Among the Echoes(62)

He immediately stands. Leo is a big guy, but I still tower over him. "Really bad," he says as he walks to the small kitchen.

"Sorry, but I’m going to need more than that," I tell his back.

He pulls two beers from the fridge. "If she stays with you, we are officially being released from the program."

"What?" I slam my untouched beer down, causing it to foam all over the counter.

"I’ve been round and round with them tonight, and it’s just not happening."

"Are they just going to leave her to die?" I grit out.

"No. They are going to try to scare her into leaving you." He lets out a loud huff then pulls a sip of his beer.

"I won’t let her go. Tell them to f*ck off."

"I would if I didn’t think they would take me up on it. Slate, you are the epitome of everything we are supposed to avoid, yet she fell in love with you all the same. They aren’t going to stand by and publicly fail while the media reports Slate Andrews’s girlfriend was killed or worse—kidnapped."

"I won’t let anyone touch her," I vow. "But I also won’t let her go."

He takes in a deep breath and lifts his eyes to hold mine. "I’m going to advise they remove her from the situation."

A blast of adrenaline spirals through my body. I reach out and grab his throat, pushing him against the pantry door. I lean in close so Erica can’t hear my eruption. "You even think about taking her from me and I’ll feed you to the wolves myself. I will hunt until the day I die to find her. And trust me, I have the resources to make it happen, Leo." I spit his name like it’s venom on my tongue.

"You’re going to get her killed if you follow," he manages to bite out around my hand cupping his throat.

"Then don’t take her. She stays with me."

"You don’t know what you are talking about. She can’t stay with you without protection. They will track her down."

"If we work together, we could do it. I have a place in Chicago. Maxed security system, private entrance, twenty-four-hour guard. Leo, we could make her safe." He stares into my eyes for a few moments as his face continually turns red from my grip on his throat.

It happens so fast that I can’t even begin to tell you where I went wrong. Leo grabs my hand from his neck and spins me, pulling my arm hard behind my back and pinning my face against the same door I just held him against.

He leans in, speaking directly into my ear. "I want a team of my own men, unlimited funds, and for you to keep your f*cking mouth shut and take care of her. I worry about her safety and you worry about her well-being."

It makes total sense but I’m no one’s bitch. I slam my head back, cracking his nose and sending him to the ground. I drop to a knee beside him and once again regain my grip on his throat. "Deal."

He holds my eyes for a minute in an unspoken truce before I finally release him. I reach down, grabbing his hand and dragging him back to his feet. His nose is bleeding and my arm is throbbing from the restraint, but we both nod to each other in agreement.

"We leave in the morning. She’s staying with me tonight."

"I’ll let the big boys know," he says, pulling an ice pack from the freezer and pressing it to his nose.

"Hey, Leo." I stop him before he makes it to his room. "Will this ever end for her? I mean, is there a solution besides running all the time?"

"God, I hope so," he says with a resigned sigh. It’s easy to forget that Erica isn’t the only one whose life has been stolen.

"How much help has she had dealing with all of this? She is unquestionably not okay."

"She went through some pretty extensive therapy right after it happened. Then she called them all quack head doctors and refused to go back." He laughs. "Now she Skypes with a doctor once a month, but she needs more. See if you can talk her into seeing someone more regularly. Yeah?"

"Yeah, I’ll see what I can do."





"University of Florida," she answers, dragging her nails over my chest.

"And what made you want to go into medicine?" I ask as we lie in bed.

For the last two hours, I’ve been getting to know Erica Hill. Jesus—she is amazing. When Erica talks about her life before that night, her eyes light and her entire demeanor changes. I only thought she was beautiful before.