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I shook my head. “No. I just want to leave that part of my life behind. I took everything I had when I left. Of course, now it’s all at the bottom of the ravine. Hell, I don’t even have any shoes.”
He frowned as he asked, “What were you planning to do?”
I bit my lip. I had a cover story ready. But I didn’t want to oversell it.
“I ran out and just started driving. I figured I’d lay low. Find a place to stay, get a job. I’ve been doing odd jobs and stuff since I graduated, so I’m trying to find myself anyway. Basically, I just needed to disappear for a minute.”
Rafe leveled me with an intense stare, as if trying to decipher the lies from the truth. “Okay. You’ll lay low here for as long as you need. In the morning we’ll head to the store and grab you the basics so you’ll at least have shoes.”
I shook my head. “You don’t need to do that. Besides, I can’t really go to the storewithoutshoes. I can order stuff online. My accounts are tied to my credit cards, so at least I won’t be a burden for more than a place to stay. I’ll call my card companies in the morning and get them to send me replacements, I guess.”
This was all part of the show. This had been in the works for over a year. The fake ID I had procured came complete with a credit history and a previous rental history, just in case Rafe checked.
“I don’t mind.”
“You’ve been generous enough, just letting me stay here. I can take care of myself.”
“Well, maybe you shouldn’t have to.” He held my gaze for a long moment, and something unexpected happened. Butterflies fluttered low in my belly.
What the hell?No.And this is why we don’t bring a vajayjay to a gunfight. Time to gird my loins.
Just because the guy was being nice now didn’t mean I could be attracted to him. The man was a killer. He had killed my father. Hell, he looked about ready to kill my fictitious boyfriend right now.
“Thank you. For everything. As soon as I have my cards and stuff, I’ll be out of your way.”
He shrugged and shoved his hands into his jeans. “Something tells me it won’t be so bad to have you around for a while.” He inclined his head toward the door. “I’m just down the hall if you need anything. The kitchen is to the left. I put out some soup on the counter. Figured you might be hungry. I’m not much of a cook, but I have a housekeeper and she leaves food for me.”
“Thank you. Again. You really don’t have to do all this.”
His lips twitched into a semblance of a smile. “Do you have to argue with me about everything?”
“Yep. It makes things more interesting.”
Rafe barked out a laugh. “Okay, fair enough. Get some rest. Everything will look better tomorrow.”
When he was gone, I sagged with relief. Holy hell. It was one thing to rehearse and research and watch him from afar. It was a whole other thing to face him. He was just a man. A good-looking assassin guy who rappelled down random ravines to save women he didn’t even know. The problem was he came across as really sincere and decent. But I knew it was a lie. I’d have to watch myself with him. If he was this good of a liar, no doubt he was an expert at spotting liars. I’d have to be careful.
I ate in the kitchen alone and washed up. But I waited an hour before I dared to venture into the rest of the condo. When we’d first arrived, he took me directly to the enormous guest bathroom, handed me a robe and towels, and pulled out shampoos and soaps for me.
Admittedly, I’d taken my sweet time in the shower. He had one of those multiple-head showers that pretty much massaged my whole aching body. On my ribs, that had hurt, but when I’d angled my body away from the main showerhead, everything else felt like heaven.
The kitchen opened up to a massive great room on the left. And on the right was a room with an arched entryway. I had noted the discreetly placed security cameras when we’d first arrived. This condo was all white and gray and steel. Very modern. Lacking warmth. Very much a bachelor pad. But the taste was impeccable if not cold.
Feet bare, padding across the kitchen floor, I walked toward the room on the right. On the walls, there were several pieces of art. If he was hiding something, these pieces would be the perfect cover for a safe.
But before I even had a chance to look behind the first one, I heard footsteps. Or had I imagined that? I went to touch the picture frame again, and then I saw the telltale shadow.
Whipping around, I swallowed a squeak. “Oh my God. You scared me.”
Rafe leaned against the entryway to the room. He wore nothing but pajama bottoms that hung low on his hips.
Holy hell.
The man was, in a word,ripped. I stared at his chest for a long moment before gathering my thoughts.
“Sorry, I got a glass of water and I was just trying to get the lay of my surroundings.” I nodded toward the painting. “Is that a Daniel Decker? It’s beautiful. It almost looks like an original.”
Rafe nodded slowly. “Itisan original.”
