Page 95 of The Dark Obsession

He grins at me and removes some jeans and a t-shirt for himself from the bag, then hurries himself into the jeans and throws the t-shirt onto the bedside table.

I close my eyes and lie silently as Rafael leans over me.

He reaches for my ribs, and the muscles around my stomach spasm before he even touches me. His fingers graze my ribs, I scrunch up my face and choke back a cry. “I think it’s just badly bruised.” He says, his emerald eyes penetrate mine as if he’s seeing inside me.

“Yeah.” I sigh. “I’m fine.”

“Do you want us to visit the hospital?”

I chortle and sit upright, holding a pillow against my body. “Don’t be silly.”

Rafael retrieves a pair of my jeans and a loose grey t-shirt from the bag. “Here.”

I put the t-shirt over my head and stumble into my jeans. “I can’t tell whether I need to sleep or eat.” I laugh.

“Yeah, let’s order room service, then get some rest. We’ll have a really busy day tomorrow.” Rafael grabs a booklet from the table and picks up the phone. “Hi, yeah, we want to order some food. The continental platter and the sandwich platter, please. Okay, cheers.” Rafael puts down the phone and surveys the room, a beautiful smile across his face. “I’m so happy you’re safe now.” He wraps an arm around me.

I hug him tight. “Thank you, Rafael. You saved me, and you saved my brother.” My smile hurts my cheeks.

“Let’s wait in the front room.”

I follow him into the front room. A large, comfy beige sofa is spread across the back wall. Against the wall opposite is a large TV. There’s another kitchenette with a fridge and a sink, some cupboards, and a small circular table. A fireplace is in the far corner.

Rafael heads towards it and bends down. “It’s fake.” I can almost hear his eyes roll. “Still nice for effect though.” He moves away, and the fire glows orange.

I walk towards it, the heat coming from it luring me closer. I shiver; although it’s not cold, next to this fire, I feel frozen. I sit on the end of the sofa closest to the fire and wrap my arms around myself.

Rafael flicks on the TV and sits next to me. Even his cool skin feels hot around my shivering body. “Food will be here in a moment. I’m going to call Adriel. See how they are both doing.” Rafael reaches for the hotel phone on the mantle above the fireplace.

“Can I speak to Ben?” I ask, suddenly desperate to hear his voice.

“Of course.” Rafael holds the phone against his ear.

It rings loudly twice before Adriel’s voice sounds down the phone. “Raf,” he says breathlessly.

Rafael stands straight away, wincing as he straightens up. “What’s going on?”

“We were on …” Adriel groans. “We were going to the safehouse. It was a few miles out of town, when a van crashed into the police car we were in.”

“Where’s Ben?” I shout, my hands vibrating.

“Rosa, I’m okay. Just stay safe. Just stay where you are,” Benjamin’s soft, low voice chimes.

Rafael’s arm wraps around me. “Where are you?”

“We were about five miles out of town, going south. I’ve not a clue where we are. We’ve walked into the woods.”

Rafael jogs to the bedroom.

I run up behind him. “Where is the cop?”

“Dead,” Adriel’s voice quivers. “And the van just drove off.”

The few seconds of silence is deafening. Rafael slips a white t-shirt over his head, covering his wounded and bruised body. “Stay where you are. I’m coming.” Rafael sits on the end of the bed.

“Wait!” Ben’s voice calls. “Leave Rosalie somewhere safe.”

I stare at Rafael with a pounding heart. Nausea rolls over me like a tidal wave, and I furrow my eyebrows.

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