Page 8 of Protective Assignment
“Why do you care so much about some random hitchhiker?”she demanded.She knew it was just a deflection tactic, but she didn’t want to talk about herself right now, didn’t want to admit how far from fine she was—and didn’t want him to see how much his simple question had gotten under her skin.She needed to keep herself together.
And keep her eyes on the next part of her journey, instead of the man in front of her.
Chapter Five
Cade could tell River was on the brink of crying, and that just made him even more worried.Why would a simple question about how she was doing make her so emotional?Unless the truth was more horrible than she wanted to admit.
“You know, if you’re in trouble, you should tell someone.I’m sure there’s probably someone here who could help,” he said gently.
Her jaw set tight and she lowered her gaze to the ground, clearly indicating the conversation was over.Cade tried to think of another way to approach the subject, not wanting to push too hard since she still looked like she might bolt at any moment.His mind came up blank, so he decided to change the subject altogether.
“You haven’t eaten breakfast yet, right?”he asked her, picking up the weights again and moving them back over to the rack.Maybe it would be easier for her to talk about practical stuff, the physical rather than the emotional.She wouldn’t be the first who had spent time here to feel that way.
“Not yet,” she replied.“That’s where I was heading, before I took a wrong turn.”
“Let me clean up and I’ll walk you down there,” he told her.“And how did you sleep?”
“Okay, sure,” she replied with a shrug, leaning up against the door.
She was still reluctant to tell him much more than the bare basics, and he could feel the anxiety coming off her in waves, but at least he could try and pull down some of those barriers she held on to so tightly.He wanted to know what was going on in her head, and why she seemed so nervous around everyone.It was clear she was afraid of something or someone and she wouldn’t trust him with the whole truth of why she was on the road in the first place.Even though she was so secretive, he wouldn’t have felt right about sending her back out on her own without at least trying to help in some way.Offer whatever assistance he could to make things a little easier for her while she was there.
“So, what exactly happens here?”she asked, tucking her hands behind herself and cocking her head at him.It was obvious she was just trying to get the attention off herself, but if she had questions, he was more than happy to answer.
“At the lodge?”he asked, and she nodded.
He shrugged a shoulder.“They have a variety of physical and mental rehab activities to help military and law enforcement deal with all kinds of injuries.That’s why I’m here.”
Her eyebrows shot up.“You got injured?”
“Yeah, former military.Got shot in the shoulder and my body banged up pretty good,” he replied.“I’ve been working on getting back on my feet these last couple of years.And since my brother’s been bugging me to come up for a while and he’s one of the therapists, I thought I’d take himup on his offer and take advantage of the family discount at the same time and schedule some therapy.”
He continued filling her in on his injury and his recovery, stopping short of coming clean about his doubts over his future.He didn’t want to dump his problems on her.She wasn’t asking about that part, and it seemed as though she had plenty to handle in her own right when it came to figuring out the future.
The way she reacted surprised him.Most people, when they heard about what he had been through, were instantly apologetic, trying to say the right thing and give him advice about what to do, but she just listened to him.He appreciated it more than he thought he would.
“…so yeah, that’s what I’m doing here,” he finished up and glanced over at her across the room.For the briefest moment, their eyes locked and the atmosphere in the room changed.Something about those big, blue eyes staring back at him made him stop in his tracks, and he felt something flicker in his chest—something he hadn’t felt for a long time.
He could tell she felt it, too.She seemed to freeze for a moment, her eyes widening slightly, then her cheeks flushed a deep red and she tore her gaze away from his.
“Uh, um…” Her voice cracked.“I should go to breakfast, let you finish up.I’ll find my way,” she told him, ducking her head down and hurrying out of the gym before he could say anything else.He thought about going after her, but figured she needed her space.
Since River rushed out, he decided to continue what he’d started when she arrived.Once he’d finished his workout, he grabbed his bag and headed to the communal showersto get washed up, and then had breakfast.As he was refilling his coffee thermos to head back down to the cabin where he was staying, Lawson appeared beside him, arms crossed over his chest.
“I heard you were here,” he remarked.
Cade nodded at him in greeting.“Hey, Lawson.”
“And that you brought someone with you,” he continued.“Who’s that woman you arrived with?”
Cade screwed the cap back on to his thermos before he replied.He should have known that Lawson was going to have questions about River, and he was probably right to.After all, he co-owned the place with Xavier, and he was Hannah’s big brother.He had more reason than almost anyone to care about who came through those doors and what exactly their intentions were.And bringing in a mysterious stranger like River raised a whole lot of questions.As another former CIA agent, Lawson Davies was used to getting all the answers he wanted.
But before he could reply, Hannah bustled past, holding a nervous-looking River by the arm.Both men turned to watch as they passed, then Cade turned back to Lawson.
“I don’t know much about her,” he admitted.“I’ve been trying to get information from her, but she isn’t giving much up.”
“You should come in for a meeting with Xavier and me later today,” Lawson told him firmly.“Three o’clock in the office.So we can talk.How long is she going to be staying here?”
“I don’t know,” Cade admitted.
