Haunted by the Past (Original)

Chapter 7

"When you said you had cereal, I took that to mean you had at least a handful," I announced as I reentered the room. "And when you said you had milk, I thought it would been purchased at least in the last two weeks."

"It wasn't?" Eli questioned from his desk, not even bothering to look at me.

"No, it was not," I glared.

"Then maybe you should have stayed at the Best Western," he joked, referring to the Best Western back in Raven Hill. It was known for attracting the most stuck up, self-centered tourists. Something about its pancake machine made all of its guests feel instantly entitled. To what, we all struggled to understand. If you weren't in Raven Hill to appreciate the rolling hills and dense forest of upstate New York, then what the hell were you in Raven Hill for? However, having lived in the City for the past six years, I came to understand that many of those guests were simply city folk whose therapists told them to touch grass. What their therapists failed to mention is that touching grass was not an instant relaxation and required a little more effort on their parts, i.e. putting down their damn phones.

The real guests of Raven Hill, the ones worth accommodating, stayed at the Crows Nest Inn, run by Meredith's parents, Eli's father and step-mother. They didn't have some fancy pancake making machine, but they did have a hot buffet breakfast. And their milk wasn't expired. I was surprised though that Eli would even make a joke like that seeing how he resented everything about his father, which included his second wife and her beloved inn. Then again, if Eli could accept Meredith and their younger sister Naomi as family, maybe there was still hope yet.

"How are you living like this!?" I exclaimed. "Don't you care?"

Even though he had his back to me, from the way his head tilted to the side, I could tell he was rolling his eyes and groaning at me. "You wouldn't understand."

"Why don't you try me instead of assuming you know what I would or would not understand!" I yelled.

Eli turned in his chair reluctantly to face me, "I'm- I'm wanted."

I stared at him blankly, not quite believing what he was saying, "Wanted by who? The Mafia? The Triad?"

"Worse. The FBI," he responded plainly.

"You?" I questioned with doubt.

"Yes, me," he reiterated.

"Ha, ha, very funny. Now tell me the truth," I narrowed my eyes.

"It's not a joke, Dani," he sighed. "I screwed up. And now if I am seen by the wrong camera or heard by the wrong listening device, a swarm of FBI agents will descend upon me. That's why I was wearing the mask last night. Why I couldn't meet you anywhere with surveillance. Why I live in this shitty building. Why I've stolen electricity from the business next door. And their internet. Why I had to block all of the location services on your phone and tablet. Why I needed you to take the path you did last night. I am off the grid. Having you come to me exposes me."

"That's what you meant when you said things are different now?" I asked.

"Yes," he laughed. "Definitely not married."

"Oh," I looked away, embarrassed by my very wrong assumption. "You could have still said no."

He tilted his head from side to side, "Sure, maybe. But who else would be as well equipped to help you hide as I am? I have all the knowledge and the resources to help you hide from this psychopath."

"Um, I don't know what to say, Eli," I shifted my weight uncomfortably, still not quite processing that Eli could ever be considered a threat by the authorities. "What did you do?"