Page 47 of Hidden Raphael
Chapter 13
Raphael broke the kiss angrily and led the way back through the forest, silent. Kimberly rubbed her arms and walked beside him. He opened the castle door for her, and she slid inside. Raphael crossed his arms and kept his distance. Her body was still hot and bothered from a single kiss. This had never happened before Raphael. She bit her lip, unsure what to say. "Raphael…"
His gaze almost penetrated right through her. She stopped. He uncrossed his arms. "I have something I have to go take care of."
What something? She kept the question to herself. She unzipped her jacket. "Okay. I'll see you later."
She didn't own a gun to keep him hostage. He’d been the one who stopped their kiss like the mythical three-headed dog would bite him. She stumbled down the hall and opened the library door. Yes, it was his space, but the fire crackled. Her entire body was numb.
The table where they'd eaten this morning was now spotless. Meg, the amazing maid, must have cleaned up. Kimberly took a seat on the floor near the fire.
Kimberly massaged her neck and then reached down to touch the medallion. He had called her pretty, and given her this. She then glanced over to more of the portraits hidden behind the L of the room. What? The Scottish women had shiny objects around their necks. Kimberly stood up to get a closer look at the women in the two portraits. Her hand covered her mouth. The castle was quiet. She unhooked her medallion and stared at the portraits with the medallion. She held it up higher. It was the exact same one.
Why would Raphael give her a family heirloom? Did he not notice? She'd give it back the next time they saw each other. Maybe he just didn’t care—but someone had to have known about the medallion. Meg?
She almost placed it in her pocket, but stopped. She hooked it back around her neck, as that was the safest place she knew to keep it. If someone had something this old in his family, he shouldn't hand it to her like it didn’t matter.
Another storm brewed in the distant sky. Soon everything would be wet and dark again, so she'd search outside for the Wi-Fi signal later. Hotels had to offer the amenity, and this place was a hotel for half a year. Perhaps he’d shut off the machine for the winter, but the hotspot might be somewhere right here, inside the castle.
She bit her lip and wished she had an American cell phone.
No matter, though. She'd carry her laptop around until she found the Wi-Fi signal. If Roger had one, she'd find one, outside or inside. She needed to tell her mother she was safe and alive.
She hadn't contacted her family in years, so it wasn’t like her family was worried or knew she was in danger. Kimberly shook off the doubt and went upstairs. The halls were empty, but there were more portraits of women. The green eyes of the men close to them all reminded her of Raphael. Meg must have said "the blood of warriors" for the huge, brooding men who all wore kilts. She understood now. She continued to assess every woman up close. Over half of them had her medallion.
The remoteness of this place would drive her mad. Kimberly held her stomach. Raphael made no sense, kissing her one minute, warning her away the next.
Her face heated. What stopped him? Kimberly continued into her room and found her laptop.
She had hours until she had to make dinner. She had time today, and she'd go everywhere. She hadn't explored most of this castle yet.
A flash of the castle from the courtyard came to her mind. There was more than a second floor here. The place was too tall. There were at least four towers. Had Raphael claimed a tower as his bedroom?
The idea excited her, but she needed to focus.
She unplugged the power cord, as the computer was now fully charged, and ensured her Wi-Fi was ready to connect. She took her candelabrum and matches for later. The rooms would be light enough from the sun for the next hour. She'd spend three minutes in every room upstairs then down. She'd also try to find more staircases. There were so many rooms. This search could take days. She had months to spare.
Her room had no connection.
She stepped into the hallway and entered the first suite next to hers. Her room had a nicer view. Her computer hummed, searching for internet. While she was here, she checked the closet. No hidden staircase, and no extra clothes. Her computer flashed "no connection found." She picked up her laptop and left.
The next room was the same as the previous, but in a different color. Did they rent the rooms based on what color the rooms were?
Soon Kimberly noticed the pattern. The furniture, the styles of the room all matched, except the colors of the bedspread and shower curtain. None of the fifteen bedrooms had Wi-Fi.
She carried her laptop downstairs, going to the furthest room down the hall—past the library and over the red velvet rope.
She'd guess this was a den. It might also be used for a conference room. The thought lifted her spirits, and she refreshed the Wi-Fi.
No signal.
She placed the computer on the table and searched the room. She'd guess a conference room had a Wi-Fi router.
In the back of a cabinet she discovered some wires, and her heart soared.
She tried to move the heavy cabinet to get a better view, breaking into a sweat. She wrinkled her nose but continued. Finally, she found the wires and used her hand to follow to a black box behind the wall.
She reached in with her fingers and brushed against dust.
