Safe Haven (The Protectors Book 1) Read online

  A flash of headlights lit the forest. Tank ran faster, pushing himself to catch the vehicle before it left.

  The sound of an engine filled the air as he cleared the last line of trees.

  He ran forward, memorizing the license plate number as the SUV sped away.

  Leaning forward, he sucked in great lungfuls of air. Standing here wasn’t going to help him find the person who had been on his property.

  He took a flashlight out of his pocket and walked along the dirt track. With any luck the intruder would have left something behind, but he saw nothing.

  The cabin wasn’t far away. Hayley would be wondering what was happening.

  Tank quickened his stride as dread crept along his spine. If the person he’d been following had been a decoy, Hayley and her mom could be in danger. He kept moving forward, clearing his mind of any worst case scenarios. Hayley knew how to stay safe, but she wouldn’t stand a chance against someone if they had a gun.

  Halfway along the trail, he froze. Tank turned off his flashlight and moved behind the trunk of an oak tree. With a steady hand, he raised his gun and waited.

  Someone was walking toward him. Their flashlight lit the forest, shimmering against the ground like the beam of a spacecraft in an old science fiction movie.

  They were being careful, moving slowly through the trees.

  His breathing slowed, his mind focused on where the person was heading. If they’d been left behind they’d be worried, looking for the fastest way off his property.

  There was no other reason for them to be walking toward the firebreak.

  In a few minutes they’d be standing in front of him. If he moved quickly, he could circle behind them and catch them off guard. But if he did that, they might hear him, eliminating any advantage he might have. So Tank stayed where he was, waiting until they were close.

  They hesitated and he spun toward the flashlight. “Who are you and what are you doing on my property?”

  The flashlight crashed to the ground. A female voice cursed something fierce and his heart rate sped out of control.

  “Hayley?” Tank stepped away from the trees. If he’d been annoyed before, he was angry now. “I could have killed you. I told you not to leave the cabin.”

  “You nearly gave me a heart attack.” She picked up her flashlight and shone it toward him. “You’ve got a gun.”

  He looked down at his hand and put his gun away. He took a deep breath. His body shook as he tried to calm down. “You were supposed to stay with your mother. You know it’s too dangerous out here, but did you listen to me? No. Every time I tell you to do something you deliberately ignore me.”

  “I heard a gunshot. I thought you were hurt.”

  “It wasn’t a gunshot. It was one of the traps I’d set further away from the cabin.”

  “I didn’t know that.”

  Tank walked past her, holding onto his temper before it got the better of him. “We need to get back to the cabin. There could be more people out here.”

  Hayley followed, jogging to keep up with his long-legged stride. “I’m sorry.”

  “You shouldn’t have come out here.”

  “I didn’t want you to bleed to death.”

  “If you’d stayed inside you would have seen I wasn’t hurt.”

  Hayley stumbled over a tree root. “And how long was I supposed to wait for you to tell me you were okay?”

  “You knew what you were supposed to do. Where’s Alice?”

  “She’s still asleep. I locked the door behind me.”

  He scowled as Hayley’s flashlight lit the trees around them.

  “Point the light at the ground and stay behind me. As soon as we get back to the cabin we’re leaving.”

  She didn’t say anything.

  They walked through the trees in silence. Tank’s heart was still pounding in his chest. But instead of anger, fear kept him silent. He could have shot her, killed her like he’d killed his brother. The months of visits to military psychologists meant nothing as he powered his way toward the cabin.

  He needed to get away from Hayley, sort through the terror clawing at his body, tearing at the strategies he’d put in place to protect himself from the past.

  “Slow down, Tank. I can’t keep up with you.”

  He shortened his stride. “I’ll load your suitcases into my SUV. Wake Alice and make sure she’s ready to travel.”

  “What about your boss? Does he need to know we’re leaving?”

  “I’ll call him as soon as I can.”

  “He could let Sophie know where we’re going.”

  Tank kept moving. Hayley’s sister was the least of his worries. He had the license plate of the vehicle that had sped away from the firebreak. If Fletcher Security tracked down the owner, they could be close to finding out who was following Hayley and her mom.

  “Turn your flashlight off,” he whispered. “We’re nearly at the cabin.”

  The light disappeared and Hayley stood quietly behind him. He pulled out his gun and searched the shadows around them. “We’re going to move quickly to the cabin. Be prepared to unlock the front door in a hurry.”

  “I’m ready.”

  “Let’s go.”

  With one last look around the yard, Tank stepped out of the trees. Hayley stayed one footstep behind him.

  As soon as the cabin door was closed he moved to the windows, looking for any sign of movement.

  Hayley left her flashlight and keys on the dining table. “I’ll pack our bags and wake mom.”

  He ignored the hurt in her voice. He needed to distance himself from her and this was as good a time as any to start.

  ***

  Hayley couldn’t believe it was less than twenty-four hours since they’d left the cabin. While her mom had been getting ready to leave, Tank called the police. He told them what had happened and gave them the license plate of the SUV he’d seen.

  Against their advice, they’d left Safe Haven, driving for two hours until they’d stopped at a motel north of Wichita.

  After Tank called his boss, everything happened at once. Tickets were booked on the next flight to Bozeman and two of Tank’s team arrived to look after them.

  Hayley was glad they’d come to the airport as close to their departure time as they could. Her mom looked nervous and that wasn’t a good sign.

  She helped Alice settle into her seat for their flight to Bozeman.

  Samantha and Connor, Tank’s team mates, would sit either side of them.

  Tank was at the back of the plane. He’d told Alice it was because he needed to watch the passengers, but that wasn’t the only reason.

  He hadn’t said much since they’d left the cabin. He was moody and withdrawn, spending most of his time on his own. He was still angry at her for following him into the woods. It didn’t matter how many times she tried to talk to him—he didn’t want to listen.

  She liked Tank, but it was hard not to take his bad mood personally. She knew she’d made a mistake, but she’d done it for the right reasons. He couldn’t leave his anger behind and it was confusing and frustrating trying to talk to him.

  It didn’t help that they were all exhausted. Alice wasn’t sleeping, which meant no one was sleeping. In her lucid moments, her mom was worried about their safety, too.

  Connor folded himself into the aisle seat beside Hayley. “We shouldn’t be sitting on the runway for long. How’s Alice?”

  “The medication the doctor gave her is helping to calm her nerves, but the real test will be when the pilot starts the engines. Giving her headphones so she could listen to music was a good idea.”

  “It might distract her.” Connor looked at her and frowned. “It’s going to be all right.”

  After what they’d been through, Hayley doubted anything would ever be all right again. Her sister’s supplement had unleashed all kinds of crazy people. Even if Sophie’s patent application was approved, Hayley had a feeling the craziness would get worse.

  A flight a
ttendant stood in the aisle, ready to begin their safety instructions.

  Hayley held her mom’s hand, hoping everything worked out for the best.

  Alice smiled and squeezed her fingers. “The last time I went on an airplane was when your dad took me to New York. Where are we going today?”

  “We’re going to Bozeman to see Sophie.”

  “Sophie lives in Bozeman? When did she move there?”

  “A little while ago. She likes Montana.”

  Her mom didn’t look as though she believed her.

  “Are you ready for the flight?” Hayley asked.

  “I’m feeling sleepy.”

  She passed her mom a neck cushion she’d bought at the airport. “If you’d like to sleep you could slip this around your neck.”

  Alice shook her head. “I’ll be all right, but Tank might want to use it. Where is he?”

  Hayley glanced at the back of the plane. “He’s sitting behind us. He’ll be okay.”

  Tank’s gaze collided with hers. She looked away before he saw how worried she was. She unwrapped a cotton blanket and wrapped it around her mom’s shoulders. “This will keep you warm.”

  “Tank needs to sit with us,” Alice said. “It can’t be easy protecting us from the back of the plane.”

  Hayley stared at her mom. “You remember what Tank does?”

  “Of course I remember. Tank is a security specialist. He told me he looks after people and their possessions. Did you know that he looked after a real sheik last year? He traveled with him to Dubai.”

  Hayley’s eyes widened.

  “It was part of an undercover operation,” her mom whispered as her eyes closed. “Top secret…”

  Hayley tucked the blanket around her mom as she drifted off to sleep. “I love you, mom.”

  Alice’s head fell to the side.

  Connor clicked his seatbelt into place. “She heard you.”

  “I hope so.”

  “Don’t worry. It won’t take long to fly to Bozeman.”

  Hayley was too distracted to do more than nod. She wasn’t sure how much Connor knew about them or why they were being followed. Telling him about the supplement her sister had developed was more than she could handle right now.

  He passed her another blanket. “Try to get some sleep. We’ll be in Bozeman before you know it.”

  She looked at her mom, then unwrapped the blanket. When they arrived in Montana, her sister would be waiting for them. They’d talk about what was happening and work out what they were going to do next.

  Hayley looked over her shoulder at Tank.

  He was studying each of the passengers and looking more intimidating than usual.

  He had a lot of things to work through as well. The conversation he wanted to have with his parents wouldn’t be easy. And if their reaction was as bad as he thought it would be, he might not smile for a long time.

  ***

  Hayley held her mom’s arm as they walked into the Bozeman Police Department.

  She couldn’t believe they were finally here. After everything that had happened, she felt like an outsider looking at another person’s life. It was surreal and a little scary.

  The police officer behind the front counter opened a door and led them down a long corridor.

  Alice stopped and looked over her shoulder at Tank. “Have you visited this police department before?”

  “Once or twice. Do you need your walker?”

  A smile lit her face. “Not at the moment. I feel twenty years younger after the sleep I had.”

  Hayley waited for her mom to start walking again. She didn’t dare look at Tank. They’d nearly had an argument on the plane. He’d overheard her telling Connor she’d hurt her ribs in the woods outside his cabin. Whatever sense of humor he still possessed disappeared fast.

  Anyone would think she couldn’t look after herself. If it hadn’t been for her mom, he would have taken her to the hospital as soon as they landed. She knew nothing was broken, but Tank, as usual, thought he knew better than everyone else.

  The police officer stopped and turned to her. “You’ve got a welcoming committee waiting for you. Are you ready to see your sister?”

  Tears filled her eyes. “It feels like I haven’t seen her in years.”

  As soon as the door opened, Sophie jumped up from her seat and ran toward her. “I’m so glad you’re all right. I can’t believe what’s happened.”

  Sophie’s arms wrapped around Hayley. “Don’t squeeze too tight,” she gasped. “I bruised my ribs.”

  Tank made a scoffing noise. “It’s not the only thing she bruised. Your sister thinks she knows how to look after herself. It’s a pity her listening skills aren’t as good as her confidence.”

  Hayley rolled her eyes. “Ignore him. He’s grouchy because he’s not going to have anyone to boss around.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” Sophie asked.

  “I’m as okay as I’m ever going to be. You don’t know how good it is to see you. When we moved from Fort Wayne, I was worried someone would come after you. Tank took us so far into the wilderness we couldn’t contact anyone.”

  “Safe Haven isn’t exactly the wilderness,” he said without a smile.

  “You’re right. A gas station and a store are about twenty minutes away. I could have closed my eyes and pretended I was in Manhattan. It was a pity about the cell phone coverage. It let the big city thing down.”

  Tank’s eyes narrowed. “You didn’t seem that upset when we were at my cabin.”

  Hayley opened her mouth, then closed it. “No. I guess I wasn’t.”

  Sophie looked at her. She didn’t need to say anything.

  Hayley didn’t usually get annoyed, but stranger things had happened over the last few weeks.

  Then her sister did the unthinkable. She walked across to Tank and kissed his cheek. “Thank you. I don’t know how I can ever repay you for looking after my mom and sister.”

  He looked at Hayley and for a split second she wondered what he was going to say. He wasn’t smiling, but Tank rarely smiled. He almost looked as sorry as she was for the way this would end.

  “It was my job to make sure they were safe,” he said.

  Tank’s words pushed on something Hayley had tried to ignore. She liked him. More than liked him. But he had other plans that didn’t include her.

  Sophie’s gaze settled on their mom. “Mom’s walking on her own?”

  Hayley turned to her sister and smiled. “She’s doing so well. The last two weeks have been incredible. I’ve kept notes.”

  “There’s no need to talk about me as if I weren’t here.”

  Sophie’s mouth dropped open. “Mom? Do you know where you are?”

  Their mom looked around the room, then back at Sophie. “I’m in a police station. Tank is such a nice man.”

  Hayley could see the questions in her sister’s gaze. “For some reason, mom remembers everything about Tank.”

  Sophie stepped close to their mom and rubbed her arm. “It’s good to see you. Can I give you a hug?”

  “It’s about time. I thought I was going to have to wait until Christmas.”

  Sophie’s eyes filled with tears as they hugged each other. “You know who I am?”

  Alice’s arms tightened around her elder daughter. “Of course I do. I’m your mother. Anyone would think I haven’t seen you in years. Have you finished painting your apartment?”

  Sophie looked confused.

  Hayley had been at the nursing home when their mom had helped Sophie choose a soft green color for the walls of her apartment.

  “In Chicago,” Hayley whispered.

  Sophie nodded. “It’s all done. The color is incredible.”

  Tank pulled a chair out from the table. “Sit down, Alice. You’ve been standing for long enough.”

  She sat in the plastic chair. “Thank you. And who do we have here?” She looked at the other two men in the room.

  One of the men stepped forward and shook A
lice’s hand. “John Fletcher, ma’am. Tank works for me.”

  Hayley’s eyes widened. Tank’s boss wasn’t the middle-aged, slightly balding, business owner she’d expected. He was taller than Tank, with dark hair, blue eyes, and an incredible smile.

  Tank cleared his throat and glared at her.

  She didn’t know why he was back to his moody self. She looked at John, then back at Tank. When she realized what his problem was, she glared right on back. It wasn’t illegal to appreciate a handsome man.

  Alice didn’t notice the tension between her daughter and the man who could do no wrong. “Did I tell you what a lovely man Tank is?”

  John smiled, then pointed to the man beside him. “This is Ryan Evans. Sophie’s been working with him for the last few weeks.”

  Hayley didn’t miss the soft blush on her sister’s face or the look she sent Ryan. Her sister hadn’t had a boyfriend in years. She didn’t have time for a man in her life, but she liked her boss. More than liked him if the smile on her face was anything to go by.

  Alice frowned at Ryan. “You don’t look like a scientist. What kind of research do you do?”

  “I’m not a scientist,” he said. “I’m a musician.”

  “A musician? My husband plays the piano. He has such a wonderful way with music. Every night before we go to bed he plays me a different song. Is Nathaniel meeting us here?”

  “Dad had to stay at work, mom,” Hayley replied. “He’ll be home later.”

  The smile on Sophie’s face faded and she looked heartbroken.

  Hayley wrapped her arm around her sister’s waist. “She’ll be back. Sometimes it takes a day or two, but her memory’s getting better. Have you made more of the supplement?”

  Ryan looked at Sophie and Hayley. “Before you start discussing the supplement, we need to work out where everyone’s sleeping tonight. Your mom looks tired.”

  “Already sorted,” John said. “Tess has offered to have everyone at her house. We’ve got extra security guards in place to keep an eye on Alice.”

  Tank moved away from the door. “I’ll head back to my place after your mom is settled.”