by Tessa Teevan
Except nothing could have prepared me for the bomb he drops on me.
“Morningstar knows we’re here. And he knows about the baby.”
Oh my God.
“What?” I ask, incredulous. How could he possibly know about Adrian?
Without answering, he pushes up off me and exits the bed. I watch in silent disbelief as he disappears into the bathroom. My mind’s reeling and I barely notice the sound of running water. When Rafe returns, he silently lifts me off the bed and stalks towards the bathroom, not stopping until we’re by the tub. He sets me down and then gets in, beckoning for me to do the same. I readily comply.
The water is soothing against my skin, as are Rafe’s fingers when he runs them along my damp arms. I could rest against his chest, basking in his close proximity, and ignore the chaos that awaits us outside this hotel room. Here, in this bath, it’s just the two of us, in love without a care or worry.
If only.
I want to be that young, in-love couple, starting a family, a future, without feeling fear every time I walk out of the door. And as much as I want to remain ignorant, this won’t be over until I face it head on.
Unable to contain my questions any longer, I lift up from his chest and turn to face him, thankful more than ever for the massive, oversize tub. At first, he doesn’t meet my eyes.
“Rafe,” I whisper softly, grabbing his hand. “We have to talk about this.”
He nods and then brings his gaze to mine. I’m shocked to see they’re slightly widened and there’s something there I’ve never seen before: fear. Just as I’m about to spill the details of my day, tell him all about Adrian, he beats me to the punch.
“I couldn’t sleep last night. I kept racking my brain, wondering what your dad was trying to tell us. Trying like hell to remember what painting was in the dining room. Instead of putting the pressure on you to remember, I decided to go back to the house so we’d know for certain.”
My brows shoot up in surprise. “You went back to the house? That’s where you were this morning?”
His eyes dart away from me for a split second as he clears his throat. “Yeah. I figured I could get in, snap a photo, and get out. I hadn’t planned on being gone for more than two hours tops. Just enough time to drive out there, get what we needed, and then drive back.”
“Were you able to get inside? Do you know which painting my dad was referring to?” I ask eagerly, excited to move forward.
“Yes. Well, no.”
I frown at him.
“I was able to get in and take a picture of the painting, but I don’t know what it is.” He smiles at me. “That’s your area of expertise. The picture’s on my phone.”
I’m about to jump up and race out of the bathroom, but Rafe continues.
“Before I could get into the house, though, he called me. We only talked for a few moments, but he made it clear he knows we’re here and you’re pregnant. He insisted I meet with him, which is why it took me so much longer to get back.”
My stomach lurches, and I shake my head in confusion. How could be have met with Adrian? “Wait. You met with him? When? How? He told me you didn’t know he was here!”
“He told you?” Rafe explodes. “What the fuck do you mean he told you? I swear to God I’ll kill Theo with my bare hands if he contacts you again.”
My gaze lowers to the water, and I know Adrian wanted me to keep his presence a secret, but I can’t lie to Rafe. I won’t. The irony of my reunion with Adrian while Rafe was apparently meeting with Theo would be laughable if this situation weren’t so damn dire and baffling.
“Rafe… Theo didn’t contact me.”
His head turns towards me so quickly that my own neck aches in sympathy. “Then who…” He pauses, the gaze of his blue eyes turning glacial. “Are you fucking kidding me? I knew that son of a bitch wasn’t dead and wouldn’t leave well enough alone. What did he want? What did he say? Tell me, Brie. Now.”
I’m surprised at the animosity of his tone, but I shouldn’t be. The last time Rafe saw Adrian, he thought he wanted to kill me. He doesn’t know what I know. I should tell him, even if it’s going to inevitably fall on deaf ears. Rafe will never allow me to be alone with Adrian. Ever.
“He…he wants me to meet with him tomorrow.”
Rafe’s eyes narrow, his lips turning down on the edges, clearly unhappy with this.
“Alone.”
“Absolutely not,” he growls. He surges up and flies out of the tub, not even bothering to dry off before he’s out of the bathroom.
Dread courses through me as I hurriedly follow, grabbing a towel and drying off as I cross the room to him. Just as he grabs his phone, I reach him and snatch it out of his hands, tossing it onto the other side of the bed.
“You can’t tell anyone he’s here!” I exclaim.
His gaze darkens, his usually bright blue eyes turning as stormy as the winter sea. “You’re protecting him? After everything he’s done, everything he did to you, you’re protecting him?!” He scoffs in disbelief. “Was this your plan, Brie? One last fuck with me today before you run off with him tomorrow?”
His words sting like the proverbial slap in the face they are.
“Yes, Rafe, that’s exactly what I was planning. You’re so astute to have figured me out. I’m in love with you, we’re starting a family, but deep down, I’m that too-stupid-to-live heroine who runs off with her deranged ex the first time he says he wants her back. I’m so glad you have such a high opinion of me.”
I march across the room and yank clothes out of my suitcase, opting for a pair of jeans and a thick sweater. I won’t get far, but I’m unable to remain in the room, naked and vulnerable, when Rafe apparently thinks the worst of me.
“Brie,” he whispers, and when I look up, he’s actually not watching me at all.
His hands are fisted, resting on the bed, while his head’s bowed, his shoulders slumped with what I hope is shame for his insinuation.
“What?” My tone is hard, but I don’t care. I’m too angry to care. “What more could you possibly have to say?”
His head lifts and he frowns when he sees my purse over my shoulder, my hand on the door.
He should know me better than that.
But, now, I’m left wondering if he even knows me at all.
Rafe calls my bluff. Without so much as a response or even one last glance towards me, he strolls into the bathroom, out of sight. He knows I’ll comply. He knows I won’t leave because he’s told me not to.
Well, screw that. Let him be the one to sit in the hotel room alone for hours, ruminating over everything that’s happened, while making call after unanswered freaking call. He leaves me here, hours on end, without so much as an explanation. Not only am I supposed to take it, but I’m also expected to sit idly by while he goes all about town searching for answers.
I’m tired. So freaking tired of all of this. Most of all, I’m damn exhausted from years of letting men tell me what to do, where to go, how to act. Foolish as it may be, I’m doing what I want.
And right now, that’s cooling off from the asshole who just accused me of cheating on him when I’ve done nothing to deserve such an allegation.
As soon as he’s out of sight, I quietly open the door and slip out. After sprinting down the hall, I dash onto the thankfully open elevator. Just as the doors close, I see him rush out of our room.
“Brie! God dammit, wait!” he bellows, but I ignore him and will the elevator to descend quickly.
When I walk out of the bathroom, ready to get down on my knees and apologize profusely for being a complete dick, Brie’s gone. I don’t even care that I’m naked except for the towel wrapped around my waist, but when I go to holster my gun, I give pause.
“Fuck it,” I mutter, and set it down.
Upon crossing the room in three quick strides, I yank the door open and dart into the hall, only to see the elevator doors begin to close—with Brie behind them.
“Brie! God dammit, wait!”
I yell, rushing towards her, but I’m too late when I reach the closed doors and catch my half nude reflection in the stainless steel doors.
A throat clears behind me, and when I turn, a housekeeper is watching me with interest. As much as I want to race down the stairs to catch Brie in the lobby, being arrested for public indecency would fuck everything up royally.
The moment I get back to our room, I realize the error of my ways. In my rush to catch up with Brie, I didn’t grab anything. Not clothes, not my phone, and worst of all, no room key. I ball my hands into fists and press them into the wall on either side of the door. Taking a deep breath, I try to calm myself and not punch the drywall and get kicked out of this place.
“Excuse me, sir,” I hear, and I look up and see the petite housekeeper peering at me curiously.
Straightening, I glance down to ensure I’m still adequately covered. Then I grin sheepishly at the young woman. “My wife was in a hurry and forgot her phone,” I explain, pleased to have thought quickly on my feet, but when she raises an eyebrow toward my empty hands, I let my shoulders fall dramatically.
I run a hand through my hair and appear distraught, hoping she’ll take pity on me and let me into the room. It’s not a huge feat. The last time Brie went off on her own, she came back with a bandage. And now that I know Adrian’s in town and has his sights set on her, I’m more eager than ever to always be by her side. I let out a breath and a fake chuckle for good measure.
“She thinks I forgot our anniversary and left before I could explain that everything I had planned was a surprise.” I try to force a smile. “I guess I was too good at keeping it a secret.”
She takes a moment to think it over. Then she smiles at me and pats my arm. “She’ll feel like a fool once she realizes she was upset for nothing. Come, Mr. Matthews. I’ll let you in just this once. Next time,” she says, pausing to take in the sight of me, something strangely familiar in her gaze, “try not to leave the room in just a towel.”
My blood grows cold at her use of my real name. I dart my gaze up and down the hall before narrowing it on her. Her back is to me, and she’s unlocking my door, entering the room, and holding it open for me. Taking a step inside, I’m surprised when she closes the door behind her.
“Who the fuck are you?” I seethe, angry at myself for having put myself in this situation.
Taking the time to study her, I can’t believe I’m such a fool. Even in the housekeeping uniform, she exudes sophistication. Her eyes are a familiar green, and the way she’s made up, her face flawless, with long, brown hair flowing down her back, makes it impossible to determine her age.
She waves my question away. “Who I am is not important. What I’m here to tell you is, however.”
The woman wanders around the room, her gaze falling on the tousled sheets, and turns back towards me with a wry grin on her face when she sees I’ve quickly gotten dressed.
“Pass along your message and get the fuck out,” I hiss, desperate to get this woman out of the room and myself back to Brie. “I don’t have time for this.”
“Gabriella is not safe. Not here, not in Philadelphia. Nowhere. As long as Theo Morningstar lives, she is in danger. As are you.”
My eyes narrow. “I’m aware of that, so unless you have something else to further enlighten me with, I’d like to get dressed. In case you missed that scene out there, I need to find the mother of my child.”
Seemingly uncaring of my impatience, she takes a seat on the edge of the bed before she looks up at me. Her expression is now pained, and tears brim in her eyes. “You must do whatever it takes to stop him, Raphael. If you love Gabriella and your unborn baby, you cannot allow him to win.”
I take step closer and peer down at her. She’s telling me nothing I don’t already know. “Who are you?”
Her shoulders push back, and she lifts her chin. “Who I am now doesn’t matter. Who I once was? Well…I was a naïve fool who thought she could change a man. I gave up that life long ago to save myself, to save my son, and to save my unborn child. Adrian, unfortunately, was lost to me.”
My brow furrows, and I fold my arms across my chest, studying the woman claiming to be Adrian’s mother. Now that she’s outed herself, the resemblance is there. “Not that I give a damn about Adrian’s history, but what the hell does this have to do with me?”
“He’s your brother.”
“You’re a liar. I don’t have time for this,” I bite out, trying not to reel at her revelation.
Yet something in the back of my mind nags at me.
She opens and shuts her mouth a couple times, as if trying to determine what to say next.
I try not to make it apparent she’s just sent my world spinning out of control. The woman tilts her head, studying me. I squirm under her scrutiny.
“Haven’t you ever wondered why your hair’s as dark as a raven while your mother is a fiery redhead and your father’s blond mop could pass for white, even when you were a young child? Why you’re half a foot taller than your father and your brother? How you could always get a tan easily, yet the rest of your family seemed to nurse a sunburn the first day you went to the lake every summer?”
I lift my chin in response, even though I’m unnerved at the knowledge she seems to possess about my family, my childhood.
The woman’s eyes suddenly sparkle with tears as she takes a step forward. A soft hand reaches up to caress my cheek. There’s something there, something she wants me to see.
And when I do, I step back, shaking my head. “No. It’s not possible.”
“It’s true, Raphael. You are my son. You are Adrian’s little brother. And what Theo Morningstar wants more than anything is proof.”
She continues, not allowing me to respond to such a startling revelation. “He wants an heir he can shape and mold into his own image. There was too much of me in Adrian for that. You’re far too good to become him. So that leaves one more player on the board, doesn’t it?”
Her words chill my bones, an ache twisting around my heart at the implication they bear.
“That’s why he wants Brie. He wants the baby.”
My mother’s lips form a tight line as she nods. “Yes, Rafe. He doesn’t want you. He doesn’t care what happens to Brie after he gets what he believes is his. Theo Morningstar wants the one thing he believes he’s owed: his grandchild.”
I don’t normally drink on the job. Yet I find myself doing a lot of damn firsts on this one. After that bombshell, I cross straight to the mini bar, pull out two tiny bottles on whiskey. Fire burns in my chest after I down one then the other, but the sensation dissipates all too quickly.
“Lady,” I start, but the wince on her face has my words trailing off.
She tucks a strand of dark hair behind her ear. Dark hair that…fuck, mirrors my own. She moistens her lips then clears her throat. “My name… My name is—”
“Look, I don’t want to be an asshole here.” I rake a hand through my hair, quickly yanking it away as not to draw more attention to our similarities. “Truthfully, I have a million fucking questions that I want answers to immediately, but I can’t do this. Not now. In any other circumstance, maybe I’d be interested in your back story. Right now? My girlfriend—my pregnant girlfriend—is who knows where, possibly with a madman.”
She sighs. “Rafe, I know what you must think of your brother—”
My jaw tenses. “That man is not my brother.”
“He won’t hurt her. I know it.”
My arms tighten across my torso. “Oh yeah? And you know that how? According to you, you walked out on him when he was a toddler and he’s been lost to you ever since.”
Her jaw tightens, and I can tell I’ve struck a nerve. She remains steadfast in her gaze. “I may have left Adrian, but I never stopped caring for him. Or protecting him. From the day I escaped, I’ve had people watching. I know more about my son than I probably would if I’d remained in Theo’s grasp. I know you despise Adrian, but you needn’t fear. The way he is w
ith Gabriella? I’ve never seen that before.”
Fury courses through my blood, venom spilling out with my words. “How can you say that? He nearly killed her! Jesus Christ, you’re as delusional as your damned son!”
She starts to reach a hand out but quickly withdraws it back to her side. “Rafe…”
I ball my hands into fists, barely resisting the urge to decorate the room with holes. “No. I’m done. This is getting me nowhere. When all is said and done, maybe, just maybe we can have the reunion that I never knew was in store for me. Until then, you’ll excuse me while I pursue more important things. Like ensuring the safety of my future wife and my child.”
She watches in silence as I cross to the nightstand, holster my gun, and throw my phone into my back pocket. The moment I move to pass her to exit the room, a gentle hand touches my arm, stopping me in my tracks.
Eyes the color of the water on the emerald coast on its calmest day meet my gaze. They’re not the same color as mine, but the rest of her features? It’s uncanny. It’s almost like staring into a fucking mirror, and as much as I want to look away, I just can’t. I’m captured, and for the first time, I see beyond her beauty. Faint lines crinkle at her eyes, and when her mouth is turned down, the weariness shows. Despite the luxury she’s accustomed to, life has still been hard for her. It’s enough—almost—to keep me here. But my fervent need to find Brie is too strong to continue wasting time.
“I would’ve never given you up if I’d had any other choice.” She lets out a small laugh. “I can’t believe Theo still managed to find his way into your life, whether he knows it or not.”
That stops me cold. “Do you think he knows who I am?”
“I wish I could tell you, son. But I do believe he has his suspicions, meaning it’s only a matter of time…”
I’m not your son.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to correct her, and I think she notices, because she quickly continues.
“The Theo Morningstar that I knew knew everything. There wasn’t a thing I could do, a place I could go, a person I could interact with that he didn’t know about. The fact that I got out still shocks me to this day.” Another scoff. “I guess the only authority Theo realized he shouldn’t cross was royalty.”
