Chapter Twelve
“Here, have another blanket,” River told Hannah, draping yet another heavy blanket around her shoulders as she shivered in front of the fire.
“I’m o-kay,” Hannah tried to protest, but her teeth were chattering so much she could hardly get the words out. She clutched the cup of hot cocoa River had made for her and exchanged a glance with Xavier.
They had made it back to the lodge… That was something.
The way Xavier was looking at her, though, she could tell it was far from over.
Anger was written all over his face, his shoulders hunched up, his fists clenched on his lap.
His hair was damp from the warm shower he’d just taken, and he was waiting for Aaron and Bailey to come down to reception so he could fill them in on everything that had happened.
Hannah was still trying to wrap her head around it herself.
All of it was such a blur of terror and pain—she wasn’t entirely sure how they had made it out, but she knew she had Xavier to thank for it.
His calm tone as he had talked her through what he was going to do had been the only thing keeping her grounded.
If it hadn’t been for him, she was sure she would have drowned in the water that was filling the SUV.
She shivered at the thought. She still didn’t know why someone had driven them off the road, but whoever it was had clearly meant them some serious harm.
She kept replaying the moment Xavier’s vehicle spun off the road, the way time seemed to slow down as it hung in the air, before the sickening thud of it landing in the river below.
Who would have done that to them? And why?
As soon as Xavier and Hannah had stumbled through the lodge doors, everyone in the place sprang into action to take care of them.
Lawson had rushed off to find River so she could check them over, and Aaron had gone to get Bailey.
She worked for the local police department in Blue Ridge and could take an informal statement to give to Sheriff Willis in the morning.
“Can I have a look at your head now?” River asked gently as she crouched down in front of Hannah.
Hannah nodded, a little worried. She didn’t feel too bad, but what if she had a concussion or something?
River ran through a few simple tests, getting Hannah to follow her finger with her eyes, checking out the depth and severity of the wound. Finally she leaned back and nodded. “It doesn’t look like it’s a concussion,” River told her. “Just a cut. I’m going to clean it up and bandage it, okay?”
“Sure,” Hannah replied, trying to keep her voice steady. She didn’t want anyone to see how shaken she really was, even though she was sure it was obvious.
Xavier reached over to rub her shoulder gently, and she managed to smile at him—God, she was so grateful for everything he had done for her. If it hadn’t been for him…
Hannah winced as River cleaned off the cut, then gently placed a bandage over it to keep it from getting infected. She smiled and gave Hannah’s hand a squeeze when she was done. “There you go, all finished,” she assured her.
Hannah looked toward the front doors as Bailey burst into the reception area, followed closely by Aaron. Lawson and Cade behind them.
“Oh my God,” Bailey gasped when she saw Hannah and Xavier. “What happened? Are you okay? Aaron filled me in on some of it, but—”
Xavier gestured for her to take a seat and caught her up on a little of what had happened. He seemed to be able to remember so much more than Hannah did. Her memories were frayed around the edges, and she couldn’t piece together everything that had gone down.
Hannah clutched her mug, trying to ignore her brother’s heavy gaze, and listened to Xavier speak, trying to let herself be soothed by the sound of his voice. He had made it out okay. They had both made it out okay. That was what mattered right then.
“Do you remember anything specific about the vehicle that hit you?” Bailey asked, pulling out a notebook.
Xavier grimaced. “A little,” he admitted. “It was a black truck, looked like a Ford, maybe early 1980s. Custom fog lights and grills.”
“Good, good,” Bailey muttered, scribbling away in her notebook.
Hannah raised her eyebrows. And that was him only remembering some of it? Damn, he was doing a lot better than her. Thank God he had been there. She wouldn’t have been able to give Bailey much more than the color and how terrified she had felt when it was closing in on them.
Aaron shook his head. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” he muttered. “Who do you think it was?”
“The Haynes brothers, maybe?” Bailey suggested. “You and Lawson went to their ranch to confront them about the generators. This could have been their way of getting back at you for accusing them.”
“I don’t think the Haynes family would do something like this,” Xavier replied. “They’re jerks, sure, but this would have taken some planning—to figure out when we were going to be on the road, finding a place to push us off where nobody else would see. I don’t think they’ve got that in them.”
“I agree.” Lawson chimed in. “This is not their style.”
“Yeah, they’ve caused a bar fight here and there,” Aaron added. “But they’ve never deliberately endangered lives. This feels more—”
“Personal,” Hannah whispered, finishing his sentence for him. The thought of this being a specific, targeted attack scared the hell out of her, more than she could put into words.
“You think it’s connected to what happened with the generators?” Bailey asked, continuing to write in her notebook.
“It could be,” Xavier agreed, then he hesitated, glancing over at Lawson.
“Tell her,” Lawson prompted, realizing what he was about to say.
“Someone broke in to my room a few days ago. I don’t think they took anything, but I do think it might be related.”
“What?” Bailey replied, looking confused. “I didn’t hear about that.”
“I hoped there was nothing to it,” Xavier admitted.
“I just told the sheriff today. That’s where we were coming back from when the wreck happened.
I should have said something sooner, but I guess I was in denial.
This, though…” He shook his head. “Everyone needs to keep their wits about them,” he warned the small group.
“There’s trouble brewing around here. We have to look out for each other. ”
Silence weighed heavily over everyone for a moment. Hannah knew what was going through their minds—the same thing going through hers. They had been so sure their troubles were over, and now this. A new reason to be scared and watching their backs at all times.
Just when she thought the worst was behind them, something like this sneaked up on them again. The reality of it hurt to think about. This place was supposed to be a safe haven, but instead, someone was intent on tearing it apart and hurting the people who lived and worked there.
“That’s enough for now. I’m going to write this all up and you two need to get some rest,” Bailey told Xavier, rising to her feet. “And I’ll take it to Willis in the morning. He can add it to the file he’s building. I don’t know what’s going on here, but we’re going to figure it out, okay?”
Xavier nodded.
Aaron clapped Xavier on the back and followed Bailey back out the door to their cabin.
Silence settled over the remaining group. Hannah could feel Lawson’s eyes on her again. She could feel the worry and frustration pouring off him. He’d have questions about her being with Xavier, but she didn’t want to address him now.
Hannah was starting to warm up a little, though the cold that gripped her heart was still sending shivers down her spine.
“You should go to your cabin, too, and get some rest,” River told her gently. She took the empty cup from Hannah’s hands. “I’ll take this back to the kitchen.”
“Glad you two are okay.” Cade nodded toward them both and followed River down the hallway.
Hannah bit her lip and sighed. She knew River was right, but the thought of trying to sleep after what just happened seemed damn near impossible.
How was she supposed to get any rest with everything going on right now…
all the possible danger coming their way?
Every time she closed her eyes, she had flashbacks of Xavier’s SUV flipping off the road into the freezing cold river and being trapped upside down in the rising water.
She wasn’t sure she would be able to get any rest at all.
Xavier seemed to notice how scared she was, and he reached out for her hand. For a brief moment, the warmth of his skin against hers was enough to ground her, and she looked up at him again.
“You’re okay,” he promised her. “We’re okay. Right?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. If there was anyone who could convince her that everything would turn out all right in the end, it was Xavier.
He had rescued her from the crash and gotten her out of the water in one piece.
He’d carried her up the bank and to the car he had flagged down for them, helped her back to the sanctuary and made sure she was safe and warm.
She felt guilty, almost ungrateful, for feeling as afraid as she did right now, but she couldn’t help it. How would she ever be able to rest easy again after what had happened? She felt like it could happen again the next time she got into a vehicle.
“I get that,” Xavier assured her. “I know how it feels, when something like this happens. How you can’t shut your mind off and stop thinking through the what-ifs.”
She chewed her lip. “Does it get better?” she asked softly. She needed to hear it from him. He had always been honest with her, and she knew he would tell her the truth.
He nodded at once. “It does,” he promised her. “It really does. You just need to get some rest. I promise it’ll start feeling better in the morning, once you’ve had a good night’s sleep.”
“I don’t know how I’m going to be able to sleep,” she admitted as she got to her feet, casting off the blankets River had piled around her. “I feel like I might never sleep again.”
“That’s the adrenaline,” Xavier told her, walking over to her and holding out his hand. Before she could reach for it, her brother appeared at her side.
“Hey, sis. How are you feeling?” Lawson’s eyes roamed over her before gently wrapping her in a hug.
Hannah pulled back and gave him a wobbly smile. “I’m tired and achy, worried. But, I’m here. Xavier made sure of that.”
Lawson nodded and turned to look between his sister and his best friend.
“So, what were you doing down in town together? I wasn’t aware you were leaving the lodge.” Lawson inquired, eyebrow raised.
She heard Xavier suck in a breath and her eyes darted quickly to him before back to her brother.
“I ran into Xavier when he was leaving and asked if I could go with him. I just thought the drive would be a nice break. We had lunch after he saw Sheriff Willis, then we came back.”
“I see. I thought we talked about this? We discussed—”
“Lawson, can we not do this right now?” Hannah interrupted, wrapping her arms around herself. “Please. It’s been a long day and I just want to rest and not think about anything right now.”
“Hannah.” Lawson sighed and locked his eyes on Xavier for a long moment before turning back to her. “Fine, we’ll talk later. I’m glad you’re both okay.” He shook his head, then turned around and headed across the lobby.
She wasn’t ready to leave the warm comfort of the lodge, but she also didn’t want to stay and argue with her brother. Her best option right now was her own space. She offered Xavier a small smile and held out her hand. He interlocked their fingers and led her outside.
They walked hand in hand to her cabin, her fingers squeezing his tighter the closer they got. She wasn’t ready to be alone yet.
Xavier seemed to since her anxiety.
He brought her hand to his lips and brushed his mouth against it in a soft kiss. “You want me to stay with you tonight?” he murmured.
Relief flooded through her, and she nodded quickly. “Yes,” she blurted. “Yes, please. I don’t want to be alone.”
As he reached for her cabin door, some of the tension she had been carrying was starting to lift slightly. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for her to settle her racing heart and take a breath. Maybe she would be able to rest after all.
The adrenaline was starting to fade now, and she could feel the tiredness sweeping through her body. Letting out a yawn, she leaned in to him as he took the key from her, slipping it into the lock.
Xavier pushed the door open and let her inside. “Come on, let’s get you settled.”
“You want some tea?”
“I’ll make it,” he replied, guiding her to the small couch in her living room. “You sit down.”
She sank into the seat and stole a glance toward the window opposite her.
Outside, it seemed as though everything was quiet and still, but she wasn’t sure she could believe that.
After the fire and then being run off the road, she wasn’t sure if she would ever feel safe and secure at Warrior Peak again.
The nagging unease tugged at her stomach, and she tried to ignore it, focusing on the sound of Xavier in the kitchen behind her. As long as he was there with her, everything was going to be all right.
She was sure of it. Right?