Her eyes flutter closed for a moment as she expels an unsteady breath. “The boy my mother was pregnant with when Jonathan inducted her into his world. My older brother, James.”
Older? Meaning she was born into the cruel chaotic world run by this man. What the hell has she been through? How did she escape?
“He instantly recognized me tonight. Jonathan didn’t, but James warned me Christopher would come hunting for me. I can’t have this shit here.” Her eyes dance around the room, unable to look away from Jonathan’s picture for long. “If they find it, they will connect the dots, and everything I have worked toward will be lost. My brother’s life will be forfeit, and my mother’s sacrifice will have been for nothing.”
Guilt. It’s a powerful motivator, but one which leads us to make stupid decisions that end up costing lives. I move to her side, careful to leave enough space so she doesn’t feel like I’m crowding or rushing her, even though I am. “Take photos, then tear it down. Leave them no clues.”
“I already have photos.”
A smirk lifts the corner of my lips. Of course she does. As she stands frozen in the middle of the room, her shoulders sag as if the weight of the world sits on them, and she’s weary of the constant pressure. I give her a minute to process the tighteningnoose around her life, feeling a similar one coiling around my chest.
“Now, Eleanor, we have shit to do if you want to escape here without a confrontation.”
She licks her lips, nods her head, then steps forward and tears the middle of the display down. I go back to her kitchen and find a roll of black garbage bags. Fifteen minutes is all it takes for us to eradicate the evidence of what I’m sure was years of research and intelligence. No, not eradicated. Moved. Protected.
There’s a knock at the door as we pile the twenty-three bags into the kitchen. I freeze. I don’t have any weapons. Eleanor rolls her eyes before she peers through the tiny hole. She opens the door before I have a chance to stop her, and the storage company spills into the room. I eyeball the guys as she directs them to the boxes and bags, and they are gone within five minutes. I clear up a few bits of cardboard, making sure there’s no trace this apartment looked any different to the sleek singleton penthouse it represents now.
“You packed a bag?” I check, even though I watched her do it. “Make sure you have everything you can’t live without. I’m not sure when you will be back, but we can order basic stuff to my place.”
“Yes, I have everything. Oh wait, hang on.” She darts back into her bedroom. A few drawers open and slam before she appears with an extra duffle bag. It looks heavy.
“Let me get that,” I mutter, reaching out for it. She jerks her hand away.
“I’m quite capable of carrying my own luggage, Hunter. If you want a princess to rescue, you can go back to Texas and your Reapers.”
It’s my turn to roll my eyes. “Being a gentleman isn’t a sign of me thinking you are weak. It’s a testament to my manners, not a dig at your strength.”
She nods at the small suitcase she packed and left next to my own light bag by the front door. “You can take that.”
My gaze drops to the bag clutched in her hand.What have you got in there?She quirks a brow, daring me to push. I don’t. Not right now. I won the battle having her come with me. Quitting while I’m ahead seems to be the motto for today.
She smirks like she knows exactly what I’m thinking, then moves for the door. Someone knocks, and she freezes before dropping her hand and darting a look over her shoulder. “I’m not expecting anyone else,” she whispers.
“No friends?”
She shakes her head. Right.
“Family?”
Another shake.
“No one has my address. No one apart from my favorite takeout places.”
“Grace…” a masculine voice taunts through the wood.
Who the fuck is Grace? Maybe they have the wrong address?
Eleanor’s shoulders stiffen. Oh. Fuck. Not the wrong address.
“That was so quick,” she whispers.
“I know you are in there, pretty girl. You ran out before we had a chance to really get to know you.”
We? Clearly this is the shit Christopher who thought he could take her light and break her. But who else is out there with him? Jonathan? Her brother?
She takes a step away from the door, a slight tremor running through her body. I move past and check outside. Sure enough, the asshole is there, seemingly alone. Fucking doubtful. Plus, the “we” gave him away. I glance around the doorframe, my mind moving at light speed. She should have a camera outside.
“I packed the equipment away. Stupid, so fucking stupid,” she whispers.
