Twenty-Three
Clover
Thor knocks on Rock’s office door, giving me a small smile.
“Come in.”
Pushing the door open, Thor motions for me to enter first. I swallow past the lump in my throat and step inside the office.
“Shut the door, Thorin,” Rock says, not even glancing up from his computer.
Thor stiffens, cutting his gaze to me. I offer a reassuring smile, though I don’t feel it at the moment. Dipping his chin, he steps out and shuts the door behind him, leaving me alone with his intimidating boss.
“Have a seat, Miss Mason.” Rock’s voice is firm, but not unkind.
Obeying his command, I clear my throat. “It’s nice to meet you . . .”
Finally lifting his head, he smiles, and I’m taken aback at how much it softens his features. “Rock Judson. I spoke with your father and wanted to give you an update on the situation. ”
Tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, I listen as he gives me the rundown on their efforts to track Angie. My throat clogs up, and I nervously twist the beads on my bracelet. “Do you think she’s going to find me?”
Studying me for a moment, Rock replies, “We’re doing everything we can to keep you safe.”
My shoulders sink. I wasn’t expecting him to have an easy, instant fix, but . . . “I can’t hide away forever.” Sucking in a breath, I meet his eyes. “I realize that I’m a homebody, but how long do you think this will last?”
Rock sighs. “Honestly, there’s no way to tell. But your father did want to keep us on.”
“Of course, he did,” I mumble, and then wince. “Sorry. I know you’re only doing your jobs. I’m—”
“You’re tired. That’s understandable.” Clearing his throat, he shifts in his chair. “Have you had any trouble with Thorin?”
Frowning, I shake my head. “No. What kind of trouble?”
His eyes bore into mine, and I resist the impulse to squirm. Finally, he says, “Just curious. You had enough trouble with Nick that you felt the need to sneak away from him.”
Heat climbs up my neck and to my cheeks, but I straighten my shoulders and lift my chin, adapting the strong, capable woman who doesn’t take crap look that I’ve seen Mom use a million times for a role. “With all due respect, sir, Nick . . .” I struggle for the right words, proving I’m not cut out to be an actress. “Well, he gave me the creeps.” It’s not as eloquent as I’d like, but it’s the simple truth .
Rock’s lips turn down, and he sighs. “Did he do anything inappropriate?”
“Not necessarily.”
He cocks an eyebrow. “But?”
I lift a shoulder. “There was just something about him that didn’t settle right with me. He never said anything or touched me, but I . . . felt really uncomfortable in his presence.” I bite my lip. “I really didn’t mean to cause any problems by ditching him. I just needed to breathe.”
Rock crosses his arms. “And Thorin?”
“He’s been completely professional.”
“And he doesn’t creep you out or make you feel uncomfortable?”
Shaking my head, I reply, “No.” I don’t tell him it’s the complete opposite and that I’ve never felt more like myself than when I’m with Thor.
Rock grunts. “Well, Miss Mason, you’re free to go home if you wish, with a guard, of course. However, I wouldn’t advise it.”
I tilt my head. “What would you advise?”
“Stay here.”
My eyes flit around the room. “Here?”
“We have crazy work schedules. So I made sure that we had a lounge area and also a couple of rooms with some bunk beds in them for when someone has to work late or for situations like this. When a client may need a safer location for a few days.”
“And you think I need a safer location?”
“Just for a few days. ”
I bite my cheek as I weigh my options. As much as I long for my own bed, going home right now, with Angie being out there somewhere, has fear clutching my chest. Honestly, I hadn’t given much thought to where we would be staying tonight. I only knew that Thor would keep me safe.
Thoughts of Joanne’s welcoming home drift through my mind. It would be nice to be there. But no matter how secure Thor says it is, I don’t want to bring any danger to her doorstep. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to her or Gunner because of me.
Sighing, I nod. “Okay.”
Rock smiles. “Great. I’ll send Thorin home and—”
“What? Why? He’s not staying too?” Panic claws up my neck as my pulse kicks into overdrive causing my voice to come out like a screech.
“Frankly, Miss Mason, he needs sleep. Typically, I would have already switched him out with another guard so he could get rested, but there were some unique circumstances in your case.”
“Unique circumstances?” I manage over the tightness in my throat as I work to steady my breathing.
Sighing, Rock leans forward. “Yes. Namely, you seem to have built trust with him, and we didn’t want another escape attempt.”
“Oh.” My cheeks burn. “Sorry about that.”
Rock’s voice softens. “It’s not your fault at all. In all transparency, Miss Mason, Nick broke protocol after your escape, which is an automatic administrative leave. I’ve been looking into his previous cases with female clients and several of them confessed the same as you. He never touched anyone or said anything out of line, but none of them felt comfortable with him. And quite frankly, I don’t want someone who could become a liability on my team.” His expression grows serious. “That’s why I’m relieving Thorin. At least for twenty-four hours. We need our team at their best.”
It’s not unreasonable, but my chest aches at the thought of being away from Thor for so long. “Of course,” I say, though my entire body protests the idea of being separated from him for so long.
Rapping his knuckles on his desk, he considers me. “You two seem to have gotten quite close.”
I bristle. “You mean the man who has had to shadow me twenty-four-seven for the past two weeks while we were stuck alone, first in my house and then in his cabin? No, I wouldn’t say we’re close at all,” I deadpan.
To my surprise, Rock chuckles and holds up his hand. “All right, I get your point.” Shaking his head, he stands and opens the door. He’s not even opened his mouth before Thor is striding in, his gaze settling on me. “Go home, Hammer. I don’t want to see you back here for at least twenty-four hours.”
Thor’s eyes are still on me, some emotion I can’t place brewing in them. “You want to stay?”
I shrug. “It seems the safest.”
Thor’s jaw ticks, and his fist clenches at his side. “I’m staying too.”
Rock sighs. “Son, we talked about this. ”
“What’s the difference if I sleep here or at home?” Thor lifts a red eyebrow at Rock.
“Thor—”
“You stay too. You’ll be on call. I’ll be off the clock but hanging out here.” Thor smiles wide as if he’s solved the problem, and I pray he has because my body relaxes and my chest lightens at his plan.
Rock’s eyes narrow as he swings his gaze between us. Groaning, he points a finger at Thor. “I shouldn’t do this, but I’ll let it go this once. But you have to promise to get some sleep. And you are not on the clock at all. Don’t make me regret this. Got it?”
Thor nods. “Yes, sir.” Then, his gaze drifts to mine, a protectiveness shining in it that has my heart tripping over itself. “I’ll show you where everything is.”
Rock sighs. “I thought I said you were off the clock.”
“I am. But if I’m going that direction to sleep, then I can go ahead and show her to her room, right?” Thor gives him a look that isn’t quite as innocent as what he’s probably going for and gratitude swells in my chest. He’s risking his job to make sure I’m comfortable. I’ve never had anyone besides my parents care that much about me.
Glancing between his desk of paperwork and me, Rock rubs his chin. “Fine. But show her where everything is and then get some sleep. That’s an order.” Rock’s eyes snap to me. “Thor can show you where I’ll be stationed in case you need anything tonight. Is all of that okay with you? ”
I nod, trying not to appear too eager. “Yes, thank you.” Standing, I grab my bag and follow Thor out of Rock’s office. Neither of us speaks, but once we get to the hallway and past the break room, I have to say something or I’m going to burst. “You didn’t have to stay for me, Thor. But thank you, anyway. I appreciate it.”
He stops us outside a closed door. My chin lifts until I’m staring up at him. His gaze is unwavering and even though he doesn’t touch me, keeping a respectable distance between us, I feel his touch everywhere his eyes land.
“I’d love to take full credit that offering to stay was a completely self-sacrificial thing, but I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
His words have my heart falling, and all I can manage is a barely audible, “Oh.”
Thor steps slightly closer, still not enough to touch me, but it forces me to tip my chin higher to meet his gaze as he nods seriously. “It was a pretty selfish thing, actually.”
I frown. “Okay,” I force the word past my tight throat. “Either way, thank you.” What else can I say? I thought he’d done something for me, and now he’s telling me it wasn’t?
His lips tip up, and he lowers his voice. “Love, I couldn’t bear the thought of being so far away from you for a moment, let alone an entire night.”
“Oh.” The earnestness of his words and his nearness has me fumbling for a response. But none comes, and I battle the desire to step into his arms .
Thor’s grin pulls higher as he points to the door behind me. “This is your room for the night. There are no windows, so no threat of anyone entering—”
“Or escaping.”
He chuckles. “That too. There aren’t cameras inside the room and the door does lock. Rock has the only key in case of an emergency. No one else can get in.” Pointing at the corners of the hallway, he continues. “There are cameras all through the hallway and the rest of the building. If anyone happened to get this far—which is almost impossible without somehow eliminating the security guards and cameras—they’d then have to go through Rock.” He points to the end of the hallway where there’s a small couch. “He’ll spend his time between there and walking the office to make sure everything is secure. But we highly doubt she even knows you’re here.”
I absorb this information, and though it’s somewhat overwhelming, it does make me feel better knowing how secure everything is. “Okay. Sounds good.”
“Make yourself welcome to any of the food in the kitchen. Your room has a TV and there are plenty of books in there.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Was that Rock’s idea?”
“The TV was, but the books were my idea.”
My lips lift in the corner. “Of course, they were.” I glance over my shoulder. I’m exhausted, but for the first time in longer than I can remember, I’m not ready to be alone. I’m opening my mouth to ask Thor if he wants to watch a movie when he yawns, and I remember what Rock said. Clearing my throat, I press my back to the door, putting more distance between us. “Well, I guess you should be getting some sleep.”
Thor searches my face as if he wants to say something more, but he simply nods. Giving me a half-smile, he steps back. “I won’t be far. I’m just right over here.” He motions to the door across the hall to my left. “Goodnight, Love.” His husky voice causes my heart to pitter-patter rapidly.
Swallowing over my dry throat, I whisper, “Goodnight, Thor.”
When I close the door behind me, I lean my head back and draw in a deep breath. I look around the room. It’s surprisingly warm and cozy and even has a bathroom with a shower. I notice the large bookcase and move toward it, laying my bag on the desk beside it.
My fingers graze across each title, my smile widening when I see Anne of Green Gables . Pulling it out, I touch the cover gingerly, knowing that Thor put this one here himself. Warmth spreads from my chest throughout my body as I carefully place it back on the shelf, noting a few of Chantelle’s books on the shelf above.
I shake my head. “That Viking,” I mumble to myself. Thor is so much more than I imagined when we first met, and by the way my stomach flutters and my heart races anytime he’s near, I’m in serious danger of falling for him.
The crazy thing is . . . instead of being scared, I’m excited for the fall.
Shouting pulls me from my sleep, and I shoot out of bed, my heart pounding. All I hear is the most gut-wrenching cry followed by a familiar voice shouting, “No!”
Thor.
Scrambling from bed, I rush to the door, my stomach dropping. God, please. I’m not even sure what I’m praying. All I know is that something is wrong with Thor, and I need to get to him now.
I throw the door open and step into the hallway. Rock is pacing the floor, not seeming to care that something is wrong with Thor.
“Probably should go back to bed, Miss Mason,” Rock says in a quiet, calm voice just as Thor lets out another scream that rips my heart straight in two.
Ignoring him, I step toward Thor’s door, but Rock stops me. “He’s okay. Just a nightmare.”
The sounds coming from behind Thor’s door have tears burning in my eyes. “What? He’s not okay! You’re just going to stand out here and not do anything?”
Rock sighs. “It isn’t that I don’t want to. I’ve tried before, and he doesn’t respond well. I’ve learned that it’s best to let it run its course.”
Another rip in my heart. “He’s done this before? ”
“Yes.” Rock’s response is curt and leaves no room for more questions.
Straightening my shoulders, I push back the tears. “Let me try, then.”
Shaking his head, Rock crosses his arms, his expression somber. “I know it’s difficult to hear, but I promise he’s safe. He just has to get through it.”
“But I can—”
Rock places a hand on my shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “That boy means a lot to me. I’m not going to let him hurt himself. Now, go back to bed. It’ll pass soon.”
My shoulders deflate as I wrap my arms around myself, flinching when Thor yells out again. Everything in me is begging me to run to him, but there’s no way I can get past Rock. “Okay,” I whisper, guilt flooding my veins as I walk away from Thor’s cries.
When I get back to my room, I lie down on the bed, and as Thor’s muffled sobs float through the air, I can no longer hold back the tears.
“God, bring him peace,” I pray into the dark room. Tears fall down my face as I continue to ask God to remove Thor’s nightmares and help him to get some restful sleep.
What horrors did he see during his military service to have such terrible nightmares?
Finally, everything goes quiet, and after several minutes of silence, I let out a pent-up breath. “Thank You, God.”
I toss and turn, my heart still longing to go check on Thor, though he’s been silent long enough now that I’m sure he’s finally sleeping peacefully. Eventually, my eyelids grow heavy and I begin drifting asleep, but the memory of Thor’s cries follows me into my dreams.