Page 60 of A Risk Worth Taking

I can’t let my past catch up to me, hold me down, and restrain me once again. I refuse to go back to being the woman I was. I’m finally free, and I won’t have that freedom taken away.

I glance down at my baby bump and stroke it gently. Now, not only do I have myself to protect, but also my baby, and I’ll be damned if I let anything happen to him.

“El?” Sienna saying my name snaps me out of my thoughts. “Micah and Lincoln are going to find whoever is responsible and make sure they never touch you again.”

On the outside, I nod and force a smile, but underneath, my heart is pounding in my chest. Unfortunately, with the monitors hooked up to me, as my blood pressure rises, the beeping increases.

Sienna notices. “Ellie, calm down, please. I promise everything will be okay.”

“I know,” I lie. “But you can’t blame me for being worried. I have a baby to protect. And what if whoever this is goes after you and the girls?”

I need to get out of here. Get as far away from this town as possible. Away from my family and disappear. I have enough money to make it happen.

“Don’t worry about us,” Sienna says. “Micah is handling it. He would never let anything happen to us. What can I do for you? You shouldn’t be stressed.”

“Can you find my purse?” I choke out, a plan forming in my head. It will suck doing what I need to do, but it’s the only way I can ensure everyone I love is safe.

“Umm, sure.” She walks over to the cabinet and pulls it out. “I grabbed it when we left the restaurant.”

“Thank you. It has my phone in it, and I’m sure Raelyn will be worried since she hasn’t heard from me.” Despite us being long distance, we still chat every day.

I take my purse from Sienna and quickly discover my phone is dead. Thankfully, there’s a charger plugged into the wall, so I set my phone up to charge.

“I’m actually really tired,” I tell Sienna. “I think I’m going to take a nap.”

“Oh, okay.” She forces a smile. “I’ll come back later to check on you.”

“Sounds good.” I fake a yawn.

“I love you, El. And I’m so glad you’re home. We’ll get through this together.”

Emotion clogs my airway, so I simply nod in response, then choke out, “I love you too.”

Sienna stares at me for several seconds, then sighs. With a kiss to my forehead and anotherI love you, she leaves.

Once she’s gone, I grab my phone and start working on my escape plan.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

LINCOLN

“How’s she doing?”

“Okay. Quiet as usual,” Sienna says with a shrug. “She’s being discharged in the morning and asked me to bring her some clean clothes.”

“Did she say where she’s going?”

“No. I haven’t asked. I’m assuming to my place since she hasn’t settled on a home yet.”

I scrub my hands over my face in frustration, unsure what the hell to do. It’s been two days since Ellie woke up and demanded I leave. I only know she and the baby are okay because Sienna gives me updates. But they’re not enough. I need to see her, speak to her. I need a fucking chance to make this right.

“I know this sucks, but right now, the focus has to be on her remaining stress-free and safe.”

“I know. Everything just feels like it’s so fucked right now.” The men who went after Ellie have disappeared, and despite having access to the cameras, they were smart and covered their tracks. Our guys are still searching for answers, but as of now,we’ve got nothing. All I want is to wrap Ellie up in my arms and keep her safe. I want to tell her how I really feel and beg her for a chance to see where things go with us. But until she agrees to see me, there’s nothing I can do or say to make anything right.

“The doctor said she and the baby are both doing great, and the guards will keep her safe,” Sienna says. “Just give her time.” She reaches out and squeezes my arm. “I’m going home to make dinner. Why don’t you come home with me and eat with us?”

I open my mouth to say no, but before I can get a word out, she adds, “And before you say no, I wasn’t really asking. Let’s go.” She hooks her arm in mine. “You need a home-cooked meal and a shower. Tomorrow, Ellie will be discharged, and we’ll figure this all out.”

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