Page 14 of Protective Assignment
“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 wouldnotbe 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 herthroat.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.”
