the SUV rock forward as Eli closed the tailgate after placing Julia’s suitcases in a vehicle not her own for the second time in forty-eight hours. Life with Eli was an adventure to be sure. He rounded to the driver’s side, got in and buckled up.
Jace sat behind her in the backseat. Ben and Will were following in a vehicle behind them—for ultimate safety, Eli assured her.
Julia hyperextended her fingers. The satisfying pop did little to settle her nerves. There was something she needed to tell Eli. Not that she didn’t want to tell him—she just didn’t know if it was a good idea to mention it when he had so much on his mind.
The gun she packed was missing. It wasn’t underneath her mattress when she went back to the town house to pack.
Surely, there was a good explanation. One of the agents likely found it and had stripped it from her the way they do when suicidal patients come into the ER. They likely thought it better if they assumed total ownership over her safety rather than let extenuating factors undermine their efforts. It was better to trust those you knew and had experience with under stressful situations. Even though Julia was an ER nurse, none of these agents knew her skill set or could anticipate how she’d act under pressure, because they’d never witnessed her actions under fire.
“Something wrong?” Eli asked.
Julia jumped, his words amplified like a megaphone into her mind. The words tumbled from her lips. “I had a gun at the safe house. It’s missing.” Truth was that Julia never had been good at keeping secrets.
Eli backed the vehicle out of the driveway. “That explains why you’re so distracted.”
Was he that good at reading her already? “I’m fine...really. A brush with death doesn’t really faze me anymore.”
Eli didn’t laugh at her remark, though she intended it to be funny.
“Let me check with everyone to see if someone secured it. That’s likely what happened.”
“I didn’t take the weapon,” Jace offered.
“Good,” Eli said. “One down, only twenty more to go. There’re quite a few people that have been in and out of that town house.”
“And if no one has it?” Julia asked.
“We’ll have to report it missing.”
Julia leaned her head against the window. “How far is this new place?”
“A couple of hours. Up into the mountains. Just outside Estes Park.”
Julia closed her eyes. It was one thing she didn’t do enough—spend time in the mountains. Springtime in the Rockies was beautiful. The melting snow coursed down the rivers bringing ice-cold water yet renewed life to the valley. Hibernating animals ventured from their winter dens. Estes Park was always rife with elk that held the right of way even over pedestrians.
Why didn’t she spend more of her free time there? There was nothing tying her to the city. Was it the underlying fear of something she couldn’t remember? Would she always feel this way—alone and scared? Perhaps more than she could even confess to herself.
Eli cleared his throat. “Julia, there’s something I want to ask you.”
His voice dropped a trace lower than normal. Do I really want to know what he’s going to ask?
“Seems like we have a few hours to talk.”
Julia glanced back at Jace, who tried to distance himself from their conversation by looking out the window.
“Is there anything more that you remember from your attack? Anything at all?”
Her breath quickened in her chest, and her body tingled. Why would he ask that now? “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
“About what?”
The sun dipped toward the horizon in the afternoon light. Julia dropped the sun visor. The beginnings of a tension headache caused her forehead to throb. “About the woman who was found dead today.”
Eli tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. “What do you want to know? I already told you I don’t think it’s connected to your case.”
“But you’re not sure.”
His fingers stilled.
Jace sat behind her in the backseat. Ben and Will were following in a vehicle behind them—for ultimate safety, Eli assured her.
Julia hyperextended her fingers. The satisfying pop did little to settle her nerves. There was something she needed to tell Eli. Not that she didn’t want to tell him—she just didn’t know if it was a good idea to mention it when he had so much on his mind.
The gun she packed was missing. It wasn’t underneath her mattress when she went back to the town house to pack.
Surely, there was a good explanation. One of the agents likely found it and had stripped it from her the way they do when suicidal patients come into the ER. They likely thought it better if they assumed total ownership over her safety rather than let extenuating factors undermine their efforts. It was better to trust those you knew and had experience with under stressful situations. Even though Julia was an ER nurse, none of these agents knew her skill set or could anticipate how she’d act under pressure, because they’d never witnessed her actions under fire.
“Something wrong?” Eli asked.
Julia jumped, his words amplified like a megaphone into her mind. The words tumbled from her lips. “I had a gun at the safe house. It’s missing.” Truth was that Julia never had been good at keeping secrets.
Eli backed the vehicle out of the driveway. “That explains why you’re so distracted.”
Was he that good at reading her already? “I’m fine...really. A brush with death doesn’t really faze me anymore.”
Eli didn’t laugh at her remark, though she intended it to be funny.
“Let me check with everyone to see if someone secured it. That’s likely what happened.”
“I didn’t take the weapon,” Jace offered.
“Good,” Eli said. “One down, only twenty more to go. There’re quite a few people that have been in and out of that town house.”
“And if no one has it?” Julia asked.
“We’ll have to report it missing.”
Julia leaned her head against the window. “How far is this new place?”
“A couple of hours. Up into the mountains. Just outside Estes Park.”
Julia closed her eyes. It was one thing she didn’t do enough—spend time in the mountains. Springtime in the Rockies was beautiful. The melting snow coursed down the rivers bringing ice-cold water yet renewed life to the valley. Hibernating animals ventured from their winter dens. Estes Park was always rife with elk that held the right of way even over pedestrians.
Why didn’t she spend more of her free time there? There was nothing tying her to the city. Was it the underlying fear of something she couldn’t remember? Would she always feel this way—alone and scared? Perhaps more than she could even confess to herself.
Eli cleared his throat. “Julia, there’s something I want to ask you.”
His voice dropped a trace lower than normal. Do I really want to know what he’s going to ask?
“Seems like we have a few hours to talk.”
Julia glanced back at Jace, who tried to distance himself from their conversation by looking out the window.
“Is there anything more that you remember from your attack? Anything at all?”
Her breath quickened in her chest, and her body tingled. Why would he ask that now? “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
“About what?”
The sun dipped toward the horizon in the afternoon light. Julia dropped the sun visor. The beginnings of a tension headache caused her forehead to throb. “About the woman who was found dead today.”
Eli tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. “What do you want to know? I already told you I don’t think it’s connected to your case.”
“But you’re not sure.”
His fingers stilled.
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