by Jill Sanders
“This is killing me.” She groaned as he took another turn down an alleyway.
“Sorry.” He frowned at her and checked his mirrors again. He handed her his sweater. “Here, put this over your face. It will help block out the light.”
She pulled it over her face and groaned in appreciation. “Nice.” She settled back. “Wake me when we get there.”
He’d texted the Andersons a list of what they would need for food and knew it was taken care of, but it had taken a few calls to RJ to make sure what they needed for their safety would be available as well.
By the time they arrived at the cabin, everything would be in place, including the new security cameras, which were directly linked to an app on his phone.
Help would only be a call away, if they needed it. Checking his mirrors one more time, he was positive that he’d ditched the tail and headed into the mountains.
11
Ashley woke when the truck stopped. She didn’t dare open her eyes or remove Cole’s jacket from her face. She’d fallen asleep easily with his scent surrounding her and the sway of driving through the hills.
She loved Tom’s house in the mountains. Tom had always called it a cabin, but the place was larger than most of the homes she’d lived in. But its location, tucked far up in the Colorado Rockies, made it feel more cabin-esque.
“It appears that Mrs. Anderson is here already,” Cole said. “Is she a heavy-set older woman?” he asked.
“She probably has on blue jeans and a brightly colored shirt,” she said, understanding Cole was a little concerned.
“Yes, sounds like her. I’ll come around and help you out.”
“Good, because I’m not removing this from my face until I’m inside a dark room.”
She wasn’t surprised when she felt Cole lift her into his arms.
“There you are,” Mrs. Anderson said loudly from the front porch. “We were so worried when we heard what happened to you.”
Ashley cringed when she remembered the woman only had one notch on her volume dial—loud.
“I’m okay, just really sensitive to light and sound at the moment,” she said softly.
“Oh.” Mrs. Anderson’s voice dipped lower. “Sorry. I’ve got everything you requested, and your friends were here early setting up all the other stuff for you. You should be all set for the week. If you need anything…”
“Thank you,” Cole broke in. “I think we’ll be okay.”
“You get better.” Mrs. Anderson patted Ashley’s arm. “I left a fresh pie in the oven and got your favorite ice cream and snacks, as well.”
“Thank you.” Ashley touched the woman’s hand.
Cole carried her into the house and she heard the front door shut behind them and lock.
“Where’s the bedroom?” he asked.
“That’s right, you’ve never been here.” She smiled. “Up the stairs, top floor.” He groaned slightly. “I’m not that heavy,” she retorted.
He chuckled. “No, it’s not that. I was just hoping… security wise… never mind.”
She blew off his words, since she was feeling hungry and tired again. She groaned when he set her down on the bed.
“Hang on.” He stopped her from removing the jacket from her face. “I’ll shut all the blinds.” She heard him moving around. “There,” he said.
She removed the jacket and tucked it next to her, not wanting to lose his scent just yet.
Blinking, she allowed her eyes to focus. When her head didn’t explode, she smiled. “I could use some of that pie Mrs. Anderson was talking about.”
“I’ll go down. Anything else?”
“Ice cream.” She smiled and kicked off her shoes. “Oh, and when you get the chance, my bag will go in there.” She pointed to the bathroom.
“I’ll be right back,” he said before leaving the room.
She climbed higher onto the massive bed and snuggled down, pulling the thick throw blanket over herself. Even though it was in the high seventies down in the city, here in the mountains, where the sun was already hidden from the house, it was at least ten degrees cooler. She loved it.
Closing her eyes for just a moment, she thought about how lucky she’d been. Walking in on a burglar could have been much worse. She had talked to her father yesterday about installing a security system at her place.
She was thankful Cole had planned this short trip. She doubted she would be able to sleep in her place until she felt safer. Just knowing that someone had broken in sent shivers down her spine.
She tried to push those thoughts from her mind, and focus on Cole and their coming week together.
Would he sleep here, with her, in this bed? She glanced around. Did he even have a bag of things? She hadn’t thought to ask him.
Her mind sharpened for a moment. When he walked in holding a tray full of pie and ice cream, she asked, “What did Mrs. Anderson mean by your friends were already here this morning?”
Cole looked a little taken aback by her question, but he recovered and moved to set the tray at the edge of the bed.
“I talked to Tom, and he agreed to have his security system updated, so I made the arrangements for them to come this morning.” He handed her a bowl. There was a slice of apple pie that filled the entire bowl, along with a scoop of ice cream that was the size of her fist.
She thought for a moment about telling him she wouldn’t be able to finish it all, but then realized she was starving and probably could. She dug in.
“What would it take to have those guys do a system at my house?” she asked, shoveling in her first bite.
“It’s already done,” he said, sitting next to her and kicking off his shoes.
“What?” She stopped and looked over at him as he took his first bite.
“That’s where your father was this morning. He wanted to make sure you were safe from here on out.”
“My… dad…” She was speechless.
“We talked about it yesterday, when you were asleep.” He took another bite. “This is the best apple pie I’ve had in years.”
“Mrs. Anderson bakes the best.” She smiled. “Okay, last question.” She turned to him. “What would it take to get you to sleep in this bed with me tonight?”
* * *
Cole relaxed slightly. “Just try to push me out of it.” He set his bowl down and leaned in to kiss her.
He heard her breath hitch, so he took her half-empty bowl and set it next to his on the nightstand. Gathering her up in his arms, he could tell she was on the verge of tears. “I don’t think I can be by myself yet.”
“You won’t be. It’s why I’m here,” he assured her.
“What about your work?” She glanced over at his cell phone, sitting on the nightstand next to their bowls.
“I’m on leave.” It was only a partial lie. “They know not to call me for the next week.”
“Really?” she asked, her voice sounding hopeful.
“Really.” He smiled and leaned in to kiss her gently. “How’s the head?”
She took a deep breath and rolled her eyes around. “Sore, but it’s not exploding anymore.”
“Good.” He handed her the bowl again. “Finish up, then you can bury your head under the blankets and listen to some TV.”
She nodded and took another bite while he picked up his own bowl.
He checked his phone a few times, making sure the security system was on and setting the alarms on the dozen or so outside cameras so that if so much as a fly passed in front of one of them, he would get pinged.
He wasn’t surprised to see Ashley asleep beside him before the movie he’d started was halfway through. Shutting off the TV, he slipped from the bed and walked around the house, making sure the rest of his provisions were in place.
He found everything where RJ had messaged him things would be. He hoped he wouldn’t need any of the guns, but something told him that, even though he’d slipped his shadow, he couldn’t hide forever.
Walking around the massiv
e house, he made sure every window and door was locked.
The place was bigger than he’d imagined. Tom and Ashley’s family had always called it a cabin. It’s not like he’d expected a one-bedroom place with a fireplace and dirt floors. But it was a six-thousand-square-foot, three-story mansion with five bedrooms, six bathrooms, and a three-story double-faced stone fireplace with massive glass windows on either side. The place looked like something straight out of the movies, not something someone would ever label as a cabin.
The furniture looked new and very stylish. He imagined that Amber had redecorated the place. After all, she had just married the owner of one of Denver’s largest furniture stores. Even the artwork was top notch. He noticed several of Ashley’s pieces hanging on the walls.
The massive kitchen was near the back of the place, and it was stocked full of food. There were more baked goods that he was certain Mrs. Anderson had made for them.
There was a large deck that wrapped around half of the house towards the back. Stepping outside, he enjoyed the view, which was gorgeous.
The house sat near the base of a hill, and the small valley it sat in was narrow and very private. There was only one road in. The Anderson’s place was a few miles back, and Tom’s place was at the end of the road, so it should be easy to make sure no cars came and went without his notice.
There was a chill in the air here in the mountains that wasn’t present in the city. Wrapping his arms around himself, he walked around the house to make sure all the cameras were facing where he wanted them. He couldn’t see any holes in the security, and after circling the entire place, he made sure to lock the door behind him.
He toed off his shoes in the mudroom and noticed the extra boots, coats, and winter clothing hanging up there. He imagined there were skis and other winter items in the garage, but he didn’t go look. He doubled-checked the locked doors and headed back upstairs.
Tom had messaged him about a few upgrades he’d added to the place after Amber’s attack. The secret safe room might come in handy, and he made sure it was stocked with a few things before shutting the panel. Just knowing it was there made him feel better about choosing this location as their hiding place.
He stood over Ashley, watching her sleep, and thought about his next move. One thing was clear—he was going to have to make a decision about her soon. If he continued in this line of work, she would be in danger for the rest of her life. Did he want to force her to live like this? Always looking over her shoulder like he did?
Getting hurt when someone had obviously broken in to get to him? There was no way he wanted to put her through any of that.
Even if that meant, after this week, he’d have to push her away again.
For now, he tossed off his jeans and shirt and crawled under the blankets with her to get some rest for the first time since she’d been attacked.
He woke a few hours later to his phone buzzing. At first, he’d jumped at it, concerned it was an alarm, but then he saw his father’s face on the screen and relaxed. He thought about sending it to voicemail, but then worry flooded him and he jumped up to answer it in the bathroom.
“Dad?”
The worry must have sounded in his voice, because his father’s instant reply was, “We’re okay.”
“Where are you?” he asked.
“Hawaii.” His father sounded relaxed. “Made it here a few hours ago. I thought I’d call to let you know.”
“Thanks.” He relaxed. “How’s the weather on Maui?”
“Perfect, as always. We heard about Ashley.” There was a silence between them. “How’s she doing?”
“I should have warned her.” He ran his hands through his hair, tugging on it slightly. “I should have—”
“Son,” his father interrupted him. “You did what you could. You know you don’t have to play games with your mother and me. If you need us gone for a while, just say so.”
He swallowed the lump in his throat. “Thanks,”
“Any time. We just wanted you to know that we’re proud of you.”
His eyes stung, so he shut them. “I’m proud of you, two. You guys have given up everything in the past few years to help others.”
“I guess you could say we learned from our son on that accord. Take care of Ashley for us and say hi. Oh, and son, you will let us know when it’s safe to come home?”
“We’re hoping to catch whoever did this and have everything cleared up within the next few days.” He leaned against the countertop and relaxed even more.
“I won’t ask too many questions; just tell me you’ll keep Ashley and her family safe.”
“Yes, I have… protection on everyone now that we know what they were after.” He stopped himself from admitting that he was the target.
His father remained silent for a moment. “Enjoy the mountains and tell Ashley we hope she gets better quickly.”
“Bye.” He hung up, smiling and feeling like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
“Do you want to tell me what the hell that was about?” Ashley stood just inside the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest, a scowl on her face.
12
Ashley had heard most of the conversation. Enough to understand that Cole believed that the break-in had something to do with him and wasn’t just a robbery. Besides that, it sounded like he’d sent his parents away.
“Well?” she said, trying to calm herself down, since the increased blood pressure was causing her head to pound. Cole was just looking at her, as if he didn’t know what to say.
“I… it was my dad. They’re in Hawaii.”
“Yes, I figured that much out.” Her eyes narrowed slightly.
He stood suddenly and made his way towards her. Throwing up her hands to ward him off, she waited.
“I was going to tell you…” She waited for him to finish. “Why don’t we head down and get something warm to drink? Some tea or hot chocolate?”
She blocked the way with a simple move. “Don’t think you can avoid this,” she warned.
“No, it’s just, man, it gets cold up here.” He rubbed his arms and it was then that she noticed he was standing there in only his boxers.
She could see his man nipples rising and held in a chuckle. Then, for some reason, she had an intense urge to reach over and touch his chest.
Her eyes traveled up and down him, and she smiled when she noticed his boxers start to tent up in front.
“You keep looking at me like that and we won’t make it far,” he warned. Her eyes snapped back to his when she remembered she was supposed to be mad at him.
“You’ll tell me?” she asked again.
“Yes.” His hands moved to her shoulders. “After I put some clothes on and warm up. Maybe start a fire.”
“Okay.” She moved aside and followed him out.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, pulling on his jeans, a shirt, and a sweatshirt.
“I have a headache,” she admitted. “I could take one of those pills they gave me.”
It was her head that had woken her, not the fact that Cole had left the bed.
He walked over to her and looked into her eyes, then nodded. “Think you can make it down the stairs?”
She sighed, remembering that the master bedroom was a third-floor loft, and that she had to negotiate a massive circular staircase. “Yeah, if you hold onto me. I bet a case of vertigo would be a bitch on those stairs.”
His soft chuckle followed her to the edge of the stairs. She looked down the stairs and was thankful when he reached over and took her arm.
“Steady,” he warned.
“Easy for you to say. Your head isn’t spinning.”
In the next moment, she was in his arms again, closing her eyes. She rested her head against his shoulder.
“Will this ever go away?” she asked, feeling the dizziness consume her again.
“Another reason I was hoping for a smaller cabin.” He sighed.
She looked up at him and focused on
his face as he carried her down the stairs.
“Why do you think the break-in had anything to do with you?”
He set her down on the new furniture Amber had purchased for the cabin a few weeks back. Ashley had spent two entire days helping her sister pick everything out. Tom had wanted her to update the place since it was his grandfather who’d purchased the last furniture.
“Because of the call I received the other morning.” He stood over her. “Coffee, hot chocolate, or tea?”
“Hot chocolate. There should be some marshmallows.” She pointed to the cabinet.
“Do you come up here often?” he asked, making his way to the kitchen.
“Yes, sometimes I come up here to paint. Tom told me years ago that if I ever needed it, to just let Mrs. Anderson know. She’s kept watch over this place since before Tom was born.” She leaned back and rested her eyes. The sun had set, and Cole had turned on several lights.
“It’s not really a cabin,” Cole said from the other room.
She smiled. “It’s an inside joke.” She thought about all the times she and Amber had joked with Tom about the place. Even Aiden had gone in on it.
“So, it sounds like Tom’s stores are doing great.”
She opened her eyes and looked across the room at Cole. “Changing the subject?”
He rolled his eyes and dumped a box of crackers on a plate.
“Just trying to stay up to date.”
“What was the call about?” she asked.
He set the crackers and cheese in front of her.
“It was a warning. I was pulled into the office and briefed that a target might have been given my location.”
“Target?” She waited.
He sat down on the coffee table, his elbows resting on his knees.
“Someone I was supposed to turn in. I had a contact, in Paris, that had set up a meeting with someone who had an in. I can’t divulge too much, but my contact turned out to be someone we’ve been looking for for years and they ended up shooting me instead.”
“You were shot in Paris?” she asked, feeling her heart skip.