Betraying Innocence (25 page)

Ana stiffened. Her eyes widened. “I wasn’
t jealous!” she protested, her voice going an octave too high with her lie.

Rafe smirked. “
Too bad.” He took a chomp of his burger and chewed, all the while grinning at her around the mouthful. “Like I said.” He swallowed. “Sexy.”

Ana

He drove her home nearly an hour later. Neither of them spoke as he pulled up behind her father’s truck. Leaving the keys in the ignition, Rafe rolled out of the car and jogged around the hood to her side. He pried her door open, took her bag and helped her out.

“Thank you,” she said as he closed the door behind her. “For everything today.
I really appreciate you helping me with … whatever’s going on.”

He just nodded, sti
ll holding her bag with one hand and her injured hand with the other. He shook his head when she reached to take her backpack from him.

“
I got it,” he said.

She gave him a small smile as he led her past her mother’s
Mercedes towards the front porch. There was a sort of calm to the dimming light of dusk. The slow whisper of rustling leaves and chirping insects wrapped around them, muffling the scuffle of footsteps up the porch steps. The boards creaked beneath their combined weight as they approached the door.

“Will you be okay?” he asked, peering down into her upturned face.

Ana shook her head. “I don’t know.”

Something flickered behind his eyes. It could have been nothing more than the dance of shadows caressing the perfectly defined lines of his features had it not been for the tightening of his fingers around hers.

“Stay with me tonight. I’ll sleep better knowing you’re safe,” he quickly went on before she could protest.

She shook her head. “I can’t stay at your place forever.”

“No,” he agreed with a slight nod. “But you can until we figure this out.”

The warmth of his grasp was nothing compared to the weight of his concern resting heavily over her with every desperate search of his
golden eyes along her face. He stood so close, consuming her with his presence. Ana swallowed audibly.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked. “Why does it matter so much?”

There was a distinct thud as her bag hit the floor at their feet. His newly freed hand went up to slip around her waist. She was drawn further against him, closing what little space had been between them. His breath was warm against her skin where his lips brushed her cheek.

“
Because I can’t stand the thought of something happening to you.” He pulled back a notch to search her eyes. “Because every time I see fear in your eyes, I want to kill the person responsible.” He brushed his fingertips over the gauze wrapped around her injured wrist. “And because I get this … rage building inside me every time I think about you getting hurt.” He released a quiet chuckle. “Crazy, huh?”

Heart a wild rabbit in her chest, Ana shook her head. “No.”

The humor faded from his eyes. They became intense once more. His slow, even breaths tangled with hers and she became painfully aware how close they’d gotten. His lips were mere inches from hers.

“Stay with me,” he murmured.
“Or I’ll camp out on your back porch.”

Ana laughed.
“And get caught by my father?”

Not a flicker of hesitation passed over his features when he replied,
“I’m willing to risk it.”

God she didn’t understand him. She didn’t understand him one bit.

“Okay.”

Relief reflected in his
tawny eyes. His shoulders visibly relaxed. He gave her a small grin. “What time do your parents go to bed?”

Ana shrugged. “Ten, sometimes eleven.”

He nodded slowly. “Mine go to bed at ten. I’ll come by around eleven thirty.”

Ignoring the warm flutter of excitement
in the cavity of her chest, she agreed. “I’ll meet you out back.”

He gave her fingers a
light squeeze and began to draw away. Ana felt the loss of his closeness almost instantly. Her body started to inch in his direction, following his warmth only for common sense to take hold and save her the humiliation.

“I’ll be there,” he murmured.

She bit her lip as she watched him turn on his heel and start down the steps. She managed to keep quiet the whole time he was walking to his car. It wasn’t until he reached the driver’s side door that she spoke again.

“Rafe!”

He glanced up, his expression curious. “Yeah?”

She grinned slightly. “I
really like your haircut. It makes you look…”
Hot. Gorgeous. Tempting to touch.
Her cheeks warmed and she lowered her gaze. “Nice.”

His lips parted into a devastating gorgeous smile. “I’ll see you later,
Rosa
.”

Her
mom was waiting for her when Ana ducked into the house. She rose from the sofa, still donning her ice-blue power suit. A small tower of folders, fliers and magazine articles lay scattered across the coffee table. A fountain pen was dropped unceremoniously on top of the papers her mother had been going over as her mother crossed her arms.

“Where have you been?”

Ana frowned, shuffling a couple of steps into the sitting room. “The library.”

Her mother’s fine eyebrow lifted in a sardonic arch. “And you didn’t think to call me to let me know?
I’ve been worried sick wondering what the hell happened. The school nurse calls to tell me you’ve had yet another accident on school property—”

“
It was nothing.” She held up her band aged arm. “Just a sprain.”

Her mother exhaled loudly. “What has gotten into you? Is this your way of rebelling because we forced you to move here? Are you trying to punish us—
?”

“No!” she cried, horrified. “I told you I didn’t mind moving!”

“Then what is it?”

“I’ve just been off my game lately,” she said. “I’m not trying
to
punish
anyone.”

Mom sighed again.
She pressed her eyes closed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’m sorry. I’m just having a really bad day. The company is going to hell in a hand basket and I need to be there…” she broke off with another sigh. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Mom, if you need to go … I’ll be okay. I promise.”

Her mom shook her head. “It’s fine. I’ll deal with it. Do you have homework?”

The back
door flew open and heavy boots pounded against hardwood. A moment later, her father stomped into the doorway, tugging mud encrusted gloves from his fingers.

“I have most of that jungle tamed,” he said, using the back
of his sleeve to wipe away the sweat from his brow. “It might still be a while before it’s an actual yard though.” His green eyes found Ana. He grinned. “Hey, Turnip. Hear you had another accident today.”

Ana held up her arm. “Just
a sprain.”

He shook his head. “I’m beginning to think we really should wrap you in bubble wrap.”

She knew he was only teasing, but the last of her patience had been used up and she had no energy in her to humor him.

“I’m going upstairs to do my homework,” she muttered,
stumbling past him and marching up the stairs. She heard her father ask what the matter was and her mother answer, but Ana was already at the top of the stairs and didn’t hear it.

Mitzy raised his head and glowered at her
from his perch on the window seat. She ignored him as she dumped her bag onto the bed and flopped down next to it.

Rafe

Rafe
felt the heavy silence even before he climbed out of his car. He was pocketing his keys and jogging up the steps to the front door of his house before it even registered that he was holding his breath.

“Mom?”

Dan’s booming voice recoiled off the walls and rumbled down the foyer to slam into Rafe, an icy blast of fury that he recognized all too well.

“Did I not tell you to keep your blasted toys off the table? Didn’t I?” Dan roared.

Rafe practically ran in search of the source, afraid he might be too late as he rounded the corner and stopped on the threshold leading into the main part of the house.

His entire family was inside. His mother, small and frail stood next to Dan, anxiously wringing her hands and murmuring Dan’s name
in quiet pleading. Gabriella and Michael stood on the opposite side of what used to be the coffee table. A thick carpet of shattered glass lay scattered at their small, bare feet. Amidst them, in the center of the wrapped metal bars that had once held the single sheet of glass, lay a fire truck and Rafe knew instantly what had happened.

“We’re sorry,”
Gabriella croaked, clinging desperately to Michael, who stood stone-faced and frozen next to his sister. His tiny hands were balled into angry fists at his sides. It was only the slight tremor in them that indicated his terror.

“Sorry?” Dan snarled, his square face a slab of purple and red, like raw meat. “
You stupid little shits don’t listen! That’s the problem here. No one listens. You’re all fucking worthless.”

“Hey!” Rafe stomped into the room, deliberately pulling Dan’s attention away from his siblings.

“Ray!” His mother lost what little color she still possessed. Her eyes went wide against her small face. She hurried away from Dan’s side and made a beeline for him. “Go. It’s fine. I have this under control.”

Rafe ignored her. He kept his eyes fixed on Dan
as he took her elbow and gently nudged her aside.

“Oh ho, his royal highness has arrived!” Dan crowed. “Welcome home, your majesty.
Have fun with your little whore?”

Rafe ignored the hot spike of fury that lanced through him, willing himself to remain in control long enough to get his family out of
harm’s way.

“It was an accident,”
he said, moving deeper into the room, edging his way to where his siblings stood huddled together. “They’re just kids.”

“Rafael, please,” his mother begged in barely a whisper.

“Just kids?” Dan mimicked, blinking his eyes in feigned surprise. “They’re old enough to understand English, aren’t they? They certainly talk enough. Yet they’re too stupid to listen when you tell them not to do something. They got your mother’s brains that’s for sure.”

Rafe grit
ted his teeth. His knuckles popped as his fingers curled into ten points of pure rage.

“Gab
by. Mike. Come here,” he told his siblings quietly, never looking away from the man standing on the other side of the room.

“Oh they’re not going anywhere!” Dan said, moving to position himself between Rafe and the two children.

“Rafe…” Gabriella squeaked, her terror palatable.

“Let them go,” Rafe said, the warning crackling in each word.

Dan barked a laugh. “Or what? You think you’re a man? You think you can take me? I shit little pricks like you.”

Usually, Rafe would let Dan beat on him until he ran out of steam and stalked off. Had it been him facing the beast alone, Rafe would have done just that. His own safety meant nothing to him.
Even if he had to kill the bastard and go to jail, he wasn’t about to let anything happen to Michael or Gabriella.

“If being a man like you means yelling and scaring little kids, then I’d rather not be,” Rafe said simp
ly, needing to get him away from the twins.

Dan’s eyes bulged. His complexion took on a veiny purple tone. Spit flew when he bellowed, “
I am their father! I can yell at them if I want. I can beat the fuck out of them and no one can say shit because it’s my right. This is my house, boy.”

“It’s my mother’s
house,” Rafe corrected smartly. “You’re just garbage she picked up on her way home one day.”

He never saw the backhand coming until the impact sent him sprawling across the ground. His mother’s scream muffled the loud shrill in his ears as he fought not to throw up. He rolled onto his back and found Dan looming over him, hands massive fists at his sides.
He was saying something, but it was drowned out by the wails of his mother and the sobs of his sister. His stomach heaved as the coppery tang of blood filled his mouth. Better him than Michael or Gabby, he thought, not bothering to rise. So long as Dan’s focus was fixed on him, his family was safe.