All I Need Is You (14 page)

Reluctantly, he stood and activated the audio feed. Instantly Kay’s voice was in his ear. He folded his napkin and placed it in his seat. When the waiter moved to leave, he held up his hand. “Actually, could I order another dinner? Something less spicy this time. Can you just do a plain chicken-and-rice deal?”

“Of course, sir. I’m sorry the meal wasn’t to your liking. I’ll bring another right away.”
 

Eli tried to tune out Kay’s voice, but it was nearly impossible. They were discussing books. Lawyer dude was talking about a literary festival coming up in the springtime. Eli swallowed, trying not to feel bitter. He hadn’t even been able to get through more than a few pages of that book on her coffee table, so he doubted he’d be able to talk with her about anything she’d find interesting. He wasn’t exactly good date material. All he’d be able to do was take her to the gun range and teach her to shoot. Hardly the stuff of romantic fantasy.

In the parking lot, Eli narrowed his eyes as he approached his truck. The lights weren’t on. In fact, there were no lights anywhere in the back section of the lot. When they’d arrived, he’d deliberately parked directly beneath the light. Now that same light was conspicuously dark.
 

Still, he figured it couldn’t hurt to check and make sure that nothing else was on. The last thing he wanted was to come out here in the next hour to a drained battery. Just before his hand connected with the door handle, Kay’s voice blared though his earpiece.

“Oh no! Get it off me!”

He spun around and dashed for the door of the restaurant, cursing himself the whole way. He shouldn’t have left Kay behind, even for a moment. Then behind him he heard a curious ticking. Instant recognition flowed though him and he threw himself to the side behind another parked car.
 

The air behind him exploded and it sounded like the world was being ripped apart.
 

Eli had instinctively dropped into a ball, but he tugged his jacket closer over his head as debris, metal, and ash rained down. His hearing cut out for a second as the air grew hot, then came back in a roaring wave. A flaming piece of debris floated down to land right next to his hand.

After a moment, he chanced a look around. The door to the restaurant burst open and people streamed out, cell phones held aloft to capture pictures of the scene. A mother held her children closer, trying to soothe their cries. A distant siren approached. All Eli could think of was getting to Kay. He pushed his way through the crowd, fighting against the tide of people trying to get out of the building.
 

The same waiter who’d brought the message stood in the middle of the bar area. Waiters scurried back and forth between them, yelling things to the man behind the bar. Eli pointed at him and yelled over the chaos, “You! Who gave you that message?”
 

The waiter looked frantic for a moment, then turned to run. Eli sprang forward and grabbed him by the collar. “Who gave you the message? Start talking.”

 
“I don’t know, I swear,” the man babbled. “I didn’t even answer the phone. One of the other servers gave me the message. We were all supposed to ask our tables and since I was working the bar, that’s why I asked you.”

Eli pushed him away and ran toward the back of the restaurant where Kay had been sitting. His eyes scanned every face until he saw her. His heart stopped for a moment, then it beat once, twice. Finally he could breathe again.
 

“Eli! What just happened?” Kay stood on the seat of her booth, trying to see over the crowd of people. Her date watched him with barely veiled curiosity. Eli nodded hello and then turned back to Kay.

“Some kind of explosion.” He tugged on her hand until she hopped down. He reached into the booth and grabbed her coat and bag. “
Our car.
We need to leave.”

Kay followed him as he dragged her by the hand toward the back of the restaurant. “Where are we going?”

“Back way. Come on.”

He dodged fallen chairs and frantic people and pushed through the doors leading to the kitchen. It was a den of chaos, people running in every direction. They moved through the narrow lanes until they reached the back door. He shoved his shoulder against the heavy door and they stepped out into the cold air. The door led to an alley with a few dumpsters. He glanced in both directions and then pulled her to the left.
 

“If my memory is correct, we should hit a major road if we go this way.”

Kay didn’t speak, just trotted to keep up. A few minutes later, they emerged onto Jefferson Avenue.
 

“I must have touched the door handle.”

“What?”

“The handle. I was given a message that my lights were on. I was walking to the car to check it out. But just as I touched the door handle, I heard you say “Oh no” and so I turned and ran back to the restaurant. That’s when it blew.” The bomb must have been on a pressure sensor. If he’d taken Kay back to the truck, they’d be dead.
 

Kay stopped walking suddenly. “Someone blew up our truck?” Her voice wavered a bit before she brushed her hand against her cheek. “Someone wanted to blow us up?”

He recognized the beginning stages of shock. He put his arm around her and steered her in the right direction. “We have to keep moving, angel.” He pulled out his phone and sent a message to Nick. His brother responded immediately and his shoulders sagged.
 

“Our ride is on the way.”

They needed time to get to a safe location, and he needed to start making calls. It wouldn’t take local police long to figure out who the car belonged to, but Agent Harris could shut the investigation down all the way from the nation’s capital. Then he could start the important work of unraveling Kay’s life to figure out what the hell was going on.

One thing he knew for sure was they couldn’t stay in Kay’s usual environment. They didn’t have the advantage here. They needed a place to hide out and regroup. This guy would start to make mistakes when he was forced out of his comfort zone. 

It was time to take things to Eli’s turf.

ELI FORCED THEM to keep walking, pulling the hood up on Kay’s coat to shield her face. His phone buzzed in his pocket. “Yeah.”

“I’m right around the corner. Where are you?”

Eli glanced behind them, looking for Nick’s dark sedan. It was early evening and there was a respectable amount of traffic. It was impossible to tell who was near them. The thought made him pull Kaylee a little closer. Anyone could be out here. He’d deliberately left through the back of the restaurant, but he had no idea who they were dealing with. Or
how many
people they were dealing with. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that they’d been followed.
 

“We’re walking east on Jefferson Avenue.” He glanced up and rattled off the street number of the store next to them.
 

“I’m right there. Hang tight.”

 
They weren’t far from Jackson’s studio. He’d briefly considered walking over to see if Jackson or his assistant was there but in the end decided against it. For whatever reason, this battle had just been kicked into high gear. He didn’t want anyone he cared for caught in the cross fire.

Kay shivered next to him, tremors wracking her body so hard Eli could feel them through the layers of their coats.
 

“Hey, it’s going to be all right. Come here.” He rubbed a brisk hand up and down her back. She’d been quiet the whole time they were walking.

Too quiet.
 

“Kay, I’m not going to let anything happen to you. As soon as my brother gets here, we’re going into hiding.”

She nodded against his chest, her face brushing against the exposed skin of his neck. “I know. I just can’t believe this is happening. I’ve never hurt anybody. But someone out there wants me dead enough to put a bomb under our car.”

Eli’s arms tightened around her. He pulled out his cell phone.
 

Agent Harris had been the bane of his existence for years, but there were certain advantages to being on the FBIs radar. They’d used him for information for years, and it was only recently that they’d made significant progress locating members of the Circle. The group was now suspected of being a huge part of the influx of cocaine into the country, and his intel had helped them find several cells and infiltrate them. They needed him alive. He wasn’t above using that if it would help him keep Kay safe.
 

He dialed and Harris answered on the first ring. He didn’t bother with a greeting. “I don’t know if this is related to what you sent me, but someone just blew up my car.”

“Your location?”

“My hometown. I need you to keep my name out of that police report.” The last thing they needed was the New Haven Police Department splashing his name and picture around as a person of interest in a bombing case.
 

“Done. Did you see anyone beforehand? Or notice anything out of the ordinary?”

“No. But then again, you and I both know if this is our friends, then I wouldn’t have seen anything. They’re too good.”

“You need somewhere to stay?”

“No. I’ve got that covered.” Eli hung up as a black Mercedes sedan pulled up to the curb next to them. Kaylee inched behind him, her fingers digging into the sleeve of his jacket. The window rolled down and Nick’s face appeared. “Need a ride?”

Kay let out a soft sigh. “Hi, Nick.”

Eli opened the door for her and ushered her into the back. He glanced behind him, his eyes roving over the people and buildings on the street. Was someone following them even now? A woman walked by with several shopping bags, and Eli peered at her. When she noticed his gaze, her fingers clutched her bags tighter as she scampered away. He ducked his head and folded himself into the front seat.
 

“Still driving this clown car, I see.” Eli rolled his shoulders in the tight space, feeling like he’d bump out a window if he raised his arms too high. His brother liked his toys. Eli preferred his truck any day. The truck which was now blown to pieces in a restaurant parking lot. He sighed.

Nick patted the steering wheel as he pulled out into traffic. “Don’t talk about my baby that way.”
 

Eli snorted and then turned to look into the backseat. Kay sat behind Nick, curled up against the window. When their eyes met, she smiled tremulously, almost as if trying to reassure him. His chest tightened. She was holding up better than he’d expected, but she shouldn’t have to be this strong. She was the kind of woman meant for cozy nights by the fire and cuddling under soft sheets. Not running from danger and matching wits with criminals.
 

It was no doubt going to come back to haunt him asking for Agent Harris’ help, but if making them think he was the target meant they’d use their resources to find the guy faster, so be it. He had no problem with a little creative restructuring of events if it meant Kay was safe. What if she’d gone out to the car with him? She could have died.

More blood on his hands. Another life he couldn’t save.
 

LATER, KAY WOULDN’T be able to recall exactly how she’d spent the next few hours. She remembered Nick picking them up and Tank being at the Alexanders’ house when they’d arrived. It had crossed her mind then just how calm everyone else seemed. Nick hadn’t acted as though anything had occurred outside of the ordinary. They could have been calling him for a ride for any reason. Tank was polite and direct, just as he usually was, although he’d seemed to have a gentler manner when speaking to her than usual.
 

Eli himself had been at his gruff best, barking out orders on his cell phone to she could only guess who. There seemed to be no end to what he could make happen with just a phone call. Within a short period, he had a new black SUV delivered to them along with a suitcase full of clothes for Kaylee. She’d opened the bag, shocked to see her own things. Whoever had packed her stuff had also included things for Hope, including pajamas, diapers, and wipes.
 

They’d driven to her parents’ house to pick up Hope. She definitely remembered her mother’s shock and dismay at the news that they were leaving town.