Chapter 21
RAFE
We fucked before she fell asleep in my arms. Though fucked might be the wrong word. More like falling into each other, body and fucking soul. She had a piece of me I’d never get back, and I figured the same was true for her too.
I carefully removed my arms from her body and rolled onto my back. Maybe I should have pushed her sooner about the dreams, but I knew firsthand how dredging up nightmares could sear straight through someone.
Mine, thank fuck, had taken a vacation.
My cell vibrated on the nightstand next to the clock glowing a neon green 1:11 a.m. Not many people called me, and only one would at this hour. I grabbed my phone, eased from the bed, and crept through the door before answering.
“What’s up?”
“You awake?”
“I am now.”
“Sorry,” Jax said, cursing under his breath. “I know you have the fight tomorrow to worry about. I just…”
Something about his tone put me on alert. “What’s wrong?”
“I got a lead on Tawny. Gotta go back to Mexico.”
“Don’t even think about picking up an extra passenger this time.” Though he’d have difficulty getting to Zach with Shelton hiding him somewhere.
“I ain’t touching him, okay? I’m just saying…goodbye, I guess.”
“Wait. You’re leaving now?”
“She’s my sister. I’ve gotta find her.”
“I know that, Jax. I just didn’t realize you were taking off in the middle of the fucking night.”
A long pause blared between us. “You should do the same. Take Alex and just go. I don’t have a good feeling about this, man. Shelton’s a sketchy dude.” He’d been saying that from day one. Jax had never liked the guy.
“You’re sketchy,” I pointed out.
“No denying that.”
He agreed with me too easily. And maybe it was true. Jax was a sketchy bastard, but I saw myself in him. He wrestled with demons, same as me. We were kindred spirits.
“Don’t lose my number,” I said. “Let me know if you find her. I’ll be heading out of here right after the fight.”
“I’ll call you when I know something.” Another beat passed. “Be careful tomorrow night.”
The call went dead, and I stared at the phone for a few seconds, astonished he’d hung up on me. Obviously, he had other things on his mind, but I guessed it was more than his sister. Like Alex, he didn’t want to see me participate in this fight.
I tiptoed back to the bedroom and checked on her, relieved to find that she hadn’t stirred.
Jax was right. I should pack a bag, grab her, and just go.
Every atom in my body screamed at me to do so…
yet here I stood. It was like that morning six months ago when Jax and I prepared to break into Perrone’s estate.
Despite the sick feeling in my gut, I’d promised Alex something I shouldn’t have promised her.
I said I’d come back.
I prayed to fuck I wasn’t destined to repeat history.
I’d told her I was going to win this fight, and I had every intention of doing so.
Whether Zach left the cage on his feet or in a body bag…
that, I didn’t know. But I was ready for this match, believed the odds were in my favor, and I’d never had better motivation.
Take Alex and just go.
Those words became a chant in my head. Fuck, he was right. Alex was right. They were so fucking right it was insane. What was I trying to prove? It didn’t matter. Nothing was as important as keeping her safe.
I didn’t remember spanning the floor between the doorway and the closet, but suddenly I was pulling out a duffle, yanking drawers open, and tossing shit into the bag.
We could be out of here in fifteen minutes, twenty tops.
Just fucking disappear in the middle of the night, and no one would miss us for hours.
Zach didn’t know where the safe house was, and neither did Shelton.
Jax was the only one who knew, and as far as sketchy people went, he was the only sketchy person I’d trust with my life.
He hadn’t told a soul about that house, and he wouldn’t.
Alex and I could lay low for a few days while I emptied out my accounts, assuming I still had access to them. People might wonder why a missing person was suddenly pulling out money from—
“What are you doing?” Alex’s sleepy voice cut into the manic thoughts racing on the tracks of my mind.
“Get dressed. We’re getting the fuck outta here.”
She sprang upright. “You’re not fighting?” Her voice sounded hopeful, which only made me feel shittier.
“No, I shouldn’t have let things get this far. You’re right. We need to get moving.” If Zach were stupid enough to come after us, I’d kill him without hesitation or remorse.
She jumped out of bed and hastily dressed in a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. Her hair was a mess, but she didn’t seem to care, and I sure as hell didn’t care because she looked damn sexy with those locks twisted in a wild array around her face.
She had a thoroughly fucked look about her I’d never get enough of. Before I changed my mind about fleeing, I zipped up the duffle, grabbed my gun—the one that had faired better than Alex’s purse—and we made our way through the dark toward the stairs.
Fierce cold wind blasted us on deck. I flung the bag over my shoulder, tucked the gun into the waistband of my jeans, and adjusted her hood to protect her face from the bitter weather. “You okay?”
“Just get me on land.”
Winding an arm around her, I pulled her to my side, and we stepped off the boat together, shuffled down the slick dock, and ventured into soggy grass. We trudged through the mud toward my truck, parked mere feet away.
A pair of headlights illuminated us in the night.
Pushing Alex behind me, I halted as doors opened and slammed shut.
Two men ambled toward us, carefree. Like we were good friends, except the guns they grasped at their sides told a different story.
At least they weren’t fucking pointing them at us yet, and I wanted to keep it that way.
“Fuck, you scared the shit outta me,” I said, recognizing Nate.
“What’s going on?” He gestured toward the bag hanging over my shoulder.
“Just putting some stuff in the truck for tomorrow.” I glanced at Alex and tried to convey how dire this situation might become if she didn’t play along. “Babe, you wanna put this in the truck? Should be unlocked.”
With a nervous swallow, she took the duffle and tromped through the mud. I shuffled sideways, keeping me between Alex and our intruding visitors.
“It’s fucking freezing. What are you guys doing out here?” I shoved my hands into my pockets.
“Just keeping an eye on things. Shelton insisted we do a little stake out to make sure nothing unexpected happens.” Nate’s grin grated on my nerves. “You shouldn’t have a problem sleeping. We’ll be out here all night.”
Wonderful.
In other words…Alex and I weren’t going anywhere.
Not until after I kept my word and fought in this damn match.
A door creaked open behind me, and I heard the duffle thump onto the seat.
The door shut with a bang that echoed through the night, and Alex returned to my side, her strength quiet but steady.
She laced her fingers with mine, and that same uneasy feeling I’d had during my meeting with Shelton in the barn came over me again.
Probability was high that he’d try to stop us from leaving at all.