Chapter 7 #2
“That sounds like my mother. Let me show you something.” Rafe took the two pieces and brought them together. “If you pinch it like this, it’ll slide right in.” He handed it back to her.
Ahri made a disgusted sound. “I wish you’d been here earlier this week. I’ve been struggling for days.”
“Didn’t Ma tell you?”
She thought back. “I don’t think she’s been out here with me since I started this part.”
“Where do you want me to work?” he asked.
“That section over there needs compost before we can till it in.”
“All right.”
Ahri watched while he went to the full wheelbarrow and dumped it before heading back to the pile of compost near the driveway for more.
Since he’d spent years helping with the garden, she’d have expected him to want to start bossing her around.
That was unexpected, a CEO who didn’t have to always be in charge.
She tried not to look at him while he worked, but she found herself glancing his way often.
Rafe seemed to know what he needed to do and went right at it.
From the way his back and arm muscles pressed against his T-shirt as he shoveled the compost, he must work out.
Kayn had mentioned the complex having an employee gym.
She didn’t know if the CEO would use it with everyone else.
Maybe he had his own equipment in his apartment there.
No one could look that good naturally. For a man who spent so much time in his office, he was in really good shape.
Ahri frowned. She shouldn’t be admiring the way he looked.
“What do you like to do when you’re not working?” she asked to get her mind on something else. “I mean, besides helping your mother with her garden.”
“I game, of course.”
“Don’t we all?” Not that she’d played since coming to Francie’s.
“I read.” He glanced into the distance. “I write.”
Since she’d been looking at him again, she saw his neck darken, like he was embarrassed.
“You mean besides the champion lore?”
Rafe shifted his feet. He did write more than stuff for the game. How cool was that?
“What are you writing?” she asked.
“Nothing much. Just a story I’ve been messing around with.”
“Will you tell me more?” she asked.
“It’s a political thriller.” He didn’t look at her. “I wanted to try something different from the game fantasy. I don’t have much time to work on it. I don’t think I’ve opened the file in months.”
“How fun. Not the part where you haven’t looked at it lately.
” Ahri sensed he didn’t want to say more, so she went back for additional supplies.
A political thriller. That was so different from the fantasy lore that he’d been writing.
She wondered what kind of research he’d have to do for something like that.
“What kind of music are you into?” she asked when he came back with another load of compost.
“Why do you ask?” Rafe watched her, his head tilted to the side.
“Just making conversation.”
“All right. I like all kinds now. I grew up with country but you can imagine how well that was received at Harvard. I broadened my tastes out of self-defense.”
Seeing this side of Rafe Davis was turning the image Ahri’d had of him upside down.
The polished, almost suave, front man for REKD Gaming was very different from this version who was shoveling compost for his mother’s garden.
She found him intriguing. Which was he, the country boy or the sophisticated businessman?
“What about you?” He wiped at his brow, now glistening with perspiration.
“Oh, me?” She fumbled with the parts in her hands, not realizing she’d stopped working. “I like a lot of different kinds too, but especially ones with girl soloists.”
“Girl power music?” he asked, a glint of humor in his expression.
“I guess, though I hadn’t really thought about it that way.”
“Are you a cat person or a dog person?”
She grinned. “I’m allergic to cats, so by default I’m a dog person. I think, anyway. We weren’t able to have pets when I was growing up. We always lived in apartments and couldn’t afford to pay the pet deposit. I used to beg my mother for a puppy when I was little.”
“I never had a dog either. My father was sensitive to loud noises. Barking dogs upset him too much. I can’t tell you how many times he called the police about our neighbor’s dog.”
So he hadn’t been allowed a dog either. Ahri hadn’t expected to have so much in common with this man. She wondered if they also had name issues.
“Is Rafe your name or a nickname?” she asked.
“Nickname. My name’s Raphael.”
“Like the painter?”
“I got teased because of the mutant turtle,” Rafe said, making a face.
She burst out laughing. “Children can be so mean about names.”
“It’s not just kids.” Rafe shook his head. “There was a guy in our dorm who thought he was so clever and kept asking where Kayn’s brother was.”
Ahri shrugged, not getting the joke.
“The guy would then ask where Abel was.”
“Oh.” She gave a snort of disgust. “That’s lame. Kayn never mentioned that.”
“I’m sure he didn’t. I finally started riding the guy for his lack of creativity and told him his joke was as old as the hills and twice as dusty.”
“And he stopped?”
“When everyone on our floor started calling him Dusty, yeah.”
“That’s awesome,” she said, chuckling. “I could never get anybody to spell mine right. The one thing our father did was let our mother name us, and she wanted our names to be unique. I had a second-hand bike and dearly wanted one of those toy license plates with my name on it. Even now, you’ll never see my spelling on any of the display cases. ”
“It’s pretty,” Rafe said.
Ahri’s face warmed with pleasure. His open admiration unsettled her, and she had to focus on her hands again.
“What kinds of things do you have on your bucket list?” he asked.
Ahri stared off at the trees in the distance. “I’m not sure I have one right now. I just want to get through the next few weeks.”
Rafe was about to ask Ahri what those plans were, when her phone rang. There were only a handful of people who knew the number to the special phone Bill had given her.
She frowned at the screen, her face going pale, and she seemed hesitant to accept the call.
“Something wrong?” Rafe stepped closer.
“It says it’s from the Phoenix police.”
In spite of the sun’s heat, a chill of worry ran down Rafe’s back. His protective instincts triggered, and he moved beside her.
She shot him a worried glance and accepted the call.
“Hello?” she asked, her voice hesitant, wary. “Yes, this is Ahri Meisner.”
Rafe wished he could hear what the other person was saying.
“Yes, I have someone with me.”
The memory of the other time he’d heard that same question asked of his mother set all his mental alarms off. Had Zed died?
Rafe put a bracing arm around Ahri’s shoulders just in time. She jerked and her knees gave out. He eased her to the ground, and she buried her face in her raised knees. Dropping beside her, he picked up the phone and made sure the call hadn’t been disconnected. He put it on speaker.
“My name’s Rafe Davis. I’m a family friend.”
“This is Officer Warwick of the Phoenix Police Department. I’m afraid I have bad news. Mr. Meisner’s body was found yesterday.”
Just what he’d been afraid of. “Do you think it was foul play?” Rafe asked.
“It appears likely.”
Beside him, Ahri stirred.
“Is Mrs. Meisner in any danger?” Rafe asked, and she straightened.
“Possibly,” the officer said. “It’d be wise to assume she is, as a precaution.”
“I’m in danger?” she asked, her voice soft.
“He said it’s just a precaution.” Rafe didn’t want to treat her like a child, but he didn’t want to overwhelm her either.
“Yes, just a precaution,” Officer Warwick agreed.
“You’re aware she left the state to stay with her brother after the break-in.”
“Yes, she informed us.”
“I’ll have my head of security get in touch with you.” Rafe waited for the inevitable question.
“Your head of security?”
“I own a business in the state where she’s staying.
” Rafe didn’t know why his gut told him to play it close about Ahri’s whereabouts.
Maybe he’d seen too many movies where the local police had a leak.
Regardless, he didn’t think it necessary to offer information that might put her in danger.
“Here’s my number. My guy’s name is Bill Ryze, and you’ll be hearing from him. ”
“I’ll look forward to his call.” Warwick disconnected the call.
Rafe put down the phone, not sure what to say. He forced his shoulder muscles to relax because they’d started to cramp. He wanted to offer her comfort, support. Something. And Kayn needed to know.
Before Rafe could reach for his phone, Ahri leaned her head against his shoulder.
He put his arms around her again, and she turned into his chest, crying at last. He held her, feeling helpless.
Weren’t there some magical words out there that would help ease her pain?
He remembered all the platitudes people had said to him and his mother after his father’s death.
Ahri’s husband had been murdered. Had whoever’d done that gotten what they needed from the apartment, or had the neighbor interrupted the search before they found it? Could she really be in danger now?
“Please tell me this is a nightmare.” She straightened, wiping her eyes.
“I wish I could.” Rafe brushed aside a strand of hair from her cheek.
“I just don’t understand. Why would anyone kill a lowly CPA?” Ahri looked up into the sky like she was seeking help from the heavens. “He kept books, for heaven’s sake.”
“I know. If he had a gambling debt—you did say you were worried about that, didn’t you?” When she nodded, he said, “It wouldn’t make sense to kill him.”
Ahri nodded and rubbed her temples, a crease between her brows.
“We need to let Kayn and Bill know about this.” Rafe dialed the number, the phone still on speaker.
“I was about to call you,” Ryze said without a greeting.
“I’m at my mother’s with Ahri.” Rafe explained about the call from the police.
Bill swore softly. “That makes my news even worse.”
“What?” Rafe and Ahri said at the same time.
“The truck with her things has disappeared.”
She went even paler, her mouth forming a small o.
“Like stolen?” Rafe asked.
“Apparently. They notified Kayn since he’s the one who contracted with them,” Bill said. “Did they say how long Meisner’s been dead?”
“I didn’t think to ask,” Rafe said, irritated with himself.
“That man who was watching the packers,” Ahri said suddenly.
“Right. Bill, I need you to contact the Phoenix police about this.” Rafe gave him the officer’s information. “Where’s Kayn now?”
“Just went into a brainstorming meeting.”
Rafe met Ahri’s gaze and could tell she was going to say not to bother her brother. “He’ll want to be told now, so he can be here with you.”
She heaved out a breath. “All right.”
“Do you need anything else from me, Bill?” Rafe asked.
“No. I’ll get right on it.” Bill paused. “I’m sorry about your husband, Mrs. Meisner.”
“Should we have her use a different last name?” Rafe asked.
“Not a bad idea. Rafe, you’ll need to explain to your folks about what’s going on,” Bill said.
“Ahri, had you considered going back to your maiden name or did you reckon to keep his?” Rafe asked.
“I hadn’t thought that far ahead.” She leaned her head against his shoulder again.
Her touch made Rafe hyperaware of the contact. He ached to do something more for her.
“Since we don’t know what kind of people your husband was involved with,” Bill said, “it might be best to put some distance between your names. Does your husband have any family in Arizona?”
“Yes, but they were awful to me because of me being part Korean,” she said with a sniff. “I haven’t seen any of them in a couple of years.”
“This may seem a little premature,” Bill said, his voice kind, “but you need to think about funeral arrangements. I should state right now that I’m opposed to you attending.”
“Not go to his funeral?” Ahri’s voice had gone quiet. “He was my husband.”
“Your estranged husband, yes,” Bill said.
Rafe’s first thought had been that it was her husband’s fault for having gotten himself into this and he’d managed to drag her into it too. But he had to accept that even though the marriage would have ended anyway, her feelings about her late husband weren’t black and white.
“I agree with Bill,” Rafe said, gently. “It’s not like Zed died in a car crash.”
“I know he was mur—dered.” She choked on the word. “How can I not go?”
“To keep you safe.” Rafe’s heart ached for her, and he wrapped an arm around her again.
“But, why? I don’t know anything.”
“They might not realize that. I think Rafe’s right,” Bill said. “For your own safety, you need to stay in North Carolina, out of sight. I’ll get to work.” He ended the call.
“Do you want to tell Kayn?” Rafe asked, leaving the Or should I? implied.
“You, please.”
Rafe’s stomach was in a knot. He wanted to hit something. They’d brought Ahri here to protect her, but there was no way to protect her from the pain of her husband being murdered. He would need to talk to Bill about increasing the security at the B&B.