AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Where will we go?” she whispers, her eyes wide with fear.
“Somewhere safe. I willalwayskeep you safe.” She nods sadly, and I pull her against me, wishing not for the first time today that I could take all her hurt and fear away. “If he’s caught, I’ll drive you back up here myself, okay?” It’s not ideal, but it’s the best I can do at the moment.
“Okay, thank you,” she mutters before going up on her tiptoes and kissing me. “You can’t stay, though. It’s no guys.”
I laugh. “I know, Hal.” I brush the back of my hand against her cheek, and she leans into me. “It’s going to kill me to be away from you for that long, though.”
“Me too. Maybe I can sneak you into my room.” She wiggles her eyebrows up and down, and I laugh.
“I might hold you to that.” Turning back to the beach, everyone is packing up. “Looks like we’re heading back.” I tug on her hand, and when she doesn’t move, I look back at her, seeing she’s looking out over the water.
“Everything okay?” I ask, my eyes following her gaze.
“Yeah. I thought—”
“Hey, Sawyer, if you can put Hallie down for five minutes, Liam could do with your help,” Brooke shouts from behind us, interrupting Hallie.
I take no notice and concentrate on Hallie. “You thought what?” I ask with a frown.
“I thought…” She shakes her head and turns, smiling at me. “I think I’m seeing things. Come on.” She walks past me, and I reach for her arm, stopping her.
“Hallie, what do you think you saw?”
She looks over her shoulder at me and out across the water again. “Brooke said earlier the cabin across the lake is empty. I thought I saw someone moving around inside. Maybe it’s the new owners. Or maybe I’ve had too much sun, and I’m seeing things.”
I’m suddenly on high alert and quickly turn her so she’s behind me. My eyes frantically search the cabin’s windows, looking for movement.
“Sawyer,” Hallie whispers, her fingers digging into my waist. Turning, I take her hand and walk her toward where Liam, Brooke, and my parents are waiting for us. Reaching for my bag that’s still sitting on the sand, I pull out my T-shirt and turn, slipping it over Hallie’s head. My hand goes back in the bag and straight to my gun, and Hallie gasps as I pull it out.
“Leave the loungers. We need to get inside. Now,” I announce, already walking Hallie toward the track that leads back to the cabin. I can feel her shaking next to me, and I know she’s figured out what I’m thinking. I also know she’s panicking. I squeeze her hand to try and reassure her, my eyes darting around us as we make the short walk back to the cabin. I quickly glance over my shoulders to make sure everyone is following, breathing a sigh of relief when they are. As soon as we’re in the cabin, I can take her in my arms and calm her down. But right now, my priority is to get her somewhere safe.
I have no idea if the cabin across the water is empty or not. The last time I came up here, the Coopers still owned it. It’s been a while since Brooke was up here though, and things change.
My immediate thought—Bryant has found us.
But maybe the cabin’s for sale and a realtor’s showing someone around. Or maybe it was Hallie’s mind playing tricks on her.
But if itwasBryant, I had to get Hallie away from him and fast.
ChapterTwenty-Seven
Hallie
“Leave the loungers. We need to get inside. Now,” Sawyer says, his voice strained. His hand is still in mine, and before he’s even finished what he’s saying, he’s pulling me along the path toward the cabin. His eyes dart left and right before he looks over his shoulder. The noises around me disappear, and all I can hear is the beating of my heart. My hands are tingling, alerting me I am minutes away from a panic attack. Sawyer knows it too, as he squeezes my hand. I need to get myself under control. Thinking back to the sessions with my therapist, I take deep breaths, counting them over and over in my head. By the time we reach the cabin, I’m calmer than I was, and the tingling in my hands has subsided.
Once we’re inside, Sawyer drops my hand and guides me to Owen. “Watch her, Dad.”
Owen’s arm comes around my shoulder as Sawyer crosses the cabin and opens the door to the den, his gun raised. He comes out and jogs into the kitchen before heading upstairs, returning a few minutes later. “Everyone into the den and lock the door,” he says, his voice tight. He stops to talk to his mom, but I can’t hear what he’s saying.
“Sawyer, what’s going on?” Brooke asks.
“Please, Brooke, do as I say. Into the den and lock the door.Now.”
She must sense the urgency in his voice, and she takes Liam’s hand before doing as he asks.
“Come on, Hallie,” Owen says, coaxing me to move. Letting Owen guide me into the den, my eyes fly to Sawyer as he follows us.
“Sawyer…” He looks at me and gives me a small smile before coming to stand in front of me.
