by Elle James
“I can’t stay here at the lodge,” Emily stated firmly. “Staying here puts you,” she pointed to Gunny and then RJ, “your Brotherhood Protectors tenants, and your guests like the Daughtrys in danger. We don’t know what this guy’s going to do. I can’t, in good conscience, stay here and put all of these people in danger.”
“Emily, you can’t go back to your apartment,” JoJo said. “He knows where you live. He’s been inside. For all you know, he’s got a key.”
Emily lifted her chin. “I can change the locks.”
Cage shook his head. “Not good enough. How did he get into your apartment to begin with? He may not need a key.”
“I’ll go to a hotel,” she said, her jaw firming.
“We’ve already discussed this, he’ll follow you,” Cage said. “Then you put the guests in the hotel at risk.”
Emily’s eyes narrowed. “There’s got to be someplace he won’t know where to look that’s off the grid, that you can’t follow my cellphone.” Her gaze captured Gunny’s.
Gunny shook his head. “Not a good idea.”
Emily held his gaze. “You know what I’m thinking about, don’t you?”
He nodded. “It’s pretty remote.”
“Not terribly. I can get there in less than thirty minutes if I go in daylight.”
“You can only go there during the daylight,” Gunny frowned. “I don’t want you to even think about trying to make it up there at night.”
Emily smiled. “So, we get there before dark.”
“And you can’t leave until light,” Gunny added.
Cage followed the conversation between the two like following a tennis match. They volleyed words back and forth, and Cage still didn’t know what they were talking about.
RJ did. “You can’t be serious? Not the miner’s cabin.”
Emily nodded. “If I know Gunny, he keeps it clean and in good shape so it’s ready for hunting season.”
“I haven’t been up there in a couple months,” he said, his forehead wrinkling.
Emily lifted a shoulder. “So, I’ll take a broom and some extra towels.”
“You’ll also need to take some gasoline for the generator to run the water pump.”
“I’ll feel better about staying there at night. We’ll come down in the morning, use the facilities at the lodge and then I’ll go to work.”
“Seriously? You’re going to go up there at night and down in the morning and then on to Colorado Springs?” Gunny shook his head. “Sounds like a lot of trouble to avoid your secret admirer.”
“This isn’t an admirer. He’s a stalker,” Emily said. “And if I’m not at the lodge at night when people are trying to sleep, hopefully, he won’t bother you.”
“We have the security cameras,” Swede reminded her.
Emily’s lips pressed together. “Yeah, and they have security cameras at the VA hospital, and yet he beat the shit out of Cage’s truck, and nobody stopped him.”
“Have you gotten back with the security team at the VA to ask them if they have looked through the video footage to see if they could identify him?” RJ asked.
“They promised they’d get back with me as soon as they did,” Emily said. “If I haven’t heard anything by tomorrow, I will check in with them in the morning when I go to work.”
“You really should either call in sick or cancel your appointments for the week,” JoJo said.
RJ frowned. “This guy is getting more aggressive every time. If he is one of your patients, he might hurt you during your appointment.”
“Right now, I don’t have any clue who it is. Maybe I need to keep all of my appointments just so I can figure it out.” Emily sighed. “Otherwise, I’m just a victim waiting for the stalker’s next move.”
Gunny cocked an eyebrow. “In other words, you’re going to set yourself up as bait? I’m not sure I like that idea.”
“Not exactly,” Emily said, “but at least at the VA hospital, if he comes inside, there are a lot of people around me. Cage can be close by, even if he’s not in the same room with me and my patient. I can yell if I need him.”
“You might not get the opportunity,” Hank said.
“It’s a chance I want to take. But I am not going to take the chance of somebody hurting one of you here at the lodge, so if it’s okay with you, Gunny, I’m going up to the miner’s cabin.”
“With me,” Cage said.
Emily nodded. “With Cage.”
“If you’re sure,” RJ said. “We’ll need to stock you up with supplies.”
“I won’t need anything but something to sleep on. We don’t plan on eating up there. I’m coming down every day to continue on with my life as usual.”
“But it wouldn’t hurt to take a few provisions,” RJ said. “You’ll need a few things in case you get stuck up there for some reason. Like maybe your ATV breaks down or something.”
“Okay,” Emily agreed. “But not much.”
“If I recall, there are some canned goods and pantry staples already located up there,” Gunny said. “You might check the expiration dates before you use them though. There should be a good stockpile of firewood already. It gets cold up there at night; you’ll need to start a fire in the potbelly stove to keep warm.”
Emily turned to Swede. “Swede, tomorrow afternoon when I get back from work, I would like the opportunity to tap into your computer system to do some background checks on a few of my patients.”
He nodded. “Set a time. I’ll have it up and ready for you.”
“Thank you,” Emily smiled at her family, her heart full. “Now, we’d better get moving so that we can get up there before it gets dark. If I remember correctly, that trail has some pretty steep drop offs. We don’t want to get caught in the dark and miss a turn.”
Gunny’s mouth set in a grim line. “Maybe I should go up there with you. I know the trails better than anyone.”
Emily smiled. “And so do I. RJ, JoJo and I did our share of trail riding all over this place. Besides, the idea is to get away from you guys so that my stalker doesn’t hurt you. But don’t worry…Cage will have my back.”
“If that’s the route you’re going to take,” Hank said, “Jake, make sure they’re well equipped with communications devices that would work.”
Jake nodded. “I’ll give them a SAT phone and they can take whatever they need out of the armory.”
“And, Emily…” Hank said.
“Yes, sir.” She stepped in front of the video camera.
“Can you fire a gun?” he asked.
She laughed. “I sure can. Gunny made sure of that.”
Hank nodded. “Do you own one of your own?”
She nodded again. “I do. I keep it in my purse.”
“Do better than that,” he said. “Get a shoulder holster from Jake and wear it. You can forget your purse or lose contact with it, but if you’re wearing a shoulder holster, your gun will be on you at all times.”
“We’ll set her up,” Jake said. “In the meantime, we’ll keep in contact with the police department and the sheriff’s office and see what they come up with. Hopefully, they can get a match on the fingerprints.”
“If you’re all set, we’ll see you guys in a few days,” Hank said. “We’ll be there a day early to help set up for the grand opening. Sadie’s invited a few of her celebrity friends who live in Colorado to join us.”
Emily shook her head. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“We’re coming,” Hank said, firmly. “And things will be okay.”
“I hope you’re right, for your sake as well as for your family.”
Hank ended the video call.
“You don’t have much time,” RJ said. “Let’s get your stuff together so you can head up the trail.”
Emily nodded.
“Are you going to take the two-seater side by side or individual four-wheelers?” JoJo asked.
Emily would have preferred to take the side by side, but it wasn’t a good idea. �
��We’ll take the individual four-wheelers. The trails are narrow. I don’t want to risk slipping off.”
“Good choice,” Gunny agreed. “Also, if one breaks down, you can double up and ride on the other. It’s a good backup,” Gunny said.
“Max and I will make sure that the ATVs are ready to go.” JoJo started for the stairs.
Max followed.
RJ nodded. “I’ll take care of packing up what they’ll need up there as far as bedding, towels and food.” She tipped her chin toward Emily. “You just need to worry about what you’ll need as far as toiletries and what you want to sleep in. I’ll meet you in the barn in ten minutes.”
“Roger,” Emily said.
The room cleared out. The only person left behind was Swede.
“Emily,” Swede said.
“Yes, sir?”
“Is there anything I can be looking up? Any names I can draw on?”
She sighed. “I wish I could tell you, but my hands are tied.”
He nodded. “Well, in the meantime, I’ll look up names of people who’ve had restraining orders against them in the Colorado Springs area. I can narrow them down to find out which ones have had prior military service. I can also look at the employees of the VA hospital who might have had run-ins with the police in the past, although I don’t think they would have gotten past the screening and background checks to get employment there.”
“Anything you can do is better than nothing,” Emily said. “And thank you. Tomorrow, I’ll have a little more to go on, and I’ll perform the searches myself to avoid breaking my oath.”
Swede nodded. “I’ll have the systems you need up and running when you get here tomorrow afternoon.”
Emily glanced at Cage. “I guess we’d better get moving.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked. “You don’t have to go.”
Emily laughed. “The hell I don’t.”
“I’m worried about you. If it’s that dangerous on that trail, I don’t want you falling off and breaking your neck.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I’m more concerned about you falling off. You don’t know the trails like I do. Look, as long as we go up during the daylight and down during the daylight, we’ll be all right.”
“What if it rains?” he said.
She grinned. “It rarely does that. It’s more likely to snow before it would rain. But seriously, you don’t have to go.”
“And seriously, yes I do. Let’s go pack for our little vacation.”
She led the way, and he followed her out of the basement and up the stairs into the lodge.
Emily hoped staying in the miner’s cabin would keep the others safe.
A shiver of anticipation rippled through her at the thought of being alone in that tiny cabin with Cage.
Chapter 9
Emily entered her room. The roses had been removed, but she could still smell their scent. It would be a long time before she liked roses ever again. Emily stared around her room, trying to think of what she needed to stay the night in a lonely cabin in the middle of nowhere with no electricity, but what the generator would provide if they chose to turn it on.
She’d need something to sleep in, if she decided she didn’t want to sleep in her clothes. It was a good idea to take her pillow because anything they’d left up in the cabin would be rudimentary for a bunch of guys who just wanted to get away from it all to go hunting.
RJ would make sure that they had bottled water to take with them. They could use that to brush their teeth. Again, they could turn the generator on to run the water pump if they wanted, but if they didn’t, there was a stream next to the cabin with clear mountain water that they could use to wash their faces.
She, JoJo and RJ had camped out in the cabin on a number of occasions and had stared up at the stars in the sky trying to identify constellations. She had a lot of good memories in and around that miner’s cabin.
Staying there was a good plan. It was a solid plan, and it would keep her family safe by her not being there with them. It would be okay sharing the cabin with Cage because the only beds in the cabin were bunks, not that he would be interested in sharing a bed with her, but having the bunks would help keep her head on straight instead of dreaming about what it would be like to lie naked in his arms.
Heat rushed through her, coiling low in her belly. She’d be completely alone with Cage. She dug into the bag of clothes she’d brought with her from her apartment. When she’d packed, she’d been in a hurry to get what she absolutely needed and get out. She hadn’t even thought about bringing a sexy nightgown. Emily sighed. It was just as well. He was her bodyguard. He wasn’t interested in her as anything other than a client.
She grabbed the well-worn T-shirt she usually wore to sleep in at night and a pair of soft jersey shorts to go with them. An extra set of clothes was a good idea, just in case. Everything else she would leave in this room because she would come back the next morning, shower and get ready to go to work. She wouldn’t spend more than twenty minutes in the lodge in the morning. The afternoons would be a different matter, if she planned to spend an hour or two going through the databases that Swede was going to give her access to.
Hopefully, that didn’t put the occupants of the lodge at any disadvantage. Emily would only be there during daylight hours with plenty of people around to witness any attempts made by her stalker.
When she had been in her office for that thirty minutes, she’d gone through the files of her patients that she had appointments with on Monday. None of them raised any red flags in her notes. Unfortunately, people had ways of hiding mental illness. She’d keep her appointments that week unless her search on Swede’s databases turned up anything that might concern her.
Besides the clothes, she grabbed the pillow off the bed, stuffed it into the bag that she would take with her, grabbed a brush, her toothbrush and headed for the door.
When she opened it, she found Cage leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the hall, holding a gym bag in his hand. “Ready?” he asked.
She nodded. “We better hurry. The sun’s starting to go down. Once it goes behind the peaks, it gets dark quickly here.”
He nodded and followed her down the stairs and out of the lodge. They met JoJo, Max, RJ and Jake at the barn. RJ and Max had pulled out two ATVs for their use. RJ had loaded the wire racks on the fronts and backs of each with waterproof canvas bags containing what they would need once they reached the cabin.
“You sure you don’t want me and Jake to go with you guys?” RJ asked.
Emily shook her head. “That would defeat the purpose. I’m leaving so that you guys won’t be targeted by my stalker.”
RJ laughed. “Nobody will be targeted by your stalker up in that cabin.”
“True, but it is small,” Emily reminded her friend.
“Okay then.” RJ stood beside Jake, her brow wrinkled. She didn’t appear happy that Emily was heading up the mountain.
Jake handed Cage a satellite phone and showed him how to use it. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call.”
Cage took the phone and patted his jacket. “Thanks for this and for the pistol. And if anything happens down here, you let us know.”
“We will but don’t attempt to come down during the dark,” RJ said. “The trails are treacherous when you can’t see them.”
“And a lot of fun when you can,” JoJo said with a smile. “We spent many hours up on the trails, riding all over these mountains.”
Emily smiled. “Yes, we did.”
“And we’ll do it again,” JoJo said. “We might have to bring the guys along with us because they won’t want to miss out on the fun.”
“Lucky you,” Max said. “I’ve been on some of the trails, and they are a lot of fun.”
“Just stay away from the open mines,” Jake said. “You don’t want to get trapped in one of those. They’re not very stable.” He pulled RJ up against him.
Max held up a hand. “I can attest t
o that and so can JoJo.”
“All right then, we’d better get going.” Emily mounted the ATV, remembering how much she’d enjoyed riding them. It was the only place she felt equal to RJ and JoJo. It didn’t matter that she walked with a limp when she was riding an ATV.
“I’ll get the gate,” RJ said. She and Jake walked over to the gate that led out to one of the pastures, opened it wide and waited while Emily drove through it.
Cage followed behind her.
For the first time since the stalker had come into her life, Emily felt good. She felt free with the wind blowing through her hair and the rumble of the engine beneath her. She felt powerful and excited about getting up to the cabin. If she were honest with herself, much of that excitement had to do with the fact that she would be completely alone with Cage, and her stalker wouldn’t have access to bother them. She could put all her worries on hold until the next day and might even get a good night’s sleep.
And if she didn’t get a good night’s sleep, well, maybe she’d have a better reason for that than worrying about someone attacking her.
With the sun getting close to the edge of the peaks, she didn’t take her time on the trail but pressed upward. At the bends in the trail, she chanced looking back to make sure Cage was keeping up.
Thankfully, he was doing a good job of it, staying back just enough that the dust didn’t choke him.
The sun dipped below the peaks as they arrived at the cabin. There was still just enough light for her to make her way to the door carrying one of the canvas bags RJ had loaded onto her ATV. Cage grabbed his gym bag and the other canvas bag and followed her.
Emily flung open the door, reached inside and grabbed for the flashlight she knew would be hanging on the wall. When her fingers made contact with it, she hit the on switch. Light flooded the little room. As she shined the beam into the cabin, she paused.
“What the heck?” Instead of the two sets of bunks that used to be in the cabin there was one full-sized bed. No bunks. “I swear there were bunk beds in here.” She set the canvas bag on the floor and dug into it. On the top was a hand-written note signed by RJ.
