Becoming Calder (A Sign of Love Novel)(111)

Kristi shook her head, looking confused. "What? That . . ." But she didn't seem to know how to continue. He must be right.
"You're lucky we don't arrest you for harboring a runaway," he said, and then spit on the pavement next to him. "And we really don't want to shoot you, but we will if we have to." He laughed and touched his gun again. I had no clue what was funny.
"Get in," Clive said, his face turning stony as he pointed to the police car. "Don't make me have to cuff you."
"Calder . . ."
Calder looked back at Xander, widened his eyes, and Xander nodded his head once. Then Calder made a sudden movement, throwing himself in front of me and facing the officer. Calder pushed me backward to Xander who took my hand and started to run. I screamed, looking backward as the officer dived at Calder.
And then suddenly I was being slammed to the ground, the breath leaving my body as I hit pavement. I groaned, trying to get my bearings as someone yanked me up. Clive stood in front of me, breathing hard. He snapped cuffs on my wrists, a wild excited look in his eyes. "Little fighter, I like that," he said, laughing. Then he dragged me backward to the police car as Xander swore behind me, Kristi rushing to his side.
I swallowed, the terror rising inside of me.
Calder was being pushed inside the police car and I was pushed in behind him. Calder's eyes were wild as he tried to reach out and touch me with his cuffed hands. "Are you okay? Eden, are you okay?" He made a sound of rage as his eyes flew over me.
"I'm okay, Calder. I'm okay," I reassured him, even though my heart beat crazily in my chest and fear pumped through my veins.
Xander ran to the door of the car, but Clive held him back. "He doesn't want you," Clive said.
Calder leaned around me and called out to Xander. "I'll meet you . . ."
Xander walked away backward, his face a mask of shock and anger. "I know where, I know when," he said.
I didn't know what they'd arranged, but Calder nodded and sat back. "It's going to be okay. I promise you, we'll just leave the second we can. We have somewhere to go now, we have money."
I nodded next to him, incapable of forming words.
Clive and the other officer got in the car and pulled away from the curb. I looked through the back window as Kristi and Xander stood there, looks of shock on their faces as they both watched us drive away. It had all happened in less than five minutes. How? How had they found us so quickly?
I was numb, shocked, stunned. Clive looked over his shoulder and laughed mockingly. "Woo wee. Hector's gonna be happy to have you back, princess. I gotta say, he's lost it a little, but this should put things right again." He snickered.
He turned back around and I saw his eyes in the rearview mirror looking at Calder. "You made a bad call getting into this car with her," he said, his eyes shiny with cruel amusement. "In this case, chivalry was the wrong choice." And then he laughed mockingly.
Calder and I remained quiet, moving as close to each other as possible. My hands had grown cold and clammy and I was shaking.
I looked out the window as we drove down the highway and then eventually turned on to the dirt road leading to Acadia. Had we really walked all this way? Had Calder carried Xander on his back all the way down this very road? Tears pricked my eyes and I blinked to keep them back. We'd be making this walk again soon, my mind insisted. We'd be escaping again the second we could. And then we'd stay gone. We'd be smarter, safer. And I'd be eighteen in two weeks and then there'd be nothing Hector could do anyway. I straightened my spine and held my head up. Next to me, Calder studied me and a small smile tilted his lips. "That's my strong and brave Morning Glory," he said very, very quietly.
We pulled in to Acadia, the gravel crunching beneath the tires of the police cruiser, and my heart lurched out of my chest. It looked deserted. No one was in the fields, no one was tending the animals, and no one walked the paths. What was going on?
Clive came around and opened the door for us and I stepped out, the sound of Hector's voice surrounding me. I turned in a slow circle and saw it was only the loudspeakers, turned up to full volume, blasting through Acadia.
Clive pushed Calder roughly and he let go of my hand and stepped back, catching himself. A look of rage came into Calder's eyes as he eyed the gun at Clive's belt. Clive stood up taller, a cold amusement glinting in his eyes. "Try it, Water Bearer." He laughed, a sharp, high-pitched burst of sound.
"Hey, come on, Clive," the other officer said. "We delivered them. Let's get back to work."
Clive kept his eyes on Calder and spat on the ground next to him.