Page 18 of Mountain Defender

“That we can help you.”

A burst of hope is quickly doused by a cold splash of reality. Gage and his team can’t help me with the dogs. They can’t magically make my house feel safe again. Still, I have to ask, “How?”

Just as he’s opening his mouth to respond, a nurse comes bustling into the room. She spends the next couple of minutes fussing around me, checking my blood pressure and heart rate and temperature before announcing chirpily, “You’re looking great, Miss Townsend. At this rate, you’ll be out of here in no time.”

Once she’s gone, Gage focuses his attention on me again. “So. Here’s what I—we—were thinking. Since your house isn’t really the safest place for you to be right now… Do you have someplace else youwantto stay?”

Not really,” I admit. “I supposed I could stay with my sister, but she lives in Portsmouth. So that wouldn’t work with the dogs. I guess I could find a hotel room until my house is ready to stay in…”

“You need better security at your place. You know that, right? It was one thing before, but now… it’s not safe.”

Tears threaten again. “What else can I do, Gage? I have a responsibility to those dogs. I need to be there for them.”

“You also need to be safe. And you’re hurt. You have a concussion. You really shouldn’t even be alone for the next few days.”

“Then what should I do?” I hate being indecisive, but apparently, my ability to make decisions has abandoned me.

“You can stay at GMG,” Gage replies. “It’s completely safe—hundreds of cameras and motion sensors are set all around the property. Plus a state-of-the-art fence that nothing short of a tank can get through. We have cabins there for our clients to use.”

“Like your cabin?”

“Just like my cabin. Mine is set further away from the rest, so I can have more privacy, but the design is the same. Knox built them, and they came out great. Right now we have two dedicated for clients, and they’re both available. So you could even pick the one you want.”

Another spark of hope lights in my chest.

Staying at GMG, on the same property as Gage, would go a long way to helping me feel safe. “But what about the dogs?” I ask, knowing full-well I sound like a parrot. A parrot that has laryngitis, actually, given how scratchy and weak my voice is getting.

A frown moves across his face. “Your throat, Ror. You should be resting your voice. You should be resting, period, really.”

“I know. But?—”

“The dogs.” Gage gives me a small smile. “Of course you’re more worried about them than yourself.”

“They’re innocent,” I start. “Whoever came after me… it’s not the dogs’ fault. And they need someone there all the time to take care of them.”

“And we will.” His chin lifts. “Here’s what the team and I came up with. Elmore and Toby will stay with you. We’ll set up a rotation with guarding the barn until Alec gets the security system installed. And Max—do you know him?”

I shake my head no.

“Okay, so Max is a good friend of ours. He runs the car repair shop in town, and he loves animals. When he heard about what happened, he volunteered to help. Since Knox and Enzo haveto head out on a job tomorrow, Max and Ronan will take turns staying with them until we come up with a more permanent solution. And Alec will get to work on that security system.”

My nose prickles as Gage’s offer sinks in.

He’s not just offering me a place to stay, but safety for the dogs.

“Once you’re feeling better,” Gage continues, “we can bring you over to the barn to check on them. But really, Ror. Are you feeling up to cleaning kennels and lugging around huge bags of food and running around after a dozen dogs?”

“Not really.” I sniff softly. “But you guys wouldn’t mind? Charlie is still on a dewormer. And Bandit needs special food. It’s hours of work…”

“We don’t mind.” Gage holds my gaze, the truth of his words in his eyes. “Idon’t mind. This is what we do, Rory. We help people. And you’re not just any person. You’re our friend.”

“But your teammates. Other than Enzo, they barely know me.”

“That’s not true,” he retorts. “They’ve heard about you from me. All good things.”

Oh.

My brain freezes on the thought of Gage talking about me.

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