"Wake up, Erin. We're going to grab food on the way, and if you want to change, I'm certain that Lex wouldn't mind if you borrowed something of hers. Just head across the hall, and we'll meet you in the living room before heading out."
She nodded as she sat up with a stretch, still feeling exhausted and off kilter. It took her a few moments to remember that she had actually escaped John's clutches the previous day, and that they had to now rescue Alex from John and David. James gave her a small smile before he left the guest room, and Erin waited a few beats before slipping out of the bed and padding into the hallway. It didn't take long to find the bathroom, and after peeing, she scrounged through the medicine cabinet for a new toothbrush, needing to clean her teeth before she changed outfits.
Finally, Erin felt vaguely human once more, and she went across the hall to the master bedroom and opened the closet to stare at the clothes there. Shrugging out of her cardigan, Erin grabbed a navy blue sweater and pulled it on over hear head. While a part of her fully recognized that it was June, and humid as hell outside, she had spent so long in that damp basement that she had a constant chill, no matter how often she was outside. The soft material smelled like Alex, and she breathed in deeply as she left the room, loving the fact that she was surrounded by her friend. "I'm ready to head out," she said as she leaned against the doorjamb, looking at the men who were seated on the sofa.
"I already grabbed the GPS from the car you drove here, since we should be able to backtrack to the cabin where you were kept from there. I'm going to drive the first leg, but we're going to pick up breakfast from Våffla Hus in about thirty minutes, I've already called the order in," Grant said as he got to his feet. "Will you be my shotgun?"
"Of course! James can navigate from the back seat." He nodded as he also got up. "Are there any water bottles that we can bring with us? The fewer stops that we can make along the way, the sooner we can get there."
"I've already packed a cooler with snacks and drinks for the drive, and it's in the back seat. I had trouble sleeping, so I tried to use my time wisely. Thank God that I had some leave built up, so that I can go with you two, rather than try to concentrate on my work." Erin nodded as she reached out for his hand, clasping it tightly as they all made their way out to the garage. "Rossi doesn't know my car, so this should give us some extra moments of anonymity," James explained as she climbed into the passenger seat of the car.
"You've managed to think of everything," she replied as she buckled her belt, taking a quick glance at the GPS. It was hard to repress the shudder that ran down her spine when she saw their destination. It was a place she didn't really want to return to, other than to get her belongings, but she knew that it was necessary to rescue Alex. "So, breakfast on the road, and then at lunch, we'll switch drivers, and I'll go until it's time to fuel up?"
"That sounds good, Erin," Grant said, giving her an encouraging smile. "I just hope that you both don't mind my lead foot. I know how important it is that we get there as quickly as possible, and I also know that Erin doesn't have ID right now, so will have to drive more…slowly than I will." Erin chuckled a little as she nodded, though it felt weird to be happy at a time fraught with inherent danger. "Now, I don't really listen to music when I have passengers in the car, so that means you two will have to entertain me. Erin, what is the first thing you're going to do after we rescue Alex?"
She smiled to herself as she settled back in her seat, watching the familiar scenery pass by as Grant drove. "Hopefully, James will agree to this, since I don't really have a home to go to at the moment, but I would love to have my children over and just drink in my darling children's faces, along with Alex's. I know that they'll want to pepper me with questions, but I hope that I'll have access to my notebooks before the police declare everything a crime scene. I wrote to them, along with Penelope and David, nearly every day. I, I'll probably burn the letters to David. I don't want to be reminded of my foolishness, after all."
"You weren't foolish, Erin. You just had no idea that he was so duplicitous. He never gave any of us the impression that he was colluding with John, as he always was so kind and attentive to your children whenever we were at Tabitha's riding competitions together. The very idea that he would do this to hurt you even more is despicable."
Erin nodded as she took a deep breath. "I think that is one of the things that will take me a very long time to get over. I knew that he was a snake for a few weeks, and that I had tasked Alex to keep an eye on my children as a result, but there was still so much time that he had access to them, and while I know that he wouldn't hurt them, he would never hurt a child, I still worry about what the effect on their hearts will be. Just because it wouldn't be physical damage, doesn't mean there won't still be damage."
James slipped his arm up to the front of the car and wrapped it around her shoulder, offering her what little comfort he could in the enclosed quarters. She sighed softly before covering his hand and patting it a few times. "We'll all be here to support you and your children, Erin. It is going to be a rough few months as you transition back to normality, but Alex and I are going to be here for you every step of the way."
"And I'll help where I can, too!" Grant glanced over to give her a warm smile, and she nodded as he pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant. "Now, wait right here, and I'll return with our food before we get under way." He reached over to pat her knee, and she affectionately rolled her eyes him as he got out.
"If they've hurt her, I will never forgive myself," Erin said as she looked at James in the rearview mirror. He gave her a sympathetic look, and she shook her head. "No, James, I was the one who reached out to her, I was the one who gave her the details in how to find me, so if she is hurt by them, it will be all my fault. I know that you're going to tell me that this is on them, which, to a good extent it is, but if I had been smarter, I would have known that David was playing games with me. If I had been kinder, John and Lexie wouldn't have been demoted and fired. In the end, it all boils down to my failings, and I vow to become a better person, now that I have this second chance at living." Erin blinked back tears as she clutched at James's hand, hoping beyond hope that Alex was okay, and that they hadn't hurt her.