Page 12 of Escaped (Snowbound with a Stranger #3)

External Validation

Erin

“How are you feeling?”

Casting an anxious glance in his direction, my focus returned to the road ahead. I’d been driving for almost two hours since his unexpected disclosures, and in that time, the man who’d flipped the script on my entire life had fallen suspiciously quiet.

“I’m just tired.”

He blew out a breath, trying to suppress his pain as he shifted in the passenger seat, but it was there in his voice and in the way he moved.

“You’re hurt.”

Well, duh… the guy’s been shot.

“You’re not only tired.”

“Yeah. Flinching, he offered me a weak smile as I briefly turned his way again.

“I seem to remember that, little girl.”

The light shining in his eyes reminded me of the man who’d mastered me in the cabin, of the one I’d tried to fight as well as ultimately falling for, but the version of Eli sitting beside me was altered. In pain, yes, but more than that, he was wearier, jaded, older.

“I wanted to thank you, sir.”

I hesitated over his title, gripping the wheel tighter as I forced it out.

It was difficult to reconcile the injured man who’d taken a bullet to protect me with the one he’d confessed to being in the past. Everyone had a history. I accepted that, but one that involved slaying people seemed difficult to overlook.

“What for?”

His voice sounded hollow with despondency.

“Putting you in danger, or finally admitting who I am?”

“Was,”

I corrected quickly.

“You’re not that man anymore.”

“Erin, I must have killed at least five guys back at the bunker.”

He snorted.

“I’m hardly a reformed character!”

“I shot people, too.”

I frowned. It seemed to be the day for startling confessions.

“But in general, neither of us goes around killing people now, right?”

My gaze slid his way as though I needed him to confirm the point.

“Right.”

His eyes squeezed closed as he fidgeted again. He’d never have said so, but clearly, his pain was intensifying.

“There were no deaths between Hawkins engineering my exit from the job until today, unless you count James and Miles.”

James and Miles.

My eyes widened as I remembered the two assholes who had started the spiral of our crazy romance.

“You didn’t kill them,”

I insisted, trying not to return to my underlying concerns about Chelle. I still didn’t know what had happened to her. Maybe I never would.

“Their recklessness killed themselves.”

“I’m not sure Chelle saw it that way.”

He reached for his temple and pushed his dark hair from his face.

“She was upset…”

My voice cracked with emotion as I recalled how intensely awful that time had been, yet somehow, it seemed easy compared to what had come next.

“Hysterical, even. She didn’t know what she was doing, but in the end, it amounted to the same thing—the choice had been hers.”

“You’ve changed, little girl.”

His tone was reflective as the weight of his stare drilled into the left side of my face.

“How, sir?”

After everything I’d been through, how could I not have changed? But at least he was talking. The strange conversation was better than the strained silence we’d had before.

“In so many ways.”

He laughed softly.

“The Erin I met wouldn’t even recognize you.”

“Is that a good thing?”

I liked his more relaxed tone.

“I hope so. I like to think I haven’t fucked you up entirely.”

“You saved me, sir.”

Releasing the wheel with one hand, I reached for his knee.

“More than once.”

“Let’s not dress it up, little girl,”

He exhaled.

“I kept you in that cabin to please myself.”

“I know.”

Smirking at his honesty, I marveled at how it really was the day for confessions as my hand shifted back to the wheel.

“But you and that place still saved me. I’d have never made it in the storm.”

Based on what I recalled, I’d hardly been fighting him off most of the time, either.

“I brought Hawkins’ hellfire down on you.”

He turned toward his window.

“That’s what led to you having a gun in the first place. If you hadn’t been there, you’d have never even held one, let alone fired it. I can’t forgive myself for that.”

“There’ll be time for forgiveness, sir, but it’s not now.”

An odd solace floated over me at the statement, the realization grounding. There would be a time for coming back from everything we’d been through. We just had to be patient.

“Now, we need to get that shoulder of yours seen to.”

“Yeah.”

Wincing, he glanced down at the injury.

“It is hurting a lot right now, but are you sure this brother of yours is the answer?”

“He’s the answer.”

I didn’t even need to question my decision.

“He’s reliable and trustworthy.”

We’d discussed the idea of dropping in on my brother once the charged atmosphere of Baron’s loss had quelled.

Owen was thirteen months older than me, but being so close in age meant we’d essentially been raised as twins. Growing up, we’d been inseparable, but time and his medical career had put miles between us. Deep down, I knew that if I was ever in real trouble, he’d be there for me. I just hoped that mindset stretched to my new, ex-assassin lover.

“But if he’s so reliable, why didn’t you message him in the cabin?”

Eli leaned closer.

“You never even mentioned having a brother.”

“I’ve asked myself the same thing.”

I shook my head.

“I guess I just knew Owen too well. If he’d received that message, he wouldn’t have called the emergency services. He’d have been out there after me, and that’s not what I wanted.”

Sighing, a mental image of my determined brother filled my head. Owen didn’t do anything by halves. Apparently, we had that in common.

“I couldn’t risk that, so I opted for Mum, but she never even replied.”

My brows knitted.

“I still can’t believe that.”

“I’m sorry.”

Sincerity rang in his tone.

“I’ve never been much for family, but even I can imagine how much that must hurt.”

“Yeah.”

I swallowed back my rising emotion.

“Her only daughter messages her in trouble and she doesn’t even fucking reply.”

I obviously mean a lot.

“It’s shit,”

he agreed, allowing a moment for that thought to linger.

“But you think Owen will help us?”

“He’ll help,”

I insisted.

“I just hope he isn’t on shift when we arrive.”

Owen’s promotion to the ER had been the job he’d always wanted, but it certainly kept him busy.

“If I had my phone, I’d call him, but I guess that’s still at the cabin.”

I laughed at the craziness of that situation. My most prized possession in the world was goodness only knew how many miles away, and we were headed in the wrong direction.

“But we’re not so far away from his place now.”

My gaze darted reflexively to the car’s in-built navigation system. In the aftermath of his admissions, Eli had noticed the screen and flicked it on to see if we could identify our whereabouts. The sat nav had placed us almost one hundred miles from our original location and significantly closer to where my brother resided, and miraculously, we had enough fuel to get us there.

“Owen will help us.”

If worse came to worse, I knew where he kept his spare key, and I’d let us in myself.

“I can’t believe how far away we were from Niantes,”

he berated himself.

“The flight didn’t seem that long to me.”

“Give yourself a break, sir,”

I chided playfully.

“Hawkins’ men beat the shit out of you, and that was before the hood. Neither of us knew where we were, and that was the way Hawkins wanted it.”

“When did you get so smart?”

His chuckle sounded more like the Eli I’d fallen for.

“I’ve always been smart, sir.”

I shot him a knowing look.

“You just never noticed until now.”

“You’re probably right.”

He pulled in air, and I had the sense his pain was becoming less and less tolerable.

“Being in charge meant I sometimes didn’t pay attention. I’m sorry.”

“You’re forgiven.”

I met his gaze for a moment.

“For that, at least.”

“Thanks.”

His lips curled.

“I guess my old job will take a little longer, eh?”

“I don’t have to forgive you for the things you did before we even met, sir.”

That was absurd.

“But I’ll need time to wrap my head around what you’ve told me.”

I still couldn’t merge the two versions of Eli in my head. Maybe I never would.

“Fair enough.”

His tone was contrite.

“How’s the fuel holding up?”

My focus flitted to the gauge.

“We have more than half a tank, so we’ll be fine.”

“Good.”

He settled back against his seat as best as he could.

“I could get used to being chauffeured around.”

***

Pulling onto Owen’s driveway around an hour later, I secured the brake and peered up at his enormous house. My brother had done well for himself, but then few people I knew deserved the success more. Cutting the engine, I glanced over at Eli. He’d fallen asleep a little over half an hour before, and knowing how exhausted he was, I hadn’t tried to wake him. I only hoped the slumber wasn’t a symptom of a bullet-related infection taking hold.

Opening the door, I slipped out and closed it behind me as quietly as I could. I might as well let Eli rest until I knew whether Owen was there. There was a car already on the long, isolated driveway, but for all I knew, he owned more than one. If he was working, I’d let us in and use his phone to call him at work. Sure, he’d be surprised at the impromptu visit, and I had no doubt he’d have many questions, but I was his sister, and he loved me. He’d want to help.

I knocked on the wooden door, glancing around anxiously at the car in case Eli had woken. In an ideal world, I’d have some time with Owen to explain our predicament before I introduced Eli, but recent events had proven the world we lived in was far from perfect. I was still musing on the idea when the door opened behind me.

“Erin?”

Owen’s shocked tone radiated through me.

“Oh, thank God!”

Stepping over the threshold, he threw his arms around me.

“I’ve been worried sick!”

“Owen?”

His suffocating embrace, although welcome, was not the reaction I’d been expecting.

“What’s wrong?”

Drawing away, his gaze scanned my face before it flitted to the fancy car parked on his property.

“I’ve been trying to call you for hours, but your phone just rang out until, finally, I got no answer.”

Tension knotted in my tummy at the idea of him being unable to reach me. We didn’t frequently keep in touch, but I liked to think I was there for him if he needed me.

“Yeah, I don’t have my phone right now…”

Standing in front of him, my situation was proving harder to explain than I’d imagined.

“It’s a long story.”

“Wanna tell me about it?”

His features softened with the question.

“I can put the kettle on.”

“Yeah, thanks, but I need a favor, too.”

Wordlessly, I turned toward the car.

“He’s in there.”

“He?”

Owen clarified, edging away to stare through the windshield.

“Is he a friend of yours?”

His wry tone suggested he knew otherwise.

“Something like that.”

I sighed.

“Like I said, it’s a long story.”

“What’s wrong with him?”

Owen’s hands rose to his hips.

“And don’t tell me that’s a long story too.”

“His name is Eli and he’s been shot.”

I could probably have worked harder to sugarcoat the facts, but Owen was a doctor—he could deal with reality.

“Shot?”

His face was ashen as he glanced back at me.

“Bloody hell, little sister. What have you got yourself into?”