“Sophia, I’m Nate, a good friend of Jay’s.”
She gave a soft, not quite authentic, smile.
“Hello, Nate, Jeremy told me all about you and your friends,” she said in a shaky voice.
Then she looked at Lew, who had to give his head a little shake to get with the program. He’d seen plenty of women in his lifetime who were drop-dead gorgeous, but none of them compared to Sophia. This immediate attraction and protective feeling came over him, and that was not cool. Never had that happened.
“I’m Lew. I’ll be watching over you for the duration of your stay,” he told her as their eyes locked, and she lowered her head and turned away. She was more than shy. She was scared.
Jeremy placed his hand on her shoulder.
“Remember what I told you. You can trust Nate, Lew, and his team. The four of them live next door to the house you’ll be staying in, and Nate, his brothers, and their woman live about ten minutes from here,” Jeremy told her.
She swallowed hard and nodded.
“They have our secure contact numbers. I’m going to call you on that special phone I gave you to check in when I can.”
“I’ll be okay, Jeremy.”
Jeremy held her gaze and then gave a soft, reassuring smile, and she just stared at him. Lew couldn’t help the odd feelings he had. He wondered if there was something romantic between Jeremy and Sophia. Then he wondered why he’d even thought that and why it bothered him.
It was odd, but as Jeremy and the agents left, and it was him, Sophia and Nate alone, he could see how uncomfortable and fearful she really was.
“So, I guess the first thing we should do is show you around the place. Lew and his team have a beautiful beach house that’s all yours. Their house is this one right here,” Nate told her, and she looked at it.
“It’s very big. I wouldn’t expect to see so many trees. It’s almost hidden,” she replied in a soft tone.
“Well, wait until you see the back yard,” Nate told her and winked.
“Well, let’s start off here by the driveway,” Lew said. “In the garage we have a series of vehicles. If you need to take one, we’ll work out a schedule. Down this path leads directly to a walkway that leads to your house, as well as another entrance to the beach. However, we tend to use the back door to our porch.”
“Jeremy mentioned that one of the local markets offers delivery service for food and things,” she said as they began walking toward the pathway. Sophia picked up the large duffel bag, despite Nate’s offer to carry it for her. She also had a backpack in purple on her shoulder.
“Shopping is only a short five minutes from here. You can use the car, or if it’s just a few items, we have bikes,” Lew suggested.
Then she looked at him. “I’ll need that number for the delivery service please.” Then she continued to walk down the path.
Lew looked at Nate, who seemed to read into that statement, too. Perhaps she was still living in fear and really didn’t trust easily. It would take some time. But Lew was really interested in reading the file Jeremy had given him.
As they approached the dividing walkways between their house and Sophia’s beach house, she stopped in her tracks. She seemed completely affected by the view, the gorgeous semi-private beach before her and the roar of the ocean as it hit the shoreline.
“Stunning, right? One of the best views in Treasure Town,” Nate said, and then she cleared her throat and walked to the left.
* * * *
Sophia was speechless. Never in her life had she seen any place more beautiful than here. She couldn’t help but to inhale deeply. The scent of ocean air filled her senses. She could imagine listening to the sound of the waves rolling into the shoreline as she lay in bed at night. The house was just as stunning as Lew’s but smaller, and from where the deck stood, she could see his deck and what appeared to be a swimming pool.
“Your house doesn’t have a swimming pool, but there is a hot tub under there. I’ll come in once a week and make sure it’s clean. The chemicals all up to level, so no need to worry about it. Just enjoy it,” Lew told her, and she looked away from him.
The man was so big she could hardly stop the fearful shaking feeling in her gut. She didn’t even want to speak and come across so intimidated. She didn’t know these men. She didn’t trust them, or anyone for that matter, and the sooner she established she wasn’t socializing with anyone, the better.
“You have two entrances. One in the front of the house and this one on the back deck. We have a cleaning service that comes in every other week.”
“I won’t need that. I’ll clean the house myself.”
“Jeremy paid for that service.”
“Credit him back. I can do it. I don’t mind cleaning. I’ll be fine,” she said, and they entered the house.
She was shocked at how gorgeous it was. There were high windows everywhere and even a large indoor sitting room and balcony that looked out over the ocean and the glorious view. Was that a telescope set up there?
“Everything in the house is yours to use. There’s another telescope in the closet on the upper deck toward the side of the house. But the one up there has a better vantage point,” Lew said.
“I bet it does. This is really very nice. How come no one is renting it now?” she asked.
“My team and I didn’t want just anyone renting it.” He looked down at her, holding her gaze.
“It’s a stunning place, and they had asked all of us to keep it in mind if someone was looking, so when Jeremy called, it was a no-brainer,” Nate told her.
“I’m not sure.”
“What are you not sure about?” Nate asked her.
She chewed her lower lip.
“Sophia, we want you to feel comfortable with us. I’ve known Jay, Jeremy, for years. Whatever you’re thinking, or worried about, please don’t hesitate to tell me or Lew and his team. We’re here to help you get through this,” Nate told her.
She looked at the two large men and then nodded.
“There’s a whole beach out there, and ocean too, and anyone can come along from either place and sneak up in here.”
Both men looked at her as if she were crazy, but she didn’t care. They didn’t know what had been done to her and how resourceful Mateo could be. Especially now on the run. He knew people.
“Honey, don’t be afraid of anyone coming up to this place like that,” Nate said. “We’ve got security covered. Besides, from what Jeremy explained, it seems that these men, who may or may not still be after you, are in hiding from the feds. No one except for Jeremy, the two agents he was with, and us know where you are. Lew and his team are retired Navy SEALs. The best of the best, and you can trust them.”
She just couldn’t shake the fear she had, but she wasn’t about to argue with such intimidating men, so she dropped it. So much for enjoying a sound sleep and listening to the waves rolling in.
Twenty minutes later, Nate left, and Lew stood by the counter in the kitchen with a list of numbers and the keys to the house.
She stood a good distance away from him, intimidated by his size and by the way he looked at her as if he could read her mind. He explained about the AC and how it worked and about garbage and other minor things that seemed to be on the list in the folder, but she hardly heard any of it. She wondered how tall he was and why he seemed to favor his right shoulder and every so often would rub over his chest on that side. His jet-black hair was nearly to his shoulders, making him appear rugged and intense. She didn’t want to stare at him, but his green eyes were quite striking and the muscles and hardness of his body, never mind his facial expressions, definitely affected her. Especially those thick chords of muscles that stood out on his neck as well as his forearms. The man was in excellent physical condition.
“Did you have any questions?” he asked her, and she shook her head.
“I’ll figure things out.”
He pulled out a cell phone and placed it onto the brown granite counter in the kitchen. Then he held her gaze with a very intense and serious expression.
“This is for you. You’re to keep it on you or near you at all times. Just in case of an emergency or if you need assistance for anything you’re not sure of or can’t figure out. We are one phone call away. The four of us are your first four contacts. You just press one, and it speed dials us.”
“I have the one Jeremy gave me.”
He shook his head.
“That’s for him to contact you. He’s trying to find these men and will be working the field. Sometimes he’ll be unreachable. My team and I are your first contacts and aids in any situation.”
She swallowed hard. She looked down at the phone.
“I’m sure I’ll be fine on my own.”
“No. This isn’t up for discussion. I believe Jeremy told you that you’re to do as my team and I ask. That means full cooperation without second-guessing or hiding anything from us. We can’t protect you if you don’t let us in on what you may need. I don’t care if you hear an odd sound during the night or something spooks you and you can’t sleep. You’re to call me or one of the others. Got it?”
Sophia wasn’t certain she liked this guy one bit. He might be very attractive, have big muscles, and been a Navy SEAL, but his demanding tone and the scary way he looked at her were enough to make her cower. She looked away from him.