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“I hate that I feel like this,” she squeaked out.

“I’ve always been happy and effusive, but after my boyfriend Darren knocked me to the ground when I broke up with him, and two days later Grady Worthen ripped me open with a knife …

” she trailed off and put a hand over her scar.

The wound was healed, but it seemed to throb.

She was saying too much. “I’m so sorry that I’m a conflicted mess. ”

“Please.” Madelyne stepped forward and took her hand.

“I promise you that each of our friends”—she gestured around to the men—“are protectors, not abusers. And I promise you that Chase is so kind that you will feel comfortable around him. He will protect you, and this will be the best two weeks of your life.”

“Big claims,” Lizzy murmured.

“True claims,” Brandon said, stepping up to Madelyne’s side. “Please trust us, Lizzy.”

Lizzy wished she could step away, pray and stew and be reassured she wasn’t putting herself in another awful situation. She looked to the bodyguard who had asked the others to back off. He’d also taken a step back but was close enough to hear the conversation.

“Ma’am, my name is Rockwell. I’ve known Chase since middle school, and I swear to you he is everything Brandon is saying—a true hero and a gentleman. He’ll keep you safe.”

She focused on Rockwell’s dark eyes. “Um, thank you.”

He nodded and gestured around to his men with a deep-brown hand.

“I’ll tell you what. You don’t have to trust this group of large and intimidating men.

But can you trust one man? A man who personally escorted and sat by my grandma at every high school basketball game because the crowd overwhelmed her.

A man who asked a girl with Down Syndrome to Prom and also asked my cousin, who’d never been on a date in high school because she is six-three and intimidated most boys, to Senior Ball? ”

He paused to let his words sink in, his dark eyes sincere.

Lizzy’s heart was still thumping fast, but she liked the image of this man Rockwell was creating for her.

“Just a moment.” She held up a hand, closed her eyes, and said a prayer for protection and strength.

Peace washed over her.

Her eyes opened. She nodded to Madelyne, and then she stepped forward. It was a brave leap of faith, but she did it. “I’ve got this, and God has got me.”

Madelyne cheered and hugged her. “You’ll be so happy you chose to go.”

“Yes, you will.” Brandon grinned and took her arm, escorting her toward the plane.

Lizzy wasn’t quite comfortable with his touch, too famous and buff, but she could imagine it was instinctive for him.

Brandon and Madelyne said their goodbyes, but Rockwell stayed close by. Four of the men followed Brandon and Madelyne. The other four waited next to the plane.

“Eliza,” Rockwell said. “These men will accompany you to Austria and unobtrusively watch over you and my friend Chase.”

She started to feel pressure in her chest again, but she’d prayed and she had to have faith.

“Miss Eliza,” the closest one said. “I’m Captain Peter Macon. Please call me Peter.”

“Hello, Peter. It’s Lizzy.” She tried to extend an olive branch.

They shook briefly.

He tilted his head and released her hand. “Elijah, Joshua, and Tony.”

Each of the men nodded to her but didn’t offer their hands. They all gave her what they probably thought were welcoming smiles, but they were too stiff and seemed as uncomfortable around her as she was around them. Tony was massive. The other men were buff but not veritable giants.

“Nice to meet each of you,” she managed, wondering why Peter hadn’t shared the other men’s last names. “Thank you for watching out for me.”

“Great assignment,” Peter said, obviously the spokesman and leader of the group. “Salzburg and Hallstatt are some of my favorite places on earth.”

“I’m ecstatic to see them,” she said, relaxing a bit. “I can’t wait to run in the green grass and sing ‘the hills are alive with the sound of music’.”

They all smiled a little more genuinely at that. She didn’t tell them she couldn’t run.

Tony murmured to Elijah. “What song is that?”

Elijah gave him an incredulous look. “Your sisters didn’t make you watch The Sound of Music ?”

“No sisters.”

“Lucky.”

“Not lucky.” Lizzy smiled at them, feeling a little more comfortable. She’d always wanted a sister. “Maybe we could watch the best movie on earth on the flight.”

She’d heard about watching movies on flights, though she’d never traveled.

Anywhere. She and her mom had made ends meet, and as an adult running a family support center, she had enough for food, some clothing and toiletries, and the rent payment on her center, but never any extra to travel.

This was a thrilling adventure. If only she could stay safe.

“Sounds like a plan,” Peter said kindly.

“You’re all right?” Rockwell asked Lizzy in an undertone.

“Yes,” she said bravely. “Thank you.”

He nodded to her.

Lizzy lifted a hand, climbed onto the plane, and looked around.

There was a huge screen on the front wall, eight nice leather recliners, a long counter in the back with a fridge and snacks, and a couple doors she assumed were bathrooms or storage but might have been a bedroom.

Who knew? She’d never been on a regular jet and here she was flying on a real private jet. Insane.

She settled into a leather recliner as soft as butter. The men sat down as well, but they thoughtfully left the recliners closest to her open, obviously giving her some space.

They soared into the air not five minutes later. She gripped the hand rests, and her stomach lifted as she cried out, “Ooh!” which made the men smile.

They reached altitude quickly and Tony explained that they wouldn’t have a flight attendant, but she was welcome to any food or drinks she would like.

He led her to the back of the plane. She oohed and ahhed over all the options, finally grabbing small bags of trail mix, Swedish fish, and Skinny Pop popcorn and a water and declaring she was ready for the movie.

Elijah figured out how to cue The Sound of Music for her.

Surprisingly, most of the men seemed to pay attention to the movie, at least looking up from their phones and smiling when she sang along or laughed out loud.

Lizzy relaxed, and her excitement grew as she watched her favorite movie.

“Oh, I hope I can go there,” she kept exclaiming, and one of the men would nod and sometimes murmur, “I hope you can.” They were being very kind, and she appreciated the distraction from worrying about some unknown guy she was going to spend two weeks with.

After the movie, she ate a delicious dinner, then they dimmed the lights and Elijah showed her how to lay the recliner down flat like a bed. She was able to sleep, which was a pleasant surprise and made her realize she was trusting these men.

When she awoke, they were all eating again.

She ate part of a breakfast burrito and half of an acai bowl.

Her stomach hurt as she’d done nothing but sleep after eating last night and she wasn’t hungry.

She was getting more nervous about meeting her match for this week, and she always ate too much when she was nervous.

If only she had asked Brandon, Madelyne, and Rockwell why she had to be partnered with this friend of theirs.

She could’ve brought her mom or Janie along, but they’d offered this gift and she wasn’t in a position to set the parameters.

Did they think she and this Chase would hit it off?

Taking her backpack into the bathroom, she freshened up as best she could. Maybe she should change her clothes, but this was her best dress and she wanted to look good when she met her protector.

They finally landed in Salzburg, Austria, and out the window she saw soaring green peaks. “Mountains,” she cried out, clapping her hands together. Even the fear over placing her trust in an unknown man disappeared at the glorious sight of mountains.

The four men escorted her off the plane. It smelled fresh and like spring, even though it was June and hot at home. They walked to a dark gray Mercedes-Benz SUV, acting as if she were royalty and they were her own personal bodyguards.

Comfortable with them because of their kindness on the plane, Lizzy managed to push away her worries and gape at the scenery.

She stared at the soaring mountains framing in a lush green valley with a river running through it.

“Oh wow, oh wow. There’s the castle. You know, Hohensalzburg Fortress from the movie? ”

Tony nodded. “I remember.”

“Can you even believe it? Perched on a hill above the town, the fortress stands watch over the gorgeous valley. Oh, I hope we tour the fortress and Nonnberg Abbey. I just have to see the town square. You know, Residendplatz and the Schloss Leopoldskron Palace and Schloss Hellbrunn. Is that all a part of our two weeks? Oh, how I hope so.”

“I hope so too,” Elijah offered.

Instead of driving toward the main part of town and the fortress, Tony navigated in the wrong direction, away from the fortress and out of the valley.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Lizzy exclaimed, turning backward in her seat to keep Salzburg in her view. “You’re driving the wrong way.”

They all gave her indulgent smiles.

“We’re staying in Hallstatt,” Peter explained from the driver’s seat. “It’s a little over an hour away and even more scenic than Salzburg.”

“More scenic.” She gestured around at the most gorgeous town, river, valley, and mountains on earth. “How can you top this?”

He chuckled. “I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.”