Page 60 of Forever Found
“You see anything?” Eli asked as he held onto me and led me to sit on the edge of the bed.
“Yeah, two guys out back. They’re trying to bypass the security system. I heard them right outside the mudroom, working on the access panel.”
“Oh god,” I gasped.
“Sshh, Addy. It’s okay. Eli and I can take down two guys if it comes to it, and we have the gun. We’ll protect you,” Jordan tried to soothe.
“I don’t care about me. I care about the two of you,” I told them.
“This is a bad idea,” Eli said as he stopped trying to move the dresser away from the wall.
“What do you mean?” Jordan asked.
“If they get inside, our best chance is to take them by surprise.”
“Eli, no! Just do as I told you and barricade yourself in the bedroom!” Asher snapped.
“Think about it, “ Eli continued as he looked to Jordan. “If they get in here and we’re laying in wait, we can take them down without the gun, or the risk of it going off in the wrong direction. It’s unlikely these guys are faster than us in hand to hand.”
“What about Addy?” Jordan questioned as he looked to me with panic.
“We hide her. They don’t know we’ve seen them. We make it look like she’s in the bed, and we lure them in here. It’s better than them smashing their way in and knowing we’re ready for them.”
“Eli, dammit! Just listen. I don’t want you going up against these guys at all. The cops are on the way. You just need to buy time,” Asher cried desperately.
“What guys?” I heard Kane demand. “What’s happened?”
“Get dressed. We need to move now!” Asher told him.
“Is it Addy?”
“Someone turned up at the cabin I left the others at. Police have been called but I want to get there fucking now!” Asher barked.
I heard Kane curse, and I wished like hell he was there with me in that moment. I wished they all were. If this whole thing went badly I may never get the chance to tell Kane and Adam how sorry I was for the way things had gone, and how much I would always love them, no matter whether we were together or not.
“It makes sense, Jord. It’s the best plan we have. The cops are miles out. Who knows how long it will take them to get out here,” Eli said as he looked between Jordan and I.
“Yeah, okay,” Jordan sighed as he looked at me again. His face was so serious and I saw fear there too. “He’s right, Addy. Taking the bastards by surprise is all we have right now.”
“If they get in,” I reminded him. “The police…they must be close, right?”
“Right. And Asher said the security on this cabin is tight, so it will take time to bypass it, I’m guessing,” Eli assured me, even if he didn’t quite sound believable.
“Just in case, we need you to hide, princess. You’re gonna take the gun too,” Jordan said as he picked up the long rifle from the bed.
“What? No!” I cried. “I d-don’t even know how to use it.”
“I’m gonna show you, and you’re gonna use it if anyone gets past Eli and I, you hear me?”
“Oh God!” I whimpered as I looked between the two of them with watery eyes. “Why is this happening again?” I squeaked.
“We don’t have time to think about that now. We just have to do all we can to keep you safe until the police arrive,” Eli said as Jordan hurried forwards and pulled me into his arms.
“We’re all going to be okay. I need you to believe that. Eli and I can protect ourselves and you,” he told me softly as he held me tightly.
“I…I know,” I nodded as I tried to pull back my tears. I knew how weak I was. I should be stronger, ready to fight whoever came into that cabin just the way Eli and Jordan were, but I was scared, again! These things continued to happen to me, and it was just too much. I couldn’t handle risking anyone I loved again, and I definitely couldn’t cope with the idea of them getting to me and taking me back to the hell I had barely escaped. “I know,” I repeated as I forced a deep breath into my lungs. “I saw Eli in action. We c-can do this,” I added shakily, working hard to pull myself together.
“We can,” Eli nodded with a strained smile. Just as I started to allow myself to breathe there was the sound of scuffling downstairs and we all froze.