In a Broken Dream (The Broken Series Book 4) (14 page)

Rafael
looked at the unpretentious storefront. “Has this restaurant been around that
long?”

I
laughed. “No. Back in the day, this restaurant was a brothel... a
very famous
brothel.”

Rafael
froze, his hand mere inches from the door. “You’re taking me to a bordello?”

I
pulled the door open. “Emphasis on ‘was.’” I tugged Rafael inside, laughing.

Chris
wiped his hands on a bar rag. He danced around the other bartender as he ducked
out from behind the bar. “Kri? I was beginning to think we’d never see you
again!” He pulled me in for a giant bear hug.

My
feet gradually found the floor. “Hey, Chris. It’s good to see you again. Still
bartending, I see.”

He
smiled and puffed his chest out proudly. “Part-owner now.”

My
eyes widened. “Wow. Those tips must have really paid off.” I patted him on the
back before turning toward Rafael. “This is my boyfriend, Rafael.”

Rafael
reached for Chris’s hand. “Hi, Chris. Nice place you have here.”

I
smiled. I loved the feel of this place. The dark green carpet, dim lighting,
weathered wood, and partially exposed brick walls felt intimate and warm. I
still recognized most of the staff, although one of the waitresses looked new.

Chris
shook Rafael’s hand. “Thanks. I was wondering why Kri was still living in
Virginia. Now I know.”

Rafael
and I followed Chris over to the bar. He popped the cork out of a bottle of
wine and poured a glass. “How did you two meet?” he asked, handing me the
Chianti.

I
smiled at Rafael as he helped me onto a stool. “Rafael used to be my
bodyguard.”

Chris
laughed. “He looks like he’d make a great bodyguard!” He glanced at Rafael.
“What can I get you to drink?”

Rafael
smiled. “I’d like to try the wine you just poured for Kristine.”

Chris
nodded. He poured another glass of Chianti and set it in front of Rafael. His expression
turned serious when his eyes met mine. “I’m glad to hear you have someone
watching over you, Kri. I still can’t believe the crap Justin pulled. I heard
he finally pled guilty, and they’ve got him locked up in some penitentiary in Washington.”

I
glanced over at the table where I used to sit with Justin and the rest of my
friends from work. I hadn’t thought much about the abduction or the attempted
rape over the past few months. Sadly, those nightmares had been replaced by far
more sinister ones. I shivered violently.

Rafael
wrapped his arm around me. “You okay?”

I
nodded, comforted by the weight of his arm. I took a deep breath before
responding to Chris. “Dan told me Justin was sentenced to eight years in
prison. If he earns a reduction with good behavior and gets credit for time
served, he’ll only serve three or four years.”

Chris
shook his head. “If only I’d known what had been going on inside that thick
skull of his.”

I
smiled. Still, I couldn’t shake the dark cloud that had crept over me.

“Are
you guys here for happy hour or are you staying for dinner?” Chris asked. He filled
a glass with beer from the tap and handed it to another patron.

“Kristine
has informed me that you serve the best mushroom cheeseburgers on the planet.
I’m not leaving here without one,” Rafael replied.

Chris
held two fingers in the air as he flagged the waitress. “Table for two,” he
shouted over the din of the crowded bar.

She
reached for a couple of menus and waved us over. She was standing at the top of
the short flight of stairs that led into the restaurant.

I
jumped off the stool. “Thanks, Chris. Can you roll the bar tab onto our bill
for the restaurant?”

“Nope,”
he replied smugly. “Those drinks are on me. Will you be ordering your usual
desert?”

“Oh,
God! How could I forget mud pie drizzled with Bailey’s Irish Cream?” I
exclaimed excitedly. “I’ll be ordering dessert first.”

Chris
grinned. “I’ll send it over shortly.” He doled out another beer. “Stop by and
see me before you leave.”

“Will
do,” I promised. I reached for Rafael’s hand as we joined the waitress. She led
us down the stairs and steered us toward a small table tucked along the far wall.
I was thrilled we scored one of the few tables that had a view of the bar. On a
Friday night, in a town as small as Helena, there was a good chance I’d see one
of my friends.

Rafael
set his wine glass on the table before pulling out my chair. “I’m going to duck
inside the restroom. You already know what I want.”

I
giggled softly when he nuzzled my neck. Goose bumps scurried down my arms.
“Mushroom cheeseburger?”

“You
got it.” He kissed me on the cheek before sauntering toward the restrooms,
which were tucked near the back of the bar.

I
glanced at the waitress, who was still holding the menus. “Two glasses of water
and two mushroom cheeseburgers. I’d like some ranch dressing on the side for
the fries. We’re going to share the mud pie with Bailey’s, and we’d like to eat
dessert first.”

She
laughed. “Can’t say that I blame you. If you ate the cheeseburger first,
there’s no way you’d have room for desert.”

I
smiled. Finally, a waitress who understood. “Do you mind if I look over the
menu? It’s been a while since I’ve been here, and I’m curious to see if anything’s
changed.”

“Sure,”
she replied, handing me a menu. “I’ll be right back with the water.”

I
took a sip of wine while studying the menu. The burgers and salads were all the
same, but there were a few new items on the dinner menu. I couldn’t risk
ordering off the dinner menu. Choosing between the Cobb salad and the mushroom
cheeseburger was difficult enough.

“Well,
well, well. I wondered when you’d come crawling back here. What’s the matter?
Couldn’t find any more senators to sleep with?” an all too familiar voice
taunted venomously.

I
bolted upright. Every hair on my body rose as Tom stepped toward me. “Get away
from me,” I hissed. “Leave me alone.” My lungs collapsed, my heart was beating
so hard.

Tom
boxed me in against the wall.

I
tried to peer around him, to get Chris’s attention, but Tom grabbed me by the
face and slammed my head against the wall. “Was it worth it, screwing all those
men?”

“Hey,
buddy. That’s enough,” a man behind me growled. I could feel his hulking frame rise
from the chair.

I
stared at Tom in horror, unable to see anything else. “Are you drunk?” I gasped
in disbelief. The pungent smell was unmistakable.

Tom
went reeling into the table across from us. Rafael smashed his head against the
table, before lifting him back up and slamming him into the wall on the other
side of our table. “Do you have a death wish?” he asked in a low, guttural tone.

The
silence was deafening. Every conversation in the room ground to a complete stop.

I
tried to stand, but my legs were shaking too hard. I gripped the edge of the
table, trying to steady myself. “Rafael, please don’t.”

Rafael
pinned me with his gaze. His muscles were tightly coiled, his eyes eerily calm.
“Tom, I presume?”

I
slowly nodded.

Rafael’s
eyes glinted as he looked at Tom. “I was hoping I’d run into you.” Tom’s feet
rose from the floor as Rafael effortlessly kneed him in the gut. Rafael pinned
him back against the wall. “Like beating women, do you?”

Chris
knelt in front of me. “Are you okay?” he asked, softly touching my face.

I
tried not to cry. “Yes, I’m okay. I... I just...” I gaped at the food that had
scattered across the floor when Tom landed on the table. “Oh, God, I’m so
sorry!” My hands trembled violently as I sank to the floor, intending to clean
it up.

Chris
grabbed me. “Kri, what are you doing? Don’t. Trish will clean that up.” He
looked over at the couple whose meal had been obliterated. “Order whatever you
want. It’s on the house.”

“No,
I’ll pay for it,” I insisted as he tucked me back onto the chair. “I’m so
sorry,” I repeated as I met their stunned gazes.

Chris
rose to his feet. “Rafael...”

Rafael
glanced at Chris. He still had Tom pressed against the wall. His forearm was
shoved against Tom’s neck. Tom looked livid. His face was a brilliant shade of
red. Every time he tried to speak, Rafael jammed his arm further into his neck.

I
tried to stand again. “Chris...”

He
held up a hand. “I know. Dan told me. This ass wipe beat you for nine years.”

I
heard more than just a few gasps echo through the otherwise silent restaurant.

Chris
cracked his knuckles as he approached Rafael. “I’ve been dying to do this for
years. Mind if I help you take out the trash?”

Rafael
tried not to smile. His face hardened when he locked eyes with Tom. “You lay
another finger on her and you’re dead. Do you understand?”

Tom’s
eyes flitted toward me. He looked even more pissed, but he nodded when his eyes
met Rafael’s.

Rafael’s
forearm dug deeper, forcing Tom to lift his chin. “I’ve killed far stronger and
far smarter men for less egregious crimes. If you so much as look at her...
speak one word to her... or even speak
about
her... I’ll make sure the
coroner finds you with at least one broken bone for every bruise that’s ever
marred her body.” He growled menacingly. “I cannot believe I’m letting you walk
out of here alive, knowing you beat the woman I love for nine miserable years.”
Rafael studied Tom long and hard. He appeared to be reconsidering his decision
not to kill him. He eventually pat him down and shoved him toward Chris. “He’s
all yours.” He paused briefly, then snatched him back. He slammed his fist into
Tom’s face before handing him back to Chris. “Now he’s yours.”

I
slowly released the breath I had been holding. I shivered violently as Chris
grabbed Tom by the nape of the neck and forced him toward the door. I held it
together until Rafael pulled me into his arms. Suddenly, my tears began to
fall.

Chris
joined us a few minutes later. He looked completely exhilarated. “You guys
okay?”

Rafael
nodded. “Thanks for being so understanding. I’m sorry about the mess. I’d like
to pay for their meal,” he nodded toward the couple across from us, “and I’d
like to buy the next round of drinks… for everyone.”

I
stared dumbfounded at Rafael.

He
grinned sheepishly. “I’ve always wanted to walk into a western bar and say
that.”

Chris
laughed. “You heard the man! He’s buying the next round,” he announced.

Cheers
erupted all around us.

Chris
just shook his head. “They should be buying your drinks, Rafael. That was the
cleanest, classiest bar fight I’ve ever seen.”

*
* * * *

We
hit the road at five o’clock the next morning. I was hoping to arrive in Hamilton
in time to join my parents for breakfast, even though they weren’t expecting us
until noon. We pulled into their driveway shortly after eight o-clock.

Rafael
quirked an eyebrow when he saw the door was unlocked.

“It’s
a Montana thing,” I explained. “My dad leaves the front door unlocked, once
he’s retrieved the newspaper.” I eased the storm door open quietly, in an
effort to surprise them.

We
were bum rushed by four rambunctious Shi Tzus. They scattered when our Siamese
cat, Clea, sauntered up. “Don’t try to pet her,” I warned Rafael. “I’m pretty
sure she’s possessed.” Clea was short for Cleopatra. Her favorite pastime was
sitting at the end of the driveway and hissing at people as they walked by.
She’d mysteriously appeared on my parents’ doorstep one day and had been ruling
their house ever since.

“She’s
not possessed,” my mom protested, hurrying from the kitchen. “She just thinks
she’s a dog.”

I
laughed. “Clea may suffer from delusions of grandeur, but she’s still
possessed.” I dropped my suitcase and gave my mom a hug. The she-devil was now
weaving in between Rafael’s legs, trying to coax him into petting her. I just
shook my head. I knew she’d sink her claws into his hand the second he did. A
diversion was clearly in order. “Mom, I’d like you to meet Rafael.”

Rafael
reached for my mom’s hand. She shook her head and pulled him in for a hug
instead. She looked teary eyed when she finally released him. “It’s so nice to
finally meet you, Rafael. Thank you for keeping Krissy safe… and for everything
you did to get those ridiculous charges dropped against her in Ukraine.”

Rafael
nodded politely. He knew I hadn’t told my parents the whole story. “It’s a
pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Stone.”

My
father burst into the room like a tsunami. “Why were the dogs barking?” he
demanded gruffly. He stopped abruptly. “Oh. I didn’t realize you two would be
arriving so early!”

I
flung my arms around his neck. “Daddy! I’m so happy to see you. You look great.”

He
lifted me off my feet and squeezed me tight. “And you, my dear, are a sight for
sore eyes,” he replied brusquely, as if trying not to cry.