Chapter 23
They returned to the cabin shortly before seven. Keith and Debbie were still at the animal hospital. Rafe kept glancing at his cell phone as they sat on the sofa. Allison wasn’t going to like what he planned.
“I’m leaving soon, but I hate leaving you alone,” Rafe told her.
“I’ll go with you.”
“No. This is Bureau business.”
“You can’t get rid of me that easily, Rodriguez. I want to help you catch that son of a bitch who’s smuggling drugs and threatening my sister.”
He considered. “You’re swearing, Ally.”
“Son of a biscuit is too nice to apply to whoever did this.”
Gently he massaged her tensed neck muscles, enjoying the softness of her skin beneath his fingertips. “You need to stay here. I’ll call Debbie, have her stay here while Keith is at the vet with Comet.”
Moaning, she dropped her head. “If you keep doing that, Rodriguez, I just might listen to you.”
“I can do other areas as well, much later when all this is resolved.”
“I know what you’re doing and it’s not going to work. Not even the best massage in the world can convince me to abandon the search for Di.”
His fingers worked the tired muscles in her neck even harder. Allison moaned.
“Though if you keep that up, I might promise you my firstborn child.”
“Deal. As long as I’m the father.”
His fingers stopped, and he stared at her. She stared back. The intensity of the moment made him wonder where they went from here. They both had baggage, hell, an entire train car of it. Yet he longed to change his life.
The idea of marriage, a family, Allison having his child. A boy? Or a girl? It didn’t matter. The idea turned him on.
But if she didn’t like children...
“I like kids,” she whispered. “I’ve always wanted a family with the right partner.”
Copy that. His breath hissed out between his teeth. This was not a good time to give in to his body’s urges.
“Me, too.” Then, because the moment was too heavy, he added, “Always thought a woman looked best barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen.”
Damn, he adored it when her face scrunched up like that, ready to give him holy hell. Rafe laughed.
“I’m yanking your chain, Lexington.”
“It’s the wrong chain to yank, Rodriguez.”
“Got it. I have another chain to yank. I want you to back off babying your sister and living your life for her.”
Alison blinked. “I don’t live my life for her.”
“You’ve been doing it ever since you rescued her from the river, Ally. That Chinese proverb that you save a man’s life and you’re responsible for him for the rest of it is a proverb. Start living for yourself for a change.”
“I...” She looked away. “If I don’t live for Di, who the hell am I going to live for?”
Her mouth opened and closed. He cupped her cheek, lifted her woebegone gaze to his.
“Me.”
Her lips parted. Oh yeah, an invitation.
Rafe pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “You have beautiful hair and pretty eyes, Lexington. And your mouth, it drives me wild.”
Rafe bent his head and kissed her, a gentle, sweet kiss full of passion and desire, but he held back.
When they finally parted, she put a hand to her heart. “I know what you’re doing.”
“I sure hope so,” he muttered.
“You’re not going to make me forget about following you into town. Not with a kiss or a promise of great sex.”
He tilted his head. “Great sex?”
“Okay, spectacular sex. It was amazing.”
“It takes two, Ally. It was amazing because of you.”
“There’s more to relationships than amazing sex, Rafe.”
He played with a strand of her loose hair. “Of course there is, Ally. I think we have something dynamic between us.”
“I know we do, it’s just...”
She sighed as his cell phone rang. Rafe made an impatient sound. “Sorry.”
Work always came first. As he pressed the button to answer the call, he wondered if it always would.
Jase sounded rattled. “Rafe, the bears were picked up an hour ago.”
He frowned. “And you’re just telling me now?”
“I was a little busy. Lincoln ordered me to keep you out of it.”
Rafe swore. “Jase, I don’t want you taking risks for me.”
“The hell with that. You know I owe you a lot. But I have to warn you, Lincoln said if you get involved, your career is over. We traced the van’s license plate.
Stolen. We had a tail on it but lost it.
Looked like it is headed north to North Carolina.
We’re going to move the op north to Randall in a grocery store parking lot.
I’ve already informed the local sheriff here, and he’ll coordinate with the county sheriff in North Carolina. ”
Torn between saving his career and being there to take down the bastard who cost his men their lives, Rafe hissed. “I’m coming with you.”
“There’s something else you need to know... Driver was a man, midforties, accompanied by a brunette woman. We got a clear photo of the woman as the van passed. Sending to your phone.”
A chill raced through him as he studied the screenshot. Oh damn, this was bad. “Madre Dios. Is that...?”
“Yep. Diana Lexington. Allison’s missing sister.”