“Right here.”
“Need anything else?”
“Not at the moment. We’ll update Ethan when we see him, but we might have to hole up at PSI.”
“Understood. We’ll be ready if you need us. Later.” Nick ended the call.
“What’s PSI?” Emma asked.
“Personal Security International, the Fortress bodyguard training school located in Otter Creek,” Eli said. “It’s also where our black ops teams train.”
“When do we leave for Bear Lake Cabins?”
“I’ll leave in ten minutes,” David said. “You should stay here.”
“You need someone to watch your back. I want to be there for you.”
“I want you somewhere safe, Em.”
Eli and the other three men left, leaving David to sort things out with Emma.
She laid her hand over his heart. “I’m safest with you. Please, take me with you.”
He hugged her. “I won’t be gone long. I promise.”
“Think with your head, not your heart. How much risk is involved with this meeting?”
“Not as much as I would face at the Rocking M or in Maple Valley,” he admitted. “But it’s still more than I want for you.”
“Life has no guarantees of safety. I could be injured in an automobile accident, or fall and break a bone going for a walk.”
He frowned. “This isn’t the same. Two men are searching the county for you.”
“Why did you choose Bear Lake Cabins to meet Blackhawk?”
“I’m a silent partner in the business.”
She stared. “Doesn’t Abe Coulter own the business?”
“Still does, but he was in a bad place financially when I left the Navy. His wife was taking cancer treatments, and he needed cash to keep the business afloat.”
“Do people know you’re part owner?”
“I’m not an owner,” he insisted. “I invested money to help a friend. I haven’t told anyone except my brothers, but someone good with computers could unearth the information.”
“In other words, the risk of me going with you is low.”
“Not low enough.”
“I’ll be safe as long as I’m with you.”
“Emma.”
“Please.”
David sighed. “All right. But you have to do exactly what I tell you. Although the risk is minimal, it’s not zero. The killers might have the area staked out. Since we haven’t identified them yet, they could walk right up to us and we wouldn’t know they were a threat.”
“I won’t leave your side.” She kissed him. “Thank you.”