Page 54 of In My Heart
“He told me, you know?” Rafe said with the hint of a smirk.
“Told you what?”
“That he loves you, and that you return those feelings.”
“Rafe…” I didn’t even know what to say. Cal had told my brother he loved me? Had he also told Rafe about Arran and Dio too?
“It’s alright, Cara. Take a breath,” Rafe chuckled. “I’m on board with you and Cal. He’s a good man, and he has a bright future ahead of him. I think he would make you very happy, and I knowhe would take good care of you. I’ve already warned him what will happen should he not.”
“Rafe…” It seemed that was all I was capable of saying.
Should I tell him everything? About the others? Surely Rafe would trust them to look after me the way he trusted Cal to. Would he be as relaxed and almost happy looking as he were in that moment about all of us being together?
“Your face!” Rafe laughed. “It’s okay. I don’t need any explanation or details. I just wanted you to know that I am aware, and that I approve. As long as Cal respects your boundaries and lets you take the lead, I’m happy for you both.”
I opted to keep my mouth shut for the time being. I needed to talk to the guys before I blurted out the truth and got Arran and Dio into shit with my brother. Instead I just wrapped my arms around his waist and gave him a squeeze before we started walking towards the underground car park.
My phone rang and I released Rafe, to pull it from my jacket pocket as I passed through the door that he held open for me. A shudder rocked through me the moment we stepped out into the underground parking lot, but I ignored it and answered the call, seeing it was Dio.
“Hey,” I greeted, pressing the phone to my ear with one hand as I fought to pull my coat tighter around me with the other. It was freezing.
“HiPiccola. I just wanted to see how things were going? Have you done with your appointment?” he asked gently.
“Yeah. We’re just heading for the car now. Everything was fine with the appointment. I just have to get follow up bloods in afew months, which the doctor told me she expects to come back clear.”
“I’m relieved to hear that. I was worried about you. How are you feeling?”
“I’m alright, Dio. There’s nothing to worry about. Rafe’s been with me the whole time, and I’ll be back home soon.”
“Okay. I’ll let Arran know. He’s been pacing the hall most of the time you’ve been gone,” he laughed.
I glanced behind me to check where Rafe was, and seeing he was a few feet behind, talking with Brax, I pressed the phone closer to my ear and whispered, “We need to talk later, all of us. Rafe was asking me about Cal. He wanted me to know that he knows about us.”
“I know, baby. Just breathe. Everything’s fine, but we should all talk. I think it’s about time we told Rafe the truth. I hate sneaking around behind his back,” Dio explained.
“We’re hardly sneaking around. We haven’t really done anything.”
“No, but we’re keeping secrets and I don’t like it. Rafe and I never keep secrets from each other. He needs to know the truth.”
“I know,” I agreed, sure he was right. I hated the lying too, even if my relationship with the guys hadn’t really come to anything more than kissing and holding one another so far. “We’ll talk later,” I added in a rush as I sensed Rafe coming up behind me.
“Just get home safe. I’ll let Terza know you’re on your way and she can…”
Whatever Dio was saying was lost as a loud pop rang out through the space, echoing around me. Many more shots followed,making my ears ring loudly, and the next thing I knew, I was being pushed to the ground hard and fast, and my phone flew from my hand.
“RAFE!” I cried, realising he was the heavy weight that landed half on top of me as I hit the cold, hard concrete with force.
“Stay down!” Rafe uttered urgently.
More gunshots boomed loudly around and above us, and I fought my overwhelming panic and instinct to cower, instead pushing my front half up on my hands so I could glance around us. Rafe and I were in an open space, but there was a car at one side and a wall at the other. Around us Rafe’s men had spread out, ducking behind parked cars and the concrete pillars of the structure, guns in hand and firing at men who were obviously aiming for us.
Rafe wasn’t moving though. His weight was splayed across me, weighing me down. At first I had thought he was just staying low too, but when he didn’t move at all, not even his arms which were partially hanging over my shoulders, I realised something was wrong.
“Rafe!” I gasped as I fought to push myself out from under him.
Somehow I wiggled enough to slide free, but as I moved the last foot to get out from under Rafe’s dead weight, warm wetness trickled over me, hitting my right ear first, then running down my neck. As soon as I sat up, I rubbed at the streak, then looked at my fingers. Blood.
My heart felt like it stopped, then started beating in triple time as I pushed up to my knees and moved to Rafe’s side. He was laid out on his front and blood was already pooling beneath him.
