Read Before the Darkness (Refuge Inc.) Online
Authors: Leslie Lee Sanders
Tags: #erotic MM, #Romance MM
"We don't even know you," Anita added
with the same look of disregard in her dark eyes
that painted her face when she mentioned
Refuge Inc.
Elliot clasped his hands together before
him. "Look, you need my help and I need yours."
"I need to ind my daughter, okay," Tami
interrupted. "She's only eleven. She's been
missing for a couple days now without food or
water. It's my fault she left the compound." She
turned to her friend. "I should've never
mentioned Gabriel. I should've never told her he
wasn't coming back. He was everything to her."
"I know. I know." Her friend placed a
hand on Tami's back to console her. "Most dads
are to their little girls."
"But the way I said it," Tami went on,
tears running down her face. "I just came out
and told her not to bother curling her hair for
him, because he'll never see it. What kind of
person am I?" She balled on her friend's
shoulder. "I deserve to just die already."
"You were scared, Tami," Anita said,
speaking softly, tenderly. "I'm sure she'll forgive
you. She loves you."
"Please, help me," Elliot interjected. He
pressed his palms together, eyes begging,
pleading. "We don't have a lot of time and …" He
paused, rewound their conversation in his head
and realized the ultimate tragedy. "You said
your daughter had curly hair?"
"Yeah?" Tami said, sniffing.
"Was it really long and blonde, kinda like
yours but lighter?"
"Yeah. Yeah. Did you see her? Where is
she?" Tami's eyes lit up with hope. Elliot's heart
sank. He saw the girl, but her body lay under a
mound of debris drenched in a pool of dried
blood. She was the first dead body he'd laid eyes
on hours after he started his trek. That poor
little blonde girl.
12: Lying for Gain
The walk back to Adam was tedious. The
entire time Elliot refused to make eye contact
with the women, staying considerably ahead of
them so they wouldn't want to engage in
conversation. He knew once they learned the
truth, that Tami's daughter was likely dead
instead of locked safe inside of a home, they
would be infuriated. More lies upon lies would
do too much harm so he tried his best to avoid
saying anything at all, using his haste to convey
his urgency.
He hated lying about such serious things,
but Adam was in critical need. If he didn't tell the
women that lie and encourage them to help him
save Adam in exchange for details on where the
girl was, Adam wouldn't have a chance at all.
Elliot felt like an evil manipulator, like a deceitful
prick preying on two poor women for his own
gain. But the girl was dead. There wasn't a life or
death issue with her, even if her mother didn't
know that yet. Maybe they would understand
and have pity on him when he did tell them the
truth.
When they inally reached Adam he was
unresponsive. His lashlight was still illuminating
the area, showing the burned car resting on its
side and on top of Adam's arm.
"Oh, my God!" the women said in unison
as they came around the car to where Adam lay.
He was motionless on the slope
underneath the bridge and in an awkward
position. It was as if he'd been struggling to free
himself while Elliot was gone. Elliot knelt down
beside him. It seemed as if Titan knew Adam was
hurt and somehow tried to soothe the pain with
licks to Adam's face, but Elliot pushed the dog
aside. "Adam?" He quickly tapped the side of his
face with his fingertips. "Adam, wake up."
Adam groaned, opening his eyes. "Did
you find it?" he murmured.
Did he mean the wet painted R, the
people who painted them or Refuge Inc.? Elliot
didn't ask for clari ication, instead he said, "I
found some help. You're gonna be okay."
Anita handed her oversized bag to Tami
and went to Adam's side. "I'm Anita. Don't
worry. We're gonna get you out of here." She
stood and walked around the car, examining it.
Tami and Titan stood off to the side as if
waiting for the right moment to step in. Tami
kept both of her hands clasped over her mouth,
watching.
Elliot caressed Adam's sweaty forehead.
"You okay?"
"I'm tired," Adam mumbled, with eyes
closed.
Elliot wiped the dust and dirt from
Adam's cheek, seeing a red and slightly swollen
bruise on his temple where he had punched him
earlier. He leaned down and planted a kiss on
the exact spot. He sat back just in time to see a
smile curl Adam's lip.
"Okay." Anita came around the darkened
corner from behind the rear of the overturned
car. "Looks like most of the weight of the car is
against the wall. That's what's holding it up. All
we have to do is lift it just enough for one of us
to pull him from under it."
"Good." Elliot stood, readying himself.
"But—" Anita started.
Elliot raised an eyebrow. "But?"
"But we're on a slope with all this loose
gravel, so the slightest movement might cause
the car to slide either down the slope, or on its
roof or both. Not good."
"We just gotta be careful and quick."
Elliot nodded, happy with his decision.
"How did this happen?" Tami whispered,
probably talking to herself rather than directing
the question to anyone in particular. "Poor guy."
She had tears in her eyes, probably from the
fears of losing her daughter and watching Adam
in so much pain. It had to put a huge amount of
stress on anyone in that predicament.
"It was an accident," Elliot frowned,
dusting his hands on his shorts. With a irm look
he pointed to Tami, seeing the absolute terror in
her eyes and for a split moment he felt her
anxiety in his gut. "You grab a hold of his good
arm and you pull as fast and as hard as you can
when I say so, okay?"
Tami nodded and cautiously went to
Adam's side. Adam's eyes were still closed and
he looked as exhausted as a sprinter who had
ran several laps. She leaned over and wrapped
her dainty hands around his wrist while Elliot
and Anita went to the front of the car.
"Alright," Elliot continued passing out
orders, even though he felt guilt trying to stop
him and force him to come clean about her
missing daughter. "Anita, on the count of three
we'll lift the front of the car as high as we can.
Tami, you grip his arm tighter and pull him with
everything you got as far away from the car as
possible just in case it wants to fall or slide."
"Right," Tami said and rearranged her
arm, hooking her and Adam's elbows for a
better grip.
"Okay," Elliot knelt down and slid his
ingers in a crevice under the front of the car
near the tire. Anita did the same but on the
underside of the front bumper. He looked at the
woman beside him who looked as ready as he
was. "Lift with your legs not your back, okay?"
Something he learned while stocking boxes of
goods at Food Plus. "You ready?" Anita nodded,
but he couldn't count. It was on the tip of his
tongue.
One, two, three.
But instead of counting
he stood. "I'm sorry." He looked down at Tami,
staring at the dried bloodstain soaked on the
knee of her pants.
"Why?" Her bottom lip trembled.
"I saw your daughter a few miles from
my neighborhood." Elliot refused to make eye
contact no matter how hard he tried. No, he
didn't refuse, his body just wouldn't let him.
"She was buried halfway under rubble. Sorry."
Anita gasped. "What?"
"She's dead." He clari ied. "I'm sorry. I'm
so sorry."
"You said you passed her taking shelter
in an abandoned house." Tami stood from
beside Adam and stepped forward, eyes wide as
a maniac ready to strike. She pointed her
narrow inger like a loaded gun. "You lied to me,
you bastard. You used us."
"No, no." Elliot tried pleading with his
eyes. "I need your help and I feel bad for lying to
get you here but…I need you. That's why I'm
telling you now. I couldn't live with myself if I
didn't…" The anger in Tami's eyes showed
through her tears and suddenly replaced any
trace of heartache on her face, even though he
knew the pain was still there. "Please
understand why I lied." His voice caught as he
pleaded, palms pressed together before him,
eyelids heavy from threatening tears. He
swallowed and looked down at Adam, knowing
time was slipping away. "Please."
"We're already here." Anita took her
place in front of the side turned car and
squatted, ready to lift. "On the count of three."
Tami sniffed and wiped her wet eyes with
the back of her dirty hand. Even so, tears lowed
from them and anger shown through them. She
knelt beside Adam and locked her arm around
his. "On three."
Elliot slid his inger back in the crevice
and positioned himself. "One, two, three."
They moved together like a
luid
choreographed dance. He felt his thigh muscles
burn, the wound on his leg ached something
ierce, and his ingers did the same—but the car
slowly lifted.
Adam let out an agonizing howl above
Tami's demands. "Keep lifting," she shouted. "Go,
go, go!"
The shouts and cries that echoed through
the streets rattled in Elliot's ears. Before the last
echo faded, Tami had pulled Adam and his limp
arm several feet away from the car.
"Now," Elliot grunted through clenched
teeth and he and Anita let the car fall back down
to the earth. He was lightheaded. He must have
been holding his breath. Even so, he quickly
rushed toward Adam and his agonized
whimpering. In his haste he slipped on the
gravel beneath his feet and fell on his ass once,
stumbling twice after. He dropped to his knees,
feeling the small rocks dig into his skin as he
crawled over Adam, straddling his body.
"Adam." Elliot planted a chaste kiss on his
cheek. "I'm so happy," and another kiss, "you're
okay," and another. Awkward behavior? Who
cared? As soon as he felt Adam's hand on the
small of his back, he couldn't care if another
asteroid hit then. He had Adam in his arms.
That's all that mattered.
Adam brought his trembling hand to
Elliot's face. "Now who's the hero?"
Elliot snorted. "I'm not the hero because
that would make you the sidekick."
"The problem?"
"The problem is you make a shitty
sidekick." Elliot looked down into Adam's tired
eyes. "You don't know how to stay by my side."
"Never again." Adam pulled Elliot
forward and delivered a brief kiss to his
forehead. "I'll never leave you again. That's a
promise."
Elliot over lowed with the sudden
euphoric feeling of relief. Everything would be
okay. It all would be okay.
Then Tami's voice shattered his relief.
"Now tell me where my daughter is."
When Elliot glanced back at her, she held
her and Anita's bags on her shoulder, and an
impatient look in her eye.
He stood and gently pulled Adam up to
sit. Adam's swollen arm dangled beside him. It
looked broken with a huge purple bruise over
the length of it. The skin on it had cuts and
bloody punctures where small stones h a d dug
into it. Adam grimaced and groaned in pain. "I
need something to use as a sling."
Elliot gathered up Adam's backpack and
flashlight near the car.
"Where is my daughter?" Tami's voice
was loud and demanding.
"Uh, she's …" Elliot unzipped the pack,
overturned it and emptied most of its contents
onto the loor. There's was nothing that could
double as a sling. He dropped the bag. "You can
use my shirt."
"No, use my headscarf," Anita said,
stepping forward. She unraveled it from her