Davis, Keyonna - Nowhere to Hide [Pine Valley] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (15 page)

Shaking her head, she smiled up at the guys. “It’s nothing, let’s go.”

The walk was great. The guys showed her all of their favorite spots and a few hiding places that they made when they were up to no good. They hiked and talked for about two hours and then headed back to the house. Cane was exhausted by the time they made it back and collapsed on the bed. She felt hands on her legs and looked up to see Logan removing her shoes.

“Come on, baby. Duncan is running you a hot bath
.
I
t will make you feel better.” He helped her up from the bed and removed the rest of her clothes, then carried her to the bathroom. Logan lowered her slowly into the hot bath as Cane sighed. The hot water and bubbles felt so good. She could already feel her muscles starting to relax. Both men knelt beside the tub and began to wash her. Logan washed her hair as Duncan washed her body. Once they had her clean, they lifted her out of the tub and dried her with a fluffy towel.

I could get used to this.

“You guys are too good to me. You don’t have to do this.”

“We know we don’t,” Logan said.

“But we want to,” Duncan finished.

With that, they picked her up and carried her to the bed. Once they laid her down, they both stripped and climbed in on each side of her. Curling up against the both of them, Cane sighed
.
S
he felt safe when she was between the two of them, but she couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched that she felt earlier in the woods.

Chapter 13

Cane opened her eyes as the warm sun slowly drifted across the room. She realized that she was curled up alone in the middle of Duncan’s king-size bed. Raising her head, she looked around the room and listened. She didn’t see or hear anyone. The clock next to the bed showed 10:00 a.m. Cane couldn’t believe she slept that late. She must have been really tired to not even hear the guys get up and go to work. Rolling out of the bed, she made her way to the bathroom and noticed a note taped to the mirror. Taking it down
,
she smiled as she began to read:

Cane,

Sorry to not wake you this morning to tell you bye, but we figured you were really tired after yesterday and decided to let you sleep. Stay with Riley today and let him keep you safe. He will be happy to do whatever you want so don’t be afraid to ask. We will try to get home early today, but if not we should be home no later than six. Stay safe.

Love,

Duncan and Logan

Cane couldn’t help the tears that were streaming down her face. She knew she shouldn’t read too much into the word love on the bottom of the page, but she couldn’t help it. Did they really mean it? Surely they wouldn’t have written it if they didn’t. Laying the note down, Cane showered and got her clothes on. Once she was dressed, she folded the note and put it in her pocket. She knew she was being silly, but she felt like the guys were close to her with the note so she wanted to keep it close. Pulling her hair into a ponytail, Cane left the room. She followed the smells into the kitchen to find Riley sitting at the table.

“Well, hey, sleepyhead. It’s about time you woke up. I was about to die of boredom out here.” The smile told Cane he was joking and she smiled back.

“So what are we doing today?” She had no intentions of leaving the house today. She had made her mind up last night that she would not put Riley in unnecessary danger, but seeing the excited look on his face, she couldn’t make him sit there all day.

“I didn’t have anything planned,” Cane said
.
“I tell you what, you decide. I haven’t been shown around town yet, so why don’t you show me and you can take me to all your favorite places.” Riley looked a little uncomfortable for a moment, but then shook his head in agreement.

“Okay, we can do that, but there really isn’t anything that exciting in this town. I usually hang out at the library and do schoolwork.”

“We can do that if you want. I haven’t read a new book in a while. Maybe I could check something out.” Nodding, Riley left the room to get ready as Cane ate breakfast.

Cane knew that the library would be small, but not this small. Just like the doctor’s office, the library was located in the living room of a small house on the main street. Riley led the way in and walked up to the woman behind a small desk. The librarian looked around twenty-four. She had fiery red hair that was pulled back in a ponytail and gray eyes. Cane saw her face brighten as she looked up and saw Riley.

What is this? Cane thought.

Looking at Riley, she saw the same expression on his face. Clearing his throat, he smiled and introduced her.

 
“Hi, Jessica, this is Cane. She is a friend of the family and is staying with Duncan and Logan for a while.” Jessica smiled shyly at Cane and nodded her head.

“I’m going to study a while
.
W
ill you show Cane around and help her find a book to read?”

“Yes, Riley, anything for you.” She spoke so low that Cane had to strain to hear her. Riley seemed to be just as shy around her and turned quickly and walked away. Jessica watched as he sat at a small table in the corner. The way she looked at him told Cane that she really wanted to be with him. Did she look at Duncan and Logan that way? Probably. Looking at Jessica, she noticed that the other girl was really pretty but shy. She dressed in what seemed like the standard librarian uniform
—
long skirt, cardigan, and sensible shoes. She obviously liked Riley
,
and from the looks he gave her, he liked her
,
too.
Wonder why they don’t just admit their feelings for each other?
Cane decided that she would ask Ali later. If anyone would know what was going on it would be her.

“So, what do you like to read?” Jessica asked.

“Just point me in the direction of the romance section please.”

Jessica’s face lit up with a huge smile. “I know just the books you should read.” Cane followed Jessica to a small shelf that looked hidden behind a larger one. There were about twenty books on the shelf all by the same author, someone named J. Red.

“These are the best I have, but I warn you, they get a little steamy.”

“The steamier, the better,” Cane whispered and laughed. Jessica winked and walked back to the counter when the bell over the door jingled leaving Cane to pick out a book. There were some interesting titles there, and Cane started to read the description on the back of each one. After about the third book, Cane felt the same feeling come over her that she felt in the woods the night before. Someone was watching her. Looking around, she saw Riley still sitting at the table and Jessica behind the desk. She didn’t see anyone else, but she couldn’t shake the feeling. Deciding to move closer to Riley, she grabbed the book that she decided to read and walked around the shelf. She ran right into a man that was just standing there and began to fall backward. He reached out to grab her, but she caught her balance and jerked away before he could touch her. Murmuring “Sorry,” she ran over to Riley who was already out of his seat.

“Cane, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

Swallowing nervously, Cane nodded. “I think I just overreacted.” Her heart was pounding
,
and she was panting for breath. She realized that she had a light sheen of sweat on her forehead and palms. Looking around, Cane didn’t see the man anywhere in sight.

“Come on, let’s get you out of here.”

Not answering, Cane waited as Riley gathered all his things and followed him out. Once out on the street, Cane noticed as Riley scanned the area and then turned to her.

“What happened in there?” Feeling kind of silly for panicking, she looked down at the ground and resisted the urge to shuffle her feet.

“Um… I felt like someone was watching me, and I guess I panicked. I started to move closer to you when I ran into that guy who was just standing there. It just freaked me out.”

“Have you ever seen him before?”

“No, never.”

“I’ve never seen him before either. He isn’t from around here. Maybe we should let Duncan and Logan know so they can keep an eye out for him.”

“No, please don’t. He didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just me. They will worry for no reason.”

Riley looked like he wanted to argue, but finally he nodded. “Okay, but if you get anymore feelings, promise me you will let me know.”

Smiling, Cane agreed, “Okay, I promise.”

“Come on,” he said putting his arm around her shoulder. “Let’s go for a walk to calm you down then we will meet Duncan and Logan for lunch at the diner.”

* * * *

Sam was in a car headed to the small town that Cane thought she was hiding in. He had to fly to the closest airport, which was actually a small landing strip about an hour away. Kevin had a car waiting there for him, so now he was on his way. After a week of being without her, he was finally going to get her back. Smiling, Sam’s thoughts were cut off by his cell phone ringing.

“Hello.”

“Sam, Kevin here. How far away are you?”

“I will be there in about an hour. Why?” He could hear the hesitation in Kevin’s voice and knew this call wasn’t going to be good.

Feeling his anger that seemed to have never gone away since Cane left, he growled into the phone
.
“I swear I will kill you if you lost track of her. What the hell is going on?”

“No! No! Calm down. I haven’t lost her. In fact, I just got a little up close and personal when I literally bumped into her a few minutes ago. I just called to give you a heads
-
up.” Sam took a deep breath and tried to calm down
.
H
e noticed that he was gripping the steering wheel hard enough to turn his knuckles white and loosened his grip.

“I called you for two reasons actually
.
N
umber one, it seems I was mistaken when I told you she seemed to be involved with two guys. It’s actually three. The guy that she was with today was completely different from the other two who she is definitely involved with based on the body language I saw when they went for a walk in the woods last night. All three of them seem to be very protective of her and have no problem with touching her or invading her personal space.”

That fucking whore! I always knew she was a slut,
but I never would have guessed this.

Trying to not let his emotions show in his voice, he asked, “What is the other reason you called?”

“To let you know she has her guard up. She knows she is being watched. She felt me last night in the woods and also today in the library. How do you want me to play this?”

“Just watch her until I get there then your job will be over. I have your payment in cash with me, and you can return home.”

“Okay. Call me when you get into town, and I will let you know where we are.”

Kevin hung up, and Sam couldn’t help but to smile. So she was paranoid and expecting him. Always being one to turn any situation to his advantage, he thought of ways to use this against her. He wanted to torture her before he took her home. After all she deserved a little payback since she had been torturing him for nearly a week by leaving him. Yeah, maybe he would play with her for a little while before revealing himself. He still had another week off from work, plenty of time for him to drive her crazy and make her regret her mistake of running. Smiling and feeling his anger fade a little bit, Sam stepped on the gas. The sooner he got there, the sooner he could put his plan into action.