Page 27 of Hidden Raphael
Chapter 8
A few minutes later, Kimberly walked into the library. Raphael was at a table with the book open. She clutched her laptop that she had run to get. Without a word, she opened her laptop and plugged into the wall. On the outside she saw no scratches, but water ruined everything. The power turned on the screen, and the computer flashed to load.
The image of the beach she’d just left flickered and her eyes watered with relief. The computer worked. The system started with a hum, and she stared at the icons in front of her picturesque background. She wiped the tears off her face with the back of her hand. She'd share her experiences on her blog once she found her way off the island. Perhaps some of her readers might prefer real life instead of celebrities, because there was joy in everything.
"Are you okay?" Raphael lowered the book and she gazed into his smoldering eyes.
At least she could write while she waited for spring. She swallowed back her tears. "Thank you. You saved my life, twice now."
"A laptop isn't your life."
Heat washed through her. Her blog had been her only way to talk to anyone in years. "It's part of who I am. I was lost without it. Thank you, Raphael."
"Roger is still out there. You'll have to listen to me if you plan on staying alive." The intensity in Raphael's eyes made everything else in the room disappear. She lowered her eyelashes to get her vision back. Raphael was far too handsome.
She took a few deep breaths. Rogers words that she hadn’t even known Harry’s name had razor sharpness that sliced through her. "I know. He said he’d come after us.”
Raphael shrugged and said, "Roger isn't in a position of power."
He had a point. She closed her eyes and tried to focus her thoughts. Her mother's laugh at the kitchen table as she drank coffee, and her sister, Erica, whipping up something on the stove were memories that flashed in her head. Kimberly's chin trembled. "I'm scared he found my stuff and knows my family."
A warm hand covered hers, and she forgot about the laptop. Raphael’s deep voice held her attention. "One step at a time, Kimberly."
She gazed at him again. Raphael was all she had and she turned her hand around so their fingers were entwined. "He said he wanted to kill me because I saw what he did."
She had said that so matter-of-factly. How? She should freak out at the thought, but all she could do was blink?
He massaged her palm and her entire body became liquid. His rough hands rubbed against her smooth skin. He was far sexier than any other man she'd ever met. "Are you okay?"
No. Yes. She couldn't answer. Her face heated.
He spoke quietly. "We shouldn't let it ruin our evening. Rogers's stuck out there. It's going to rain again, and it's a cold, freezing rain. Not the moist tropical rain you are used to."
"And we're warm and dry inside castle walls." She stated the obvious, but it made her feel better.
He nodded. "Good. Tomorrow, we'll practice self-defense, so wear comfortable clothes."
"Yes, sir." Would he let her go outside with him tomorrow if she turned into an action movie heroine? "Want to eat breakfast with me tomorrow, or will you run outside again?"
He shook his head. "I'm going to do recon outside."
"Isn't that dangerous?" What if something happened? Today had been torture waiting for him. She'd never know if anything happened until it was far too late. He should stay in where it was safe.
"I'm the one with the gun." Raphael took his hand back, and cold entered her body. "I can't let someone outside these walls in."
She was someone from outside the walls. She sighed. He had meant a murderer. She bit her lip. She ought to be more appreciative, but the idea of feeling like herself again urged her to go with him. She stayed still. The room became eerily quiet. The wind rattled the window. "Did you find anything interesting in that diary?"
"Not yet." He placed the diary next to his seat. "I'd like to find out more about Harry and what Ellie said about him."
Ellie? Kimberly's cheeks burned at the familiar use of her friend’s name. She lowered her computer screen to stare into his eyes. "How do you know Eileen's nickname?"
"It's in the diary."
Was he lying? She should trust him. "Can you show me?"
He flipped to the first page then slid the book across the table. She stared at Ellie's name written in bubbly letters.
Kimberly sighed, shut her eyes, and wished she could shut out the memories. Her chin trembled, and her throat was thick. "She deserved better. She was a good person."
