Chapter 8

Chapter

Eight

Hays felt impending doom, like a mission that was about to fail. He was struggling to not simply grab Elizabeth and take her far away from here. They could find a deserted tropical island or freeze in Greenland for all he cared. He'd finally be with her.

He prayed for protection for everyone involved. Especially Elizabeth.

Aiden's high-tech scanner found a tracker in Elizabeth's cheek. They decided to do the surgery first. Doc Coleville removed the tracker and swore not to say a word to anyone. He was a ‘good old boy' and even overly-cautious Quaid seemed to trust him. Aiden took the miniscule tracking device to Elizabeth's jet where Aiden's men waited with her guards. Quaid said if Elizabeth passed the lie detector test, he and Aiden would have Paul fly her guards somewhere almost as remote as Easter Island. They'd leave them bound and gagged and the jet disabled, with all the trackers with them. That might throw Benjamin Oliver off for a few beats.

Aiden and Quaid met them at Sheriff Coleville's office. Easton and Walker lingered around as well. Now Hays watched through a pane of glass as Elizabeth did the lie detector test. Aiden, Quaid, and Clint were in the room with her. Hays's gaze stayed focused on her face. He was impressed with her poise but imagined she'd been perfecting that act for many years. Her only tell was the pulse point thrumming in her neck.

He could understand why Quaid was being cautious. They'd all seen things in their years with the military that would stun the average citizen. Betrayal and trust weren't things to mess with.

But Hays trusted Elizabeth. It was the only path for him. If she turned her back on him again, he had no idea how he'd cope emotionally. That Elizabeth had him thrown out and beaten was so messed up he'd never told even Jagger about it. Jagger had been dealing with his own heartbreak and had never pried into his. Hays had kept dealing with a day at a time without her, without answers, with a lot of emotional anguish he hid from everyone. Now they had a chance again. He was going to take it. When things slowed down, they could talk through what had happened, but Hays suspected the emotional anguish she'd dealt with her entire life made his pale in comparison.

"You believe she's telling the truth?" Cade was at his side. Jacey and Anna were sitting back on a couch, holding hands and watching, obviously upset. Who could blame them? If it was Benjamin Oliver who had orchestrated all of Catherine's evil acts and Elizabeth was one of the only people in the world who knew the truth, then they were all in mortal peril and Elizabeth deserved years of apologies from all of them. If Elizabeth was lying … mortal peril wasn't strong enough for the danger they were in. What if his family and friends were in danger? Hays would have Jagger and Shawn get their wives to safe spaces and then go protect his family.

Hays held the man's gaze. "I do."

"You have a lot to lose if she's lying," Cade said.

Hays's eyebrows rose. How did the man know how gone he was over Elizabeth? Was it written all over his face?

"I think Liz lied to me twice," he admitted, remembering those dark days when she had turned him away. "But I believe she did it to protect me."

Even as he said the words, he felt the rightness of them. Elizabeth had been caught in a world of mind games and manipulation at the hands of her own parents. She'd done everything she could to protect him, Jacey, and Quaid. If only they weren't in such an intense situation and he could simply talk it all through with her, hold her, heal together. Would they ever get that chance?

Cade glanced back at Jacey. He gave her a quick smile, then turned to Hays. "If she is telling the truth, our entire world flips upside down." He rubbed at his jaw. "We never should've invited Elizabeth or Jacey's dad to the party."

Hays shrugged. "I'm grateful you did. If you hadn't, Elizabeth would still be in Benjamin's power. He already knew where you and Jacey were. He could've come at any time, kidnapped Jacey or killed you."

"I would've liked to see him try." The big cowboy was a couple inches taller than Hays's six-three and probably twenty pounds heavier. Hays could beat him at hand-to-hand combat, but he could beat almost anybody besides his best friend Jagger and Aiden Porter.

"The man is cunning," Hays said. "He's the type to send a sniper or disable your smoke alarms and start a fire while you sleep. We can't underestimate him."

"You're right," Cade admitted. "And it's better to know what's coming and to have overpowered his guards, have Elizabeth on our side, and be able to ship those guards out with her tracker. I can't believe that scum would hide trackers in his daughters' mouths."

Hays nodded. He and Cade were on the same team. Would they someday be brothers-in-law? He didn't dare let his mind travel down that route.

"You're saying you believe Liz as well?" Hays asked, focusing through the glass to give the man a chance to answer and to stare at Elizabeth as she answered question after question.

"This has been a rough night for Jacey, as you can imagine."

Hays focused on Cade and nodded.

"But as she and I talked while Doc performed the surgery, she started remembering incident after incident where she'd blamed her mom, but she could remember her dad making little comments or orchestrating things quietly. Just as Elizabeth said. She loves her ‘Lizzy' and doesn't believe Elizabeth could ever hurt her or Quaid. She said that as horribly as she and Quaid were manipulated and used, she knows Lizzy was in a much worse situation." He blew out a breath. "If she trusts Elizabeth, I'll support her." He cracked a grin. "And I'll keep my weapons close. I took out Catherine's guards. I can do it again if Elizabeth turns on us."

Hays returned the smile but watched Elizabeth.

If she turns on us.

She couldn't. She wouldn't.

Aiden was speaking to Quaid and then Hays watched as Quaid helped Elizabeth up. Quaid wrapped an arm around his sister's shoulder and Elizabeth looked relieved.

Moment of truth, but he prayed and had hope it would be the truth he longed to hear.

They all walked out of the smaller room and into the larger conference room Hays and the others they were gathered in.

Jacey sprang to her feet. "So?"

"Hug your sister," Quaid said softly. "She's telling us the truth."

Jacey cried out and ran to Elizabeth. They embraced.

Hays wanted to hold Elizabeth close and beg her to forgive him. She was telling the truth. Everything she'd done her entire life was to protect her siblings, and him. He should've kept fighting for her and found a way to rescue her. As an eighteen-year-old, he'd been devastated and thought the love of his life had turned her back on him. The truth was even more painful. Elizabeth had been alone, fighting a terrifying and losing battle, scared, vulnerable, and he'd given up on her.

Both women had tears streaming down their faces. Quaid and Anna joined their circle a few moments later. Quaid was still reluctant, but he seemed relieved as well.

"What's the plan?" Cade asked Aiden and Clint.

Hays focused. His purpose now was to protect Elizabeth. Someday they'd get to the lost years and regrets.

"As we speak, I'm instructing Paul to take seven of my men with the Oliver guards on the Oliver's jet. We won't see those guards for a while, but Paul and my men will be back as soon as they can navigate the return trip." He smiled briefly. "Quaid, Anna, Cade, Jacey, and five of my men will go with me. We'll go to a safe, undisclosed spot where we can start researching Benjamin Oliver and planning what kind of offensive strikes we need to take."

"What about Elizabeth?" Hays asked.

"Well. If you're willing…" Aiden smiled and studied him. "We have an idea for where to hide her until we're ready to strike at Benjamin. With her on our side, I believe we can end this for good."

"What do you need me to do?" Hays asked.

"Be her personal bodyguard," Aiden said.

Hays looked to Elizabeth. She stood close to Jacey and Anna, speaking quietly, but she looked up and caught and held his gaze.

"I thought you'd never ask," he told Aiden. His prayers throughout the years to be close to her again were being answered.

The security specialist grinned. "I knew you'd say yes."

Yes was a bit of an understatement. Despite the danger to Elizabeth and her siblings and the escalated worries over what Benjamin Oliver may do to get his oldest daughter back, Hays wanted to dance and yell out his yes and most of all pick Elizabeth up and hold her close, tease her with a knock-knock joke, then seal his yes with a long kiss. Then they could talk through everything he'd read wrong and done wrong.

For now, being her personal bodyguard would have to be enough. He wondered where Aiden planned on sending them. Point Nemo, Siberia, or Tibet would be paradise with Elizabeth by his side, but they might not be far enough away to keep her father from finding them.

Bring it on , Hays thought. He'd love a battle with the demon who'd terrorized Liz all these years. As long as she was safe.