MARKED (Hunter Awakened) (13 page)

He didn't wait for a response as he began to
move quickly through the trailer, opening every door, checking
every nook and cranny while I did as he'd instructed. It didn't
take him long to clear the trailer, but he didn't stop there. With
a nod to me, he went outside, I assumed to make sure the area
around the trailer was also secure.

I didn't know what to do. Should I stay here
or was it safe for me to go sit down? I had a feeling that as soon
as I unlocked my legs, they weren't going to be able to hold me, so
I'd probably end up in a pile on the floor. I was also worried that
if I didn't do something, all the nervous energy gathering inside
of me was going to make me explode. My fingers twitched and that
was when I realized that I was still holding on to that
envelope.

My fingers were trembling as I opened it, and
a small voice in the back of my head told me that it might be a
good idea to wait for Elias to come back, that there could be
something awful inside. I told myself to quit being a chicken and
just do it. I held my breath as I flipped up the top of the
envelope and peered inside. It was just a piece of paper.

Feeling a bit more confident, I pulled out
the paper and unfolded it. The message was short, written in bold
block letters that would be impossible to trace. I read the words
twice before they actually sunk in.

The door opened again, but I didn't have to
look up to know that it was Elias. It sounded stupid, but it was
almost like I could feel him there, like what had just happened had
heightened the connection between us. I didn't dwell on that
though. I had more immediate business to which I needed to attend.
Like hiding the note so my bodyguard slash kind-of boyfriend didn't
freak out.

I tried to fix a smile on my face as I
attempted to surreptitiously fold the note and slip it into my coat
pocket. Even after only one day with Elias, I should've known
better.

Elias held out his hand. “The note, please,
Miss Rhines.”

I thought about just refusing, but it wasn't
like I had a good reason to keep the note. I just knew that if I
gave the note to Elias, things were going to go to def-con one, and
I was going to lose any semblance of a normal life. I was going to
have to become one of those celebrities who had to have bodyguards
follow me everywhere. Bathroom. Family events... well that one only
if I'd had any family to whom I was still speaking.

“Teal.”

The sound of my first name on his tongue sent
a familiar shiver through me. As I always did, I wondered what
would it be like to hear him say my name in my ear as his hands
explored my body... I gave myself a mental shake and held out the
note.

Elias took it and unfolded it as I began to
speak.

“It doesn't make any sense,” I said. “'Beware
the evil that comes at night. We will be watching.'” I sighed.
“Cryptic, right? I mean, would it have killed him to at least make
the threat more clear?” I was trying for glib but it fell flat. It
worried me more than I wanted to let on. A thought suddenly
occurred to me. “I don't think it's from Rufus.”

“Explain.”

I liked the fact that Elias didn't ignore
what I'd said or just believe me because of our relationship. He'd
listen to me and make a determination based on the facts. It was no
wonder he and Paul got along so well. “Rufus doesn't really seem
like the cryptic notes type guy. I mean, he's not exactly finesse.
More like a blunt instrument. If he wanted to come after me again,
why not hide in the trailer and attack me when I came in? Why leave
a note? And not just any note, but a vague note that isn't even
really threatening. There's no 'I'm going to kill you' or anything
like that. Is this even a threat? It sounds more like a warning,
but again, cryptic.” Something else clicked. “And it says 'we' not
'I' which is weird.”

Elias studied the note, then raised it to his
nose. I guess he could've been just resting the paper against his
top lip, tapping it as a nervous gesture. It was strange, but not
as strange as what it really looked like he was going. I mean,
there was absolutely no way he was sniffing it, right? It wasn't
like there was perfume on it or anything.

“I do not know if this is a true threat,” he
said. “But it does not sit well with me.” He bent and picked up the
envelope I'd dropped.

The way he said it made me just as nervous as
the note itself. Elias wasn't sure about it, and it sounded like
uncertainty was a new feeling for him. Based on his previous
confident manner, I was sure this was the case. “Do you think we
should call the police?” As much as I didn't want the cops involved
in my personal life again, I wasn't dumb enough to endanger myself,
especially if it could lead to one of the other people in my life
being hurt. Both incidents had happened on the set. I didn't want
to risk anyone else's well-being. I wouldn't put it past Rufus to
go after one of my friends just to hurt me.

Elias shook his head. “I do not believe your
friends at the police department would take this seriously.”

He had a point. Detective Linden had all but
laughed at me when I'd asked for a restraining order against Rufus,
saying that I didn't need one since someone was obviously willing
to nearly kill anyone who got near me. I got the impression that he
thought I was making a big deal out of nothing just to get
attention. If I called in and Linden got wind of it, he'd make sure
whoever was sent didn't believe a word I said.

The note didn't have Rufus's name on it. I
hadn't seen him and I doubted anyone else had either since no one
had called the cops. Then there was the whole mysterious message
thing going on. I had a feeling that it'd be chalked up to, at
best, someone playing a prank on me, and at worst, that I'd written
it to myself to cause a scene.

“So, what do we do then?” I tried to sound
tough, but I had to admit that the more I thought about it, the
more that it freaked me out that someone had been in my trailer. It
was bad enough that I had Rufus after me. Did this note mean that
there was someone else trying to hurt me? Or did Rufus just have
friends? I wasn't sure which idea was worse.

“Teal.”

I blinked. Elias must've been saying my name
several times because he'd switched from the professional 'Miss
Rhines' and his face was full of concern. Without me seeing him do
it, he'd moved so that there was less than a foot between us. My
heart gave a funny kind of flip like it always did when we were
close.

“What is it that you are thinking?”

It never crossed my mind to lie or blow off
his question. “I was wondering if Rufus had friends who were
helping him harass me or if this was someone new. I'm not sure
which one I'd prefer. I've never had to deal with anything like
this before and I don't really know how.” I blushed as my voice
trembled. I'd been trying so hard to sound tough and unconcerned.
It had been working so well, almost to the end.

Elias closed the distance between us, his
eyes flashing. I felt a thrill go through me. Gone was the gentle
expression he wore when we were alone. I'd never had anyone look at
me the way he was looking at me, with a fierceness that was almost
frightening. He put his hands on my shoulders and my chest
tightened. I couldn't feel any heat through my coat and sweater,
but my skin tingled as if there was contact with bare skin.

“I will keep you safe.” His voice was low,
crackling with some kind of energy that made my body respond in
ways I hadn't thought possible. “I swear this to you. No harm shall
come to you, not as long as I exist.”

It was like I couldn't get enough air in my
lungs. My head was spinning. I could barely think as I nodded. “I
trust you.” The words were hardly above a whisper. True, we'd only
known each other a short time and there was still so much we didn't
know about each other, but this was something I did know. I knew,
deep in my heart, in my bones, that I could trust Elias with my
life. It was almost as if I already had been doing so my whole
life. I repeated the sentence in a stronger voice. “I trust
you.”

He dropped his hands and took a step back. I
could almost feel the temperature drop. I didn't understand it. It
wasn't like I'd made some declaration of love or anything like
that. He raked his hand through his hair and I could see an array
of conflicting emotions cross his face. I couldn't sort them all
out as they passed, but the two that finally settled were anger and
guilt, neither of which made sense to me. Why had what I said
gotten such a reaction when the time we'd spent together over the
last few weeks hadn't?

“You trust me.” Elias's eyes darted towards
me, then away again before I could see them clearly. The words were
sharp.

I took a step back. What was it about what
I'd said that made him sound so angry?

“Do not trust me.”

The word was so soft that I thought I'd
misheard him until he spoke again.

“You should not trust me.”

When he looked up at me this time, his eyes
met mine and I felt a pang go straight through me. There was so
much pain in his eyes that I could hardly bear to keep his gaze.
How could someone so young carry so much weight?

“Believe that I will protect you.”

I could see the struggle on his face as he
spoke. He was fighting back a tide of some emotion that ran deep
inside of him.

“I will protect you no matter the cost, but
never, for a moment, put your faith or trust in me.” He turned
away.

I wanted to put my hand out and touch him, to
tell him that whatever it was, it would be okay, but I didn't.
Though nothing physically had changed, I could almost feel a wall
now standing between the two of us. It was almost as if the past
weeks had never happened.

“I will take you home and then I will
investigate the note.” Elias was under control once more.

“We still have to do our close-ups.” I heard
the words come out of my mouth before I'd really thought about
them. I didn't know why I was arguing. “If we don't do them now,
we'll have continuity errors.”

“I am afraid I must insist.”

I shook my head. “The most I'll do is
compromise and leave after all of my coverage is shot.” I usually
stayed for my co-star's coverage if the scene was emotional, but I
had a feeling Bryson would understand.

I could tell that Elias didn't want to agree,
but that he also knew that I wasn't going to give in. As he walked
me back to the set, I struggled to get my head back into my
character's head space. It was harder than it had been before.
Despite the difficulty, I was able to get my coverage done in
record time and, if anyone else had noticed that I was worried
about something, they didn't say a word. When I quietly explained
the situation to Bryson, he did exactly what I'd thought he'd do
and told me to go home and be safe. The director said the same.

My phone buzzed while I was in the back of
the car on my way back home. It was Harrison. If he was calling
this late—or this early depending on how you looked at it—his news
had to be important.

Once we exchanged greetings, I let Harrison
share what he'd called to tell me without me first mentioning my
note. I didn't think there was a need to get him all worked up if
it turned out to be nothing.

“My PI did some digging on your bodyguard,”
he said. “But there's not much to find. Elias Bane seems to be a
quiet sort. Not a whole lot about him that isn't in those papers
you gave me. It doesn't look too suspicious though. The records the
PI did manage to find were places of residence all over the world.
His birth certificate says that he was born to American parents in
a small town in Wales. Over the past twenty-four years, he's lived
in Italy, Spain, France, South Africa, never staying in any one
place for long. He's also lived all over North America. Quebec,
Alaska, Seattle, Dallas, small towns in Maine and Western New York.
And that's just to name a few. The official count was twenty
different addresses.”

“Military brat?” I asked, keeping my voice
quiet so that Elias couldn't hear me. That wasn't anything I didn't
already know. We'd talked about travel and growing up, but he'd
always skirted the issue of his family, and I'd never pressed it.
Still, I was curious.

“Doesn't seem like it,” Harrison said. “But
here's where it gets interesting. His parents are listed as a
Jonathan Bane and a Mary Jones-Bane, both deceased, and no siblings
on record, but there's no official record of what happened to
either of his parents, only that he lists them as dead. Because
both names are so common, we can't narrow down the search.”

“So what does that mean?” I glanced towards
the front of the car, but Elias wasn't paying attention to anything
I was saying.

“I think his parents were either undercover
for the government or in witness protection.”

I swallowed a laugh. “Does that mean you're
done looking?”

“Not at all,” Harrison said. “But it does
mean that I'm going to have to be more careful how I do it. I want
you to be safe, but I don't want to get involved in any government
shit.”

“You do that.” I looked out the window. I was
home. “Look, I gotta go. Call me if you find anything
revolutionary.”

“I will.”

By the time Elias came around to open my door
my phone was back in my pocket. I followed Elias up to the door
where he had me wait in the living room while he checked the rest
of the house. Once he was satisfied that no one else was there, he
came back.

“I'm going to go ahead and go to bed,” I said
before he could say anything else. “I could use a couple of extra
hours of sleep.”

He nodded. “Very well, Miss Rhines. I shall
remain here until my replacement arrives.”

“I don't need a babysitter.” I tried not to
sound too annoyed that he was in total bodyguard mode. There was
absolutely nothing personal about how he was talking. I was
beginning to understand the issue with dating someone who worked
for you. “You did your job and got me home. You checked the house
and the alarm automatically reset when I put in the code. I'm safe
here by myself.”