“I think it’s a great start.”
He patted an inside pocket of Tabitha’s jacket. “Phone. This could yield some important information.”
“Like if her visit here was an outing planned for her by Hidden Hills?”
“Exactly.” He tapped the phone. “Password protected.”
“Let me have it. I have some ideas. If you were her obsession—and you were—her password might be easy to guess.”
“You have no idea how that creeps me out.”
“Your devastating charm and hunky good looks worked to your advantage in this case.” Paige cupped the phone in her hand and started trying some obvious passwords. “Well, at least her password isn’t your first name, last name or any combinations of those.”
“That’s a relief.” He jingled Tabitha’s car keys in his hand. “Since we can’t access her phone right away, I’m going out to her car to see if she has anything in there, maybe directions to the cabin.”
“Okay, I’ll keep trying the phone’s password in here where it’s warm.”
Asher went through the mudroom to the back, and Paige perched on a stool in the kitchen, wanting to keep as far away from Tabitha as possible. The woman could reanimate like one of those villains from a horror movie and grab her ankle.
She murmured to herself as she tried one password after another. “Delta Force, D-Boy, Lieutenant Asher.”
Her finger hovered over the letters, and the back door crashed open. She jumped from the stool and spun around. Her heart slammed against her chest.
Asher charged from the mudroom and grabbed her arm. “Let’s go. They’re here.”
Paige didn’t ask one question. Curling her fingers around Tabitha’s phone, she allowed Asher to drag her from the cabin as she couldn’t keep up with his long stride.
The cold air hit her face and made her nose run instantly.
Asher still had her car keys, and he gave her a little push toward the passenger side. “Get in. I’m taking that small access road through these woods. It’s our only chance. As soon as they hear this engine start, they’ll know we’re out here instead of inside.”
Paige shut the car door without slamming it. As Asher hopped in beside her and shoved the keys in the ignition, she held her breath and twisted her head over her shoulder to watch for anyone coming after them.
In an instant a flash of light lit up the night sky. The cabin exploded behind them. They didn’t want to capture them... They wanted to kill them.
Chapter Eight
Asher cranked the engine and floored it, navigating between two tall pines that ushered in the access road behind the cabin.
The people after them would never hear it. The explosion and fire would mask any sounds from the car.
The flames shot up toward the clouds, and Paige dug her fingers into Asher’s arm as the car bounced over the rough road. “Tabitha!”
“She’s dead, Paige. Did you get a look at that inferno?”
She covered her face with both hands. “Oh my God. They thought we were in there. They don’t care to get you back anymore. They just want to kill you.”
“Us.” He clenched his jaw. “They want to kill us.”
“How did you know someone was there?”
“I heard an engine when I was going through Tabitha’s car. I peeked around the corner of the cabin and saw a vehicle pulling into the driveway. I knew it had to be trouble, but I had no idea they were going to firebomb the cabin—with Tabitha in it.”
“If you hadn’t gone out to her car, it would’ve been us in there.” She cranked her head over her shoulder. “Do you think they’re coming after us?”
“I don’t think so. They figured we were inside, and now they think we’re burning to a crisp.” He tightened his hands on the steering wheel as they hit another bump. “That fire saved us. If they’d been about to surround the cabin, they would’ve heard the car. They would’ve known we survived the blast. Instead they think they caught us off guard.”
“If they think we’re both dead, it does buy us some time. They’re not going to be hanging around waiting for the fire department to find out how many dead bodies are in the cabin. They probably won’t even stay long enough to check out the cars in the back.”
“A flying, burning log crashed through the windshield of Tabitha’s car as we pulled away. It’s probably burning as we speak. Maybe it even exploded.”
Paige twisted in her seat to stare out the back window. “I see a lot of black smoke billowing up into the air. If they left right away, will we meet them on the main road?”
“We’ll wait before we hit the road, see if any cars pass by. Watch for the emergency vehicles.”
“Then what?”
“We’re going to Tabitha’s family’s cabin.”
“What?” She turned to stare at him.
“Before I heard the engine from the road, I found the address to the cabin in Tabitha’s car’s GPS. Then I wiped it clean, although the fire may have done a better job of that.”
“Do you think it’s safe to go there now? Even if we don’t have to worry about Tabitha showing up—” Paige’s voice hitched in her throat “—the people she worked with must know her family has that cabin. Once her family hears about her death, they’ll probably head out this way, too. It all sounds risky.”
“If the people after us think we died in that fire, they’re not going to be looking for us in Tabitha’s cabin or any other cabin. Since the cabin that just blew up was not Tabitha’s, the arson investigators are not going to be able to identify the body immediately. They’ll most likely have to use dental records, and that’s even if someone reports Tabitha missing. Do you think Hidden Hills is going to report one of its nurses missing if its employees are the ones responsible for her death? Not likely. Tabitha’s cabin is our safest bet right now. Nobody’s going to be looking for us right away, and nobody’s going to be looking for her. We need to stay out of sight for now.”
Paige settled back in her seat and held her hands splayed in front of her. “Yep, still shaking.”
“My God. That was close. If I hadn’t gone out to Tabitha’s car and heard the approaching engine, we would’ve still been inside that cabin when they firebombed it.”
“How did they know Tabitha was there? Do you think she lied and was working with them all along?”
“Nope.”
“You trust her?” Paige clasped her hands in her lap to stop their trembling.
“I trust nothing and no one but solid evidence. After I located the GPS information, I searched the outside of Tabitha’s car and found a tracking device stuck to the undercarriage.”
“So, Tabitha was following you using a GPS on your hospital gown and the friendly docs at Hidden Hills were following Tabitha with a GPS on her car.” Paige raised her folded hands to her lips, pressing them against her white knuckles.
Asher clicked his tongue. “I’m gonna give the love-struck Tabitha the benefit of the doubt here and assume she didn’t know about the tracker. They used her.”
“She led them right to us...and to her own death.” Paige shivered, and her teeth chattered. “If Tabitha hadn’t been conked out, she could’ve gotten out with us.”
Asher clasped her knee with his warm hand. “That’s not our fault. She came to the cabin to sedate me, and God knows what she would’ve done to you once she had me under.”
The car slowed down as they approached the main road. Asher pulled over on the access road with a view of the action and idled, headlights out. “Let’s see what’s what before continuing.”
Paige cracked her window a few inches. “I think I hear sirens.”
The wails got louder and louder until the emergency vehicles passed before them on the main road.
Asher threw the car into gear. “The people who started the fire have already left. Tabi
tha’s cabin is just a few miles ahead off another access road.”
Paige didn’t relish the thought of staying in the cabin Tabitha had planned for her and Asher’s love nest, but if she could turn it into a love nest for the two of them instead, she could live with it.
She slid a glance toward Asher. He’d remembered details about his father and Cam. Details about her and their daughter couldn’t be far behind. She’d been ready to tell him about Ivy right before Tabitha interrupted them.
Of course, once she told him they had a four-year-old together, she’d have to explain why it was they were engaged instead of married.
And right now she was enjoying his ignorance.
* * *
ASHER HUNCHED OVER the steering wheel when they arrived at Tabitha’s cabin and peered through the windshield of the car. Although it looked deserted, he cut the lights and swung the car around the back.
He and Paige hadn’t had two minutes together where they hadn’t been under a threat or some kind of pressure. Maybe once he had a chance to catch his breath, the memories would start rolling in.
He wanted to give this woman what she wanted, what she deserved. He wanted to love her. Hell, he was already half in love with her now, even though she was a stranger.
He parked and held up his hand to her as she reached for the door handle. “Stay in the car until I give you the all-clear signal.”
“Do you think it might be a trap?”
“It could be anything. Let me go first and check it out. This place looks bigger than the other one.”
“I hope those owners had insurance. We’re responsible for the destruction of their cabin.”
“We didn’t blow it up.” He pinched her chin. “Wait here.”
Asher crept up to the back door, on the lookout for cameras, dogs and laser trip wires. He made it to the door unaccosted and shoved the key into the dead bolt. When he heard the click, he relaxed his shoulders. At least they had the right place and the right key.
He opened the door and poked his head inside...listening. He stepped inside and the warmth of the cabin enveloped him. Moving through the cabin, he did a quick search and then went to the back door and waved to Paige.
He waited for her and swung the door wide. “This one looks a lot more comfortable than the previous cabin.”
“That’s because Tabitha had prepared it for you.” Paige swept past him and made a beeline for the kitchen.
Cranking on a burner on the stove, she said, “The gas is turned on.”
“And the fridge is stocked.” He hung on the open refrigerator door, taking in the bottles of water, juice, wine, eggs, milk, vegetables—enough food to feed a family of six for a week.
Paige joined him, looking over his shoulder. “Wine? She really had a cozy getaway planned for the two of you.”
“Yeah, with me drugged out of my mind and strapped to a bed. That would’ve been worse than Hidden Hills.”
“Do you want to eat something? I can cook a quick meal—scrambled eggs and toast, at least.”
“It’s late. You must be exhausted.”
“Actually, I’m wired.”
“Have a glass of wine—or two. I’ll keep watch. I’ve had enough sleep to last me the next six months.”
Two red spots formed on Paige’s cheeks, and she pressed one hand against her chest. “I—I don’t drink.”
“Maybe there’s some hot tea instead.” He flung open a cupboard door and looked over his shoulder. “Do I?”
“Do you drink?”
“Isn’t that strange? I don’t even know what I like and don’t like.” He shrugged and swept a box of tea bags from the shelf.
“You do drink sometimes, but we don’t drink together. It’s not something we do.”
“I need to keep my wits sharp, anyway. At least as sharp as they can be under the circumstances.” He shook the box of tea. “Do you want a cup?”
“No, thanks. I’ll scope out the sleeping arrangements, unless you think we should stay down here.” She tipped her head back and surveyed the loft above them.
“You can check it out upstairs, but I’ll definitely be bunking down here. Do you want me to get your bags from the car?”
“Please. I’d like to get on my laptop and see if there’s any news.”
“It’s a lucky break we didn’t bring your stuff into the first cabin. It would’ve all been destroyed.”
“Along with Tabitha.”
“Are you all right, Paige? Are you sure you don’t want some tea? You still look rattled.” He strode to a couch in the room and dragged a blanket from the back of it. “Why don’t you lie down? I’ll bring you your laptop.”
“You’re the patient here. I’m taking care of you, remember?”
“I do remember.” He shook out the blanket and placed it on the couch. “And you did a helluva job, but I’m getting better and better, so you can take a break.”
“Maybe we can both take a break.”
“I’m more than ready.” Asher left Paige standing next to the couch and returned to the car. The stillness of the air and the gray skies signaled snow on the way. Soon the resort would be crawling with skiers and snowboarders, and they’d be just two more people holed up in a mountain cabin.
He gathered Paige’s bag and laptop case from the back seat of the car and brought them back to the cabin.
He dropped the bags on the floor and jerked back as Paige faced him holding a shotgun. “Are you pointing that at me?”
“Of course not. I found it in the closet.” She leaned it against the stone mantel. “It might come in handy though.”
“You don’t look relaxed at all.” He grabbed the strap of her laptop case and hauled it over his shoulder. “Do you think they have Wi-Fi here?”
“My phone has a connection. I’m sure all the lodges and hotels have service, so it makes sense they’d have it out here.”
He swung the case onto the coffee table. “Give it a try. I want to start doing a little research tomorrow.”
“Research?” She leaned forward and pulled her computer from its case.
“On Major Denver. I want to see what the official story is. You must know all my Delta Force teammates, right? I want to try to contact them. They wanted nothing to do with me once I implicated Denver.”
“That’s what the mad scientists at Hidden Hills told you, anyway. You can’t be sure they even contacted your teammates, other than to tell them you survived.”
“If they had, and I had made contact with them, would they have told me about you?” He collapsed in the chair across from the sofa and studied her face, which seemed to take on a guarded look.
“Yes, of course. I’ve met all your team members, including Major Denver.” She pointed at him and circled her finger in the air. “Do you still suspect me of being a fake fiancée?”
“I never suspected that. At least I don’t think I did. There was something about you from the very beginning when I stumbled on you in the woods.”
He drew a cross over his heart as she began to protest. “Honest. I’m not just telling you what you want to hear, and then your actions backed up my initial instincts. You rescued me.”
She waved her hands in the air, as if fanning her hot cheeks. “Believe me, that’s a switch for us. I’m usually the one in need of saving.”
He stretched his legs in front of him, propping them on the coffee table between him and Paige. “You sure you don’t want to try some of that hocus-pocus on me tonight?”
“I think you’ve had enough for one night. We both have.” Her fingers flew across her laptop’s keyboard. “I don’t see anything about the fire, but then I’m not quite sure where to look online for local news.”
“You don’t see anything about a soldier going AWOL from a rehabilitation center, do you?”
She snorted
. “Some rehabilitation center, but no, nothing about that, either.”
“Any stories about Major Denver?” Despite his interest in her answer, Asher yawned and stretched his arms over his head.
“That story is top secret, not for public consumption. I only know about it because the army told me when they were explaining your incident to me.”
“I imagine my situation will stay under the radar, too.”
“I’m keeping you from your bed.” She scooted off the edge of the sofa. “Unless you want the loft.”
“It’s best if I stay down here, and now I have a weapon.” He jerked his thumb at the rifle leaning against the fireplace. “You go upstairs and try to get some sleep once you’re done on the computer.”
“I do want to check some emails just in case my clients are having any difficulties.”
“I’m sure you left them in good hands. You’d be that kind of therapist.”
She peered at him over the top of her computer. “Don’t go putting me on a pedestal. You’ll be sorely disappointed.”
“I will keep my expectations low and my teeth clean, thanks to you leaving that other bag in the car.” He stood up and reached for the ceiling. “The only things we lost in that cabin were my hospital gown and some food and water.”
“And Tabitha.”
“I know.” He came around the back of the sofa and placed his hands on her shoulders. Her soft hair tickled the backs of his hands. “I don’t mean to sound callous, but I don’t think Tabitha had anything good in store for either of us.”
“I know. I just...” She flicked her fingers at him. “Go brush your teeth. I’ll vacate your bed in a few minutes.”
He snatched up the bag containing the toiletries Paige bought him and crumpled it in his fist. He didn’t want Paige to vacate his bed, but sleeping together tonight would only emphasize the awkwardness of their situation.
Maybe it was too much to ask, but he wanted their love and relationship to develop naturally as he began to recall things, not to have an insta-fiancée because it was part of some life he couldn’t remember.
Delta Force Daddy Page 8