Page 53 of In Hiding

The volume of snow and the ferocity of the wind astounded him. Sure, he understood it snowed but his brain had never quite connected the dots as to what actually happened in a blizzard. He could watch the big, fat flakes plummet to the ground and never get tired of the show—though he’d rather be inside.

The biting wind nipped at the parts of his neck the beanie left exposed and the icy chill worked its way into his bones. It seemed the thermals under his heavy cargo pants and woolen sweater were barely enough to keep him warm, and only liters of hot coffee had kept him going to this point.

At the opposite end of the veranda, Ben Goodman worked on installing a second camouflaged camera. Straddling a ladder, he was bigger than Jake remembered from their days in basic training. Far, far bigger. His size would easily rival The Rock and come close to matching that of the Great Dane. Whether a product of his muscle mass or his Maori heritage, he seemed unperturbed by the near-freezing conditions.

Dressed in jeans and a shirt emblazoned with his security company logo, he toiled with a smile. Traditional cultural tattoos stood out against his bald scalp.

Jake remembered a younger Ben powering his way through bootcamp. Slimmer, though still brawny, climbing up a single rope using just his hands. The muscles had rippled beneath his cotton shirt, presenting a fine specimen of athleticism. Absently, Jake wondered if the hulk could still haul himself up a rope with such ease.

“Thanks for your help, Ben.”

His old friend nodded. “I’m glad you reached out. The security system in this place is ancient.”

Bringing Andersen House into the twenty-first century had been a no brainer, but convincing Sarah, on the other hand, had been a feat in itself. He’d seen a level of pig-headedness he had to admire, if not secretly loathe. Her continued distrust irked him. He was used to getting his way, especially with women.

Sarah challenged that.

He found himself wanting to rise to the challenge, and that amused him to no end. It wasn’t in his nature to strive to impress. It either came naturally or he chose not to expend the energy.

But Sarah...how many times would he have to put himself out there before he convinced her he hadn’t come to hurt her? He understood her caution, but who would go to these lengths if they meant to harm her? Didn’t she understand what a wakeup call her fall was? She literally hung on a cliff’s edge between the life she’d worked hard for and a painful death.

It would have taken anybody who meant her any harm so little to accomplish said harm... with zero consequences. Zero. For her to still doubt him and harbor suspicion, especially after the lengths he had gone to support her, well, that was beyond even an extreme reaction to trauma. It felt deliberate, mean even. She didn't strike him as mean, but at some point, evidence was evidence.

“You look cold, buddy.”

He found Ben staring up at him, as if entertained. “That’s because it’s like two degrees or something just as insane.” He climbed down off the ladder.

“It is winter, and you are in the Alps. What did you expect?”

It hadn’t occurred to him to expect anything. He had a job to do. The rest hadn’t factored in to his search, much to his chagrin.

Ben chuckled. The deep sound rolled over Jake. “Well, the hardware is in. We should go in and get cracking on the rest. Much as I like the snow,” he nodded toward the drive, “I hate having to dig the car out from under it.”

When Ben turned to go inside, Jake laid a hand on his arm. “What made you choose to settle in Wills Crossing?”

Ben’s eyebrows arched high on his forehead. “The short story is that Riley bought a home and we all followed.” He pulled a face. “Well, no. That explains why we stayed. We came here to chase down Magnus, who’d gone off the rails. He told you about that, didn’t he?”

Magnus’s account of the way he’d hunted down his fellow Shadow Soldiers hadn’t been so vague. “He did.”

“We used to call him the fruit cake. Good times.” He huffed. “He shot up the homestead, and Riley bought it to make amends. So, we stayed.”

That still didn’t answer his question. “But why Wills Crossing? What is so special about this place?”

Ben frowned as he thought it over. “Nothing really that special, come to think of it. Riley put down roots and it seemed like a good idea at the time. No one regrets it. Least of all me. I found the love of my life here and now everyone’s focused on their families. Hollywood’s building an empire, Damien’s reunited with his daughters and wife, Riley’s never been happier, and Gabe is in his element. It’s become our home.”

Home.

Jake couldn’t remember the last place that fitted the description. Was that why he envied them? Was it what he wanted? In coming here, he could leave his past behind him, be the man he wanted to be and shed the asshole he’d been. The hope in that inspired something deep in his gut and left him wanting more.

“Come on. Let’s get this installed so I can get home to my family before it gets dark,” Ben chuckled.

Jake let them inside where the warmth of the fires meant he could remove his gloves, jacket, and beanie. The house stood in near silence with only the crackling of the fire in the living room disrupting the peace. With Will at school and Sarah upstairs, they had the downstairs floor to themselves.

In the entryway, he watched Ben remove the older security alarm and make the necessary adjustments to fit the new touchscreen panel.

“Would you fetch Sarah so I can show her the ropes?”

With a nod, he bounded up the stairs to the second floor. It was home to no less than six bedrooms and two bathrooms. On the landing, a living area overlooked the driveway. The master at the rear of the house belonged to Sarah, with a wall of windows he suspected had the same view as the kitchen.

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