HE GLANCED AT HER FROM HIS POSITION. “I’M NOT GOING ANYWHERE UNTIL I KNOW YOU’RE SAFE. AND YOU’RE NOT SAFE IN THIS CABIN.I’M AT ABOUT FIFTY PERCENT RIGHT NOW AND I DIDN’T HAVE ANY PROBLEM BREAKING INTO THIS PLACE. YOU NEED A SECURITY SYSTEM.”
“YEAH RIGHT, LIKE I CAN AFFORD SOMETHING LIKE THAT. I CAN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF, EPHRAIM. AND AS FOR BEING IN DANGER, WHEN YOU’RE GONE, I’LL BE FINE,” SHE SAID. IT MIGHT BE HARSH BUT THERE IT WAS.
“NOT NECESSARILY. IF THE PERSON FOLLOWING YOU THINKS I GAVE YOU INFORMATION OR SOMETHING EQUALLY IMPORTANT, THEN YOU WOULD STILL BE AT RISK IF I LEFT. AND EVEN AT FIFTY PERCENT, I CAN PROTECT YOU. NOW, YOU GOT ANY MORE OF THOSE ASPIRIN? I THINK I NEED A BOTTLE OR TWO.”
SHE LIFTED HER EYES TO THE SKY AND SENT UP A PRAYER FOR HELP IN NOT KILLING THE MAN AS SHE WENT INTO THE BATHROOM AND SOUGHT OUT HER EXTRA STRENGTH HEADACHE MEDICINE. SHE TOOK IT ONCE A MONTH SO SHE KEPT AN ADEQUATE SUPPLY. SHE GAVE IT TO HIM AND THEN HE ASKED TO BORROW HER CELL.
“WHAT FOR?”
“I NEED TO CALL MY BOSS.”
“YOU REMEMBER YOUR BOSS?” SHE ASKED SUSPICIOUSLY. HE WAS REMEMBERING THINGS CONVENIENT TO HIM, IT SEEMED AND NOT OF USE TO HER.
“I REMEMBERED THAT YESTERDAY, OR AT LEAST HIS NAME. HANK PATTERSON. HE RUNS A PROTECTION AGENCY. AND DON’T LOOK AT ME THAT WAY. IT’S ON THE UP AND UP. HE HIRES EX-MILITARY MEN LIKE ME TO DO BODYGUARD WORK, SECURITY, THINGS LIKE THAT. I’VE BEEN WORKING FOR HIM FOR A FEW MONTHS.”
“SO, YOU ARE MILITARY.”
“EX,” HE CORRECTED HER THEN AT HER ARCHED BROW HE QUIRKED A GRIN. “YEAH, I GUESS I’LL ALWAYS BE MILITARY IF YOU SCRATCH DEEP ENOUGH.”
WITH SOME MISGIVING, SHE HANDED HIM THE PHONE AND WATCHED AS HE SLOWLY BUT SURELY PUNCHED IN A NUMBER. WHEN THE FAINT SOUNDS OF RINGING CAME THROUGH SHE SAID, “PUT IT ON SPEAKER, PLEASE.”
HE STARTED TO REFUSE THEN, WITH A LOOK AT HER,PUNCHED THE SPEAKER FEATURE ON THE CALL. WHEN HANK ANSWERED HE IDENTIFIED HIMSELF AND FILLED HIS BOSS IN ON THE SITUATION. “THE THING IS, HANK, I DON’T KNOW WHO’S ON MY TAIL. I HAVE SOME GAPS IN MY MEMORY AND I DON’T KNOW IF IT’S CONNECTED WITH A JOB I’VE BEEN DOING FOR YOU OR SOMETHING ELSE.”
HANK’S VOICE CAME THROUGH LIKE THE MAN, SOLID AND SURE. “YOU FINISHED UP A JOB WITH THE GOVERNOR’S KID LAST WEEK. TOLD ME IT WAS THE MOST STRESSFUL ‘VACATION’ YOU’D EVER BEEN ON.”
“OH, YEAH. NOW I REMEMBER.” SINCE HE’D BEEN WORKING WITH HANK, HE’D BEEN ON A SORT OF PROBATION. HE’D NOT HAD THE BEST REPUTATION WHEN HE’D WORKED AS FREE LANCE PROTECTION. HE REALLY HADN’T CARED FOR A LONG TIME WHAT CALIBER OF CLIENT HE TOOK ON, AND IT ALMOST BIT HIM IN THE END. AN ENCOUNTER WITH A BROTHERHOOD PROTECTOR AND HIS WOMAN HAD CURED EPHRAIM OF THAT. NOW, HE WAS WORKING FOR A MAN WHO DIDN’T TAKE SHADY CHARACTERS ON, AND HE LIKED IT. BUT HE’D BEEN ASSIGNED PETTY JOBS, LIKE ESCORTING A MINOR CELEBRITY TO AN OPENING AND THE LAST JOB HE’D HAD, BABYSITTING A SITTING GOVERNOR’S SON ON VACATION SO HE WOULDN’T DO SOMETHING STUPID AND RUIN HIS DADDY’S REELECTION CHANCES.
“THAT WAS IT. I TOLD YOU TO TAKE A COUPLE DAYS OFF TO REST UP THEN I WAS GOING TO GIVE YOU ANOTHER JOB. DO YOU THINK THIS IS CONNECTED WITH SOME JOB YOU’VE HAD IN THE PAST?”
“THAT’S JUST IT. I DON’T KNOW.” EPHRAIM DIDN’T BOTHER TO HIDE HIS FRUSTRATION AND HE SAW SOPHIE RELAX. SHE’D THOUGHT HE WAS KEEPING SOMETHING FROM HER. WELL, IF HE WAS, HE WAS HOLDING IT BACK FROM HIMSELF TOO.
“OKAY. LET’S DO THIS. I’LL PUT SWEDE AND HIS TEAM ON THIS. THEY CAN LOOK AND SEE WHO’S IN THE AREA THAT MIGHT BE CONNECTED TO YOU AND YOUR PAST DEALINGS. AND IN THE MEANTIME, YOU GO OVER THAT THICK HEAD OF YOURS AND SEE IF YOU CAN STIR ANYTHING UP.”
“WILL DO, BUT THERE’S ONE MORE THING, HANK. THE LADY THAT HELPED ME MIGHT BE AT RISK TOO.” HE WATCHED SOPHIE AS HE FILLED HANK IN ON HER SITUATION AND WHEN HIS BOSS OFFERED TO SEND SOMEONE OUT TO HELP, HE AUTOMATICALLY REFUSED. HE WANTED TO BE THE MAN TO WHOM SHE TURNED IN NEED. AND HE WAS FULLY CAPABLE, EVEN IF HE DIDN’T FEEL UP TO SQUASHING A BUG RIGHT NOW. HANK AGREED RELUCTANTLY TO LET HIM DEAL WITHSOPHIE FOR NOW AND THEY DISCONNECTED.
SHE ACCEPTED HER TELEPHONE WITH HOODED EYES. “YOU HAVE ENOUGH ENEMIES IN YOUR PAST THAT YOU WORRY THEY MAY HAVE CAUGHT UP WITH YOU? WHAT WERE YOU?”
“I WAS A GUY WHO DIDN’T CARE WHO I WORKED FOR,” HE SAID SIMPLY. “AS LONG AS THEY HAD THE MONEY, I HAD THE EXPERTISE TO DO WHAT THEY WANTED. AND THAT LANDED ME IN HOT WATER A YEAR OR SO AGO. I ENDED UP ALMOST DYING.”
“AND NOW, YOU’RE REDEEMED?” SHE ASKED SARCASTICALLY.
HE GRINNED RUEFULLY. “NO, JUST AWARE OF THE BUTTERFLY AFFECT. EVERY ACTION CAUSES A REACTION, KARMA. WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT. I JUST FIGURED OUT I DIDN’T WANT TO BE THE KIND OF GUY THAT SOMEONE MIGHT LEAVE AT THE BOTTOM OF A CLIFF.”
CHAPTER 5
“What are you doing?”Sophie halted in the space between her living area and kitchen. Ephraim was on his knees and sticking a long wooden rod that looked suspiciously like her broom handle in the bottom track of her sliding patio door.
“Beefing up your security. This is how I got in the house yesterday.” He sat back on his heels and surveyed his work. “The wooden dowel will prevent the door from sliding open. It might not prevent someone from breaking the glass, but it will give you fair warning of an intruder.”
“Dowel? Did you cut my broom off that?”
He shrugged, “I’ll buy you another broom. Who has an old-fashioned broom, anyway?”
“Someone who thinks the bristle brooms pick up better than the plastic ones.” She glanced around the living area. “What else have you been doing while I was in the shower?”
He stood and only paused a second to get his balance before walking over to the exterior front door. He opened it and pointed to the strike plate for the deadbolt lock she’d installed when she moved in the cabin. “See this? Most of the locks come with a short screw set, half an inch long max. I found some longerscrews in your junk drawer and replaced the short screws with those. It makes breaking down the doors harder.”
When he’d closed the door he turned and smiled at her. “You keep the plants and shrubs around your house trimmed so that’s good, less places to hide, but with you being in the national park and only having a clearing for the cabin, you’re still at risk for someone closing in on you.”
