Page 6 of Rafael

Chapter Four - Rafael

Amelia looks like she belongs in my bed. I have a spare room. It's all made up for whenever my parents want to visit. There's no reason to put her under my covers.

But the taste of her is imprinted on my lips.

Everything is different now.Â

I don't crawl into the bed beside her, even though the thought is almost too tempting to be denied. I could pull her close and feel her soft curves all against me. There's no need for heaven when she's in my bed.

I don't know how long she'll be out. She can't have slept well for the last few nights, not with all the weight on her shoulders. I'll hope she sleeps until morning then. She could use the rest.

But I can't spend all night watching her, not if I want to help her survive.

Still, it's an effort to tear myself away from her.

I could kill Angelo for going out of town. Or thank him. Of course, if I did that he'd slug me. Then Amelia would do the same. I don't know why I'm smiling.

It's happiness. Something so rare these days that I barely recognize it. And it's fragile. Amelia is teetering on the edge of annihilation and I'm the only thing protecting her. One bullet could rip it away.

I can't let that happen.

And staring at her all night won't solve this problem.

I leave Amelia sleeping safely and head back to the kitchen. I don't want to wake her up.

I stare at the contacts in my phone while I lean back against the counter. The kitchen is nearly spotless, but only because I've been spending so many hours on the clock. You can't dirty a place you never see.

Who to call?

My partner is out of the question. He is so by the book that he'll have a SWAT team down here to force Amelia to come into the station and tell him everything she knows. I'm not going to do that to her. Not now. Not ever. I know why she doesn't want to come in and I can't force her to do otherwise.

But I've got other friends on the force. That's what happens when you've worked there for more than a decade.

Officer Jake Perez picks up on the second ring. "What's up, Rafe? Aren't you supposed to be sleeping for a week?" He's as cheerful as they come for someone who's seen the worst of humanity. But he's also willing to bend the rules when they need to be bent.

"I've got something I need to keep quiet. For now." I'm crossing so many lines that I know I'm risking more than a firing, jail time is a real option.

I'm not going to let it come to that.

And even if it does, at least Amelia will be safe.

"That sounds serious," some of Jake's good cheer fades away. "What's up?"

"Who caught the O'Shea case?" That's where we start.

Jake sucks in a breath like he's been punched in the gut, but he doesn't ask me how I know about it. Good man. "That's a bad one, bro. You don't want to get mixed up in that. Especially not with your history."

Not every guy on the force knows where I'm from, but there are enough rumors. Some think I'm a dirty cop. Most know better. But a man can't wipe his slate completely clean, not in the age of smartphones and the internet. "It's not me I'm worried about."

"Then what's going on?" Jake presses. He's enough of a cop to follow up.

I tell him what he needs to know. Not everything. But enough.

He's quiet for a while afterwards and finally sighs. "Rumor on the street is Vinnie DeLuca shot O'Shea and your girl saw it. No one's said a thing yet, but there's enough circumstantial to place him there. DeLuca is looking for the witness. His whole family is. If she is family, well, then maybe they can convince her to stay quiet. Maybe the put her on a boat to the old country. Or they'll keep her quiet for good. You should get her into protection as soon as possible. You know that."

I do know that. Witness protection is Amelia's only hope at a life outside of the mafia. Or a life at all. But going into hiding comes at a great cost.

I can still taste her on my tongue. The feel of her skin is imprinted against my lips. But I have to forget it. I have to forget it to let her survive.

Now that I've tasted her, letting her go is going to be the hardest thing I've ever done.