“Maybe seasonal workers,” Xavier suggested as he pushed open the wooden door and led them inside.
“Maybe,” Sarah agreed, chewing on her bottom lip. If she was being honest, there was only one thing on her mind right now and it was Lawson. She felt as though she would only be able to get her feet under her again when he was close to her.
“Where’s Lawson?” she asked Xavier as she followed him. She tried to keep her voice neutral, but it came out a little more insistent than she had intended.
“He’s surveilling at a rest stop about thirty miles away,” Xavier replied. “Cade and Aaron were, too, but they’re on their way back now.”
“Why not him?” she asked, her stomach dropping. She knew it was silly, that Xavier never would have been so calm if he thought Lawson was in real danger, but she hated the thought of him not being here with everyone else. She was spooked and shaken, and she felt like his presence was the only thing that would ground her again.
“Hey,” he murmured to her, seeming to sense how worried she was. “He’s going to be okay. You know that, right?”
“I know that…”
“He’s tough as nails,” he reminded her. “And he can handle himself. Those guys who are going to run into him, they’re the ones in danger. Not him.”
Sarah thought back to what he said on the phone, that he wasn’t in danger, but the men he was up against were about to be. She smiled slightly. She knew she should trust him on that. She knew he was good at what he did. She’d watched him and the others training before and knew he could handle himself.
And yet, she still wished he was here by her side more than anything right now. Not exactly the right attitude to have, and she knew it was selfish, given how important what he was taking on happened to be, but she couldn’t help it.
They headed into the main greeting room and joined River and Bailey, who both looked tense. Xavier assured them that Cade and Aaron would be back soon, and she could see the relief on both their faces. She was happy for them, but she clutched her phone in her pocket, willing Lawson to call her so she could hear his voice and know he was fine.
Cade and Aaron arrived back a short time later, and the other women practically jumped on them in relief. Bailey scolded Aaron for not telling her about the mission they had been on, but Sarah could tell there was no real malice to it. Her face looked relieved and happy, not angry.
“Heard anything from Lawson?” Cade asked Xavier, his arm around River.
Xavier glanced over at Sarah, who shook her head.
“Just what Hannah relayed earlier,” he replied. “He had a couple of them approaching the truck.”
Cade’s jaw tightened. He was trying to contain his concern, but Sarah was attuned to people’s expressions and emotionsbecause of her job. She could tell he was worried, and that had her feeling even more panicked. She tried to calm herself, digging her fingernails into her palm to ground herself, but it wasn’t working.
All at once, her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she let out a yelp of surprise. She was so on edge, the noise had really startled her. She practically ripped her jacket pocket trying to get it out before the sound stopped, and she stared down at the screen. Lawson. Thank God.
“Is it him?” Xavier asked, and she nodded, lifting a hand to the group and stepping away so she could take the call in private.
“Lawson?” she answered, her voice a little shaky.
“Hey, Sarah,” he replied. He sounded calm, and the soothing tone eased some of the tension in her. His voice was the best balm to her nerves right now.
“You guys okay?” he asked her. “You get back to the lodge?”
“Yeah, we’re here now,” she assured him. “The guys who were following us…well, they weren’t following us. They carried on up the road after we pulled in. I guess we were just being jumpy, I’m sorry—”
“Hey, you’ve got nothing to be sorry about,” he promised her. “It’s better to be safe. The stakes are high right now and we’re all on edge. I’d much rather you were too cautious than anything else, you hear me?”
She smiled. He was so damn sweet. Even when she felt silly for making such a fuss, he was there to ground her, remind her that she was right to look out for herself.
“What about you?” she asked him. “When are you going to be back?”
He sighed, and suddenly his voice sounded tired. “It’s going to be a while,” he warned her. “Tell everyone not to wait up.”
“Really?” she asked, trying not to let the disappointment sound in her tone. She didn’t want to spook him or act entitled,but everyone else had their person right now. She didn’t know exactly where they stood, relationship-wise, but she knew she wanted him there with her.
“I have two of these bastards in custody,” he told her, and she could hear the proud grin in his words.
“You do?” she gasped.
“Yeah, the ruse worked and I nabbed a couple of them at the rest stop,” he explained. “Some of the sheriff’s men went up there to bring their car back down and they searched it. Found enough in there to keep them locked up for a while. Hopefully, as long as it takes to get to the answers we need.”