Page 45 of Protected from Malice
I wind my arms around his waist and lean into him, notching my head beneath his chin.
The icy bands wrapped around my chest release.
His heart beats fast, echoing mine.
“I’m here,” Rafe says quietly. “And I promise, I won’t let anyone hurt you again.”
I close my eyes and breathe in his familiar scent.
Let myself sink into his embrace.
And for the first time in years, I finally feel safe.
CHAPTER 8
RAFE
“Areyou sure you want to be in on this call, Eden?”
As Eden looks up from her phone, her eyebrows arching up in a questioning V, I add, “If you want to lie down, try to take a nap or something, I can fill you in later.”
She sets her phone down on the bed and turns towards me. “Why wouldn’t I be? It’s about me, isn’t it?”
It’s a fair question.
I’m just not sure she’d like my answer.
Of course she can join in on my conference call with Cole and Dante. She has more right to be a part of it than anyone.
But if it were up to me, she wouldn't. Not after everything she’s been through already.
If it were up to me, Eden wouldn’t be exposed to any more stress than absolutely necessary. And having her sit through a call while we discuss the details of her casedoesn’tseem necessary to me.
She’s already been through it. Lived it. Does she really need to hash it out again?
And selfishly, I don’t want to watch her relive it.
I don’t want to watch her cry and not be able to stop it.
I don’t want to see her in pain.
Strike that. She’s already hurting. Already traumatized. Already frightened. And the reality of it is so much worse than I imagined.
I had my suspicions that something else happened to her, something bad, butthis?
Not Eden.
The very thought of it makes me want to howl in anger. Break everything in the room. Put my fist through the wall. Use every contact I’ve made to track down that fucker and kill him.
Fuck. Not sweet, brilliant, beautiful Eden who never has an unkind word to say about anyone. Who’s dedicated her life to researching life-saving treatments so other people won’t lose their beloved family members, like Eden and Indy did. Who worked tirelessly to help her brother on top of all that?—
Shit. When she was in Germany, after Indy was injured, it had only been months since she was attacked. She’d still been dealing with her own horrible trauma, and I had no fucking idea. Everyone was so impressed by her strength, but if they’d only known…
I would have done something. I would have made more time for her. I would have stayed in Germany longer instead of heading back to the States with the rest of the team. Or I would have flown straight to Portland to meet with the police and demand they take action.
I could have called on Blade and Arrow to help. We could have scoured the apartment complex for surveillance footage. Searched the parking lot for some clue the police missed. Interrogated everyone Eden knew in case one of them was involved.
But now it’s two years later, and I know damn well any videos or potential evidence is gone.
