Page 5 of Protective Assignment
But now?
Now he craved the thrill of active duty, and the camaraderie of his life with the guys in his unit.Being stuck with an injury and far from the action was making him feel a little crazy.
“You’re doing good, Cade,” Carter told him.“Think about where you were just last year—”
“I try not to,” Cade replied, cutting him off before he could go any further.“Anyway, you mind me taking advantage of the family discount?”
“How do you mean?”Carter asked, furrowing his brow.
“For the physical therapy,” he replied.“I mean, I needto get back in shape, right?The VA hardly covers what I need to get back out in the—”
“Why do you even want to get back out there again?How do you even know if you can?”Carter asked, and Cade could sense his irritation.“You had a head injury, for crying out loud.That’s something to take seriously.You’re lucky to have survived.”He furrowed his brow and snapped his mouth shut to keep from saying more.
Cade couldn’t blame his brother for his response to his wishful plan.Carter had seen a lot while helping him get back on his feet.He couldn’t hold it against him that he didn’t want Cade to walk right back into the setting that had landed him in all this trouble in the first place.His recovery hadn’t been a pretty situation to be around, and Cade certainly wasn’t the best company during the worst of his injuries.
“Hey, it’s not for you to know why,” he joked back.“You just have to do your job, right?”
Truth be told, he was dodging the question.First off, he didn’t even know if he’d be allowed back after the injuries he suffered.Probably not, but he could still hold on to that dream a little longer.Secondly, he didn’t want to admit to his brother the truth—that he felt useless, hopeless, in the state he was in now.He couldn’t just sit around doing nothing for the rest of his life.He needed that hit of adrenaline, the thrill that came with the life he used to have, and he was never going to get it watching true crime documentaries on repeat in his apartment.
He wasn’t the man he used to be, and he hated it.He wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep living the way he was, and he hoped his brother, who had been working asa physical therapist for the last few years, would be able to get him back on his feet and ready to get out there again.Deep down Cade knew he wouldn’t be able to do what he did before with his unit, but there had to be something in some related capacity that could get him back out there, let him feel that rush again.Feel like he was contributing to something that mattered.
But before the conversation could go any further, they were joined by another diner, Xavier Michaels, former CIA, and also one of the owners of the lodge.He cracked a beer as he slid into an empty chair, grinning at Cade in greeting.
“Hey, there,” he said.“Didn’t expect you to make it here.”
“What, to the lodge?”Cade asked.
“No, to your thirties,” he replied.
“Trust me, I made a damn good try not to,” Cade chuckled, earning a scowl from his brother.But before he could say anything else, the floor creaked behind them.He glanced over and saw River, peering around the cafeteria, looking as pale as a ghost.
She wore a sweater and a pair of ill-fitting jeans.Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail at the top of her head and hung down her back, and she clutched a tray of food like it was the only thing keeping her pinned to the earth.
“That the hitchhiker?”Xavier asked, lifting his chin in her direction, as she went to find a seat on the far side of the room from the guys.
Carter nodded.“Yeah, the one Cade picked up,” he replied.“Any idea who she is, by the way, Cade?”
“None,” Cade answered, watching as she sat at one of the tables with her back against the wall so she could keepan eye on the room.“Thanks for giving her a place to stay tonight, Xavier.I appreciate it.”
“Hey, it was Hannah’s doing, but I’m not one to turn away a woman in the middle of nowhere who looks like she’s been on the road for months already.”Xavier shrugged.
“Where do you think she’s from?”Carter asked.
“Not from around here, that’s for sure,” Xavier replied.“But anyone on the side of the road out there at this time of the year isn’t doing it for fun.She’s trying to get away from something, I’d bet.Or someone.”
“We need to quit staring, guys.She’s skittish enough without seeing us watching her,” Cade commented as he got to his feet, grabbing his tray and heading over to join River.It would give him a chance to deflect his brother’s questions about what he was planning to do now that he was out here.He also wanted to find out what was going on with her if he could.Maybe even help.
Those giant blue eyes darted up to look at him as he drew closer, and she clenched the cutlery in her hand a little tighter.
“Mind if I join you?”he asked, gesturing to the spot opposite her.
She shook her head.“Go ahead,” she replied, and he planted himself down in the chair across from her.
She picked at her food for a few moments, staring down at the plate in front of her as though it held the mysteries to the universe.
Cade snuck glances at her while he had a few bites of his own meal.Taking in her slim build and tired eyes.He could tell she was struggling to get by and running on exhaustion.
Xavier was right, there was no way she was out here by choice.She had to be running from something.Judging by her jumpy demeanor, she clearly hadn’t put as much distance as she’d have liked between herself and whatever was after her.
