Hunted (15 page)

She couldn’t believe she almost left it.

The stone warmed her fingers when she picked it up. She unfastened the clasp and hung the chain around her neck, the weight heavy on her chest. She wasn’t used to wearing jewelry, but it gave her comfort. Right now, she could use all the comfort she could get.

The water was still running in the bathroom as Emma slipped out the front door. The gravel in the lane dug into her bare feet, but she hurried anyway, moving to the grass along the side of the road and cursing when the occasional rock or thorn stabbed the tender flesh of her sole.

By the time she made it to the main road, she felt a sense of victory. She doubted James would actually come looking for her this far. He made no secret of his dislike of her, and was probably glad to be rid of her.

After she’d traveled a mile or so, she wished she’d grabbed some food before she left. She chastised herself for being in such a hurry that it never occurred to her make better preparations. If Jake were with her, that mistake could have been disastrous.

If Jake were here.

The fact that Jake wasn’t there burned, mixing with her anger and Will’s betrayal. What gave Will the right to leave her without consulting her first? He should be out looking for Jake, not on some snipe hunt in South Dakota. Yet she knew that wasn’t fair. He’d been trying to find Jake. In fact, he probably hoped to get clues from the book at the Vinco Potentia compound. Just as she began to question whether leaving James’s house was a good idea after all, a car pulled beside her and slowed.

She was pissed anew that she had been so lost in thought that she missed its approach. Goddamn, she was getting sloppy.

“Need a lift?” a familiar voice asked.

Emma turned in anticipation and dread, her suspicion confirmed.

Raphael had found her.

His arm draped over the steering wheel and he leaned over, looking out the open passenger window, wearing an amused smile.

She looked straight ahead, ignoring the yearning in her gut. “No, thank you.”

The car rolled along side of her. “Where are you going?”

She kept walking. Talking would only encourage him.

“Emma, are you seriously going to walk to town
barefoot?
”

She stopped and turned to him, screwing on her fiercest look. “How did you find me?”

He smiled. “I stay in a cabin at this lake every summer. How is it that you keep showing up in my path?”

“You really expect me to believe that?” She put her hand on her hip. “You’re seriously trying to tell me you’re not following me? Un
fucking
believable.” She started walking again.

The car stopped behind her and she hoped he had given up, although the primal part of her hoped he didn’t. She shoved that part way down and stomped on it.

Footsteps approached from behind her. “Emma, wait.”

“Why the
hell
would I do that?” she shouted.

“Do you really think I would follow you to a lake in Minnesota? Do I look like a stalker to you?”

At this point, if the pope himself was following her, she’d consider him a stalker. “Yes.”

He laughed, a rich, deep, melodious laugh. It rumbled through her, teasing the instinctual reaction she still fought to suppress.

“Where’s your boyfriend? I’m surprised to see you out here walking shoeless on a country road instead of nursing him back to health.” He was beside her now, less than a foot away.

Emma shook her head in irritation. “He’s better. He’s fine.”

“You mean he’s recovering just fine?”

“No, I mean he’s completely healed.”

He stopped and to her annoyance she halted and turned to face him. A look of pride crossed his face before it was replaced by polite congeniality. “Wow, that’s quite a miracle.”

She studied him closely. “Yes, it is. What do you know about it?”

His eyes widened in surprise. “Me? How would I know anything about it?”

“You told me I could heal him. You told me I had the power to do it.”

“I meant figuratively, not literally, Em. I meant that your beauty and sweet presence would surely make him better.”

“That’s a crock of bullshit and you know it. How do you keep showing up where I am?”

“Perhaps it’s fate.”

“No way. You’re following me. Why?”

“Are you telling me you don’t believe in fate or destiny?”

That’s a good question
. She honestly wasn’t sure. Everything with Will, Jake and her was all supposed to be chalked up to destiny, but destiny at this point pointed to one cosmic train wreck.

“Where is that boyfriend of yours?”

She started walking again.

“Emma, where are you going?”

“Away from you. For all I know you’re a psycho serial killer.”

Raphael’s laugh echoed behind her. “Emma, if I was going to murder you, don’t you think I would have done it by now?”

“I have no idea how serial killers work, but I don’t intend to stay and find out.”

“I concede.” Raphael called behind her. “It’s not a coincidence.”

She stopped and turned back to him, brushing the hair out of her face.

“If you get in the car with me, I’ll drive you into town and answer some of your questions.”

“No, I want answers right now.”

He shook his head. “No, I can’t answer them all right here. It would take too long. If you come with me, I’ll tell you what I know.”

“Like what?”

“How did you heal your boyfriend?”

“Will?”

“Yes, Will,” he said his name as though it left a bad taste in his mouth.

She knew she should run. But he said he knew things. He might be able to provide answers to her questions, which in turn, might help her find Jake. “How do you know I healed him?”

Raphael took a couple of steps toward her. He stopped when he saw her alarm. “Emma, you and I both know he was far too injured to be just fine. How did you do it?”

“How do you know about me?”

Raphael took another step toward her. “For now, you answer my questions and I promise to give you information… as I think you need it.”

“That hardly seems fair.”

Raphael’s mouth lifted into a sad smile. “Emma, you of all people know that life is far from fair. But I’m presuming no one else around you has answers to the questions racing through your mind. What are the marks on your back? What powers do you possess? How did you heal Will?” He paused and his eyes narrowed, making them look black in the shade. “Who your father really is?”

Her eyes widened in alarm. “How do you know those things?”

“I just do. Spend the afternoon with me and I promise to give you information.”

“How can I trust you?”

He lifted the corner of his mouth into a sardonic grin. “Can you afford not to?”

She eyed him with wariness. He was right. She only hoped the price wasn’t more than she was willing to pay.

Chapter Twelve

“All right.” She relented, then her cheeks flushed remembering their kiss. “But you can’t touch me.”

“Fair enough. You have a
boyfriend
, after all. Any other conditions?”

She looked into his dark eyes. “You’re not going to hurt me, are you?” It was a ridiculous thing to ask. It wasn’t as if he would tell her that he would.

Raphael started to reach for her arm, then stopped, lifting his hands in mock surrender. “Emma, haven’t I saved you twice already? Three times if you’ve seen horror movies and count my picking you up off this deserted road. If I wanted to harm you, why would I have intervened? I only want to help you.”

She didn’t want to trust him. It pissed her off that once again she was at some man’s mercy, yet she wanted answers more than anything. “All right.”

“Good. I’ll take you into town and buy you lunch. Then we can talk.”

She nodded and walked beside him toward his car, making sure several feet separated them.

“Do you have some aversion to shoes? I keep finding you without shoes.”

“Shut up.”

He laughed, a rich, rumbling sound.

“The pair I kicked off running were my only shoes. I’ve been a bit busy to worry about shopping.”

A half an hour later, after buying a pair of tennis shoes at the Dollar General, Emma and Raphael sat in silence at a table in an old cafe overlooking the lake. Emma ate her sandwich while Raphael studied her. He claimed he wasn’t hungry but refused to answer any questions until she finished. Emma looked out onto the water, trying to avoid eye contact with him, but she noticed he watched her every move.

“Didn’t your mother ever teach you it was rude to stare?”

He laughed and glanced away. “I’m sorry. I’m not used to being so close to you. I see you’re wearing the pendant.”

Emma sat up straighter. “How did you know about the pendant and what do you mean so close to me? So you
have
been stalking me.”

“I have seen you before, but no, I haven’t stalked you.” Raphael grimaced. “This is harder than I expected.”

“Yeah, it’s not so easy for me either, except I’m totally clueless. You know a hell of a lot more than I do.”

“Aww, now
there’s
that spirit I’ve missed. How did you get so broken?” His voice softened.

Emma stood, frightened. “How the hell do you know anything about me?” she asked, her voice nearly a whisper.

“Emma, sit down. You’re making a scene. I told you I’m not going to hurt you.” His voice was soft and soothing, but firm in its command.

Emma felt her body relaxing, in spite of her anxiety.

“There you go, my love. Sit down. Let me explain.”

“I am not
your love
, so stop calling me that.” Emma sat on the edge of her chair. “Have you been watching me?”

“There’s not an easy way to answer that.”

“Actually, it’s quite easy. It’s a yes or no question. Have you been watching me?”

“Yes.”

She knew she shouldn’t be surprised, yet the confirmation frightened her. “Did the Vinco Potentia hire you?”

His eyes widened in surprise before he curled his lip. “No, I haven’t been
hired
by anyone.”

“Then why?”

“Let’s just say I have a special interest in making sure you’re safe. I’ve been like a… guardian angel at times.” He smirked and leaned over the table, resting his weight on his elbow. Dark, curly hair hung close to his head and his eyes were so dark they looked black against his dark complexion.

“Ha. You don’t look like any guardian angel I’ve ever seen.”

He lifted a corner of his mouth. “And exactly how many guardian angels have you met?”

Why was she always getting mixed up with arrogant assholes? “I don’t need a guardian so I suggest you stop stalking me or I’ll make sure you wished you had. Besides, Will has the protection job covered.” But the thought of Will stoked her irritation. First, she had taken care of herself for so long, she didn’t want to think she actually needed someone to protect her. And second, she wasn’t so sure Raphael should know that piece of information.

Raphael’s eyes darkened and his face contorted with rage. His eyes bore into hers. “He’s incompetent. Where is he now if he’s supposed to protect you? Will is too dense to grasp your worth. If he did, he would have an army protecting you.” He paused leaning closer. “If I were your protector, I would never leave your side,” he said seductively, his eyes holding hers.

Emma felt her stomach tighten and flip-flop with his words. She turned toward the lake, breaking eye contact. Self-loathing rolled through her. Why did she react to him this way? She turned back with a glare. “Will is doing the best he can. If he had an army at his disposal, I wouldn’t put it past him to use it. He’s only one man.”

Raphael raised his palms in surrender and sat back in his chair. “I apologize if I spoke out of turn.”

“Why are you following me?”

He crossed his arms with an amused smile. “You seem to be asking all the questions and that’s not our arrangement. I’ll give you some answers, but I need to ask some questions of my own first. How did you heal Will?”

She found his question irritating. He said he was going to help her. Shouldn’t he know the answer? She lifted her chin in defiance. “I have no idea.”

He raised his eyebrows, obviously questioning her honesty.

“I’m not lying. I really don’t know.”

“Tell me what happened.”

After she told him, Raphael watched her for a moment. “You were lucky you didn’t kill him… or yourself. What were your thoughts when you touched him? Did you say any words?”

“I think I said
heal him
.”

“In English?”

“What? Does it work better in Spanish?” Her sarcasm was biting.

He chuckled.

“So what happened? How did I heal him?”

“I don’t know.”

She stood and glowered over him. “You said you
did
know. You said you had answers. You fucking liar. I’m done.” She walked out of the restaurant into the parking lot.

“Emma.”

She ignored him, walking toward the bus stop.

“Emmanuella.” He stood behind her, practically breathing in her ear.