Roman pressed heavy on the breaks, slowing the car just in time.
“Here,” Blayze instructed. “Start turning and the headlights should hit it.”
He obeyed, but didn’t get too far. Branches stretched across the opening, further hiding the road. Roman pulled the SUV out of gear and put on the break. “Don’t want your paintjob getting ruined,” he mumbled while pushing open the door.
“Here, I’ll help,” he offered, but Roman shook his head.
“No. You’ve got your arms full.”
An embarrassed dose of heat flared up in his cheeks. Blayze wanted to take Roman aside, explain how he’d let things get out of hand. Instead, Blayze inwardly vowed to put things right. The sooner the better.
He shook his head, checking the road behind them while Roman hoisted a fallen branch up and out of the way. It’d been close to an hour since they’d seen another set of headlights—an oncoming minivan. The interior lights were on, illuminating a young mother trying to appease what he could only assume was a fussy baby.
They definitely hadn’t been followed—a thought that lent Blayze a sigh of relief.
Roman climbed back in and steered them through the narrow opening. Sophia stirred upon hearing the door close. Blayze froze, heart hammering as she tipped her head to peer through the front window.
“Where are we, in a forest?”
Breathe, Blayze. Breathe.She might not end up hating you. Heck, she may not want to take things anywhere either.
“We’re in the Redwoods,” Roman answered for him.
“Yeah,” Blayze added. “But don’t worry, this place has plumbing.”
“Oh, really?” Roman blurted. “I didn’t know outhouses count as plumbing.”
Sophia turned wide, questioning eyes on Blayze. “Anouthouse?”
Blayze did the subtle shake of his head. Perhaps he’d win points with Sophia for not making her sweat it a moment longer.
“There’s a fork in the road up here,” Roman said. “Left, or right?”
“Ah,” Blayze said. “Right, but we’ll need a passcode to get through.” He unbuckled his belt and climbed out of the car, grateful to have a bit of fresh air. No soft touches and tempting scents. Sutton had done a whole lot of upgrades to the place back in March. Upgrades Blayze would have never dreamed of installing in a vacation home. The fall of fortune had come after amisfortunefor Sutton; the guy’s mansion had burned to the ground. ‘Course, he’d had a new one built in a matter of months. But when a need arose before the new place was set, Blayze had offered his family cabin. The security upgrades came with the position.
A swinging, iron gate blocked both roadways, though the other led to an abandoned campground. A place that hadn’t been up and running since Blayze was a kid.
The digital padlock accepted no less than eight digits. Blayze tapped them in, one after the next, listening for the anticipated clank. It came right on cue, and Blayze pushed the heavy gate out of the way. The words,now what?ran through his mind. He’d gotten Sophia to agree to cancel tomorrow’s appearances and, thank heavens, she’d left the weekend clear. But he was very aware of the upcoming appearance she would not want to miss. Looming at the tail end of the following week. But he was getting ahead of himself. He needed to take things one day at a time.
At the cabin, Roman pulled into the double garage, guarded by key code as well, and closed the thing before anyone got out.
“Sheesh,” Sophia said. “I thought we were going to end up in some tent or something. This place is gorgeous. I mean,” she amended, “on the outside anyway.”
Blayze grinned. “Yeah, it’s not bad.” He slapped Roman on the shoulder. “Mind if I check the place out real quick? I had the cameras turned on remotely on our way over, but I’d like to make sure it’s all clear.”
The action of holding his gun, keeping his back to the walls, and being prepared to shoot put him right back on duty.
Solid wood logs made up the walls of the massive structure, accented by rustic tiled floors, copper accents, and several textured rugs throughout the cabin. Jazmin’s touch, said to—in her words—warm the place up.
Thisis what Mom decided to do with her alimony. A gift for the kids and the grandkids too. If only she’d have lived longer to enjoy it with them.
He forced his mind back to the task. He’d been ninety-nine-point-nine percent sure the cabin was clear before going through. Now it was at an even one-hundred percent. He knew each nook and cranny of the place after all. From the fruit cellar under the large, wraparound porch, to the cute little window seat Jazmin’s kids liked curling up in.
By the time Blayze made it back to the garage, Roman stood at the entry, arms filled with bags. “How many cameras do you have set up at this place?” he asked, eyeing a glowing dot in the corner of the garage.
Blayze turned sideways as he shuffled through the hallway, bags in each arm. “I lost track after a dozen,” he joked. “About half are in plain sight. The rest are hidden throughout the property.”
“Where does the surveillance go?” Sophia eyed the massive beams overhead, her eyes darting between the vaulted ceiling and the stairs leading to the loft.
