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“Can Amos feel our bond like I can? I haven’t felt anything from him.”
Eddie kind of smiled, then shrugged. “As much sex as we’ve had lately, he should definitely be able to feel it. I bet he’s sick to his stomach most of the day because of it.”
I couldn’t believe that such a thing could be true. It felt violating, in a way, that he could pick up on something so far away and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I didn’t like Amos knowing anything about my new life, especially not all of the wonderful things I did with Calvin and Eddie.
Eddie had given me a lot to think about, and honestly it was giving me a bit of a headache. I worried about what this was going to mean for the three of us. I was finally happy for the first time in my whole damn life, and the last thing I wanted to do was give it up. The Dark Riders treated me well, Eddie and Calvin were a dream team, and I never wanted to let go of this new life.
When Eddie explained that Amos would probably come for me because of our bond, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to stay here. I think that made me sadder than I’d ever been in my whole life. I wanted to stay, I wanted to be in the one place where I felt like I actually belonged. To have it ripped out of my hands in such a way felt excruciatingly painful.
The three of us had made a rule that no one would be left out of decisions or information sharing. I was leaving them out, though. I couldn’t talk to them about what was going through my mind because they would try to stop me, even though my decision was the only possible one.
I could not let anything happen to the Dark Riders because of me. They had saved my life, literally and figuratively, in more ways than one. I could not let anything happen to them because of me. I would never be able to live with myself. That meant that I had to go. It felt like my life revolved around doing things I didn’t want to do, but had to do.
I called Patrick, someone I didn’t think I would talk to again or at least not so soon. It was complicated with him. Pulling away from the Bransom Country clan and not seeing Patrick for quite some time had given me time to reflect on our relationship and where it was going. Maybe the awakening from Eddie and Calvin helped as well. Being able to breathe and not worry about something coming down on my head every time I turned around really opened my eyes to a lot of things that I just hadn’t seen before. I was just too tired and emotionally spent.
Patrick picked up immediately and it was really good to hear his voice. The man had always meant something more to me. He had been my protector for so long. Now, I didn’t know how I saw him, but I trusted him and that he would tell me the truth. I never had to guess what his true intentions were. With so few people in the world truly looking out for my well-being, he felt more remarkable and rarer than ever.
“Eliza, it is good to hear your voice!”
“It’s good to hear your voice too. I’ve missed you.”
“What’s wrong? Something has happened, Eliza. Tell me what is going on,” Patrick said.
I thought I sounded happy, but, of course, Patrick would hear the sadness that I wasn’t able to hide very well. I didn’t want to talk about it, but I knew I had to get it out.
“You know me too well. I worry that I am going to have problems from Amos. If that is the case and you’ve heard something, I’m hoping you’ll tell me. I do not want to put the people who have kept me alive in danger. I know what Amos is like and I can’t have him coming here and causing trouble. Do you know anything, Patrick? Do you know anything about the bond that I share with Amos?”
Patrick sighed. “Amos wants to marry Sondra, but he’s still attached to you. He has definitely felt the tug of your bond. There was a meeting about it, they are trying to find out where you are. I would say that wherever that is and whoever you are with, you are all in danger. You need to let me help you, Eliza. I can keep you safe this time.”
“I am safer here than I have ever been, Patrick. But now I’m going to have to leave. If Amos is coming to end my bond, he will start problems for the Dark Riders, and I can’t have that. I don’t know where I’m going to go, though, can you help me?”
“Of course. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.” Patrick was always there to protect me
It killed me to think that I was never going to see the Dark Riders and Eddie and Calvin again, but if it kept them safe, I would do whatever I had to do. It was going to be impossibly hard, though.
“Thank you, Patrick.”
He had a lot of pressure on him, and the fact that he was willing to leave a place that loved him to help me meant a lot. I hadn’t thought about what I was going to do once I left the Dark Riders, but I knew I was going to have to make some kind of plan. Patrick would stay with me until I figured something out.
“I’ll be there soon.”
I didn’t even have to tell him where I was. He just knew. I expected him to say something about the fact that I was with enemies, but he didn’t.
We hung up and I gathered up what I could for the road and slipped out. I was supposed to meet up with the guys for some fun later this afternoon, but instead I was out of there before they could come looking for me.
I walked to the gas station a mile away and was so glad to see Patrick when he video called me. I noticed he had gotten a bit greyer since I’d left, and he looked self-conscious when I mentioned it.
“Have I gotten old?”
I smiled. “No, you look fine.” I saw hard muscles underneath his clothes, and I couldn’t help wondering what he looked like without them on. It was something that came to mind quickly and I would swear it was because of Calvin and Eddie. They had me running on hot all the time. Patrick was coming to help me, nothing more. Just because my mind was always on sex didn’t mean Patrick was anything like that.
Though, I could have sworn that I saw desire in his eyes. That was new, and a potentially interesting point to investigate during our new life on the lam together. Had to see the bright side of life, right?
10
PATRICK
There had been desire in Eliza’s eyes when we talked. The way she looked at me had been unreal. If I didn’t know any better, I would think that someone was showing Eliza what she was worth, and I felt jealous. I was happy for it, of course, she deserved to be treated well after everything she’d endured, I just wanted to be the one to show her. She gave me ideas with her appraising look that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
