Page 38 of Guarded from Havoc

As soon as the words leave my mouth, I wonder if I messed up by implying we’re already friends. After all, we haven’t known each other even a week. And most of the time we spent together wasn’t by choice. Even now, it’s not like I’m here for a friendly visit. I’m here because Erik and his team think this is the best way to protect me.

“Good.” Erik smiles again. It’s a smaller one this time. Almost shy. “Not that Tatum isn’t a nice name. Tate just feels more natural.”

“It’s fine,” I tell him. “You can call me either one.”

“Well, I’m just Erik,” he says. “Back in the Army, my teammates would call me E. Or Rivers. I guess if you wanted?—”

“Erik’s good.” I flash a little smile back at him. “It’s a nice name.”

As we look at each other, a frisson ofsomethingpasses between us.

My stomach flutters, but I don’t think it’s from fear or hunger.

Erik stares at me for a few seconds. Then he blinks. His smile fades. “So. Anyway. I thought I’d show you where the gym and safe room are, plus the wing where we have our offices. Then we can go to your apartment, get you settled in there for the night.”

And just like that, the moment is over.

There’s nothing to be disappointed about,I tell myself as we continue out of the kitchen and down the stairs that lead us to the basement.I’m not here to explore a relationship with Erik, and it doesn’t matter how my stomach feels when he smiles at me. Or how my skin tingles whenever he touches it.

I’m here for my safety. And that’s the most important thing. Obviously.

It doesn’t matter if Erik’s the sexiest guy I’ve ever met. Or the most interesting. I’m here until this whole island mess is sorted out, and then I’ll go back to my life in New York. A life without Erik in it.

I’ll be back to cleaning rental properties and taking my morning hikes—although, will I be able to? Hike, that is? Will I ever be able to venture into the woods by myself again? Or will the memories of the island ruin hiking forever?

Will I spend my nights alone in my cabin, jumping at noises and cowering at shadows? Will the privacy I once enjoyed become a torment instead? Will I fall asleep thinking of Erik, wishing he were there to make me feel safe again?

I know thinking about this stuff right now isn’t helpful. I need to focus on the positive and worry about the rest of it later. Remember that I’m safe. Relatively unharmed, except for a mild concussion that feels like little more than a nagging hangover-headache and some minor cuts and bruises. Remember that out of the six people on the island, I’m one of the lucky ones who survived.

“So this is the gym,” Erik says unnecessarily as he opens a door to one of the biggest workout spaces I’ve ever seen.It’s filled with pretty much every imaginable piece of exercise equipment—fancy ellipticals and treadmills, elaborate weight machines, racks of free weights, an entire wall of cross-fit type gear like giant tires and ropes as thick as my arm, and one corner is covered with thick exercise mats with several punching bags hanging around it.

“We work out pretty much every day,” Erik adds as we step through the doorway. “Kind of comes with the job. Since we never know what kind of threat—” He stops. “Well. We consider keeping in shape as part of the job. So I usually put in a couple of hours each morning. You won’t want to do anything strenuous in the beginning because of your concussion, but depending on how long you’re here, you’re welcome to use the gym whenever you want.”

WillI be here long enough to use the gym? I haven’t really thought about how long this could go on for. Will I be forced to stay here for weeks? Will I lose my job? My little cabin? Will I even have a home to go back to?

Erik said Leo was handling things with my boss; that he would work hiscomputer magic, he called it, to find a temporary replacement for me while I’m allegedly out of town for a family emergency. But how long before Ralph decides to hire a permanent replacement and I’m stuck without a job or a place to live?

The fragile hold I’ve kept on my emotions slips. Tears burn behind my eyes. My throat goes thick.

“Tate?” Erik’s voice gentles. When I turn to him, his eyes are dark with worry. “You know what? I think we’ve had enough of a tour for today.” His hand brushes my back as he guides me back through the door and into the hallway. “We can finish this tomorrow.”

I swallow hard. “I’m okay. Really.”

“I know.” But from his tone, it’s clear he doesn’t believe me. “But it’s not necessary. I’ll be right down the hall from your apartment, so if you need anything, if you want me to show you where something is, you can come right over.”

“You’ll be down the hall?” I ask.

“Just a few doors down,” Erik replies. As we head back up the stairs, I don’t miss how he hangs back so he’s a step behind me. His hand still rests on my back, feather-light but steady, and I know without explanation that he’s watching to make sure I don’t trip or fall.

“All the apartments are in the same wing,” he adds. “Including the client apartment. That’s what we call it. The apartment you’re staying in. It made more sense to have it close to us. Not that the entire building isn’t safe, but…”

“But it makes the person staying there feel better,” I finish. “Knowing they have six former Green Berets down the hall.”

“Pretty much.” We head back through the communal living room and veer into another long hallway. It reminds me a bit of a hotel hallway, with a series of closed doors on either side and attractive lighting with paintings and photos arranged between them.

Erik catches me looking at a photo that I’m fairly sure is of Lake George, and he comments, “That was taken by Hanna. She’s married to Finn, and she works as a professional photographer. When we opened up this branch, she sent over a bunch of photos to help decorate the place.” Pausing, he angles his chin at a small painting of Whiteface Mountain. “And that was painted by the wife of a friend of ours.”

I slow to inspect the painting, peering at the tiny signature in the corner. “Oh. Rosalyn Spencer. I’ve seen some of her paintings before. You know her?”

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