Page 33 of Protective Assignment
Her eyes darted over to the door, and she didn’t say a word.
Lawson’s eyebrows shot up.“Don’t you dare make a run for it—”
But before he could stop her, she dashed out the door and into the corridor beyond.
Lawson sprang to his feet.“Dammit,” he muttered, and he went to follow her.But before he could, Cade put out his arm to stop him.
“Leave her,” he told him firmly.
Lawson glared at him.“I need her to explain to me exactly what the hell she’s doing here.And what her connection is to the Shepards.”
“I know,” Cade assured him.“You deserve an explanation.I get it.But don’t go after her.She’s terrified.She’s not going to leave, I know that.Let me talk to her, okay?”
Lawson didn’t exactly look happy about the suggestion, but he rolled his eyes skyward and let out a sigh.“Fine,” he grunted.
Though his anger was evident, he was smart enough to see that Cade was going to get a whole lot more out of River than he would ever be able to.Cade nodded his thanks.
“I’ll find out everything we need to know,” he promised.
Lawson shook his head.“I hope so,” he replied.“And I hope that woman you brought to our door isn’t more trouble than she’s worth.”
Cade turned to leave the office, Lawson’s words ringing in his ears.There was no doubt River had brought a whole lot of trouble with her—trouble beyond what Cade could ever have imagined when he had seen her by the side ofthe road, in that dirty homemade dress, looking like she had been living in the wild.
But no matter what kind of trouble she had chasing her, Cade knew one thing for sure: she was worth it.
Every bit.
Now he just needed to prove that to her.
Chapter Twenty
River felt the tears streaking down her face as she ran back to the cabin, but she let them fall unchecked.It felt as though she had gone back in time to relive everything again the moment she had laid eyes on Louis—the moment she had been reminded of a past she wanted nothing more than to leave behind.Her heart pounded in her chest, her body screaming at her to do one thing—run.
She should not have put off leaving as long as she had.She should not have let running into Hannah stop her yesterday.And now, with them at least suspecting her connection to the Shepards, thanks to Louis and her reaction to him, she was truly left with no choice.It was too dangerous here.Maybe she’d get enough of a head start that Ryker and the others wouldn’t find her and they’d leave this place alone.And then there was Cade.Her heart clenched at the thought of him.He already knew more than she wanted him to and would probably be glad to see her go.
She arrived back at the cabin and started restuffing everything back into her bag that she’d removed the night before.This time, she wasn’t going to be stopped, she wasn’t going to let her emotions get the better of her.No matterhow tempting it might be to stick around just a little while longer, she was leaving.
She would figure out which direction to go once she got back on the road.Eventually, she’d forget about her time here and her new friends she was leaving behind.They were definitely better off without her around to cause them unnecessary pain and bring danger to their door.She had no clue what the Shepards would do if they found this place, though she could guess from past experience.She didn’t want these people to suffer any ill will trying to help her.
But before she could race out the door, Cade arrived at the cabin.She could barely even look at him.She tried to brush past him but he blocked off her exit, stopping her from fleeing.
“Hey, River, I need you to talk to me,” he told her.“Lawson is practically blowing his lid back there.If you’re going to stay, you need to tell us what’s been—”
“I’m not going to stay,” she shot back before he could get out another word.No point in pretending any longer.
“What are you talking about?”he replied, catching her arm before she could make a break for the door again.“Of course you are.You’re not going anywhere.They’re out there, you can’t risk—”
“You don’t understand, Cade!”she exclaimed, staring up at him, her eyes desperate.“They’re coming after me.If I stay here, they’re going to come to this place, and they’re going to ruin everything you guys have worked so hard to build.I don’t want that for you.I can’t stand the thought of it.So will you just…just let me go?Please?”
His eyes were wide as he looked down at her, trying to take in what she had just said.
He shook his head slowly and crossed his arms in defiance.“If you think I’m going to let you walk out that door without explaining what you mean,” he replied, “you’ve got another think coming, River.”
Cade wasn’t moving out of her way and River wasn’t sure what to do next.She took a deep breath, trying to collect her scattered thoughts.She had to think of something to say to make him let her go.Every minute she stood there was costing her time and distance on the road.Bringing danger closer to them all.
But looking at Cade, seeing his confusion and the different emotions crossing his face…she couldn’t just leave like this.He had given her so much in these last few weeks, a safety and security she didn’t even know was possible for her.And a kindness she had been craving for longer than she could remember.The least she could do in return was tell him some part of the truth.She owed him that much.
“Fine,” she muttered.“I’ll tell you everything.”
