Obscured (The Obscured Series Book 1)

by C. M. Boers

  I took the opportunity to grab my backpack from the back seat, which I might add was quite a feat with handcuffs on. First I found my cell phone, and the light from the screen lit up the car. I hoped Randy didn’t see it, but I figured he was preoccupied. There was one text message from Bailey and one from Eli. Eli’s said, I’m so worried about you right now, I love you. I hope you get this, Randy will not get away with this! I’m so sorry I wasn’t there.

  Trying to imagine how Eli felt wasn’t possible. He was blaming himself more than anything for it, it was his nature. His job as my Protector was to do just that, protect me. At the moment he felt like a failure and I could totally understand that. I only hoped that Ren was helping to calm him. I wished I had the abilities Eli did, and then maybe I could help him for once.

  Bailey’s said, Okay…I hope everything is okay. See you tomorrow, right?

  I didn’t answer either of them for fear that Randy would catch me with the phone, but I put it in my pocket just so I had it. I peeked out the window and saw that Randy was just standing there with a dumbfounded look on his face. Geez, he must not know how to change a tire. At least my dad had prepared me for that before I moved. I clutched my backpack, pushed my door open and climbed out. I dropped my bag with a thud on the ground next to the car.

  “Do you know how to change a tire?” I asked flatly.

  “Uh, no. But I’ll figure it out. Get back in the car,” he ordered.

  I could tell he was embarrassed, as he should be. Nothing about him was organized. I almost felt bad for him. Almost.

  “I’ll change it,” I said as I tried rolling up the sleeves of my shirt. “Get me the jack, spare tire, tire iron and stand back.”

  He stared at me for a minute before he finally retreated and did as I asked.

  I motioned for him to remove the handcuffs. “Think you could take these off?”

  He hesitated once more.

  “What am I going to do? Run out into the desert in the middle of the night without a clue where I am?”

  He reluctantly unfastened one cuff, but left the other dangling from my arm. Great! That would make it so much easier for me to change a tire.

  “Take notes,” I said sarcastically. “I think me bailing you out earns the right to be let go. Just saying.” It didn’t hurt to try.

  He didn’t say anything in return. I heard a noise off in the distance behind me. It scared me thinking about what it could possibly be. There was an endless list scrolling through my head.

  “What was that?” I asked Randy, looking around cautiously.

  “I don’t know,” he answered looking spooked himself.

  Man, could I have been kidnapped by a less manly guy? The noise got louder. It sounded like someone was walking through the desert. Someone who didn’t care how much noise they made. Whatever or whoever it was, was getting closer. I stood up to watch and wait, knowing any second I would be able to see it. A second later a man stepped from behind a bush, illuminated by the headlights of the car. His dark hair and icy eyes stared us down. He was tall and lean, but very muscular. I instinctively took a step back. I did not want to cross this man. I hoped he was friendly, but I have to say being in the desert at that time of night in the middle of nowhere didn’t really bode well. The profile was more fit for a psychopath then a nice normal person.

  “Hi.” The words tumbled from my mouth. Where they came from, I didn’t have a clue. I certainly wouldn’t have been so bold.

  The man chuckled. I held tight to the tire iron in my hand with the handcuff still dangling there like the hottest new fashion accessory. I spread the iron across my body from one hand to the other as I stood there feeling helpless.

  “Well, Randy, you can’t seem to keep your nose out of business it doesn’t belong in, can you?” the man asked.

  I looked at Randy, shocked that the man knew him. I couldn’t fathom what he wanted or how he knew we would be there. I hoped that I wouldn’t get caught in the middle of something else. That was the last thing I needed, being stuck in the middle of some stupid feud between people that I didn’t even know. It was precisely what happened to Bailey, and I didn’t envy the position she was in.

  “What are you doing here Vince?”

  Vince? Where had I heard that name before? I couldn’t put my finger on it.

  “What do you think I’m doing here?”

  “You aren’t taking her,” Randy said sternly.

  “Oh yeah? Well, it looks like you are stranded and she is the one holding a tire iron. I think she will be the judge of that,” the man chuckled.

  Randy looked at me with a frightened look and took a step back like I was holding a gun to his head. I had no idea what was happening. What had I missed? I didn’t know whom I should trust, but at the moment it seemed that I was the only one holding a weapon. I took a step back from Randy and the man called Vince.

  “Who says I’m going with either of you,” I spat in their direction, finally finding my backbone.

  “Trust me, you’ll want to come with me,” the man said. And with that he lunged at Randy.

  Instead of trying to fight back, Randy just stood there with a dumbfounded look on his face. Vince’s fist connected with Randy’s face hard, and sent him to the ground in an unmoving heap. I looked at the man and took another step backwards. He started towards me and held out his hand.

  “Sorry I didn’t introduce myself before, I’m Vince,” he said kindly in his gruff voice.

  I refused to take his out stretched hand. “I’d introduce myself, but it appears you already know who I am,” I stated. I was scared and I could hear the blood pumping through my veins. “What do you want from me?” I asked.

  “Whoa, I don’t want anything from you. I think you have the wrong idea.”

  “Oh yeah? Show me how I can get a different idea. You show up after I’ve been kidnapped, in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere and I’m just supposed to think you don’t want anything. Sorry—I’m not buying.” I had more venom in my voice than I ever had before. It felt good standing my ground. I could only imagine the range of emotion Eli must be feeling, but I could say for myself that it wasn’t a fun roller coaster! I was breaking down, mentally and physically. I just wanted to go home.

  “I’m Eli’s dad,” he stated quietly.

  Eli’s dad. I dropped the tire iron. I fell to my knees. The uncontrollable sobs that followed caused tremors throughout my body. I didn’t realize I’d been holding back so much emotion. Whether it was to guard myself or Eli I didn’t know, but it all surfaced in that moment. Weeks of pent-up emotion spilled out.

  Why had I not recognized him? In the dark I faintly recognized his face from the picture on Eli's nightstand. Though, to be fair, his stubble was longer which masked the outline of his face.

  Eli’s dad had come to save me. How did he even know about me? It felt like I would never get used to the new world that had been thrust upon me.

  I heard Vince rummaging around for a bit before he scooped me up in one big movement and carried me all the way to his car. By the time he placed me in the passenger seat my sobbing had subsided a bit. I had been in a complete daze until then. I wasn’t sure how much time had passed. He unlocked the handcuff that was still attached to my wrist and tossed them into the back seat. He came around the car and threw in my bag. I hadn’t seen him grab it, but I was relieved he had made the effort. Then he got in the driver’s seat and started driving in the direction that Randy had been headed.

  “I’m sorry,” I started to say but he put his hand up to stop me.

  “Don’t be, you had a right to be cautious, like you said it’s not like I approached in a manner that made me look trustworthy. If you hadn’t questioned me I might have been wondering what was going on in that pretty little head.”

  “Thanks,” I said.

  “You are my son’s girlfriend, you have become his world and that makes you mine as well.”

  “But how did you even know? Eli said h
e hasn’t seen you for a long time.”

  “I have been away, but I always come back to check on him. After all, he is my son. When he left town and left you behind, I knew where I was needed. I could see the worry in his face when he left. Pete is a tricky son-of-a-gun to get involved with. I’m not sure what all went down with you guys, but I knew as soon as I saw Pete I’d better stick around.”

  “Tell me about it,” I said.

  He laughed.

  “Give me your cell phone,” he said.

  I pulled it out of my pocket and handed it to him. “How did you know I had it?”

  “I saw you using it in the car. I’d been watching num-nuts try to figure out how to change that tire. I have to say, it was hard to hold back my laughter when you got out to change it for him. Apparently, my son has good taste in women.”

  I felt proud that I had shown up Randy, and Vince’s comment made me blush.

  He dialed Eli.

  “Hey son,” he said.

  I couldn’t hear Eli, but I wished I could. He had to be ecstatic to not only hear from his dad, but to hear that he had also rescued me.

  “She’s fine, she with me now,” he paused. “Where are you?” He waited a moment, “Okay, we are about 30 minutes outside of Holbrook. We will meet you there in an hour. Drive safe son.”

  He hung up the phone and handed it back to me.

  “He’s a dedicated scoundrel, that one. He jumped on the first flight he could to Albuquerque and got a rental car from there. I’m not sure how he made such record time, but he is only about an hour and a half from us.”

  I could hear the fondness in his dad’s voice as he spoke of Eli. He seemed to really miss him, and I could relate. I couldn’t wait to see Eli. I needed him and the strength and comfort he gave me.

  Vince seemed relaxed as he drove. I don’t know why I hadn’t noticed before, but as I gazed at him from the passenger seat, he looked a heck of a lot like Eli. They shared the same dark hair, right down to the hair style. Their eyes even held the same shade of beautiful blue.

  “Thank you,” I whispered as I drifted off to sleep.

  I faintly heard him say, “You’re welcome.”

  The next thing I knew, I was waking up in the car. It was in the parking lot of a grocery store, and Eli and Vince were standing just outside the car talking. I watched them catch up. I could see how happy Eli was to see his dad. I didn’t want to intrude on his moment so I didn't move.

  While I sat there I couldn’t help but think that it was refreshing to see Eli so uninhibited and carefree. Even when it was just he and I alone he had never been quite that carefree. I felt a pang of regret that being around me made him so guarded. I knew he had to be, but it just reiterated the fact that our relationship would never be normal.

  Slowly, I opened the car door and popped my head out. The sound of the car door opening caught their attention. In an instant, Eli was at my side helping me out of the car. I flung myself into his arms and he almost fell over. He held me tight and didn’t let go.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “I am now,” I answered smiling.

  I knew at that moment everything would be okay from there on out. We had an understanding; a bond. A bond I knew I’d never again have with anyone else. Nothing else mattered because we could get through it together. We could make it though anything, that much I knew. As long as we had each other we could conquer the world.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  C. M. Boers is a wife and mother of three. She grew up in the sunshine state of Arizona with a love of reading and an ambition to write, but she never took her writing seriously until after the birth of her first child. After he was born she took up writing more seriously in her spare time and hasn't stopped since. Look for more books from C. M. Boers soon! Thank you for supporting an Indie author!