Page 76 of Hawk's Cry

My eyes catch sight of a second man. I suppose it does take two to stop a waddling heavily pregnant lady escaping. But I do what isn’t absolutely necessary, flush and clean up, then allow myself to be escorted back to my room.

No escape. All I can do is sit and wait. I think about Eli. When I’d seen him earlier, there had been flashes of the man he’d been before we were married. Was it possible that the shock of Archangel taking me forced him back to himself? Or, at least, started the recovery process? I realise I hadn’t seen him since his hospital visit and wonder how that went. Had seeing a therapist helped?

Whatever plan he’s working on now has to work. Not just because of me and our baby, but it has to succeed for Eli to start to trust himself again.

There’s no bed, just a couch. I lie on my side and make myself as comfortable as I can. I’m tired, as I always seem to be nowadays. My head though, it won’t switch off. But while I think sleep will evade me, my mind at last shuts down, taking advantage of that for now, my baby, too, is sleeping.

I wake with a start to what sounds like doors being kicked in and gunshots. I roll and awkwardly get to my feet and do an ungraceful dive behind the sofa. What protection it will afford me, I have no idea, but hopefully it will at least impede the progress of a stray bullet heading my way.

Now it’s the door to the room that I’m in that’s being broken down. Friend? Or foe?

Hating myself, I whimper slightly. I just want to be safe and go home.

“Olivia?” a familiar voice shouts, his voice panicked.

“Dad?” In disbelief, I pull myself to my feet, using the couch for leverage. “Dad?” I ask again, half thinking I’m still asleep and I’ve conjured up an apparition.

But when he crosses the room in two long strides and his arms come around me so tightly it’s almost painful, I know I’m awake.

“You’re safe, baby. Safe. I’ve got you. You’re safe.”

I haven’t cried once since Archangel took me, but now the tears flow and don’t stop. It’s Dad, he’s here.

“Eli?” I sob.

“With Drummer, taking out the trash.” He jerks his head over his shoulder.

“He’s here?”

Another gunshot sounds. Dad puts me behind him, but then the empty doorway is filled with the sight of the man I most want to see. I twist around my father and run to him.

“Eli!”

“Shush,” he murmurs against my hair as I breathe him in, his arms surrounding me and our baby. “It’s over, darlin’. Archangel won’t be bothering anyone again.”

“He’s dead?” I ask, hopefully. A man as evil as him shouldn’t be breathing the same air as me.

Drummer chuckles behind Eli. “As good as.”

I’m a Satan’s Devil’s daughter. I don’t ask for clarification. Something tells me Archangel won’t be let off lightly or be able to escape.

“Come on, darlin’. Let’s go home.”

“The compound,” Dad clarifies. “Need you close to me.”

“Need them both close,” Drummer agrees.

“Er,” I pull at Eli’s arm when he turns and starts to head toward the front door. “I need to pee.”

“Wait until you get back to the compound,” Drummer says mysteriously, and Eli snorts.

“The bathroom’s in use,” he tells me at my questioning look.

“Yup,” Drummer agrees. “Wouldn’t advise going in there.”

I start shifting from foot to foot. “Can we get a move on then?”

It’s very early in the morning so luckily there’s not much traffic about. I cuddle up to Eli in the back of the car, snuggled against his chest. One arm grips me tightly, the other gently rests on my swollen belly.

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