Page 61 of A Risk Worth Taking

“Boss, we have a problem,”Oscar says through the phone, and my blood goes cold. He’s on guard duty tonight, which means whatever he’s about to say is regarding Ellie. “She took off.”

“What do you mean she took off?” I ask slowly, trying hard not to freak the fuck out.

“The doctor came by to check on her, and when he left, I heard him tell the nurse he’s discharging her early. I assumed someone knew and would soon be by to pick her up and take her home. But she was alone when the nurse came back a little while later with a wheelchair and escorted her to the door. By the time I realized what was going on, she was getting into a town car and taking off. Deandre is tracking the vehicle now.”

Fuck. This makes no sense. Where the hell is she going? “Once he has a location, send it to me, and stay on her. I’m leaving now.”

Snatching my keys off the counter, I fly out the door, cursing myself for not putting a location tracker on Ellie’s phone.

I’m just getting into my car when Deandre sends me the location. I don’t know where she’s headed, but I input it into my navigation so I can follow it. About thirty minutes into the drive, I catch up to the car and know exactly where he’s taking her. Sure enough, fifteen minutes later, my thoughts are confirmed when Ellie gets out of the vehicle and walks across the tarmac and up the steps of a private plane.

Without giving it a chance to take off without me, I jump out of my car and run after her. The flight attendant looks like she wants to stop me, but the glare I hit her with has her eyes widening as she backs up.

The second I step onto the luxurious plane, my gaze collides with Ellie, and she looks a mixture of scared and pissed.

“Get off!” she yells, going with pissed.

“Not without you.” I step toward her.

“Did you seriously have me followed?”

“Did you think we’d leave you at the hospital alone? There’s been a guard protecting you ‘round the clock since you were brought in. He saw you take off and followed you here.”

As soon as I’m standing in front of Ellie, I kneel so we’re at the same level. “Where are you going, Kitten?” I ask gently.

Tears fill her lids. “Don’t call me that,” she mutters, “and away from here.”

“Without saying goodbye to your sister and nieces? You know Sienna is going to worry.”

“I...” She swallows thickly and sniffles back a sob. “I have to protect them.”

“By leaving?”

A tear slides down her cheek, and I reach out, gently wiping it away. The sight of her crying has my stomach roiling. Ellie isone of the strongest people I know, an expert at hiding any signs of weakness, so to see her showing emotion is rare.

“By disappearing,” she whispers, and then it hits me. She’s hoping whoever came after her will leave Sienna alone if she’s gone. And by disappearing, she’s protecting herself and our baby.

“Oh, Ellie.” I sit next to her and pull her toward me, cupping her cheek. “Don’t do this, please. Let me protect you. I promise I’ll keep you and our son safe.”

“It’s pointless now anyway,” she mutters. “You found me.”

“Yeah, I did, and I always will,” I vow. “But I don’t control you, and I would never lock you up. If you want to run, you have the money to do so. So, I’m asking you not to. We can figure this out together. Trust me.”

“You hurt me,” she says softly, her accusation cracking my damn heart. “And now I don’t know if I can.”

“Baby, no,” I plead, locking eyes with her. “I know I fucked up, but I need you to give me a chance to make this right.”

“It’s too late,” she says stubbornly. “My only concern now is my baby.” Her hand goes to her belly protectively, and I know I need to take a step back. Ellie’s hurt and scared, and I can’t force myself on her right now. I need to take it one step at a time.

“Okay, but this baby”—I place my hand over hers—”isours, and even though you’re upset with me and can’t trust me with your heart, you know you can trust me to protect him. Please, at least come home with me so I can protect you both. Running away isn’t going to fix this. Whoever is after you also wants to fuck with Micah and me.”

“What do you mean?”

“We think the same people who tried to abduct you are also responsible for the shipment that was ambushed and stolen.”

“The one that killed Bruno?”

“Yeah. And the morning I left you in bed...” Her lips turn down into a frown, and it takes everything in me not to kiss away her sadness. “I left in a rush because two of my dancers were attacked at a private party that they thought I was hosting. One of them was killed.”

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