Strength of Love: Book 3 in the Heirs of Orion Series Read online

  She took an end of the towel and wiped the baby's face and head. She didn't want to get attached to this little child, even though her whole body screamed to hold him and comfort him so he would stop crying.

  "You'll be fine."

  He leaned closer to her and tried not to crush the little one between them. "Angel, we need you." He repeated. "Not just because I don't know what to do with a baby, but because I want to see you every day and protect you, make sure you're happy. You are part of me, Angel."

  His words penetrated her shell and she dared to look into his eyes. Fear. His eyes showed fear. Was he scared because he was a new father or was he scared because he would lose her?

  "Tiny, I need some space."

  He stepped back with the baby. He stood for a moment, and the baby's screams began to get louder. "I'm sorry. I'll...uh...sorry." He walked out of the room with the baby. Elle sighed. Tears stung her eyes and she grabbed a tissue to wipe them. She was so messed up right now. There was no way she could be with Tiny. The echo of the baby's cry made her cringe even more. If she was pregnant Tiny would need to be part of her child's life. She wouldn't keep it away from him. It would grow up knowing its father, like she hadn’t. She heard her Aunt Helen's voice and knew Tiny would be rescued by her. With a sigh she went back into the other room to help Christina.

  Chapter 19

  Elle stared at the road ahead of her. Her headlights bounced off the signs pointing to various roads.

  Just keep driving, she kept telling herself as she drove between the majestic mountains. They looked like something an artist would paint, but canvas really couldn't capture the raw beauty and feeling of being there. Elle felt like a small ant as she drove through the valley. She quickly glanced up and was in awe how far up the mountains went.

  Looking back down on the road, she sighed. If only she could throw her problems up on top of that mountain. Ever since Tiny's son's birth she’d kept thinking about her future with Tiny. She couldn't deny she missed him, a lot more than she wanted to admit. Every night she would lie awake and hear Tiny across the hall trying to belt out a lullaby to put the baby to sleep. Unfortunately, it didn't work and he ended up just telling the boy another one of his stories. Soon the baby would be sound asleep. She desperately wanted to be there to help him, but she held herself back. She didn't want to become Tiny's nanny with benefits. She needed to be loved, and right now there was no room for her in Tiny's life. Her heart aching, she gripped the wheel tighter.

  Then there was Karen. After the baby was born all she did was whine and complain she wanted to leave and go back home. The team still wanted to keep her for a while and figure out a plan on how to release her. Karen didn't exactly agree with them and kept asking Elle when she was going to leave. Elle tried to ignore her, but she felt it would be better for her to leave as soon as possible. She was an ugly part of Tiny's past that Elle wanted to get rid of.

  Elle glanced at the road sign ahead. Colorado left lane. Montana right lane. Her heart raced, where did she want to go? Her hands answered as she moved into the left lane. She pushed the radio button and scanned through the radio stations. It was too quiet in the car and she needed to get her mind off of things.

  Running away was childish, but she needed to get away from everyone, especially Tiny. She couldn't think straight when he was around. With little sleep he looked completely exhausted, so she just wanted to reach out and help him. Her lip was still sore from biting down on it every time she had an urge to go to him. And it wasn't just to help him. She wanted to take him in her bedroom and re-live those wild passionate nights. It was something she craved so bad that even her dreams were plagued with him completely naked and touching her in ways to make her crazy. She bit down on her lip again. It was nuts. She was nuts.

  She merged left and headed south towards Colorado. The mountains seemed to welcome her. One of these days she wanted to try climbing one of them. She laughed at herself. How stupid would that be? She was afraid of heights. After ten feet up she'd be squealing to come back down.

  I wonder what other hobbies Tiny has.

  "Oh, come on!" she yelled at herself. "What is with you, Elle? He's just a guy!"

  A naked image of Tiny appeared in her head and she felt her womb contract.

  She slammed the steering wheel in frustration. This was the right thing to do. A few days away from him would help her clear her head. She’d sent a text to Christina telling her she left for a few days. She didn't wait for a reply, because she didn't want her friend to change her mind. Yes, it was dangerous to venture out when the Agency was still looking for them, but she had all her fake IDs and a wad full of cash which would help her stay under their radar.

  After a few miles she noticed a sign for a 24 hour diner. Her stomach roared and she knew she needed to eat something before she passed out at the wheel. She exited the expressway and followed the signs to the diner. She parked her car and reached over to reach her purse. Her hand froze when she looked at the bag from the drug store. The answer to her lingering question was there. All she needed to do was use it. Her stomach scrunched up. No, not today. She needed to eat, but she wouldn't be able to if she was staring, waiting for an answer.

  She took her purse and locked up her car. The diner looked like a typical place where truckers hung out. Almost on cue, a truck pulled into the lot and drove to the back where the truck parking area was. Elle pulled open the door and the smell of coffee hit her. She would definitely need a cup to keep herself awake.

  She glided into a booth so she could have some personal space.

  "Hey, there." A young girl walked up to her with a pot of coffee. "Would you like some coffee?"

  "Yes, please," Elle responded as she unzipped her coat and pulled it off.

  The girl filled her cup. "Our special today is corned beef with potatoes."

  "Hmm, sounds good, but I need something lighter. Do you have a chicken salad?"

  The waitress smiled. "Yup, do you want buffalo chicken or regular?"

  "Regular, please."

  "Coming right up."

  "Thank you." She reached into her purse and was going to check her phone for messages but remembered she left it in the car so she wouldn't be tempted to turn it on. She knew Daniel would be able to track her phone as soon as it was on, so she took the battery out and locked it in the glove compartment box.

  Her gaze turned outside. It was dark. Only the streetlights illuminated the parking lot. What was she doing here? She rubbed her eyes. She needed space and time to think through everything. Everyone in the group was thrown into this whirlwind of running away and hiding from the Agency. She’d barely had time to pack and send her letter of resignation to her job. It was so stressful to just leave everything behind and drive half a world away. She knew everyone else felt the same way and were handling it in their own way. And now with Tiny...

  The reflection in the window showed two guys sitting by the counter eating their food. Both were wearing flannel shirts, jeans, and boots. One looked about her age with dark hair. The other had brown hair covered with a John Deer baseball cap and was a bit older.

  "I'm dreading coming back home," the younger man said.

  "Yeah, I don't doubt it. I told you to keep it in your pants," the other one told him.

  Elle poured some cream into her coffee and watched the dark liquid turn lighter. She turned back towards the reflection.

  The younger guy nodded. "I know. I know, but man she was so hard to resist."

  "Well, now you're going to live with the consequences."

  The younger guy hung his head. "Shit, Dave. I don't want to be a dad. Maybe I could just disappear."

  "Suck it up and be a man," the older man ordered him. "You screwed up and now you need to be there for your kid. It deserves that."

  "I don't think I can. I have no idea how to be a dad. I didn't even know my old man."

  "Just be there for the kid. Forget Emily. She can go to hell."

  Elle felt her hear
t stop. Would Tiny stay with her just for their baby. Their baby. The pit in her stomach was back again. She reached over and took a sip of her coffee. Shit, she shouldn't be drinking it if she was pregnant. She put the cup down, but if she didn't she'd fall asleep at the wheel. One cup wouldn't hurt t the baby, if there was one. She took another sip and looked back outside.

  Where was she going? It was stupid to run off, but something inside of her changed when she bought the pregnancy test. It felt like it was becoming more and more real to her. She panicked, that's what happened. She was always in control of her life, but all of the confusion and hiding made her feel like every day was a whirlwind of a mess. Instead of handling it like an adult, she’d acted like a child and ran away.

  She rubbed her eyes. Where was her confidence? She needed to take control of the situation and figure out what she was going to do.

  The waitress brought her the salad. Once she started eating it she realized she was hungrier than she’d thought. When she was done she felt a bit more confident and decided what she needed to do next.

  After she paid the check she took her purse and went to the parking lot. She pulled out her keys and pressed the button to open the door but realized her car was missing. Her heart started to race and she walked around the lot hoping she was just being forgetful. After walking around the whole building her greatest fear was realized. Her car was stolen. She was in the middle of nowhere with no car, a handful of money and the clothes on her back. The pit in her stomach got much larger.

  #

  Tiny cracked the door open and peeked into the hallway. Elle's door was closed. She must be trying to catch up on sleep. He knew if he any free time left he would gladly take a nap. His son kept him up for most of the night and only slept around two hours. Now he was fast asleep in his crib. He still hadn’t picked out a name yet. Nothing seemed right to him. He knew he had to pick something soon so Daniel could add it to the birth certificate. They decided the mother's name would be just some random name so Karen would not be tied to him.

  He slowly walked across the hall and knocked lightly on the door. When there was no answer. He slowly opened the door a crack. The bed was completely disheveled and clothes were thrown about. He smiled. That was typical Elle. He looked at the clock on the bedside. It was pretty early, she should have been asleep. Where was she? He didn't hear the shower going. He left the door open and went to his room and left his door open to see if she came out of the bathroom. Most nights he kept it open to keep an eye on Elle. So far her sleepwalking had stopped, but he didn't want to take any chances.

  He lay down on the bed and almost drifted off to sleep when his phone rang to tell him about a new text message. He moaned and rolled over to look at it. He saw it was Dean and opened the message.

  Is Elle with you?

  He blinked again and reread the message.

  I think she's in the bathroom. Why?

  Her car was missing when Jeri and I were on our morning run.

  Tiny froze and reread the message. His heart began to race and he bolted out of the bed and across the hall.

  "Elle?" He knocked on the bathroom door. No one answered him. He twisted the handle and discovered an empty bathroom. "Shit."

  He flew back to his room and texted Dean.

  Just checked the bathroom. She's not there. I'll text Daniel.

  His fingers flew across the screen to send a message to Daniel to check the location of her phone.

  He began to pace the room. Maybe she was downstairs and just moved her car somewhere else. Daniel would be able to tell them. He ran his hands through his messed up hair. It was getting on the long side, but he didn't have any time to get it cut. Between taking care of his son and trying to help with renovating the resort as payment for staying there, free time was minimal. If he had any free time he tried to spend it with Elle, but she always pushed him away. He swore at himself.

  His phone buzzed and he read Daniel's message.

  Christina just told me she got a message from Elle late last night, but she didn't see it until now. Elle said she needed some time alone and she'll be fine.

  Tiny's eyebrows rose. Time alone? He threw the phone on his bed and rubbed his face. This was his fault. He should have tried harder to be with her after his son was born. He could have asked Mrs. Stevens to watch his boy, or Jeri... He lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

  His phone buzzed again and he picked it up.

  I can't find her. Her phone must be off. Daniel texted him.

  Tiny froze. Where was she? He tried to remember if she came in last night. He swore she did, but then did she go downstairs? His memory was so hazy because of the lack of sleep.

  Can you track her down any other way?He sat up and waited for the reply.

  His phone buzzed again and he read the message. I tracked her car's GPS. She's in Colorado.

  "What!?" he screamed. His son stirred. "Oh no." He walked over to the baby and started slowly rocking the crib and his son went back to sleep.

  "Tiny?" A hushed voice behind him startled him and he turned around to see Keith and Jeri.

  He softly walked over to them and they went into the hall. He closed the door behind him.

  "We heard Elle ran off somewhere," Jeri said.

  "Yeah, Daniel told me her car is in Colorado. What the fuck!?"

  "Dean and I are going to go after her," Keith told him. "We can't be certain the text Christina got was really from Elle. Someone else may have used her phone and sent it. Maybe she started sleepwalking again or maybe..."

  "The Agency," Tiny finished his thought. "I need to come with."

  "I knew you were going to say that. That's why Jeri volunteered to babysit."

  For the first time in his adult life Tiny felt like crying. "I don't know if I should hug you or kiss you," he told Jeri.

  "If you kiss her, your son will be your only child," Keith threatened.

  "Ok, hug it is!" He reached over and hugged her, careful to keep his hands above her waistline.

  He released Jeri and she smiled back at him. "He will be fine, don't worry. Go and find Elle. I'm worried about her."

  Tiny nodded and walked quietly back to his room to grab his bug out bag. He tiptoed over to the dresser and pulled out the top drawer to extract an extra shirt and pants in case Elle needed them. Yes, they were probably big for her, but he didn't have time to try and find clean clothes for her from her room. He quietly closed the drawer and walked over to the crib where his boy was sleeping. He leaned in and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

  "Be good for your Aunt Jeri. Daddy's going to find Mommy and bring her home."

  A tiny smile hovered for a split second and then was gone.

  Chapter 20

  "Thanks again for your help, Sheriff." Elle sat in front of the desk of the town's sheriff, Joyce Mathers. Sheriff Mathers had picked her up from the diner after she called to explain what happened. The older woman was very sympathetic and tried her best to help Elle.

  She waved off the thanks. "Happy to help you, just so sorry that it happened. Our town is usually pretty quiet, not much crime, but lately we have had some burglaries and thefts. We are trying to figure out who is responsible, but it's not easy." She shook her salt-and- pepper hair. "It's a shame some people just aren't honest enough to make a living by getting a job."

  "Yes, it is." Elle sat in the chair and wrung her hands. The sheriff was very nice, but Elle was terrified that she would find out about her fake identity and arrest her.

  "So you have no one to call to pick you up?"

  Elle shook her head. "I left my cell phone in my car and all the phone numbers are in there. I don't remember any of them."

  Sheriff Mathers smirked. "Hate to sound old, but before cell phones were invented we memorized phone numbers. When you get home you should at least carry a card with the most important phone numbers. Is there anyone else I can look up for you? I'm surprised everyone you told me has unlisted numbers."

  "They
all like their privacy," she replied. Of course, she gave the sheriff everyone's alias and not their real names. When they went on the run Daniel gave them all new identities, complete with IDs and auto registrations to match. Elle was surprised he didn't decide to work for the FBI or even the CIA with his skills. She assumed it was because he didn't want to be under the government's microscope, which she completely understood.

  "And you said your car doesn't have the location service on?"

  "No." She hung her head and now wished she’d invested in the subscription plan. At least if she had that she would have been able to track her car, but her budget was tight. "I canceled it a few years back." Maybe Daniel could track it down, but she needed to reach Daniel.

  The sheriff shook her head. "Where were you headed again?"

  "To a resort in the Black Mountains." If she told her to the middle of nowhere to escape her problems the woman would have probably sent her to the psych ward of the hospital, if they even had one in town.

  "Well, we don't have a car rental company here. I can ask around and see if anyone will be heading in that direction and could give you a lift."

  Elle felt a glimmer of hope. "That would be wonderful."

  "No guarantees, though. I should know more by tomorrow." She finished typing on the computer and turned back towards her. "In the meantime, you are free to stay here."

  "This is not a place for someone like her," a male voice interrupted them.

  Elle turned around and saw a man with dark brown hair leaning against the doorway. He looked slightly older than she was but the suit and tie he wore made him look authoritative. His hair was also meticulously groomed. Not a single strand of hair looked out of place.

  "She has nowhere to go, Edward." the sheriff replied.

  "I have a guest house she can stay at." He smiled back at them.

  Elle wasn't exactly thrilled at staying at a stranger's guest house. He might look rich, but that didn't mean he wasn't a serial killed. "I'm sorry, who are you?"