AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Okay, I probably shouldn’t have said that part.
I set my hands on my hips. “It doesn’t matter. They’re my problems, not yours, so I’m handling them—my way.”
Something in Rafael’s expression deflated. Worry replaced the frustration in his eyes.
“What problems? Lou, if something else has happened—you know why I came here with you. We can do things your way, but I’ve got to have some idea what’s going on if I’m going to have your back.”
“Is that really it?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking. “You want to have my back—or you want to decide that where I go and what I do meet your standards?”
Rafael was silent for a long moment. He shifted his weight as if he’d considered stepping closer to me and then decided against it.
“I’m sorry,” he said finally, his voice gone a little rough. “I’ve obviously made you feel like you can’t trust me to not just protect you but respect you as well. I know you’re not a kid anymore—I know how well you can look after yourself. I realize I was out of line with Jasper the other night, and if I’ve been crossing the line in other ways, I’m sorry for that too.”
My own temper simmered down. “Are you sure you mean that and you’re not just saying it because you think it’s what I want to hear? Because it sounded like you didn’t actually think you should have to apologize right after it happened.”
Rafael ducked his head. “Maybe I was still kind of pissed at the time. But I can admit I was wrong. Lou… I just hope you can understand that even if I don’t plan on changing our relationship, I do care about you. A lot. I want to see you reach for those dreams of yours—I want to help you get there.”
All the rest of my rancor seeped out of me. My arms sagged at my sides.
This was the man who’d been by my side for almost a decade. The one who’d heard all my rants and excitements over the years.
The one who’d thrown away his career in an instant to make sure I had the chance to pursue my own.
“Okay,” I said quietly. “I guess it’s just hard to accept the whole protect-Lou attitude when everything else about my situation is different. But—I mean, I do appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”
Rafael lifted his eyebrows. “Does that mean you’re going to tell me about the problems that brought you out to a rooftop in the middle of the night?”
I blew out a breath, my stomach twisting. But the truth was, I wouldn’t mind a little guidance, if Rafael was committed to letting me figure out my own path in the end.
“A few practices ago, I found a doll hanging from the door to the rink—done up to look like me, and tied like it’d been hung from a noose.”
Rafael’s eyes flashed. “And you didn’t tell me?”
“It was right after you freaked out about Jasper! I had no idea how you’d react, and I didn’t want to get into another argument about whether I was actually safe at the arena.”
His mouth settled into a grim line. “What else?”
Now that I’d come this far, I might as well admit the rest. “This evening when I got home, I found a dead squirrel on the floor in my bedroom. Someone had cut open the screen and shoved it in.”
“What?” Rafael sucked a breath through his teeth. All I could think looking at him was that it was a good thing for the culprit that Rafael hadn’t caught them, or they’d have been lucky if their next of kin could identify their body when he was through.
“Stupid, gross pranks,” I said. “It’s obviously the guys from the gang harassing me.”
“Have you done anything else to provoke them?”
I grimaced. “After the doll thing, I pulled that trick Frasco taught me with the steel wool in a few of their car engines. No one saw me, but they’d have been pretty pissed after the engines went up in flames. I was hoping it’d finally scare them off, but obviously not.”
“Hard to scare pendejos who’re too stupid to realize they’re outmatched,” Rafael muttered.
I glanced back toward the storage building, knitting my brow. “I don’t totally get why they’re sticking to little tricks instead of blustering right at me. That seems more their style. I have been careful—maybe they don’t actually know it’s me, and they’re just intimidating a bunch of people in town to see how we react?”
“Could be.” Rafael rubbed his chin in thought. “All it’d take is one really unhinged prick in the bunch. Or maybe it’s got nothing to do with the stunts you’ve been pulling on their territory, and they’re just hostile to any newcomer in town.”
“Jasper and Niko didn’t mention anything like that.”
“They’re famous. Bigger consequences. And you’re a woman and, well, you stick out a little compared to the typical Hobb Creek inhabitant.”
I tugged at a strand of my dark hair, knowing what he meant. Other than Dr. Ribeiro, I was the only Latina I’d seen in town.
