Protective Warrior (Warrior Peak Sanctuary #4)

Chapter One

“Those are only going to last for a few days you know,” Lawson Davies pointed out to his sister, Hannah, as he leaned against the wooden doorframe of the lodge’s entrance, watching as she fiddled with her most recent flower bed additions. “What’s the point of spending so much time pruning them?”

“Because I enjoy it!” she protested, shaking her head at him as if she could hardly believe how obstinate he was. “Just because the flowers aren’t going to last long doesn’t mean there’s no point in doing it at all.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “You’ve been obsessed with those flowers all year.”

She paused her pruning, rounding on him with the shears. “Yeah, so I’m going to enjoy them when they’re actually in bloom,” she pointed out, jabbing the shears toward him demonstratively.

He held up his hands in surrender. “Hey now, show mercy. It was just an observation,” he protested.

She laughed. “If you keep bad-mouthing my flower beds, you’re going to get it,” she warned him. “What are you even doing out here, anyway? Did you just come by to annoy me?”

“Keeping an eye on you,” he replied. “I don’t trust you with those shears. I’ve seen how clumsy you are.”

“When I was a kid! You really think I’m as bad as that now?”

“Yeah, I do,” he retorted.

She let out an irritated snort. “Well, guess you better keep your distance, then,” she warned him playfully, holding up her shears. “I might trip and stab you with these.”

“And you’d still care more about your flowers,” he teased her.

“You’re damn right I would!” she replied. “I’ve worked hard. I want to enjoy the fruits of my labor.”

He grinned as she turned her attention back to the blooming flowers running alongside the path that led from the main building to the residential cabins in the woods beyond.

He really didn’t mind that much that his sister was so intent on spending her time making the flowers look perfect.

After everything that had happened in the last couple of years at Warrior Peak, he couldn’t blame her for hanging on to something she had total control over.

God knew, he’d been doing the same thing. Working on the lodge had been a relief these last several months. It helped ground him from all the recent troubles they’d endured here, and the fact that he was one of the people who got to call the shots was just a bonus.

He was all about structure and order and balance, which went back to his military and CIA days. And seeing all the employees working hard on the rebuilding, and all the improvements they’d done, made all of the hard work worth it.

Warrior Peak Sanctuary had been a safe haven and dream come true for Lawson and his best friend and business partner, Xavier Michaels.

It had become something they could really be proud of.

Over the years they’d helped military and law enforcement, and, more recently, domestic-abuse survivors find themselves and their strength again.

To be able to rest and recuperate from injuries and refresh their bodies, minds and souls in a peaceful, safe environment did wonders for a person’s overall being.

They had also been able to bring in more professionals and add a variety of different activities to aid in the healing process.

They’d seen large improvements with all the new additions they’d made available to their guests.

Since the last attack on the lodge, they’d decided to do an overhaul on certain aspects of Warrior Peak.

The main one being the addition of a small separate building next to the main lodge for Sarah Peterson, the lodge psychologist, to have her new office.

They’d also added a small cabin next to it and turned that space into new living quarters for her.

The section in the lodge that had been her office before had been renovated and turned into additional rooms for guests.

He hadn’t been as sold on having the two spaces next to each other, but after Sarah had rattled off the list of benefits it provided her with them being side by side, who was he to argue? She loved it, and that was what mattered.

Seeing that the residents enjoyed the space separation was a good thing, too.

They seemed to feel a little more comfortable being able to go to a separate space and not feel like they were being watched and judged when they went to their therapy appointments.

It lifted a small weight off their shoulders and that was important.

Lawson wanted them to feel safe and secure in their sessions and everything they did for their recovery.

Lawson had also noticed that Sarah had seemed a bit more hesitant to use the makeshift office they’d originally done up for her in another part of the building while they were constructing the new space.

It was farther away from the main entrance and all the hustle and bustle of activity in the lodge.

He had his suspicions that she felt isolated being farther away from everyone, and closed off from getting fast help, should she need it.

Lawson hoped that would not ever be the case again.

He knew she had been struggling since Jed’s attack on her previous office.

He’d terrorized her and torn her safe space apart in front of her eyes in a fit of rage.

A large man ranting at a petite, sweet, fragile woman like Sarah…

It set Lawson’s blood boiling every time he thought about it.

He’d do whatever he could to make sure she felt safe at the lodge again, to help get her back to the happier, more carefree and confident woman she used to be.

The plunge tub had also been a good addition.

It added a bit of excitement to the place.

It had many therapeutic benefits—that was why Lawson had suggested adding it in the first place—but it had turned into more of a challenge for those staying there.

It had become a test for people to see how long they could last in it and then rush back inside to warm up.

Those who did manage to use the tub for its benefits seemed to enjoy it, though.

Lawson had even tried it himself a few times, but he wasn’t sure he entirely saw the benefits of freezing your ass off for the sake of your mental health.

Damn, at least it woke you up in the morning, better than a coffee ever could. That had to count for something, right?

And even though he loved picking on his sister, he had to admit, the flowers she’d been working so hard on around the lodge looked nice.

The bright blooms popped against the soft green of the grass, especially in the sunlight that streamed through the trees beyond.

Times like this, he could see why the lodge worked as well as it did.

Why it was a place where people were able to actually leave behind the horrors of what they had endured before, and relax in the peace of this environment.

A peace that was suddenly shattered. The door to Sarah’s new office slammed open and raised voices sounded inside. Suddenly, Toby Miller, one of her new clients, came storming down the path, his eyes blazing with anger.

“Hey.” Lawson stepped out onto the path with his hands held open at his sides. “What’s going on?” He looked worriedly between the angry man and the open door.

“She’s freaking crazy,” Toby snapped, jabbing his finger back toward the office.

Lawson followed his gesture, and saw Sarah standing in the doorway, her face pale, blue-green eyes wide, her shoulders tensed up toward her ears. She looked stiff enough to crack in half.

Lawson sighed. “Go inside,” he told Toby. “Cool off for a minute. I’ll talk to her, alright?”

“Fine, but I don’t know how I’m supposed to accomplish anything with her acting the way she is,” he growled as he stomped down the path and back into the lodge. Lawson turned his attention back to the therapy office, where Sarah had already ducked back inside.

“You want me to check on her?” Hannah asked, eyes wide and hands clenched into fists at her sides.

Lawson shook his head. “No, it’s fine, I’ll handle it,” he assured her.

He had been feeling particularly protective of Sarah lately, after everything that had happened with Jed a few months ago.

He imagined that she was seriously spooked by the encounter she’d just had with Toby because of it.

He squeezed Hannah’s shoulder lightly as he walked by her down the path.

He reached the door of the therapy office and noticed it wasn’t completely closed. He pushed it open and stepped inside, glancing around. Sarah was slumped on to the small couch opposite her desk, her shoulders still drawn up toward her ears, and her whole body trembling.

“Hey,” Lawson murmured to her softly.

She jumped, her head snapping around like she was suddenly looking for danger to strike. When she saw who it was, she let out a long sigh of relief.

“Oh, Lawson, it’s you,” she replied, pushing a hand through her ponytail, and patting her blond hair back into place. “I—I’m sorry, I don’t…”

“It’s okay,” he assured her. “I sent Toby back to the lodge. He’s going to be fine when he cools down. Are you alright?”

She chewed her lip and stared straight ahead.

She looked like she was trying to decide if she was going to tell him the truth or not.

But if it impacted her work for the lodge and its residents, he needed her to be honest about what was going on.

It was the only way they would be able to support her.

She knew that better than anyone, having worked as the resident psychologist for as long as she had.

If her clients weren’t honest with her, she couldn’t effectively help them to heal and overcome their issues.

The same thing applied to her in this situation.

Lawson wanted to help her, but he needed all of the information first.