Page 18 of Protective Assignment (Warrior Peak Sanctuary #1)

Her mind raced so fast she couldn’t even stop to think straight. All she knew was that she had to get the hell out of there as soon as possible. She had to put as much distance between herself and this place as she could, and she needed to do it right now, before the Shepards caught up with her.

As soon as those words had come out of Cade’s mouth, she knew there was only one thing for her to do—run.

Immediately. No matter how much she wished she could stay, how much she wished she didn’t have to do this, she didn’t have a choice.

If they were that close to her, even within fifty miles, she was in danger.

And she was going to put everyone else in this place in the line of fire, too.

She couldn’t bear the thought of it. These people had been so nice and welcoming to her, she couldn’t stand even the idea of causing them so much pain. They didn’t deserve it.

But she knew Cade and the others would try to stop her if they were around when she ran, so she had to take the chance while they were away.

She waited until after she saw Cade and Xavier drive away to make sure they were really gone then went back to the cabin to gather the supplies she’d managed to put together.

Even though the cold was really starting to set in, she had to get on the road again. Fast. If she had learned one thing from these last few months, it was to trust her instincts, and they were screaming at her to get as far from here as fast as she could. The sooner, the better.

Her hands shook as she ripped open her bag and started stuffing it with all the supplies she had managed to secure so far. There wasn’t much, but it was more than she had set out with the first time around. If she had made it this far before, she could do it again.

She was doing her best to convince herself, even though all she wanted was to curl up in a ball and hide.

Her heart hammered in her chest, and she was sure she had given away the truth of at least some of her past to Cade when he had mentioned the Shepards to her.

If he hadn’t been so distracted by the mission he was going on, she had no doubt he would have taken the chance to interrogate her.

And when he found out the whole truth, he wouldn’t have wanted anything to do with her.

How could he? He would want to put as much distance between the two of them as possible, and she wouldn’t blame him.

She sealed up her bag, her hands shaking, and tried to steady her breathing.

She wished there was a vehicle she could take, or even a bike.

But they would notice the absence and someone would come after her before she got far enough way.

Either one of them or the cops. That would be even worse.

No, she was going to have to leave on foot, like before.

She’d walk as long as she could before finding a place to hole up for a bit and make a new plan.

At least this time she’d have the rations she’d stocked and the clothes she got in town. She’d make a quick detour to the basement in the lodge and grab another sleeping bag, then be on her way. With winter coming in soon, she’d need the extra layers and protection.

She tried to take a deep breath as she swiped away tears that had started to fall from her eyes.

It was going to be okay. It had to be. This had only been a stopping point, a short rest. She’d known she’d have to move on soon.

That was why the thought of leaving had never been far from her mind.

Yet, the thought of leaving the friends she’d made and Cade…

His name alone sent a sharp pang through her chest.

She should have known better than to let her feelings get in the way, especially when it came to Cade.

Whatever she felt for him, whatever they had stirring between them, it was nothing more than a pipe dream.

A fantasy she had concocted based on a truth that was never real.

He could never be with someone like her.

He was so kind, so caring, so protective—because he thought she was on the run from an abusive ex, not that she had been part of a group like the Shepards of Rebellion.

The very group he was out to help stop now.

Stepping out of her room and into the cabin’s small living area, she noticed Cade’s jacket draped over the back of the couch.

He must have forgotten to take it with him when he left.

She grabbed it without thinking and lifted it to her face, inhaling his woodsy scent.

It would be the only thing of his she could take with her, the only reminder of him she would be able to cling to when she was out on her own again.

She hoped he wouldn’t mind her taking it.

Maybe he would be able to forgive her if he knew what she was saving him from.

How bad things would have been if she hadn’t left while he was gone and he found out about her connection to the Shepards.

The danger she could have brought to their door. It was better this way.

She put the jacket on, almost laughing at how it swallowed her small frame, and hooked her bag over her shoulder, readying herself for what was to come next. Throwing open the door, she sprinted out and ran straight into Hannah, who was hurrying down to her own cabin.

“Oof!” Hannah exclaimed as they crashed into each other.

River stopped dead in her tracks, cursing to herself silently.

She should have checked that no one was around.

She had hoped she would be able to make a clean getaway, but now that Hannah had run into her, it was going to be next to impossible to make it out without drawing more attention to herself.

River looked up, and her heart twisted when she saw that Hannah’s eyes were wet with tears.

Her eyes widened in horror. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” she gasped.

Hannah shook her head. “No, no, I’m fine,” she replied, but River could tell that wasn’t true.

In the short time she’d known her, River had never seen her this upset, especially not in tears.

She was always bubbly and had a smile for everyone.

It was obvious to her that Hannah was definitely not fine right now.

“Hannah, what’s going on?” she asked, already panicking that this had something to do with her. Hannah sniffed, and River put an arm around her and guided her down to her own cabin.

Once they were inside, River set about trying to make her some coffee. It took her a few minutes to figure out how to use the coffee machine, but eventually she pulled it off, and handed Hannah a steaming mug as she sat down opposite her.

“What’s going on?” River asked again, concern dripping from her voice. She would never forgive herself if she had managed to bring some kind of danger to this place or if she had landed Hannah in trouble because of what she had been keeping from them all this time.

“I… I don’t even know anymore,” she admitted, shaking her head. There were dark rings underneath her eyes, and it looked as though she hadn’t slept properly in days.

“You can tell me,” River urged her. “It’s okay.”

Hannah sighed, lifted the coffee to her lips and took a long sip.

“I don’t know where to start,” she confessed. “It’s all been going on for so long, I guess, I just got used to nothing ever happening between us, you know?”

“Happening between who?”

“Between Xavier and me,” she replied.

River’s eyes widened. “Wait, there’s…there’s something happening with you guys?”

“That’s the problem, I don’t even know,” Hannah replied.

“I… I’ve had feelings for him for a long time.

Ever since I was a kid, pretty much. Him and my brother, Lawson, they’ve been friends for years—best friends.

I knew he was always off-limits, so I never even thought about making a move.

But the more time that passed, the harder it became to pretend I didn’t feel the way I do about him. ”

River’s eyebrows rose as she listened to Hannah. She had noticed some tension between Xavier and Hannah, but she had no idea this was where it came from. Not knowing either of them well, she’d assumed it was something work related, not personal.

“I know, I know,” Hannah added, shaking her head when she saw the look on River’s face. “It’s such a mess. I don’t know what it was, but I just… I decided I had to tell him the truth. So… I did. I told him how I felt.”

“And?” River prompted.

“He kissed me,” she replied, a smile brushing across her lips at the memory. “I told him I had been in love with him for years, and he…he kissed me. He didn’t say anything back, but he didn’t have to. I knew what was going on in his head. I knew…” She trailed off again, shaking her head.

“But someone saw, and they told my brother,” she continued.

“And he’s furious. I mean, I always knew he would be upset.

I knew he warned Xavier to stay away from me years ago, but I had no idea he would take the news this badly.

He’s so angry at both of us. Livid. I don’t know what kind of damage it’s done to their friendship, or our relationship, or…

any of it, really. It’s such a mess and it’s my fault. I should never have said anything.”

“You can’t keep your mouth shut about something like that,” River replied at once. “If the two of you have feelings for each other, you can’t let your brother get in the way of that.”

Hannah smiled a little sadly. “Yeah, I guess,” she murmured, and then she seemed to notice what River was wearing for the first time. She stared at her for a moment, eyes sliding up and down her outfit, taking in the bag on her shoulder and Cade’s jacket wrapped around her.

“Why are you dressed like that?” she wondered aloud. “You going somewhere?”

River hesitated before she responded. Could she tell her the truth? She would feel bad keeping her mouth shut when Hannah had just told her something so personal.

She could tell her a piece of the truth, at least. That was something, right? She slipped the bag from her shoulder and set it on the floor next to her.

“I… I was worried about Cade,” she confessed. “I thought I would go after him and see if there was some way I could help.”

“At this raid thing?” she asked with wide eyes.

River nodded. “Yeah, that’s what I was thinking,” she replied with a half-hearted laugh. “I know it’s crazy.”

“It’s not crazy,” Hannah assured her, smiling sweetly. “You…you have feelings for him, don’t you?”

River bit her lip. If she said this next part out loud, there would be no more hiding from the truth, no more pretending like she didn’t feel the way she did about this man.

But maybe there was something to be said for being honest. Maybe it was time for her to confess how she felt, and share it with someone she knew she could trust. Hannah had just told her about her love life, after all.

River might not have had much of one yet, but she needed to talk to someone about it.

“Yeah, I do,” she replied. “I can’t get him off my mind. I know it sounds crazy because we don’t know each other that well yet, but I really like him.”

“Hey, I can’t blame you,” Hannah replied, managing a laugh. “He’s really hot. And the two of you have been living together. Has anything…you know…happened between you yet?”

“We kissed,” River admitted.

Hannah clapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh my gosh, really? That’s so great,” she gushed, and River couldn’t help but smile.

It felt good to finally talk to someone else about it, to admit her feelings out loud.

It felt like a tiny weight had been lifted.

Hannah might not have known the whole story, but it had been a long time since she’d had a girlfriend she could talk to about stuff like this.

“Yeah, and I think I’m really falling for him,” she continued. “I don’t know what’s happening between us, and I don’t want to push him. I know I should have more self-control around him.”

“Girl, have you seen the way he looks at you?” she exclaimed. “He’s the one who’s been needing the self-control out of the two of you.”

“You really think so?” River asked, chewing her lip.

It had been so many years since she’d had anything resembling a normal relationship, she could hardly remember what it felt like to have someone show interest in her.

How was she supposed to recognize it? But if Hannah seemed to think there was something going on there, maybe she wasn’t imagining his attraction to her.

“Yeah, I really do,” Hannah replied, reaching over to give her hand a squeeze. “And you deserve it, River. After everything you’ve been through, you deserve someone like Cade.”

River wasn’t sure if she entirely believed that yet. But she knew, at least for the time being, that she wasn’t going to be able to leave now. She couldn’t go back to living on the road, on the run. So maybe she should get used to sticking around here for a little while longer.

Even if the thought of remaining in this place with the Shepards potentially so close by scared the hell out of her.