Chapter 5
Chapter five
Crowe
I glanced over at Noah in the passenger’s seat.
He was obviously shaken up, but he was hanging in there.
That didn’t surprise me. What he’d been through last year would’ve broken most people, but Noah was strong.
I’d seen it in his eyes that day we rescued him from the traffickers’ basement.
He was determined not to let the bad guys win. To reclaim what they’d taken from him.
What we’d found in that basement was deplorable, and yet Noah still hadn’t hesitated.
He stood up, walked straight to me, and calmly asked if he could leave the basement.
That bravery had brought out a protectiveness in me that was normally reserved for those I actually cared about.
I was a trained paramedic, and I’d seen my fair share of ugly shit.
But in that moment, all the training had faded away, and all I’d wanted was to take care of that poor wounded boy in front of me.
It had taken me a minute to pull my attention away from him and do my job, and that had scared me.
That was why I’d mostly kept my distance when he was staying at HQ.
The Daddy in me had wanted to take over and fix everything for him, but he’d needed time to heal and put himself back together.
Unfortunately, no one could do that for him. He would have to do that himself.
And he had. He’d done the work, and it showed.
He’d gotten some color back in his face and had put on a little bit of weight.
My guess was he’d been working out, trying to get strong enough to protect himself.
I glanced over at him. He was staring out the window, lost in thought, while he worried his lower lip between his teeth.
I wanted to tell him to stop it before he hurt himself, but I didn’t.
He wasn’t mine, and I had no business telling him what he should or shouldn’t do, so instead, I turned my attention back to the road.
“So,” he said after a few minutes of silence. “You never told me where we’re actually going. You said something to Wolfe about a cabin?”
“Yeah, I’m technically on vacation this week. I was staying at our family cabin. That’s why I was able to get to you so quickly, and that’s where we’re headed.”
“They called you in off vacation because I didn’t answer my phone? Yikes. Sorry about that.”
“You have nothing to be sorry about. Your safety is way more important than my vacation.”
“I should’ve had my phone on me, though.”
“I agree. You should always keep it on you in case you need to call for help, but in this instance, it’s good you didn’t. If you’d answered, Wolfe wouldn’t have called me, and I wouldn’t have been here when they showed up.”
He gave a little shiver and huffed out a breath. “Yeah, I don’t even want to think about that. I still hate that your vacation was ruined, but I’m really grateful you were so close.”
“Eh. I was getting bored anyway. I only took time off because I had too much vacation time on the books. Caden was getting all worked up about it.”
“Caden?”
“He’s Wolfe’s assistant. Well, I guess technically he’s all the guys’ assistant, but mostly he works for Wolfe.”
“Yeah, I know who he is. He was really nice to me while I was there, but why was he worked up about your vacation time?”
“Hawk and Gator are aces when it comes to planning missions, training, and protecting clients, but business isn’t exactly their specialty.
Running the business end is pretty much all on Wolfe.
And while he’s a great leader, he isn’t a businessman.
That’s where Caden comes in. Wolfe’s great at security, but not so much at things like payroll and paperwork. ”
“You run a camp, right? Julius said you don’t live in the building like most of the other guys.”
“Right. I prefer living out there. I love all the guys like brothers, they’re the best, but they’re a lot.
I’ve always been more at home out in the country than in a city.
” I turned off the road onto the dirt lane that led up to the cabin.
“For example…” I took the curve around the big oak tree and then motioned towards the cabin.
I knew it wasn’t anything fancy. It was small and pretty rustic, but I’d always felt more at home here than just about anywhere else.
“Oh, it’s adorable,” Noah said, and I laughed.
“Adorable, huh?” I couldn’t wait to tell my brother he’d called Gramps’ cabin adorable.
“Yeah, all it needs are some flowers on the steps and maybe a dog lying on the porch.”
“Unfortunately, someone would have to live here full-time for a dog and flowers. I make it up a few times a year at most. Come on, let’s get you inside. It’s small, but it has everything we need until Wolfe figures out our next move.”
I got out and grabbed his bag.
“Do you need me to wait out here while you clear the place like before?”
“No, this place has a state-of-the-art security system. If anyone had even gotten close to the cabin, it would’ve alerted me.”
After we went inside, I crossed the room and placed Noah’s bag on the bed. I turned around and found him standing in the doorway, not moving.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It’s nice, but is that the only bed?”
“Yeah.” I shrugged. “Originally it was a one-room cabin, but don’t worry, Wyatt and I added a full bathroom a couple of years ago.”
“It didn’t have a bathroom? And who’s Wyatt?”
“Wyatt’s my brother, and there’s still an old outhouse out back, not that anyone uses it anymore.
” I couldn’t help but smile at the memories.
“My grandfather built this place, and trust me, it’s sturdy, but he wasn’t much of one for creature comforts.
When Wyatt and I inherited the place, we made some changes. ”
“Like adding a bathroom.”
“Exactly. We also turned this area up here into a living room.” I pointed to the oversized leather couch and recliner that sat facing a television.
“When we were growing up, there were two twin beds for my grandfather and my father and a set of bunk beds for me and Wyatt.
Those and the kitchen table were the only furniture in the whole place.
“I always wished I had a brother to share bunk beds with,” he said wistfully.
“It was a lot of fun when we were kids, not so much once we hit our growth spurts and had to squeeze our six-foot-plus frames into those bunk beds.”
“So you got rid of the bunks and replaced them with a single bed.”
“Right. Don’t worry, the bed is yours. I’ll sleep on the couch. I usually sleep there when Wyatt and I are both here. It’s pretty comfortable.”
“Why are you the one who sleeps on the couch?”
I chuckled. “Because he’s the older brother, something he never lets me forget.”
He nodded and went to look out the back window. “This is a really nice view.”
I walked over to stand beside him. “The cabin sits on fifteen wooded acres, and those acres back up to the state park.”
“I bet you and your brother had fun out there.”
“We did.”
“Where’s your brother now?” he asked.
“Ohio. He was a cop in Dallas for years. He got tired of all the crime and the big city politics. He took a job in a small town up there, and he’s about bored out of his mind.”
“Ohio is a long way to go to find a small town.”
“It is. He’d just gone through a divorce, and he was looking for… well, something. I don’t like him being so far away, but I hope he finds what he’s looking for.”
We stood there for a minute looking out over the backyard, neither of us saying anything. Finally, he let out a long sigh. “I can’t believe they found me.”
I glanced over at him, and he looked so tired, and not just physically.
“You know what? You’ve had a rough day. Just what you did for work would be enough to wear you out, and with all of this on top of it”—I shook my head—“I’m surprised you’re still standing.
Let me run you a bath, and while you decompress, I’ll fix us something to eat. How does that sound?”
He gave me a hopeful look. “A bath sounds amazing.”
“Okay, you grab your stuff, and I’ll get the bath started for you.”
I’d never been so grateful that Wyatt had insisted on putting that old claw-foot tub in the bathroom here. I’d thought it was a waste at the time since I took nothing but showers, but he’d insisted it fit the aesthetic of the cabin.
I turned on the water and waited a second for it to get nice and hot. Then I went over to the cabinet, took out a towel and a washcloth for him, and laid them on the sink. I stood there and watched the tub fill until he entered the bathroom.
“Oh wow. That looks amazing. I didn’t expect such a deep tub.”
“It’s all ready for you. Do you have everything you need?”
“I do.”
I reached over and turned off the water. “Okay, if you need anything else, just holler. Is there anything food-wise you don’t eat or are allergic to?”
“No, I eat pretty much everything.”
“Okay, you just take your time and relax. I’ll let you know when the food’s ready.”
I turned to go, but he quietly said my name, stopping me in my tracks. “Jackson.” No one called me Jackson but my brother, and I loved hearing him say it.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.” He motioned towards the bath. “For this, for coming to get me, for everything.”
I could have told him it was just my job, that I would’ve done it for anyone, but I wouldn’t have brought just anyone here.
I would’ve taken them to a hotel or somewhere to hole up until help arrived, and I wouldn’t have run just anyone a bath.
Noah was special. I’d known that from the first moment I’d seen him.
“Always,” I said simply and left to go fix him something to eat.
I put the wood in the stove to get it hot and then went to the fridge to see what our options were.
I’d mostly planned on grilling while I was here, but I’d told Noah to call out if he needed me, so I didn’t really want to go outside where I couldn’t hear him.
Choices were slim, but I did have bread, cheese, and a can of tomato soup.
I pulled out our cast-iron skillet and set it on the stove to get hot.
I was just finishing up when the bathroom door opened, and Noah came out.
His hair was still damp, but he’d put on a clean pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt.
“It smells good in here.”
“It isn’t much. Just some grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, but my dad always made this for us when we had a bad day.” I shrugged.
“It’s perfect. You can never go wrong with a grilled cheese.”
“Good. What do you want to drink? I have Dr. Pepper, water, and beer.”
“Water would be good for now.”
It was still early when we finished eating, so I suggested we find a movie to watch. Anything to keep his mind off of what happened. My brother and I had a pretty extensive DVD movie collection, and thanks to satellite internet, we could stream just about anything.
“Anything sound good to you?” I asked.
“Let’s pick something funny. I’m not really in the mood for car chases and things blowing up tonight.”
“That makes sense to me.” I walked over to the shelf with all the movies. “How about this one?” I held up a movie. “It’s an old one, but it’s a classic.”
“I haven’t seen it, but I’m game.”
While I got the movie going, he pulled one of the throws off the back of the couch and curled up on the far end.
He didn’t even make it all the way through the movie before he fell asleep.
I wasn’t surprised at all. When I’d shown up at the wedding venue, he’d been going pretty hard trying to get everything all set up.
Then he’d found out his past had come back to haunt him, and we’d had to make a run for it.
It was no wonder he was out like a light.
I should’ve woken him and suggested he go straight to bed, but instead, I took advantage of the moment to really look at him.
His hair had been shorter when we’d met, and he’d been thinner.
Since then, he’d grown his hair out, and the new style suited him.
He looked so peaceful and worry-free as he slept.
He deserved to feel that way when he was awake, and if I had anything to say about it, he would be able to.
When the movie ended, I nudged his foot gently to wake him up. “Hey, Noah, we need to get you to bed.”
He lifted his head and looked at me, all sleepy-eyed and confused. “What?” He looked at the television. “I missed the movie.”
“You did, but you needed the rest.”
“I guess so. Still, I was looking forward to watching it.”
“You go on to bed now, and we’ll watch it again tomorrow.”
He let out a sigh but got up and moved to the bed.
I got up and turned off all the lights except the small lamp at the end of the couch and settled in with a book.
I was only half reading it, though. Instead, my attention was on Noah as he shifted around trying to get comfortable.
It took him a few minutes, but eventually he fell back to sleep.
I’d made it a few chapters into my book when the whimpers started.
Little sounds that I would’ve missed if the cabin hadn’t been so quiet.
He turned to his side and pulled his legs up to his chest so he was in a little ball.
I dropped my book down to my chest and waited to see if he would settle back to sleep on his own.
“No, don’t tie my hands, please,” he whimpered. “Let me go.”
He moved his head from side to side as his pleas grew more desperate. There was no way I could lie there and let him be tortured, even if it was just in his nightmares. I got up from the couch and went over to the bed.
I reached down and gently brushed the hair off his forehead. “Shh, Noah, it’s just a dream, you’re safe here. Shh.”
He stilled, and for a second, I thought he would stay asleep, but his eyes slowly blinked open. “Jackson?”
“Yeah, it’s me. You were having a bad dream.”
“I do most nights,” he confessed, like it was something to be ashamed of.
“It would be surprising if you didn’t after what you went through.”
I moved to go back to the couch, but he reached out and grabbed my wrist. “Will you stay with me?”
“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be right over there on the couch. I promise you’re safe here.”
“I mean here.” He tugged on my arm in an attempt to pull me closer. I shouldn’t, and I knew it. My job was to protect him from outside threats, not from imaginary dream ones. Except those weren’t actually imaginary, were they? They were memories, and for Noah, they were all too real.
“Okay, I’ll stay. You just get some rest.” I didn’t crawl under the covers with him, but I did lie down on the bed.
He let out a relieved sigh and whispered, “Thank you,” before rolling over and going back to sleep.