Now. Kimberly dropped the bag on the bench and wrapped her fingers around the Taser. She steadied her grip with both hands.
Harry turned back to her and yelled, "What the—"
She snapped the Taser like it was a gun, and two things flew out of the contraption. She swallowed and watched Harry as she held the Taser as steady as she could. His entire body shook from the electric shocks.
She grabbed the bag and rushed to Raphael.
"Get the gun."
Right. It had been her intention, but wildness had taken over her mind. She ran back to Harry and took the gun from his shaking grip, then opened the bag as she hurried to Raphael.
"I have scissors. One second."
He grunted at her more than spoke. "Give me the gun."
His bruises on his abdomen were purple and green. "Your hands are behind your back."
He smiled without dimples. "Just place the gun in the palms of my hands."
She tilted her head. "Why?"
The intensity in his stare would melt ice. "I don't trust you with it."
She nodded. Truthfully, she didn’t trust herself. "I thought you were going to shoot from behind your back like they do in the movies."
He rolled his eyes. "Impossible. Use the scissors and cut my legs free."
Her lips trembled still, but she followed orders. She handed him the gun, and then went to work on the wire with the scissors.
The outer casing was easy to fray, but the wires bent the fragile blades. She chopped, but the metal simply adjusted to what she did.
"You're doing great, my love."
My love? What? Her heart hammered a little differently, but she kept sawing. Every second felt like an hour. One small piece of metal cut, but there was more. Her upper arm ached from her effort. "How long do we have?"
Another small piece of the metal cut, but this was slow. Raphael grunted. Kimberly glanced over to check on Harry. She couldn’t spot Roger at all. "Are you okay?"
His dimples now appeared on his face, and she exhaled. "Yeah. Don't stop now, Kimberly."
She nodded and used the scissors more like a knife. Finally she broke more pieces free. Her small limbs worked without complaint but her body was almost numb. At last, Raphael fell to the ground and rolled on his knees. He then said, "Give me the scissors."
"Sure. Can we run as you work?"
He tucked the gun into his pants as he sawed at his wrists.
"Let's go."
Twigs broke in the distance. She turned around and saw Roger barreling toward them. She covered her mouth with her fist and grabbed Raphael's arm to get him to move. His hands were behind his back as she tugged him toward the forest as fast as she could run. Then he let go of her arm.
In the split second it took her to turn around, a huge bam reverberated behind her. She blinked. Raphael hit the ground hard and she hadn’t caught him. She helped him stand and grabbed Raphael's shoulder and hoped to get him to run with her. They had seconds to get away.
His arms wrapped around her and tugged her to the other side of him just as Roger launched at them. She dropped her hand to yell, but then both men punched at each other.
She picked up the designer bag and wielded it like a shield.
Roger's face came closer to her, and she hit him with the Valentino buckle.
Raphael then wrapped his fist around the gun and smashed it into Roger’s face, and he fell to the ground.
"Why didn't you shoot him?"
“Aren’t you the peace-loving type?” Raphael pushed the holster in his jeans and shrugged. "Besides, no bullets in that gun."
"Figures." She’d not say anything about the peace comment. She’d never been bloodthirsty in her life. Something had happened to her here, but she couldn’t let anyone hurt Raphael.
He took her hand. "Run."
Night had fallen while they’d fought the assassins. The coast guard should be here. They should go to the shore. She nodded. "Together."
His eyes widened and then he nodded. They both ran out of the clearing.
Blackness filled the air and she had no idea how long they ran. They were halfway to the castle, and her legs had a shooting pain. "Can we slow down? I'm not a runner."
"We have to be fast."
All her years of yoga hadn’t prepared her for this. She needed only a moment. "Please slow down. I can't breathe, and I have Michaela's medicine."
"Okay." He slowed down and took the bag off her back. He placed it on his own despite how broken his ribs were. "We can't stay long. The castle is close."
Waves lapped in her ears. The ocean was close. Her breaths and how fast her chest enlarged and then deflated became in sync. They had to go. She picked up her pace.
Raphael's eyes narrowed. He didn't ask her how she was. He stood and offered his hand to help her up. "Let's go."
Another minute or two would be heaven. Her hand went to her chest and clutched as she labored for every breath. "Shouldn't we go to the beach? The boat might have arrived."
He held her hand, but guided her back toward the castle. "No, nothing is coming."
The darkness of the night didn't seem to end. There wasn't even a moon above them in the clearing. She rubbed her neck, but followed Raphael. This time his pace was brisk, but she wasn't panting as she argued. "The helicopter crashed. They'd investigate. You said."
Raphael shook his head like she'd made up the story of a rescue. "Roger and Harry canceled the distress signal, and reported Michaela was fine."
No. He had to be wrong. Her mouth fell open. "What does that mean?"
He crossed his arms. "I'm a security zone. The authorities won't… No one is coming."
Her heart constricted. This wasn't good. She bit back her response and let her feet pound into the ground.
There was no way she was stuck here with Raphael any longer. She couldn’t trust her own heart near him till April.
Footsteps echoed in the forest. Roger and Harry must be awake. "We should hurry."
"You heard that?"
She nodded. "It's loud. Run."
"I've rubbed off on you. We're ahead. We should make it."
"Good."
They raced to the wall and his secret entrance. He scraped the metal lever back.
Kimberly heard the frantic race behind them. They had no time to lose. She swallowed. "Hurry."
Raphael's face contorted in pain and he grabbed his ribs. She winced for him. Then she came beside him and helped lift the metal. "Are you okay?" She imagined all of his ribs being broken.
"I'll need ice."
She sighed and almost smiled. Of course that would be what he said.
She stepped inside the gate just as Roger and Harry jumped at the grate. Kimberly screamed as she saw the whites of their eyes. Roger’s pungent breath and bloody nose sent a chill down her spine that signaled she should be ready to die now.
Raphael barreled between them, holding the metal gate.
Her entire body shook. Raphael yelled, "Hit the lever to your right."
She reached out blindly to the right. Her fingers locked on a lever and she tugged.
Raphael's fists met one of the men's faces through the slats.
Now what?
She stepped back. Were they in the tunnel too? Kimberly's questions spun in her head.
Then Raphael lit a candle. The small light was a beacon. She let go of the lever she still gripped and saw no one was with them. She and Raphael were inside the tunnel. Roger and Harry were in the yard. He nodded at her. "Thanks for coming for me."
She tried to take a step, but her knees locked. He reached out for her hand and she accepted it. "We made it."
His face lit up like he saw his first Christmas lights, and then he reached out to her and hugged her.
The muscles and size of him calmed her in a way nothing else would. She closed her eyes and hugged him back. Then she told him, "I'm going to need a stiff drink."
With his hands now around her waist, he led her back through the h
alls. "I'll take one too."
Today they’d worked as a team. The threat was still out there, but for this moment, they had won. Kimberly closed her eyes. Raphael had once again saved her, but now she had saved him too.
CHAPTER 24
Kimberly picked up a bag of frozen peas and pushed them against Raphael's bruised abdomen. She sucked in her breath, and averted his intense and passionate stare. She reminded herself that she was mad at him. Raphael was the one that had lied and told her Roger was dead. She swallowed then asked, "Will your sister be okay? There were more pill bottles then I expected in her bag."
He sighed like he was defeated. "I hope so."
There was more to come, she could tell. Raphael was never defeated, so far. Kimberly swallowed and realized he must feel helpless. She pressed the vegetables harder on his ribs, and he winced. She pressed her forehead to his. "What else haven't you said?"
He reached behind his head and scratched his neck. "It's my sister's secret, not mine."
She pressed her lips together and kept silent. Neither of them moved to pull apart.
He bowed his head. "Ali was Michaela's fiancé. Eileen was mine. We were how they met."
She dropped the frozen peas between his legs on the seat in the kitchen. She picked it up and massaged his leg muscle and wished she could take away the pain.
He inched away. Raphael reached down and handed the cold bag back to her. Kimberly took the bag back without a word, but kept her body slanted as far from him as she could. They couldn't get close like that again. He then told her, "If I didn't bring Eileen home, then my sister might have had the father of her child with her."
"Child?" Kimberly withdrew her hand and pressed the peas to her own heart, and then quickly returned the bag to his injury. She couldn't think. "Where is her child?"
"With our mother." Raphael turned and glanced at the door, like he hoped someone would rescue him. She tipped her head to the side, and he finished. "She kept her pregnancy quiet and didn't tell anyone. She doesn't want the royal family of Ashtibia to interfere with her life."
"You can't hide a child forever." With a heavy feeling in her stomach, she asked, "Did Eileen know how your sister was poisoned?"
Raphael pressed his lips together so fast she wondered if it hurt. "Not that night. On the night of his engagement party, Ali told my sister he married Eileen and then Michaela fainted from the poison. They found out at the hospital she was pregnant."
Her skin felt cold. "I knew that on some level. I remember blogging about it. I probably wasn't nice about your sister. Can she ever forgive me?"
Raphael's green eyes bored into hers as if he were a judge. She stilled. She had no idea what to say or what he thought. Then he finished, "Mica doesn't care about the press."
Kimberly touched her throat with her free hand. "It was still me, though. I'm not a faceless person anymore."
Raphael shook his head, and she turned away as she expected another sledgehammer of a shock. "With Ali and Eileen now dead, her son can be raised in Connecticut without much of an issue. Mica thought he intended to come and somehow take her son from her."
She did a double take. "Why would there be an issue? Mica wasn't married to Ali and she had her baby in the US, I’d imagine."
“She did.” Raphael's arm crossed his chest. "His family is male-dominated. The assassins were fighting the royal family and Mica became a target while engaged to him. The whole thing is a nightmare. It's better she keeps her son out of sight."
She chewed on her lip and then closed her eyes. "He should be safe."
Raphael dropped his arm, but still held her hand and the peas on his bruises. He turned his head toward the ceiling. "Roger and Harry knew about Mica's son and how their poison failed. The royal family has internal enemies."
"Roger and Harry were only stooges in the plot to kill the royal family?"
"Yes." His mouth came closer.
He'd kiss her in a second. Electricity coursed through her. She sighed and he drew closer.
"Thankfully, she left her son at home today."
She turned her face. No kisses. He brushed against her hand and nodded. She withdrew her hand from the embrace and turned away. Her body tensed. He dropped his hands to his sides, along with the bag of peas. "What's wrong?"
There was no more holding back. Her body heated, and it wasn't from passion. "Raphael, you lied."
He stilled like she'd said something passive-aggressive that he could ignore. "I wanted to protect you and for you to feel safe."
He thought this was just about the men he had in his dungeon. She dropped her hands to her hips and shook her head. "That's just one thing, but we can start there."
He moved his hands to his lap and crossed his legs. "Okay."
She planted her legs wide apart, crossed her arms, and gritted her teeth. "You told me Roger was dead and let me think the same about Harry."
He crossed his arms too. "He thought you'd die if he tossed you out the plane."
Her nostrils flared, her arms flew to her sides, and then she gulped. His words filtered into her brain, and she blinked. "What?"
His green eyes seemed almost black again, and his voice had an edge to it. "It's what he told me when I questioned him."
Harry had meant to be cruel too. She should have known. Her entire body felt like she’d crumple into cereal Raphael would have to clean off the floor. "You should have told me."
He scratched his head. She tapped her foot on the ground and he stopped. "I didn't want you to spend every second here worried they'd get out."
Her hands clenched. He should not be making decisions like that for her. Her back stayed stiff as she said, "Not good enough."
He stood up and took a step toward her, but she stepped back. "You were scared when you arrived."
She shook her head. "That's not a reason."
Then he spread his hands, palms up. "I'm sorry, Kimberly."
She rubbed her arms and ignored his offered palm near her. Eventually he withdrew his hand. Her heart whispered to let this go and be happy, but her mind reeled. He couldn't be trusted. "You also didn't tell me about Eileen and Ali and that you knew them."
This time he crossed his arms, like she'd thrown a knife in his back. She held her head higher. He took a step back. "No, I didn't."
He'd lied about important matters of the heart and she couldn't trust him. Her foot tapped on the floor again. "Why lie about them?"
His mouth dropped open like she'd said the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. Her entire body heated. How dare he act that way? He was the one that had lied. Then he shook his head. "You said Eileen was your friend and that you blogged about people's personal lives for a living."
"We weren't that close." Kimberly shook her head. "Eileen was my roommate for one year and she offered me a plane ride home. That doesn't mean I'd crucify you."
He pushed the bag of peas further back on the kitchen counter. "I didn't want to take the chance."
She swallowed and her heart felt hollow. "But you were willing to sleep with me?"
His mouth fell open. "That's not the same thing at all."
She spun on her heels to stand right in front of him and she clenched her hands at her side. "You don't want to take chances, but you were willing to have me in your bed."
He ran his hands through his hair and massaged the back of his neck, like that would give him any comfort. "I tried to say no to you."
She'd almost trusted him with her heart and soul. "You didn't try hard enough."
He shook his head. "I don't want to spend a second of my life thinking about Eileen."
"Why? 'Cause you pick women who clearly don't value you."
He stepped back again. "Is that what's wrong here?"
She froze. "That's not fair. I should be angry."
A vein seemed to dance on his forehead. She swallowed, and he turned his back on her. "Kimberly, I won't bother you again."
Her mouth fell open. She feared she'd gone too
far. She pressed her hands to her stomach and called out, "Wait."
Raphael walked out of the kitchen. He left the bag of frozen peas on the counter.
Her heart hammered in her chest, and she had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She paced and decided to refreeze the peas. She pinched her forehead and tried to shake off a headache. She had seduced him. She tried to put her hand in those circles, but it didn’t help. Every atom in her body begged that she should still be open to him.
Thinking hurt her head. She decided to head upstairs. She’d told him the truth, and she had every right to be angry, but the ache inside her intensified now that she was alone. She should go see how Mica slept.
Raphael had put her first over and over again.
No one ever valued her, but she had to know she could trust him. She swallowed and froze in the hallway of the main room.
A light flickered down the hall. Her feet turned toward the candlelight and she took a few steps. If it was Raphael, then she could finish their conversation. Perhaps she'd been too hard.
He had hoped to kiss her. Her nostrils no longer flared, and her lips tingled.
She made absolutely no sense. Perhaps she had spent too many years on a beach and not around people. Maybe she had overreacted.
Unlike her last boyfriend, Raphael had always treated her with kindness. He'd protected her and been her hero. Even now, he isolated himself because the government needed him to.
His sister upstairs would worry about him. And despite what a horrible past he had, he had learned wrong things. She had learned wrong reactions too.
She sighed and wrinkled her nose.
The candle went into a room further down the hall. Didn’t he see her?
The solution wasn't to never forgive Raphael. They were stuck together for who knows how long. They had enemies outside their doors. And most of all, her heart yearned for his touch. He made her feel safe.
If she didn't forgive and forget, she'd lose him.
She sighed and turned the knob of the door to enter, but then she heard mumbles. Her ears sharpened as men spoke and her heart almost fell out of her chest.
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