Obscured (The Obscured Series Book 1) (28 page)

“Oh
yeah? Show me how I can get a different idea. You show up after I’ve been
kidnapped, in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere and I’m just
supposed to think you don’t want anything. Sorry—I’m not buying.” I had more
venom in my voice than I ever had before. It felt good standing my ground. I
could only imagine the range of emotion Eli must be feeling, but I could say
for myself that it wasn’t a fun roller coaster! I was breaking down, mentally
and physically. I just wanted to go home.

“I’m
Eli’s dad,” he stated quietly.

Eli’s
dad.
I dropped
the tire iron. I fell to my knees. The uncontrollable sobs that followed caused
tremors throughout my body. I didn’t realize I’d been holding back so much
emotion. Whether it was to guard myself or Eli I didn’t know, but it all
surfaced in that moment. Weeks of pent-up emotion spilled out.

Why
had I not recognized him?
In
the dark I faintly recognized his face from the picture on Eli's nightstand.
Though, to be fair, his stubble was longer which masked the outline of his
face.  

Eli’s
dad had come to save me. How did he even know about me? It felt like I would
never get used to the new world that had been thrust upon me.

I
heard Vince rummaging around for a bit before he scooped me up in one big
movement and carried me all the way to his car. By the time he placed me in the
passenger seat my sobbing had subsided a bit. I had been in a complete daze
until then. I wasn’t sure how much time had passed. He unlocked the handcuff
that was still attached to my wrist and tossed them into the back seat. He came
around the car and threw in my bag. I hadn’t seen him grab it, but I was
relieved he had made the effort. Then he got in the driver’s seat and started
driving in the direction that Randy had been headed.

“I’m
sorry,” I started to say but he put his hand up to stop me.

“Don’t
be, you had a right to be cautious, like you said it’s not like I approached in
a manner that made me look trustworthy. If you hadn’t questioned me I might
have been wondering what was going on in that pretty little head.”

“Thanks,”
I said.

“You
are my son’s girlfriend, you have become his world and that makes you mine as
well.”

“But
how did you even know? Eli said he hasn’t seen you for a long time.”

“I
have been away, but I always come back to check on him. After all, he is my
son. When he left town and left you behind, I knew where I was needed. I could
see the worry in his face when he left. Pete is a tricky son-of-a-gun to get
involved with. I’m not sure what all went down with you guys, but I knew as
soon as I saw Pete I’d better stick around.”

“Tell
me about it,” I said.

He
laughed.

“Give
me your cell phone,” he said.

I
pulled it out of my pocket and handed it to him. “How did you know I had it?”

“I
saw you using it in the car. I’d been watching num-nuts try to figure out how
to change that tire. I have to say, it was hard to hold back my laughter when
you got out to change it for him. Apparently, my son has good taste in women.”

I
felt proud that I had shown up Randy, and Vince’s comment made me blush.

He
dialed Eli.

“Hey
son,” he said.

I
couldn’t hear Eli, but I wished I could. He had to be ecstatic to not only hear
from his dad, but to hear that he had also rescued me. 

“She’s
fine, she with me now,” he paused. “Where are you?” He waited a moment, “Okay, we
are about 30 minutes outside of Holbrook. We will meet you there in an hour.
Drive safe son.”

He
hung up the phone and handed it back to me.

“He’s
a dedicated scoundrel, that one. He jumped on the first flight he could to
Albuquerque and got a rental car from there. I’m not sure how he made such
record time, but he is only about an hour and a half from us.”

I
could hear the fondness in his dad’s voice as he spoke of Eli. He seemed to
really miss him, and I could relate. I couldn’t wait to see Eli. I needed him
and the strength and comfort he gave me. 

Vince
seemed relaxed as he drove. I don’t know why I hadn’t noticed before, but as I
gazed at him from the passenger seat, he looked a heck of a lot like Eli. They
shared the same dark hair, right down to the hair style. Their eyes even held
the same shade of beautiful blue.

“Thank
you,” I whispered as I drifted off to sleep.

I
faintly heard him say, “You’re welcome.”

The
next thing I knew, I was waking up in the car. It was in the parking lot of a
grocery store, and Eli and Vince were standing just outside the car talking. I
watched them catch up. I could see how happy Eli was to see his dad. I didn’t
want to intrude on his moment so I didn't move.

While
I sat there I couldn’t help but think that it was refreshing to see Eli so
uninhibited and carefree. Even when it was just he and I alone he had never
been quite that carefree. I felt a pang of regret that being around me made him
so guarded. I knew he had to be, but it just reiterated the fact that our relationship
would never be normal.

Slowly,
I opened the car door and popped my head out. The sound of the car door opening
caught their attention. In an instant, Eli was at my side helping me out of the
car. I flung myself into his arms and he almost fell over. He held me tight and
didn’t let go. 

“Are
you okay?” he asked.

“I
am now,” I answered smiling.

I
knew at that moment everything would be okay from there on out. We had an
understanding; a bond. A bond I knew I’d never again have with anyone else. Nothing
else mattered because we could get through it together. We could make it though
anything, that much I knew. As long as we had each other we could conquer the
world.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

C.
M. Boers is a wife and mother of three. She grew up in the sunshine state of
Arizona with a love of reading and an ambition to write, but she never took her
writing seriously until after the birth of her first child. After he was born
she took up writing more seriously in her spare time and hasn't stopped since.
Look for more books from C. M. Boers soon! Thank you for supporting an Indie
author!