She prayed it would be an escape and not another nightmare.
What if the man she was supposed to hang out with the next two weeks made her feel uncomfortable and uncertain? What if he scared her and she couldn’t relax even amidst such beauty?
She knew logically that most men were great guys, and it was on her that she was uneasy around the opposite sex. But she preferred children and skinny teenagers of the male variety.
She’d been born with a mild case of cerebral palsy. When she got tired or overanxious, her knees naturally bowed together and it was hard not to drag her feet. Most of the time nobody noticed, but it was something her exes had belittled her about and the reason her dad had most often touted for hitting her.
The car pulled up to the most charming home she’d ever seen in real life. The exterior was light wood with a steeply pitched roof, numerous large windows boasted wooden window boxes overflowing with petunias, and gleaming windows overlooked the green valley. The view of the teal-colored lake and the towering mountains outside those windows would be glorious. The house was three stories with a delightful wraparound porch.
Lizzy yanked on her door handle as soon as the vehicle stopped. It didn’t open, and panic made her chest tight. “Please … can you open my door?”
“Please sit tight for just a few more moments,” Peter said. “Tony and Elijah need to perform a scan of the property’s interior and exterior while Joshua sets up cameras. I will stay in the vehicle with you until we’ve determined it’s safe.”
“I’m not some movie star.” She doubted Grady Worthen had the resources to follow her here.
“You’re more important,” Peter said.
She didn’t know how to respond to that. “Thank you,” she managed. She was grateful they were taking her security so seriously.
“Of course, ma’am.”
Three of the men exited the SUV. Lizzy waited with hands clasped in her lap. It was instinct to pull out her phone and check texts, emails, or social media, but she studied the lush greenery around her instead. She wanted to disconnect from her phone and the world and savor this beauty for the next two weeks. If only she could run through the green fields singing, ‘The hills are alive with the sound of music’. She would settle for walking and singing instead.
Madelyne had explained in her emails that she had adventures and tours set up for Lizzy and her companion throughout the next two weeks. Lizzy would be safe, have a grand adventure in the Austrian Alps, and be gifted a hundred thousand dollars for The Safe Spot.
It was all a dream come true. If only she could get her heart rate to slow down. What would this friend of Brandon and Rockwell’s be like, and how close did Lizzy have to get to him over the two weeks? She hated that she instantly put up a shield in front of any tough man, but she’d learned the behavior throughout her life, and Darren and then Grady’s attacks had taken her fears to night terrors.
Another Mercedes-Benz silver SUV pulled into the driveway. Lizzy’s chest tightened as her heart raced even faster. A single man climbed out of the driver’s seat. She thought she’d had her mouth gaping and eyes wide as she’d surveyed the scenery, but taking in this man’s appearance and stature felt far too similar.
He was a well-built man.
Despite her programmed fears, she found herself mesmerized by him. It was an unsettling mix, similar to when she’d met Darren, and that put her on edge.
The muscles in the man’s arms, chest, and shoulders were all too evident, even through the material of his short-sleeve button-down shirt. His jeans fit nicely over appealing thigh muscles. He had closely cropped sandy-blond hair, eyes as blueas the lake behind him, an attractive and manly face, and an engaging and easy smile. He wasn’t model-handsome like Darren, but he held his own in the looks department.
“Just one more moment, ma’am,” the driver said to her, obviously noticing she was itching to get out of this car.
“Of course.” She tried to recline into the seat, but she was too keyed up. Was she excited to greet the man she’d spend fourteen days with, or was she fearful and anxious? With muscles like his, and knowing he was her cohort for two weeks, she should be terrified. But this man was also a hero, a retired Army Ranger and now a policeman, and Brandon, Madelyne, and Rockwell had vouched for him.
She’d told Rockwell she’d trust this one man. What had she been thinking?
Prayer. She’d prayed then and had felt settled.
She prayed now, but she was lacking faith.
The driver nodded as two of his men came back out of the house and onto the wide front porch and one gave him a signal of some sort. He pushed open his door and stepped back to open hers.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
Time to face the music.
She said one more prayer for protection, discernment, and bravery. Her hands trembled as she climbed out and her legs felt gooier than Jell-O.
The blue-eyed man’s gaze zeroed in on her. The warm welcome in those eyes made her heart race faster, but for a different reason than her fear.
She wobbled and leaned into the door, putting a hand over her knife wound.
Peter turned to her with concern. “Ma’am?”
