Chapter 11 #3
“Tell Alice the Tac-ops team is hers to do with however she sees fit. The paperwork is all in order and filed with my attorney. And tell her I love her more than anything in this world.” His voice broke then, but he refused to look away as he finished the rest of what his daughter needed to hear.
“She’s always been my greatest source of pride.
Being her father was the greatest honor of my life, and I’m taking all the love I feel for her with me when I go.
” Rafe worked quickly to blink away a fresh onslaught of tears.
“Can you do that for me, sweetheart? Can you remember to tell Alice everything I just said?”
“Tell her yourself.”
His gut tightened. “I can’t.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Dammit, Rafe.” Her voice shook. “No, you don’t. You don’t get to just decide that this is the end.”
“You know what will happen if you stay.”
“I know what happens if I leave you.”
“So do I.” The smile he wore was bittersweet. “You’ll live.”
The brutal finality of his words hovered in the tense air between them. Lena’s expression tightened, and for one terrible second, Rafe thought she might do something stupid like cross the room to join him. Instead, the woman he wished could be his took a step back.
Good. Keep going.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. Go ahead. Get out of the cabin and as far away from this area as fast as you can.”
She stared back at him through a set of daggered eyes. “You really think I’m going to leave you standing there? That I’m the type of person who could just turn my back on you and walk away? You know I can’t do that. I won’t.”
A muscle flexed as she clenched her jaw with a hard swallow.
“I know you’re a fighter who will do what’s necessary to survive.”
A bitter smile touched her lips. “Funny. I used to think the same thing about you. But now, you’re what? Choosing to become some sort of martyr?”
“This isn’t about me.”
“Of course, it’s about you. You’re the one standing on a damn bomb.”
That’s not what I meant.
“Lena—”
“I’m not leaving you, Rafe. So get that idea out of that stubborn head of yours right now.”
His heart squeezed at the unapologetic certainty in her voice.
“You have to leave, Angelina.” He softened his tone, hoping the tenderness would reach where his previous commands couldn’t.
Instead of hearing the urgent message he was trying to convey, Lena’s determined stare fell to his foot.
“We can try to disarm it.” She looked back up at him with hope.
God, he loved that she didn’t like to give up easily, even when she knew better than to believe her own words.
“You know how pressure-plates work.”
“This one might be different.” Her head swung around toward the front door. “I can go around back and see if I can find a way into the crawl space, and then—”
“There isn’t time for that, Lena.” Rafe shook his head slowly. “Even if you find it, there could be a failsafe rigged to trigger the second it’s touched.”
“There’s always time.”
“Not for us, there isn’t!” The echoing words escaped before Rafe could stop them.
Lena went perfectly still. In that moment, Rafe wanted nothing more than to cross the space between them. He wanted to pull her into his arms and finally admit what he’d kept buried for far too long. Instead, he remained trapped with only a few feet of floor separating them both from certain death.
“You don’t get to decide that all by yourself.” She swiped angrily at a fallen tear.
His voice thickened with painful emotion. “Lena, please.”
The plea cost more than any order he’d ever given. Aside from a few private moments with God, Rafe didn’t beg anyone for anything. Not ever. But he would beg this woman to live.
Several long seconds passed, and then—
“All right.”
Did she just say—
“All right?” Rafe parroted, not fully trusting her answer.
“You win.” Lena nodded. “I’ll go.”
Relief hit him so hard his knees nearly buckled, but he somehow managed to remain still.
“It’s going to be okay.”
A single tear she ignored left a silver streak shimmering down her cheek. “Rafe, I . . .”
Her words trailed, but even through the shadows, Rafe could see them in her eyes.
“I know, sweetheart. Me, too.” He smiled, doing his damnedest to keep his own emotional upheaval in check. “Now, go. Get to Alice and Slade’s, and don’t forget to tell her everything I said.”
Lena nodded, her face crumbling for the briefest of seconds before regaining her usual control. Rafe watched as she turned and started for the front door. Every step carried her farther from him but closer to safety.
The cabin’s floor plan gave him a clear view of the simple entrance, making it possible to see her right up to the end. Lena reached the door but paused to turn back his way.
One last look.
Committing their final moment together.
“It’s okay,” Rafe repeated the promise he’d already given a few times before.
“Apparently, I’ve served my purpose here, but you .
. .” His smile widened. “You, Director Price, still have more to do. So go on.” A quick jut of his chin.
“Get to it. Deliver my message to Alice, and then you go get the bad guys.”
Her lips parted as if she had intended to say more. A pounding heartbeat later, Rafe watched her turn around and walk out the front door.