Safe Haven (The Protectors Book 1) Read online

  Hayley was tempted to say, yes sir, but after his reluctance to eat in the mall she was worried he’d change his mind. “We’ll be as fast as we can.”

  Tank’s gaze locked on hers.

  “I promise.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  Hayley stood beside her mom outside Riddle’s Jewelry store.

  After lunch they’d visited the mall’s restrooms and were heading back to the SUV. Halfway along the walkway, Alice saw a glittering display of jewelry and hadn’t moved from the front of the store.

  Hayley glanced at Tank, waiting for him to tell them to keep moving.

  He shrugged and looked around them. “Another few minutes won’t hurt.”

  Before they’d left the parking lot, they’d put her mom’s supplement into one of Tank’s backpacks. With his hands resting on the shoulder straps, he almost looked like any other person in the mall.

  Alice’s walker moved slowly forward. She looked at a display of rings and sighed.

  “Which one do you like the best?” Hayley asked her mom.

  Alice pointed to a large, sparkling solitaire at the back of the display. “That one. It’s beautiful.”

  Hayley agreed with her mom. It was easily the prettiest in the window. She pointed to another one in the front. “What about the ring with the pink stone? Do you like that as well?”

  “It’s lovely. Nathaniel wouldn’t buy me an engagement ring with a colored stone. It had to be a diamond.”

  Alice let go of her walker and held out her hand, showing Hayley her ring.

  She admired the solitaire diamond, then brought Alice’s hand back to the frame. “It’s beautiful. Your husband has great taste.”

  “Is Nathaniel coming home for dinner soon?” Alice looked around the mall. “We’re not at home.”

  “We’ll be home soon. We’ve just had lunch with Tank.”

  The worry on Alice’s face melted away. “Where is he now?”

  “Right behind us.”

  Alice looked over her shoulder and smiled.

  Tank waved back and Hayley sighed. He might look rough and rugged, but he had a big heart.

  She took another step forward, hoping her mom followed and didn’t get distracted by more jewelry. A sign further along the wide walkway pointed to the exit.

  “Let’s go to Tank’s SUV— ”

  A loud shout and the sound of running feet filled the mall.

  Hayley looked over her shoulder, wondering what was going on. Before she had a chance to see anything, Tank fell sideways and someone crashed into her back. She tried regaining her balance, but she was pushed forward, dragged toward the exit.

  She grabbed hold of the man’s arms, twisting against the tight grip that was getting tighter. She yelled for Tank, screaming at the top of her lungs.

  They were halfway down the corridor that led to the parking lot. The man couldn’t drag her outside. If he threw her into a vehicle, she might never see her mom or sister again.

  Hayley thought of Tank and the pepper spray in her pocket.

  She’d done self-defense classes with her sister. Their instructor had shown them what to do.

  When the man stopped to push his way through the doors, she ignored the voice screaming inside her, telling her to get away.

  Taking a deep breath, she dropped the weight of her body close to the floor.

  His split second of surprise was all she needed. Yanking an arm free, she spun around, punching him hard and fast in his throat.

  He let go of her and staggered backward.

  Hayley pivoted, striking the side of his kneecap with her heel. Ignoring his howl of pain, she lunged forward again, kicking his groin as if it were a wooden door.

  He staggered backward and she ran into the main corridor, frantically looking for Tank and her mom.

  A security guard rushed toward her. “Are you all right?”

  “A man tried to kidnap me. He’s down there.” Hayley pointed to the corridor and searched for Tank.

  The guard yelled something over his shoulder and ran past her.

  She couldn’t see her mom or Tank; couldn’t see anything except the worried faces of the people around her.

  Another man in a uniform ran toward her. “Come with me. I’ll take you to the medical center.”

  She wasn’t going anywhere with someone she didn’t know. “I need to find my mom.”

  “Another security guard has taken her to a doctor.”

  Hayley looked around the mall. “I don’t believe you.” She put her hand in her pocket and held onto her pepper spray. No one would get near her again.

  “Hayley?”

  She turned around and rushed toward Tank. Blood dripped down the side of his face, splashing a red tide of color against his shirt. “Are you okay?”

  “I’ll survive. Are you hurt?”

  She shook her head.

  “Let’s go.”

  He held her arm and ran toward an elevator. The guard followed them and Tank pushed the button for the second floor.

  “Is mom all right?” She took a handful of tissues out of her pocket. “Hold still.” Tank didn’t move while she held the tissues over the gash on the side of his head.

  “She got more of a fright than anything. Oww, that hurts.”

  “It’s supposed to stop the bleeding. You need stitches.”

  If Tank’s face wasn’t pale before, it definitely was now. “I’ll be okay. I’ve got some butterfly clips in my first-aid kit.”

  “Butterfly clips won’t help.” She looked at the open wound before replacing the tissues against his head. “You need antibiotics and pain relief. Between the cut and the bruising, you’re going to have a huge headache.”

  He took the tissues out of her hand and held them against his head. “I’m sorry.”

  “What for?”

  “I shouldn’t have let anyone get close to you.”

  “It’s not your fault. You were right behind us.”

  He leaned against the elevator wall. “I’m supposed to be looking after you. It shouldn’t have happened.”

  “Someone hit the side of your head. They knew you were protecting us. You’re lucky they didn’t shoot you.”

  The elevator stopped and the guard looked at them. “You were both lucky no one had a gun. The medical center is down this way. The police will want you to talk to you.”

  She looked at Tank’s head.

  “I’m not having stitches,” he muttered.

  “You’re supposed to keep us safe. You can’t do that if you die from blood loss.”

  Tank stopped outside a set of glass doors and looked closely at her. “How did you get away from the person who grabbed you?”

  She took a deep breath. “I did self-defense classes in Chicago a few years ago. I remembered what to do.”

  “Most people would be upset by now. What’s going on?”

  “I’m tougher than I look.”

  “Is that why your bottom lip is trembling?”

  It wasn’t his words that brought a lump to her throat, or even when he opened his arms. It was the softening of his eyes, the understanding that went deeper than words.

  She rested her head against his shoulder. If Tank knew what had happened six years ago, he’d know how important it was for her to be able to look after herself.

  He wrapped his arms around her. She felt like a caterpillar in a warm cocoon, buffeted from the shock sneaking through her belly, leaving her shaky and scared.

  She hugged him tight, then stepped away. “Thank you.”

  “You don’t have to be brave all the time.”

  A fresh set of tears filled her eyes. “I don’t have much choice.”

  Tank lifted his hand and pushed a lock of hair off her face. “Everyone has a choice. Your mom is okay and you will be, too.”

  “What about you,” she whispered.

  “I gave up being okay a long time ago. Let’s go and see your mom.”

  The security guard from the mall opened t
he doors.

  She wiped her eyes and looked around the medical center.

  Alice was sitting on a sofa, eating a cookie and chatting with a police officer.

  After seeing the damage that dementia did to a person’s life, this might be the only time she was grateful her mom had Alzheimer’s.

  ***

  Hayley took Tank’s backpack across to the sink in the medical center. “Three of the containers of supplement are damaged.”

  He closed his eyes and tried not to worry. “Can you salvage any of the liquid?”

  “It soaked into the T-shirts we put in the bag, but it doesn’t matter. We’ve got enough for the next four days.”

  Tank knew it mattered a lot more than Hayley realized. “I’m not driving to Bozeman.”

  She took the T-shirts out of the backpack and rinsed them under the faucet. “I didn’t think you would. I know how stubborn you can be, but even you wouldn’t drive with your head injury. I can drive tomorrow.”

  He waited for the nurse to leave before telling Hayley the bad news. “We’re not going to Bozeman tomorrow, either. It’s not safe for us to be on the road.”

  “But we only have enough supplement for a few days. My sister needs at least a week’s notice to courier more containers to me.”

  “I’m sorry, Hayley, but we don’t have a choice. We need to disappear until Fletcher Security find whoever’s responsible for what happened today.”

  “That could take ages. Mom doesn’t have that long.”

  Her eyes filled with tears, making him doubt what years of training and experience were telling him. “You and your mom are in more danger than we thought. If someone’s willing to kidnap you in the middle of a mall, they’ll do a lot worse once we’re on the road. We can’t risk your safety.”

  “If it were just me they were after, I’d do whatever you said. But mom needs more supplement.”

  He sat upright and waited for the room to stop spinning.

  “What are you doing? The nurse said to lie on the bed.”

  “I’m not an invalid. I’ll be fine in a few minutes.”

  Hayley walked across the room and pointed at his chest. “I don’t care how macho you think you should be, it doesn’t work around me. You could have a fractured skull. You’re not getting off that bed.”

  “Your mom needs me.”

  “Mom is fine. A police officer is with her and a nurse is keeping her happy with chocolate chip cookies. Lie down.”

  “I’m not sick,” he growled.

  “You’re not moving until the doctor has stitched the cut on your head.”

  He glared at her. With her hands planted on her hips, she looked as ferocious as anyone he’d served under.

  She pushed against his shoulder. “Down.”

  He sent her the type of look that made most people shake in their boots.

  “If that’s your best shot, you’re in serious trouble. Patients in nursing homes have more attitude than that.”

  He closed his eyes and decided to give in. Besides the room spinning in slow circles, his stomach was doing strange things. He put his head on the sorry excuse for a pillow and wished he hadn’t moved.

  Hayley cursed then grabbed his shoulder. “Vomit bowl on your left.”

  Tank had never heard sweeter words. He turned sideways and regretted having lunch. When the worst was over, Hayley replaced the bowl with a clean one and handed him a glass of water.

  “Rinse your mouth with this. When the nurse gets back I’ll see if they’ve got any mouthwash.”

  He was too grateful to point out that they weren’t here to make sure he had fresh breath. He was here for other reasons. Reasons that involved big needles and lots of injections.

  The door opened and a man in a white coat walked toward them.

  “I’m Doctor Davies. You must be Tank.”

  He tried nodding but didn’t get very far. Pain shot through his head and almost blinded him. “Nice to meet you, doc. I don’t need stitches.”

  “We’ll talk about that soon. The good news is that the X-rays are back. You haven’t fractured your skull. I’m transferring you to the hospital after we’ve stitched your wound. You have a concussion and need to be monitored.”

  Tank’s heart rate went into overdrive. He didn’t know how the day could get much worse. “I don’t need to go to the hospital. I’ve been in worse situations.”

  “That may be the case, but I’m not prepared to risk your health.”

  “Hayley’s a nurse.” He didn’t care if he sounded desperate. He liked hospitals almost as much as he liked needles.

  “You need to go to—” The doctor’s voice petered out.

  Hayley put her hand on the doctor’s arm. “What if we stay somewhere close to the hospital? I could watch Tank. If I have any concerns, I’ll take him straight to the ER.”

  Doctor Davies stared at Hayley. “Do you think he will listen to you?”

  “If he doesn’t, I’ll call for backup. A paramedic will know what to do with him.”

  Tank didn’t want to think about what that might involve. “I’ll listen,” he said with a sigh.

  Doctor Davies glanced at him before looking at the nurse who walked into the room. “We’re ready to suture Tank’s wound. If you could take the pressure bandage off his head, I’ll get the anesthetic ready.”

  Tank closed his eyes. His palms were sweaty and his stomach felt like a roller coaster. “I can’t do this.”

  Hayley patted his shoulder. “It’s going to be all right. By the end of the day you’ll be grateful for the pain relief.”

  “Is that supposed to be reassuring?”

  “It’s the truth. After today, Tylenol is going to be your friend.”

  He took a deep breath as the nurse unwrapped his bandage. The doctor moved closer. He didn’t need to open his eyes to see the huge needle in his hands.

  Forget sweaty palms—his whole body was a quivering wreck. “Can’t you knock me out with something? I’m not good with needles.”

  “You’ll be fine,” Doc Davies said in a voice that was starting to grate on Tank’s nerves. “Look at Hayley and tell me what you did yesterday.”

  Tank didn’t think he’d want to know they were on the run. The range of suspects could include hitmen, the mafia or a corrupt pharmaceutical company. It wasn’t the kind of conversation opener that could be called small talk.

  “Keep as still as possible. You’ll feel a slight pinch. Once the anesthetic starts working you won’t feel a thing.”

  He’d heard that before. It hadn’t worked then and it darn well wasn’t working now. He bit back a curse and gripped the edge of the bed.

  “Mom’s enjoying her cookies. I don’t think she’ll want dinner, but she could surprise me.”

  Hayley’s voice slipped between the terror turning his body to ice and the needle pushing through his skin.

  “When I checked on her she was telling the nurse about her wedding day. I would have recorded it on my phone for Sophie if…”

  She didn’t have to finish what she was saying. He’d let her down. Again.

  “…but it doesn’t matter. I’m going to think positive thoughts. One day, mom will tell Sophie the same story.”

  Another one of those ‘slight pinches’ sunk into his head. He screwed his eyes tight, reciting every Hail Mary his misspent youth had imprinted on his brain.

  “It’s my birthday next week,” Hayley said in an overly cheerful voice. “Before we left Chicago, I’d planned on going to the theater with my friends. We bought tickets to Finding Neverland at the Cadillac Palace. Someone I know saw it when it first opened and said it was fantastic. Do you like going to the theater, Tank?”

  “Sometimes.” He winced as another shot of anesthetic stung like crazy.

  Doc Davies smiled. “The first part is over. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  Tank breathed a sigh of relief.

  “You did great,” Hayley whispered. “Another few minutes and we’ll be fi
nished.”

  He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the sound of the doctor’s footsteps getting closer.

  “Are you ready for the wound to be stitched?”

  “Can’t you superglue the edges together? It’s worked before.”

  Doc Davies looked at the jagged scar on his jaw. “We can do better than that. You’ll only feel a slight tug of the skin.”

  “It will all be over soon,” Hayley added. “Would it help if you held my hand?”

  That was the last thing he wanted. He’d break her fingers and have something else to feel guilty about. “I’ll be fine.”

  He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

  Doc Davies moved closer and started stitching. “I’ve done this thousands of times,” he said as the needle sliced through Tank’s skin. “You won’t see the scar.”

  Tank concentrated on the weight of Hayley’s hand as it rested on his arm. If Doc Davies could see his back, he wouldn’t be worried about another scar.

  “You’re nearly halfway there,” Hayley said. “Take a deep breath—that’s it. And again…”

  He followed her lead, breathing through the push and pull of the needle.

  “Tell me about the last show you saw in a theater,” Hayley said.

  “I saw The Wizard of Oz a few months ago.”

  “Wow. I wouldn’t have taken you for a Dorothy fan.”

  “It was part of a surprise for a friend.”

  “You have friends who like The Wizard of Oz?”

  He opened his eyes. “There’s nothing wrong with expanding your cultural horizons.”

  “With the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and the Wicked Witch of the West?”

  “You forgot the Scarecrow.”

  Hayley smiled and the knot inside his stomach unraveled.

  “Nearly there,” Doc Davies said. “I’m finishing the last stitch.”

  Tank closed his eyes. Instead of thinking about the needle in the doctor’s hand, he replayed what had happened after the musical.

  John Fletcher, his boss and closest friend, had found love in the most unexpected place.

  For the first time in a long while, Tank wondered what it would be like to be loved so deeply that nothing about his past mattered.

  “You can open your eyes now,” Hayley said quietly. “You’re almost as good as new.”