Page 3 of Axel (Reed Hawthorne Security #6)

Axel

I smile as I pull into the driveway. A relaxing three-day weekend at the cabin sounds fantastic.

Despite buying this place with my sister, I haven’t had a chance to really spend any time here yet.

Before the Wyoming assignment, I had a grueling situation in Colombia that went sideways.

Fortunately, Moose and I were able to get everything back on track, but it extended the time we were required to be there by a couple of weeks.

Inside, the cabin is chilly, so I turn on the heat. After putting away the groceries I purchased on the way up here, I climb into bed. It’s a little early even for me, but I’m exhausted.

When I wake, it’s dark outside. According to the clock, I slept for ten hours. Damn, I was tired. The good news is, if I get moving, I can get out on the water by sunrise .

My sister was right. Having a cabin right on the lake is great. Instead of lugging my kayak all the way from my car, all I have to do is pull it down a few feet from the grassy bank.

The water is like glass as I push off the shore and then hop in. This weekend I’ve dubbed as Operation Relax. It’s moments like this that I can honestly say it was all worth working with the most annoying real estate agent in the world to get our little slice of heaven.

As I row, I enjoy the silence. As the sun begins to rise, a few birds chirp, but it remains peaceful.

The cabin needs some work. Nothing major, just some paint and new cabinets in the bathroom.

As much as I’d love to knock out those projects this weekend, my sister hasn’t yet agreed with any of my suggestions.

We don’t exactly see eye to eye when it comes to decorating.

I prefer neutral colors like gray. Maria prefers bright colors.

Her place looks more like a preschool classroom than one that belongs to a grown woman.

But she claims the colors make her happy.

Regardless, I put my foot down on bright-yellow cabinets.

As I round the other side of the lake, I spot a familiar woman kayaking toward me.

No way. It can’t be her. I’m seeing things.

I can’t pretend I haven’t seen her, as we are the only two out here this early.

“Hunter?” she calls to me.

Only my sister calls me by my given name. And now apparently her. I hold up a hand to wave. If I’m not at least polite, my sister will rip me a new one .

She glides up next to me. “I didn’t realize you were a morning person. You strike me more as a night owl.”

Is that because all military men are womanizers and are therefore out late? I take a deep breath. No, I’m jumping to conclusions.

“Nope. Morning person.” I keep it short. Something I suspect is best when talking to Savvy Williams.

She smiles her fake smile. “Are you planning to stay long?”

“You mean kayaking or at the cabin?”

A breeze comes up and tries to pull her away. Instead of taking the hint, she uses her oar to row herself back in line with me. “The cabin.”

I shrug. Something tells me if I tell her my weekend plans, she’ll make it her job to make me miserable.

“You know, I can just ask your sister.”

It’s true. She can. My sister and I share an online calendar for the cabin so we don’t try to use it at the same time.

And I blocked out three days. It’s a great cabin, but it’s not large enough for me plus all of my sister’s friends, who she likes to bring up here. Which I thought might include Savvy.

“What brings you to this lake? I thought it was private,” I say.

Savvy grins. “It is. Maria didn’t mention I own the cabin two doors down from you?”

I grind my teeth. No, of course, she didn’t because she knew I’d walk away if I had known that. That’s how much I don’t want to be around someone who thinks so little of me. She frowns whenever she sees me .

I take another deep breath. I’m starting to sound paranoid.

“Wow, you really dislike me that much, don’t you?” she says.

“What?” I ask, not expecting her to be so direct.

She nods at me. “I mention I live close, and you look like you’ve sucked on a lemon.”

I paddle as the wind takes me, and it turns me away from her. “It’s not dislike,” I say.

“But it’s something.”

I glance at her. Is she kidding?

“If you recall, you decided you knew my type without getting to know me. You judged me with no evidence.”

She stares at me but doesn’t respond.

“Look, I’d like to enjoy my morning on the lake, so if you don’t mind?—”

“I’m sorry,” she blurts out.

She’s apologizing.

“What?” I ask.

“I’m sorry for judging you and offending you. I was having a really bad day, and well, the details aren’t important. I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”

Now I stare at her. I’m not sure how to respond.

“Okay, I understand if you don’t accept that,” she says. “But I’m hoping you might consider putting our differences aside. You work in protection, and I think I need some.”

And this is what she really wants. First, she insults me, and now she wants my help. I’m about to say no, but her eyes stop me. Eyes don’t lie, and Savvy is scared .

“What’s going on?” I ask.

My sister will have my ass if I don’t at least consider this. Although I’m lying to myself, I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to Savvy after she asked for help.

“I am showing a commercial building later today, and I don’t have a good feeling about it. Would you be willing to come with me? I’ll buy you lunch.”

“Why do you have a bad feeling?” I ask. “Is the client a dick or something?”

She stares at the shore. “No. Well, maybe. My boss said he’s creepy but harmless. He’s never said anything like that about someone before.”

“Did he tell you more about the man?”

“No.”

She’s being vague. I’ll probably have a better chance of getting more information from her at lunch.

“What time?”

Her eyes light up as she smiles. “I’ll pick you up at nine thirty. Thank you so much!”

She turns and paddles toward her cabin before I can rethink anything.

Nine thirty. Dammit. The lunch will be after. I’ll have to get more information on the drive there.

With my limited time, I finish kayaking around the lake. As I continue back to my cabin, I’m no longer relaxed. All I can think about is why Savvy is scared. When we met, Maria mentioned she’s been an agent for over ten years. Showing buildings is nothing new to her.

Well, there’s no point in stewing on the matter. I’m not going to really know what’s going on until I can get more information from Savvy.

After getting back and showering, I remember I only brought casual clothes with me this weekend. Every time we met with Savvy to discuss cabins, she always wore a dress. Each time, a different dress, but they all fit her nicely.

No. Can’t let my mind go there. It’s true that when we first met, I found her very attractive. That was until she showed her true colors as rude and snooty. I laugh. Snooty is a funny word. But it fits how she’s looked at me down her nose.

My phone buzzes as I finish my breakfast of eggs and coffee. Maria is calling.

“Hello? Everything all right?” I ask.

She laughs. “Yes, of course.”

“Mmm hmm. You’re never up this early.”

The sound of liquid pouring comes through the phone.

“Yeah, I am. I’m already at work. I’m a morning person now.”

I laugh. “You’re getting coffee in your kitchen.”

“Uh-huh. And I work from home. I’m already at work.” She has a point.

“Well, good for you for getting up early.”

“Thank you. Nighttime always got me into trouble. Anyway, I’m calling to say thank you.”

I put my plate in the sink and then turn around to lean against the counter. “For what?”

“For helping Savvy. She told me you agreed to go with her. Has she told you what’s going on? ”

My sister knows? Interesting. “No, she didn’t. Why is she scared?”

Maria sighs. “She needs to tell you.”

“It would really help if I knew what I was walking into,” I say.

She doesn’t respond.

“Can you clue me in here?”

“Fine, but get the details from her.”

“Okay,” I say.

“Savvy is scared and needs protection. Trust me on that.”

I push off the counter. “Okay, but how can I protect her if I don’t know where the danger is coming from?”

Maria goes quiet again.

I check the phone, and we are still connected. “Maria?”

“Okay, but this is all I’ll tell you. You need to get the rest from her. She’s scared of her boss.”

“What’s his name?”

“Bob Kuffel. Oh, I have to go.”

She ends the call.

Why would Savvy lie and tell me it’s the client she’s worried about when it’s her boss? At least I have a name. A quick search tells me he’s on the board of directors of a large property management company. But there isn’t much more out there.

Maybe Trip can help. Trip is our tech guy, whom we go to anytime we need a search run for anything.

I send him the name and what I found. It will be a low priority for him.

Last I heard, Stormy had him busy with some big case in Seattle that the guys are working on.

But hopefully, he will have a moment to check.

At nine thirty on the dot, there is a knock at my door. I open it, and Savvy is standing there wearing another one of those sexy dresses. Her dark hair is pulled up into a bun of some kind, and she’s wearing heels.

“You look nice,” I say and then grimace. It slipped out.

Her brow shoots up. “Did you just say something nice? Wow, progress.”

I grab my phone and wallet and step out onto the porch. “I’m not the one who’s rude.”

“I apologized for that.”

“Did you?” I ask.

Her hands go to her hips. “Did you not hear what I said on the lake?”

“I did. But then I heard you ask for a favor immediately after. I’m not sure the apology was real.”

“Wow. I wouldn’t expect you to have such thin skin,” she says, then quickly turns away.

This really isn’t the time to get into it, so I drop it for now.

I follow her to the car. She’s practically stomping, and I swear, steam might come out of her ears at any moment. She wouldn’t have me here unless she really felt it was necessary. I need to find out why she’s scared of her boss and what that has to do with this building.