Chapter 6

Chapter

Six

Hays glanced at his watch. It was almost ten p.m. He listened to a muted but animated discussion about Elizabeth's intentions as he waited for Elizabeth, Anna, Jacey and Cade to come back down the stairs.

Cade stood just outside the master bedroom, listening in to the womens' interaction but giving Elizabeth a little privacy. Quaid did not trust his older sister alone with his younger sister or wife, and Cade wasn't leaving his wife in any kind of peril.

Hays thought Quaid was being overly cautious, but he didn't want to believe that Elizabeth could hurt anyone, let alone her own sister. He'd accused her of putting a bomb in Jacey's closet earlier today, but Elizabeth had given him glimpses of the girl he'd fallen for all those years ago.

Quaid and Hays had changed out of their wet clothes in the laundry room. Now Quaid and Aiden were deliberating what to do with Elizabeth and her guards while Sheriff Clint Coleville and Hays listened. The guards were being watched outside by a dozen of Aiden's men. Clint and his brothers had ‘left' with the rest of the Coleville family earlier. Quaid didn't want to endanger any of them. Clint hadn't gone far, insisting as county sheriff he needed to be here. His twin brothers were at the bottom of the canyon, awaiting instructions.

Quaid was adamant Elizabeth was the one calling the shots after Catherine's death. He felt it was a mistake to have allowed her to come and would put everyone here tonight in danger.

"She isn't evil," Hays interjected, unable to hold his peace any longer. He'd known Quaid only as a SEAL. They'd been in different units but had sometimes gone on assignments together. Maybe he should have recognized him as Thomas Oliver while in the military, but he'd never met any of Elizabeth's family. Quaid was younger than them by three years, and nobody had expected the famous, kidnapped billionaire heir Thomas Oliver to be on a SEAL assignment with them.

Quaid rounded on him. His blue eyes were intense. "You still think she's the innocent girl you kissed in high school. She's not. She never was."

Hays didn't respond to that. He was leery of Elizabeth breaking his heart again—of course he was—but he couldn't believe she was evil. Not after looking into her eyes. He'd seen fear, longing, and determination in her blue gaze. There was a lot to reconcile with her thrusting him away and having him beaten, but he was becoming convinced that she was brave and innocent and needed him to protect her.

"Thank you for taking the time to come." Quaid stared at him with eyes so similar to Elizabeth's it was eerie. "Feel free to leave."

Hays sprang to his feet. As a rule, he was the mellow one, the one who didn't start the battle. But as he'd proven with the cocksure guard tonight, he'd finish it. "You wanted me here. You won't dismiss me because I disagree with you."

Quaid simply stared at him. "Emotions cannot interfere. My mother was the devil, and my sister is obviously walking in her footsteps. She can beguile some, but not me. I've lived this."

The bedroom door opened upstairs and Hays glanced up to see Cade holding the door. Elizabeth walked out with Jacey and Anna. They'd been quick. She looked gorgeous, younger, even more innocent with no makeup on, her dark hair wet around her face, and in a simple pink T-shirt and black running pants.

She met his gaze, and he tried to reassure her with a smile. She tentatively returned it, then focused on her brother. Hurrying down the stairs, she marched up to Quaid. He stood and faced her.

"I wrote a note warning all of you. Anna has it, but with the listening devices gone, I can finally tell you the truth."

"The truth?" Quaid's smile was thin. "Our family has never been big on truth."

"Quaid." Elizabeth held his gaze. "I'm not here to change your opinion about me, but you have to believe me. Father will annihilate everyone in this valley if you don't relocate right now."

Hays wanted to carry her away from here. Could they go to some remote island and live out their lives together? He prayed to know what the right path would be. The path that would protect Elizabeth and, if possible, let them be together.

Quaid folded his arms across his chest and regarded her. Jacey, Cade, and Anna had followed Elizabeth down the stairs.

"I can't believe Dad would hurt me," Jacey admitted.

"It's not worth the risk of staying," Cade said.

At least her brother-in-law was listening.

"Please." Elizabeth looked from her sister to her brother. "I know you were deluded into believing Mother called the shots." She shook her head. "Mother loved the implementation, the fanfare, the murder, the mind games, the torture, but she was only a puppet. She never said one word or killed one person without Father's approval." She paused as if to let that sink in. Her gaze never wavered from Quaid's.

"Dad?" Jacey's brow wrinkled.

"I promise you it's true."

Hays noticed the pulse point in Elizabeth's throat going like mad and her clutching her hands together. She was terrified, but no one would know it. She might be in more casual clothing than she'd ever worn in her life, but she could be running the board meeting of a Fortune 500 company or directing Congress. She captured everyone's attention and not just because her words were shocking. Her presence was fascinating.

"Father's schemes are all-encompassing and brilliant. He is the most incredible actor of our day and always has been. I'm not concerned about you trusting me or caring for me. All I care about is you being safe." Her eyes left Quaid and darted straight to Hays.

She cared about him being safe? Then why had she ordered his beating all those years ago? If her father controlled her mother, it was no stretch to believe Benjamin Oliver controlled Elizabeth as well. She hadn't trusted Hays with her secrets or to protect her when he was an unproven eighteen-year-old. Would she now?

"Father knows I spoke to someone in the closet earlier." Her cheeks turned pink.

Hays smiled, though it really wasn't anything to smile about that her father was listening to her conversations and had her panicked about their safety.

"Please, Hays." She shook her head, her lip trembling now. "He will discover who you are, and you'll be a target as well as your loved ones."

That made Hays's chest constrict. Her father wouldn't go after his family. Would he?

"Please." Her gaze traveled around the room, stopping on Jacey. "All of you. Hide somewhere. Greenland. Point Nemo. Easter Island. Antarctica."

Aiden Porter laughed. Hays thought that was a bit rude, seeing how stressed Elizabeth was, but from an outsider's point of view, especially one as accomplished as Aiden, it probably appeared she was being extreme.

Elizabeth whirled on him, incredulous. "Please. This is life or death."

The famed security specialist stood, easily matching Elizabeth's impressive authority, and grinned. His accomplishments and charming confidence were unrivaled. "Miss Oliver. I'm not afraid of you or your father. I'm here because I love your brother and I love a challenge. None of us are going to run and hide under a rock."

"Please." Elizabeth looked near tears. The poised, regal Elizabeth Oliver might crumble if they didn't listen.

It was obvious to Hays how deeply she cared for him and her siblings. Did no one else feel that? He didn't want to undermine her by springing across the room and hugging her tight, but he found himself wanting to hold her close and infuse her with his strength and tranquility.

Clint Coleville stood, probably because everybody else was. "Quaid? What's your take?"

"I don't trust you, Elizabeth, and I believe Father was spineless but not evil." He said it easily, without venom, which made it more hurtful. Elizabeth took it, unflinching. "Why did you toe the line for everything Mother said to do from the time we were young?"

"Because Father's guards would torture you if I didn't," she cried out.

Quaid's brows rose. "They tortured me anyway."

"I know! I hear your cries in my nightmares."

Quaid backed up a step. "Look. We're not hashing out our childhood. The fact is, I don't trust you and I don't know how I ever would."

"Quaid," she begged him. "Mother was not in charge. Please. If you believe anything I say, just please believe that Father will capture, torture, and kill each of you. If he can't find you, he'll find someone you love and manipulate you with them. You know how they operate, Quaid."

"Yes. At Mother's direction."

"Mother was always his tool. He played his role fabulously and groomed us to believe she was the bad guy. From the time we were young, he'd hold me while they hurt you. He'd quietly explain that your agony was because I'd done something wrong. He'd teach me how to do better next time. I thought he was sincerely trying to help me, and I tried." Tears rushed down her face. "I tried so hard, but it was never enough. I could never protect you and Jacey."

Hays's stomach turned over. What had she been through? They hurt Quaid and Jacey to ‘teach' her? That was disgusting and twisted. His own humiliating and painful beating at her instruction was now in question as well.

"It started adding up when I was a preteen. I'd catch a look in his eyes, or he'd work with me on playing chess and he'd always beat me. As we played, he'd explain that he was the master and even the queen was under his command." Every word was intense, pleading. She was panicked and desperate for them to believe her and to protect themselves.

"If you had proof and you really cared, you'd go to the authorities," Quaid said.

"I've tried." She shook her head. "Any agent I confided in was either quietly killed or a double agent working for or manipulated by Father."

Quaid's eyebrows lifted at that.

"He told me to come here and make you allies," she continued, "or you and Jacey would become martyrs as he and I rose together." She looked to her sister, sheer horror in her eyes. "Please. I don't know how to prove to you the danger you are all in sitting here."

She was beguiling, exquisite, unselfish, regal, irresistible to Hays. Was the love of his youth dark and deceitful like Quaid seemed to believe, or was his Liz the most tragically brave victim anybody had ever met?

"Just like you said," Quaid said. "You and him rising together. If our father is really the devil behind Catherine, you're now his right-hand woman. You're the one running for Senate, angling to be president someday." Quaid said all of this in a level tone. He wasn't out of control or emotional, but he was obviously never going to believe his sister.

"At his command. He always tells me the man behind the scenes has the true power." She paused, her blue eyes pleading. "You should never worry about me becoming senator or president."

"Why not?"

Elizabeth tilted her chin. "Once I know you are all safe and he can't hurt you, I'll either find a way to expose him, or I will end my life."

Hays sucked in a breath and so did Jacey. The serious words jabbed at him sharper than any knife.

Jacey ran to her sister and grabbed her in a hug. "You will not! I won't let you."

"Jacey." Elizabeth let out a heavy breath and leaned back. "You have to believe me. I know Father had a soft spot for you and was kind to you, but everything is part of a master plan with him."

The room was quiet. All eyes were on Elizabeth, weighing every word she spoke.

She stepped away from her sister. "I believe he had Mother killed to wipe the stain from our family after Aiden, Anna, and Sutton Smith worked with Mercedes Belle and Jesse to expose her. Mother escaped prison, and he wasn't pleased. He ordered her to go with his guards to find you two and bring you home. I believe the guards had instructions to kill her when it could look like she was caught in the crossfire." She looked to Clint. "You're the sheriff. Who killed Catherine Oliver?"

Clint looked impressed. "She was shot in the back by one of her men."

Hays found that disturbing and intriguing. Benjamin Oliver had his own wife killed to give himself a scapegoat? What was the man capable of doing to Elizabeth, Quaid, or Jacey?

Elizabeth nodded. "Father told me she took the fall. He gave up some information, a few financial reserves, and even some of his well-trained men to the investigators so he'd look clean, cooperative, and could play his familiar role of victim. He's insanely wealthy, terrifyingly connected, underhanded, and nobody in the world suspects him." She looked from Jacey to Quaid. "Not even his own children."

Jacey had tears streaming down her face. She'd edged back to her husband as Elizabeth spoke. Now Cade cuddled her against his side. He was so huge, she looked safe and protected. Hays wished he could safeguard Elizabeth.

Quaid was stoic. He didn't speak, didn't move.

Anna glanced up at him. "You worked so hard to keep me safe from your mother. What if your father is the worse threat?"

Quaid blanched and wrapped an arm around his wife, kissing her forehead. "Then I will take you, Jacey, and Cade to a remote, safe space where you will be protected, and I will work with Aiden and Sutton Smith to end my father once and for all." He looked at Elizabeth. "None of the places you suggested. Don't think you'll find us."

Hays's heart went out to Elizabeth. Was his vision skewed because of emotion and the love he'd always harbored for her? Maybe Quaid was right and he shouldn't be part of this equation, but he wouldn't turn his back on Elizabeth. He'd march by her side back to her father's mansion and take the man on by himself if need be.

"We need to make a decision," Aiden said. "If Elizabeth is right, we'll have mercenaries headed our way." He paused. "Benjamin will realize he needs to assemble a large team, so we might have a couple hours. Currently, there are no teams of mercenaries in Missoula or Spokane that have a hope against us. He'd have to put out a request, fly them from Seattle or Salt Lake into Missoula and drive to this location. Even then, no army could best my men." He grinned cockily. "But I don't want to waste time fighting hired wannabes if the focus is taking the battle to Benjamin Oliver."

"Okay." Sheriff Coleville nodded. "If we trust Elizabeth, we need to hide her as well. If we don't, we ship her out with her men."

Nobody was shipping Elizabeth back to her father. Not on Hays's watch.

"Paul can fly them," Aiden offered.

"What do you all think?" the sheriff asked.

Nobody said anything. Even Jacey didn't look like she knew who to trust. The lines were being drawn in the sand. Everyone would need to make a decision. Hays's decision was already made. Elizabeth held his heart. He was choosing to trust her and be there for her.

"I stand by Elizabeth," Hays said, walking to her side. He didn't take her hand or put his arm around her like he longed to, but he did hold her gaze.

She stared up at him. "Hays …" Her eyes were soft and warm, but then she shook her head. "You can't. He'll destroy you first. At least he has tender feelings for Jacey, and he thinks he can manipulate Quaid to help him reach his goals. You, Anna, and Cade are in the most danger."

Hays grunted, though he liked how she lumped him in with her siblings' spouses. "Liz. If I didn't prove how tough I am by taking down your meanest guard dog, I'm not sure what kind of demonstration you need." He winked, but she only stared at him. "No one can destroy me. I'll take Benjamin on by myself if needed." He'd call Jagger Lemuel and Shawn Holister. His best friends would never let him down. "The only way you're getting me away from your side is a bullet through my heart."

Elizabeth sucked in a breath, and her pulse throbbed in her neck. The rest of the room was too quiet.

"You violently shoved me away fourteen years ago," he said quietly. That night was still a painful obstacle they needed to talk through. "Don't do it again, Liz." He couldn't admit how deeply he still felt for her. Not yet. He still retained some pride. "I will watch out for you and help you defeat your father."

Her blue eyes flashed with warmth, possibly love, but then fear filled them. "Please, Hays. I had to prove fourteen years ago that I didn't love you so you wouldn't be a target for my father to torture and manipulate to control me."

Hays sucked in a breath and so did everyone else in the room. There was more he needed to understand about the story, but she had been protecting him.

"You beating Peter and then diving in for me, holding me like you did while my guards watched … he'll be after you. You have to run. Hide. It's your only chance to survive."

His pride did flare then. "I am not a runner, Liz. Six of your guards thrashed me fourteen years ago. I'd dare them to try it now. I will fight for you."

She let out a whimper that ripped at his heart and then she threw herself at him and clung to him. Hays was stunned. He wrapped her up tight. The world was set right, despite the danger they were in.

"Hays, please." Her warm breath tickled his neck. "I can't let you die for me."

"It's not your choice." He met her gaze and willed her to believe that he would die for her if needed. Most importantly, he'd fight for her, even if he had to take on the incredible men in this room.

He didn't even glance around. His focus was on Elizabeth. She was what mattered. If he had to go AWOL and take her to Antarctica or Point Nemo, he would do it. Her father would have to hire legions of mercenaries to beat him up this time.

He could only pray Elizabeth wouldn't shove him away or run from him.