Page 82 of The Last Dance You Saved
She trailed off, looking into the empty fireplace, and all I could think was that Adam had probably been happy because he’d been stealing and plotting from the moment he’d returned to the ranch. If Fallon hadn’t gone to her dad in Vegas, if Rafe hadn’t shown up and rocked the boat simply by stepping onto the land, maybe he would have succeeded.
What would he do now that his plans had been interrupted? My vision swam with Chainsaw’s face, ugly with fury as he’d waved his gun and ranted about what had been taken from him. Desperate men did desperate things. My mouth went dry, panic curling over my spine once more. What could I do to keep Rafe safe? To help protect all these people who’d worked their way into my soul in a matter of days?
Steele broke the quiet that had descended. “Let me go call the sheriff and see if I’ve gotten a hit on any of the alerts I set online for Adam.”
Lauren watched him as he stepped out into the hall, and then she stood, shaking off the heartbreak and becoming that sure woman I’d first met again. I realized just how much Rafe and Lauren were alike in that way, hiding their emotions, tucking them away. And I wondered what their childhood here had been like that they’d both come away with the need to shield themselves so tightly.
“I need to get dinner served and reassure our guests that they’re safe.” She looked at Lorenzo. “I’d appreciate your help with the additional security and anything you can do to smooth things over with Marielle and Nicky.”
The look of triumph Lorenzo sent Rafe took my panic and amplified it. But then he confused me by stopping at the door, gentling his voice, and saying, “Believe it or not, I’ve never condoned any illegal activity in any of my businesses. Not back when you worked at my club, and not now.” Rafe snorted in disbelief. “Someday, you’ll realize the enemies you have are all of your own making.”
Then he left, striding away in that smooth way that made him appear like he wasn’t moving at all and leaving anger and doubt singing the air behind him.
I could see his words had landed with Rafe, making him doubt what he’d always thought had happened. I was pretty sure that had been my cousin’s point—to attack him in another way and tip Rafe over the edge when he was already tumbling.
I stepped toward him, wanting to reassure and comfort, but before I could go to him, Fallon had wrapped an arm around his waist and leaned her head into his uninjured arm.
He returned the hug and then said quietly but firmly, “Sadie, I want you to leave, and I’d like you to take Fallon with you.”
“What?” Fallon said, jerking away from him as I shook my head.
“There’s no reason for either of you to end up caught in the crossfire.”
“I’m not leaving Mom! I’m not leaving my home!” Fallon stamped her foot.
Barry cleared his throat. “Steele already has more of our men on their way. Factor in Puzo’s crew and the police, and I think just the number of bodies will deter whomever this is. If you stay out of sight, boss, there’s no reason to think anyone else is going to get hurt.”
Rafe glared at the man, and he wisely shut up.
I didn’t agree with Barry. If Adam was the shooter, if he was the one who’d put the snake in Rafe’s bed and tried to smother his own sister, then he wasn’t thinking rationally. Another flash of Chainsaw’s eyes, wild with desperation and fury, spun before me. But even if Adam came, even if it was him who’d shot at us tonight, he hadn’t ever targeted Fallon or me. He’d targeted Rafe. And I wanted him to be safe more than anything. More than my own safety.
I took his hand and pressed it to my chest. “I’ll go if you go.”
“I’m not leaving.”
I laughed, not because it was funny but because it was so entirely the man I’d come to love. “So, you’ll send everyone you care about away, but you’ll leave yourself wide open? Don’t you think the people who love you want to see you protected as much as you want us to be?”
I swallowed hard after I’d let the words out. They weren’t exactly me saying I loved him or that he loved me, but the meaning was there. The intent. The intensity of his gaze when it settled on mine rocketed through me like a shock wave.
“Ican’tleave, Tennessee.” And I heard in his voice everything he wasn’t saying. He was blaming himself for all of it. For leaving years ago and for not seeing what Adam was doing now. For the danger that had arrived on the ranch’s doorstep. And he couldn’t walk away again without trying to fix it.
“Then, we all stay,” I told him, hoping to remind him that his daughter was part of that deal. I wanted him to leave and take her with him. To let the authorities handle the search for Adam or whoever it was who had shot at him.
Steele strode back into the room and said, “Sheriff is on his way.”
Rafe cupped my cheek and said softly, “We have things to discuss, Tennessee. But not now. After.”
I didn’t know if he meant after the police had come and gone or after all this was over. But as I wasn’t prepared yet to have the talk he wanted, wasn’t sure I knew any more this evening how to meld our worlds together than I had this morning, I just nodded.
The one thing I was certain of was that I wanted to cherish every minute I had with him. I could have lost him tonight. He could have been killed as he’d shielded me from the shots, and knowing that made everything else in my life seem unimportant.
Chapter Twenty-seven
Rafe
FIX WHAT YOU DIDN’T BREAK
Performed by Nate Smith
