Chapter Six #2
She looked away toward the window. “Since Sean recruited me he already knew everything about me. He took me under his wing. Helped me with the transition from the military into private intelligence. Taught me how to navigate with clients, other operatives, and how to handle Lauren. We spent a lot of time together. Sharing came naturally after a while for both of us. But you know there was never anything romantic with him, right?” she asked, meeting his eyes. “I loved him, but like a brother.”
The three of them had drinks once. And only once.
Her partner introduced himself as Sean Smith.
He was the opposite of Liv’s type. A redhead.
Polished. Too smooth. From the start, the guy rubbed Eli wrong.
Sean had taken the liberty of ordering a drink for her and went so far as to call her Dove in front of him.
The word rolled from his slick tongue the way darling would’ve. It had irked Eli to the bone.
Nonetheless, he was glad she had a partner she trusted, and he grieved for her when she lost Sean.
“I know,” Eli said. “Not that I ever had any right to be jealous.”
They stared at each other.
His words hung in the air, silence filling up the space of all the unspoken things between them.
“We don’t have to talk about it,” she said. “The baby. The future.”
That uncanny thing went both ways. It was like she could see his worries and his fears. “Don’t we?”
“Eventually, yes, but not tonight. Not while we’re working on this assignment. I’ve had weeks to adjust to this.” She rubbed her stomach. “To sort through my feelings. It’s okay if you need time. Space,” she said, sounding far more patient than he deserved. “There’s no rush.”
If only it were that simple.
But when it came to Liv, it never was.
Frustration stirred inside him. He was no longer certain of the next move to make with her. At least not the right one. “I think we missed the dinner cart. You must be starving,” he said, standing up from the bed.
“Did you hear my stomach growling?”
“No, but you usually like to eat dinner early.” No later than six. He glanced at his watch. “It’s almost eight. Besides, you didn’t have lunch and you’re supposed to be eating for two.”
“Please don’t bring back a ton of stuff. In the first trimester, I don’t need any extra calories. Later on, it’s only about two to four hundred more. But I do need my prenatal vitamins that were in my purse.”
“We’ll get you more.” He picked up the pitcher of water the doctor brought in earlier before he left and refilled her cup. “I think the cafeteria stays open until nine. Any cravings?”
“Soup and carbs. Maybe dinner rolls, or crackers, or something.”
Olivia usually only wanted protein and veggies. She didn’t turn into a pod person after all. Liv was just pregnant and had been scared to tell him.
“On it.” He plodded into the hallway, with no appetite of his own, and more ready to sleep.
A man stepped off the elevator with a baseball cap pulled low, carrying a large bouquet of flowers in a basket that blocked his face, and went to the nurses’ station.
Eli headed down the hall, wondering if the hospital let just anyone upstairs with deliveries. His gaze lingered on the man, and he caught a glimpse of dirty blond hair. The guy was slim. Tall. Wore black pants.
Gray hiking boots.
Boots he recognized. Eli’s stomach clenched and he stopped.
“Right down the hall,” the nurse said. “Room 405.”
Adrenaline burned through Eli.
“Thanks.” Turning, the delivery guy looked up, his hazel eyes meeting Eli’s, and froze.
It was Kevin. From the hotel.
Son of a—
The guy whirled around and took off down the corridor. Eli bolted after him.
Kevin raced toward the stairwell. Shoved a nurse out of his way, knocking her into the wall. He glanced back over his shoulder and tossed the flowers at him.
Eli swatted the basket to the floor.
All could he think about was Liv down the hall in the room. If Eli left two minutes sooner, she would’ve been unprotected and easy pickings for this NDR fanatic.
Kevin grabbed onto a tall metal cart of supplies and flung it over into the middle of the corridor. Then he rushed through the stairwell door.
As Eli jumped over the cart, his foot got caught on one of the racks. He tripped, and his knee slammed against the floor. Cursing, he leaped up and shoved on the door, racing into the stairwell. Eli saw Kevin, one flight down, with a gun in his hand.
Pop! The bullet struck the steel railing.
Ducking back into the corridor, he let the door shut. The guy only missed him because of lousy aim.
Eli wished he hadn’t left his firearm in a locked box in his Ram. But he didn’t think he’d need it in the hospital.
With his back pressed to the wall, he took a breath. Listened. Heard footsteps retreating. He hurried back into the stairwell and peeked over the railing.
Kevin was close to the ground floor. The guy glanced up. Spotted him. Aimed again.
Hustling backward in case he got lucky, Eli moved out of the way as the next bullet pinged the railing. He dashed down the steps, sticking close to the wall.
By the time he reached the ground floor, there was no sign of Kevin.
Eli ran to the exit that led out into a parking lot. A black truck was speeding away. The vehicle turned onto the main road, tires screeching, and disappeared into the night.
He stared out at the parking lot, searching for anyone else lurking around.
Why was NDR still after Olivia? They stopped the opening of the resort. They won.
Were they determined to kill her because she worked for Aegis?
More importantly, if she insisted on pursuing this investigation, how was he going to keep her safe?