As far as options go, the underground city utility shed wasn't the best, but his only other option would be to kill a man in the middle of the day in a busy park. That would mean getting the police involved and Eli knew that would land him in jail, easy access for Pope's dirty cops. The shed was bigger than Eli thought it would be. The air was stale and the temperature was at least ten degrees cooler than outside, but he was lucky to have spotted the stairs leading down. Now, he hoped that their pursuer didn't notice it. Deep darkness surrounded them. Eli pulled Erin in close, wrapping his arms around her. She buried her head into his shirt. She was wound up tight and breathing hard. Her chest moving against him, breathe warm against his collar. Elijah pushed down the urge to let his hands wander. The aroma of lemongrass and sweet pea drifted to him and he placed his face in her thick soft mass of ebony hair. Eli felt her heart beating double time against him and wondered if it was from fear or was she feeling the same pulsing wave of desire that was spiraling through him.

 Heavy footfalls sounded right outside, snapping Eli back to himself. Now was not the time to get lost in the beautiful woman in his arms. Eli moved them back a step and drew his weapon while doing his best to positon Erin behind him and not make a misstep in the darkness. The sound of the door handle being rattled echoed through the space. Erin gasped and jerked behind him. The door handle continued to rattle for a minute more. Unless he saw them enter, the man couldn't have known they were there. The handle stopped rattling. Eli listened intently for the sound of the man retreating, but there was only silence. Their pursuer had two options. Shoot the lock or pick it, as he had done. Either way he was a dead man the second that door opened.

Eli let out a sigh of relief when he heard the gunman swear in frustration and run back up the steps. He holstered his weapon and relaxed his shoulders, but kept his free arm securely around Erin.

"Let's wait a while before we head out. Give that guy time to give up on looking for us."

"Damn, Huge Pain that was too close. How did they know we would be at the church?" she whispered.

Eli had been asking himself that same question. Pope seemed to know their every move. The Freedom Guardians were funded out the wazoo and could well afford to have each of them followed all over the country, but he didn't think that was the case. They had an informant in his ranks. The very thought soured his stomach. He knew these men, cared for each one of them and didn't want to believe that one of them would betray them like that. There had to be another explanation.

Eli tugged her braid, lifting her face to his. Her brown eyes were wide with emotion. "I don't have an answer for that. We have to be careful from here on out. We might not be able to trust anyone other than ourselves."

"I barely trust you." She gave him a saucy grin.

"Oh, is that so. You my love, are standing underground in the dark clinging to me like a spider monkey. You trust me and you know it." Eli quipped, giving her braid another tug.

She pushed his hand away from her hair and tried to step away. Eli relaxed his hold, but didn't let her go completely.

"How did you know this place was here?"

Eli settled back against the cold wall. "Growing up, my dad worked for the city. He took me to work with him sometimes. They used similar sheds, but in California they tended to be above ground."

"That sounds like fun. My dad took us on one of his long haul trips once. It was a colossal mistake. My sister and I fought the whole time."

Eli rested his head on top of hers. "My family is large. There was seven of us kids. So dad took one of us with him often, to get us out of our mom's hair for a day. I am the oldest and had to look after the younger ones. So believe me, I was just as glad as my mom was to have at least one of them out the house for the day."

"Responsibility was bred in you I see." Erin placed her hand lightly on his chest. "I like that."

"It's all fine to be responsible until you make mistakes that cost people their livelihood or their life." Eli pointed out, surprised that he spoke about his guilt out loud.

Soft fingers took hold of his chin. Erin turned his face back to her. "You didn't do that Eli, you didn't cost your team their positions, Pope did. You and your team shouldn't have been punished for telling the truth."

"If I had dug deeper, I might have done things differently. I could have taken more time to flush him out. Instead, I was greedy. Thinking about promotions for my guys and myself for outed the fucking Deputy Director of the Fucking FBI as part of a far, far right criminal organization." He dropped his hands from around her and dug them through his hair. "Why didn't I cover our asses? I could have waited Erin and Liston and Brady would be alive and the others would still be agents. I fucked us royally and no matter how you look at it. I was in charge, I made the decisions, and ultimately I'm solely responsible."

Erin grabbed his hands in hers lifted up on her toes and kissed him quickly, hard. "Ok. You did fuck up and then you ran away to lick your wounds behind that laptop. You have a shot to make things right for them now. Right?"

Erin gasped as he turned their positions, pressing her up against the stone wall. "You trust me and believe in me. Damn, I'm winning already." He leaned in taking a deep inhale of her sweet scent. He pressed his body into her softness.

"Winning what?" Erin said on a soft breath.

"Winning you, love."

Eli swooped in and took possession of her full lips. A soft kiss to show her he cared for her was what he was going for, but the moment his lips touched hers a barrage of desire hit him right in the middle of his chest. Her lips parted with a moan and Eli slipped inside. Her taste was uniquely Erin, warm, fresh, delicious. Eli pulled her hips in and ground his hardness against the v of her thighs and there it was that little breathless moan that sent fire racing down his body right to his cock.

In the darkness, in the closed in space, Eli wanted with every fiber of his being to strip her bare, behold her naked body that teased him in his waking hours and his sleep. He wanted to slide inside her and fuck her until his body gave out. Erin set something free in his spirit that was somewhere between pleasure and pain, between longing and downright ravenous cravings.

Her hand pulled at the hair as she squirmed sinfully against him, hips riding him. Her head went back on her neck and Eli couldn't resist trailing kisses down her neck. She gasped with each press of his lips. Eli cupped her breast in one hand and tweaked her hard nipple though her shirt and bra.

"Eli." She groaned, then stiff armed him back away from her. "Sweet baby Jesus man. Uh, can we at least get a room?" She panted.

The haze of passion slipped away as Eli dropped his forehead against hers. He could only nod, give her one last swift kiss, and then lead them out the door into a brilliant New York afternoon. He wanted nothing more than to get her in a room and spend all night making love, but unfortunately he had to go steal a car.

***

She was now a felon and she was smiling as she sang an old R&B song on the radio, hitting the high notes in an off key screech. Her singing could be mistaken for a small animal in dire pain. Eli used maximum effort to hold in his laughter, crazy wonderful woman. Erin was scared when he first mentioned stealing a car. Well, hell, he couldn't rent one with the way things were going with Pope they would be on them in a heartbeat. He did try and pick the most inconspicuous ride he could. Sure, it was illegal as hell, but the risk of someone reporting this pick up stolen before he could get to their destination and dump it was highly unlikely. The club where they stole the truck stayed open until the wee hours of the morning. By the time its owner came looking, they would be miles away.

Eli had a hard time focusing on the endless highway before him. His gaze kept drifting to Erin. With the setting sun casting an amber blow over her brown skin, she was the most alluring sight he'd ever seen. Her bangs were swept to one side revealing her wide brown eyes that when she canted her head in just the right way, turned to a shimmering amber. His heart stuttered for a second when, with a sideways glace his way she smiled. Yep, he'd defiantly fallen head over ass for this one. Erin Talley was the one. She made him feel things that confused and confounded him. He wanted to be around her, explore all that she was.

He moved his hand across the seat and took her small delicate one. She had fine slender fingers and soft as satin skin. Eli caressed her palm with his thumb and felt her tremble slightly. Yes, she felt it too. Erin turned to him and squeezed his hand back. Just a simple gesture, but it soothed him. Evened out the rough patches that surrounded his heart. Made him think of a forever that he never even wanted before.

"We have a safe house in Rochester, we'll regroup there." He told her.

"And we're down to two days." She groaned and twisted in the seat to face him. "I don't see us any closer to ending this and truthfully I'm missing home."

Elijah's throat constricted and his mouth went bone dry. Homesick all ready and why wouldn't she be. This wasn't a tropical vacation. He did a quick debate in his mind. Would she be safe in Wayland? He didn't have an answer for that, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to accomplish this mission if they were apart. The worry over Erin would be too great and if anything should happen to her while he wasn't there to protect her it would destroy him. He had to keep her close.

"Give me the remaining two days babe, that's all I ask."

Erin looked down at their joined hands, still for the tick of a few seconds before gazing into his face with narrowed eyes. "This is where you tell me your brilliant foolproof plan. How in forty eight little hours you'll manage to find Pope and his endless stream of brainwashed followers and put them all safely behind bars."

"And," he supplied.

"And what?"

Eli winked over at her. "And win the girl." He kissed her hand.

Erin slid her hand from his and placed it in her lap. "Let's be honest with each other. You don't want this girl, Eli. I thought in the beginning, maybe, but we don't have anything in common. My life is like a dim night light and yours is like Time Square. Mr. Former FBI agent, bestselling author on your way to being number one in the country for the umpteenth month in a row. I'm this country girl from nowhere Georgia. Where can this possibly lead?"

Eli shook his head in disbelief, then chuckled. "I want nothing more than to be a country boy in nowhere Georgia, as long as I get to be with the woman who fascinates me and makes me believe in life again. I've been all over the world and nowhere have I found a woman that seemed to get me, who's honest and calls me on my bullshit, and who gives me joy just by being close to her. You do all that and more for me Erin. I knew months ago when I saw you in your diner that there was something special about you. Something that drew me back there week after week, even though I knew it might bring attention to me."

"I don't know if I believe that. You didn't even remember my name."

"Oh, I remembered every single thing about you babe. So much so it kept me up at night." He assured her. Eli could make out the lights of the city in the distance. He pulled her hand back in his and hauled her up next to him across the old, worn bucket seat.

"Well, that doesn't change the fact that I love my home and my life just as it is. I'm not built for city life. This venture away was exciting and it taught me to be bold and stepping out of my comfort zone won't kill me. For that I thank you. But, us together, I have my doubts."

"Erin you are perfect. You know who you are and what you want out of life, your kind of heart, and not to mention, beautiful and sexy. I want you and in time you will be mine.

"Oh yeah, do I have a say in that?" She asked with a punch to his shoulder.

Eli laughed and squeezed her tight. "The choice is yours, always yours. I'm patient and persistent if it's something I want bad enough. I want you and I'm willing to do what it takes to have you."

She rested her head on his shoulder and fell silent. It wasn't a strained silence, more like a comfortable stillness where words weren't necessary.

Rain started to fall lightly on the windshield as the entered the city. Eli parked in a chain pharmacy parking lot and ushered her along the sidewalk towards the safe house. Erin appeared deep in thought and he smiled to himself. He had a short time and no room for error. Pope had to be handled, he had to find who was leaking information, as well as get one sexy, mouthy woman to fall in love with him.