Inked Temptation [a Damian Priest story]

12 Backfiring

Ellie POV

Humming, I packed the last things into one of the many boxes. I could not believe how much stuff I had. But now that everything was packed, I realized the extent of it. I had sorted out a lot and donated it. I had also sold my car. It made more sense to sell it and buy a new one in Florida. To be honest, my car wasn't the best anymore anyway and I wasn't sure if it would have made the long drive at all.

It was good that I had not rented the small U-Haul. Because not everything would have fit in there. The movers were loading the last of the furniture. I was glad to finally be done with it.

These four weeks had been really exhausting. With our work and the need to still spend a lot of time together and then the preparations for my move. Fortunately, all that would be behind us tomorrow. And I was really looking forward to it. Damian felt the same way. Even though it was clear to both of us that it would be a new challenge. Especially because it would probably be pretty cramped with all our stuff.

But should it become too much then we had any time the possibility to look around for a bigger place to stay. Together.

Just as I had these thoughts, my phone rang. I could not help but smile when I saw the callers ID.

"Hi D! How are you?" I asked happily.

"Better when I can see you, baby girl. I'm on my way to get a cab right now. I should be with you in about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Then I can take my baby to her new home." he replied.

"I can't wait. I hope we didn't get ahead of ourselves by wanting to drive the truck to Florida by ourselves. But I trust you to know what you're doing." I said with a laugh.

"Of course I do, Ellie-Bell. This will be our first extended road trip. And we have a lot of time. This 20 hour drive will go by really fast. Don't worry." he replied in a good mood. 

I really hoped that he knew what he was getting into. Because for me, the whole thing did not sound particularly appealing. The only good thing was that I could spend the time with Damian. And then there was the fact that I finally got out of here.

"If you say so Mr Priest..." I giggled.

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An hour later everything was stowed in the truck and I took another look around the apartment. It was strange to see it so empty. Good thing Damian would be here soon.

"Eleanor Robertson? We have a complaint from your neighbors because the parking lot is blocked." I suddenly heard from the stairs.

I turned around and saw two policemen coming towards me. I didn't know one of them, but I knew the other one even better. I groaned. It was so to be expected. The spy wanted to see what was going on and had found a excuse to do so.

"That's not possible. The truck is parked in a designated area and my neighbors have all been informed of my move and the noise and unpleasantness it will cause," I said matter of factly.

"If you don't mind I will see for myself. Lieutenant Henderson, please escort Miss Robertson to the truck to make sure everything is indeed in order." said the older man.

"So it's true.... You're actually moving away from here..." said Scott.

Meanwhile, I grabbed my purse and the bag of prepared snacks and refreshments to take back to the truck. Then I locked the door. One last time. Even though this was so not the goodbye I had imagined.

"Yes, I see you are still doing your job as a spy for my father. Didn't he tell you that it was not a good idea? I don't mind exposing you," I wanted to know.

"You're bluffing. You have nothing on me, El." he said, but his look told me he was anything but sure.

"I have some evidence... And then you can forget about your promotion. So leave me alone already. Or you'll be the one who regrets it. Not me." I replied calmly.

"You shouldn't threaten me. It might backfire on you." he growled.

"Just leave me alone. I'm not afraid of you." I said, then climbed into the truck.

I locked the door behind me. I tried not to let him intimidate me. But it wasn't easy, because I didn't know what he was capable of. Now that I had openly threatened him. Scott was pacing up and down beside the truck. And that made me nervous. What was taking Damian so long? I wanted to get out of here.

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Damian POV

Why did there have to be this much traffic today of all days? I finally wanted to take Ellie in my arms and bring her to her, our home. She had just texted me that she was waiting for me in the truck and that she had news.

But then as we turned into her street, I saw it. The thick cloud of smoke, the flames.... And then I heard the sirens. What the hell was going on?

The cab driver stopped. Then I saw where the flames were coming from. It was burning in front of the building where I was going. There was a fire where Ellie lived.

Without thinking what I was doing, I threw money at the driver and jumped out of the car. I ran towards the building. It didn't take me long to realize that there was a big truck burning in front of the house.

Oh my God, no! It was the only truck around... And that meant Ellie was in that truck.