Page 86 of Rafe: Sins of the Father

Raymond actually takes a step back. “What? You… you and him?”

Tori turns to Rafe. “They say he was dressed like a biker. It could have been Connor.”

They hold eyes, and Rafe nods. “Him or Charlie. They both had a reason.”

“Tori,” Raymond snaps, then points up the hill. “Go up to the house and wait for me there.”

“But, Daddy—”

“Go. Now.” Sawyer’s voice is sharp.

She turns to Rafe. “Come with me.”

“No,” Sawyer barks. “I need to talk to my employee. Go, Tori.”

“Go on, babe. It’s okay,” Rafe says softly but confidently.

A sheriff’s squad pulls in.

“Don’t you dare put him in handcuffs again, Daddy. He didn’t do it.”

“Go.” Sawyer whirls on her.

“There’s no need to snap at her, Mr. Sawyer. Your daughter is only telling you the truth,” Rafe says, taking a step between the man and his daughter.

I take the opportunity to step in. “Let’s all calm down. Tori, maybe it’d be best if you do as your father asks. We’ll get this all straightened out. I promise.”

Once Tori is gone, Sawyer spins to Rafe and jabs a finger into his chest. “I trusted you. I gave you a shot. I should have known better. You told me yourself you were on probation. Well, now you’re fired. I want you off my property. I don’t want to see your face here again. If I’m lucky, you’ll go to prison for arson.” Sawyer turns on his heel and stomps over to the sheriff.

I sidle closer to the kid, crossing my arms. “I’m surprised she lied to save your ass. Shocked, really. To soil her reputation like that for the likes of you.”

“She didn’t lie,” Rafe growls, leaning toward me.

I shove my hands in my trousers. “You know I took Tori out recently. We attended an event at the San Francisco Opera House. It’s right across the street from the courthouse. There’s a terrace overlooking it. That’s where I asked Tori to marry me. I even offered to have the judge come down and marry us that night. But I didn’t have the ring.” I shrug. “And girls like romance.” I pull the ring box from my pocket and pop it open. His eyes drop to it and widen almost imperceptibly, but I catch it. “It’s really something, isn’t it? Four full carats. Cost almost half a million. But then, nothing’s too good for my Tori.” I snap the box closed. “So, you see, my boy, there’s really nothing here for you.”

The sheriff and a deputy approach, and they cuff Rafe and put him facedown over the hood of the squad car. The deputy goes through his pockets, tossing things on the hood. A pocket knife, his wallet, his phone. Another one searches the saddlebags of his motorcycle.

While they’re busy, I knock the phone on the ground, then pick it up and hold it toward Rafe’s face. “Is this your phone?”

I jostle against the deputy and switch out my phone for Rafe’s and set it on the hood. Then step back as one of them glares at me.

“Stay back, sir.”

I raise my hands. “Sorry. No problem.”

I go around one of the company trucks and now that his face opened his phone for me, I access his contacts and block Tori’s number. Then I ease back and set it on the hood.

When they turn to glare at me, I lift my other hand with the phone. “Sorry, I guess I set my own phone down by mistake. This one’s his.”

I get in my car and drive to the house. When the door opens, Ruth stands there, her hand on her hip.

“Oh, it’s you.”

“Are Tori and her father here?”

She swings an arm toward the study. “Yup. In there.”

Stepping into the room, I quietly shut the door. The two of them are bent over a computer screen, watching the security footage, I’m sure.

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