Page 40 of Defenseless
“They do,” she responded. “I told you where they came from, and you know my mom was an archaeologist. Kara and I decided that if we had to change our names, we wanted to honor our mom. I did it by staying as close to my original name as possible—at least the first time. Kara did it by picking the name she did which, as you know, is a huge archaeological site.” In the dim light of the cab, his smile was little more than a shadow, but she did get a glimpse of it.
“And the second time?” he asked.
She couldn’t help it, she snorted. “Sorry, it’s just that the second time around wasn’t so easy. I’m sure you’ll be shocked to hear that some locations, like Bryce or Devon, also make good names. However, most do not. It took me several days to find a name I wanted.”
“I’m sorry you had to change your name at all, but Sabina suits you,” he said. “I haven’t known you as anything else, but still, it suits. It’s a strong name but also unique and pretty.” He paused then added, “No, it’s more than pretty, it’s elegant.”
Sabina wasn’t sure she was those things. She’d been told before that she was attractive, and she had a mirror to see for herself. But no one had ever put those characteristics together to describe her. That it was Chad who’d done so caused a hint of heat to creep up her neck. She didn’t think he could see her reaction, but she turned and looked out the window just in case.
Groves of tall pines bumped up against the asphalt, lining their way even as they cast the road into shadow. With every passing mile, she was acutely aware of every way she’d failed Chad. Failed them. Only a few hours earlier, she’d nearly destroyed the man she loved with her careless words in the diner. And that was just the beginning of a long list of her transgressions.
And yet he’d allowed her into his home and listened to her story. He’d spoken to her about his family, shared the secret of the tunnel, and asked more questions about her. His character and strength humbled her. She wanted to believe his openness meant she hadn’t irreparably harmed their friendship. Even if she didn’t deserve it.
“You’re awfully quiet over there,” Chad said.
Not wanting to share her train of thought—not yet, anyway—she asked, “What’s next? Once we get to HICC?”
It turned out there was not a lot that was “next” when they arrived at HICC. Ava had left a bag of clothes for her in the upstairs apartment at the cabin. She’d also left a note telling Sabina that she was sleeping in the guest room in Colton’s downstairs apartment and that they had a lot to cover in the morning.
Ethan had also texted Chad to let him know they’d be tied up long into the night. One of the men who’d come onto the property had escaped. One had been shot in the leg and taken to the hospital. The third was dead. Sabina had no idea who the men were, but since they were likely there on Kevin Jacobs’s orders, she didn’t feel bad about the two who hadn’t walked away.
Settling into one of the guest rooms—alone—Sabina wasn’t sure sleep would come easily. But human bodies were funny that way. Much to her surprise, when she woke, the October sun was streaming into the room and she remembered nothing after crawling into bed.
But it wasn’t her bed or her room. A moment’s disorientation, like a touch of vertigo, swirled in her head as she remained burrowed under the covers. After several moments, she forced her eyelids open and looked around. When her gaze landed on the curtainless window, with its views of the tall pines, everything came flooding back. Throwing off the blankets, she quickly changed into a pair of jeans and a lightweight sweater. As soon as she opened the door of her room, she smelled coffee and heard the low, comforting rumble of Chad’s voice. She hadn’t thought he’d leave her—at least not without saying goodbye or leaving a note—but her shoulders slumped with relief that he was still nearby.
He looked up when she entered the kitchen and smiled. He was leaning against the old slab wood counter, coffee in hand and phone to his ear. He jerked his head in the direction of the coffeepot. She flashed him a grateful smile before grabbing a mug and pouring herself a cup.
“Nothing yet, though?” Chad asked whoever he was talking to. “No, I get it. Just anxious. I know we all are.” He paused to listen then spoke again. “Sabina is up now. We’ll head over to the office in a few minutes. We can continue this then.” He murmured something else then ended the call.
“Everything okay?” she asked, mirroring his position but on the other side of the kitchen.
“Ethan and Teague were cleared to leave the scene late last night. Officially, the shooting was ruled self-defense.”
Sabina raised her brows. “Officially?”
Chad inclined his head. “It was self-defense. We have the cameras to show that the three men fired first. They might have been a little provoked, but they definitely shot first.”
Sabina had an image of Ethan in the forest, taunting the intruders like the French knights fromMonty Python andthe Holy Grail.She smiled. She doubted it had gone down quite like that, but she liked the idea of it so didn’t ask any further questions.
“Glad to hear that. What about the one who got away?”
Chad shrugged. “Intentional. We wanted to let one go to make sure the message got back to Jacobs.”
She frowned as she raised her cup for another sip of coffee. “What message?”
“That you aren’t alone anymore,” he answered. “That you have powerful people protecting you.”
His eyes had met and held hers as he’d spoken the words. As if it was as important to him thatshebelieved them as it was for Jacobs to. Slowly, she nodded.
“You forgot one thing,” she said.
“Yeah? What’s that?”
“I’mone of those powerful people.” A pleased smile broke across his features at her statement. She set her empty mug in the sink then turned to him. “I’m going to grab some food to go and then we can head to the office. We have a few things to sort out today.”
CHAPTERSIXTEEN
Chad reachedfor a file on the conference room table as Ava wrapped Sabina in a hug. The younger woman towered over her boss, but neither seemed to find the height difference uncomfortable.
