Chapter Thirteen

Eli, figuring that Clare would want privacy to talk to whoever was on the phone, took a few steps over to the side. The conversation didn't last long. He saw the color drain from Clare's ivory skin and she looked over at him like she had just heard from someone who was dead. Eli's heart fell; thinking that maybe Jake wasn't dead after all. Had he faked his own death just so he could continue his abuse against Clare? After a moment's thought, Eli denied that thought. If Jake Martin were in fact alive, his target would not be Clare. At least, not at first. It would be him.

The moment that Clare's bottom lip trembled; Eli was already by her side, wrapping his arms around her comfortingly. "What's wrong?" He whispered softly into her ear.

"My house... is on fire..." She replied, her voice barely a whisper.

Eli pulled away. "How... Why? We turned everything off."

"Does it matter?" Clare retorted angrily. "Everything I had against Jake was in that house. I'm guessing it was one of his buddies that wanted revenge. Well, they got it. Now I'm going to go to jail and there's nothing to stop, or even halt, the process."

"You don't know the extent of the damage, though." Eli reminded her, finding the strength to grab her hand and pull her with him into the hallway that would take them to the parking lot. Clare murmured some halfhearted protest, but Eli dragged her along.

After a moment, he began to run.

"Eli, what are you doing?" Clare said as she ran behind him. "Give it up! It's lost!"

"You don't know that!" Eli yelled over his shoulder. "You're giving up without even trying!"

Clare's pace slowed until she stopped altogether. Eli stopped, his lips curled into a scowl. Now was not the time for pregnancy hormones. It was not the time to sit down and think about everything that has happened. They still had some time. Clare didn't know the extent of the damage done by the fire. Who knew, it could've just been a small basement fire? His scowl eventually disappeared as Clare began to shake, and tears spilled onto her cheeks. He's been mean.

"Clare," He began softly, taking a step towards her. "I'm sorry."

"My entire life is ruined, Eli." She said between her sobs. "Do you know how messed up all of this is right now? This... this feels like a nightmare."

Eli took her hand. "I know, Clare. I know it's crazy. But it's the hand we've been dealt. Come on, your car is just over there." He gestured behind him. "It'll be over soon. Declan will win this case for us. Then, you can put all this behind you. You just need to stay strong for a little bit longer, okay? There will be time for tears later, but not until it's over."

"But what about the evidence?" Clare asked, wiping her eyes with her free hand.

"We'll see what state the house is in." Eli said, once again tugging her towards her car. "But we need to get going now."

It took her a moment to realize that Eli thought that there was still something salvageable from this situation. She knew better, though. Based on her mother's reaction, the house was nothing but ash by now. She wiped her eyes again, looking into Eli's and seeing the desperate hope in his eyes.

She didn't want to crush his hopes of having a future with her. Not yet. Not until she had to She closed her eyes and let him tug her closer to her car. Just a few more moments with him, Lord. Please. She pleaded mentally as Eli helped her get into the car. He even buckled her in.

It became increasingly apparent that Eli wasn't going to pay any attention to the speed limit or stop signs.

"Eli!" Clare cried out as he blew the fourth stop sign. "You're going to get us arrested or killed!"

Eli, realizing that he'd been putting Clare and his unborn child in danger by going that fast, eased his foot onto the break, finally stopping at a stop sign. He inhaled sharply and exhaled. "I'm sorry." He said for what seemed like the tenth time today. "I just have this feeling that there's still hope."

Clare's lower lip quivered and she reached out, rubbing his shoulder. "I know you do, Eli. Getting arrested on the way to my house isn't going to help that hope. Just... slow down, okay?"

Eli nodded and eased his foot onto the gas, finally following the speed limit. It took every fiber of his being not to slam it to the floor, but since Clare asked him to slow down, he would. Even if that meant costing valuable time.

He clenched his teeth as they reached another red light. He was starting to lose his patience. They weren't even halfway there to Clare's house. It would be ash by the time they got there. Deciding he couldn't take it anymore, Eli put his foot to the floor once the light turned green.

"ELI!" Clare screeched.

The light had just turned yellow. He could make it if he continued.

He slammed on the break, just in time to see a truck blow it's own red light.

Clare was panting heavily, her ivory skin even whiter. She looked over at him, still panting softly.

"I think there's something I need to tell you before you get us killed." She whispered.

Eli's brow arched. "You forgot to tell me something?"

Clare looked away. "Neglected to tell you, more like."

Eli's eyes narrowed and he felt a sudeen rush of anger. Had she lied about her house being on fire to just get out of the meeting with Declan? What could she have possibly neglected to tell him? When she didn't reply right away, he decided to prompt her. "Well?"

And in five simply words, she told him.