Protecting Charlotte (Select Protectors Security Squad Book 1) by Christine Glover

Author:Christine Glover [Glover, Christine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-03-12T00:00:00+00:00

16

Charlotte

“I want to move on with all my parts intact,” I say as Noah exits the main highway.

“You will,” he says, driving along a treelined smaller road that’s hidden from the main artery’s view.

We bump over potholes and a pair of white-tailed deer dart out of our path. Sunlight shafts waves of light through the dense vegetation and the aroma of underbrush, pine and earth permeates the SUV’s interior. I inhale a deep breath, taking in the familiar scents, wishing we were here to explore and hike instead of running from ghosts from Noah’s past.

We near a smaller driveway and he enters it, driving several yards until we pull into a parking area next to a log cabin.

“Wow, it’s beautiful,” I say when he stops the SUV next to the place that’s surrounded by lush forest with mountain views and a quiet stillness that comes with the sweet hush of peace.

Peace that is temporary at best, but I’ll take it.

“Yeah,” he says. “I missed coming here after my mom died.”

I hear the wistfulness in his voice and a band squeezes around my lungs. “I’m sorry your dad stopped taking you.” I glance at the cabin that’s nestled on the edge of the forest, knowing it’s the perfect spot to keep something valuable hidden.

“I’ll probably sell the place after we get out of this jam.”

Now his tone is resolute, determined. Grim. Reminding me of his plans to get rid of his father’s resort, costing me and others more than lost jobs, and careers. But our found family is scrambling to remain intact.

Also reminding me that he’s not sticking around after everything is resolved. Time to drop-kick my emotions out of the equation and rededicate myself to creating a new future for myself without him. “Then let’s get this over with so we can finally get back to what we really want to do,” I say, grabbing the stuff in the back seat.

We exit the vehicle, retrieve the rest of the gear and food, and then I follow him up the steps to the huge wraparound porch and stop at the door. There’s a lockbox with a keypad on the front.

“Here’s hoping the access code hasn’t changed,” he says, then rapidly presses a sequence of numbers without hesitation.

A whirling sound follows, and the lockbox clicks. Noah opens the latch and withdraws the house key. He lets me in first and shuts the door behind him, locking the deadbolt while I survey the interior. The cabin is open and spacious with hardwood floors and exposed wooden beams. Moving through the living area, I weave around plush club chairs and a sofa that faces a fireplace with a stone hearth rising to the ceiling. The walls are adorned with pictures of Noah’s family and there are more photos placed on the mantle. I pause, dropping my bag on the floor next to the fireplace, to gaze at one taken of Victor and Noah standing side-by-side with wide grins while holding up the fish they caught that day.

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