Chapter 24
RAFE
The stubborn silence between us unsettled me.
Everything about this night unsettled the fuck out of me.
Alex perched on the couch, her shoulders slumped, eyes downcast. I stood in front of her and propped my back against the side of the bench.
It took everything in my power to keep my hands off of her.
If I touched her now, I might lose control and do something I’d regret.
“I’m so fucking furious with you right now.”
“I know,” she said, picking at her cuticles. I gnashed my teeth. If she went for her skin, that would be it. I’d make her hurt in a bad way…in the same fucking way her actions tore me to shreds.
What she’d done felt a lot like betrayal, though I knew she hadn’t meant to betray me. She’d thought she was doing the right thing by letting that piece of shit go. Nothing in my standard arsenal of punishment would fix this.
I crossed my arms, trying to contain the energy flowing through me. “What were you thinking?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know.”
I let out a sigh and settled next to her on the couch. Resting my elbows on my knees, I dragged both hands through my hair. We had bigger problems to deal with, but at the moment, all I could think about was what had gone on in that room. Had he touched her?
“What did he say to you?”
“He said my dad killed my mom.”
I lifted my head and gaped at her. “I did not just hear that right.”
“You heard right.” Her monotone voice dug underneath my tight grasp on control. Not only did I want to take a belt to her ass to work off this anger, but I wanted to demolish that listless void in her.
I wanted to kill Zach more than ever because he’d done this to her. Again. The fucker had played with her emotions.
“And you believe him?”
“I guess so.” She shrugged. “Maybe. He could’ve been feeding me a line. But I know him, Rafe.” With a hard swallow, she peeked at me from beneath her lashes. “He also said Shelton was behind his escape. He orchestrated the fight as revenge. Guess you’re not the only one who wants Zach dead.”
A persistent throb started in my temples. I rose to my feet, propping both arms on the opposite wall. Giving her my back. “Guess you’re the only one who wants him alive.”
“That’s not why I did it!” The boat swayed with her movement. She gripped my shoulder and yanked until I turned around. “What happened to loving me, huh? Deep down you knew that fight was a no-win situation.”
“That fight is still happening, sweetheart. We’re stuck, so unless you have an idea on how to get past the goons with the guns out there,” I said, words blasting through the dim space like a vicious bullet, “I’m out of ideas.
” I swung my arms outward. “We could’ve been on our way outta here, but you had to let him go. ”
“How do you know Shelton is gonna let you walk away from this?” She jabbed a finger into my chest. “You’re too valuable. I don’t know much about this world of yours, but I know that much.”
“Then you know that getting out of here is gonna be dangerous.”
“We made it out of that tunnel,” she pointed out.
“Barely. We got lucky.”
A shrill ring sounded, accompanying the vibration in my pocket. I welcomed the intrusion because we were going in circles. I strode into the galley, needing to put some distance between us, and barked a hello.
“Why the fuck is Nate camped outside your boat?” Jax’s voice sounded strained as if he’d inhaled a drag of nicotine before speaking. The subsequent exhale hinted that I was spot on.
“Thought you’d be in Mexico by now.”
“I was headed that way.”
“What happened?”
“Couldn’t leave things like this. So how’d it go?”
I glanced over my shoulder and caught Alex digging into her left wrist. I snapped my fingers to get her attention. Her startled eyes veered my way, and I gave her a look. The look.
Stop fucking hurting yourself.
She let go of her wrist, and I leaned against the sink, keeping my focus on her. “It didn’t go,” I told Jax. “My stubborn, headstrong little vixen agreed to meet with the bastard. And get this—you’re gonna love this—she helped him escape.”
“Well,” he said, barely containing a snort.
“Sound fucking familiar?”
“Hey man, I’m with her on this. You went off the rails, and she wasn’t even around to see how bad it got.”
“Part of that was your fault.”
“Why do you think I’m so fucked up over this?” Jax practically shouted, so loud even Alex heard him. “That’s why I’m back, even though I should be all over this lead. I’m here to make sure you get the fuck out of there.”
“We tried taking off right after you called. Nate and his buddy stopped us, and Shelton took my gun tonight too.”
“What about the piece you lifted from Alex’s house the night you grabbed her?”
“I got rid of it, so until an opportunity opens, we’re stuck.”
“You’re still hoping to finish what you started. That’s what you’re really saying, right?” Jax sighed. “Let me guess. Shelton’s looking for Zach as we speak.”
“Something like that.”
“You stubborn fool.” The click of a lighter sounded. Jax only chain-smoked when he was stressed. “I’ll take care of the idiots in the Escalade. Give me fifteen. I’ll call you.” The line went dead.
“Fuck.” I jammed my cell into the pocket of my jeans. He was getting into the habit of hanging up on me, and I didn’t like it.
“What’s going on?” Alex asked.
“Jax is up to something. He said to be ready in fifteen.”
She stood and glanced down at the sweatshirt that nearly swallowed her whole.
“Get dressed,” I said. “Wear something warm with layers.” For all I knew, the bag in my truck had grown legs and walked off. Hopefully, no one had messed with it, but we might be stuck with nothing more than the clothes on our backs, at least for a few days.
While Alex disappeared into the bedroom to dress, I pulled out our coats and flung them onto the sofa, then raided the drawers in the galley in search of a pocketknife.
Fuck, I’d miss this boat. The first day I set foot in the area, I happened to stumble upon a guy wanting to sell it.
I’d had the cash, and something about the craft called to me.
Maybe the idea of living on water was just…
familiar. The only comforting thing I’d allowed myself to cling to back then.
But it was time to lay that part of my life to rest. The boat would become an abandoned casualty of circumstance.
Alex returned fully dressed in jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, and a sweater. “What about your son?” she asked, tossing my sweatshirt to me. “Will leaving like this put him in danger?”
“No.” I pulled the shirt over my head and picked up our coats. “I haven’t told anyone about him. Only you and Jax know.”
She settled onto the bench, her expression anxious, and tapped the tabletop with her nails.
Now all we had to do was wait. I peeked between the curtains but couldn’t see shit through the fog. What the fuck was Jax up to? A few more minutes passed, and I began pacing. No way in hell could I sit still like Alex.
We both jumped when my cell let out another shrill ring. I dug the damn thing out, almost dropping it, and asked Jax what the hell was going on.
“Take Alex and go!” he shouted. “Don’t stop for anything. I mean it. Get in your truck and get the fuck outta here.”
“What did you do?”
“I took a page from Cleft’s book. Now get moving. I’ll call you soon,” he said, and then the fucker hung up on me again.
“Let’s go.” I grabbed Alex’s hand and practically dragged her to the staircase.
The instant we reached the deck, smoke drifted to my nose, but it didn’t hold the same scent like smoke from a fireplace or a wood stove.
Through the fog, I spied an eerie orange glow in the distance, in the vicinity of the barn where I’d pounded out my helplessness, rage, sorrow, and every other emotion known to man for the past six months.
“Is that a…?” Alex squinted through the orange haze.
“A fire? I think so. C’mon.” I moved toward the dock, but Alex halted, a natural reaction for her when water was involved.
Instead of trying to talk her through her fear, I hoisted her over my shoulder and carried her, lifting one leg then the other onto the dock.
Voices drifted to us from afar. Sirens would sound any minute.
Nate’s SUV was abandoned, doors left open.
Reaching my truck, which stuck out like a sore thumb despite the fog, seemed to take forever. Each second presented a threat.
Someone would stop us.
Shoot us.
Kidnap us.
Aliens would fucking land because getting behind that wheel and leaving this place a distant memory seemed impossible. Alex must have felt the same way. Her fingers dug into my back a little deeper with each step. I opened the passenger door, shoved the duffle bag over, and set her on the seat.
“Is this really happening?” she asked as I tightened the belt snug across her lap and chest.
“This is really happening.” I slammed the door, hopped into the driver’s side, and sped the fuck out of there.