Beautifully Broken (The Broken Series Book 2) (34 page)

Lexie
took a sip of wine, but her brilliant blue eyes never left my face. “Why?”

I
peered into the deep red wine. “Michael turned some investors and a terrorist
organization over to the Portuguese government when he discovered the firm he
was working for was laundering and investing their money. They lost billions,
and Michael fears they are out for revenge. Two general partners escaped
prosecution and one of them tried to drown me a few weeks ago.”

The
wine glass fell from Lexie’s hand. A strangled sound escaped her chest as she
pulled me into a fierce hug. Nate kneeled in front of us with a wet cloth as he
began cleaning the carpet. Somehow, I lost myself in that simple act. I sat
completely engrossed while I watched him clean. Lexie shook my shoulders until
my eyes found hers again. “Are you okay, Kristine?”

Tears
stole down my face. As I diverted my gaze, my eyes met Rafael’s. “No,” I
whispered brokenly. “I lost the baby, and Michael sent me away.”

Rafael
rose from his chair. He knelt in front of me as he reached for my hand. “He
loves you, Kristine, and he wants you safe. He needs you alive more than he
needs you
in
his life. He believes it’s only a matter of time before the
other partner comes for him, and he doesn’t want you there when he does. Don’t
you see, Kristine? He loves you enough to let you go.”

I
nodded numbly as I tried to rein in my tears.

Lexie
jumped up from the couch and immediately began pacing. “
You were pregnant
?”

Rafael
slid next to me on the couch. He wrapped his arm around me protectively.

I
watched Lexie pace back and forth. Finally, I responded. “Yes.”

She
stopped pacing. “How long?”

My
eyes fell to the floor. “Eleven weeks.”

She
nodded and resumed pacing. Suddenly, she stopped again. “I didn’t think you
could get pregnant.”

I
shook my head. “The doctors said it would be difficult, if not impossible.”

Lexie
tried to pull the hair back from her face. When she realized she didn’t have
anything to put it in, she began scouring the living room for a hair band. Nate
handed her a black scrunchy. She pulled her hair back as her eyes met mine. “He
truly loves you.”

“Yes,”
I whispered. “He does.”

The
conversation stalled when the doorbell rang. Nate went to retrieve the pizza.
He brought it straight into the living room, along with some paper plates and
napkins. Everyone took a piece of pizza but me. Lexie gave me a disapproving
look.

I
looked back down at my wine. “I’m sorry. I’m not hungry.”

“You
need to eat,” Rafael and Lexie scolded as one.

I
took a piece of pizza and picked at it to appease them. I eventually gave up
the act. “I’m tired. I would really like to go to bed if that’s okay.”

Lexie
set her plate down. She took the pizza from my hand and pulled me to my feet as
she wrapped her arms around me. “Of course, honey. Do you want me to lie down
with you?”

I
shook my head as tears threatened from some bottomless well. “No. I would like
some time alone.” I turned toward Rafael. “Promise me you will be here in the
morning. I want to see you before you leave.”

Rafael
looked exhausted. He reached for my hand and squeezed it gently as he rose from
the couch. “I promise, I won’t leave without saying goodbye.”

Lexie
pulled me in for another hug. “I love you, Krissy. I’m glad you’re here.”

Nate
nodded at me from across the room. “I’ll make sure the security system is set,
Kri. You’ll be safe here. Get some rest.”

I
patted Annie on the head before walking to the bathroom. Lexie tracked down a toothbrush
while I washed the trails of salt that stained my face. I escaped into the
guestroom as soon as I was done brushing me teeth. I didn’t want to see
anything in the suitcase, so I stripped down to my panties and bra and climbed
into bed.

Sleep
evaded me. Tears washed over me again and again as I reflected on things Michael
said and did. The memories were like a never ending reel of home movies. The
pain wound tighter and tighter, and the images wouldn’t stop.  

Rafael
stepped inside the room an hour later. He handed me a sleeping pill and a glass
of water as he sat next to me on the bed. “I thought this might help.”

I
scooted up in bed so I could drink the water and swallow the pill. “Thank you,”
I responded softly. I set the glass on the nightstand before sinking back into
the pillows.

He
motioned toward a chair that was entirely too small for him. “Can I sit here
until you fall asleep?”

My
eyelids were already growing heavy. “I don’t think you’ll be very comfortable
in that chair,” I mumbled thickly.

“I’ll
be fine. It’s just for a little while.” He didn’t say another word as he folded
himself into the chair. I wasn’t sure whether it was the pill or his presence,
but the tension that had previously surrounded me eased as I fell asleep.

*
* * * * *

Rafael
was still sleeping when I woke. He was slouched down in the chair with his legs
sprawled out. His left arm was stretched over the bed as he held my hand in
his. I stared at his hand covering mine and tried to remember the exact moment he
had transitioned from bodyguard to friend. Tears pricked at my eyes. I was
dreading Rafael leaving.

He
spoke softly from the chair. “You need time to be alone with your family, and I
have some things I need to tend to. Will you stay here in Montana?”

I
didn’t pull my hand from his. I knew this was our goodbye, and I wanted to
maintain the contact for as long as I could. I studied his face while I thought
about the question. “No. I have some unfinished business in DC. After that… I
don’t know.”

He
nodded. “Don’t hesitate to use the money, Kristine. That’s what it’s there for.
Michael will find some comfort in knowing that he is helping you rebuild your
life, and he’ll want some assurance that you’re someplace safe.”

I
closed my eyes against the pain that followed his name.

Rafael
squeezed my hand. “You have my number programmed into your phone from Saint-Tropez.
You’ll transfer that phone number to your new phone when you purchase it?”

I
was still lying on my stomach, so I nodded against the pillow. “I don’t know
how to say goodbye to you, Rafael. You are such a good friend. You have seen me
through so much. How will I ever repay you?”

He
leaned forward in the chair as he brought my hand to his lips. “You don’t repay
friends,” he said. “You’ll call me when you need me?”

I
nodded.

He
tightened his hold on my hand. “I want to hear you say it. Promise me,
Kristine. You’ll call me when you need me.”

Our
eyes met. My breath caught when I saw the pain reflected in his eyes. I wasn’t
the only one having a hard time saying goodbye. I choked back a sob. “Yes,
Rafael. I promise to call when I need you. Are you returning to Paris?”

He
nodded. “For a short time. I have some things I need to take care of there.
After that…” He shrugged as his voice trailed off.

The
vice around my heart cinched a little tighter when I realized we might never
see each other again. I squeezed my eyes tight, hoping to delay the tears.

He
was still holding my hand when he rose from the chair. He pulled me from the
bed and wrapped me in his arms. He stood there, holding me, for a very long
time, seemingly oblivious to the fact that I was dressed only in my panties and
bra.

I
took a deep breath as I relaxed into his arms. I inhaled his cedar and clove
scented cologne, which reminded me so much of Michael. I tried to memorize the
feel of his body holding mine, since I hadn’t had that opportunity with his
brother. Tears streamed down my face when I finally pulled away. I slipped
Michael’s engagement ring off my finger and placed it in his hand. “I think you
should give this to Michael…” I paused, absorbing the pain of my own words, “since
we aren’t getting married.”

Rafael’s
jaw clenched as he stared down at the ring. He appeared conflicted about accepting
the ring but eventually shoved it inside his pocket. His fingers caressed my cheek
as he gently raised my chin. “My brother’s a fool,” he rasped as he kissed
first one cheek and then the other. He closed his eyes as his forehead fell
against mine. Then his mouth brushed softly against my lips. “Be safe,
Kristine.” It was the last thing he said.

I
heard Rafael gather his things from the other room before he left the house. I
battled the urge to follow him as I sank onto the bed and curled in on myself. Sleep
found me in tears.

Lexie
crept into my room a few hours later. She smoothed the hair from my face as she
handed me a tissue. “He’s gone?”

“Yes,”
I whispered hoarsely.

“He
loves you,” she murmured, a little lost in thought.

I
shook my head. “Not like that,” I insisted, “more like a brother.”

Lexie
crawled over me and settled on the other side of the bed. She wrapped her arms
around me as I turned to face her. “Oh, Krissy. What am I going to do with
you?”

*
* * * * *

Lexie
called in sick so she could lie in bed with me the entire day. I poured out every
last detail from the past six months, and she absorbed it all without judgment,
like only Lexie could.

She
went to work the next morning, but she came back home at noon. It took me that
long to pull myself from bed and shower, so her absence went unnoticed for the
most part. I had just curled up on the couch with her dog, Annie, when I heard
her key in the door.

Lexie
held up a bag from Taco Johns as she walked into the living room. “Comfort
food,” she said.

A
small smile tugged at my lips. “Remember how we used to sneak out of high
school at lunch so we could eat super nachos from Taco Johns?”

Lexie
chuckled softly as she pulled two plastic containers from the bag. “How could I
forget? We snuck out for nachos three days a week.”

Lexie
flipped through a number of television shows while we picked at the food. She was
still wearing her scrubs from the hospital. I was wrapped in a blanket because
I was wearing a dress that had left me feeling chilled. The maid didn’t have a
clue what kind of clothes to pack for Montana, so she had apparently packed
what she believed to be my favorite things.

I
was drifting off to sleep when a knock sounded at the door. Lexie’s eyebrows
knit together. “Who could possibly be dropping by this time of day?”

I
shrugged. “Maybe it’s a salesman?”

We
continued watching television.

We
exchanged looks when the door bell rang. Again, we chose to ignore the
interruption.

Lexie
scowled when the knocking grew more insistent. I sat up on the couch and pulled
the blanket around my shoulders when she crossed into the foyer to answer the
door.

Lexie’s
eyes were wide as she rounded the corner from the foyer. Kadyn strode in behind
her with a determined look on his face.

I
gasped. “Kadyn? How did you know I was here?”

Kadyn
stopped in the center of the living room. Lexie hovered in between the two of
us. She seemed uncertain about where to go.

Kadyn’s
eyes hardened as he folded his arms across his chest. “Well, it wasn’t because
you took the time to call and let me know,” he bit out sarcastically. “I had to
find out from a customs agent in New York.”

Guilt
nipped at me even as I defended my actions. “I just got here. I needed a few
days to pull myself together before I started calling people. My parents don’t
even know I’m here.”

Lexie
shot me an apologetic look. “I called your parents last night. They’re driving up
tomorrow morning for Thanksgiving. I’m sorry. I should have told you earlier.”

My
jaw dropped.

Kadyn’s
cell phone rang. He glanced at the Caller ID, then answered the call as he
fixed his eyes on mine. “Hi, Mrs. Stone. I’m sorry. My phone was turned off. I
was on a plane. Yes. Yes, I know. She’s sitting in front of me right now. Yes.
I’m in Montana. I just got here a few minutes ago… I don’t know if I’ll be here
tomorrow. We’ll see. Can I call you later?” He paused for a minute while he
listened to my mom speak. Still his eyes didn’t stray from mine. “Do you mind
if I talk with her first? I’ll ask her to call you as soon as I’m done.”

Fear
coursed through me as Kadyn disconnected the call.

Kadyn’s
jaw clenched as he continued studying me. “Why are you here, Kristine?”

I
glanced nervously at Lexie. “I had no place else to go.”

Kadyn
shook his head. “That’s bullshit, and you know it.”

My
temper flared. “I couldn’t exactly show up on
your
doorstep after
sending that letter, now could I?”

Pain,
then anger flitted across his face. “Where’s Garcia?”

“In
Paris. He insisted I leave, so I came here. I didn’t have time to call ahead or
make plans, Kadyn. I was on a plane within minutes of Michael telling me to
leave. My parents live over an hour away from the nearest airport, and I had no
clue what time of night we’d be flying in.”