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The early morning fog draped the woods creating shapes and patterns as Jack Bryant ran along the path. Late spring in Virginia was cool, but sweat dripped off him as he continued to follow the trail around the perimeter of his property. It wound through a dense copse of trees, their protruding roots caused him to note their locations, but gave him no difficulty.

The years spent in Special Forces had him well trained to run through all types of terrain, his focus clear as his feet found their purchase wherever he was. This trail? Easy. Pounding along the route, he remembered his time in the Army with pride…and fondness. Earning a place in Captain Tony Alvarez’s squad had been the ultimate goal. Those tours and missions made this run seem like a stroll in the park.

The back of his acreage sat at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and he began to climb slightly. The oak and maple trees created a complete canopy overhead while the redbud and occasional dogwood gave the hint of blooms in the sea of green leaves. Moss and fern grew beside a small stream he jumped over before turning and heading back to his cabin.

He loved the early morning runs. A time to plan his day. Work through problems. And running the perimeter of his land gave him a chance to make sure the fence was secure. He had bought the secluded property for its privacy and had researched his neighbors carefully before purchasing. The back of his land bordered on the Parkway and the north side owned by a small vineyard that was floundering in its first years of growing the vines necessary to make wine. The owner, from another state, only occasionally made forays to the property, probably creating a tax write-off. The vineyard manager onsite checked out fine when Jack completed an assessment of him. The manager kept to himself and was dedicated to making the farm productive, leaving little time for anything else.

A small cabin rental facility bordered his land on the south side. Owned and operated by an older widow, the vacation destination was also quiet and well run. Jack had initially been concerned about the constant comings and goings from tourists staying in the cabins, but that had not been an issue. The land between their two properties was thick in underbrush and trees, with no walking trails between. The entrance to her facility was nowhere near his, so he never noticed curious passers-by.

Privacy was important to him. He shook his head as he continued to run. Important? Hell, most of my friends consider me to be a loner! And that was fine by him. He spent a lot of money to create his working retreat, not to mention the amount of expensive, top-line equipment his company required. Nosy neighbors, curiosity seekers, random hikers… not dealing with them! While his company’s location was not secret, it was also not broadcast. The ones who requested his services…private individuals or companies needing his help or the government agencies that wanted complete secrecy and discretion, never needed to come calling.

Jack had erected a defensible barrier around his acreage, using state-of-the-art technology. Not only did he use old-fashioned barbed wire fencing, but he wired it to trigger his alarm system when breached. Security cameras maintained the area, making it virtually impossible for someone to be on his land without him knowing about it ahead of time.

He continued his run, satisfied with the security of his perimeter. Only the babbling of a nearby creek broke the quiet of the morning. The birds were waking, their myriad of calls beginning to fill the woods. Blue jays and cardinals dotted the cedar trees, providing a splash of color amongst the green.

As he rounded another curve in the trail, his house came into view. Made of dark wood logs, a stone fireplace and windows overlooking the mountains on one side gave the large building the look of a luxury cabin. The construction took a full year to build the structure and another three months to secure the property.

He slowed his pace to a walk, allowing the breeze to cool his body. The wide front porch beckoned him from his run, but he bypassed the chairs. Jogging up the steps of his house, he took a few minutes to stretch his warm muscles on the porch. His sharp eyes glanced around, a small smile curving the corners of his mouth as he appreciated all he surveyed.

Walking into the front room, he immediately went past the two-story living room on the left through the open dining room on the right and to the kitchen behind it. The large space, appointed with stainless appliances, was organized and airy. Grabbing a water bottle out of the refrigerator, he drank thirstily before moving down the hall to the staircase.

Taking the stairs two at a time, he stalked through into the master suite, heading straight toward the bathroom. He reached over to turn on the water in the glass block enclosed space. Stripping while the water warmed, he then stepped under the spray. Jack was a large man, and the bathroom was something he built especially for someone of his size. The oversized shower, with its multiple showerheads, sent water sluicing over his body. It did not take long to wash the sweat from the morning run off his body and he stepped out, wrapping the towel around his hips.

Not the type of man to spend any time in front of the mirror, he quickly combed his hair and stalked out into his utilitarian bedroom. The room, like the man, oozed casual masculinity with simple, but comfortable furnishings. The bed linens and walls were painted in muted blue and grey. Tossing on a dark t-shirt and slightly worn jeans, he sat on the edge of the bed to pull on his boots.

He made his way back down the stairs toward the hall leading into the kitchen. Before reaching the front of his house, he stopped at a closet door and pulled it open. With a few taps of his fingers on a hidden security pad, he entered the code and the back wall swung open, exposing another set of stairs leading down.

Descending the steps, he moved through the door at the bottom, walking into a spacious open room filled with computer stations and monitor screens on the walls.

He entered the hub of his company. Saints Protection appears to have breached the fence near the stream,” Luke said, the others hearing through their earpieces.

The six men were narrowing their focus when Blaise saw a movement to their right. Jack circled around quickly, shouting, “Stop! You’re on private property.” Out from the tangled bushes stumbled an elderly woman.

She stared at the men in front of her, confusion in her eyes. Her short gray hair framed a face that had several bleeding scratches, her thin arms abused by the thorns. She was wearing blue jeans and a short-sleeved blouse, certainly providing no protection for her arms from the brambles.

Stunned, Jack growled his warning once more, starting toward the woman, when the other three on ATVs came careening to a halt in the area. Bart quickly lowered his gun but stayed on high alert, not willing to take any chances considering he was trained to be ready for any contingency.

The men stopped, all watching the woman carefully, noting her confusion. Cam stepped forward, his hand up in front of him in a conciliatory gesture. “Ma’am?”

Blaise moved up beside Cam. “Can we help you? Are you lost?”

The woman twisted to gaze behind her at Jack and said, “When did you grow that beard, Charlie? Mama’s not going to like it.”

Jack’s gaze cut over to Blaise, who was closest, the look of confusion now in his eyes.

“Ma’am,” Blaise tried again, moving one step closer. “We need to?— ”

The sound of someone else crashing through the underbrush from behind the elderly woman had the men once more on alert as a scream pierced the air.

“Gram! Gram!”

Bursting into the group of startled, armed men circling around, a young woman came flying into the clearing. Immediately she flung herself at the woman, screaming, “Get away from her!”

Being the closest, Jack snagged her around the middle, effectively halting her progress as he lifted her feet off the ground. She struggled, kicking and clawing, as he held her effortlessly. “Don’t hurt her,” she pleaded.

“Settle,” he barked into her ear, giving her a little shake. “No one’s going to hurt her. But if you don’t stop trying to kick me, I can’t guarantee the same for you.”

Bart, Monty, and Cam re-holstered their firearms, although they remained alert. Blaise moved another step closer to the older woman, reaching his hand out gently. Chad circled around nearer to Jack so they effectively blocked the two women in.

“Gram,” the young woman called again, this time gaining the older woman’s attention. “Gram, it’s me, Bethany.”

Jack’s gaze cut back to the woman he held in his arms, noting her long blonde hair was tangled with a few leaves and twigs embedded. He pulled her slightly to the side, seeing her face clearly for the first time. She appeared to be in her twenties, with blue eyes that were wide with fear. Or is that anger? Her body, while easy to hold above the ground, was hidden in a large, baggy plaid shirt but with his arm underneath her breasts, the feel of her indicated she had a perfect figure.

“Please let me go. I have to get to her. Please,” Bethany pleaded.

He released her slowly after setting her feet back on the ground and she rushed out of his arms over to the woman. His mind was filled with the sensation of loss as her body was no longer pressed against his. Shaking his head to clear those thoughts away, he turned his attention back to the pair of women. Although there was no threat, the problem still existed…the two women had made it through his security, and he needed to deal with that.

“Gram,” Bethany said, as she threw her arms around the older woman. She twisted to look at the seven fierce men surrounding them and ordered, “Get back. Get away from her.”

“Oh, my goodness. I thought you were Helen,” the elderly woman said.

“No, Gram. I’m your granddaughter. Helen was your sister.”

“Well, where did Helen go? Did she run off with Charlie here?” she asked, nodding back toward Jack.

Bethany’s gaze cut over for the first time to the man who had stopped her. She had not noticed him when she was captured other than his rock-hard body against her back and his unyielding arm wrapped around her middle.

He was tall, built like a lumberjack with muscles bulging from his tight, black t-shirt. His worn jeans were loose enough to allow movement but could not disguise the powerful thighs underneath. His dark brown hair, cut close on the sides, had a natural waviness. His jaw was covered in a thick but neatly trimmed beard, completing the lumberjack appearance, but she instantly knew that was a facade. The man with the piercing, grey eyes gazing directly at her was dangerous. And if the weapon tucked in the back of his jeans and the similar men surrounding them was anything to go by, they were not enthusiastic about her and Gram’s unplanned arrival.

The expression on his face did not look happy and the feeling was mutual.

“She wasn’t trying to trespass, you jerk,” she bit out, staring right at Jack. Turning back to Gram, she said, “He’s not Charlie. You’ve just gotten confused.”

The men shot a glance toward Jack, seeking his instructions. Not liking being caught off guard, he growled, “Blaise, check them out.”

Blaise, a veterinarian who was also been trained with EMTs, stepped toward them once again. Bethany moved instinctively in front of her grandmother protectively.

“We’re fine. I’m very sorry for the trouble and inconvenience. I’ll take her back now.”

Before she could stop her, Gram moved toward Blaise with a smile on her face. “I’m Ann. Nice to meet you young man.”

“Gram, this isn’t social time. You wandered away and I need to get you back to the cabins, okay?” Bethany said, fatigue showing for the first time .

“Hi, Ann,” Blaise said congenially. “You’ve got some cuts there. Let me take a look at them.”

“Okay,” Gram said at the same time Bethany said, “No.”

“Yes,” Jack stated firmly, ignoring the pointed glare on Bethany’s face.

“We’re fine. I can take care of her cuts and scratches when I get her back to the cabins.”

“And just how do you propose to do that without getting more injuries? Go back the way you came through the brambles?” Jack asked, one eyebrow lifted in question.

Pursing her lips tightly, Bethany’s eyes darted back toward the woods. Oh, Gram, what have you gotten us into now?

“Bethany? Let us take you and Ann back to the cabin and get you cleaned up and checked out. Then one of us will drive you back to your place,” Cam said.

She nervously shook her head as the reality of the situation swept over her. Seven large men, all armed, guarding their property.

As though reading her mind, the men stepped back to give the women some room.

Jack’s eyes had not left the young woman. As irritated as he was at her intrusion, he admired her spunk. “We can’t stand out here all day,” he groused. “Let’s go.” Turning to Bethany, he said, “We can go back to my cabin, and we’ll make sure you’re patched up. Or we’ll take you back to your place. What’s it going to be?”

“Charlie, you’re being rude,” Ann said sharply to him .

Sighing deeply, Bethany turned around. “Gram, he’s not Charlie. Now let me take you back and we’ll see if we can find him.” Looking over her shoulder, she said, “Thank you for your offer, but I’d like to get her home.”

Jack nodded, spoke into his radio and within a few minutes, Luke drove up in his SUV. Bethany settled her grandmother in the passenger seat and opened the back door. Before her foot could step up, she was hoisted from behind by a pair of large hands. Glancing back, she saw Jack right behind her, his hands spanning her waist.

He had her buckled and then rounded the vehicle and entered the back seat as well. The others nodded and headed back to the compound. They knew Jack wanted to see where the women lived and how his perimeter was breached.

“Where to ma’am?” Luke asked.

“Turn left here and we’re the next property over,” Bethany directed.

Jack turned and looked carefully at her. “Are you staying in the rental cabins?”

“No.”

“Do you live there?”

Silence greeted him from his seat partner, but Ann turned around from the front and beamed, “I own Mountville Cabins.”

“Gram,” Bethany said, her voice low in warning. “We don’t need to tell all our business to strangers.”

“Oh, stuff and nonsense,” Ann said. Looking at Jack, she narrowed her eyes. “Do I know you, young man? I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before and I’ve lived here all my life.”

Jack looked into Ann’s clear eyes, seeing no confusion now. “No ma’am. I’m new here.”

Nodding, Ann smiled. “Thought so. But if you’re going to be courtin’ my Bethany here, then you need to make sure your folks come around for a visit.”

“Gram! He’s not courting me. You got lost and he’s taking us home,” Bethany exclaimed, trying hard not to let the exasperation show in her voice.

“Well, why wouldn’t he be courtin’ you? You’re pretty, nice and a good girl to boot.” Ann looked over at Luke and added, “Unless you’re the one courtin’ her. You know it’s hard to find a good girl nowadays.”

Luke, looking into the rear-view mirror at his boss, tried to hide his smile. “Yes, ma’am. I’m sure. But Jack’ll be good to her.”

Before Jack could respond, Ann speared him with a glare. “Jack? I thought your name was Charlie?” She twisted farther around to look at Bethany and said, “Helen, aren’t you goin’ out with Charlie?”

Bethany leaned her face into her hands, fatigue taking over. When she realized Gram had wandered away from the cabins, she tore through the woods after her. Finding a few pieces of ripped clothing on a barbed wire fence, she knew Gram had slipped through the neighbor’s property line. With her heart in her throat, she raced on ignoring the thorns clawing at her arms. Finally seeing Gram standing in the clearing, her heart did not have a chance to slow down considering that seven huge men were around Gram, with weapons in their hands.

If the situation were not so dire, she probably would have laughed at the absurdity of it all. Luke’s voice interrupted her thoughts as he asked, “Where to now?”

Lifting her head, she saw they had turned by the wooden signpost with the name Mountville Cabins burned into it. Her grandfather had made that sign when he and his bride first built the facility. Vacationers had been coming to rent the small cabins for over forty years.

“Keep going straight and you can drop us off at the welcome cabin.”

“So, you do own Mountville?” Jack asked.

Bethany sat straighter in the seat, answering, “Yes. Gram owns it. She and Gramps built the cabins when they first got married. She’s been running the business since he died three years ago.”

Luke stopped the SUV in the parking area of the large, two-story cabin with the sign Registration and Welcome Center on the door. Baskets of ferns hung on the porch that spread across the width of the lodge. The small gravel path leading to the front steps was lined with an array of flowers on either side. Jack could tell they were well tended while appearing to be naturally planted at the same time.

Bethany hopped out before Jack could get around to her, but his hand landed on her shoulder as she struggled with the door to assist Gram.

“Let me,” he insisted, moving her gently back. Opening the door, he helped Ann who just beamed at him.

“Oh, Charlie, you’re such a sweetie.”

“Gram, he’s not Charlie,” Bethany said once more, moving up to put her arms around Ann. “Let me get you inside and take care of those cuts.”

As the two women walked to the door, Luke came around the front of the vehicle. Looking at their retreating backs, he said softly, “Well, that was unexpected.”

“Right,” Jack growled. “You get back and work with the others. I want to know how the hell an old woman managed to get through our property line, and we couldn’t get visuals on her.”

“You sticking around?”

“Yeah, just to make sure they really are all right. Send someone back in about an hour. In the meantime, we need to take care of our borders. Get ‘em all on that today.”

Luke nodded and with one last glance at the old cabin, he headed back to the vehicle.