Chapter 4
Harlan wasn’t sure he heard Storm correctly. She wanted to come with him? Impossible.
She stood inside the door of this rental house with her chin tilted up and a glare in her eye. He didn’t know this woman, but if he knew anything about body language, hers said she was determined to have her way. Like most women. The last thing he needed at the moment was a stubborn woman who believed she was always right no matter what he said. He’d been married to one of those. It ended badly.
“You can’t literally stay with me, but I promise to get you somewhere safe.” And he would.
“If I can’t stay with you, then I’ll take my chances with the volcano.” She turned and went farther inside the house. Ignoring him, she opened the refrigerator. Yup, as stubborn as the ocean was wide.
He hated to admit that from the moment she opened the door, he had noticed her beauty. Her blond hair waved around her face in a shaggy kind of way, stopping at her jawline. He might want to run his hands through that thick head of hair if he were involved with someone like Storm. Her blue eyes held a wisdom in them, as if she’d seen more than her years might suggest. He would put her in her late thirties to early forties, but it was her bottom lip that stuck out just a bit more than the top that caught his attention.
He was sure his lungs froze when he first laid his gaze on her. But he couldn’t allow her to control the conversation by making demands—demands he had no intention of fulfilling. He couldn’t keep her with him even if he wanted to, which he didn’t. Women used to getting their way were off-limits. He wanted a woman who would concede once in a while.
Besides, her strong personality that would never work with him, he was needed elsewhere to help with this eruption and couldn’t keep an eye on her. People might be injured by air quality and worse, those who attempted to walk on the lava. Crime always went up at times like this as well. Looters and bank robbers would run around crazy, taking what didn’t belong to them.
He assumed his presence would be required elsewhere. He would have to check in with his teammates and provide help to them. Storm couldn’t come with him for that. Her tagging along like a lost puppy would be odd. But the thought did have some appeal. He could look at her for a while longer. That thin navy-blue sweater with the clear stones on the collar hugged her in all the right places.
He stepped inside the house and shut the door. If he acted as if they had all the time in the world, she would let her guard down. If he rushed, she would become nervous and dig her heels in more.
“Storm, why would you want to stay with me when there are so many other more suitable options for you?” Keep her talking. He did sneak a glance at his watch. He would give her five minutes to decide for herself before he flipped her over his shoulder and dumped her in the squad car. Just the way Raider had wanted to do with the other neighbors. Harlan stifled a chuckle.
She turned to face him. Her eyes shone with a fierceness. “I don’t trust anyone at the moment. My instincts tell me you are trustworthy. My instincts are never wrong.”
“I can appreciate that, but you can’t stay with me. Let me help you with your bags.” He took a small step toward her. If he moved too quickly, she might run into the bedroom and lock the door. He didn’t want to have to break it down.
“I don’t need your help except to agree to allow me to stay with you. I’ll hire you. Like a bodyguard, if that makes you feel better.”
“Excuse me?”
She stared off into the distance. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of that sooner.” She hit the side of her head with the palm of her hand. “Well, when you’ve been poisoned, you don’t actually think straight.”
“You’ve been poisoned? When? Where? We need to get you medical assistance immediately.” He lunged for her. He had some medical training, but not anything out of the ordinary. He wished Kian were with him. Kian was the medic of their group.
She slapped her small hand against his chest and sent a vibration to his low belly.
“Slow down, big guy. This happened yesterday. Let me restate. I was almost poisoned.”
“I’m not following. You were almost poisoned, but you’re also here on vacation?” This made no sense to him. “You should be in a hospital.”
“Probably. But I feel fine. I’d like to eat something, actually. But never mind that. I want to hire you to protect me until I find out who was trying to kill me.”
He was about to protest, but his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out to read Lane’s name on the screen. He ignored it. Lane could leave a message.
“I’m not a bodyguard. I’m a retired Navy officer.” A retired officer without a direction. For the first time in his life, he didn’t know what he would be doing next. He had mapped out everything from college to retirement from the Navy, but the end had snuck up on him when he wasn’t looking. Time actually didn’t wait for anyone. He learned that right around the time the Navy handed him his walking papers. Where had the years gone?
“You look like a bodyguard. Big muscles and all that. That’s good enough for me. And you can keep people away from me until I figure this all out.” She ran the tip of her tongue over that plump bottom lip.
“Keep people away from you? I’m not following.”
“I don’t want anyone near me unless I say they’re okay. You’ve probably pushed a few people aside in your line of work.”
Lane called again. “Can you excuse me? I need to take this. Please grab your belongings. We’re running out of time.” He turned away from Storm and moved closer to the door for a little privacy.
“What’s up, Lane?”
“Can you get back to the resort?” Lane’s voice possessed that tight quality he had when stress or worry snuck its hand in and pulled his vocal cords.
“Not sure. The line of cars out of here is long. Everyone is evacuating and it’s causing a traffic jam. I’ll get there as soon as I can. Do you need help?” He couldn’t remember what Lane had run off to assist with, but if he was asking for an extra pair of hands, then Lane was in over his head. Lane rarely asked for help.
“I’ve left messages for everyone. You’re the only one who picked up.” Lane hadn’t answered his question.
“Are you okay?” he tried again.
“Someone on my six wouldn’t hurt. If you can get here, I’d appreciate it.” Voices clashed in the background. Wherever Lane was, others were there too, probably all needing aid and longing for information.
“I’ll text you if and when I’m close. Stay safe.” He would go to Lane as soon as he could, but he didn’t want to make a promise if he couldn’t deliver. One of the other guys could be closer with easier access to Lane. One of them would reach out as soon as they saw his message.
“You too.” Lane ended the call.
Harlan turned back to Storm. She hadn’t appeared to have moved. He fought the need to let out a deep breath of frustration. The day had been long and the beer at the party had added to his fatigue. He wanted to get her the hell out of here so he could go back to the resort to help Lane and then crash before his flight tomorrow.
“Well, will you be my bodyguard?” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“To protect you from a killer?” He would have to be out of his mind to take on a task like this. He didn’t know this woman. She could be psychotic. And what if there really was a killer after her? He wasn’t in the business of protecting anyone from killers even if he had protected his team and his unit from terrorist attacks.
“Yes.” She continued to stare him down with her icy-blue gaze.
“I’m not qualified to do that.”
“You can shoot a gun, can’t you?”
“I can.” That didn’t mean he wanted to be anyone’s bodyguard. He wanted to be on a plane to New Jersey to see his sister. He had his fill of bloodshed. He wasn’t about to put himself in that situation for a stranger—assuming she was telling the truth.
“And you’ve been in combat, haven’t you? You admitted to being in the military.”
“I have seen combat.”
“In my eyes, you’re more than qualified.”
“Doesn’t mean I’ll do it.”
She slumped onto the arm of the sofa. All the energy seemed to drain out of her. “I know this seems unorthodox to ask you to be my bodyguard, but I’m desperate. I did an impulsive thing coming here. I never do anything impulsive, but I was terrified and hopping on a plane seemed logical at the time. I regret my decision, but as you can see, that volcano has caused me additional problems. I don’t want to be alone. I promise I’m not crazy. You can search me on the internet. I don’t have a criminal record. I’m a boring college president.”
“Except for the fact someone tried to poison you.”
“Yes, there’s that. Please, will you help me?”
He wasn’t sure if he believed the whole someone tried to poison her tale. She might be off her rocker, but he didn’t get that vibe, and he was a good judge of character. He had to be in his line of work. She was most likely running from a breakup and believed if she told him an elaborate story, he’d feel sorry for her.
“I’m leaving tomorrow for the mainland.” What kind of a man would he be if he just left this woman alone after she asked for help? The least he could do was take her to a hotel and see that she checks in.
“That’s okay. My assistant will be here tomorrow.” Her smile crinkled her nose and touched her eyes.
Something buzzed inside him. He could not possibly be attracted to this woman, could he? She was alone in a strange place with an erupting volcano not far away.
“If I agree, will you come with me now?” He needed her to leave before she became trapped and risked someone else’s life too. Part of any negotiation was always to allow the counterpart to believe there was a chance they’d get what they want. He didn’t want to manipulate her. He only wanted to get her out of harm’s way.
“I will.” She held his gaze as if she were administering a challenge.
She could challenge him all she wanted, but if she were up to something, he’d figure it out. This woman wasn’t a skilled negotiator. She probably was, like she had said, just a college president who had put herself in a situation she couldn’t get out of.
He pointed toward the back of the house where the bedrooms must be. “Get your bags.”