Wanted

Chapter 33

            Eli has been examined and questioned for the past two hours now. The boys and I are all waiting anxiously to be allowed in to see him. Colton continues to relentlessly bounce his knee up and down, never taking his eyes off the door. Almost as if he's afraid that something will happen if he makes the slightest shift of focus.

"How are you?" Parker asks me.

"Fine," I say moving my head to look up at him. "How are you?"

"As good as I can be," Parker replies. "Eli is like a brother to me and I don't know what I would have done if I had ever lost him."

There's a short silence. "Throughout the whole ordeal you seemed so calm and focused."

Parker shrugs. "We had a goal and I had to do all I could to achieve it. Freaking out and becoming over emotional was not going to help our situation."

I eye him again, letting an incredulous smile stretch across my face. I'm amazed at how he is able to do what needs to be done with efficiency and grace. I love Eli but I am in no way as close to him as Parker, Colton, or Alec. If I were I am positive that there is no way I could have remained as cool and collected as Parker or even Alec. I would have been like Colton, stressing out with worry then freaking out with worry when learning that the only way to save him would be to put himself and some of his closest friends in a perilous situation.

I get up out of the uncomfortable plastic chair to stretch my legs out of the cramped position they have been in for the last two hours.

"Do you want to take a walk?" Parker asks.

I hesitate, trying to come up with the best response. "It can't be much longer. I think it would be best if we just waited here." I see the easy-going grin slip off of his face and add, "Later though, okay?"

Parker nods and goes to sit down next to Colton. Hopefully in attempts to soothe him.

It takes another painful thirty minutes until the door opens and we are able to see Eli. At the words of the official Colton barely lets him finish before bursting into the room to greet his older brother.

"You're okay right?" Colton says rushing to sit beside Eli on his bed.

Eli sits up and moves beside Colton before answering. "I'm the same as I was the last time I saw you buddy. No change other than being bored from all the questions I have had to answer." He lets a grin light up his face as if to prove to Colton that he is completely fine and he does not have to worry.

"Hey Eli," Alec, Parker, and I all chorus.

"Hey guys," Eli says in return before turning his attention back to Colton.

"I feel like we're intruding," I whisper quietly to Alec and Parker.

"So we'll just see how you're doing later Eli," Alec says.

"No, no, please stay," Eli says slightly moving away from Colton. "Ask away."

"You have been subject to questioning the past two hours don't you think that it's time for a break?" Alec asks.

"I want to tell you guys what happened because it directly involves you. What happened did not involve anyone else, so them questioning me was irrelevant.

"What exactly happened?" Colton asks, looking at his brother with concerned eyes.

Eli launches into his story about how they captured him and only him. The group he was with was luckily able to make it away to their destination and remain safe for the time being. He was brought to the warehouse where they tied him up and began to ask him questions about his life and about me. Later on they shared their plans with him and told him that soon he wouldn't be necessary.

"The people we were dealing with were the real deal," Eli says. "None would have hesitated to kill. They were true terrorists and we are lucky that John and his team were able to get them locked up."

All of us nod in agreement. I now understand how badly our situation could have become. We were all in extreme danger and luckily for us we were able to escape without harm.

"We'll leave the two of you alone now," Parker says when Eli is done with his story. I have so many more things I would like to question him about, but one look at Colton tells me that I will have to wait until the siblings reconnect.

The three of us exit the room to leave Colton with his brother. I feel like despite them not being apart for long the recent situation has forced them to want to be around each other, especially in Colton's case.

As we make our way up to our room a door opens and John steps out.

"You three!" He says. "I need to talk to you." We allow him to lead us to another room where we all take our seats.

"Where's the other one? Colton."

"He's with his brother, catching up," Parker says.

"Ah okay then," John says. "I have some news regarding your situations."

We gesture for him to continue.

"Becca now that these criminals who have been of threat to you have been caught you are free to go as you like without fear of attack." John says. "You may decide to move to any of these locations," he gestures to a pamphlet in front of me, "to live at and we will assign you a chaperone because you are still a minor."

I look down at the paper in shock. Every one of them is elaborate and beautiful but I know what I have to do.

"This is very generous John but I will have to decline. I love where I live now and I don't believe I could live without these guys." I say.

John smiles. "If that is what you like it will be arranged. As far as I'm aware the house you live in now is secure and you may return to it."

"Great," I say with a smile. "What do you say boys, shall we go home?"

"We shall," Parker says taking my arm, leading me out of the room.

He leads me down the hallway and back into the room the four of us shared. He shuts the door behind us.

"I have been waiting months to do this," he says.

"Do what—" I'm cut off by Parker pushing his lips against mine. Without so much as I thought I move closer to him returning the kiss and tangle my hands in his luscious hair.

It feels like forever but when we finally pull apart Parker leans his forehead against mine and says, "It's time to go home, Becca."

With those words I know everything is going to be okay.

THE END