Page 2 of Protective Assignment (Warrior Peak Sanctuary #1)

River Robertson felt herself shrinking as she stepped through the large doors of the lodge, glancing around and taking in her surroundings.

This place was nice—really nice. Way nicer than anything she was used to, and she was sure she stuck out like a sore thumb.

She looked like a drowned rat that had been running wild in the woods for a while. She didn’t belong here.

She hung back next to the door, still clutching her backpack to her like a protective shield, as a pretty woman behind the front desk rushed out to greet Cade.

Her heels tapped on the polished wooden floor, echoing around the open space.

The whole place looked like it was made of the same material, practically glistening in the dim golden light from the fixtures around the walls. It looked warm and welcoming.

“Cade, there you are!” the woman exclaimed. She pulled him into a hug and then called over her shoulder. “Carter, Cade’s here!”

A few moments later, another man stepped out from a room behind the front desk, and paused for a moment as he looked Cade up and down. He was similar in build and looks, so…brothers, maybe.

“Where have you been, man?” he demanded. “You’re late.”

“I know, I know,” Cade replied, waving a hand.

“It’s the weather,” the woman cut in. “It’s probably made the roads really difficult, right, Cade?”

“Something like that,” he agreed.

“You know how to handle the weather,” Carter remarked, shaking his head. “How’s your shoulder? You doing okay?”

“I’m fine,” Cade shot back, as though it was the last thing he wanted to talk about.

Nobody seemed to notice River standing next to the door, but she was fine with that.

This way, she got a chance to scope out the people around her and get a feel for their dynamic, whether or not she would really be safe here.

Cade was right, she wasn’t exactly going to have much luck waiting for another ride tonight in the pouring rain, but that didn’t mean she had any intention of letting her guard down.

Not here, not anywhere.

The three of them talked a little more about the weather and about the drive up.

River looked around, doing her best to take in every detail she could.

She had hoped she could make it a little farther north tonight, but she doubted anyone else would have pulled over for her, especially with her looking like she did.

Heck, it was a miracle Cade had stopped.

She wasn’t sure why he had decided to take pity on her, but she was relieved for a chance to get out of the cold for a while.

Finally, the woman glanced over and did a double take when she saw River almost plastered to the wall by the door. She frowned, concern evident in her expression. River was used to that look by now, even if she never intentionally gave someone a reason to stare at her.

“Oh. I’m sorry. Who are you?” the woman asked, turning toward her, and Cade quickly jumped in.

“This is River,” he explained. “I gave her a lift up here. She was out on the road hitchhiking.”

“Hitchhiking? In this weather?” Carter asked, concern and confusion crossing his face.

River didn’t blame him. The roads had been almost deserted, and she couldn’t imagine anyone in their right mind would be hitchhiking in the freezing-cold rain.

“This is my brother Carter and our friend Hannah Davies,” Cade continued introductions. “Hannah runs the front desk and Carter’s a physical therapist here at the lodge.”

Carter glanced over at Cade, and River felt her shoulders tense slightly and her legs lock in anticipation to move.

She wasn’t sure exactly what they were communicating to each other with that look, but she didn’t like it—didn’t like not knowing.

Her eyes darted between them, and she moved toward the door, ready to make a run for it at any moment.

But before she could, Hannah stepped forward, smiling at her. “Come on, let’s see if we can find you a shower and some dry clothes while these two catch up.”

River shot a panicked look to Cade, who nodded and gave her a friendly smile. “I’ll catch up with you in a bit, okay?”

She nodded in Cade’s direction as Hannah took River’s arm and steered her toward a door at the far side of the lobby.

As she let the woman lead her through the halls of the lodge, her eyes darted around, checking out the exits, her avenues of escape.

If she needed to make a break for it, then she was going to be prepared, just like she always was.

After a couple more turns, Hannah stopped outside one of the dozen or so doorways in the long corridor they’d been walking down.

River peered around Hannah to the far end, checking to see how far it was to the nearest exit.

She didn’t see an actual door, but there was a large window at the end of the hall that would work as an escape route in an emergency, if necessary.

“It’s so nice to have another female around,” Hannah said cheerfully, like she didn’t notice River’s distraction. “Sometimes it feels like the walls of this place just drip with testosterone, you know? Anyway, this room is free, so let’s get you settled.”

River turned her attention back to Hannah, and followed her into the room where they’d stopped.

Hannah held out the key card she’d used to unlock the door, dropping it into River’s hand.

“This gets you in and out of your room, so make sure to keep it with you. Everything else is either open or has a flip lock on the door.”

Hannah glanced around the room. “So, here you go. I think this should do you for tonight, at least. I know it’s not much, but there’s a fresh-made bed and you won’t have to be out there in the rain, right?”

“Right,” River quietly agreed, tucking the key card into the pocket of her long skirt and looking around more.

Even if Hannah didn’t seem that impressed with the room, River liked it.

Like the rest of the lodge, the room had dark wood floors and walls giving it a wooded, cozy feel.

The few pictures decorating the walls looked as though they were of the surrounding forest, all green trees as far as the eye could see, some including wildlife.

She approached the window and peered outside.

It gave her a view down over the main road she and Cade drove up on, which was a relief.

She would be able to keep an eye on anyone coming and going from this place, which would give her an advantage if…

If anything happened.

She tried to push that to the back of her mind as Hannah explained how the different remotes for the TV mounted on the wall worked and how to get the bedside light on.

It was the closest thing River had come to a real home for a while, but she still felt like she was holding her breath as she tried to take it all in.

“You okay?” Hannah asked, and River nodded quickly.

“I know it’s a lot,” she remarked, laughing.

“Sorry about dropping all of this on you. Oh, one more thing. If you want a shower, they’re at the end of the hall in this section of the lodge.

It’s a huge, shared, locker-room-style bathroom.

There’re two different sides—men and women, and the doors lock on each in designated areas.

The guys normally don’t care about seeing each other naked, but just make sure you push the latch all the way across on the women’s side, okay? ”

“I will,” River agreed.

“Okay, you get yourself settled, and I’ll bring up some fresh towels and toiletries for you,” she told her. “You need some fresh clothes, too?”

“Yeah, I think so,” River replied, glancing down at her wet dress.

She wasn’t even sure how long she’d been wearing it, but it seemed nothing short of a miracle it had lasted as long as it had.

The few other things she had with her she’d grabbed from a donation bin in Tennessee.

She didn’t even know if they’d fit her, but they really needed to be laundered before she wore them.

She just hadn’t found a place to do that yet.

“No problem, let me see what I can do,” Hannah said with a small wave as she walked out the door, closing it behind her and leaving River in silence once more.

River walked around the room she was going to be staying in, taking in every detail she could.

She had no idea who these people really were, no idea what kind of place this was, and she wasn’t going to let her guard down just because they seemed friendly enough.

She checked all the lights for hidden cameras, pulling open the closet and peering around to make sure there was no way they could be watching her.

There was a mirror on the closet door, so no way they could have two-way glass, but she would check in the bathroom when she went down there.

Once she was certain she wasn’t being watched, she started to unpack her bag.

Not that there was much to unpack. A water filtration kit, a couple of tattered maps, a compass she wasn’t even certain actually pointed north anymore, and the handful of donated clothes along with the extra set of shoes she had managed to swipe too, even though they barely fit her.

Buried at the bottom was her sleeping bag, which was basically torn to shreds.

She would never have been able to sleep in it outside tonight, not with the rain that poured down beyond the window.

She had been using it for weeks now, and she was surprised the cheap thing had held up that long, but it wasn’t as though she’d had much of a choice about where she could rest. She’d been out on the road this whole time, sleeping in the elements, and anything that could give her a little cover was a welcome change.

Pulling open the drawers, she continued her search for anything that might indicate she was in trouble and needed to leave. She stuck her hand into them, feeling around for a false bottom, but nothing was there.

She slumped back on to the bed, catching her breath, and a sudden wave of exhaustion hit her so hard she could feel her eyes drooping on the spot.

She brushed it off quickly. She couldn’t let her guard down, no matter what kind of place this seemed to be.

She knew better than that: she had to stay alert and aware if she was going to make it to Haven.

She had to keep her head on straight, and not let the comfortable coziness of this room get to her.

A knock sounded at the door, and she jumped to her feet once more.

“Hey!” Hannah called brightly through the door. “Here’s your stuff. Help yourself to a shower whenever you want, okay?”

“Okay!” River called back, hoping she would leave her alone sooner rather than later.

She was nervous enough being in this new place, and adding new faces and conversations in the mix was just draining.

She was used to only having herself for company, not having to talk to others.

They seemed friendly enough, though, especially Hannah.

But she was ready to have a few minutes alone to adjust and settle in.

She was still hesitant to stay. She was so used to being on the run, River wasn’t sure if she’d be able to let that feeling go.

But she could take advantage of their kindness for a night, couldn’t she?

Just one night. She could be out on the road again first thing the next morning, but she needed to wash, to warm up, and to get a decent night’s sleep.

Maybe even some food if she could find some.

Reaching back into her bag, she felt around for the knife—her father’s knife.

Feeling the cool blade under her fingers, she pulled it out and stared at the sharp, serrated edge.

This would have to keep her safe, at least for now.

She hoped she wouldn’t have to use it, but there was no way to tell, not yet.

She ran her finger along the blade lightly, comforting herself with the reminder of what she could do with it if she needed to.

Pushing the knife into the pocket of her dress, she listened until she was sure that Hannah’s footsteps had retreated down the hallway once more before opening the door.

She glanced down the corridor both ways, ensuring nobody was watching her, and then grabbed for the towels, toiletries and the clothes Hannah had left outside her door.

Shaking them out, she checked to see if there were any devices hidden in the folds, but she couldn’t see anything.

Then she turned to dig around in the toiletry bag as well, also finding nothing.

With the weight of the knife in her pocket, she hurried down the hallway toward the showers.

One night. This is just for one night.

These people probably didn’t mean her any harm. And if they did, they had no idea who they were dealing with—no idea what she was capable of.

Or how far she would go to survive.