CHAPTER THREE
Pain blasted through Erin's head when it hit the wall with a solid crack. Stars swam before her closed lids and sharp pain rolled from the back of her head down her spine. Somehow, through the barrage of bullets and the sudden explosion, that lifted her from her crouching position and tossed her like a doll across the room, she'd survived. At least for the moment she'd survived. The sound of gunfire was gone, replaced by a roaring jet engine revving sound. Gray/black smoke filled the barn stinging her eyes and clogging her throat. She couldn't see the flames but, intense heat bombarded her body.
She wasn’t dead and that meant there was still had a chance of getting out, but how? Her body had landed in a small space behind the stairs like so much discarded trash, crumpled, but still alive. Tears as well as smoke blurred her vision, Erin squeezed her eyes closed, but that didn't help much. Taking shallow breaths only succeeded in causing her chest to constrict, passing out was a distinct possibility.
Stay low, that's what they were taught as children during fire drills. Erin flattened herself to the floor, feeling with her hands, her eyes were useless, she pulled herself to the stairs.
Eli had abandoned her there to die. The bastard. She would not die, not today. She had to live, to track that son of a bitch down and set his ass on fire. Going up to the loft was a bad idea. She knew that smoke rose and the best thing to do was to stay down. Her choices were fucked either way. A spray of bullets from some unknown gunman or roasted and toasted by a wall of fire. Up, it was. Her head pounded in time with the hard thuds of her heart against her ribs. Her hand hit the first step and something wet and heavy fell across her back. Erin didn't have time to fight whatever it was keeping her from going up the stairs, strong arms lifted her and then she was moving. She was being carried by someone and as the heat faded, she could feel a light breeze touch her uncovered skin. Outside the barn, whoever had her in their arms was her savior. How they found her she would never know, but she would forever be in their debt.
The blanket was pulled from her and Eli's troubled face stared back at her. "Erin are you alright?"
Erin sucked in a lung full of air. A fit of coughing stopped her from talking. She was so damn happy to be alive and not burnt to a crisp, she threw her arms around the deserting bastard. He did after all come back to rescue her.
"I think I'm ok." Erin choked out. Her throat was raw and it hurt to talk.
"Good, darling. We got to get you out of here." Eli told her, picking her up once again and depositing her in his truck.
"What about the fire? Don't you need to talk to the police about whoever was shooting up the place, Eli "Erin grabbed a hold of his sleeve, then promptly dropped it. She leaned back in the seat. "Know what forget it. I don't want nothing to do with this. You can drop me off at my diner."
The sun was slowly sinking behind the tree line and Erin felt beat, any fight, she might have left was dwindling quickly. All she wanted was a hot shower and to forget this insane day. She should have never come looking for the man. What did she fine, nothing but more damn bullets and blood. Eli Sessions might be pretty to look at but this guy was hazardous for your health.
"I can't take you home." He said, voice low, eyes directed out the windshield into the darkening road.
Erin spun her head around. "What was that?"
"I said that I cannot take you home." He turned to her. "I'm sorry, but the people after me might come for you. It will be safer if I keep you with me."
He was insane. She knew it, completely out of his fucking mind. "Are you a cop, or a detective, or even a damn crossing guard?"
"Nope, none of those things."
"Then you don't have the authority to keep me at all. What your suggesting, starts with KID and ends in NAPPING." Erin grabbed the door handle.
She had no intention of jumping out of a moving truck, but with her luck, she might have to.
Time ticked by. Erin remained plastered to the door. Eli drove past her diner and took the turn to her house. "I can't take you against your will. And you might not be in danger, but…"
"This is my home. I've been safe her my entire life. Now you're telling me that I'm in danger here. Not saying I don't believe you. Since you waltzed into my life, my business has been damaged, I've been shot at, and nearly blown into itty bitty pieces. You sir, are not what I would call a safe harbor. Thanks for the ride and the near death experience. Goodbye Eli."
Erin opened her door. Eli grabbed her arm. She didn't want to look back, didn't want to look into his gray eyes. If she did, she would not be able to put him out of her mind. She had to go back to her normal life and never see him again and to do that she had to forget his appeal. She had to forget how he made her heart skip a beat. One last look could be her downfall, but Erin found herself turning.
"This might not mean much to you right now, but I'm glad we met and sorry about today. You’re a special lady, Emma." A grin kicked up the side of his mouth.
Erin felt warmth spread across her chest at his use of the incorrect name, silly man.
"Why thanks Edwin." She closed the truck door, but leaned into the window. "And please don't get shot again."
With a strange heaviness, she made her way to her house and unlocked the door. Erin felt the heat of Eli's eyes on her back. She closed the door and listened to the growl of his truck when Eli turned the engine over. He was gone. Erin swiped away a crazy tear from her cheek. How could she feel so sad? Eli was not meant for her. No way in hell could she see herself with the mysterious, sexy as sin, stranger? He was like a nightmare wrapped up in a fantasy and she had a healthy dislike of both. Nightmares or fantasies weren't real and didn't add anything to your life at all. Work hard, marry a nice, normal guy and live a quiet little life right here in Wayland. That was all she ever wanted. So why did her heart feel inexplicably heavy as a stone all of a sudden.
****
Just go. Eli had every intention of leaving, had a plan in his mind the second the placed Erin in the cab of his truck. She could have died in that explosion or by a stray bullet meant for him. She was right that he was dangerous to her and he didn't want a hair on her head touched. He would have put thousands of miles between them to keep her safe. That was his plan, especially after seeing her laying there crumpled like a rag doll in the barn. The look of fear on her face shifted something within him. He was used to having his teammates' lives in his hands, but Erin was different. She hadn't signed up for this.
The thought that Pope would choose to target her was a little out there, but he had a gut feeling that leaving her in Wayland would be a very bad idea. He would have stuck with the plan and left her behind if he hadn't noticed the dark, beat to hell and back, sedan keeping a safe distance from his truck. Pope's associates weren't professionals that was evident by their attempts to follow him without being noticed. Eli pulled slowly away from Erin's home, eyes on his rearview.
"Follow me, you fucker." Eli growled. He would deal with them, then get out of town. The sedan stopped in front of Erin's house and killed the lights. Wonderful, he wouldn't be leaving quite as soon as he had hoped. All he wanted was to put space between Erin, himself and Pope, but all he succeeded to do was spotlight her as important to him. She was innocent and yet he knew that didn't mean shit to Pope. Payback in its most deadly was the old goat's forte. He would use Erin as bait or just flat out kill her just for the sick pleasure he would get from it.
One year out the FBI and his training was slipping. Obviously Pope had his men in town watching him, watching him with Erin. Why didn't he keep his distance like he planned from the start? He was in hiding not on a fucking vacation. He knew better than spark a conversation with her that first day, but she was so damn perky, funny, and full of life, he was drawn in before he knew what hit his ass. After so many years in Washington and abroad dealing with spies, liars and terrorist, Erin was a breath of fresh air. Sweet and kind, with a quick wit and wicked sassiness that made it impossible for him not to be close to the woman.
Eli turned the corner, then threw the truck into park. Hand on his holster, he raced along the redwood gate separating Erin's house from the neighbors. He pressed his back against the side of Erin's house listening. The night sounds greeted him nothing out of the ordinary. The sound of wood cracking split the silence. Eli pulled his weapon as a scream caused his heart to jump in his chest. What the fuck did that asshole do to his Erin?
Eli sprang onto the porch and his mouth dropped open. Erin's door was broken off the hinges, dark clad body sprawled on the floor, and Erin stood over the body with a titanium bat in her hands.
She had a dazed look and her head was shaking from side to side as if her mind was denying what her eyes saw. When she did recognize him standing on the porch a small cry escaped her and she stepped back away from him.
"Erin it's me." He holstered the gun and stepped over the body. The closer he got to her in the shadows of her home he could see that she was holding that bat with a death grip. What the hell else could happen to his sweet E in one damn day? He had to be gentle with her, but fuck they didn't have time.
She shook her head, anger sparked in her eyes, hands planting on her hip. She dropped the bat. "Eli, what the hell have you done?"
Heat, covered the back of his neck. "I don't have time to explain right now, we have to get out of here."
She glanced down at the body in her doorway and then back into the dark recesses of her house. A frown cut deep into her forehead. "Fuck, I don't even know you and I don't want to go with you, that’s for sure. But, someone will come again, won't they?"
"I don't know for sure." He said, then drew in a deep breath. "That’s not true, I do know and yeah they will come again. It's best you let me protect you from them."
Her frown etched deeper. "No, I'm going to the cops."
Eli dropped his shoulders, a dull ache started in his temples. He pulled the unconscious man inside and searched his pockets. He pulled out a wallet, checked the ID and handed over to Erin.
"You can do that, but it won't help you. See that it's a detective's badge. This ass is a South Carolina police detective. He has no business in Wayland. No business breaking into your house. Do you believe he's in this without the help of the local police department?" Eli grabbed her by the shoulders and held her gaze. He wanted her to understand that this man was only the first of many that would come after her now. "I don't have time to explain right now. We have to move Erin. All this shit that's happened in the past two days is a shock. Believe me the people after me and now after you don't give a shit about breaking the law. Some of them are cops, judges, DEA, CIA, and the list goes on. Give me three days to get this handled and then you can get back to your life as if none of this ever happened." He gave her his most convincing smile while the lie slipped past his lips. He had no idea how to solve twisted up predicament.
"Three days?" she groaned.
Eli pulled her through the busted door as she dug her feet into the ground to stop him.
"Yep, can you give me that?"
"I have to know what's going on before I agree to go anywhere with you." She was walking as fast as she could he could tell, but that wasn't fast enough. Eli scooped her into his arms and jogged the remaining block and a half to his truck.
"I got you, telling you the whole shebang soon as we touch down." He deposited her in the seat of his truck. Erin grabbed his shirt before he could close the door.
"Touchdown as in a plane? Where are you taking me?" She all but shouted, her words echoing in the empty cab.
"Ever been to New York?"
Her hands went limp and Eli closed her door. Judging by the panicked look on her face, Eli took that as a big fat no.