Page 9 of Protective Assignment (Warrior Peak Sanctuary #1)

She stood there pushing the toe of her shoe around in the gravel and staring up at Cade, wondering if she had just made a huge mistake in giving him even that much information.

Maybe she should have told him it was none of his business, but how long was that going to work before they asked her to leave? How long was she going to be able to keep the truth hidden?

Besides, she knew they were taking a big risk by letting a stranger whom he’d picked up on the side of the road stay at the lodge. They had to protect themselves and their guests from whatever trouble someone like her could bring to their door.

Better to give Cade a little than have him go looking for it himself and dig up the reality of what she had left behind. They all knew something was going on with her, and her appearance when she arrived spoke volumes on its own.

“You were going to marry someone?” he asked.

He looked a little confused, and she couldn’t blame him.

After all she had been through, sometimes she still had a hard time believing any of it was actually real.

It seemed like it had come from a different reality, a reality she never wanted to be anywhere near again as long as she lived.

But she knew she wasn’t going to be able to hold that reality at a distance much longer.

She had been through a whole hell of a lot, and at some point, she was going to have to admit it to herself.

And deal with it before the past caught up with her.

“Yeah,” she replied, kicking at a bit of dirt on the ground to distract herself from the conversation.

“Seems like you’ve gone to great lengths to get away from this person,” he observed. “You said you came from Florida, right?”

“I wanted to make sure there was plenty of distance between us,” she replied. “I…he’s not the kind of guy who gives up easily. Especially when he thinks he’s owed something.”

She knew she shouldn’t say too much, but there was something about Cade that made her want to trust him.

“Owed something…? Was he violent with you?” Cade asked.

She nodded.

Anger flashed in his eyes but his voice came out controlled. “I’m sorry,” he told her sincerely.

She shrugged. “It’s fine,” she replied. “I… I’m away from him now, that’s all that matters.”

“Was there any reason you didn’t try to take a plane or train to get away from him?” Cade asked.

She sighed. “He didn’t exactly leave me with any money of my own,” she admitted. “And besides, he’s the kind of guy…if he wanted to track me down, he could. If someone saw me on public transport, it would get back to him, and he would find me. I’m sure of it.”

She pressed her lips together tightly and shivered at the thought.

Even imagining him within ten feet of her made her want to vomit.

She tried to remind herself how far she had come, how much distance she had managed to put between them.

It wasn’t enough, though. Not even close.

She wasn’t sure if it was ever going to be enough.

Cade nodded grimly. “I see.”

She wasn’t sure he really did. She could see him processing everything she’d told him as he stood there in front of her, a multitude of emotions flashing through his eyes.

Finally, his eyes met hers. “Then you’re staying here,” he said in a tone that brooked no argument.

She felt a wave of relief pass through her.

Even though Hannah had all but made that decision for her, having the guys on her side—especially Cade—would only make things easier.

For a moment, she thought about telling him about her plans to get to her sister, to find her family in New York, but the less anyone knew about her family, the better.

“I think Hannah already decided that,” she remarked with a small smile.

He started walking in the direction of the lodge. “Yeah, she likes to have things her way,” he replied with a low chuckle.

River caught up with him, falling in line with his pace.

She felt more of her tension leaving her body as they walked down the path.

Now that she had told him a little bit of her story, it was like a weight had lifted from her shoulders.

She didn’t have to worry anymore about him finding out what was going on behind the wall she had put up between herself and the rest of the world.

“I think I’m starting to find that out,” she replied in a brighter tone. “Has she been working here a long time?”

“She’s Lawson’s little sister, so I think she’s been here since the start,” he replied, as he held the door to the main lodge open for her.

She brushed past him, and caught the scent of his aftershave for a split second—something deep and woodsy and masculine that filled her senses and made her head spin.

She forced herself to keep walking, even though all she wanted was to press her face into his neck and breathe it in.

She could feel her cheeks burning, and she tried to shut down that embarrassing line of thought.

She needed to remember why she was in her current situation.

She definitely would not be jumping into something—relationship or otherwise—with another man anytime soon. Even one who seemed as nice as Cade.

Before she could think on it any longer, Hannah called her name from the other side of the reception desk. She stood there with a familiar-looking man, who had a slightly bemused expression on his face. Cade and River walked over to where they stood.

“So, I was just telling Xavier… You’ve met, right?” Hannah asked, looking between the two of them.

River turned her attention toward the man, Xavier, who replied, “No, not officially. Nice to meet you, River.”

“Hello. You, too,” she replied politely, though her stomach was suddenly in knots.

“Anyway,” Hannah continued. “I was telling Xavier about your skills with clothes. That you could sew, right?” She eyed River for confirmation.

River suddenly felt the words catch at the back of her throat.

Xavier turned to her expectantly. Panic seized her and she swallowed heavily, trying to pull herself together.

She knew she needed to make herself useful if she was going to convince them to let her stay, but a small part of her still didn’t know if she should trust them.

“Uh, yeah, I can sew,” she answered in a small voice, darting her gaze between them, then lowering her eyes to the ground.

It was something she’d learned the hard way a long time ago, avoiding eye contact, especially with men, so it didn’t look like they were being challenged in some way.

Make herself seem smaller, meeker, more submissive.

“Well, we do need someone to mend up the gear and catalog everything we’ve got,” Xavier remarked. “But we can’t hire you without ID. Are you willing to provide that?”

She tensed up. She couldn’t. She couldn’t give them any more information than they already had.

What would happen if they found out too much and wanted to hand her over to the cops—or worse, to him?

She tried to find the words to tell him she couldn’t do that, but under the scrutiny of his gaze, she couldn’t seem to muster the courage to tell him no.

All at once, she felt Cade step behind her, the comforting weight of his presence at her back helping to calm her so she could think straight.

“Domestic dispute with an ex, Xavier,” he told the other man. “And she’s trying not to be found.”

Xavier eyed her for a long moment, and River couldn’t bear to look up at him. She was glad she had told Cade the little that she had, so he could share what she couldn’t. It was nice to finally have someone on her side, or she might have run and never looked back.

To her surprise Xavier nodded decidedly. “Then you can stay,” he said simply. “We’ll pay you under the table. Nobody has to know you’re here.”

River breathed a sigh of relief and leaned lightly back into Cade. She opened her mouth to thank him, but he continued before she got any words out.

“On the condition that you take advantage of the facilities we have here,” he went on. “Therapy. Anything else you need. And when you’re ready to go public with it, we’ll be here for you. Okay?”

She was speechless for a moment and she couldn’t help the tears of gratitude that gathered in her eyes.

It was more than she could ever hope for.

They believed her. They were letting her stay.

She hadn’t felt this safe or comfortable in a long time.

And maybe if she had the chance to work and take advantage of the counseling and other resources offered at the lodge, it would help her find her footing and allow her a chance to mentally heal.

She nodded, finally returning her gaze to his. “Okay. Thank you, Xavier.”

Hannah clapped her hands together. “This is awesome!” she exclaimed. “I’ll help you move your stuff down from your room to your cabin later, if you want.”

“Cade, can you show River the supply room?” Xavier asked.

“Sure thing,” Cade replied.

She turned to him with a bright smile on her face.

She wasn’t sure she was ever going to be able to communicate to him just how grateful she was for how he’d helped her.

But she was going to do her best to pull her own weight and be as helpful as possible.

She might not have a lot of useful skills, but she would do what she could to the best of her ability.

She followed Cade to the supply room, which turned out to be more of a supply basement.

It was filled with seasonal clothes, equipment and other stuff that would have made it all too easy for her to swipe stuff and take off again if she wanted.

The thought crossed her mind as she looked around the room, but when she glanced back at Cade, she felt a twist of guilt for even considering it.

After all the kindness he’d shown her, she couldn’t do that to him.

She quickly pushed the thought out of her mind and turned her attention back to him.

He gestured to the scattered mess in front of them. “I know it’s a lot to sort out, but Hannah’ll be able to point you in the right direction on where to start,” he said. “I’ve been here as long as you have and I still have a lot to learn.”

“Right,” she agreed, and she slipped her hands into her pockets as she looked around the room more. She felt Cade watching her, and she turned around to see him staring at her intently. Judging by the expression on his face, there was something bothering him.

“What is it? Are you okay?” she asked, worried.

She took a step toward him, trying to gauge his emotions and what might’ve disturbed him.

She was used to being highly attuned to the emotions of everyone around her.

She knew it was a defense mechanism she had learned to protect herself.

Even though she had no reason to think Cade was going to treat her the way she’d been treated by others in the past, it still made her nervous.

He gazed down at her for a moment and the air in the room grew taut, those striking gray eyes on hers, and she felt her breath catch. She wasn’t sure what was on his mind, but she wished she could figure it out. The longer she was trapped in his gaze, the more unsettled she felt.

“Yes, I’m fine,” he replied. “I’ll leave you to it.” He looked at her for another moment, almost like he was committing her face to memory, and then turned to the door.

River stared after him, her heart in her throat as she tried to figure out what had just happened and what she should do next.

What if being here was putting these people in more danger?

What if someone got hurt because of her?

She was glad she had someplace to stay for a while, but her mind suddenly drifted back to that building and the meeting the men had with that cop.

She hadn’t been able to make out anything being said, but what if it had been about her?

Or worse yet, him ? Guilt suddenly settled heavily in her stomach.

But she didn’t have any other options right now, no choice but to stay put and hope she was safe here. Maybe she would tell them the truth at some point down the line after she was more familiar with everyone. When she knew for sure she could trust them.

Or maybe she would keep the rest of her past to herself in hopes she wouldn’t be tracked this far. Not knowing for sure, it would be better not to share more than she had to Cade. Safer for everyone around. It would save them from being aware of the horrors she’d already survived.