Nowhere to Hide (Delos Series Book 1) Read online

  Eventually, most people stopped sleepwalking once they removed themselves from the source of the threat.

  Cav had found that true for himself, and to his knowledge, he’d never sleepwalked again after leaving his father’s house.

  Now, Cav hoped that Lia had finally gone back to bed. But she hadn’t. Again, she came out of her room in that same trance-like state. It was actually the deepest sleep a human being could know, which is why people never remembered the incident.

  He slowly walked into the kitchen, watching her closely for a reaction. Her eyes were glazed, unseeing as she headed to the sink.

  “Lia?” he asked softly, “What are you doing?”

  She hesitated at the sink, lifting her hands, opening them and slowly turning them in front of herself. “My hands…they’re bloody. The cuts…they hurt so much. I’m bleeding. I need to stop it. I need to wash the blood off…”

  “Okay,” he rasped, “go ahead and clean yourself up.”

  She opened the faucets, placing her hands beneath them.

  Cav watched, distressed, as she washed each finger separately, making whimpering sounds as she did so. The soap dish was there, but she didn’t see it, intent only on washing her hands again and again.

  Finally, she stopped, pulled the towel of a nearby hook, and slowly patted them dry.

  “Lia? Why are your hands bloody?” He saw her brow draw down, her hands stilling in the towel as she considered his question.

  “The men…they attacked me. I thought they were going to kill me. I-I fought back. My hands…my hands are so cut up—,” and she sobbed, gripping them within the damp towel.

  “Lia, it’s all right. They’ve stopped bleeding. You’re safe now. The men are gone.” It took everything Cav had to stop from walking that half step forward and pulling her into his arms. But he knew not to touch her. To do so could cause major shock. Talking to the person was okay, but not touching them or trying to awaken them from that deep, unconscious state.

  “Rreally?” she whispered, pulling the towel away, lifting her long slender hand, studying her fingers as she opened and closed them.

  “Yes, they’re fine. You’ve washed the blood off. You need to go to bed now and sleep. Your hands are fine, okay?”

  She sighed and placed the towel on the hook. “Okay….” and she turned and shuffled off towards her bedroom.

  Cav followed to be sure she indeed got into bed. She sat down on the edge of the mattress, staring off into her own private world.

  “I need you to sleep, Lia. Come and lie down, okay? I’ll cover you up.”

  “Oh,” she murmured, pushing her palms against her nightgown. “I-I’m cold…I’m always cold now…so cold….”

  Cav stepped over to her, knowing she didn’t see him but could only hear him. “Come on, you’ll be warm soon.”

  Nodding, Lia lifted her legs and pushed them beneath the sheet and thin blanket. She lay protectively on her side, drawing her knees up toward her chest. Even in the shadowy gray light, Cav could see a long, savage scar that scored her right calf from top to bottom.

  He lightly placed the blanket across her shoulders. “There,” he said comfortingly, forcing himself not to touch her as she closed her eyes, burrowing her head into the pillow, gripping it with her hands. “You’ll be fine now, Lia. Go to sleep. Your hands are clean. You’re safe.”

  CHAPTER 8

  The strong aroma of freshly made coffee made Lia’s nose twitch. She moaned, pressing her head deeper into her pillow, not wanting to wake up. Slowly, she moved her legs outward, giving a luxurious stretch beneath the covers. Her fingers moved against the pillow and she heard other sounds drifting into the opened door of her bedroom. She thought she heard soft classical music drifting from somewhere, but she wasn’t sure.

  It felt so good to languish between sleep and wakefulness, and for some reason, she felt safe…really safe. It was an alien feeling to her, and it actually pulled her toward the surface of wakefulness, abandoning the warm cocoon of further sleep.

  When she forced open her eyes, she saw sunlight peeking here and there around the drawn blind on her window. Huh! She never slept this long, what was going on? Lia hadn’t slept so deeply in so long that it simply felt luxurious to stay in bed dozing.

  She heard a soft knock on her open door and turned her head in that direction. Cav stood in the doorway, holding a cup of coffee invitingly towards her. Instantly, she felt that strong wave of protection emanating from him, encircling her, shielding her from the dangers that swirled around her.

  “Interested in some coffee?” he asked, holding it out to her.

  Lia groaned and sat up, suddenly realizing that he could see the scars on her arms. Her first reaction was to grab the sheet and haul it up and over her, but she felt silly even considering it. Her nightgown was sleeveless.

  She drew up her knees and whispered, “Yes, but later. I need to wake up. What time is it?” and she twisted toward the bed stand. Her eyes widened when she saw it was eight A.M.

  Oh, my God! She was late!

  Before she could leap out of bed, Cav gave her an intense look, walked into her bedroom, and placed the cup of coffee on her night table.

  “Relax,” he growled. “Dilara said that she’d meet you at noon over at Tabacon.”

  “What?” she murmured, rubbing her eyes confused.

  “I talked earlier with Dilara,” he said, halting briefly at the doorway, his hand resting on the jamb. “She said for you to sleep in and take it easy this morning. I’ll drive you over to Tabacon at eleven-thirty.” Cav quietly closed the door, leaving her to get up when she was ready.

  Stunned by the turn of events and relieved Cav had closed the door, Lia scooted out of bed. She hung her legs over the edge, her soles connecting with the cooler wooden floor. Reaching gratefully for the fragrant coffee, she slid it between her hands, taking small sips. It tasted so good!

  Outside, she heard the jungle sounds of morning. Her mind bucked and resisted, urging her to return to sleep.

  Glancing at the clock, Lia realized she had slept nearly twelve hours and she’d had no nightmare. Thank God for that! She lived in abject fear that she’d start screaming, scare the hell out of Cav and embarrass herself. She needed to warn him about that, but she’d been too tired last night.

  Humming with pleasure, she closed her eyes, sipped the coffee, and realized that for once she didn’t have to rush off to work. Then, she was struck with the memory of her loss of Maria and Sophia. Her two friends had been brutally murdered.

  Her mind jolted awake and she realized that Cav had been sleeping out on that couch in the living room. He was her “guard dog.” Lia, while appreciating his adherence to his responsibilities, still wasn’t comfortable with him being in her home. Could she convince Robert Culver to change the PSD orders? But then, how could he keep her safe? She’d met Medina twice, and a cold shudder worked through her.

  Cav was definitely the lesser of two evils. In fact, in her heart she knew Cav was the opposite of evil. Not only was he being paid to shield her and put his life on the line for her, he had also looked at her this morning with real caring and tenderness. It had surprised her, and his mouth, usually thinned, was more relaxed.

  Cav was just too good-looking, Lia decided with a sigh, feeling the coffee working its magic on her drowsy brain. He had changed into a dark green polo shirt that stretched across his powerful shoulders and chest. Today, he wore jeans instead of chinos, and they hugged his lower body in the most delicious way.

  Lia shook her head and reminded herself again that men were turned off by how she looked. Just because she pined for a genuine relationship didn’t mean she’d ever get one, so she had to stop fantasizing about it.

  Now, she was sure he’d seen the scars on both her arms. What a mess. She was afraid that Cav had found her pitiful to look at, thus the softness in his look was probably pity.

  For Lia, it was one more load to carry. And she didn’t want Cav asking her how she
’d gotten those scars, either. Would he? A chill came over her as she considered it, never wanting to go there.

  She’d tried it once and gotten rebuffed. There wouldn’t be a second time. Right now, she felt too fragile emotionally to handle Cav if he rejected her, too. What must he think having to guard her now that he’d seen more of her scars?

  Finishing the coffee, Lia felt as if she’d been given a momentary reprieve from the hard fourteen-hour days she knew were ahead of her. Warmth flowed through her as she stood up and pulled on her seersucker robe. It fell to the tops of her ankles and would hide her body, should Cav still be out there. She had to get to the bathroom to get a shower and hoped he wasn’t in the kitchen. Slowly, she opened the door.

  She was greeted by the scent of bacon frying, and she tightened the sash around her waist, her curiosity piqued. She’d had no bacon in her fridge, so where had it come from? As she walked down the short hall, she stood uncertainly at the edge of the kitchen. Cav was standing over the stove, working two skillets. One had bacon frying in it, and the other held cut-up potatoes.

  Cav twisted a look in her direction. “Interested in breakfast?”

  “It sure smells good,” Lia admitted, drawing closer. She made sure the collar of her robe was up to hide her throat. “I didn’t know you could cook.”

  He gave her a modest smile, flipping some of the frying potatoes with a spatula. “I learned to either cook, or starve. I’m no chef, but I do think I make a pretty mean breakfast.” He gestured to a small bag of potatoes sitting on the counter. “I figured since Dilara was letting you rest up this morning, the least I could do was spoil you with my limited skills and make you breakfast.”

  All her fear dissolved when she saw him drop the game face he usually wore. Her heart flew open and she was left without words, because that same flame of tenderness was in his glance towards her. Gripping the collar of her robe, she whispered, “That’s really nice of you…”

  “Why don’t you have a shower?” He pointed to the coffee pot. “Grab yourself a second cup, and take your time because you actually have some this morning. How do you like your eggs?”

  She came and stood near the counter, watching him cook. “Where on earth did you get the bacon?”

  “I had one of the security guys bring it to me earlier.”

  “Oh…” She licked her lips and said, “I like hard scrambled eggs. Can you make them that way?”

  “I’ll try.” He cut her a boyish grin. “Like I said, I’m pretty limited when it comes to cooking, but I’ll do my best.”

  Cav looked clean-shaven, his hair still damp from an early shower. He looked good in her small kitchen, the breadth of his shoulders reminding her of his underlying power as a security contractor. Although she saw no weapons around, and he wasn’t wearing his jacket, she knew they must be nearby.

  It was nice not to see them out; it only reminded Lia of the fragile peace that hovered over the area. She was perfectly aware that Medina had a hit out on her and that it was only a matter of time before…

  Managing to give Cav a warm look, she murmured, “I’ll be out in a little bit. Thanks…”

  Cav said nothing as she hurried for the bathroom down the hall. He was sorry that she felt she had to grip that collar around her throat to hide her scar. As he took the potatoes off the burner, he heard the door to the bathroom quietly close.

  Every cell in his body was in protection mode where Lia was concerned. After her sleepwalking incident, he’d barely slept; shocked at the number of scars he’d seen on her body. She didn’t seem to realize she’d had a sleepwalking episode, which didn’t surprise Cav. The shadows beneath her eyes last night were gone this morning. If anything, Lia looked well rested, and for that, he was grateful.

  He was damned glad he’d called Dilara Culver at six A.M., woke her up out of her sleep and told her that Lia needed some time off. Now, he put the bacon onto a plate and turned off the stove. If Dilara was annoyed that he’d awakened her early at the Tabacon Resort, she didn’t show it. Instead, when Cav had told her Lia needed some downtime because she was stressed out, Dilara had quickly agreed and moved the nine A.M. meeting to noon.

  Cav thanked her and wanted to ask Dilara if she knew what had happened to Lia, but nixed the question. Right now, he wanted everyone focused on the school, moving the children to the other resort, and getting the new teachers on board. His personal need-to-know could wait.

  Dammit, he ached to hold Lia. She looked like a lost waif in that robe of hers this morning. It was a thin blue cotton robe that hid her, that’s true. But in another way, showed him her slender, womanly curves, too. The scars bothered him a lot. Who had done this to her? What had happened to her? He’d seen her hands before last night, aware of white scars, puckered flesh in the webbing and hadn’t put it together until their conversation. Someone had violently attacked her. She had defensive wounds of fighting back, which explained the amount of scars and scar tissue on her beautiful, slender hands. Cav grieved for her. He wondered if Lia had anyone to help or support her after it had happened. She talked warmly about her parents. After it happened, had they been there for her? He hoped so.

  He read the shame in her eyes as she clutched the material to her slender neck.

  Cav went back to the scene the night before. It was clear that Lia did not want him to see her scars, but while she was sleepwalking, he’d seen them on her arms, legs and hands. Where else had she been cut? With the number of cuts on her, it was lucky she’d survived at all!

  Cav knew how to use a knife to do lethal damage to an enemy, and he knew that one cut across her neck was enough to sever a carotid artery and bleed someone out in a matter of minutes.

  Bothered deeply, he frowned as he brought down two plates. He heard the shower running, glad that Lia had extra time to relax. He’d set the table for her, put some bread in the toaster on the counter, found some butter and jam in her fridge to give her a nice, low stress breakfast. The woman deserved that much, given what she’d already gone through.

  As he set the table, Cav knew a previous life-and-death experience had occurred with Lia. Now, she’d had another one six days ago. Personally, as an operator, he knew a lethal confrontation with the Taliban had played out in his nightly dreams for years. And he also knew that if a new event occurred, it would stir up past events.

  They would converge like the perfect storm in his unconscious, and then he’d have nightmares.

  Maybe Lia sleepwalked instead. Cav knew that unless Lia broached it, as a contractor, he couldn’t get personal. He was there to protect, not interrogate or become a father confessor.

  Dammit, he cared about this woman whether he wanted to honestly admit it or not. She was a kind person who was passionate working for Delos charity and helping children and destitute families. There was NOTHING not to like about Lia. Not one damned thing. The scars didn’t bother him. Hell, he had so many that as far as Cav was concerned, they told a story, that was all.

  He heard the door open. Looking up from setting the small table, he saw Lia had washed her hair, the curls dark around her oval face. She still wore that robe, and still held the collar closed at her neck.

  Straightening, he said, “Do you feel like you’re among the living now?”

  “Much more so,” she admitted with a half smile. “I’ll get dressed and be right out.”

  Cav could smell the soap she’d used on her skin, and he’d also picked up her womanly scent as she passed through the kitchen. “Okay, see you in a bit. You want one or two pieces of toast?” he asked casually, masking his other thoughts.

  Hesitating at the door to her bedroom, Lia turned. “Oh…I’m not really that hungry, Cav.”

  He straightened. “You’re underweight, Lia. You need to try and eat more. How about one piece of toast?” and he held her gaze. Her eyes were clear now and she was awake and functioning fully. Those dark curls only made her look more like a girl, not the mature woman Cav knew she was. He also saw that the scar
on her face was raised, and needed some lotion on it.

  “I’ll try to have some toast,” she agreed.

  “I’ll make your hard scrambled eggs now.”

  “That would be great. Thanks…”

  Cav watched the door close. It was obvious to him that Lia was completely uncomfortable with him underfoot. She was going to hide not only her scars from him, but herself as well. He could see it in her eyes. Only when she was truly tired did he see the real Lia. Then, she didn’t have the energy to pull up the wall she was hiding behind right now.

  Cav told himself to relax, to give her time to adjust to his presence, but it was tough. He realized Lia had no other emotional support right now, and he wanted to give her what she needed. Last night had been a special hell for him because his first reaction was to hold Lia and replace the terror on her face with trust. Of course, that was impossible, so he had to stand there and helplessly witness her repeated hand washing.

  Just as he put the bowl of potatoes on the table along with the bacon, Lia came out of the bedroom. Glancing up, he saw she was wearing a set of loose jeans and a bright yellow tee that brought out the red and gold highlights in her damp hair. He was pleased to see that she looked more relaxed than he’d seen her so far.

  “What can I do to help?” she offered with a smile.

  “Nothing,” he said, pulling out a chair for her. “Sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee.” He met her gaze and saw the warmth in it, and privately swore he saw something else too, but couldn’t define it. “I’ll get those eggs going,” he said briskly.

  He poured her a fresh cup of coffee, setting it down in front of her. The toast popped up and he brought it over on a plate. “Butter and jam there,” he said, pointing toward it.

  “Why do I feel you’re like a grumpy old mother hen?” she turned, meeting his gaze. Indeed, Lia felt his care and she was lapping it up like a starved animal. It had been so long since anyone had cared for her like this. Oh, when she was home, her parents did, but she hadn’t seen them in over a year. She was long overdue for a visit.