Page 5 of Holding the Line
He’d been driving ever since.Mountains looming, air thinning, the road curling up into nowhere.No cell reception.No nearby gas stations.Just scrub-land, old fencing, and an increasing sense that he’d made the right choice.He was looking for a place to disappear, and this looked like a place that would allow that to happen easily.
To be fair, not that he had a whole lot of options available to him.Obsidian Ridge had been the only offer that had promised a little anonymity and distance from New York.A discreet, off-grid trauma recovery contract.The main contact, Ezra, had looked at him across the Zoom screen, seen something, and offered him a way out.When Eli hesitated over giving him too many details of his current situation in New York, he’d let Eli slide away from full answers.Which he appreciated.
So, here he was.
Miles from Cheyenne, halfway up a mountain, stomach rumbling, body aching, hope flickering on and off within him, and a sense that somehow this was exactly where he needed to be.
He passed the first sign for Obsidian Ridge and let out a long breath.Almost there.
The map had lied.Ezra had said a couple of hours from the turn off at the bottom of the mountain.It had taken him almost three times that, having to stop periodically to let the car cool down.And now he was pulling up to the gated driveway, only to find a truck—a massive, matte-black Dodge Ram—parked sideways across the gravel entrance, blocking the way in entirely.
Eli slowed.Parked.
He waited.
The driver didn’t move.
Eli stepped out, carefully, his joints protesting.He limped toward the truck, trying to hide his discomfort as much as possible, noting the imposing figure behind the wheel.Short dark blond hair swept to the right, jaw like carved marble.Aviators hiding everything but the attitude his demeanor practically screamed.The man positively exuded alpha male vibes.
“Hi,” Eli said, forcing brightness into his voice.“I’m supposed to meet Ezra Navarro.I think I’m in the right place?”
The guy didn’t move.Didn’t even twitch.Eli couldn’t see the man’s eyes but figured he didn’t blink either.
“Look, I’ve had a long drive.Really long.The car has three functioning gears and starts with a spoon.Can we not do the whole stoic-guardian-of-the-gates thing?”
Still no answer.
“I mean, unless you’re cos-playing Gandalf.Which, honestly, I’m totally here for, and it would make this whole interaction worth it.”
Finally, the man tilted his head.“Ezra doesn’t live here anymore.”
Eli blinked.“What?”
“You heard me.”
Disappointment shot through him.“But I just—he hired me.I’ve got the message.The coordinates.I’m here to work.”
“Not anymore.”How the man’s words got through his locked jaw and gritted teeth, Eli had no idea.
He stared at the man, frustration bubbling.The guy was annoyingly attractive in a danger-you-shouldn’t-touch way, and the sunglasses only made it worse.Was he even looking at Eli?He couldn’t tell.Aviators should be illegal on men with jawlines like that.
He tried again.“Look, if this is some weird hazing ritual, can we skip to the part where I get let in?I’ve got a name.Eli Carmino.Can you call someone who knows that I was coming?I left New York.I gave up everything to be here.Ezra—”
“You said you’d be here mid-morning, you’re late,” Marsh muttered, too low.
Eli blinked.The questions seemed to come out of nowhere.“What?”
“You said—” the guy stopped on a dime, and winced, “—I mean what time did you say you were going to be here?If you were expected, then someone should have been here to meet you.”
Eli propped his hands on his hips and arched a brow at the man.“You intercepted my message somehow, didn’t you?”
“What message?”Marsh snapped quickly, too quickly.
Eli narrowed his eyes.“Huh.”
He pulled out his phone, dialed and put it on speaker.
Ezra picked up on the second ring.“Eli?Are you there?I’ve been waiting to hear from you.Are you okay?”