of life dotted several of the houses and yards. A few houses over, Eli spotted wash out on the line that might actually fit him. He headed toward it, Abilene’s hand still tucked inside his, and pulled a t-shirt and pair of jeans from the line. He didn’t stop to put them on just yet, but continued to the street, remembering he’d seen a convenience store nearby when he’d been driving last night.
A few minutes later, Eli was punching out the window of the convenience store with his t-shirt-covered fist while Abilene glared at him.
“Do you have to break in?” she asked.
“They’re not open,” he said as he reached past the jagged glass and disengaged the lock. He opened the door wide for Abilene to proceed ahead of him. She sniffed at him, but then walked into the dark interior.
The door chimed behind him. “Why don’t you find some breakfast while I change clothes?” he asked, reaching for the drawstring of his scrubs. Abilene spun away with a gasp.
“Okay,” she whispered. He could tell she was blushing, even without being able to see her face, and grinned to himself.
She was fun to tease.
While Abilene roamed the aisles, he quickly pulled on the jeans and t-shirt. Both were a little tight on him, but they were way less-conspicuous than his ill-fitting scrubs and bare chest. He glanced at Abilene to make sure she wasn’t watching before moving to the cash register. The cash drawer key winked at him in the light, and Eli shook his head at small-town life.
It’s almost like home , he thought as he relieved the register of its cash, guilt nibbling at his conscience.
And just like that, Eli had a plan.
Home.
He had to go home.
He would never be free until Major Taylor was no longer a threat, and Eli knew of only one man who could make that happen: Sergeant Collins.
Eli glanced at the cash in his hand. Enough for a cross-country trip.
A feminine ahem caught his attention, and Eli looked up to find Abilene staring at his handful of ill-gotten gain.
“I’ll pay it back,” slipped out of his lips before he could stop it.
She didn’t buy it, but she didn’t tell him to put it back either, and he wondered again what part she had to play in all of this.
He couldn’t very well let her go now; she could tell the authorities about him. And he would not pay attention to the warm feeling in his chest at the thought of taking her home to Georgia with him.
He couldn’t afford any distractions.
But distraction or not, he really had no choice….
“We need to go to Georgia,” he blurted out.
She raised both of her eyebrows and examined him for several long moments. Finally, “Okay.”
Eli waited for the catch.
It didn’t come.
“Okay?” he repeated.
She took a deep breath and brushed her curls back. “Look, something is going on here, and I want to know what it is. Besides that, I’m not going to fool myself into thinking I have a choice as to whether or not I go with you anyway. And you will let me go once we have everything figured out?” She paused.
He nodded dumbly, unsure of why this was going his way.
“Well, then…okay,” she finished with a shrug.
They looked at each other.
She shifted her weight and raised an eyebrow. “Sooo…are we going to go or what?”
Eli forced himself to move, stomping out of the convenience store without waiting to see if Abilene followed.
She confused him at every turn. And for some reason, though he’d gotten his way, he felt like he had just lost a very important battle.
He mentally slapped his cheeks and avoided looking at Abilene’s slight form where it had stopped beside him. It was time to act.
Step one: steal a car.
Chapter Eight
Abilene was the first to wake the next morning. She blinked in the early morning light and surveyed the dingy hotel room in whatever God-forsaken hole Eli had finally stopped in after twelve solid hours on the road.
This was officially the most awkward road trip of her existence. She had been ecstatic
A few minutes later, Eli was punching out the window of the convenience store with his t-shirt-covered fist while Abilene glared at him.
“Do you have to break in?” she asked.
“They’re not open,” he said as he reached past the jagged glass and disengaged the lock. He opened the door wide for Abilene to proceed ahead of him. She sniffed at him, but then walked into the dark interior.
The door chimed behind him. “Why don’t you find some breakfast while I change clothes?” he asked, reaching for the drawstring of his scrubs. Abilene spun away with a gasp.
“Okay,” she whispered. He could tell she was blushing, even without being able to see her face, and grinned to himself.
She was fun to tease.
While Abilene roamed the aisles, he quickly pulled on the jeans and t-shirt. Both were a little tight on him, but they were way less-conspicuous than his ill-fitting scrubs and bare chest. He glanced at Abilene to make sure she wasn’t watching before moving to the cash register. The cash drawer key winked at him in the light, and Eli shook his head at small-town life.
It’s almost like home , he thought as he relieved the register of its cash, guilt nibbling at his conscience.
And just like that, Eli had a plan.
Home.
He had to go home.
He would never be free until Major Taylor was no longer a threat, and Eli knew of only one man who could make that happen: Sergeant Collins.
Eli glanced at the cash in his hand. Enough for a cross-country trip.
A feminine ahem caught his attention, and Eli looked up to find Abilene staring at his handful of ill-gotten gain.
“I’ll pay it back,” slipped out of his lips before he could stop it.
She didn’t buy it, but she didn’t tell him to put it back either, and he wondered again what part she had to play in all of this.
He couldn’t very well let her go now; she could tell the authorities about him. And he would not pay attention to the warm feeling in his chest at the thought of taking her home to Georgia with him.
He couldn’t afford any distractions.
But distraction or not, he really had no choice….
“We need to go to Georgia,” he blurted out.
She raised both of her eyebrows and examined him for several long moments. Finally, “Okay.”
Eli waited for the catch.
It didn’t come.
“Okay?” he repeated.
She took a deep breath and brushed her curls back. “Look, something is going on here, and I want to know what it is. Besides that, I’m not going to fool myself into thinking I have a choice as to whether or not I go with you anyway. And you will let me go once we have everything figured out?” She paused.
He nodded dumbly, unsure of why this was going his way.
“Well, then…okay,” she finished with a shrug.
They looked at each other.
She shifted her weight and raised an eyebrow. “Sooo…are we going to go or what?”
Eli forced himself to move, stomping out of the convenience store without waiting to see if Abilene followed.
She confused him at every turn. And for some reason, though he’d gotten his way, he felt like he had just lost a very important battle.
He mentally slapped his cheeks and avoided looking at Abilene’s slight form where it had stopped beside him. It was time to act.
Step one: steal a car.
Chapter Eight
Abilene was the first to wake the next morning. She blinked in the early morning light and surveyed the dingy hotel room in whatever God-forsaken hole Eli had finally stopped in after twelve solid hours on the road.
This was officially the most awkward road trip of her existence. She had been ecstatic
Similar Books
