Riley stroked her arms. “I’m the same as always, but Jay and I figured you probably had a tough day, what with being alone with Elkhart. We thought you could use some relaxing down time.”
That sounded like heaven. “I did have a rather tough day, and I figure it won’t be long before the women are freed. Regardless, your offer sounds fantastic.” She thought her unease had come from being cooped up in only one or two rooms for most of the day, but most likely it was because she missed having Riley around.
Jay came up behind her, placed his hands around her waist, and squeezed. “Go put on a pair of jeans and a warm top.”
“Mind if I take a quick shower?”
“Sure, but hurry.”
“I’ll be ready in two shakes.”
Sarah took her change of clothes into the bathroom. Knowing the men, if she dressed in front of them, they’d be spending the next few hours making love. As much as she wanted to delve into their wondrous bodies, she was hungry and needed to relax with them over dinner—anything to help her forget the stressful day even for a little while.
Once she cleaned up, they left. Riley helped her into the front seat then jumped in the back. “So where is this place?” she asked.
“Not quite an hour southeast of here.”
That would be from the clinic and far from the warehouse. Good. She twisted in her seat so she could speak with Riley. “What did you do today?”
“Several of us had the not-so-fun job of dismantling the warehouse since Statler didn’t want any evidence to indicate he’d been there.”
“That makes sense. What did you do with the supplies? And the stuff in his office?”
“We burned almost everything in back. The supplies we’ll deliver to the clinic tomorrow.”
She supposed that was a good solution. “Did you find anything of interest in his office?”
He shook his head. “No.”
Jay reached across the seat and squeezed her hand. “How about we forget that Paul Statler exists for one night and concentrate on us?”
“That’s a great idea.” Assuming she could do it.
During the rest of the drive, he and Riley discussed logistics and what they planned to do when the buyer arrived in a few days. So much for putting work on the back burner.
She crossed her legs. “What happens if the buyer decides the women are too thin or too sickly and refuses to purchase them?” she asked, fearing Statler would come after her if the deal fell through.
“We rescue them before Statler has a chance to regroup,” Riley said. “I don’t think Elkhart will give us any problem. He probably doesn’t care one way or the other about them. As long as he gets paid, he’ll be happy.”
“Let’s hope.” Exhausted, Sarah leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes. She must have lightly dozed because the engine died and a second later Riley shook her.
“We’re here,” he said.
A bit groggy, Sarah eased out of the truck. A pontoon boat was tied up at the end of a dock situated on a large lake. Several people were milling about, probably waiting to board.
“How did you find this place?” she asked.
Jay grinned. “I was doing a little search on what there was to do in this remote part of Canada, and other than hiking and fishing, I found squat, so I called Riley to see if he had any ideas.”
Riley stepped next to her. “One of the new guards was talking about the nice restaurant on this island.” He took her hand and led her over to the boat.
She couldn’t picture a Colter going to a classy restaurant like this. The men she’d run into all seemed like Neanderthals. Then again, Statler prided himself on being sophisticated.
While the sun was only now setting, she could make out some lights behind the trees and pointed to the west side of the island. “Is that the restaurant?”
“Yes,” they said in unison.
The ferryman motioned they climb aboard then collected their fares.
“Is there anything else on the island?”
“No, just the restaurant,” Jay said.
The trip across the lake was lovely, and the clear sky gave her hope they would have a starred-filled evening. Once they disembarked, with a man on either side of her, they headed inside. To her delight, Jay had made reservations, which meant they didn’t have to wait.
The dress code appeared casual despite the grand nature of the rustic building. Three fireplaces were blazing and the flickering lights from the flames bounced off the high-beamed ceiling.
“It’s amazing,” she said trying to take in the decor.
“I agree,” Jay said.
“This way, please.” The hostess guided them to the back of the restaurant where lit candles graced their booth that overlooked the other side of the island.