Okay, then, why are you still packing?”

I drop the sweater I’m holding and spin back around. “You’re my best friend’s brother. What if we do get into a fight so bad we can’t come back from it?”

“Or, how about we talk, and I mean really talk, and find out why you don’t like guys who have been in the military?”

“Oh!” I say, and then cover my mouth. I can’t believe he remembered I said that the day I met him. I do have issues, but it isn’t something I want to talk to him about.

But he continues to stare at me. Expecting some kind of answer.

“I’ll stay, but no talking.” I step past him and out into the hallway .

“Nope. That doesn’t work for me.”

I shiver. “Why isn’t the heat coming on?” I check the heater vent, and it is on.

“It’s going to take a while to heat this place up,” he says.

I grab my blanket and wrap it around myself.

His phone rings, and he answers it. I sit down, trying to figure out how I got into this mess and how I can get out of it.

“You’re sure?” he asks. “Thanks for the heads up.”

He appears upset. “What’s wrong?”

“Trip ran Bob’s credit card, and he last used it to gas up about thirty minutes from here. I’m pretty sure he’s going to your cabin.”

“I’m not there.”

“But your car is on the road. And with the fire going, he will likely see the smoke coming from the chimney and ambush us here.”

I jump up. “I’ll move my car.”

“There’s no time. We need to go.” He fills a pan with water and then tosses it on the fire, causing the room to fill with smoke. “Grab your suitcase. We need to leave now.”

It takes us two minutes at most to grab our stuff and get into his car. We’re driving down the road when we spot another car.

“Get down out of sight,” he instructs.

I duck down. The car passes us.

“That was Bob,” he says. “You can sit up.”

I do and look back to see the back of the car and the stuffed giraffe in the back window. It is Bob’s car. He’s looking for me .

“He knows I was in his warehouse that day.”

“Well, now we know for certain you were the target.”

My boss—and the man I once considered a friend—tried to kill me. I’m shaking as it sinks in. It’s a miracle I’m still alive. But can I remain alive? Because clearly, Bob is looking for me.