The Protector (2023)

## Series

Game of Chance, Book 1

Publish Date: March 14, 2023

## Official Blurb

> Riggs “Chappy” Chapman didn’t expect to be disrupted at his remote cabin in the woods. But when a stray dog arrives on his porch, he winds up finding a stray woman, too, trudging through the snowstorm in search of shelter. His military days may be behind him, but Chappy is hardwired to protect her from the storm and whatever it is she’s running from.
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> Carlise Edwards didn’t expect her car to break down in the Maine wilderness. All she wants is to escape whoever is stalking her back home. There’s no way anyone’s going to find her and Chappy deep in the forest, especially not in dangerous weather. But she finds it hard to mind the circumstances when the company is this stimulating.
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> As the snowstorm rages, Chappy and Carlise find that, despite the cold, they can generate plenty of heat of their own…but there’s more than just natural dangers lurking in the woods.
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## Characters

### Main Character(s)

* Riggs "Chappy" Chapman
* Carlisle Edwards

### All Characters (in order of appearance)

* Jackson "JJ" Justice
* Riggs "Chappy" Chapman
* Kendric "Bob" Evans
* Callum "Cal" Redmon
* Carlise Edwards
* [Dog]

### Characters Mentioned (but not appearing)

* (The terrorists)
* Scott "Mustang" Webber
* Pierce "Midas" Cagle (not by name)
* Marshall "Aleck" Smart (not by name)
* Stuart "Pid" Hall (not by name)
* Jagger "Jag" Bennett (not by name)
* Duncan "Slate" Stone (not by name)
* [Cal's friend]
* Geraldine Largay
* April Hoffman
* [Three AT hikers]
* Tommy (Carlise's ex)
* (Carlise's mother)
* (Carlise's father)
* Susie (Carlise's friend)

## Synopsis

### Prologue

JJ, Chappy, Bob, and Cal are prisoners to insurgents. According to JJ, they didn't have enough intel to properly complete their mission, which has led them to being tortured. Cal has received the brunt of the punishment; as a royal celebrity, their torturers have found great pleasure in recording their abuse of the pretty boy. To get their minds off their current situation, JJ announces that he's leaving Special Forces. The others agree to follow him. JJ then suggests they play Rochambeau, or rock-paper-scissors, to determine where they'll live. Chappy's rock beats JJ's paper, ruling out JJ's choice of Hawaii. Cal's scissors beats Bob's paper, so the latter's choice of New York City is out. In the final round, Cal's paper defeats JJ's rock. JJ doesn't get to choose Nashville, leaving Cal's choice of small town Newton, Maine, as their new home. JJ rallies the crew to think of what they'll do in Newton. Ultimately Chappy wins, announcing that they'll be lumberjacks. Although the team initially groans at the cliché choice, Chappy points out the amount of work they could be doing. JJ suggests they also volunteer as trail maintainers or guides on the Appalachian Trail.

### Chapter One

Three years later, Chappy arrives at his cabin to settle in before an anticipated blizzard. Before he can exit the warmth of his Jeep, JJ calls to make sure Chappy arrived, inquires as to his mental state, and warns of the weather conditions. Chappy mentally catalogues his tasks and gets to work as the rain starts.

Carlise is lost in the wilds of Maine. She escaped her Cleveland home after receiving threats and harassment, likely from her abusive ex, Tommy. She decided to take off to give him time to cool down, but her aimless driving left her in a bad situation: on a remote Maine mountaintop during a blizzard. Poor visibility led Carlise off the road and into a tree, wrecking her car and hitting her head. With few options, Carlise decides to abandon her inoperable SUV to try to find refuge in a nearby cabin.

### Chapter Two

Chappy is sick. After finishing his chores and settling into his cabin, he started to feel poorly, with a sore throat, aching muscles, and pounding head. He creates a nest on his couch, comforted by the roaring fire and fluffy blankets. He tries to take a nap, but soon hears an unusual sound coming from his porch. Pulling on his parka and boots, Chappy grabs his shotgun and peeks outside to find a starving pit bull mix. Chappy opens the door to let the poor animal into his home, but the dog whines and tries to get Chappy to follow him into the storm. Chappy wavers for a moment, but can't deny his curiosity at what the dog is trying to communicate. He quickly puts on more clothing before following the dog into the storm.

After a few minutes of trudging through the snow, Chappy finds himself at the end of his driveway. The dog has led him to a person slowly headed up the mountain. Surprised, Chappy confronts the pedestrian, who is just as shocked to see him. Chappy brusquely invites the stranger to his cabin to escape the storm. Carlise introduces herself to her savior, Riggs, who informs her that his is the last cabin on the mountain. They turn and head back to the cabin, discussing the strange dog, who has disappeared.

When an exhausted Chappy arrives back at his cabin, he takes off his gear, adds more logs to the fire, and invites Carlise to make herself at home. He admits that he's coming down with the flu before resuming his place on the couch and promptly falling asleep. Essentially alone in his home, Carlise tentatively gets comfortable, starting with warming up by the fire. She considers the dog, who encouraged her to continue along the road until Riggs found her. Carlise finds two blankets, then heads back to the door, looking out into the storm for her canine friend. She hears a noise, and discovers the dog shivering behind the relative cover of firewood stacked on the porch. He is obviously frightened of Carlise as she slowly approaches, speaking softly to him and shoving the blankets his way. She returns inside, filling a bowl with chicken, vegetables, and beans. She takes the feast and some water back to the porch, offering them to the dog, who has already settled into the blankets she left behind. She sweet talks the dog before returning inside again and locking the door.

Meanwhile, someone is furious at Carlise for leaving Cleveland. They leave a threatening voicemail and vow to find her.

### Chapter Three

A few days later, Carlise wakes in the middle of the night to find Riggs again having a delirious nightmare. In the past three days, she's tried to take care of him when he's been semi-conscious, escorting him to the bathroom, getting him settled in his bed, and plying him with water and Tylenol. She feels responsible for his state, and has become attuned to his every moan and movement. Carlise attempts to soothe Riggs, who is calling out for his friends in his sleep. Riggs wakes, demanding information on JJ, Bob, and Cal. Carlise tries to convince him that they're safe in his cabin, but he doesn't seem to hear her. Instinctively, he covers her body with his, promising to keep her safe from the insurgents. He again passes out, trapping her under his heated body. Carlise remains there, unwilling to disturb Riggs, and continuing to soothe him when he is restless. She considers her attachment to and trust in him, as opposed to how she felt with Tommy. She closes her eyes and falls asleep. Later, Carlise wakes, surrounded by Riggs. She rises to tend to the fire, checking on Riggs again before using the facilities and mentally preparing for the coming day.

Chappy hovers between consciousness, trying to evaluate where and when he is. A kind woman's voice approaches and attempts to soothe him, offering him water. The mystery woman reminds him that he's safe in his cabin in Maine, and he remembers: Carlise. He begs her to stay with him. She leaves briefly to stoke the fire, then returns to him. He expresses concern for Carlise, wanting to take care of her but unable to do so. He snuggles against her leg as she continues to soothe him.

A few hours later, Carlise leaves Riggs's side to have a quick PB&J, realizing that her close presence is the only thing keeping him calm. She wonders about his personality, as she has yet to have a real conversation with him, and considers his deep affection for his friends. Carlise also thinks about her new dog friend, who continues to stay on the porch and shy away from her as she offers him food and water. She hears a noise by the bed and looks up to see Riggs awake. He simply says, "Bathroom," prompting her to approach him and escort him to the toilet. She realizes his fever has finally broken. When he emerges, she supports a feeble Riggs, returning him to the bed and cleansing him with a cool cloth as he returns to sleep.

After several minutes, Carlise continues to make and eat her sandwich. Just as she's finishing, Carlise hears a strange electronic sound coming from somewhere inside the cabin. Confused, as she didn't think the cabin had electricity, she looks around for the source of the sound. Carlise eventually finds a bulky phone hiding in his dresser. The phone again rings, and Carlise tentatively answers. On the other end is an angry man, demanding to speak with Chappy. Carlise can't respond before the threatens her, again interrogating her as to Chappy's whereabouts. When she expresses confusion as to who Chappy is, the man on the other end of the phone continues to threaten her before she realizes that he must be referring to Riggs. This surprises the man, who questions Carlise about what she's doing at Chappy's cabin. She informs him that Riggs has been sick with a fever but is getting better. She asks if this man is Cal, Bob, or JJ, referring to the friends Riggs has called out for in his sleep. JJ confirms his identity, again demanding to speak with Chappy. When Carlise hesitates, not wanting to wake Riggs, JJ threatens to come to the cabin and make her pay for anything she's done to Chappy. She acquiesces, telling him she'll try to wake up Riggs.

Carlise approaches Riggs and gently tries to rouse him. He instead snuggles into her hip, looking for comfort. Carlise is touched (in more way than one), but wants Riggs to speak with his friend before he rains doom and gloom upon the cabin. She finally succeeds in waking a confused Riggs, offering him the phone and asking him to speak with JJ. As she hands over the phone, she realizes that their whirlwind together is coming to an end, as he won't continue to be as loving toward her now that he's conscious. Before she can stand, however, he grabs her thigh, making eye contact as he explains the situation to JJ and reassures his friend that Carlise is taking care of him. Although she can only hear Riggs's side of the conversation, she can tell that JJ is questioning his friend as to his safety. HIs tone changes slightly, turning slightly defensive before offering the phone to Carlise, saying that JJ wants to speak with her. As soon as she's back on the phone, JJ apologizes for his intensity, explaining that he panicked out of fear for his friend. He asks her for the status of her car, and promises to take a look when the storm clears. He thanks Carlise for taking care of Chappy, promising to make it up to her before hanging up.

Carlise is left with Riggs, who, for the first time since they met, is conscious enough to realize who she is and what she's done for him. She asks how he feels, and he admits to still having sore muscles, a scratchy throat, and lethargy. They share a charged moment before Carlise again goes into nurse mode, retreating to the kitchen to make him a sandwich and get him some medicine. Carlise barely restrains herself from rushing to his side when he stands to head to the bathroom. Alone for a moment, she hopes that he isn't an "asshole."

## References

1. ↑ This is likely a misprint. Later, Cal's paper beats JJ's rock, which follows the traditional rules of rock-paper-scissors.