Running From The Big Bad Wolf

34.

"What about you?" I asked Eli as Rhydian sat on my lap, moving the cars around on the table.

Eli threw me another one of his smiles and my heart went a little faster. I missed him so much.

"I got a new job as you know, took out a loan and then a couple days later, I found out who I actually owed the money to, with a huge interest amount." Eli explained. "Then I met Axel Wolf. He said he could pay my debt and I couldn't use the house for collateral, the car wasn't worth that much and when I said I had nothing to secure it with, he gave me an offer. He will pay back the loan plus interest, and I work as his spy in Eric's gang. All I had to do was sign over, you."

Eli looked resentful. "I'm sorry Caity, I really am. He wasn't meant to turn up at the house. He wasn't meant to meet you. But I asked him to because I was in trouble I couldn't get out off and at the time, I trusted him."

Fresh tears rolled down my cheeks as Rhydian wriggled on my lap.

"I asked Axel to keep an eye on you because I couldn't escape. I was too far in. Then I found out that you were held against your will, that Axel was breaking his word. Then the special task force found me. We are a government funded operation." Eli told me, sitting back in his chair, pity written all over his face.

"With their help, I faked my death. I knew you were still here and they promised to get you out but then you left. Your passport, the Kathleen Stewart one, registered that you left the country and I felt so relieved. I knew you were safe then."

"We kept an eye on Axel. And you, from afar."

"Me?" I asked him. "In Wales?"

Eli nodded. "I trained with the task force. I was kept updated about your whereabouts. Then I was told you had a baby. We, I was highly surprised. But you worked, you cared for your son. It was a safe house Harrison set up years ago for his family. But it was never needed. Until you needed it. Mrs Dwyer is such a lovely woman."

"How do you know Mrs Dwyer?" I asked Eli, intrigued on Eli's adventure.

"She is our fathers aunt." Eli told me, making me frown.

Our father? "What has he got to do with all this?" I asked Eli, confused.

"It was our father that set up everything. A safe place for your documents to be hidden, the safe house in Wales, you securing your jobs there as well. Your hospital bill for when you had, Rhy."

I shook my head. What has he got to do with all this? "Eli, our father left years ago. We walked put on us. He left us, remember?" Last time I asked Eli about our father, he was angry, telling me to forget about the drop kick. "How did Eric know where I was?" I sighed out, not really wanting to talk about my absent father.

"We don't know. But we are fixing all our security. We have no idea how he got that information."

"Mrs Dwyer informed us as soon as you left. She knew about all the men at the apartment, but, it is a safe house. We have many victims living there." Eli continued on. "As soon as she stated you left, we set the mission ahead. You were our top priority."

"Who is we?" I asked agitated that Eli kept saying we.

Eli frowned and sighed. "The task force." Came his answer. "The only problem was, we didn't know where you were. Until we managed to get a bug in the house. We had a feeling he would return to that house and we were right. We bugged it and listened everyday till we overheard his phone call. But his plan to retrieve you was ahead of our time. Axel moved swiftly."

"We had no choice but to wait. We kept an eye on the house. We didn't know where the kid was. But we listened." Eli looked at me in embarrassment and I frowned even more. "I heard everything that went on there, Caity. Every fight, every word. I'm so sorry."

I pulled in a little gasp, Rhydian long gone off my lap. "Everything?"

Eli nodded.

I closed my eyes. "Oh god." I muttered.

"We had to wait. Every move was calculated. We were ready to take action, then you moved. Now I know it wasn't by your choice. But everything we had planned was scratched as we started over again. We watched you everytime you left the house. All those parties, you looked so miserable."

"Because I was."

Eli gave me a small smile. "I know. I'm sorry it took so long. I'm sorry it wasn't sooner."

I got up and went around to Eli, holding him. "But you're here now. Better late than never."

"Well, actually, better alive than dead."

I giggled as I hugged Eli. "Yeah." I sighed out.