Chapter 17 Part 1
One hour earlier. 8pm.
What Chloe liked best about nights were spending them with Ethan. Sometimes he had a lot of work to do, so he'd spread his work out on the coffee table and she'd sit on the couch and read or scribble down lyrics. Other nights, the two would watch a movie or do a puzzle. Tonight they decided on a movie. Something actiony--Ethan got to pick this time. Chloe didn't mind. It was actually a decent movie, but of course, the best part occurred at the end when the two love interests finally got together.
She enjoyed a good love story.
As the black and white end credits scrolled agonizingly slow off the screen, Ethan's arms tightened around her. They'd laid out on the couch, Chloe's back nestled close to his front. The warmth from his body was more than enough to keep her cozy, deliciously cozy. At the beginning of the movie, once they'd laid down, Ethan had settled a blanket around their legs to keep their feet warm. Now, that blanket had gotten tangled up and mostly forgotten.
His slow, steady breath whispered across the back of her neck. "So?" He asked, referring to the movie.
Chloe bit back a silly grin. He always wanted to make sure she enjoyed the movie as much as he did. "I'm going to be honest. The movie sucked."
She felt his whole frame tense up. "Really?" The barely hidden disappointment in his tone had her biting her lip to keep from laughing.
"Yeah. The cinematic universe has a lot to learn when it comes to action movies."
"Oh."
That was it. She couldn't take it anymore. With a tiny burst of laughter, she turned around, his front pressing close to hers. "I'm kidding."
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Not funny."
She tilted her head so it lined up with his. "I thought it was."
"Movies are not meant to be joked about." He replied, tracing a delicate finger along her cheek.
When they'd started the movie, they had dimmed the lights so an orange glow traced the walls. Now, that gentle light seemed to work in their favor. A part of her brain reminded her a guard stood in the doorway, but she chose to ignore it. If her whole romantic life depended on privacy, she and Ethan would never have a single moment. It would be something she'd have to get over eventually. Now felt like a wonderful time for that.
"I apologize." She said automatically. Thinking felt like too much work. She didn't want to have to think any longer. Instead, her eyes followed the line of his jaw, past the dark stubble, and onto his nose. He had a strong nose. She loved that.
Her fingers itched to smooth over his cheek, so she let them. The stubble prickled at her fingertips. It tickled, but the rest of his face was soft. Her thumb brushed his temple, right over his Acemark.
If she sang right now would it glow under her touch?
Ethan's breath caught and he stayed still, waiting. "You have the most beautiful eyes. So...expressive."
"Ethan." She whispered. He closed his eyes, leaning his face into her hand. She cupped his cheek, a slow melody falling from her lips. It wasn't much, just a random melody she'd worked on yesterday, with no words. And yet, that Acemark of interwoven lightning bolts filled with blue and shined.
She laughed, a disbelieving laugh. She could tell herself a million times over and over that this man was her soul mate, her destiny, but until there were times like these--where her insides sparked and glowed, when his Acemark shined at her voice--that she knew. Really, truly knew. "You're perfect."
His forehead met hers. His smell was all around her, bringing with it comfort and relaxation. Ethan.
"Sometimes my mind has doubts." He breathed, his gray-blue eyes finding hers. "Like maybe this isn't real. That the past few months have only been one long, crazy dream. But it hasn't, has it? You're right here."
"I am." She said.
"Good." He carefully pulled her hand from his cheek and wove his fingers with hers, placing them above her head. Then he leaned in and kissed her.
She'd kissed him before. Many times. But there was something about this kiss--some kind of desperation and need she'd never prepared for. Her chest felt warm, and her heart beat rapidly, but she wanted this connection with him. She wanted everything from this man. So she answered his desperation with her own.
"Ethan." She gasped his name when she managed to take a breath, not for his attention, just to have his name as close to her as he was. He must've understood that because his lips never hesitated, never halted as they trailed to her cheek, under her ear, down her neck.
He moved so he was on top of her, his weight a wonderful pressure against her. "Elizabeth." He kissed her again and she arched her back, her body wanting to press as tight to him as possible.
Then he pulled back, his fingers finding the top button of her plaid shirt. He stopped, his eyes questioning.
She nodded, her hands curling at the nape of his neck. Her stomach fluttered as he separated buttons, and where his knuckles met her skin she got tingles and electric jolts.
When her shirt was off and she had no more than a bra on, Ethan curled some of her hair behind her ear. "I want to make sure you're with me on this, sweetheart."
"I am. I'm sure."
He gave her another second, as if to really let her think it through. Frustration built up. "Ethan, I swear to God, if you don't--"
He laughed, breaking her off with another impossibly delicate kiss.
In the doorway, a cell phone rang. Ethan groaned and looked up. "Darius, really?"
"Sorry, Your Highness, but it's the Commander." Darius said. Then, to presumably Jackson who was on the other line, "Sir?"
Chloe wasn't sure what Jackson was saying, nor did she care. Whatever it was could wait until the morning. Couldn't it?
"Sir, are you sure? I--" Darius broke off. "Here?"
Darius' tone cleared the fog in her head. She made herself pay attention. There was something about his voice. He was alert, which was normal. But this was--
Suddenly, the lights cut out.
Blackness covered the entire room, and with it a chill that raced up and down Chloe's spine. "Ethan?"
"I don't know." He pulled up, snatching the blanket to wrap around her. "Hang on. Darius?"
Darius had gone straight into warrior mode. "Commander, I've got a code red." He said. Chloe couldn't see him well, but she knew he'd moved toward them. "Responding accordingly."
There was a pager on Darius' hip. She knew from experience it was for moments like this. As he talked to Jackson, he clicked a button on it, making it beep and flash red. "I have to go." He told Jackson. Then, he focused on them. "We need to move."
She couldn't make herself find words, even as Darius led them past the kitchen to the hallway that led to the bathroom. At some point he'd grabbed a small pocket flashlight, which he pointed close to the ground to minimize the light.
There was a rug in the hallway, an eccentric red one that somehow matched the theme of the safehouse. Chloe had originally thought it strange to have a long, slim rug in the middle of the hallway, but had dismissed it. Interior designing was never quite her thing, so she'd written it up as someone's interesting choice in design. Darius however, rolled this rug back to expose a square trap door in the flooring.
He handed Ethan the flashlight, then yanked up on the handle. The trap door opened, blowing out a cloud of dust. Chloe coughed once and wrapped the blanket tighter around her.
"The tunnel leads to the other safe house. My men will be waiting there." Darius said.
Ethan helped her down the ladder, pointing the way with the flashlight, before descending himself. "Darius, what about you?"
"I need to go to the fuse box--the generator should have kicked on by now. The fact that it didn't doesn't mean good things." He said. "Commander Jackson is already en route, probably about half an hour out. Stay with my men until he gets here."
The tunnel underneath the safe house was freezing. Chloe shivered, which made Ethan wrap an arm around her. "Darius, be careful."
"Always, Your Highness."
"Darius?" Chloe's voice sounded small to her ears. She couldn't help the sense of foreboding churning in her stomach. "I'm sorry."
"There is nothing to be sorry about, Lady Elizabeth. Now, go."
Ethan's hand was strong on Chloe's elbow as he guided her in a light jog down the tunnel. She was grateful for that--the fear had begun to zap the strength from her legs, and she wasn't sure she'd be able to stand tall on her own, let alone run.
The further into the tunnel they got, the darker it seemed. The guard's house couldn't be more than a block over and yet it felt like they'd been underground for eternity. The walls along the tunnel were stone and brought out a chill unlike she'd ever experienced. Her nightmares sometimes involved being buried deep underground, alive, and this silent tunnel reminded her of it. Don't think about it. Don't think about it.
"Ethan," Her hand holding the blanket together tightened. "The ladder. See it?"
"I do." He huffed out.
He went up first, pounding on the door above him. It whisked open immediately, and the two of them were rushed out. Three guards, Jim, Raul, and a darker skinned man named Luke, surrounded them. They each had a flashlight, which made it a lot easier to navigate.
"We need you two to head to the bathroom. There are more pipes in there, and no windows. It's the most secure." Jim said.
The guard's house had almost the same layout as their safe house, except it covered a smaller area. The home featured the same vaulted ceilings and modern-rustic style. It appeared the major difference was that in this home the bathroom had been placed in the middle of the home, where the kitchen separated from the living room, instead of off to the side like in their version.
"Raul will stay with you here." Jim said.
As if on cue, Raul stepped into the bathroom and began to shut the door.
"Wait." Ethan put a hand on the door. "Where will you be?"
"We need to guard the home." Jim pulled out his gun from the side holster, checked the magazine, then snapped it back in. "Raul is the last resort."
Then they closed them in.
Chloe sat down on the closed toilet seat and ran her fingers through her hair. How had it turned so fast? There'd been nothing for days! And now, all of a sudden they were being hunted.
Ethan paced the small space. Back and forth, back and forth, he went from the sink to the edge of the shower. Raul, on the other hand, had taken up the spot right in front of the door and stood stoically. How he could be so calm, Chloe would never know.
She just needed to stay safe until Jackson got there. Jackson would be able to handle it. He always did. When Darius was on the phone with him, it sounded like Jackson knew exactly what--or rather, who--they were dealing with.
If it wasn't that one guy, Columbine, who'd fled the country, then just who was the mastermind behind it all? Or were they dealing with Columbine, who'd come back to try again?
Either way, there was nothing she or Ethan could do about it now. They'd have to sit here and wait for fate. For a rescue, or for a disaster.
"Ethan." Chloe sat on her hands so they wouldn't tremble. "If we get out of this, I never want a cell phone again."
Despite the tension in his frame, he snorted. "I can make sure of that."
Raul brought a hand up to his ear. "Still clear." He said into an earpiece.
"Is that Darius?" Chloe asked, her stomach churning.
Raul nodded, his eyes focused on a point on the wall behind her as he listened. After a moment, his hand came up again. "Yes, Sir."
"What's happening?" Ethan had finally stopped his pacing, choosing instead to focus his attention on Raul.
"Darius has found an unknown set of tire tracks along the east side of the property." He said. "He will be following them to see where they lead."
Oh God. "Where's the other agent?" Chloe asked. "The one supposed to be patrolling the outside of the house?"
Raul met her gaze and held it, some kind of emotion behind his eyes. "Agent Tyler has not yet responded."
Chloe dropped her head in her hands.
"What about the fuse box and the generator?" Ethan said. "Maybe Tyler is checking that out."
"I would love that to be true, Your Highness. But Darius already checked both." Raul said. "No sign of him."
The rock in Chloe's stomach grew. "Was the power tampered with?"
"Yes."
Shit. "We can't just sit here." She wrapped her arms around her torso.
"This is the most secure room in the house, Lady Elizabeth."
Ethan, noticing her movements, yanked his t-shirt over his head--leaving himself in nothing more than a white tank top--and gave it to her, which she accepted gratefully. "Unfortunately, this is a lot of what it means to be royal, Elizabeth."
"Waiting around? How can you stand it? I feel like the walls are closing in on me."
Ethan crouched in front of her and placed a kiss on her forehead. "We have to trust that the guards will protect us. That's why Jackson trains his men so well."
He was right. Jackson was Commander of the Royal Guard for a reason. He had highly trained men for circumstances just like this one. She'd started to say something positive, but there was a sudden loud bang. She flinched.
A shot.
Raul was in motion at once. "Both of you, shower. Now."
More than a little shaky, Chloe followed orders and sat down in the shower, her right side tight to Ethan's left. Her fingers found his and she gripped his hand fiercely, as if the more strength she used the safer they'd be.
Ethan rested his ear on the top of her head. "It's okay. Shh. It's okay."
Only at that moment had she realized she'd been whimpering.
Raul stood right in front of the blurry glass shower door. His frame tall and steady. At some point he'd taken out his gun and trained it on the door.
"Turn off the flashlight." He ordered. Ethan clicked it off.
They sat in the dark, completely silent. Chloe didn't dare breathe. A grunt seeped through the door. A slam against the wall.
Another shot.
She jumped and shoved her face into Ethan's shoulder. Ethan's other arm came around her, and he curled her up close. There was a current running under his skin, she could feel it, feel the power tucked inside of him, but it didn't hurt her.
Another grunt. Something slammed up against the door.
Silence.
They waited what seemed like forever. Then, slowly, Raul lifted a hand to his ear. "Report?" He whispered.
Whatever answer he got was not one he liked. His gun trained on the door again.
A force crashed into the door. Raul fired once into the middle, bullet whizzing through wood. The crash came again. And again.
The door burst open. Chloe yelped, just barely holding back a scream. Raul fired once, twice, three times.
The other person fired back. The glass of the shower door shattered and Ethan covered her head and buried his own next to hers as the glass rained down . Raul grunted, but fired back until the clip was empty.
Chloe couldn't breathe. Her heart pounded so hard in her chest she thought it might rip free and ringing filled her ears. She was too afraid to look. Too fearful of what she might find.
Slowly, she peered up, through the dark. Raul still stood in front of them. He had nowhere to go--his job was to protect them. Or die trying.
Nothing happened.
She'd just begun to take a steadying breath when there was a bang. Raul crashed into the frame and plummeted into the remnants of the destroyed door.
Within seconds, Ethan stood and moved in front of her, blue electricity threading through his fingers.
"Ethan, no!"
"Don't do it." A voice called out. "I'll shoot. Do you really want to test your reflex skills against mine?"
Chloe's stomach dropped. Oh God. She knew that voice.
On the other side of the door, a flashlight flicked on. Then, as if he had all the time in the world, Lyle stepped through the doorway.
And he was a whole different person.