Page 8 of Escaped
“You vomited on him?”Eli laughed, despite the pain gleaming in his eyes.
“I did tell him I didn’t feel well.”
Shrugging, I wished there was time to lean into the hand of the man who’d come to be something of a life raft in the midst of the storms coming at me, but there, in Hawkins’ grim hideaway, was hardly the time or place.We were both in bad shape, and somewhere in the labyrinth of Hawkins’ lair, there were still countless assailants after us.
“He got what he deserved.”The smirk I remembered only too well lit up Eli’s battered face.
It was an ironic thing for the man I’d once consideredmycaptor to infer—that Hawkins had received the retribution he warranted—but as Eli rose to his feet and offered me his hand, I accepted he was right.Whatever had transpired between us, whatever power struggles I’d grappled with, was nothing in contrast to the damage Hawkins had done.
“How are you?”Sir.Rising to my full height, I held back the final word as I trailed a fingertip lightly over his bruised cheek.
It was there, though, that instinct to defer to him, even after everything we’d both endured without the other, as though Eli had spent years conditioning it into me.
“I’ll survive.”Turning, he kissed the top of my finger.“We’ll talk later, but we need to get going.Are you injured, little girl?”
Little girl.
The term of affection that had once riled so deeply reverberated over me like resonance from a gravelly bass guitar.
“I’m fine.”Running my fingers over his growing stubble, I was telling the truth too.
Logically, I acknowledged we were still in danger, yet with Eli by my side, my panic was fading.
“Are you sure?”
He never said so, but I had the distinct impression he was thinking how awful I looked.No doubt, I did.Sleep-deprived and sick, I must have looked a complete state.
“Yes.”I smiled as I motioned toward the man who was fast becoming a third wheel.“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?”
Eli’s gaze traveled from me to the stranger.“Erin, this is my old boss, Paul Baron, and Baron, this is Erin, mylittle girl.”
He concluded the introduction by winking in my direction.The thought occurred that I should have been embarrassed to have been referred to that way in front of someone else, but there was no shame as Eli introduced us.
“Good to meet you.”Looking between the two of them, I recalled Eli telling me about Baron in the long hours we’d spent together.
“Good to meet you, Erin.He hasn’t stopped talking about you.”Baron laughed softly, gesturing to Eli, who was scowling at his side.“I washis andHawkins’boss.”
“Hi, Paul.”I reached for his friend’s outstretched hand, genuinely grateful for any part he’d played in the outcome that saw us all reunited.My lover had proven himself to be more than capable, but given the state he’d been in when I’d last set eyes on him, I wasn’t surprised it had taken a helping hand to pull him out of the pit Hawkins had thrown him into.“Thanks for helping Eli out.”
“Of course.”Paul’s smile was warm as his hand withdrew,
“With the intros done, we’d really better go.”Eli ducked down to collect Hawkins’ gun from the place I’d left it.“Where are your boots, little girl?”
I couldn’t help but snigger at the naivety of his question.Perhaps they’d hooded him too and Eli hadn’t seen what had happened to me, but I hadn’t had any footwear since the cabin.
I looked down at my toes.“Apparently, footwear wasn’t a priority back at the cabin.”
“Okay.”Eli exchanged a glance with Paul.“I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we find it.What about the gun?Do I want to know where you got this from?”Turning the weapon around, he thrust it at me.
“Hawkins’ drawer.”Pride echoed in my voice as I explained.“He ran off to get cleaned up and I got away.”
“You didn’t tell me Erin was such a firecracker, Rosen.”Paul smirked.
“She’s incredible.”Leaning forward, Eli brushed his lips over my forehead.“But before we celebrate too hard, we still have to find a way out of here.”
Our collective attention drifted around the corridor, as though we’d forgotten where we were.
“Guns at the ready, then.”Paul tilted his against his chest as he turned away.“If we need to, we’ll blast our way out.”
