Chapter 5

Chapter

Five

The battle was immediately underway. Elizabeth was terrified for Hays's safety. Hays was a battle-savvy soldier, but Peter was a brute who lived to inflict pain. She scuttled closer to try to protect Hays.

Quaid lifted her off her feet and deftly pulled her up to the higher ledge with him and Anna.

"No, please," she begged her brother. "He'll kill him."

"We can only hope," Quaid muttered.

Did Quaid think she meant Hays would kill Peter? Didn't Quaid remember how unbeatable their father's guards were? Hays was a SEAL, but he didn't have a mean, underhanded bone in his body. There was no way he would beat Peter.

Her brother stepped in front of her and his wife. Elizabeth's throat was thick with fear. Hays fighting for her and Quaid protecting her were touching moves. She had to stop this fight, but it meant everything to her that these two most important men to her would care deeply enough to attempt to fight for her and shield her.

"Peter," she commanded in the ‘ice queen' voice she'd learned by heart. "Stop. Now."

He didn't respond. Chills ran along her skin. It was clear her father had commanded him to hurt or kill Hays to make a point.

"Quaid. You have to stop them." She tried to get around him.

Quaid only shook his head and held her back with one arm.

The men were vague shadows on the rocks above the headlights, wraiths in the night trading punches and kicks. They hardly grunted when they took a hit, and nobody else made a sound as the battle continued. The rhythmic striking of fist, elbow, knee, or foot against flesh, the slight breeze through the trees, crickets in the night shadows, and the gentle lapping of the water against the rocks below combined to an unsettling cacophony.

Hays was holding his own. That was impressive, but Peter would do something underhanded and kill Hays if she didn't intervene.

Hays launched himself at Peter and the two men tumbled off the ledge and down to the dirt and rocks below. Elizabeth, Jacey, and Anna all cried out.

She couldn't let this continue.

Pushing to Quaid's side, she grabbed his arm. "Please stop them."

"No." Quaid's voice was low and urgent. "Look."

She looked, and she saw Hays clearly, but it was the beast version of him as he drove Peter back with vicious hits to the face. Hays picked Peter up, threw him over his shoulder, and slammed him to the ground.

Elizabeth held on to Quaid to steady herself. Hays flipped Peter facedown and wrenched her guard's arm behind his back. Hays's knee dug in between the man's shoulder blades. Peter struggled and bucked but couldn't break Hays's grip.

What in the world? She'd known Hays was tough yet kind. She hadn't known he was the perfect specimen—an unbeatable warrior with a heart of gold.

Her other guards surged forward, and the hard clicks of metal against metal made her stomach turn over. She knew that sound. Pistols being cocked. She'd heard it many times before these very men shot someone under her father's command.

Horror raced through her. They would shoot Hays.

"No!" she cried out. "Stop. Please!"

"Lizzy?" Jacey questioned.

Quaid turned to her, glaring with significant force. "Your guard made the first move, Elizabeth. What did you expect us to do?"

"My guard?" She focused on the group below them again. Hays was staring at her, his gaze full of frustration. Then she peered at the rest of her guards. Their weapons were either held loosely or not even out. They were all stiff, some with both hands held up. All six of them had at least two pistols or rifles pointed at them from Aiden's guards. Aiden Porter himself backed up Hays.

"I … I thought my guards were going to shoot Hays," she whispered to Quaid, praying whatever listening device was on her couldn't pick up her words.

Quaid didn't look convinced. She was still trying to wrap her mind around Hays truly being Superman and beating and subduing Peter, plus all of her guards immobilized. How soon would her father send more guards or put out a request for a contingent of mercenaries to get men here quicker?

"What should we do with them, Elizabeth?" Quaid asked.

She eased in close to her brother, and he flinched as if she'd stick a knife in him. Her life was not her own, and she hated what she'd been forced to do and what her father hoped to use her for, but knowing that her younger brother not only loathed her but thought she'd hurt him was an awful feeling.

Ignoring the hurt, she tried to make him understand in a whisper that hopefully only Quaid could hear, "If Father discovers they are restrained, he will send more, many more, and they will be instructed to torture and kill you … and those you love."

She eased back, hoping he'd believe her and listen. Peter and his men incapacitated was an incredible sight, but there were mercenaries around the nation who would take the money father would pay through shadow corporations on the dark web to come and annihilate everyone in this valley. Everyone she loved.

Quaid didn't respond, and she didn't know that he believed her. Finally, he said in a loud voice, "It should be obvious that we have the upper hand—more manpower, better fighting skills, and we haven't sold our souls to a murderous she-devil."

Elizabeth thought he was referring to their mother, but he may have meant her.

"My friends will let you go," Quaid continued, "after they remove your weapons and any communication devices. You will be bound. If you resist, you will be gagged and left on the hard ground for the night. There are a lot of critters running around out here that wouldn't mind snacking on you. Do you understand?"

Elizabeth's cell phone buzzed against her hip. She ignored it. Her stomach revolted. She'd never dared ignore her father's call, but she'd never seen her father's guards not in control. An unfamiliar hope was fluttering in her heart. Hays had defeated Peter. What else could her heroic Hays accomplish?

"We cannot leave Miss Oliver unprotected," one of the guards called out.

Elizabeth wanted to roll her eyes. "I am safe with my brother and sister and their friends," she said loudly. "My father knows that and has sent me to make amends for the abuse my mother heaped upon them for years. You will not challenge these men, or you will pay the consequences."

She was terrified that her father would order armies of men with evil intent to head their direction, but her words fit with her mission. She was to make allies of her siblings, and possibly even Aiden Porter, as she continued to portray Mother as a demon. There was a chance she hadn't ordered everyone's death sentence, so she had to keep up the charade.

Four of the men listened, handed over their weapons, and allowed their hands to be secured behind their backs. Peter and two of the other men fought. Elizabeth watched in awe as they were bound hands to feet and gagged. She'd never seen them defeated.

Hays helped Aiden tie Peter securely. They didn't leave the men on the ground, but they did lift them into the back of a pickup truck.

Hays strode across the space toward her. The very way he moved was incredible. He'd bested Peter. That boggled her mind. She knew Hays was impressive, but … she'd never met a man who could best Peter. That was why he was top guard, that and how deep-down evil and loyal to her father he was.

Easily scaling the rocks, Hays moved to her side. He didn't say anything, but he reached for her and gently wrapped his large hand around hers. It was a big, brave move. If defeating and binding Peter hadn't sealed his fate, him claiming her hand was a death sentence when her father received the report.

Despite her fears, Elizabeth's heart raced from the simple touch. A man had never been gentle with her. Except for him. No one had ever supported her like Hays did. To think he could touch her so gently and be so fierce with Peter…

He truly was Superman.

"My father will send more men," she whispered to him. "You all need to evacuate."

He didn't disagree, simply nodded and escorted her onto the ledge next to Quaid. Anna was on her brother's other side. Hays's very presence strengthened her.

She eased toward Quaid and glanced down. Only darkness below. "How far is the jump?"

The phone buzzing in her pocket added to the urgency she felt to leap and act. First, she had to convince Quaid and Jacey about the danger they were in. Then Quaid, Hays, and Aiden needed to take her and her guards back to her father's plane, making certain the plane lifted off and Peter had placed no tracking devices on her siblings or Aiden's men, before they all ran for their lives.

It was ludicrous that three full-grown adults were jumping, fully clothed, into a cold mountain lake after dark, but she felt a sense of exhilaration. She had never done something like this. If only Hays could hold her hand while she did it. Her elite Navy SEAL warrior could easily keep her safe in that dark water, and jumping with him would be thrilling.

That wasn't the plan. Hays would protect the note, and that was what she needed. As soon as any tracking devices on her and her phone were destroyed, she and her siblings could talk, but they needed to move locations. She'd pay the price when she returned to Father. If only he'd exact pain on her and not someone else.

"About thirty feet from this spot," Quaid said.

That sounded high to her. Very high. She swallowed.

"Yay," Jacey called out as she edged around Hays and between Elizabeth and Quaid. "This is so fun!"

"It is fun," Elizabeth said. Her sister was still na?ve to the danger surrounding them. Peter and her guards had been bested, but it wouldn't last. For just one moment, though, she felt like a carefree child. Or at least what she imagined a carefree child would feel. She had never experienced being carefree before.

Jacey took her hand, and Elizabeth forced herself to release Hays. She glanced up at him.

"I'll be here for you," he said softly.

Her eyes widened and her heart fluttered with indescribable joy. There wasn't time to reply as Jacey counted loudly.

"3 … 2 … 1!"

No chance to think or second-guess as Jacey tugged her forward and they leaped off the cliff together. They fell through the warm night air, and Elizabeth's stomach hopped up to her throat. She let out a scream and Jacey laughed.

Her bare feet slapped the water with a sting that reverberated up her legs, then they plunged down into the cold, cold water. Bitter cold. Her dress floated up, and she tried to push it down with one hand. Her body immediately felt sluggish and heavy in the stinging, freezing liquid surrounding them. She kicked and Jacey pulled on her hand. They changed their trajectory and burst through the surface of the water. The warmer outside air kissed her wet cheeks.

Jacey screamed out, "Cold!"

Even as her sister screamed, Jacey tugged Elizabeth back away from the cliff, the lights, and the crowd.

Quaid yanked on her other arm and said too loudly, "Did you love it, Elizabeth?"

"I loved it," she said, following their cues and pitching her voice louder as they tugged her deeper into the lake. "If only we had time to jump again."

How could she relay her message and convince them to relocate? The quick thrill of jumping was over and now urgency and danger pressed on her chest as heavily as the water.

"We do," Quaid answered. "But first, let's swim a bit."

"I love to swim," she answered. She did like to swim, but it was eerie in the dark. What was in the icy depths of this lake? Her dress weighed her down more than a swimsuit ever would, and her limbs were sluggish from the chilly water. She tried to beat her chilled arms and legs faster.

"Keep swimming," Quaid whispered close to her ear. "We want to kill any electronics on you."

She was cold and getting disoriented in the dark water. The lights on shore from the trucks were a beacon. How long would they need to stay in the water to kill electronics? Quaid believed there were tracking and recording devices on her besides her phone, just as she'd worried.

Would she freeze to death while the electronics became waterlogged? Hypothermia felt certain. Quaid was a former Navy SEAL. Hays was still a SEAL. They would save her.

She would love to have Hays come save her.

"J-Jacey," she mumbled. "Aren't you frozen?"

"This lake is my second home," Jacey responded, vibrant as ever. "Cade and I jump in every day. Cold therapy. Have you researched the benefits?"

"N-no." Elizabeth wanted to get out, but this needed to happen. Peter and the guards were restrained. Even the ones they hadn't hogtied had their hands secured and guns trained on them. Were her siblings giving her the opportunity to relay her message? Would they believe her?

"Drop your phone, watch, earrings, anything you can think of into the water," Quaid quietly instructed. His hand came under her elbow, and he held her aloft as she pulled her cell phone out with some difficulty from the wet fabric pocket and released it under the water. Her earrings, necklace, and watch followed suit. It wasn't easy, but it was incredibly freeing. Had she been tracked or had a listening device implanted into her jewelry? It would make sense and be simpler than planting something into her clothing that changed every day.

A splash sounded and Elizabeth jolted. Oh, no! One of her guards had fought free, jumped in, and was going to rip her from her siblings. He would swim her to shore and not allow her to stay one more minute.

A shape surfaced not a foot away. She almost screamed, but her eyes had adjusted enough to the dark to recognize him.

"Hays," she whimpered.

Strong arms wrapped around her lower back and tugged her against Hays's solid and inviting chest. He was warm and safe and strong. His legs churned the water beneath them as he held them both aloft. She snaked her arms around him and curled in. Earlier she had fun and now she was protected and safe. She had rarely experienced either. Only with him.

Hays. Had he truly come for her?

"Hays," she whispered. "What are you doing?"

"Rescuing you from the cold water," he murmured, his breath warm on her cheek. "Keep cuddling into me and when I carry you out, shiver, breathe quickly, and act low on energy and weak."

"Easy," she admitted. All those things felt true, except for the low on energy part. With Hays close, she had a surge of energy and endorphins. She would never leave this freezing lake if it was the only way to stay in his arms.

"Knock knock," he said for only her to hear.

"Who's there?" she murmured back.

"Needle."

"Needle who?"

"You needle help right now."

She laughed softly. Only Hays.

Then she remembered what she hadn't wanted in this lake. "Hays. The note!"

"Anna has it."

"Ah." She relaxed into him. Anna had the note. All would be well. If she could talk to Quaid and Jacey sans listening devices, she might not even need the note.

Right now, Hays was taking care of her. Nobody had ever taken care of her. Staff had taken care of her physical needs, but Hays's strength and protection was physical and emotional.

"She's not used to the cold water like you two," Hays pronounced loudly.

"Get her out," Quaid urged.

Hays kept one arm around her waist and used his other arm and his strong legs to propel them to the shoreline. As soon as he could touch, he cradled her against his chest and carried her through a shallow spot and up onto the bank.

Anna and Cade were right there. The bright lights of the trucks illuminated everyone. Aiden Porter and his small army of men were making certain her guards didn't interfere. Not that they could move bound as they were. She wondered if this show was to convince her men she was in danger. They could report back to her father that she had a plausible excuse to be away from her guards.

Anna offered a large beach towel. Hays slid her feet to the ground, wrapped her up in the dry, warm towel, and then swept her up again.

Elizabeth remembered to shiver, lean into him, and pant for air. An easy job for certain. The only problem was she longed to stare up at his handsome face, be captivated by his deep-brown eyes, and sigh with happiness at finally being in his arms. The impending danger of her father sending the troops in couldn't touch her at this moment.

Hays strode across the rock and weed-strewn beach in bare feet, like nothing could hurt him.

"Miss Oliver?" one of the guards asked. He actually sounded concerned.

"I am f-fine," she said.

Cade was in front of Hays and opened the back door of a truck. Hays lifted Elizabeth in and climbed in himself. The door was shut behind them.

Her heart soared seeing Peter and all of her guards secured in the back of or standing next to one large truck. She was as free as she had ever been in her life.

It wouldn't last.

Hays wrapped his arm around her and cradled her into his side. She rested her head on his strong shoulder. This was living. She was safe. She was cared for. She was with Hays. If only there wasn't an expiration date of as soon as her father could send more mercenaries or capture one of these people's loved ones and torture them until they gave up her, Jacey, and Quaid.

Two of Aiden's men jumped up front, the truck roared to life, and they spun in a circle and bounced across the gravel and back to Jacey and Cade's house.

"Can we speak freely?" she whispered.

"Let's get you out of those clothes, Liz, and then we'll talk," Hays returned.

The man driving the truck sputtered at that. Elizabeth knew Hays hadn't meant that in a crude way. Her clothing had been submerged for a while, but there was still a risk of a listening device that hadn't shorted out. Hays and Quaid had thought of everything. Aiden Porter was obviously involved. Did that mean they trusted her, or did they simply want to isolate her because they thought she was the problem?

Soon, she could talk. She relaxed fully into Hays.

Too quickly, the truck pulled to a stop next to Jacey and Cade's garage. Hays opened the door and slid out.

Three other vehicles were fast approaching. Where were her guards?

Hays lifted her out of the truck and carried her to a side entrance. The man who'd driven them opened the door and Hays strode through. It was shut behind them. Hays pushed a light switch and carried her through a white-painted garage with a large truck and a small utility vehicle in it. A wall of tools was on one side and two mountain bikes hung on a perpendicular wall. Did Jacey and Cade ride those bikes through their beautiful mountains? She loved that image.

Her mind was clearing as she warmed up, but being in Hays's arms didn't help. She felt an urgency that nobody but her, and maybe Quaid, could understand.

"Hays," she whispered into his ear. "We can't stay here. He'll send more men. He'll destroy everyone."

Hays stopped walking and held her gaze. Did he believe her? Would he trust her? She could never hope for a relationship with him and happiness for herself. Saving him, her brother and sister, and all of these kind people would be enough. If she could accomplish at least that, she'd resign herself to returning to her father and finding a way to expose him. She hadn't accomplished such a feat in thirty-two years, but she had to keep trying.

Jacey burst into the great room behind them.

"Let's get you warm and dry," she exclaimed. "Hays, carry her up to my room."

Hays nodded and easily strode across the great room and up the stairs with Elizabeth clinging to him. This reprieve would be short-lived. She wanted to savor and catalog each moment in his arms. The memories would strengthen and sustain her during the pain ahead.