Chapter 4

“Abso-fucking-lutely not,”Cash says, from where he’s sandwiched between his grandmother and Mr. Taylor, his hands on his knees.

June stands next to Hannah, her arm around her shoulders. “Han, are you sure about this?”

I’m standing in the kitchen, my back braced against the counter, my arms folded. I’m part of the family as far as Cash is concerned, but I refuse to be in the living room for this conversation. The minute Cash called for everyone to gather around, I bowed out. I figured what this was about after overhearing Hannah in the library, and I’m fucking knotted up about it.

Hannah leaving.

“I’m sure,” Hannah says, after a beat. “Look, this is important to me. I need to be free. I—All of you have left Heatstroke, you’ve lived your lives, and I want to be my own person. I want to leave this place. I want to?—”

“Nope,” Cash says. “Nope. You went to college. That was far enough away.”

“Cash,” June says. “She’s her own woman. You can’t tell her what to do.”

“You can’t baby me forever,” Hannah says. “I’m not sick any more, Cash. We’re not kids. And I love you guys, but I’m doing this no matter what you think.” And then she slips out of June’s grasp and heads into the hall. She doesn’t meet my eyes as she moves out of sight and to the back door. The screen door slams and an awkward silence spreads through the living room.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck.

She’s going through with it.

Which is a good thing. Because that fucked up temptation will be gone. She’s not the only one who’s going to be free.

The Taylors disperse. June pulls Cash aside to talk to him, but he’s scowling like only he can. He kisses her on the cheek, whispers something in her ear, then makes a beeline for me.

“Savage.”

I nod toward him. “You good?”

“No,” Cash says. “This whole thing is fucked.”

“I don’t see how you can stop her. She’s going on a vacation,” I say. “That’s a pretty normal thing for an adult woman to do.”

“You don’t know the full story.”

I arch an eyebrow.

“Let’s talk in the study.”

Apparently, this is that serious. Cash’s grandfather’s study is stuffy, full of dark wood and old pictures, and the faint smell of cigar smoke. It’s like the spirit of the man inhabits the place, staring down on anyone who enters with disapproval. He reminds me of a drill sergeant, even in pictures with his family.

Cash opens the curtains and allows in light that show off motes of dust. “Ganny keeps it like it was when he was alive.”

I nod. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

“I need your help.”

“What do you need?” I’ll always help Cash. He’s been my best friend since the day I arrived in Heatstroke. He saved my life, and I owe him a debt that runs so deep, there’s no denying a request.

During my time in the SEALs, I had brothers. Cash didn’t serve with me, but I consider him as close as those men because of what he’s done to help me.

Cash pinches the bridge of his nose and stares out of the window at the slatted fence that rings the yard.

“What is it?” I ask.

“She’s got a stalker.”

Heat travels through my body at the speed of fucking light. I hold my breath and release it slowly. “What?”

“Hannah has a stalker. Some fuckhead out in Houston who met her on a dating site. He keeps texting her, calling her, that kind of thing. He seems like a limp dick, but I’m not willing to take any chances,” Cash says. “Dad’s been trying to get her to move in here, but she says no. He went as far as to get movers to go over to her apartment, but she refused. And the messages are increasing in frequency. It’s only a matter of time until this guy shows up, and if he can find her here, he can find her when she’s away from Heatstroke. When she’s vulnerable. The most she’ll do is arm herself, or so she says.”

“She has a gun?”

“No. Pepper spray.”

“That would be first prize,” I say. “A gun. She learns how to shoot. What about the cops?”

“You know they won’t do a damn thing,” Cash replies. “My hands have been tied, but you?—”

“Me, what?” I ask.

“You are the only man I trust around her.”

That’s a kick to the stomach, both because it’s a reminder and because it sends my guilt to new heights.

“Savage,” Cash says. “I need you to be her bodyguard.”

“Say what now?”

“Her bodyguard. At least while she’s still in town, until—” Cash’s gaze flickers from left to right, desperate. “Fuck. Okay, I get that you can’t uproot your whole life and follow her across the country?—”

“You’d be right there. I can’t leave the camp.”

“You haven’t hosted a camp yet, right?” he asks. “You’re still getting it set up?”

“Yes,” I say.

“That’s good, that’s actually good,” Cash says. “You’ve been teaching women self-defense. That’s great. You can teach her, and keep her safe while you’re doing it.”

“Whoa, whoa, what the fuck are you talking about?”

Cash clicks his fingers. “I’ve got it. June and Hannah can come out to the ranch and try out a trial run of your self-defense class. You can look out for Hannah, be her bodyguard while she’s there in case this psycho shows up, and I’ll do what I can to hunt this guy down.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if I hunt the guy down and you keep her safe?” I ask, because there is no fucking chance I want Hannah on my property for an extended period of time. Even a few minutes is torture.

“No,” Cash says. “I want to find him myself, and Dad, he can help me. Leo’s heads so far up his ass, he can’t do shit, but whatever.”

“What’s he got to do with it?” I haven’t seen Cash’s other brother in years.

“He called yesterday and said he’s coming back to town,” Cash says, and waves away the question like it’s unimportant. “This is it, Savage.”

“What exactly are you going to do?” I ask. “It’s not like you can hurt the guy. That’s going to make headline news. In case you’ve forgotten, Taylor, you’re kind of a big deal.” I could picture the headlines. Cash’s face splashed across the front of the tabloids. Country Music Star, Cash Taylor, Loses Control.

“Just let me handle that,” Cash says. “You take care of Hannah. She won’t listen to me, but she will listen to you.”

“How do you figure that?”

“Because she wants to learn to fight,” Cash says. “She likes that kind of thing.”

My pulse notches upward. “She does?”

“Yeah,” Cash says. “I think this might be the one thing I could convince her to do.”

“So, you’re asking me to train her,” I say.

“And be her bodyguard while you’re training her. Keep her with you until I get back,” Cash says.

“This is fucking crazy, Cash. You have no idea where this guy lives or what he’s capable of,” I say. “It’s a bad idea.”

“I’m gonna do it anyway,” he says. “She’s my sister, man. There’s nothing more important to me than family.”

The sensation of a knife twisting in my gut follows his words, and I keep my features blank.

“Fuck. Sorry.” Cash squeezes my shoulder.

I stare down at him. He’s a little shorter than me, but not by much. I inhale through my nose and brace myself for what I’m about to say, because I hate this. Hate that I will have to be around her, whether June is there or not. I hate that my solitude on the ranch will be broken. Hate that I won’t be left alone, and that when I am, it’s with thoughts that torture me.

“Please?” Cash prompts.

“Fine.”