His smile disappeared when his eyes collided with hers. A sharp sizzle of electricity sliced through the air leaving Hayley breathless. Something inside of her clicked and moved, shifting into a different gear.
Tank’s eyebrows rose. He silently watched her, then opened the SUV’s back door. “You were in luck. The store sells LED flashlights.”
He walked around the vehicle and passed her two bags. “Hi, Alice.”
If Hayley hadn’t been surprised by what was in the bags, she would have paid more attention to the blush on her mom’s face.
“I’m glad you’re home,” Alice said before hugging him.
This time, Hayley did pay attention to what was happening. But it wasn’t her mom that surprised her, it was Tank. He looked more relaxed than she’d ever seen him.
He stepped back and smiled at Alice. “I bought you something special. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Tank took another two bags out of his vehicle and passed a small box to her mom.
Alice smiled. “Chocolate. You shouldn’t have.”
“You told me you like caramel cremes. I saw these in the store and thought you might like them.”
Her mom glanced at Hayley.
If she told her Tank was a nice man once more she was going to laugh.
“Do you like caramel cremes?” Alice asked her daughter.
Hayley nodded.
“It looks as though we’re all going to enjoy the chocolate.” Alice held onto the box and turned around. She shuffled forward, making her way slowly inside.
“I’ll be there soon, Alice.” Tank waited until her mom was inside before speaking to Hayley. “Your sister’s supplement arrived.”
“Thank goodness for that. How much was she able to send?”
“Two gallons.” He pulled a letter out of his pocket and passed it to her. “This is from your sister.”
Hayley read the letter and sighed. “She’s going to send more supplement soon. She’s worried about us.” She didn’t want Sophie to be concerned. She had enough to deal with.
“Is everything else all right?”
She started to tell Tank about their morning, then stopped. “Oh, no…mom…” She ran inside, leaping up the stairs two at a time. “Mom…don’t go into the kitchen.”
Hayley skidded to a stop beside the dining room table. Her mom was standing beside the bag of trash, looking at the rat.
“It’s okay, mom.”
Her mom’s eyes were wide with worry. “Where did he come from?”
“The kitchen cupboard. I’ll put him outside.” Hayley poked the broom’s wooden handle through the plastic handles. She gritted her teeth as she carefully maneuvered the rat outside.
Tank stood in the doorway. “What are you doing?”
“Getting rid of a dead rat.”
“Do you want me to take the bag?”
She shook her head. “I’m okay.”
“You don’t look it.”
Hayley didn’t care what she looked like. She was more concerned about the rat and the possibility of the plastic bag slipping close to her fingers.
Tank moved out of her way and followed her outside. He lifted the lid on the trash can and took the bag off the end of the broom.
Hayley sank to the ground and wiped the sweat from her forehead. “How many traps are inside?”
“A lot.”
She took a deep breath and imagined a trash can full of dead, furry, bodies.
“You’re pale. Do you want a glass of water?”
She pulled herself to her feet and leaned against the broom.
Tank didn’t look impressed. “If you tell me you’re okay, I’ll carry you inside.”
“I don’t like rats or mice.”
“I never would have guessed.”
Hayley straightened her spine. “There’s nothing wrong with having an aversion to dead rodents.”
“You fought off a kidnapper and didn’t bat an eyelash when you saw me covered in blood. You were almost doing a happy dance when the doctor stitched my head—what’s so bad about a small rat?”
“He wasn’t small.”
Tank stared at her.
“If I tell you why I don’t like rats, will you check the rest of the traps?”
His lips twitched. “It’s a deal.”
She took a deep breath and looked at the cabin. Her mom hadn’t screamed, so maybe the rest of the kitchen wasn’t a rat cemetery.
“Hayley?”
She glared at Tank. “My sister had a pet rat called Oscar. One day she left the door to his cage open. The next morning I woke up and he was caught in my hair. I screamed so hard that a neighbor called the police.”
“How old were you?”
“Ten.”
“And you still remember it?”
“I was traumatized for life.”
“What happened to Oscar?”
“He went to live with a family friend.” Hayley wasn’t going to add that her sister had never forgiven her. Oscar was her favorite pet. She’d raised him from a baby and was devastated when he’d left.
She picked up the broom and looked closely at the trash can. “We’d better see what mom’s doing.”
“She’s probably eating chocolate.”
Hayley hoped that was all she was doing. “As long as she’s not looking for dead rodents. If she is, we could end up eating rat stew for dinner.”
Tank held the cabin’s front door open. “Don’t knock a good stew. Rat meat has a lot of nutritional value.”
Hayley shivered. “Not on my plate, it doesn’t.” She looked around the cabin and frowned. “Alice? Where are you?”
When her mom didn’t reply, Hayley dropped the broom and raced down the hallway. She wasn’t in the bathroom or their bedroom. “Tank! Mom’s gone.”
She ran into the kitchen and froze. The key to the back door was sitting in the lock. She must have left it on the counter.
Tank took one look at the door and headed outside. “I’m going to the river. Check the garden shed.”
Hayley heard Tank’s feet thump down the stairs as she ran into the living room.
Wherever her mom was, she hoped it was nowhere near the water.
CHAPTER FIVE
Tank rushed toward the Missouri River. His heart pounded against his chest as cold, hard, dread worked its way down his spine.
He doubted Alice would have been able to get to the water with her walker, but stranger things had happened.
The sound of the water rushing past his property grew stronger until he was standing on the bank of the river. A thick carpet of overgrown grass was the only barrier between danger and safety.
He stood still and focused on the ground around him, looking for any sign of someone having moved through the tall grass.
When he didn’t see anything he moved further down the bank, pushing his way under the tall trees beside him. He looked back at the cabin, hoping Hayley was having more luck finding her mom than he was.
He kept searching for another five minutes. There was no sign of Alice or her walker.
He moved inland, winding his way closer to the cabin. The river wasn’t the only danger Alice would face out here. She wasn’t steady on her feet. The land surrounding his property was an undulating mass of soil, tree roots, and rock.
If she’d stumbled on her way out of the cabin, she could be seriously hurt.
Staying on this path would bring him close to the western side of his property.
The sound of a door slamming made him quicken his pace. He ran out of the trees and scanned the backyard. Hayley was sprinting toward the shed where the generator and pump were stored.
He ran hard, knowing she’d found Alice. She had his first aid pack in her arms and wasn’t slowing down.
By the time he arrived at the shed, Hayley was pulling a survival blanket out of its packet.
Alice lay motionless on the ground, moaning softly as Hayley did what she could to keep her warm.
“What hap
pened?” he asked.
“Mom’s hurt her shoulder and arm.” Hayley didn’t look up. She was checking her mom’s pulse, completely focused on what she was doing.
Alice turned her face toward him. “Tank?”
“I’m here, Alice.” He moved to her side and knelt on the ground. He could tell by the sound of her voice that she was hurting and he wished he could take away the pain. “How are you feeling?”
“Sore. I fell over.”
He glanced at Hayley, then back at her mom. “What were you doing out here?”
“I wanted some fresh lettuce and tomatoes for lunch. Nathaniel’s garden is his pride and joy.” Her eyes widened and tears fell down her cheeks. “But I couldn’t find the garden, Tank. It’s not here.”
He wiped the tears off Alice’s face. Something inside of him bled for a woman with more courage than he’d ever have.
He gently touched her shoulder. “Sometimes I get confused, too. It will be okay.”
A sob tore from Alice’s throat. “It won’t, Tank. Not ever. I don’t know what’s happening.”
“Don’t worry. Hayley and I will look after you.”
He looked at Hayley, hoping Alice wasn’t badly hurt.
“We need to go to a hospital,” she said softly. “I don’t think anything is broken, but she should have an X-ray.”
“Ponca City has a hospital. We can be there in forty minutes.”
Hayley nodded. “Can you bring your SUV around here? I’ll wrap a bandage around Alice’s grazes and try and support her arm.”
He nodded and wiped a strand of hair off Alice’s face. “I’ll be back soon. Try not to move.”
Another tear slid down her face. “I’m sorry, Tank.”
“You’ve got nothing to be sorry about. We’ll have you patched up in no time.” He left before Hayley or her mom saw how worried he was.
Alice was in shock and that could cause more harm than a broken bone, but that wasn’t their only problem.
As well as driving them to the hospital he needed to minimize the risk of someone finding them. He had a bad feeling about the journey they were about to take—and when he had a bad feeling, trouble wasn’t far away.
***
Hayley let go of her mom’s hand as the hospital staff wheeled Alice into the X-ray room.
The last two hours had been stressful. Assessing Alice’s injuries had been more difficult because of her Alzheimer’s.
By the time they’d reached the hospital, her mom couldn’t remember the accident. She’d tried to move and do all the things her body was used to doing, but she was bruised and sore.
Alice didn’t know if she’d lost consciousness, so the doctors were treating her as if she had. If they were lucky, she would be discharged later today. If not, it would be a long night’s wait in one of the wards.
“How are you holding up?”
Hayley turned around. Tank was walking toward her with a cup of coffee. She wasn’t fooled by the casual way he looked at the other people in the waiting room. He was a man of many layers, and right at this moment he was in full bodyguard mode.
“I’m all right. I just hope the fall hasn’t made mom’s Alzheimer’s worse.”
He passed her the paper cup. “Come and sit down. The coffee’s from a machine, but it’s better than nothing.”
She followed him to a row of chairs and sank into the seat beside him.
“Have the doctors said anything about Alice’s dementia?”
“No, but I’m worried. I’ve seen too many patients slip into a more advanced stage of Alzheimer’s after having an accident or getting sick.”
He glanced at the door he’d walked through, then took his backpack off.
Before they’d left the cabin, Hayley had grabbed some clean clothes for her mom and Tank had put half the supplement in his backpack. He’d hidden the rest in the cabin. If anything happened to the supplement he had with him, Alice would still have enough for another few days.
He carefully placed the pack between his feet. Until her sister sent the next batch, what was in the pack was more precious than gold.
Tank tapped his fingers against the arm of the chair. “How long do they think the X-rays will take?”
“I don’t know. Not long.”
A woman opposite them smiled at Hayley. When her gaze slid to Tank, she frowned.
Hayley glanced at him and sighed. “Your don’t-mess-with-me scowl is a little intimidating,” she whispered.
“It doesn’t have any effect on you,” he whispered back.
“That’s because I’m immune to your charm.”
Tank’s lips twitched.
“It’s okay to smile. It doesn’t hurt.” The teasing note in her voice made his scowl deepen. She sighed and reached for one of the magazines on the table in front of them.
“I don’t like hospitals.”
It sounded as though he was apologizing. “I know.” She glanced at the stitches in the side of his head. It seemed a lifetime ago that they’d been in another hospital for different reasons.
Tank turned his head and stared at her. “My stitches aren’t supposed to be removed for another four days.”
“How did you know what I was thinking?”
“Lucky guess.”
The lady opposite them walked into another room with a nurse. Hayley was surprised there weren’t more people here. “It must be a slow day.”
“Or our lucky day,” Tank muttered.
Hayley sipped her coffee and opened the magazine she’d chosen. After flicking through pages dedicated to the best and worst dressed celebrities and reading about the latest divorce in Hollywood, she’d had enough.
“Why would anyone want to be a movie star?” she asked Tank.
“Beats me. There’s more to life than fame and fortune.”
“Maybe it’s an addiction.”
“To money?”
“No—to being famous. What happens when no one recognizes you anymore?”
“It’s called freedom.”
“It could be bittersweet after all the attention you used to get.”
“Maybe.”
She looked at the door her mom had gone through. “I hope mom’s okay.”
“The doctors seem happy enough.”
Hayley put the magazine back on the table. “The X-rays will tell them more. I forgot to thank you for buying the flashlights.”
“It’s why I went to the store.”
“But you didn’t have to buy so many.” She’d been surprised when she’d opened the bag he’d given her. Surprised and so happy she’d almost hugged him.
“You can leave them in different rooms.”
Hayley smiled. “Mom’s right. You are a nice man.”
“It’s better than waking up when you trip over something in the dark.”
“The chance of that happening is practically zilch. I can’t sleep without some kind of light. I’d end up on the sofa keeping you company.” Heat hit her cheeks. “Talking,” she said quickly. “We’d sit on the sofa and talk.”
She looked around the room in case anyone noticed the foot dangling out of her mouth.
“I know what you mean.”
“Good. That’s really…good.” She cleared the frog out of her throat and thought about Tank’s stitches. “Why don’t you like hospitals?”
He shifted in his chair. “I’ve been in them too often.”
“You’ve been badly injured?”
“Once or twice.”
“How bad?”
“Enough to not want to visit another hospital.”
Hayley waited.
“I was injured overseas. It’s an occupational hazard when you’re in the military.”
“You like living dangerously.”
“Not if I can help it.”
She watched him retreat into himself. “What are you thinking?”
“It’s not important.” He glanced at the people in the waiting room. No one was paying them any attention.
“Are you sure? Sometimes it helps to talk about what’s bothering you.”
“It doesn’t bother me, not anymore.” He glanced at her and frowned. “Okay. Sometimes it does.”
She had a feeling that whatever had happened bothered him a lot more than he wanted to admit.
“I was in Afghanistan. My last mission didn’t go according to plan. Two soldiers died and another three were seriously injured.”
“Were you hurt?”
“Not then.”
Tears filled Hayley’s eyes. Something terrible had happened to Tank, yet here he was, putting his life in danger for her and her mom. It took a special kind of person to want to protect someone else, and he was one of those people.
The door to a treatment room opened.
A nurse wheeled Alice toward them. “We’ve completed all the X-rays. The good news is that nothing is broken. You can wait in the day ward with your mom while the doctor signs her release forms.”
Hayley smiled. “That’s great. Thank you for looking after her.”
“It was my pleasure.” The nurse spoke to Alice before taking her to the elevator.
Hayley looked at Tank as she stood up. “I’m sorry you were hurt.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “It was a long time ago.”
She saw more than Tank would have liked in his face. He looked as though he was still hurting, still reliving the days and months following whatever had hurt him so badly.
She would never have the right words to say to him, so she did the next best thing. Before he moved further away, she kissed his cheek. “I’m glad you’re okay. Now let’s go with mom. She’s probably missing you already.”
And before Tank could growl at her she followed her mom’s wheelchair into the elevator.
***
Tank walked into the hospital’s family room and pulled out his phone. It was the quietest space he could find and the only one that would give him the privacy he needed for this call.
He hadn’t told Hayley how worried he was, but the longer they stayed in the hospital, the more on edge he was becoming.
It was time to call John Fletcher, his boss and friend.
As soon as John answered the call, Tank focused on what he had to say. “It’s Tank. We’ve got a problem.”
Safe Haven (The Protectors Book 1) Page 7
