The Don's Baby: A Bad Boy Romance (47 page)

CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT

Rafe looked into the eyes of the woman he’d given up everything for and tried to account for the feelings rolling through him. Whatever else was swirling through him he didn’t feel remorse. Watching Emma’s flushed face fresh from the power of her orgasm made him excited about where they were going.

“You’re right. It is time we talked, but just give me a minute.” Rafe disengaged himself from her soft warm body and went to get supplies to clean them both up. When he returned he handed her a warm wash cloth and let her do the honors because he knew if he did it they’d be on to round two and this talk would be postponed again.

She washed off quickly and sat in the middle of the bed with her legs folded like fried chicken wings and he took a second to admire the sexiness of even that simple pose, but moved on to sit on the bed next to her.

“So what made Fat J come up with the plan to kill me?”

“The plan was never to kill you. It was to make people think you were dead and that I did it. Your Reapers—”

“They aren’t mine anymore,” she interrupted, placing a hand on his arm while she corrected him.

“Alright. THE Reapers.” He stopped to look at her and the wide smile told him she no longer wanted to be associated with that life or with her ex-club in particular. “Wanted a life for a life. They were saying that all over town. I’m not sure what they were telling you but they wanted you or me dead for what had happened to Mark. They were pretty sure it was me but they didn’t have proof.”

“They grilled me, what seemed like daily, but was truly every two to three days. I didn’t know what to tell them. The truth was I didn’t kill Mark, but I did know who did it and if I said it was you then I was still in the wrong for associating with you. I couldn’t win for losing and I was treated like a criminal,” she said as she stopped her tirade and looked at him.

“Well they’d know a criminal when they saw it, since we’re all doing what is pretty much criminal activity.” He heard her giggle when she heard what he was trying to say and they both laughed a bit.

“When you left I had no idea what had happened or what was going to happen. They pulled me away from my apartment and brought me to the main house. Which wasn’t so strange since I lived there but it was not the same place I’d lived in those few years.”

She looked almost haunted and he was glad that the Reapers planned their reunion sooner than later because Emma looked like any more time in that environment may have been too much for her. “What do you mean?”

“There were guards at the doors and I was watched consistently, but no one but my friend Tricia actually talked to me. I was already judged and found guilty by all of them. It was hard to keep waking up to do nothing and I knew we were waiting but I didn’t know what we were waiting for.”

“Fat J said he’d talked to you and you wanted out as much as I wanted you out. I’d asked for him to get a plan for us the night before so he was already thinking and I’m not sure what you said or what he found out that made him figure out the rest of the plan. I do know he needed your exact weight so we could tranquilize you quickly but not take you out for good.” He enjoyed looking at her when they talked her red hair had strands of gold within that he hadn’t seen before. Maybe because when they’d been together before it was rushed and forbidden. If either of them had been caught it would have been the end.

“I remember he asked for my weight and told me not to lie about it. It seemed odd at the time but with what I was going through it really didn’t seem all the time.”

“I know you wanted to know what happened after I shot you and I can only tell you what Fat J told me because the plan was for me to walk away. That was one of the hardest things I had to do, but if people were going to go back to the way they were a bad guy was needed. So I was going to take you out because your death wasn’t what they had in mind for you, but something worse.”

“Before we went to the field I was introduced to the same men who wanted to buy me before I joined the club. Remember I told you that Dustin had saved me from my mother trying to sell me to human traffickers, well Joe found them and offered me to them again. He said if I was found innocent he’d just let me go but the look on the men’s faces told me no matter how this went I was going with them.”

“That’s what Fat J. heard as well. That Joe is a slimy bastard.” He was enraged at how Emma had been treated but even more so of what his plans for her entailed. He was done with that life, but the sharp shooter in him wanted to take him right out.

“That’s very true but that part is over,” she said, looking very pleased with herself.

“After we all left Joe asked Fat J for a favor. They didn’t need anymore trouble after the death of Mark. They thought the police would be looking at them closely for this and since no one was going to help with the story it would look like they made it up.”

“What happened to my body?” She watched him interested like it was a television show or a story and he had to give it to her. She was doing better than he’d thought she’d do.

“Well Fat and another guy put you in his car and everyone thought he was going to take you to the hospital or dispose of your body some way but he had his two associates bring you to this location. It’s off the map so I have directions to get to the main road because after you turn into this private road it gets kind of dicey.”

“Where did you get the bruise on your jaw?” She rubbed the tender spot and although it hurt like hell for the first 24 hours or so he’d almost forgotten about it.

“That was a gift from Aaron who didn’t know what the plan was and thought I’d gone bat shit crazy. I’d told him earlier that day that I’d need to get you out of town and I’d probably not be coming back. I had no idea that they were going to show up but I’m glad they did. It may have been a different story if I didn’t have back up.”

“Why did you come alone?” she asked and he had to think about it for a minute to figure it out himself.

“I’d placed all of them in a bad place. I wanted to help you but when Mark pointed that gun at me, I knew I’d made a bad decision to talk to him. There was no way we were both going to get out of there alive.”

“I shouldn’t have asked you to talk to him. I’ve gone around and around about that decision since I asked you. I knew you and he were both men of action and I wasn’t sure what you could have said to make the situation better. Any way you would have come at him would have felt like a threat.” She looked so sad and guilty he laid back on the bed and pulled her into his arms. Emma snuggled into him and breathed in his skin.

“That’s about it. From where we came from and where we’re going to have nothing to do with each other. It’s going to be about now.” He kissed her quickly on the mouth and she returned the kiss but then hopped up from the bed and pulled his tee shirt on. It was long enough to be a dress on her and he thought that maybe she should wear that all the time, because it looked comfortable and sexy on her.

“Well now I’d like to get something to eat. I remember you saying there was a month’s worth of food here so I’d say we dig in.”

“Sounds like a plan,” he said getting up and throwing on a pair of boxer briefs before following to the kitchen.

She turned toward him on the way as she took in her surroundings. “So Fat J made sure we had clothes and other supplies here too?”

“The man is a genius. He’s thought of everything.”

“So if no one is looking for me because they think I’m sleeping with the fish and you have been ex communicated from your club where are we going to go?” She looked puzzled and he guessed he could understand her concern. He was more of a take it one day at a time but it appeared his woman was a planner.

“How about we get through breakfast and then we and figure out where we want to go. If your concern is about money, don’t worry. I’ve saved a bit of every job I’ve pulled so I’m close to 10 figures.”

“You have all that in cash?”

“Yes. You don’t think I could go to a bank with this do you?” he said and was grateful that he’d been saving up. He didn’t know what for, but he knew there would be a day when he’d need it and he didn’t want to waste it on drugs, booze and chicks. Well maybe on this particular chick it wouldn’t be a waste but in the past he didn’t spend much on anything.

“Well that’s good.” She found a lot of items in the stocked kitchen but she brought out the same spinach, eggs and cheese that let him know she was preparing to make one of Miss Marlene’s famous omelets.

A loud knock on the door startled them both, but he moved to the window beside the door to look out and found Fat J standing on the doorstep. Rafe opened the door and pulled the big man in with a hug.

“That was quite a plan. How is everything going back home?” Even as he said it and thought about the people he was leaving behind he wasn’t down but a little nostalgic. He was going to have a new home, but to this fostered child having roots was important and digging them up stung just a bit.

“Everything is going well. The Reapers think Emma is dead and disposed of and that you have been kicked out of the Tribesmen. It’s an early diagnosis but it looks like everything is going to be right as rain or at least return somewhat to how it was before.”

“Emma’s making something to eat would you like to stay for a while?”

“I’ll say hello to Emma and then I have something for both of you.” Fat walked to the kitchen and Rafe followed him in.

When Emma saw the big man standing in the kitchen she dropped what she was doing to come over and give him a hug. “There are no words to thank you for what you’ve done for us and how you’ve put yourself out there. I just want to say how much it means to both of us.”

“Don’t worry yourself about it. It was my pleasure.”

“I’m glad you didn’t tell me the plan, because I would have tried to get you to do something else.” She laughed and returned to finish the meal she was making.

“It was more believable that you didn’t know. The expression on your face couldn’t have been faked it was authentic fear and that’s what we needed.”

Fat put a briefcase on the table and it was the first time Rafe noticed that he’d had anything in his hands, but he watched the man unlock, open and then shuffle through neatly organized papers. He arranged them on the table and Rafe went over to look at what his buddy was doing.

“This is everything you need to start anew. I’ve gotten you both birth certificates, social security cards, financial statements and credit cards. You have moved to wherever you’re going from Butterfield California and I know that you have enough money to get started. This is your new life my friend. A clean slate for you to mark it with whatever you want.”

Rafe could hardly believe that Fat J had done all this. When he’d asked for him to make a plan he hadn’t been asking for the plan to be all inclusive but it looked like his friend just worked like that. He was grateful, but he wasn’t a man who was good with words like that, especially to another man. When he looked at his friend he found Fat wearing an expression of happiness and that was saying a lot for the stony face man who’s expressionless visage was his trademark.

“You don’t have to say anything, Rafe. I know this isn’t something you asked for but as this is a good bye there needed to be some closure to the plan and you know I always say the devil is in the details.” Fat J put all the information back into the briefcase and closed it up. Then he clapped Rafe on the back and went over to  give Emma a hug. “Be well my friends. I’m glad the plan worked out and you are free to live your lives. I’ve left instructions for how to get out of here and I’ll be on my way.”

“Thank you, Andres,” Emma called out to him as he walked away and he raised his hand in a quick wave.

At the door Fat J turned to Rafe. “You guys are going to be fine. Take good care of each other and stay safe. Stay as long as you’d like and when you leave just put the key on the table. Text me when you go I’ll have someone come clean up and close the house back up.”

“Will do Fat J and thanks again.”

“Don’t mention it.” Fat J said with a grin and was on his way moving pretty quickly for a man his size.