The vacation cabin rental boasted over five thousand square feet on nearly twenty acres of land and sat far enough off the main road that no one would accidentally veer down the private driveway.
Neil drove the SUV from the small private airstrip they’d flown in to. Leo sat beside him with Olivia in the back seat. Behind them, AJ and Sasha followed in a four-wheel-drive Jeep.
The nurse he’d hired was already at the cabin, and Lars and Isaac were putting the final touches on the surveillance system that would be monitored from miles away.
They hit a bump in the road, and Neil immediately looked in the rearview mirror to gauge Olivia’s expression.
If she hurt, she didn’t show it. Though every mile they traveled, fatigue settled on her face.
The doctor had taken the chest tube out and followed up with a chest x-ray two days later before okaying her to travel on an airplane. The slight fever she’d spiked the day the tube was supposed to be removed ended up causing a delay and worried everyone that they’d have to postpone the transfer. And with Navi on the move and the sentencing hearing less than a week away, Neil wanted her as far away from Vegas as they could get but still be a short plane ride away.
“How are you doing back there?” Leo asked her.
“Never better.”
Neil eased up on the gas.
“No, really. I’m fine. Not to sound like a child, but how much longer?” she asked.
“Ten minutes to the turnoff, then we’re on-site,” Neil informed her.
She nodded and continued to look at the passing landscape.
Neil couldn’t help but wonder if anything looked familiar. He knew she’d spent several years in Germany, but he didn’t have a lot of information on the woman before that time. And after, well . . . he could only speculate. Her history had been erased long before she was shot.
As they moved toward the gate, AJ drove up first, jumped out, and opened the manual fence. Much as Neil would have liked an automated gate, the homes that had them were in more densely populated areas. That didn’t stop him from securing sensors that let those inside the house know the gate was opening. There were trip wires, electronic and physical, closer to the house. He’d be sure and spend some time with Leo outside before he left.
AJ moved faster down the road while Neil stayed mindful of the patient white-knuckling it in the back seat.
She needed time to heal.
The doctor had joked, telling her to avoid gunshots, car accidents, or bar fights for at least a month.
None of which were off Olivia’s radar when she was in her right mind.
The docile woman staring out the window would have no problem avoiding drama.
Olivia . . . not so much.
I’ve seen trees. They’re pine trees.
The smell reminded her of Christmas. How was it she could remember the holiday, but not a single one with her in it?
Every bump in the road was a knife in her side.
She wanted to look at the bandage on her chest but didn’t desire drawing attention from the two men in the front seats.
She’d been under a microscope for days and looked forward to time alone.
A proper shower. What she would do for a shower.
Neil pulled the car up to what had to be one of the largest log cabins in existence. When she’d heard cabin, she assumed something small and easy to manage.
That was not what he stopped the car in front of.
“Wow,” Leo said for both of them.
“I’m sure it will be comfortable for everyone,” Neil said before opening his door and moving to hers.
Outside the climate-controlled car, she took her first step with Neil close by. He didn’t reach for her, but somehow she knew he would if he had to.
Leo, on the other hand, walked around the car and took her elbow like she couldn’t manage without him. Something about the gesture felt off, but she didn’t know why.
He’d only been helpful the whole time she’d known him.
“Doing okay?” he asked.
She took a deep breath. “Only hurts when I breathe.”
She wasn’t sure, but for a second she thought Neil laughed. Since the man barely cracked a smile, she must have been mistaken.
The home appeared to have two entrances, one on the ground level, the other, larger one requiring a flight of stairs.
She wasn’t about to admit that she appreciated Leo’s arm when she started stepping up. Nearly a week in a bed took a toll on her