Page 114 of Protected from Malice
With the two men I love more than anyone both looking at me pleadingly, openly telling me how worried and scared they were for me, how could I say no?
I couldn’t.
And ten days on, I’m glad I didn’t.
Just as Rafe promised, ithasbeen good for me.
The scenery is beautiful. The animals housed in the barn are adorable. The food is delicious, even if I still prefer Rafe’s cooking. And everyone here has been amazing, especially their resident counselor, Henley.
“Eden?” Rafe’s brows dip into a V. “Are you okay?”
With a jolt, I belatedly realize he’s still waiting for my answer to a very simple and innocuous question.
“Sorry,” I hurry to reply. With a smile, I add, “I just got lost in my thoughts for a second. But I’m fine. Really.”
Rafe frowns as he eyes me assessingly. “Are you sure?” He casts a quick glance around the dining room, his gaze narrowing as he catalogs the half-dozen other guests still working on their breakfasts. “If you’d rather go back to the cabin, that’s no problem.”
For the first week of our stay, I was still feeling too raw and vulnerable to eat in the communal dining room, so Rafe arranged for us to eat all our meals at our cabin. But this week, I decided it would be a good idea to venture back into the world a little more.
Lara leans forward, resting her forearms on the table. She gives me a soft, reassuring smile. “When I first came here, I didn’t leave Owl’s cabin for weeks. Even though, rationally, I knew it was safe here, I couldn’t convince my brain to fully believe it.”
Lara told me some of what she went through before Owl and the rest of the guys who run the Refuge rescued her. It sounded horrible. Worse than anything I’d experienced, really. So I can definitely understand why she might have been afraid to leave the safety of the cabin she was sharing with her now-husband, Owl.
“I’m feeling much more comfortable this week,” I reply. “It’s been good getting out more. Meeting some of the other guests, venturing further into the trails, helping out at the barn… Already I’m feeling better prepared to go back to work.”
Rafe threads his fingers between mine. “Remember, you don’t have to go back there yet. You can do everything remotely if you want. And if you want to stay here longer—” He turns toOwl and lifts his chin. “You said we could extend our stay if we want. Right?”
Owl nods. “Definitely. We reserved your cabin for an extra two weeks, just in case. So you’re welcome to stay on longer.”
Lara leans against Owl, resting her head on his shoulder. “We’d love to have you stay longer, Eden. Next week, we’re supposed to be getting a new donkey. I saw the photos, and she’s just the cutest thing. Plus, Alaska was talking about starting up our movie nights again. Those are always fun. We set up a giant screen outside and do ten different kinds of popcorn, plus tons of candy and hot dogs and burgers. It’s really fun.”
“That sounds great,” Rafe replies. He turns his attention from Owl to me. “What do you think, Brain? We could extend our trip for another week or two. Do some more hiking, have some movie nights, meet the new donkey…”
I know Rafe would be happier if we both stayed the full four weeks. And part of me wants to agree. Itwouldbe nice. I’d get two more weeks of uninterrupted time with Rafe. Two more weeks of lazy days with no obligations beyond my regular counseling sessions. Two more weeks of cute animals to lose myself in. Two more weeks of avoiding the inevitable, which is going back to the building I’ll never look at the same way again.
It’ll be safe, of course. Rafe and the other guys will make absolutely sure of it. And Rafe told me in no uncertain terms that for however long I need to complete my project, he’ll be right beside me as a bodyguard. “Screw any other jobs,” he told me. “They can wait. You’re the most important person in the world to me, Eden. And your safety is my priority.”
And even without Rafe there, I’d still be safe, now that everyone who had reason to hurt me is out of the picture. Three of them in jail, still awaiting trial, and the first and worst, who’ll never get the chance to go there.
Because Kurt Wilson is dead. He’ll never be brought up on charges. He’ll never have the chance to use his considerable family money to buy his way out of trouble. I won’t have to testify against him at trial. I won’t have to worry that if he goes to prison, he’ll get out on early parole. That he might come after me again ten years from now in an attempt at revenge.
A single-car accident is the official story. While blackout drunk, he went for a late-night drive and ended up in the river. Nothing suspicious about it—just a foolish guy who made a deadly mistake, who thankfully, according to the news reports, didn’t kill anyone else along with him.
Iknow it wasn’t an accident. Rafe and Indy never came right out and said it, but I know.
Or rather, Indy never said anything. Because I remember Rafe’s phone call with him that day when Indy vowed totake care of it.
Even though Indy was the one who got his hands dirty, so to speak, it wasn’t a one-man effort. Rafe helped him, though he didn’t tell me the details of it. Tyler managed to get DNA confirmation of my attacker, which was the evidence that sealed Kurt Wilson’s fate. And Ace and Webb came back to Portland to help however they could.
Was what Indy did legal? Of course not.
Will I tell a soul about it? Never.
Do I think it was wrong?
Honestly, no.
Three years ago, I might have felt differently. I might have insisted on due process and letting the police do their jobs. I might have said that we have no right to choose who lives and dies. That what Indy did was morally wrong.
