Page 15 of Protective Assignment
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 ofuseful 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 shefelt 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.
Chapter Nine
“You’re really thinking about joining Lawson’s crew?”Carter asked as he guided Cade’s knee back to his chest to test his mobility.Cade sighed.He should have known this physical therapy session was going to turn into an interrogation when Carter had offered it that morning.He had hoped everything that had been going on with River and the news of the Shepards of Rebellion being in the area would keep his brother distracted.
Cade shrugged.“It’ll give me something to do.”
Carter shook his head.Cade was currently laid out on his brother’s therapy table like an offering of some kind, being tortured physically—with different stretches and movement rotations to test his flexibility—while also forced to endure Carter’s questions.He’d rather be doing almost anything than this.
Carter narrowed his eyes.“You have plenty to do,” he reminded him.“You’ve got to focus on your recovery, remember?That’s what’s important right now.”
“Yeah, well, I need something to work toward,” Cade replied.“This’ll do me good.And Lawson knows what my limitations are.He’s not going to try and push me into anything I can’t handle.”
Carter looked doubtful.“Yeah, I’ll believe that when I see it.”
“Are we done here?”Cade asked a little impatiently.He knew his brother was just trying to help, but he didn’t want to deal with his questions and concerns right now.Carter should know better than anyone how much he needed to keep himself busy because he was the exact same way.
Carter nodded.“Let’s get in another session this week.”
Cade agreed and headed out the door to go grab some coffee in the cafeteria, but he was stopped by Hannah in the lobby.
“Hey, Cade, have you got a minute?”she asked.
