Protection for Danika (Safeguarded By The SEAL #1)

Chapter 2

Danika couldn’t believe she was standing in front of James Douglas—the one who got away—the one she would never forget. When she’d heard what his father had done, she’d gone looking for him, but he’d not only ghosted her, he’d ghosted the whole town.

Damn !

She’d been an idiot back then. Heck, she might still be an idiot. She sure as hell had f’d up her life here in England and was now running from an abusive ex who didn’t want to give her up unless he destroyed her first.

Her flight out of England wasn’t for another four days, so she’d planned to leave London and hide somewhere by the coast. But the snow had closed the tracks, and she was stuck standing in this station, waiting for Ezra to capture her because he sure as hell would look once he figured out she was gone. The bastard didn’t give up. He wouldn’t hold back, either. The punishment and torture he would inflict would be awful.

For a second, James looked like he was going to deny it was him. Then a smile broke out over his face, and he hugged her tight, almost like they were still together. Why the heck had she broken up with him?

He pushed her to arm’s length, his gaze searching her face. “I recognized your eyes, but I didn’t think it was you.”

“What have you been doing for the last fourteen years?” She reached out and squeezed his arm, making sure he was real. It was a sad fact that she had to do that, make sure people standing in front of her were real.

Her ex had screwed her over so badly that she sometimes didn’t know what was actually in front of her versus what was in her head. The drugs he’d forced on her had brought hallucinations and a lot of confusion. She swore Ezra had hired people to dress up and make her think she was seeing things, but she had no proof of that. Her dreams had been nightmares, and sometimes, when she woke, the nightmares continued.

One thing she was certain of, it had taken her too long to escape. Now that she was clean and out of his clutches, she never wanted to go back to that tortured existence.

“Not much.” James glanced over his shoulder, his eyes seeming to scan the area. “Let’s head to the hotel, then we can chat. I think the weather is only getting worse, and I don’t want to get stuck out in this.”

She wasn’t looking forward to going back out there, but if he had a hotel room available, she could get cleaned up and maybe take a breather. She knew James and thought he wouldn’t attack her. The boy she’d known so long ago could be trusted, and she hoped the man could be trusted, too.

He pulled on his coat and started walking. She followed, taking in his long legs and tight ass that still looked great even though he was wearing baggy clothes. As her gaze ran up and down his body, her mind spun through all the things they could do. He was incredibly sexy, and it would be no hardship for her to be wrapped in his strong arms. She bet he would never force her to take drugs, so his friends could take turns when they got horny. A shiver raced down her spine as they approached the exit, and the door opened, blasting freezing air. She flinched and maybe made a noise. James paused and turned to stare at her, narrowing his eyes as he examined her.

“Can you walk in the snow?”

“I should be fine. I know I wiped out in there, but someone pushed their bag right in front of me, and I tripped.”

He nodded like he might not have believed her. When they stepped outside, he reached for her arm, grasping it to steady her. A blast from the past hit, him helping her down a slick ramp, keeping her from falling. James had been so nice, too nice for her.

The snow had picked up while she’d been traveling on the tube. Now, feet-thick drifts made the sidewalks narrow, and all the parked cars had huge crowns of snow on them. It didn’t look at all like anything would be moving any time soon as far as the trains were concerned.

A shiver snaked through her as they made their way across the street. “This is bad.”

“It is,” James agreed. He scanned the area, almost like he was looking for something to attack them. He seemed more paranoid than she was about Ezra finding her.

“How far is the hotel?”

James glanced at her, his lips going from frowning to flashing a quick smile. “Not far. Just up to the next light. Not that you can see the light with the snow coming down.”

There were fewer cars on the road, but the ones that were out in this mess weren’t having an easy time of it. A car approached the intersection they’d just crossed, and she watched as it spun out, trying to make the turn. Instead of turning, the car hopped the curb, almost hitting another pedestrian. If they hadn’t crossed the street when they had, they might have been under the car or smashed up against the storefronts.

Another shiver raced through her, and James pulled her closer. She glanced up at him and marveled at how good-looking he was. Gone was the boy she’d known. James was all man now, from the way he handled himself to the heat in his eyes. From the few times she’d touched him and when he’d hugged her, she could tell he was strong and fit. He seemed to exude power as they marched through the deep snow like it didn’t bother him at all.

He glanced down again, his frown back in place. A twisted memory of some guy standing over her, his lips down in a deep frown, hit, and she almost pulled free of James’s hold. But this wasn’t Ezra or one of his friends. This man had nothing to do with the sick games Ezra played with her or the even sicker torture he inflicted on her.

James had been a nice boy when they’d been in high school, but life changed men. She didn’t know what happened to him after leaving home. He could have the same morals as he had back then, or had the beating his father given James changed him? Was he an asshole who used manipulation to control, or more like the nervous teen who’d been afraid to ask her out on their first date? If he remembered her breaking up with him, he wasn’t showing it.

Whatever reason she had for ending it with him had been stupid. When they'd dated, he'd always been respectful. They'd shared a lot of good times and some arguments, but mostly, they'd gotten along well. Now, with all she'd experienced, she still couldn’t imagine James turning rotten.

“Are you sure you’re okay with me being in the hotel room with you?” she asked as they passed by a store that was packed with people.

His expression was intense, but he seemed to relax as he met her gaze. “It will be fine.” His gaze jerked to the street as another car seemed to lose control. He pulled her closer and picked up the pace. “I don’t like how many drivers seem to think they can take on these roads. It’s not safe on these sidewalks. We need to get inside.”

She watched as two cars going opposite ways on the wide street smashed into each other, emphasizing his point. It wasn’t safe out here on the sidewalks. She wanted to be inside and warm. Her feet were cold, and she wasn't sure she could still feel her toes. Every step meant her shoes were getting wetter, which meant her toes weren't protected. Her bag wasn't huge but pulling it behind her was a pain in the rear. James couldn't help her because he had his own bag to contend with, and he was keeping her from slipping all over the place.

The snow slowed just enough for her to make out a hotel sign. “Is that it?” Danika asked.

“It is. We’re almost there. Just a little more.”

He paused, and she stopped, too. The snow was still coming down hard, so whatever he’d stopped for must have been important.

“Everything okay?” Danika asked.

He met her gaze and held it, a deep seriousness shining in his eyes. “When we get to the hotel, let me do the talking.”

She nodded, unsure exactly what he meant. His words reminded her of Ezra, but there was no way James was as evil as Ezra had been .

Another car approached, and they both took off, moving closer to the hotel. Luckily, the car drove past without causing any drama. Then they were inside, the warmth of the place a welcome relief from the cold they’d experienced. The woman working the front desk shot them a wide smile.

“Ah, Mr. Johnson, there you are. That weather is terrible, and the traffic is wretched.”

Danika knew James's last name wasn't Johnson. He'd asked her to stay quiet, and she guessed this was what he'd meant to stay quiet about. He had to have his reasons for not using his real last name, and she sure as heck wasn't going to tell this stranger at the hotel since he was being nice enough to put her up.

The lady behind the desk continued talking after she typed something into her computer. “I’m glad you made it back. As I said, we only have one room. Partially because the hotel is having to put the workers up, too. But the room does have two double beds. We’ll still have breakfast, and the attached diner will have food. It might be limited if deliveries can’t start up again in a few days, but the diner will be open. I’ve called around, and three of the local restaurants will be open. I’ll write those down for you so you’ll have their names.”

“Wow, thank you. That’s great. And thanks for being able to get us in. Danika will be staying with me. Sadly, she couldn’t get out either.”

The woman flashed a smile at her. “It stinks you are stuck here. But we’re glad to have you back. We got a fresh delivery of food yesterday, so we have plenty of offerings for breakfast, and we have wine and beer this evening to make being snowed in not so miserable.”

“Thank you, Monica. You’ve saved us.”

Monica blushed and batted her eyes. Danika didn’t blame her for flirting. James was very good-looking. He had a great smile, and from what she could make out of his body under his sweatshirt and now jacket, he had a good body.

They had their key cards in hand as they headed around to the elevators. They were on the fifth floor and around the corner from the elevators about midway down the hall. She went to the window once they entered the room and saw they had a good view of the snow-covered street outside. Well, if the snow calmed enough to see down to the street. From what she could make out, the wrecks they’d witnessed earlier were still blocking the road. The snow came down so hard she could only see part of the lot across the street. The weather was bad, and it didn’t seem like it was going to be better any time soon.

What a terrible time to be stuck in a winter wonderland. She needed to run, and this weather was delaying her. She turned to tell James it looked awful out there and found him only a few feet from her, a menacing look on his face. Fear filled her, and she jerked back. Had she made a huge mistake coming here with him?