Page 5 of Hidden Raphael
"No. Don't get hysterical." Raphael shook his head and acted like he wanted this conversation over. Then he sighed. "Roger Hellsworth, the pilot, does not have the tools to siege a castle."
"I am not hysterical. He tried to kill me and now I'm in a castle." She swallowed. She shouldn't get him angry. She took a deep breath. This was his castle, his home. "How do you know his name is Roger Hellsworth?"
"When we fought, his wallet came out of his pocket." Raphael reached behind him and her back stiffened. Then she closed her eyes. Like on the plane, she'd be unable to do anything if he decided to hurt her.
Something small hit the table and she jumped in her seat. She opened her eyes and realized she had braced for a gun. He moved slowly then slid the brown leather wallet in front of her.
She lifted her hand to reach for it and realized her fingers were frozen. She clutched her hands in her lap and refused to touch it, glancing up at Raphael. "Can you call the local police? They’ll need to collect it as evidence."
He kept both of his hands on the table and seemed to measure his words. "There are no police. We're the only people on the island."
His first sign of caring one way or another, and ice raced down her body. Her mouth dropped. No. Impossible. "I thought we were in Maine."
"You're in my castle, on my island."
His island?
"You own a castle off the coast in Maine?" She blinked and focused on the simple question. "Aren't they only in Scotland and Europe? I thought we banned castles in the US?"
He sat back in his chair and made atsksound with his voice. "My ancestors went back for the castle and transported it here in the Gilded Age."
"Sounds expensive." She ticked her tongue to the bottom of her mouth to show she was fine, but she was intimidated. Who moved into a castle? She needed to tell her family she was sorry for running away. She’d not be stuck now. She needed to go. "Shouldn't search and rescue from the coast guard show up? I was in a plane crash."
"I'm assuming Roger turned off the black box." Raphael swiveled in his seat like this conversation was almost over and his feet pointed toward the door. "No one will come here."
Her spine tingled and she clutched her hands together. "This is an emergency. I'm sure they'll come if we call."
"I don't have a phone." He moved his chair, and the scrape on the wooden floors rattled her.
Nothing made sense. Her mind couldn’t process anything. “No phone?”
"Kimberly, I don't want these problems."
She hadn't wanted them either. His eyes darkened and his shoulders tensed. She braced herself. "That's okay. We can report it online, I'm sure."
He didn’t move or blink. "We don't have the internet or cell service here. We're far too removed."
"That's impossible." She took a deep breath. "Isn't the whole country wired?"
He shrugged but stayed in his seat for the moment as he stared into the fireplace rather than looking at her. "I chose to get rid of it."
Why? She rubbed her throat and held back her frustration. He could have a life without the internet, but there had to be a way for her to go home. "Do you have a small personal boat to take me to shore? So I can be on my way?"
"No." A piece of wood in the fireplace fell and the fire crackled. "It’s winter. Sailing is far too dangerous."
She gulped, unable to breathe. How the salt water had rushed into her lungs as she plummeted from the sky replayed in her mind. "Why? It’s always cold here.”
"True. It’s from the ice—the cold North Atlantic and the jet stream create storms." He pushed his chair back. "I don’t like it any more than you do, but you're stuck here with me."
Can't or won't?She stared into the abyss of his eyes to find a calm in the storm. "Why are you here if it's that bad?"
His chin lifted. "I wanted to be alone."
He must hiding from someone or something. Her mouth opened and she blinked a few times. "Are you a criminal?"
His face wrinkled to laugh, but he shook his head. "No. You’re safe in the castle with me."
Safewas an operative word. “I need to report my friends' deaths to the authorities, but I’m afraid.”
