66
Present, Las Vegas, Nevada
Desolate, I stare out of the airplane window, watching the clouds wisp by as the plane levels off from takeoff. All I can think about is Ethan. I can’t believe it took me this long to see the truth.
I love him.
In my romance books, sometimes love is a bludgeon that hits you over the head and drags you back to a cave to have its way with you. But now I see love can also be like a thief in the night, sneaking in through a crack in the window and slipping into your bed. That’s what my love for Ethan is like. It snuck up on me.
But can he ever love me, the real me, back? If he finds out all the awful things I’ve done…
It won’t matter, anyway. When I don’t return from the bathroom, Ethan will think I broke my promise. The one thing he asked of me was not to run away, but that is exactly what this will look like. He’ll never forgive me.
I need to stop thinking about Ethan and focus on my safety. I don’t understand Rafe’s plans yet. What will he do to me if I find the diamonds? What will he do if I fail? Determined to find some answers, I break the tense silence that has existed between Rafe and me since we left the hotel.
First, the question I wanted to ask yesterday. “Where is Shelly? Is she okay?”
Rafe is so big and muscular that his upper body extends into my space. When his elbow touches my arm, he jerks away. “Last time I saw Shelly, she was in Mexico and she was fine. You always worried too much about her.”
A new thought occurs to me. “How do you know she hasn’t already come back and claimed the diamonds? Maybe she beat you there?”
“She wouldn’t go to Vegas.” Rafe gives a humorless laugh. “Shelly’s got a warrant out for her arrest. She can’t risk coming back into the United States.”
“A warrant? For what?” I sit up straight, alarmed.
“Don’t worry about it,” is all he’ll say. Rafe’s not in a very conversational mood, but then he’s always been that way.
I’m not going to let him off the hook so easily. Some things have bothered me for years, and now that I’ve got him trapped in a seat next to me for a couple of hours I’ll force him to speak, somehow.
I take my time and observe him. He’s tense, all tight jaw and frowning mouth. There are lines on his face that he didn’t used to have, little wrinkles in the corners of his eyes and bracketing his mouth. Not laugh lines, more like worry lines. I’m guessing life hasn’t been easy since he left Las Vegas.
“Did you plan it all along? Taking the money and abandoning me? Whose idea was it? Yours or Shelly’s?” Bitterness fills my words. It curls poisonous around each syllable. I’ve waited for so long to ask that question.
Surprisingly, he answers. “It was all Shelly. She was the mastermind, planned the whole thing.” He gives me a shrewd glance. “You always underestimated her. Besides, we gave you some money. We didn’t take it all.”
“A small fraction of the money and then you left.” I shake my head. “Anyway, we shouldn’t have done it. We shouldn’t have taken it.”
“Yeah, but we did, and I bet you used that money, even though it was dirty.” A knowing look from him. “Didn’t you?”
My silence is all the admission Rafe needs. A cruel, satisfied smile expands across his face. “Thought so.”
I almost argue with him, explaining how I had no choice. How after my mother died, that money was the only way to get free of her medical debt. But I stay quiet because it’s a lie.
There’s always a choice.
“It was still wrong,” I persist. “I shouldn’t have done it. I especially regret lying to Stewart. He deserved better than that.” There’s the bitter sting of tears in the back of my throat, but I won’t let Rafe see me cry.
“You lied to Stewart, and we lied to you. On and on, that’s how it goes. Welcome to the real world, Tiffany. It’s not all rainbows and sunshine. Everybody lies.” He’s matter of fact about it, like this is some universal truth he’s explaining.
I don’t buy it. Ethan’s never lied to me. He’s proven that not everyone takes from each other without giving back. My mother and Mr. Chen weren’t like that either. Rafe may live in a pessimistic world, but it doesn’t have to be my reality. For years, I’ve lived isolated from other people, scared of exactly that. I refuse to live that way any longer.
He continues, “I used to feel bad for you. I knew what you were going through with your mom, but now I don’t feel sorry for you anymore. Look at you. Living this sweet life you’ve made for yourself.” Jealousy colors Rafe’s cheeks a blotchy red. “While I’ve been on the run this whole time. We were both there that night. We both did the crime, but I’m the one who paid. The way I figure, you owe me.”
His eyes glitter with malice. The boy I once knew is gone, replaced by a resentful and angry man. “That’s why I started sending you those text messages.”
I gasp. “That was you?” I figured it was him or Shelly, but still the admission rocks me. All these past months I’ve been tortured, wondering, worrying about those messages. Who sent them and what they meant.
It was him. Rafe. He was behind it all along.
He nods. “I could tell you’d deliberately forgotten us. Buried your past. I need you to get a shovel and dig it back up. I wanted to trigger your memories. You’re going to find those diamonds for me. I’ll retire to some tiny island and drink pina coladas for the rest of my life.” He has a distant expression, like he’s picturing this idyllic future.
“And if I can’t find the diamonds?” I counter.
Rafe moves faster than a cobra striking, his face suddenly in front of mine. “There’s no if. You better find them.” I shrink back against my seat, retreating from the fury I see in his eyes. “You’ll be punished if you fail. If you don’t believe me, well, you obviously didn’t know who I was back then and you sure as hell don’t understand who I’ve become now.”
For the first time, I’m truly afraid of him.