Rafe

by Dana Archer

  She ran a hand over her neck then her shoulder. Both spots felt sensitized. She’d bet money that once she looked in a mirror she’d find a hickey there. She’d had a few guys deliver them when she’d been young and wild and her partners had been just as crazy with the new experiences. Young love. It’d been fun and exciting. None of those times came close to last night, and no lover had ever taken her as Rafe had, as if he owned her—body and soul.

  With slow, controlled movements, she climbed off the bed before she gave in to the urge to wake him with her mouth on his body. She padded across the shadowed room to the bathroom and flicked the switch, leaving the door cracked open.

  The sliver of light helped her see the room. She gathered her clothes, dug Rafe’s phone from his jeans pocket, and retreated to the bathroom. A quick shower later, she dressed, then leaned against the sink with Rafe’s phone in her hand. She couldn’t afford one, but she often wished she’d had a cell phone. They were convenient, especially at times like this. She wanted to call and check on her boys but didn’t want to wake Rafe by using the hotel phone.

  For a moment, she debated whether or not to make the call. Would Rafe be angry that she’d used his phone without his permission? She shook off the worry. If Rafe was concerned enough about her kids to hire his brother to watch over them, then he wouldn’t mind the phone call. If he did, she could always pay him back for it.

  Hoping it wasn’t locked, she turned on the cell. The background picture caught her attention. Mesmerized, she stared at the group of the most beautiful people she’d ever seen. A man who looked like Rafe, but with shorter hair and a harder glint to his eyes, sat on a swing. It had to be Kade, Rafe’s brother.

  Next to Kade was a drop-dead gorgeous woman with oddly dyed hair. Patches of red, brown, and gold were intermixed with strands of black. She wore sunglasses and so did the man with shorter hair dyed in the same unusual way standing behind her. The similarities between them made her think the two were twins. Weird that they had the same dyed hair, but it was definitely eye-catching. Beautiful, really. Their stylist must be amazing.

  The other two men on the opposite side of Kade weren’t as mesmerizing. They appeared a little rougher, more like bad boys. The similarity to Rafe was still there in their hard features. More of Rafe’s brothers, if she had to guess.

  Wow. She shook her head. Rafe’s family was a sight to behold. Her finger hovered over the photo album icon, but she didn’t open it. She was curious about Rafe but wouldn’t stoop so low as to snoop into his personal things. More than she already had, anyway. Besides, she wanted Rafe to tell her about his family. She loved listening to his deep voice.

  Knowing her kids would want to talk about their sleepover and keep her on the line forever, she dialed Josh’s number. She still hadn’t gotten the chance to talk to him. The call went to voicemail. She tried his parents and learned he was meeting with the fire chief to go over the findings of the investigation.

  Jazz ended the call and blinked back tears. She’d been so caught up in Rafe that she’d forgotten about Josh and the hell he was going through. Life was harsh sometimes. There was no escaping it, but she felt guilty for enjoying herself last night. She’d have to call Josh later, offer him support and a shoulder to lean on. He had his parents but they were suffering too. Josh needed a friend.

  With her plan set, she dialed Mr. Wilkins’ number. It picked up on the first ring.

  “Hello?”

  Seth’s whisper sounded panicked.

  Her heart skipped a beat then pounded wildly. “Seth, it’s me. Is everything okay?”

  “No, Mom. I’m scared.”

  “What’s wrong? Where are Levi and Mr. Wilkins?”

  “Levi is here. We’re upstairs. The guest bedroom. The door’s locked. Mr. Wilkins is outside talking to a blond man.”

  “It’s okay, kiddo. That’s Kade, he’s there to keep an eye on things because Mommy…” She bit her lip and tried to think of something to say. “Because Mommy stayed with a friend last night. He works with…”

  Ugh, what was she supposed to say? That he tracked missing kids? No. That might freak Seth out. She hated lying to her kids. For their sake, it was sometimes necessary, though.

  “Mommy’s friend works with the police.” She cringed at the small fib. The police were a part of the government. They were also the ones who handled missing persons’ cases. “He’s protective and wanted to make sure you were safe while you were camping out. Anything could happen. A bear might attack. You never know.”

  A bear? She cringed at her reasoning.

  “We didn’t camp outside.”

  She pressed the heel of her palm to the bridge of her nose. “He didn’t know at the time.”

  “Why him?”

  “Because it’s his job to guard people. That’s what he does.”

  “He’s really big, Mom. My cats are scared of him.”

  She frowned. That was a first. Seth’s cats didn’t mind meeting new people. Few of the men in town were quite as impressive as Rafe’s family, though.

  “I know he’s big. So is his brother, Rafe.” She nibbled her lip as she picked her words carefully. “Rafe’s a really nice guy. I want you and Levi to meet him. I’ll bring him with me to pick you two up. Okay?”

  “No!” Seth yelled. “He’ll hurt us.”

  She pushed away from where she’d leaned against the sink and gripped Rafe’s phone tighter. “Seth, what—”

  Levi’s voice in the background drowned out her words. A clunk reverberated over the line. She pulled the phone back with a grimace.

  Levi got on. “Mom, don’t go near him. He’s dangerous.”

  Out of the two, Levi was the one who acted older, who seemed to have a better handle over his cats. His cautious warning struck a note of fear in her heart.

  “Why not?”

  “Because he’s like us. A shifter.”

  She covered her mouth to stifle her gasp.

  “If you ever cross paths with a shifter, run with my boys as far and as fast as you can. They’re special. Others will hurt them because of it.”

  The warning Seth and Levi’s mother had given repeated in Jazz’s head, so did flashes of a time she wished she could scrub from her mind—the cells, the screams, the woman who’d led Jazz to freedom.

  She shook her head to clear it of the horrid thoughts. A few hours, that was all she’d spent inside the warehouse. It was long enough for her to take the warning seriously. Jazz’s heart screamed a denial, though. Rafe had treated her as if she was precious to him. He was sweet. Kind. And not all shifters were bad. They couldn’t be.

  “Our males lie. They pretend to be good, but they’re not. They’re animals.”

  She couldn’t take the chance. Her boys were everything to her.

  “Mom? Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, kiddo.” Jazz couldn’t focus. What was she supposed to do? Warn Mr. Wilkins? No. She didn’t want to alert Kade that they were on to him. At least not while he was standing right next to Mr. Wilkins. “Has Kade done anything…bad?”

  “No, but the dogs are scared. They’re all hiding under the picnic table.”

  She stared at the door, thought about everything she and Rafe had done together and couldn’t associate the man who’d loved her so tenderly with someone who might be a threat to her kids.

  The inconsistencies that had bothered her the night they met came back. How he’d known where her car was parked or that she had twin boys. And…

  How had Rafe known where Mr. Wilkins’ house was in order to send his brother over there? She’d never told him, and her neighbor’s number wasn’t listed in the phone book. Rafe had to have investigated her.

  How could she have been so foolish?

  Was last night a ploy to keep her occupied so Kade could swoop in and steal her boys?

  But…he didn’t. They were still there.

  But maybe there was another brother waiting to grab Megan. They’d strike at once and take all three kids. T
he possible scenarios danced across her mind.

  She swallowed down bile. “Move as many pieces of furniture as you can in front of the door and make sure all the windows are locked.” It wouldn’t stop a shifter bent on getting to them, but it was the best she could come up with. “I’m going to call Josh, and we’re going to come get you. Okay, kiddo? I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

  “Okay, Mom. Love you.”

  She ended the call and tried Josh’s number. It went to voicemail. She cursed and sent him a text. A minute later a vibration announced his answering message. She read it and let a shuddered breath escape. He was coming to pick her up. At least there was one person in the world she could trust.

  She laid Rafe’s phone on the counter and clenched her fists. Tears threatened. Anger kept them at bay. Rafe had played her. He was a liar, not the honorable man she’d thought. If he was, he would’ve told her the truth.

  From the scent in her home, he would’ve known her kids were shifters. No amount of heavy soap would mask it there. She ground her teeth. She wanted to give him a piece of her mind. The need to get away from him stopped her.

  She turned and caught her reflection in the mirror. With shaky fingers, she touched the edge of the hickey on her shoulder, then brushed her fingertips over the tiny cuts. Four of them. It didn’t take much to imagine the fangs that no doubt made them. That was what the sharp pinch she’d felt when he’d kissed her there was from. His fangs. She traced the length on her throat. No mark, but it too was tender and achy.

  She’d had a predator’s fangs against her neck. He could’ve ripped her throat out.

  But he hadn’t. He’d loved her body and left her sated.

  She ignored that little voice in her heart that wanted to believe in Rafe. Just because he was good in bed and made her crazy with desire didn’t mean he was trustworthy. He could’ve told her the truth about what he was, but he hadn’t.

  She couldn’t blindly trust Rafe. It didn’t matter how he made her feel. She’d get away from him and think things through once she knew her kids were safe.

  With the light off, she carefully opened the door. Rafe’s steady breathing let her know he still slept. She tiptoed across the room, slipped into the hallway, and ran.

  The lobby had a few people lingering around. Nobody paid her much attention, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone watched her. A piercing stare burned the spot between her shoulder blades, making the tiny hairs on her arms stand up. A cold lump of fear dropped in her belly.

  She swept her gaze from one end of the lobby to the other. Nobody looked at her, but her breathing quickened. Her pulse sped. She was cornered.

  Trapped.

  The undeniable sensation grew. Stumbling backward, she hit the wall.

  She glanced at each of the men in the room. Any of them could be a shifter. She didn’t know how to spot them from normal people. Look at how she messed up with Rafe. She wasn’t about to make the same mistake a second time.

  The closest person to her was a skinny businessman, complete with a suit and briefcase. He had a day planner out and an annoyed expression on his face. She dismissed him as a threat and moved to the next, an older white-haired man who sat with his wife on one of the ornate sofas. He had his arm around her shoulder while she chatted on a phone. No. They screamed tourist. The only other person in the room was a middle-aged man who waited to check out, a rolling suitcase at his feet. His eyes were glued to his phone. He didn’t strike her as a threat either. So why did her skin crawl?

  A tall guy she hadn’t noticed pushed away from the wall across the room. A pair of sunglasses were hooked into the neck of his polo shirt, and his chin-length brown hair had blond streaks and wisps of gray. Darkly tanned skin with fine wrinkles and a lean body suggested he was an active, outdoorsy person. Khaki shorts and leather sandals completed his outfit. The overall image was that of a well-off, middle-aged man.

  His face was model worthy—a perfectly slanted nose, full mouth, and strong cheekbones—but his eyes chilled her. Dark brown, they should’ve looked welcoming but didn’t. They appeared cold. Empty. Then he blinked and warmth filled his eyes, brightening them. A smile spread over his face, and the stark expression disappeared.

  It was the guy from the night before, the one who’d saved her from falling. She’d recognize those eyes anywhere. She also remembered the way he’d made her skin crawl. No, she didn’t care how inviting his grin appeared. He terrified her on a basic level. The urge to run and hide was strong. She swallowed hard and pressed her back into the wall, but there was nowhere to go. She was trapped between a potted plant and a grandfather clock.

  He walked toward her with his gaze locked to hers. A hungry mask slid over his features, but it didn’t hold sexual interest, at least not a healthy kind. Demented. Sick. The words bounced in her head. She had to get out of here. The fear choked her. Real or not, she wanted to run and run and never stop.

  She stepped forward, but he was suddenly there, invading her personal space. He leaned over her, palms to the wall over her head, caging her in. His cologne drifted to her, something rich and musky that reminded her of fine cigars and whiskey. She choked on it.

  “Hey, beautiful. Did your lover run out on you?”

  Her stomach clenched. “No. He’s picking me up.”

  The stranger raised a brow and glanced at the elevator. He smirked. “So you spent the night alone? No one to warm your bed?”

  She pushed against his chest. Her shove didn’t move him. “Back off. I’m not interested in talking to you.”

  He grabbed her wrists, dragged her hands down his stomach, and pressed them to the bulge in his pants. With his mouth at her ear, he whispered, “Talking isn’t what I want to do, little female.”

  She gritted her teeth. She would not freak out. They were in public. Everything was fine. He couldn’t do anything to her with people only a few feet away. The rationalization gave her courage. “Move or I’ll scream.”

  “Is that a promise?”

  He directed her hands, forcing her to stroke his him.

  Oh no. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be.

  She opened her mouth to yell for help, but he swallowed her cry. He kissed her while he used her hands to stimulate him. She bucked and squirmed, but her cries were muffled.

  And nobody came over.

  She dug her nails into his groin, squeezing his trapped shaft as hard as she could. He only groaned and shoved his hips closer. Tears ran down her cheeks. Tremors shook her body. She didn’t know how to stop him. He was too strong.

  “Get your hands off her.”

  The man kissing her pulled back at Josh’s bellowed order. “We’ll finish that later, sweet thing. I’m patient. I’ll wait my turn to get between your thighs.”

  Josh grabbed the guy’s shoulders and shoved him. The push knocked the guy over a chair. It tipped, landing on top him. People gasped, some woman screamed, but the man who’d forced himself on Jazz grinned.

  “Come near her again, and you’ll regret it.” Josh pressed a booted foot to the guy’s chest, then leaned forward on the bent leg. The man on the floor gasped. Josh smiled and pushed a little harder until the guy groaned. “It’ll be your last mistake. Do you understand me?”

  The guy gazed at Josh with the same heated lust he’d shown her. “Oh yeah. I understand. Consider your warning delivered.”

  Josh gave him one last hard glare, then grabbed her hand. She tumbled against him. He tucked her close and walked across the room, never taking his eyes off the sprawled man until the revolving door blocked him from view.

  A light mist fell, and the humidity in the air made it hard to breathe. Add in the terror still making her limbs shaky, and she was close to a full-fledged anxiety attack. Josh squeezed her arm. The gentle reminder she wasn’t alone calmed her. She stepped closer to him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

  His SUV was a welcome sight. It meant they’d be safe soon. He popped the locks and waited until she
was inside before jogging around the car and getting in.

  He turned in his seat, one leg bent. “What happened?”

  She hadn’t mentioned anything in the text other than she needed him ASAP because really…what was she supposed to say? She wasn’t so sure she knew what was the truth and what was a lie. Everything had seemed so much clearer the previous night.

  She glanced from Josh’s concerned face to the hotel. “Not now. We’ve got to get out of here. He might come out.” And beat Josh. Rafe struck her as the possessive type.

  One corner of Josh’s mouth lifted. “That jerk is not going to bother you while I’m here.”

  “Not him.” At the sight of Josh’s confusion, she forced herself to add, “The man I spent the night with.”

  Josh’s lips thinned. His nostrils flared. He tipped her chin so she met his narrowed eyes. “Did he hurt you? Force you?” He snapped his teeth together. “I’ll kill him.”

  Her first instinct was to protect Rafe. She didn’t fight it. Josh looked capable of carrying out the threat. She wasn’t sure Rafe deserved it. Maybe the crazy part of her that wanted to throw herself back into Rafe’s arms was right, but she couldn’t trust it. The risks were too great. She had to get her kids to safety first, then worry about unraveling the truth.

  “No, wait. He didn’t hurt me.”

  “Then what? Did you wake up and have second thoughts?”

  She glanced at the lobby door. The guy who’d groped her stood under the awning with a phone pressed to his ear. He wasn’t looking their way, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t watching them. Or maybe she was just being paranoid.

  The guy slid his phone into his pocket and strode across the lot. She tensed. He was headed their way. Josh must’ve noticed him too. He cursed and started the car, but the guy walked down the next aisle to where a cab waited. He opened the door but turned his head and locked gazes with her. He winked, got in the cab, and was gone.

  She shivered, and Josh took her hand in his. It was warm, comforting, but his touch didn’t chase away the chill. She turned the heater on. Josh frowned but didn’t say anything. It was over eighty degrees, but she couldn’t stop shaking. The blast of hot air helped. The tremors slowed. She faced Josh.