Darkness approached as Dylan’s vehicle took them deep into the wooded area twenty miles from Fort Hood. Their headlights swept over each turn in the paved road, and she wondered what lurked around the next bend. Very few cars had come from the other direction. When they’d left the Fort Hood area, they’d stopped at friend of Dylan’s and borrowed an old car. Dylan had left his car at his friend’s, and when they drove out of the place, Terra had stayed down below the dashboard on the way out of the city. If Rivers had staked out the friend’s place somehow, it would appear that Terra had stayed at the friend’s house and Dylan had left. They carefully selected a longer and less common route to reach their destination. Dylan assured her he didn’t see a sign of the Toyota Forerunner tailing them.

Since they’d decided to venture to the old cabin, she’d wondered if they’d made a big mistake. She replayed in her mind why he thought escaping to the cabin was a good idea. He described it as well secured and isolated. Emily, Fletch, Aimee, Tony and Dylan’s parents knew they’d be at the cabin. Before they left, they called Emily and Aimee and explained their plan. Aimee said she’d contact Terra’s supervisor at the school in case Terra was stuck at the cabin into next week.

“You’re quiet. Everything okay?” Dylan asked.

She sighed. “Yeah. I think so. This is just all so…I dunno. Everything that’s happened. Sometimes it’s a little overwhelming. And I’m angry.”

“At Rivers?”

“Yes. He is the most infuriating human being I can think of. The arrogance. The narcissistic behavior. It’s maddening.”

“I know. But we’ll get through it. We aren’t going to let him beat us.”

She went silent for a while as she tried to digest and believe what Dylan had said. If anyone could help her with this problem, it was Dylan. She had no doubt of that.

“Your friend Bryson…I can’t believe he went for our plan. What if Allan tries to attack his house thinking I’m there?” she asked.

A smile touched Dylan’s mouth. “It’s possible, but Bryson is a police officer. He can handle himself.”

“That doesn’t mean I like the idea of pulling him into this danger.”

“I get it. And I understand you’re nervous. That’s natural. Don’t beat yourself up. Allan Rivers is the asshole in this equation.”

She laughed softly, totally agreeing with Dylan.

He slowed as they approached a turn off to the left. “Here we are,” he said and took the turn into the driveway. “That house is almost another mile.” As he maneuvered the old brown sedan over bumps and ruts in the dirt road, he continued with, “I need to get someone out here to smooth this out. The last flooding they had out here really screwed up the road.”

It took awhile to traverse the road, but they came up a rise through the thick forest. She gasped when she saw the cabin. House was really a better description for it. Two stories, it sprawled out. Made of dark wood and rock, it almost looked hodgepodge. A sort of toy that a man might put together who had no sense of design. Dylan pulled the car to a halt around the side, parking near a back door.

She was blown away. “It’s big.”

He grinned as he shut off the car. “That’s a good euphemism. It’s a bit weird. Built in 1976. It belongs to a friend of my Dad’s. When my Dad’s friend heard I was coming back from the war, he told me I could use the cabin any time I wanted. Rent free.”

“That’s amazing and generous.”

“Yep. He said I should use it when the war dominated my mind. He was a Vietnam vet. So he knows how it is. When I first came back to the states, I didn’t visit my parents first. I came here to vent. To chill out. To think. I was here two weeks before I felt like I could venture out.” He shrugged. “Fletch came here more than once to check on me. Make sure I hadn’t offed myself.”

Tears rose in her eyes. “You never considered it…did you?”

“No. I never did. After that, some of the other guys from the team came by. I lived here a month total before I found the apartment and decided I had to get my act together.”

She touched his arm. “I’m so glad you had somewhere to go and think. Somewhere safe like this.”

“It helped a lot. I needed the peace and the time.” The smile he gave her eased her soul a little. “I knew that I had to do something. Get some help and start a new life.”

“And now here we are.”

“Yep.”

They unloaded the car, bringing their bags into the cabin through the back door and the utility room. Dylan set the security system. When they emerged in the kitchen area, her mouth dropped open.

“Oh,” she said as she scanned the big, dark wood kitchen with its upgraded appliances and gorgeous countertops. “This is beautiful.”

“I know. Take a look at the living room.”

They walked into the living room, and she gaped at the beautiful, large room with a high ceiling. The room featured dark leather couches, furniture, beautiful rugs scattered over a wood floor, and tasteful decoration throughout. A wide staircase acted as a centerpiece.

She smiled. “Well, if I have to be in isolation for awhile, this is certainly a fantastic place to do it.”

“I agree one hundred percent. I’ll show you upstairs.” He took them upstairs and showed her the four bedrooms.

All of them were about the same size, except for the largest one that served as a master bedroom with it’s attached bathroom.

“Take the master if you like,” he said.

“But this is your place.”

“I’m just a visitor like you are.”

She placed her bag on a chair near the king-sized bed. “Okay. Thanks.”

She yawned.

“Why don’t you kick back and relax. I’ll bring in the groceries and make sure everything is secure.”

She nodded, feeling a weight lifting away. “I think I’ll take nap.”

He left and closed the door. She hunt up her clothes in the closet next to a few male clothing items and wondered if they belonged to the cabin owner or Dylan. The room had a masculine scent to it—it smelled deliciously like Dylan. She drew in a deep breath and tried to relax. She turned her mind away from worry and went into the bathroom. The large whirlpool garden tub looked way too tempting. A huge separate shower and double vanity and separate commode room made up the rest of the bathroom. Another yawn cracked her jaw. She wandered to the bed, sat down and removed her shoes. She lay down and let sleep take over.

“Adversity can either can break you or make you stronger. I thought that maybe I’d given up a few months ago, when I saw my best friend die. When I couldn’t save that other woman. Maybe I have a chance to change all that. I can save Terra.”

Journal of Dylan Westcott

After putting away the groceries, Dylan checked the outside of the house and looked for weaknesses in their defense. Darkness cloaked the area, and the tall trees nearby loomed like sentinels over the cabin. His flashlight gave away his position, and the military man still left within him didn’t like that. He didn’t have a choice, though, if he wanted to see what the hell he was doing.

He didn’t locate any points of entry he couldn’t defend, but he needed to show Terra the one thing he’d forgotten when they’d arrived. Something that could mean her safety above all else. He took his time circling the house, even going so far as to walk down the drive and make sure he didn’t see any sign Rivers had located them and staked out the house. He also needed to clear his head, and being near Terra had started to scramble any sense he had. He didn’t know which way to turn with the extreme protectiveness rising inside him. After Rivers was out of the picture, he didn’t know what might happen between them.

Keep your mind clear and a steady head.

He entered the house and went around to double check the doors and windows. He started upstairs and came to the master bedroom. He knocked on the door softly and when he got no answer, he eased open the door.

“Terra?”

She lay on the bed. She stirred and opened her eyes. “Dylan?”

He walked into the room. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you…looks like I did, though.”

She sat up and smiled, her hair a tousled mess. She combed her fingers through the strands, her eyes filled with half sleep. “I’ve slept long enough. I’m starving, though.”

“Good thing we brought some groceries, eh?”

She slid off the bed and stood. “Sorry I’ve been loafing.”

“Don’t sweat it. You needed the rest. You’ve been through a lot. There’s something I need to show you before we eat,” he said and headed to the big walk in closet. “It’s important.”

She followed him. “Sounds mysterious.”

“It’s imperative for you to know about it.”

He shoved aside clothes at the back of the closet. He knew she couldn’t have seen the big door if he hadn’t moved aside the clothes. Before she could speak, he pushed a latch concealed by molding and and the pocket door slid into the wall.

“Holy cow,” she whispered. She followed him inside the room. “This is a safe room.”

He pointed at the arrangement of objects inside the room. “Yeah. You’ve got food supplies, fresh air ventilation, a phone to the outside, a walkie talkie with frequencies listed on a card right here. A cot—”

“You think we’ll need this?”

“I hope not.”

He walked to a lockbox and opened it. When he pulled out a pistol, she made a sound between a denial and a gasp.

“A gun?” she asked.

“The bullets are in this box as well. You know how to use one?”

“Barely. Enough not to shoot my foot off. That’s it.”

He nodded. “That’ll do. I just wanted you to know where it was in case we run into a worse case scenario.”

She rubbed her face. “God, I hope it never comes to that. I hate guns.”

They didn’t speak for a few moments.

“I don’t like guns either,” he said into the quiet. When she looked at him strangely, he smiled. “Not every military person likes guns. I see them as a weapon of war not as an extension of my dick.” She snorted a laugh, and he continued with, “So if the war comes to us…”

“Is that what it is? A war?”

“Of a sorts. I’d rather the cops catch Rivers and send him back to prison. Finished and done. We go back to our lives.”

“That’s what I want, too.”

He saw a flare of heat in her eyes. She nodded and walked toward him. His body tightened as she stopped close. She smelled so damn good, and all he wanted to do was wrap her in his arms and forget the world for awhile.

Instead he said, “Let’s eat.”

He started for the door, but she clasped his forearm. “Wait. Dylan, I just wanted to thank you.”

“For what?”

“For everything you’ve done. Even though we hardly know each other, you’re already a great friend. A very decent human being. I’m lucky to be here with you.”

Warmth spread through him, and not just in a man to woman sexual attraction. Her words meant something, made Dylan whole again in a way he hadn’t experienced in months.

He smiled. “Well, maybe not lucky. If Allan Rivers didn’t exist, if he wasn’t stalking you, this wouldn’t be happening.”

She punched him playfully on the shoulder. “I’m trying to say thank you and you’re ruining it.”

He caught her hand and brought it to his mouth, unable to break contact with her. He kissed her soft skin and felt the jolt of that intimacy all the way to his groin. She gasped a little, and when he looked up, her warm brown gaze caught his and held. Temptation hovered there, burning down deep. It took everything inside him not to pull her into his arms.

He released her. “Thanks accepted. Let’s go downstairs and eat.”

Once in the kitchen, they set the dining table and decided to make salad. They settled down to eat, and the silence felt comfortable to him despite the situation. Instead of talking about Rivers and what might happen in the future, they talked about their lives before this situation, all of the little things that might seem inane but turned out to be important.

They finished their food and cleaned up. After they’d put all of the dishes in the dishwasher, they retired to the living room for some television. Before long they found themselves sitting side by side. He made a decision and a lump grew in his throat.

“There’s something else I think you should know,” he said.

She sat up all the way and turned toward him. “That sounds scary.”

He drew in a deep breath, still afraid to tell her but know that he must. “Not scary exactly, but…”

She touched him again, her fingers soft on his forearm. He savored the feeling. “Please. Tell me.”

One more deep breath. “When I got out of Delta, I was at this big hardware store with Bryson. As we came out of the store, we saw a woman being wrestled into a van by this guy. She screamed, we ran toward the van. Bryson and I rushed the van but the guy peeled out of there and almost ran us both over. We called the cops. We didn’t get the license number and by the time the police located the van fifty miles away, the woman was found inside…dead. It was her ex-boyfriend…he was the one that killed her.”

He saw the pure sympathy in her eyes, how her lips parted in dismay. “Oh, my God. That’s horrible.”

“Yeah. We felt like shit. We didn’t save that woman’s life. I didn’t save her. It’s one of the reasons I didn’t feel qualified to protect you. I should’ve told you this before you trusted me with your life.”

He waited for her reaction. And waited. She still touched his arm, the warmth of her skin a reassurance.

She leaned forward a little. “I still trust you. Nothing is going to change that. You tried to help that woman and you did the best you could. No one could blame you for what happened.”

“I do.”

She touched his face. “Whatever it takes, I’ll help you with that. Until you stop blaming yourself.”

And she kissed him.

Fierce desire whipped through Terra like a storm. She felt his hesitation, but then it disappeared in a rush as his strong arms came around her. She kissed him with eagerness, with a wanton need to show him how much she cared and wanted him. Thick, heavy need made her move against him. His lips traced hers with passion this time rather than caution, and his tongue plunged, stroked and tangled with hers. A hot swirl tingled and built in her belly and she felt that heat shoot straight between her legs. Eager for more, she took the next step. She pulled away slightly and his arms loosened. His eyes were hot, intent as he met her gaze. She straddled him, wanting to get closer. With a groan he lifted his hips and she couldn’t ignore the thick erection pressing upward between her legs and hitting that spot. The place that ached to be filled.

She matched his groan with a muffled whimper as everything inside her craved completion. They rocked against each other, building a momentum of heat and desire so incredible it rose to an unstoppable height within her. Terra couldn’t believe the feelings, the desire melting her into a thousand brilliant pieces. She’d never experienced such pleasure before.

She traced his shoulders and arms, savoring his masculine strength. It turned her on, grew that feeling she could do anything. His hands clutched her waist, urged her rhythm both in her kisses and the way they moved together. She allowed the tingle, the heat to rise between her thighs, forgetting anything and everything but the amazing feeling building to a mind-melting height.

As she tore her mouth from his, she threw back her head and moaned with pure pleasure. Shaking, shivering, she allowed the orgasm to fill her center.

The landline phone on the table next to them rang and they both jumped. She climbed off his lap as the sound hit her like a cold dash of water. They locked eyes.

The phone rang three times before Dylan answered and put it on speaker phone. “Yeah.”

“Dylan?” Bryson’s voice came through the line.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“I wanted to make sure you guys got there safely.”

Dylan smiled and her gaze tangled with his. She felt a new warmth low in her stomach. “Sorry I forgot to call. We’re good. Thanks for checking up on us.”

“Don’t get too happy. I just heard from a friend at the police department. Allan Rivers dumped the Forerunner. He’s stole another car.”

“Shit,” Dylan said under his breath.

“Oh, my God,” Terra said as anger rose up inside her.

“It gets worse,” Bryson said. “The police think he knows where you are.”