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She’d protested that hiding was the only option, especially if they didn’t send her away and tried to protect her. Father would literally move every mountain to find her. The men promised they were taking every precaution and not to worry, but she definitely, definitely worried. How could she make them understand the devious plans Father would come up with? Even she couldn’t predict every depraved act he might have his men commit.
She loaded up in the sheriff’s truck with Hays and the Coleville brothers—Clint, Easton, and Walker.
Easton and Walker were very talkative. They told her about their expansive twenty-thousand-acre Coleville Ranch, their security systems, cameras, perimeter fence, and sensors. They explained about the main house, the cabins, barns, outbuildings, and their trusted and trained former military ranch hands. Easton told her how they had protected Jacey for a year after her rescue. Elizabeth thanked them profusely. They humbly accepted her thanks and said they’d done other witness protection details but had upped their game twenty levels when Miles had brought the famous Jacqueline Oliver to them.
They explained that Quaid’s friend, their brother Miles, had helped rescue Jacey. He was a Navy SEAL and on a mission currently. He had his own cabin but was rarely at home. Their brother Houston was also out of town, finishing his family practice residency in Nebraska. Sheriff Clint didn’t live at the ranch but had a house ‘in town.’ The town had all of a thousand people in it. Rhett also didn’t live at the ranch but had a ‘mansion’ near Kalispell and built even ‘huger mansions down that way’ according to Walker.
Elizabeth listened cordially, wondering why they were explaining about the ranch and trying not to notice how closely Hays was pressed against her in the back seat. His warm scent messed with her already exhausted and stressed brain. She drew Easton and Walker out, asking questions about their ranch to distract herself, wondering what they’d think if they saw any of her father’s three extravagant mansions on Long Island, in Virginia, and on Hilton Head Island. It was dark outside, and she thought they’d been driving about ten minutes.
“Are we using a different airport to fly to our destination?” she asked. Were these men coming with her and Hays? Would she and Hays be alone? That idea wasn’t smart as one man could never stop a contingent of her father’s men, but the thought of being alone with Hays made her tingle from head to foot. Could they finally talk through the deception and pain? Could he hold her tight and kiss her?
“Well.” Sheriff Coleville spoke up from the driver’s seat. “We aren’t flying to our destination.”
She’d committed to trusting these men and somehow she did, especially Hays. He shifted against her, and the sensation of his strong body distracted her. She had never let down her guard like this, but what could she do? She was trapped between Hays and Easton and not consciously choosing to but leaning into Hays’s strong shoulder and abdomen and savoring every moment of the short drive.
Would he stay with her until this ordeal was over? She could hardly believe she had been ‘rescued.’ She was more free at this moment than she’d ever been in her life, and she had Hays to thank for that. There was no possibility it would last, that even the accomplished Aiden Porter could best her father. She should insist she fly home and find her own path to distracting Father from hunting down her siblings, Hays, and their friends. Had she explained strongly enough how deep they needed to go into hiding? She’d tried but hadn’t seen the panic in anyone else’s eyes that she felt deep in her soul. Her father had connections all over the globe and would make finding them his focus, probably by drawing them out as he threatened someone they cared about. There was a reason she’d said that to Peter as a threat. She’d seen the horrific scenario repeated time after time after time.
“Oh,” she managed. “Driving then, or a yacht?”
“We’re taking you to our ranch, ma’am,” Walker said.
“Your ranch?” She now understood why they had shared so much information. What she didn’t understand was their plan. “Isn’t your ranch the closest neighbor to Cade and Jacey’s?”
“Yes.” The sheriff seemed unconcerned about the proximity. “About twenty minutes, but our ranch is set up against the mountains just down from Cade’s canyon. With our state-of-the-art perimeter security fences and sensors, nobody gets close without us knowing about it.”
Elizabeth was concerned. Very, very concerned. “Won’t my father look there first?”
“I don’t believe he will,” Clint said evenly. “It’s too obvious. But if he does, we would welcome that fight.”
“None of you believe how powerful he and his men are,” she protested.
“Bring it on,” Easton said, and Walker laughed.
Crazy, egocentric men. She gazed up at Hays. In the dim light of the cab, she could feel his determination.
“If they somehow found you at the ranch, it is a veritable fortress,” Hays said. “We have the manpower, weaponry, and skill to protect you, and we hold the defensive position.”
Elizabeth studied him and then looked around the cab at these brave but overly-confident men as they pulled up to a solid wrought-iron gate. Clint conversed with a guard and the gate swung open.
As they pulled through, she realized the truth. “You’re using me as bait to lure my father in. Do you have an army? Will you bring in a famous talk-show host and expose him on national television and the internet like Sutton Smith and Aiden Porter did when they rescued Quaid?”
“You are absolutely not bait,” Hays said, gazing down at her. “We are protecting you at Coleville Ranch while Quaid and Aiden brainstorm with Sutton Smith and work out a plan to destroy your father and his empire.”
“Hays. That is not possible.”
“Which part?”
“You all need to go into deep hiding.” And send her back to her father. Selfishly, she didn’t insist on that just yet.
“I promise you; I will keep you safe, and I know Quaid and Aiden have the right connections to destroy your father.” Even in the dim truck lighting, he looked unwavering, handsome, and able to protect her.
Elizabeth bit at her lip and simply shook her head, looking out the window. They were surrounded by a thick pine forest. She fought through seemingly impossible struggles every day, but this one was beyond her scope. All these men insisting they could fight and win? Absurd.
“If I’m not bait, how can you believe your ranch is the safest option?” she asked the Coleville brothers.
“Your father has no idea where Jacey was. We guarded her for over a year with no leads coming near our ranch,” Easton said proudly. “Even when they went to Cade’s place, they didn’t so much as glance our way. We are ready and able to protect anybody in danger. You’ll be safe with us.”
Elizabeth deflated against the seat. She didn’t want to fight another battle. Her entire life was a nonstop battle. These men were trustworthy, but they’d be killed because of their pride in their own abilities.
