Stormy Peril

by Victoria Pinder

  She rubbed her temples. This was a castle and some gothic horror story that became her life, not some secret government mission. "On an island, in your castle?"

  He nodded. "Yeah."

  She crossed her arms and stilled, digging her heels into the hardwood floors. "Explain again and go slower. I'm not understanding."

  He pressed his lips together like he didn't want to speak. Then to confuse her even more, he shrugged. "The remoteness of my castle is the perfect place for our government to use as a false marker for checking people's online activities."

  She gripped the medallion on her neck. "What?"

  He placed his hands behind his back, but kept firm eye contact. "They use my house as a jump point to mask the signatures. The place is so remote and the tower on my roof allows constant Wi-Fi to be distorted. It's one of many false markers for online security."

  She had no idea about national security other than movies and television. "So why did you let me stay and not call me a ship or the coast guard?"

  He nodded. "I just told you. I am on blackout unless there is a threat to the system."

  Her arms flew out of her sides again. "The plane crash wasn't a threat? It was just coincidence that your dead girlfriend's plane landed here of all places?"

  "No." He stepped around her, but she stayed hot on his heels. Her mouth had said that before she thought it, but it was a stretch of the imagination. She crossed her arms, and he shook his head. "Kimberly, I can't tell you any more."

  She promised his sister to stop him. She swallowed and changed the topic. "Raphael, do not go outside. I can't lose you."

  He dropped his hands back to his sides and his green eyes had specks of gold in them now. "You care? After all the lies?"

  "Yes." That was enough on her end. She had a lot to digest, but he didn't have to be everyone's hero. They could save his sister, together, if they worked as a team. She rubbed her arms. "Promise me you'll stick to a defensive plan."

  His shoulders caved in. "As long as my sister is okay."

  She had won. She should be ecstatic, but her stomach was in knots. "Deal. And from now on, you have to tell me the truth."

  He nodded.

  This conversation was far from done. He hadn't explained the coincidences or how much he'd lied. She should wait for answers, but her heart begged her to give him space. The silence of the halls spoke volumes. The stone walls wouldn't keep their secrets hidden forever. She'd stick to his side to ensure his safety. "When the coast guard arrives, will that affect your secret government location?"

  He tensed his shoulders again. "Yes. It's why I'm now breaking the silence."

  Her mind envisioned a troop of soldiers all coming to the castle next. Why couldn't she imagine the beaches of Miami and her mom? She swallowed. "What will happen?"

  He lifted his chin. "I have no idea. Can you ask Michaela where exactly her medication is in that helicopter?"

  He'd given in faster than she thought. “Why don’t you ask?”

  He narrowed his gaze. “I’m getting my gear in place still. Meet me here.”

  Heat washed through her. If they had to sneak in, it was best to know where they had to go. “Okay, I’ll go. One more question.”

  He averted his gaze. “Of course you have.”

  No more lies. He had promised. She had to know. “Were Roger and Harry part of the mission?”

  He clenched his jaw. “Yes and no. Mostly it’s something I can’t answer. Please don’t ask me for anymore.”

  National security and Raphael went together in her mind. She believed that he worked for the CIA still. He had the personality. “Okay, I’ll stop. Meet you here in five minutes.”

  “Perfect,” Raphael called out.

  On the stairs, her legs stiffened. She turned around and didn’t see him. He'd promised five minutes. She’d not handle another lie.

  CHAPTER 21

  Kimberly returned to the library to check on Michaela. A dullness ached in her chest. His sister needed to be in bed, if she wasn't there already. Kimberly crossed her fingers that Meg showed up. The maid’s icy-cold demeanor would mean someone was close when she left with Raphael.

  Kimberly tiptoed into the library as fast she could. Her body had the feeling of being heavy, but it must be her nerves. The crackling fire lit the room. She rounded the corner at the other end and stopped in her tracks. Michaela was hunched over on the couch.

  Kimberly dashed toward her, and listened to Michaela's short breaths. She took his sister's hand in hers. She had delayed Raphael already. She couldn't lose his sister. She patted her hand. "Michaela, sweetheart, can you hear me?"

  His sister nodded and tried to open her eyes, her gaze stopping at Kimberly's necklace. "Where…did you get that?"

  "Let's get you upstairs." Kimberly reached out and tried to hold her at her waist. "Can you stand?"

  "Yeah." Michaela swallowed then pushed toward her feet. Kimberly braced, taking her weight as Michaela's arms wrapped around her shoulder. "Don't let me brother see me like this."

  Raphael's voice boomed behind her. "Too late."

  He hadn’t lied. Kimberly didn't turn around, instead calling out, "Help me get her to bed."

  Michaela whispered to Kimberly, "Don't let him go after anything. I'll be fine until the coast guard arrives."

  Raphael picked up his sister and held her close to his chest.

  Kimberly grabbed Michael's pocketbook. “Why are your meds not in here?”

  “I placed them in my backpack with my clothes. It’s stowed behind the pilot’s seat.” Michaela lowered her head. Together they helped her.

  On the stairs up near Kimberly's room, Michaela asked, "Where did you get that, Kimberly?"

  It was good to keep her talking. Kimberly sucked her bottom lip in. "What are you talking about?"

  "The necklace?" Michaela blinked, and Kimberly felt her stare.

  Kimberly reached behind her neck to take it off. "I've been meaning to give this back. When Raphael offered it to me, I had no idea I'd see it on half the portraits in this house."

  Michaela offered a small smile. "I tried to find it as a girl, but never did. The legend is that the mistress of this castle wears the amulet as protection. I tried so hard to find it so our parents would give me the castle and not Rafe, despite his green eyes."

  "Mica." Raphael coughed. "Stay calm."

  The family story was even more reason why this stayed in Raphael's family. Kimberly offered the necklace to his sister, but she refused. "It’s not mine."

  Kimberly then turned to Raphael, who stared at her arm as he clutched his sister. She lifted her chin and asked, "Did you know about the necklace when you gave it to me?"

  Raphael's green eyes opened wider and the flames of the candles danced in his pupils. Kimberly stared at him, momentarily hypnotized, as he said, "I remember Mica mentioning it as teenagers, but I forgot."

  Something about him made her believe him. Her fingers latched on to the amulet, though, as she asked, "You forgot a family heirloom?"

  He helped his sister up another few steps as he avoided her stare. "Why would I remember jewelry my sister wanted? What would I do with it?"

  Michaela reached out and tried to hold Kimberly's other arm. "Whatever my brother did to you, please forgive him. He means well."

  Kimberly took her outstretched hand back as her muscles twitched, but she said nothing. She held on to Mica to help her.

  Raphael carried her up the stairs and Kimberly walked beside. "What is the medicine you take?"

  "Six weeks ago I had bypass surgery." Michaela blinked. "I have memory issues and I bleed easily. I shouldn't have flown the helicopter."

  "No, you shouldn't have," Raphael said. “You didn’t have to worry about me.”

  Kimberly retied the amulet to her neck, as she didn't want to lose it right now. Raphael used his shoulder to point to the room next to Kimberly's. Kimberly stepped ahead of them and opened the door. Raphael laid her on the bed. This room was almost ex
actly like her princess room, and only two doors away. Kimberly helped fix the blankets as she asked, "Will you be okay now?"

  "The doctors believe I'll make a full recovery." Michaela sighed. "I'll be fine without the pills. They help me until my strength returns. The doctors all said I shouldn't have another heart attack, and because I'm young, I should bounce back. I just need rest."

  "How old are you?" Kimberly asked, and then covered her mouth.

  "Twenty-eight." Michaela shrugged. "My brother turned thirty one a month ago. He wasn't home to celebrate."

  Kimberly pressed her lips together. His sister was sweet. Heart surgery couldn't be fun, and Kimberly couldn't imagine the pain. Now that Kimberly thought about Eileen, she did remember hearing about a different fiancé. Her body heated as she realized she must have spoken about Raphael. She decided to avoid that topic with the siblings. "I'm glad the doctors gave you such good news."

  "With time, I'll be absolutely fine. There was no permanent damage as far as anyone can see. One day, I want what Gabriel and Erica have."

  Kimberly stood from the bed to stand with Raphael as she asked, "What's that?"

  Mica nodded. "A happily-ever-after. Raphael deserves one too."

  Kimberly smiled like she would to a sick child. Both of the Murphy siblings saw her sister as a good person. Raphael's hand went to her lower back as he led her to the door. "Erica was a great big sister. I can't wait to see her."

  They paused in the hall as Michaela called out, "Can't."

  Kimberly stopped short. "Can't what?"

  "You can't see Erica for a few months. She went back to Maine to winter with my brother. They have a doctor on call to climb the mountain if she delivers Joseph early."

  Kimberly's mouth dropped. "Erica's pregnant?"

  Raphael loomed beside her as his sister said, "Yep."

  She stared at Raphael and then returned to his sister. "She's naming her son Joseph?"

  Michaela fluffed her pillow as she said, "Our mom had a thing with the angels. I think your sister was being nice and chose a Bible name."

  Nice was one way to describe her sister. "Sounds like Erica."

  Raphael tried to close the door, but his sister and he both had a silent moment. Mica broke the spell as she said, "Kimberly is nice. Don't screw up your chances with her."

  She wasn’t perfect like her sister. Kimberly moved the bag to her other arm as Raphael said, "Mica, Kimberly deserves better than me. We both know that."

  He shook his head and tried to close the door. Michaela shouted, "Rafe, she has the necklace. It's a sign. Count your blessings."

  Kimberly clutched the medallion around her neck again. Did she give it back? He shouldn’t have given her real gold. Her fingers trembled, but she said nothing. Raphael walked down the stairs.

  "I'll watch Raphael. Don't worry about anything."

  "Sorry I crashed into your romance."

  "Raphael and I are not…" What could she say? "Err…it's not that simple."

  Michaela coughed then shook her head. "Go. He'll try to leave."

  Raphael had already turned the corner without returning. Kimberly nodded. "I'm on it."

  Kimberly bounded down the steps two at a time and turned the corner to chase him. She slammed into his massive chest as she collided with his wall of muscles. His arms circled her waist. "Wait."

  His muscles tightened around her as she inhaled his scent of forest, reminding her of a real home, something she'd never truly had.

  She didn't detangle herself from him as he said, "Kimberly."

  She'd made it to his side. She had a fluttery feeling in her chest now. She brushed his arm to get his attention. "Raphael. Don't."

  The intensity in his eyes spoke volumes. She swallowed, and her chest caved for a moment. He shook his head. "Don't ask me not to."

  She gulped. If the situation was reversed and it was Erica upstairs in the bed, she'd be no different. She thrust her chest back out. "I'm going with you."

  He reached over and tried to massage her arms. "Absolutely not."

  "We discussed this." She held her hands still at her sides and refused to let him upset her. Her temperature increased. "You need backup."

  She turned to stop his touch. He stiffened. "You don't know how to defend yourself."

  "I have the Taser." She stepped in front of him so he couldn't walk away, and she met his gaze. Her muscles tensed and she vowed to stay in front of him until he gave in. "You're not going without me."

  He lowered his head. "Kimberly, I can't risk losing you too."

  "Likewise." She crossed her arms and stood her ground. Then, with precise movements, she stepped into his body and leaned up. "We go together or not at all."

  He stepped out of her reach. His shoulders tightened as he narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

  There was no way she'd let him leave. Not now. She couldn't. She squared her shoulders. "I caused this. I let them out of the dungeon, so I'm fixing it."

  "I should have told you about them." He uncrossed his arms, and they flew to his side as he shook his head. "Stay here with my sister."

  If anything happened to him, she’d never forgive herself. She ran her own life and she could help him. She kept her chin high. "She'll get worse if you're not here. If we go together, then she knows you're not alone."

  He stood like an unmoving mountain. "Kimberly…"

  The CIA, his secret mission, his "can’t talk about anything," and his need to avoid conversations all came together in her mind. She shook her head, but then lowered her tone. "Raphael, are you a spy? Is that why you stranded yourself here?"

  He froze. "I can't say."

  "You don't have to." She rubbed her arms. Somehow she'd stumbled onto the truth. "How long until you're free?"

  He blinked. It was a sign that he'd move. Then he shook his head. "I haven’t been free in a long time."

  No, he'd not lead her backward in time. She planted her feet wide apart. "Free of why you keep secrets in this house, not your past mistakes."

  "I'm not in the military,” he said. “There is no discharge date."

  She studied his strong, muscular frame. "Were you telling the truth about the ships and April and reopening the hotel?"

  "Yeah." He took a step forward, and she took a step backward to stay in front of him. She needed to understand him. She needed to understand if her heart could take another chance. "Kimberly, I have to go get my sister's medicine."

  She hoped she exuded calm and confidence as she stepped aside. "We've had this discussion. I'm coming."

  He crossed his arms again. "Stay."

  She reached out and brushed his shoulders. He let down his hands. She grabbed her jacket and headed to the door with her Taser. "You are determined. I give you that. I'm going. If you don't take me, I'll follow you."

  He froze. "I should lock you in your room."

  "You won't." She held still, and did her best not to tremble in her shoes. "I can act as lookout and a second pair of eyes. Plus I’m fast. Besides, there are two of them and they know what you're capable of. Don't walk into danger alone."

  He shook his head and threw a hat at her for her to wear. "Fine, but you have to run the second I tell you. I can't let you get hurt out there."

  She tugged it on her head tight. "I'll do everything you say."

  "See that you do."

  Of course. Once she set her sights on a goal, nothing stopped her. She licked her lips, and he guided her in a different direction. "Won't I need a another jacket?"

  "You're not wearing bright pink anything." He shook his head. "I have an extra coat in black."

  "Oh, good. We'll finally match." She swallowed. A jolt rushed through her body. With luck, the coast guard would arrive in a few hours, and his sister would get her medicine. The bad guys would be arrested, if they weren’t dead already, and no one would ever seek to kill her again. Her lips parted as they walked down a dark hall as this thought held her together. "Where are we going?"

  "There is a
secret passage." He took her hand in hers, and she had a sense of floating beside him. "Your shining face will be a beacon to Roger and Harry Hellsworth. School your expressions, Kimberly."

  She covered her face with her hands and stopped. Michaela’s life was on the line.

  He stopped at a door and opened it.

  She stepped back. "Is this the way out?"

  "No, it's a closet." He stepped aside and let her see. "Take a jacket."

  She stepped into his massive frame and inhaled the salty pine essence that made up Raphael. It was better than the moldy, wet stones of the castle passageway. She sighed and chose a coat, slipping it on with a shrug.

  He reached down and zipped her up. His hands on her waist made her recall how she had loved his hands on her naked body. She shifted on her feet. "Raphael, we'll get her medicine without a confrontation. Have faith."

  "Faith is for people like you, Kimberly. I haven’t spent my life on a beach taking classes." He pressed his lips together. "We're not alike."

  "No, we're not." She smoothed back the jacket on her body to appear neat. Then she tried to keep her face blank. "You take life too seriously, and internalize. Face it."

  His eyebrows shot up. "Face what?"

  Kimberly pressed her palms down at her sides. She didn’t want to scare him too much, but she told him the truth. "You need me."

  She backed out of the closet then held out her hand for him. He didn't stir. She sighed. "Let's go."

  "Stay at my side and do everything I say."

  She swallowed.

  He took out a key from his pocket and unlocked a lever she hadn't noticed. She rubbed her arms together. He then pocketed his key and turned down the lever.

  Metal gears ground together. She turned around and saw a barbed-wire fence in front of the door lift into the air, straight. This must be the start of his secret passage.

  If everything played out right, maybe she and Raphael could patch together some sort of relationship. He needed to want her in his life.

  At the last second, she hung the medallion around her neck instead of keeping it in her pocket, where she might lose it. Under her clothes and jacket, no one would see the precious family heirloom. He'd given away this heirloom far easier than his heart.