Chapter 13

" W e're going to be stopping soon for lunch. Do you want to wake her?" I ask, nodding my head to Grace, passed out in the back seat.

As soon as I saw her this morning, I knew that she was going to pass back out when we got on the road. I also had the SUV already warming up and a steaming cup of coffee waiting for Illeana, just like she asked. It may have been a touch overboard, but I was trying to put in an effort to at least be friends during this time. Emma, Trevor's wife, texted to yell at me yesterday for how I was behaving with Illeana after the girls had their chat. Consider me officially scolded and trying to change my ways because she told me if I wasn't nice then I wasn't getting any more baked goods and those were something I didn't want to miss out on.

"How far away are we? I don't want to wake her and deal with the crankiness," Illeana answers, turning in her seat to take a peek at her sister. I had thought that she would have gone back to sleep in the car as well, but I was wrong. Illeana had stayed up and was quietly reading on her Kindle all morning.

"We're about fifteen minutes outside of town. We'll stop to eat and buy some essentials before continuing on," I respond. It feels like I just made this trek recently, but I know it's been longer than that. In another mile or two, we will pass the sign welcoming us to Aragon, a small town in the mountains of New Mexico.

"Okay, I'll wake her soon then," she answers as she turns back to face the road. "Will it be much longer after lunch, or is this town where we will be staying?"

"It's about forty or so more minutes up into the mountains to our final destination. This is the closest town and the last place to grab resources," I explain, slowing down as we reach the town's city limits. It's also starting to flurry, so I know we need to be quick before the roads become dangerous or I need to put chains on the tires.

Illeana doesn't answer. Instead, she reaches down to put her Kindle away in the purse or well bag, at her feet. Can you really call it a purse if the bag is huge and can carry everything and then some in it? When she's finished, I hear the click of her seatbelt as she undoes it to crawl toward the back seat. My first instinct is to reach out and stop her, but I hold back, instead slowing the speed of the vehicle and settling for making a comment instead. "Be careful."

Although I can't see it. I know for a fact she rolled her eyes when I hear her sigh. Ignoring me, she focuses on the task at hand. "Grace, hey," she calls out softly as she shakes her sister's leg. "You need to wake up. We're about to stop to eat," she tries again when Grace's only answer is some sort of mumble that I'm not even sure is real words. When she still doesn't move, Illeana settles back in her seat and gives me a look of defeat as she fixes her seatbelt.

"It's fine. We can wake her when we park. Just let her sleep," I offer. It's not really a big deal, at least not for me. I know I always slept for car rides, only waking when the car actually stopped when I was her age. I also learned from the military to sleep when and where you can.

"I know. I'm just worried she won't sleep tonight if I continue to let her sleep," she responds, turning to look out the window. "This is a cute little town."

"We'll just make sure that she doesn't go back to sleep after lunch. Maybe I'll let her choose the tunes," I add with a wink, hoping she catches the joke.

"Oh god, no," she groans, turning to look at me in horror. "If you offer that, then you may as well just leave me out in the cold."

"Okay, okay, no need for the dramatics. We'll think of something else to keep her awake. You're right, though, Aragon is a cute little town," I add, changing the topic. I have always loved coming up here. "Maybe when everything is over, we can come and explore as we head back to Silver City." It's not much of an offer, but it's something.

Right now, I don't particularly want anyone to see either of the girls here in town. We have a really good relationship with the people who live here. I doubt anyone would say anything, but I'd rather err on the side of caution. New people aren't really welcome, and if they ask the wrong questions, the Chaos Brotherhood is notified. It's one of the reasons we use the cabin as a safe house when needed. Just an extra layer of protection.

"Let me guess, exploring is off the table today," she concludes as I slow the vehicle further and signal to turn into a small parking lot. From the outside, it looks like a small shop, which it is, but it also has some amazing homemade food.

"Nope, not today. We need to get in and out." I pull into an open spot near the front door. Instead of waiting for Illeana to wake Grace again, I unclip my seatbelt and turn to the back. "Grace, you need to get up for food," I call out loudly, shaking her leg. It isn't rough, but it is enough to make her eyes shoot open as she tries to straighten in her seat.

"Where are we?" she asks as she unbuckles and begins to put her winter boots back on. I turn to Illeana and she just shrugs, letting me know this one is on me. Figures.

"We're in a small town near our destination, just stopping to grab some food and other items to take with us. I figured that it would be a good idea to eat and stretch our legs. I'm sure you're starving because I heard a rumor that you didn't eat anything this morning," I explain, hoping she doesn't ask too many more questions.

Before she can say anything, her stomach rumbles loud enough that all of us can hear it. "I guess I am hungry," she blushes, her hands wrapping around her stomach.

"Let's go eat, then we can pick up some essentials and be on the way," I answer, turning back in my seat and opening the driver's door.

All three of us exit the vehicle at the same time. It may be a hidden talent, but I'd say I'm pretty good with kids, at least young ones. Grace is one of the oldest kids I've been around, but I bet she shouldn't be too hard to handle. It's one of the reasons I didn't mind having her come with us. The other was because I didn't necessarily want to be alone with Illeana. She's just trouble waiting to happen.

All last night, I kept watching her over dinner and even caught myself watching her read while I drove today. No matter the fact she is ten years younger than me and completely off limits, I'm drawn to the damn princess, and I don't like it. A man only has so much self-control before he makes a comment to a beautiful woman.

Once we're all out of the car, as the three of us make our way to the door, I move to allow both girls to enter ahead of me. I hear a female inside cautiously greeting the girls, but as I step inside, her demeanor changes. I watch her shoulders physically relax, and her smile brightens. Everyone in town recognizes Knox, Trevor, and I. We're the only three Rockport Security employees that use the cabin. The employee doesn't greet me by name. She knows not to, but she does lead us to a table near one of the windows and hands us three menus, telling us the waitress will be right with us.

"Good morning, or I suppose it's almost afternoon," she chuckles. "What can I get you all started with?"

Illeana orders water, and Grace orders a sprite before I ask for water as well. The waitress tells us to take some time looking at the menu while she grabs our drinks. It takes a little bit of prompting, but Illeana gets Grace to settle on grilled chicken, rice, and broccoli by the time our waitress returns with the drinks. It’s interesting watching the girl's dynamic. At times, you would almost think Illeana was Grace's mom, not sister. I suppose that's what happens when your dad isn't around much, and they lose their mother. Illeana’s patient with her and even reminds her that despite how hungry she is, she doesn’t need everything on the menu. I may have ordered a little more food than I could eat, and a few of the items were ones that Grace mentioned she had wanted. I have every intention of sharing them with her and hoping for the best.

"There's no way you can eat all that food," Grace gasps as soon as the waitress walks away with our order.

"Wanna bet?" I taunt with a wink. She's right. I can't, but no need to let her have the win that quickly.

"Ye...," Grace begins to answer before Illeana cuts her off.

"Grace, don't you dare bet him and you," she points at me. "Stop taunting my sister. You're supposed to be an adult here."

I zip my lips and settle back into my seat, taking her effective scolding for a minute. The three of us sit in silence for a minute before Grace begins a barrage of questions. "How far is the cabin? Is there wifi? Will there be anything to do? How long do we have to stay?"

"Grace," Illeana scolds, shaking her head. "One question at a time, you know that."

"Sorry," Grace blushes and hangs her head.

"No need to be sorry. I suppose while we are waiting on food, I can answer a few questions. The cabin is about thirty minutes from here, but with the snow coming down, it may take longer. Hopefully, I don't need to put the chains on the tires, but I might. There is wifi, but it's spotty and the two of you can't be in contact with anyone. If you need wifi for school then we can figure that out, but I don't want to risk anyone finding us."

"Don't scare her, Steel," Illeana cuts me off with a hard stare.

"I'm not trying to, Illeana, but you both need to understand how serious this is. It's my job to keep you both safe. I can protect you from a lot of things, but I also believe in preparing you as well and not hiding." My voice is firm, letting her know I'm not willing to budge on this. Grace is smart and knows something is going on. She may not know the full extent, and I won't tell her that, but she needs to know I'm not keeping them off wifi and their phones just for fun. "As for the other questions," I turn to look at Grace and give her my attention again. "There are plenty of games to play there, and we can go outside to play as well. I'll make sure you all aren't bored out of your minds. As for how long we're staying. I'm hoping it's just for the week, but we will prepare for longer just in case."

"Wait, you're saying we have to play board games?" Grace questions, her eyes getting wide. I can't tell if it's a good or bad surprise look on her face.

"Uh, yes," I answer, trying to decide if I just won her to my side or not.

"Yes!" she shouts, pumping her fist in the air. "I love playing board games. Please tell me that you have Villainous?" She gives me a hopeful look.

"I have no idea what is at the cabin. The games there belong to my coworker's daughter. So they are whatever games she decided to send up to the cabin. I'm sure we will find something for you to play." I shrug, knowing I'm backed into a corner here. I see how her face drops when I say I'm not sure what games there are in the cabin. I can't even offer to pick some up here because I doubt this little store will have anything she's looking for. Usually, residents need to go into one of the larger cities to actually buy stuff like that.

"You'll be happy with whatever is there and just be thankful. Plus, you have homework you need to get done." Illeana chimes at the same time our appetizers come out, or well my appetizers.

"Dig in," I offer, spooning some loaded cheese fries onto the small appetizer plate in front of me. The second I put the spoon down, Grace picks it up and is spooning some onto her own plate. Illeana sighs but doesn't say anything.

The rest of lunch passes without any issues. I place seventy dollars on the table and rise, waiting for the girls to join me. Illeana gives me a questioning look but doesn't say anything, which I'm thankful for. It’s more than our bill but with the holidays around the corner, I wanted to make sure our waitress just had a little more to take home with her.

"We need to pick up a few items before we head up. I know you both packed some warm clothes, but how about you go check out the winter gear over there? Maybe find some snow pants and anything else you think you'll need. I'm going to load up on some food, and we can meet at the front in, say, fifteen minutes. Is that good?" I ask, looking between both girls. They both nod in agreement, with Grace pulling Illeana behind her to the winter clothes in no time. Shaking my head, I turn away from them and head to get some food. Knox texted me on the way here that Rachel stocked the cabin up, but if I wanted something specific, then I needed to grab it. I meant to ask the girls if there was anything they wanted but forgot to before they walked away.

Before I'm done grabbing some food, I run into the girls who both have a shopping basket full of food and Illeana is holding two sets of snow pants over one of her arms. "Ah good, you all got snacks too. I'm sorry I meant to tell you all to grab some."

"Grace asked for stuff to make hot cocoa. I tried to tell her that you would have things, but she said you don't know how she takes it, so we needed to get the items. I hope you don't mind," Illeana answers, glancing at her sister and smiling.

"Get whatever you all think you need," I respond, completely confused by what items you need for hot chocolate. I thought it was just water and one of those packets. By the looks of some of the things in their basket, I was completely wrong. "Is there anything else you think you need? We need to get on the road. The snow is starting to stick to the ground." I looked out the window I passed a few minutes ago, and the car was already covered. I'm definitely going to need to add the chains to the tires before we leave. If not, I don't think we will make it to the cabin. At least not safely.

"We're here," I call out as I make the final turn, and the wood cabin comes into view. The place looks just like it did when I came up here a few months ago, when Trevor had Emma here. The only difference is the Christmas lights that are hanging outside and lit up. I guess Rachel must have thought the lights would make the cabin look more inviting. I'll have to remember to ask her about it later.

"This is the cabin? It looks like a large house in the woods," Grace gasps, her face popping up into the front seats between my and Illeana's shoulders.

Laughing, I nod my head in agreement. "I suppose it is a large house in the woods, but we call it the cabin as more of the outside and inside has a log cabin feel to it. Even if the place is two stories," I pause. "When we get inside, I'll show you to the rooms you both will be using while here. I also have a couple of ground rules to go over as well."

"Ground rules? What are we nine?" Illeana huffs. "We know how to behave in a house that belongs to someone else."

"It has nothing to do with that," I sigh, knowing I should have anticipated the snark from her. She'd been quiet for the drive up here since we left town, only a few gasps when the SUV slid a little on the roads. Even with the chains on the tires, it was a rough drive up here.

"Okay, so what are the rules?" Grace asks as she settles back into her seat.

"We'll discuss them inside." Putting the car in park, I unlock the doors and get out to walk around to the trunk. Lifting the door, I begin to pull out all the bags, leaving mine for last. I want to get them settled and the food inside first, then I can come take care of my things.

Each of the girls grabs their own bag and then follows me to the front door. It takes a minute for me to enter the code, and then I step in to allow them to enter first. I'm sure Illeana will have something to say about me not entering first and making sure the house is clear for them, but I already know that it is, thanks to the state-of-the-art security we have. I didn't want them to stand outside and freeze while I did a check of the residence.

"Grace, your room is upstairs, just down the hall past the bathroom on the left," I instruct, waiting for her to head upstairs before I tell Illeana where she is staying. There is another room upstairs that I could put her in. It would be the logical choice and the safest, but right now I think I'd rather have her down here on the main floor with me to keep an eye on her. It would take too long to get to her upstairs and she is my main subject to protect.

Oh, who the hell am I kidding? I'm attracted to the woman, and that's why I'm not putting her upstairs.

"Where am I staying?" she asks, pulling me from my thoughts.

"You are just down the hall on the main floor. Follow me." Walking past her, I quickly place the bags of food in the kitchen and then begin walking down the hall, passing the safe room door and the bathroom. "Your room is right here." I come to a stop outside the room directly next to mine and step out of the way so she can enter.

"There isn't another room upstairs for me to take?" she jokes half-heartedly, though I can tell she's bothered I didn't place her upstairs.

"As you are the one most at risk, I would prefer to keep you nearby to watch out for you. Neither of us has to like it, but it is the job, one that I take seriously." I leave her with that, turning back down the hall and heading out the front door to grab my own bags from the back of the SUV. The second I walk back inside, I can hear both girls in the kitchen, laughing and talking. When they hear me, they immediately turn my way.

"So those rules?" Illeana prompts, resting her elbows on the kitchen counter. Grace mimics her and pulls the same pose, but she rests her chin on her hands.

"Basically, no phones or tablets that can connect to the internet. We can't have anyone tracking your locations. Also, don't talk to anyone from home, no friends, family, no one. As far as everyone is concerned, you're on a vacation with little service. The last rule is that there will be no trips into town. The fewer people that see you both, the better. Oh, and I forgot, if you go outside, please stay in sight of the house. No one knows we are here, but I'd rather be safe than sorry." I can tell by their expressions alone neither girl is happy with the rules. I know they suck, but it's for their safety. Both girls look from me to each other and back before Illeana prompts Grace to head upstairs and unpack her back. Illeana follows behind her, leaving me in the kitchen alone with my bags and the food that needs put away.

Great. This is about to be an extremely long week.