"Does," Dave stared at the little life cradled in his arms."Does my daughter have everything she needs?" In just a few hours Erin's brother would come with her children to whisk them away. He committed her face to memory. He couldn't allow himself to forget this moment and he knew once he handed her back to her mother; his arm would never feel the same.
"She does," Erin's voice was hollow when she spoke, her eyes connected with the wall behind Dave's head. "She has everything. "
"Good. How long did you know?"
"What?"
"About Ava."
"Long enough. I could have told you sooner."
"Then why didn't you?" He exploded, dammit he deserved to know. How she could keep this from him?
Erin swallowed hard, summoning the last of her courage, "you were never going to know, neither was Peter, for that kids were already in Maryland and my car was packed I was going to join them."
"So that night at the cabin-you were just going to take off?"
"Peter had a business trip in New York. I took the only opportunity I could get."
"So this is how it ends? You get to run away to Maryland and we never speak again?"
"I don't have a choice. "
"I don't accept that!" He fired , he couldn't let her leave; not now. Not after they just found each other.
"You have to!" She bit out through clenched teeth; she needed him to understand, "There's no other way."
"I can't let you take her from me; not all the way to Maryland."
"It's a forty-five minute flight. "
His shoulders dropped in a half shrug, "I don't care, that's too far."
"I don't know what to say, David, I'm sorry."
"Tell me you'll stay!"
"You don't get it-"
He laid Ava back in her crib, "there's always a choice!" Gripping Erin's shoulders he forced her to look at him. His dark eyes bore into hers. "You always have a choice!"
She shook her head, "I tried to do this right, I filed reports. I took pictures the last time. Hell, I even fought back." Her gaze hit the floor, "he gave as good as he got and came back for more." She took a shaky breath, "it was my word against his and a female FBI agent isn't heard over a corporate board member who gives half his money to charity every year."
At that moment Dave wanted nothing more than Peter Strauss' throat under his bare hand. "I'll have him taken care of for a bottle of scotch and plane fare," he bit out.
"David-"
"I'm serious. "
"That's what scares me."
"How much time do we have before Eli gets here?"
"A few hours."
"That's not a lot of time."
He lifted Ava into his arms again and sat next to Erin on the edge of the bed. Her arm fell around his back, "at least we did one thing right," she said.
He nodded, "she's perfect. "
"He'll find you, Erin," Dave said after a long silence.
" You know how these guys think and your brother's place is too obvious."
She nodded, "It's my only option. "
His gaze shifted from the baby to Erin and back again, he needed to keep them safe. His brain fought back images of Peter's lifeless body on the living room floor; the idea was just too tempting.
"Erin, I need you to trust me."
Her gaze shot up, "with what?"
"Your life."