Safe Haven (The Protectors Book 1) Read online

  He glanced at Alice. She was watching the river, lost in her thoughts. He just hoped she continued to enjoy the water from a distance. Otherwise, the biggest threat to their safety wouldn’t be the people looking for them—it would be the river itself.

  ***

  Hayley turned over in bed. Living in the middle of woodlands might be pretty, but it was also noisy. Without the sound of traffic close by, she could hear every rustle, squeak, and howl coming from the trees.

  She stared at the full moon through the window. Its light filled her room with a soft glow until clouds fell across its surface. When that happened, she held her breath, waiting for the light to return.

  There was something Tank didn’t know about her, something even she was embarrassed about.

  She was afraid of the dark.

  For years she’d tried different techniques to stop the bone-numbing fear that gripped her when she was surrounded by darkness. Nothing worked. So instead of worrying about power cuts and exploding lightbulbs, she’d invested in an expensive LED nightlight.

  But somehow, after they’d left Sioux City, she’d lost the only thing that kept her nightmares away.

  She turned over again. It didn’t matter how much moonlight filled the room, she couldn’t sleep.

  Her mom wasn’t having the same problem. Tonight, each breath she took was slow and deep. Sleep was sometimes the only respite Alice found from the confusion and frustration of Alzheimer’s.

  Hayley pushed her blankets off and sat on the edge of her bed. There was a lamp in the corner of the living room. If she put one of her T-shirts across the shade and turned it on, it would give her enough light to sleep and wouldn’t wake Tank.

  But she wasn’t in her apartment in Chicago. Electricity didn’t happen as easily as flicking on a switch. There was no way she’d be able to walk into the pitch-black shed and turn the generator on.

  She pulled her sweater over her head. Unlike her bedroom, the living room had two large sets of French doors. It might be enough light to help her relax, and maybe, if she used the techniques she’d learned over the last few years, it would be enough to give her a few hours’ sleep.

  She picked up her pillow and a blanket and headed down the hallway as quietly as she could.

  As soon as she sat on the sofa, she sighed. The moonlight was a lot brighter here than in her room. Within minutes of lying down, she felt herself relax.

  Her mind wandered over the last twenty-four hours, ducking and diving between Tank and her mom. She thought about her sister and the formula they were hiding. At some point she’d need to update Sophie’s website and test her mom to see if the supplement was still working.

  She took a deep breath, cleared her mind, and imagined a green field basking in late afternoon sunlight.

  A floorboard squeaked and her eyes shot open.

  The shadow of someone tall and wide walked toward her. She bit her bottom lip and tried not to cry out.

  “Is that you, Hayley?”

  Tank’s voice cut through her panic and left her feeling like a fool. Of course it was him—apart from her mom, no one else was inside the cabin.

  “It’s me.” She took a deep, shaky breath. “You can go back to bed.”

  “What are you doing out here?”

  She lifted herself onto her elbow and tried to look as though she hadn’t been scared witless. “I couldn’t sleep.”

  “Is your mom having more nightmares?”

  “No, she’s in a deep sleep.” To her horror, Tank sat on the end of the sofa. “You don’t need to stay with me.”

  “I was already awake. Are you worried about what happened in the mall?”

  She was worried, but not for the reasons he thought she’d be. “Mom and I are safer with you than on our own.”

  “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “Do I have to?”

  He sighed. “No, you don’t.”

  Silence settled between them.

  Hayley closed her eyes and burrowed into the sofa. She pulled her blanket higher, but like Tank, it didn’t budge. She felt his gaze on her, the unasked questions hovering between them.

  He cleared his throat. “Do you want me to wait here while you go to sleep?”

  She was so tempted to tell him she was okay, but she wasn’t okay. For the last six years she’d dealt with her demons on her own. Even her sister didn’t know how bad the nightmares had been, or the way her life had changed after being attacked.

  It felt strange to have someone offer to keep her company. But even stranger was how right it felt that the person with her was Tank. Confidence radiated from him, drawing her in and holding her close.

  “You must think I’m a scaredy-cat.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with feeling uneasy.”

  Her hands tightened on the edge of the blanket. “How’s your head?”

  “It’s still sitting on my shoulders, so it can’t be too bad. We might have to stay at the cabin for a few weeks.”

  She pulled her legs close, giving him more room. “I know. How do you feel about that?”

  “It’s my job to keep you safe. It doesn’t matter how I feel.”

  Instead of opening her mouth and saying the first thing that popped into her brain, Hayley chose her words carefully. “You told me this was your granddad’s cabin. You came here after your brother died. It’s more than somewhere for us to stay—it’s your soft place to fall.”

  “It’s a cabin in the woods.”

  The truth behind Tank’s words hid in the shadows of the room. With anyone else, she wouldn’t have pushed for answers he didn’t want to share. But this wasn’t an ordinary situation.

  “What happened to your brother?”

  “He was shot and killed in Afghanistan.” Tank started to move away.

  Hayley leaned forward and touched his arm. “I’m sorry.”

  He hesitated before sitting back down. “It was five years ago.”

  “How old was he when he died?”

  “Thirty-six.”

  “It must have been hard for you and your family.”

  “It was.”

  “Do you see them very often?”

  Tank ran his hand around the back of his neck. “When I can. I’m not all that comfortable talking about my family.”

  She had a feeling he wasn’t comfortable talking about a lot of things that mattered.

  “I’ll try and get some sleep.” Hayley closed her eyes, but she couldn’t stop her mind from spinning in circles. Talking with Tank had stirred up a whole lot of worry about her sister, her mom, and what was going to happen to them.

  Tank moved. “I’ll sit on a chair.”

  She was grateful for the extra room, but it made no difference.

  Hayley breathed deeply, practiced her meditation exercises, but nothing helped. If she was going to be awake, she might as well ask him about the electricity. “I like to see mom during the night. I used a nightlight at the hotel, but I can’t find it anywhere. Do you have a spare flashlight I could use or could I turn on a light?”

  “Turning on a light isn’t a good idea, but I’m sure there’s a flashlight in the hall closet.” He left the chair and headed across the room. “I’ll have a look.”

  “It can wait until the morning,” she said quickly.

  “It’s no trouble,” he whispered from the edge of the room. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  Hayley pushed her blanket away and followed him. “How are you going to see what’s in the closet?”

  Tank stopped so suddenly that she bumped into his back. His hand reached out and grabbed her before she landed on her bottom.

  “You okay?”

  She stepped back. It was just as well it was dark. He wouldn’t see the flash of heat on her face. “Sorry. I was too close.”

  Tank turned away and pulled something out of his pocket. He turned on his satellite phone and a soft light filled the hallway.

  Hayley nearly laughed with the relief pourin
g through her. “If I turned on my cell phone I wouldn’t need a flashlight.”

  “Too dangerous. Someone could track your location.” Tank pulled a box off a shelf and rummaged through the contents.

  He left a pile of old books and magazines on the shelf, a battered board game, and a baseball mitt. It took three tries to find the right box. But when he turned on the flashlight, nothing happened.

  “Maybe it’s broken?”

  He shook his head. “Could be the batteries. Hold this.”

  Tank passed her his phone and she angled the light closer to his hands. The batteries were coated in a thick white powder.

  “Looks like you’ll have to put up with my company tonight. There’s no way these batteries are going to work. They’re too corroded.”

  “I could clean the flashlight,” Hayley said hopefully. “It might work.”

  “The only place this flashlight’s going is in the trash. How important is having a light?”

  Hayley handed him his phone and kept her gaze on his T-shirt. “Very.”

  He closed the closet doors. “We can buy one tomorrow.”

  “But we’re supposed to be hiding. What if someone sees us?”

  “We’ll drive to the store and get there as soon as it opens.”

  “If you go there on your own, no one will know we’re traveling together.”

  Tank held her arm and walked back to the living room. “We need to set some ground rules. You can’t stay here on your own.”

  “Mom and I would be fine.”

  “It’s not open for discussion. We all go to the store or you don’t get your flashlight.”

  Hayley clamped her lips tight. “That’s not fair.”

  “You’re not living in a democracy. While I’m looking after you, you’ll do what I say.”

  She sent him the fiercest glare she could manage. It bounced off him like a stone skimming across the water. “But it doesn’t make sense. Someone’s looking for mom and I, not you. If we all go, there’s more chance they’ll recognize us. They might not know who you are.”

  “After what happened in the mall I’d say they know exactly who I am.”

  Hayley sat on the sofa and closed her eyes. “This is worse than I thought it would be.”

  Tank sat in the chair opposite her. “Money has a way of doing that. Your sister’s supplement could be worth millions of dollars. ”

  She glanced down the hallway toward her room. “It’s worth more than that to the people suffering from Alzheimer’s.”

  Tank watched her for so long that she wondered what was going through his mind. He was complicated, dangerous, and so darn attractive that she knew she had to be careful.

  She pulled her blanket over her legs and curled into a ball. It was too late to dissect the man who was protecting them. There’d be enough time tomorrow to convince him that they would be okay on their own.

  And if her logical reasoning fell on deaf ears, then she guessed they’d all be driving to the store to buy a flashlight.

  ***

  Tank glared at Hayley. “You’re not listening. We all go to the store or no one does.” For the last half hour they’d been cleaning the cabin and arguing about who was going with him.

  Hayley stuck her hands on her hips. “I’ve been looking after Alice for a long time. She’s been cooped up inside your SUV for a few days. It will do everyone good to have a break from each other.”

  He didn’t say anything. He couldn’t protect them from a distance and she knew it.

  “The sooner you go, the sooner you’ll be back.”

  Alice was staring through the window, lost in her own world. She looked tired and so did Hayley. Not that he was surprised. She’d barely had three hours’ sleep last night. Grumpy didn’t come close to describing her mood when she’d woken up.

  “You’ve got a stubborn look on your face,” Hayley said sternly. “If we all go, everyone’s going to know there are three of us staying here. If you go on your own no one will know we’re together.”

  “They will if they saw us in the mall.”

  She waved her hand in the air, swatting away his reasoning like a pesky fly. “Just go, Tank. We’ll be fine.”

  “I don’t like this.”

  “I know you don’t, but we’ll be okay. Someone’s already following us. They hit you over the head and tried to kidnap me. What more could go wrong?”

  “More than you think,” he muttered. “Do you know how to use a hand gun?”

  “No, and I don’t want to.”

  “You might have to change your mind.” He glanced at Alice. “There’s no cell phone coverage out here. If I go to the store, you’ll be on your own.”

  “We’ll be okay. I’ll keep Alice inside with me. Does that mean we can stay?”

  Tank calculated how long it would take to drive to the store. There was only one road in and out of the area. Unless someone had followed them into Ponca, they wouldn’t know they’d stopped at the cabin. The chance of anything happening was remote, but still an issue.

  “You can stay here with Alice. But don’t go anywhere. The river and forest could be as dangerous to your mom as a stranger arriving after I leave.”

  “I’ll make sure mom’s safe.” Hayley walked across to one of her bags and pulled out her wallet.

  “You’re not about to do what I think you are, are you?”

  Four fifty-dollar notes appeared in her hand. “We need food as well as the nightlight. It’s bad enough that you have to look after us without buying our food as well.” She held the money toward him. “I’m not sure how long we’ll be here, but we can always take anything we don’t eat with us.”

  “I’m not buying groceries with your money.”

  “You’re not paying for our food. I’ve got enough money to last at least three months.”

  “In your wallet?”

  Hayley blushed. “And a little more in one of my suitcases.”

  Tank held back a frustrated groan. This was getting worse by the minute. “How much more?”

  “About ten thousand.”

  “Dollars?”

  Hayley nodded.

  He clamped his mouth closed before he said something he’d regret.

  “It’s perfectly safe. No one would know what’s in the suitcase by looking at it.”

  “If someone had broken into the SUV you would have lost everything.”

  “It was a risk I was willing to take. In case you’ve forgotten, mom and I were getting ready to leave the nursing home when you arrived. I had to withdraw a lot of money so I didn’t need to go near a bank.”

  He crossed his arms.

  “I talked to Sophie. She knew what I was doing.”

  “What were you going to do if you ran out of money?”

  “I don’t know, but it wouldn’t have come to that.” She grabbed hold of his hand and put the money in his palm. “Take it. If you don’t leave soon, I’m going to change my mind and go to the store myself.”

  He put Hayley’s money in his pocket. He’d give it back to her later when she was in a better mood. “Don’t open the door to anyone.”

  “I’ll be careful.” She picked up the broom she’d left beside the sofa. “Did you consider hiring someone to keep your cabin clean while you were gone?”

  “I had other things on my mind.” He hadn’t thought about anything after he’d left. Working through the mess his life had become had been his main concern.

  He picked up his keys. “Lock the door after me.”

  “We’ll be fine, Tank. I’ll see you when you get back.”

  He left the cabin before he changed his mind. Hayley Elliott was the most stubborn woman he’d ever met, and she was driving him crazy.

  The sooner they were in Bozeman, the better off everyone would be.

  ***

  Hayley rinsed the dishcloth and scrubbed the kitchen cupboards. She should have gone with Tank. Visiting the local store would have been far better than cleaning the cabin.

/>   She looked across the room and watched Alice. She was tearing an old newspaper into small pieces. Little mounds of paper littered the table.

  “Is everything okay, Alice?”

  Her mom looked at her and frowned. “Tank will be home soon.”

  Hayley nodded. “He said he wouldn’t be long.”

  Alice went back to her newspaper and Hayley sighed. Her mom was unhappy and she didn’t know what to do about it.

  From the moment Tank left the cabin, Alice had been worried. She kept looking through the windows, trying to see if he was in the yard.

  Hayley had sung her mom’s favorite songs as she’d washed the floor. She’d even offered to take her for a walk after Tank returned, but nothing she said made any difference.

  She opened the last cupboard and choked back a scream. The shriveled body of a dead rat lay in a trap. She glanced at the bag of trash beside her mom.

  Hayley hated rodents. It didn’t matter whether they were dead or alive—a rat was a rat. She took the bag of trash to the kitchen and prepared herself for what she had to do.

  With a shaking hand she picked up the broom and nudged the bulging bag closer to the cupboard. Whoever set the trap had done a good job. The rat wouldn’t have stood a chance against the metal bar holding it down.

  She swallowed, swept the broom into the cupboard, and gagged as the rat and the trap slid into the bag.

  As soon as it was in the trash, she reached for the bag, then changed her mind. She wanted to stay as far away as possible from the hairy corpse.

  “Tank’s home!”

  Hayley heard the wheels on her mom’s walker swish across the wooden floor. “The front door is locked, Alice. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  She took one last look at the rat before walking across to her mom.

  “I’ll unlock the door. We can wait on the porch.”

  They stood together as Tank’s SUV stopped in front of them.

  Her mom smiled. “Tank’s home.”

  “Yes, he is.”

  “He’s such a nice man. Nathaniel will enjoy meeting him.”

  Hayley didn’t know what to say, but she knew what she had to do. The bag of trash had to move. If her mom saw the rat’s shriveled corpse she’d have nightmares for a week.

  Tank pulled himself out of his SUV and stared at them over the roof. “I didn’t know I was so popular.”