When she started to take off, he pulled her back. “Will you still be my sister when all this is over?”
More than anything, she wanted to put distance between her and BS, but sensed Eli needed reassurance he was doing the right thing. She met his gaze. “Yes, Eli, it’s what your brother would have asked of me if he’d known about you. Even so, aside from Evan, it’s what I want. Now, let’s haul ass.”
“If I’d ever said ‘ass,’ I would’ve had my mouth washed out with soap and then been sent to the detention cabin.” He grinned down at her. “All right, Irish, let’s haul ass.”
Every second of the five minutes or so it took them to reach the woods, Dani expected to hear a warning shout, or worse, the sound of a gun firing. When they scrambled behind the first tree, she bent over and gasped for breath. Eli hadn’t once let go of her hand, pulling her along, helping her to keep up with him.
“Thanks,” she wheezed.
“We’re not safe yet. Maybe you should save that thanks until we get you home, or at least get you back to your soldier.”
Well, that was irritating. He wasn’t even breathing hard. “My soldier?” she gasped. “Do you mean Logan?” To be safely home with Logan and Regan seemed almost too good to be true.
He pulled her deeper into the trees. “Yeah, him. Do you love him?”
“Yes, I do. You should also know Evan loved him. He was your brother’s closest friend.”
“Do you think he’ll like me, too?”
The man was such a child at times. “He’ll like you if I ask him to.”
That seemed to satisfy him. He picked up the pace, and she jogged along beside him. Did he have a plan, or was he just winging it? She didn’t want to slow them down by talking, so she kept her questions to herself for now. All that mattered was getting out of this place.
The woods grew thicker, tall weeds and bushes slapping at her legs. For whatever reason, she’d decided to wear jeans and tennis shoes that morning, and she could only be thankful. Eli slowed and put a hand on her arm, stopping her.
“My dogs are just ahead. Don’t be afraid, they won’t hurt you as long as you’re with me.”
Huh? “What kind of dogs?”
“Dobermans. They’re guard dogs, but they belong to me and they’ll obey me. If I’d left them behind, all Papa Herbert would’ve had to do was let them go and they would’ve led everyone right to us.”
“That wouldn’t be good.” She peered through the branches and saw four black dogs sitting on their haunches, staring back at them. “So, they’re not going to attack me, right?”
He grinned. “Not unless I tell them to.”
Right. Stay on Eli’s good side. “They’re just sitting there.”
“Because I told them to. They won’t move until I give them the okay.”
Taking her hand, he led her to the Dobermans. “Irish, meet Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.”
“Nice to meet you all,” Dani said, absurdly, biting back a giggle. This day had been so nerve wracking and strange, why not talk to four killer dogs named after Jesus’s disciples?
“Friend,” he said, and held her hand out to them. Each one sniffed her and then looked expectantly at Eli. He slashed his hand through the air.
“Why’d you do that?”
“I just told them not to bark. We’d best be going. They’re going to miss us any minute. Surprised they haven’t yet.”
“I’m all for that. Lead on.”
“Heel,” Eli said, and they took off again, four Dobermans trotting along beside them.
In another few minutes, they came to a locked gate. Eli twirled the combination lock and opened it. After they were through, he closed the lock and spun the dial. Imagination or not, the air on this side of the fence seemed fresher, more welcoming. They turned to go and a loud horn blared.
Eli lifted his head and looked back the way they’d come. “That took longer than I thought. Let’s haul ass, Irish.”
Logan’s cell buzzed. “Kincaid.”
“Hey, boss, our bad guy just took off across the back of the compound with Mrs. Prescott,” Reynolds, the lookout, said.
“Going where?” Logan demanded.
“Not sure. They disappeared into the woods on the north side of the compound, running like a pair of agitated rabbits. Looked like the evil twin was dragging her along.”
“Keep watching and report anything you think I need to know.”
Logan slammed his finger onto the END icon and grabbed the satellite photo out of Barbie’s hands. There was nothing on the north side but woods. “Who’s the closest to here?” he asked, jabbing his finger at the area where Eli and Dani had disappeared.