Bleeding Edge: Elliot Security (Elliot Security Series Book 2) by Evie Mitchell (short story to read .txt) 📗

my chest. “You changed me! We have a home. We have a life. We have each other. Addie, Kel, Jarret, Pax, Jetta… all of you… I want to be here. I want…”

“You want what, baby?”

“I can’t. I won’t. Don’t you get it? You think you know. You think you can fight this. You can’t. They’re better. You have the physical strength, but they have the power. They’re smart, they know where to dig and how deep to go. They know what information will break you. And they will. They’ll tear you apart piece by piece until all that’s left is ruin. Sophia, Eloise, your parents, our friends… No one is safe. They’ll ruin everything to get to me. To make me pay.” I dropped back, my hands wrapping around my middle as I tried to keep the pain inside. “I need to go.”

“Then let me run with you.” My eyes snapped up, meeting his. He was serious.

“No.” I shook my head in denial. “I won’t destroy your future.”

“You are my future. Jesus Christ, if you don’t know that by now, what the fuck have we been doing?”

It took a moment for his words to penetrate

I threw myself at him. Lips smashed, hands grabbed, material ripped. Then down. Down onto the floor, one of his hands fisting my hair, the other wrapped around my back, clasping me to him.

I clawed at his sides, his back as we rolled, pants pushed down, breath short and sharp.

I ignored common sense. My little voice telling me to leave. To go now.

I pushed it back and lost myself in the man I loved.

The man who loved me.

He entered me and we both gasped. His eyes locked onto mine, his hand tightening in my hair.

“You are a fighter, Emmie Franklin. And you deserve an army behind you. I can give you that.” He thrust, over and over.

I came on a sharp cry, arching under him. A moment later he followed, his grunts harsh and angry before he collapsed on me.

Our breaths mingled, and I took a moment to memorise this. Memorise the feel of his skin on mine, the taste of him on my tongue. I wanted to breathe him in. To savour every moment.

“You’re going to run.”

I didn’t answer.

“I’ll find you.”

I closed my eyes, listening to the quiet confidence in his voice.

“And when I do…”

He tipped my head, waiting for me to look at him.

“When I do, we’re having wild sex and getting married.”

My heart skipped, and I felt a million butterflies take flight in my stomach.

“’Cause you’re it. And no matter how much you wish it weren’t true, Em, you know I’m yours.”

I sighed, allowing myself to imagine our future. Our life. Our home. Our family. Boys with my eyes and his smile. A girl for him to spoil. Too much. Far too much.

Put it away.

“Not going to happen.”

“You said that before.” He pushed himself up, standing above me with his signature smirk. “And look where that got us.”

I let him pull me up, straightening our clothes.

“Come back down, baby. Come back down and listen to our plans.”

Twenty-four hours, I promised myself silently, I would give him that. I owed him that.

Chapter Forty-Five

Luc

She was going to run. I knew it. Emmie fretted, clenching her fists, her eyes constantly shooting glances towards the exit.

I wanted to take away her fear, reassure her it would be okay. It burned that I couldn’t make those promises.

We’d replaced the bag, sticking the out of order sign back up on the locker. It fucking destroyed me that she had these bags hidden all over the place, her fear so real she couldn’t feel safe anywhere.

We returned to the room, her cold hand trembling in mine. We resumed our seats, the team deep in discussions.

“AFP are on their way.” Kel tucked a pen in her high bun. “We’ve been keeping them updated but this is serious. We need their state contacts. See if they can put out feelers.” She leaned across the table, snatching a picture. “This one shows make and model of cars. We have something to go on. Something concrete. AFP can connect with local police to track them.”

Pax crossed his arms, foot tapping while he considered options. He caught my eye, raising an eyebrow. I gave a slight nod, letting him know we were good.

“Kel, call AFP. Tell them we need them here ASAP. Sawyer, I want you and Max working on the files. Their targeted attack says they’re only after Emmie, but something about that is hitting me wrong. Jarrett, I want you and Brean to work with Jack and Luc on a physical protection plan.” He leaned forward, reaching for the brief. “We need eyes on these bastards. Three days is too long. We let that ball slip, that’s on us.”

“It’s long enough to get to Canberra,” Emmie whispered. “If they’re not here yet, they could be soon.”

I dropped her hand, pulling her rolling chair closer, looping an arm over her shoulders. “We got this, Keys.”

I burned from the inside. The fear on her face, the pallor of her skin, the hopeless look in her eyes. If I had to, I would murder every single one of those motherfuckers.

Her hand found my thigh, squeezing.

“AFP want a crisis meeting tomorrow,” Kel called from her corner.

“Set it up,” I told her, feeling Emmie shudder. I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “It’s okay. Just hold on to me, I got you.”

I glanced at Brean. He caught it, glancing from me to Emmie and back. He tilted his head up in acknowledgment.

“Em and I are heading home.” I pulled her up, tucking her under my arm. She was nearly catatonic, simply going where I directed. She’d detached, shut down. Her default was to withdraw. It cut me. I needed to get her home, get her settled, get her reengaged. This wasn’t healthy. This wasn’t the strong woman I knew. This was her fear talking.

Once I had her settled, safe, then? Then I’d go hunt these motherfuckers.

Brean