Taming Rafe Animals MC book 7

Chapter Four.

Raphael put off going to sleep as long as possible, a part of him afraid the woman in his bedroom would try and escape again. In the darkness, she would never be able to find her way to the road and would be dead by sunrise.

He heard her sliding the small end table in front of her door and he shook his head, it was a waste of energy. If he wanted in her room a cheap end table wasn't going to stop him.

He collapsed onto the couch that was way too small for his large frame, to narrow for his broad shoulders and too short for his long legs. He tossed and turned, his old injuries making it hard to be completely comfortable on the worn out sofa.

He closed his eyes with a heavy sigh, he was tired. Tired of his job hurting people he didn't know and getting paid by people who did things just as bad.

He was tired of the memories that he constantly had to fight away and he wanted nothing more than to disappear into the mountains and relax for a few long months.

After a few minutes listening to the fire crackle in the fireplace and watching the flames dance across the ceiling he fell to sleep and was instantly plagued with nightmares.

*****************************************************************

Tess thought she would have trouble sleeping but instead, her exhausted body betrayed her and she fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

She slept late into the morning and never work all night, only waking up when she heard birds chirping outside her window and her kidnapper moving around in the main living area.

She lay in bed for a while listening to him move around, she couldn't hear his footsteps but once in a while a creak of a cabinet door or pot or pan moving around let her know he was in the kitchen.

She didn't want to leave the pretend safety of her bedroom but her bladder was screaming for release and finally forced her from the bed.

Climbing from under the covers and carefully moved the end table aside, opening the door as quietly as she could she slipped into the main living area.

She saw him moving around in the kitchen, obviously fresh from the shower. His black hair was wet and dripping, he was only wearing a pair of jeans and she saw his bare back matched his face and was covered in deep scars.

A floorboard creaked under her foot and he turned to face her, she froze midstep instantly afraid of him.

"I...I need to use the restroom," She said softly.

"You know where it is," He said with a shrug.

She paused another minute and when he appeared relaxed and not ready to strike she hurried into the bathroom to relieve herself.

When she came out of the bathroom he had pulled on a shirt and was pouring a mug of coffee.

"Do you drink coffee?" He asked.

She gave a small nod and when he slid the cup to the end of the counter she took a few timid steps closer to take the cup. He treated her as if she were a frightened animal, moving slowly and cautiously through the kitchen. No sudden movements and no noise, keeping his own body relaxed but it didn't do much to relax her.

"I made scrambled eggs, is toast okay?" He asked his back still to her.

"Yeah."

He turned setting a plate in front of her and she cautiously settled onto the stool at the counter.

He stood across the counter from her sipping coffee, his dirty plate in the sink letting her know he had already eaten, she wondered how late she'd slept.

"What time is it?" She managed.

"After ten, you slept in."

She turned her attention to her eggs, it was easier to focus on her food than it was to focus on his presence.

"I was more tired than I realized," She said.

"You've been through a lot in the last few days, more than just this I think."

She glanced up aware of his eyes judging her, waiting for her to react to what he said. With a shaky hand, she lifted the coffee cup and took a sip.

"Why did you kill Harold?" She asked not looking at him.

"Does it matter?"

"I just...I want to know what I'm going to die for."

"He borrowed money from the wrong people, money he didn't pay back."

"That's it?" She finally looked up at him.

"That I know of," He said with a shrug.

"That seems....ridiculous....a human being is dead because he owed some money. A man died because..of a few dollars."

"No, not a few....a few million. Frankly, I'm surprised you're defending him."

"Of all the things that Harold did....I can't believe that money is....is what killed him."

"I don't ask deep questions, Tess. They call me and I go, I do my job and I leave...until you."

She turned back to her breakfast and he let the subject drop. He had seen a lot of things in his life and his career and he recognized a touchy subject, he also knew what a person who was traumatized looked like.

"I have things to do....if I let you alone today will you stay here?" He asked.

She glanced around the cabin and then with a heavy sigh gave a small nod.

"You can not run off, Tess....you will die out there. It's freezing, you don't know the landscape. We're miles from help, the mountains and animals alone could kill a person in hours."

She must have looked as scared as she felt because his voice softened when he spoke again, making sure to look directly at her.

"You'll be safe and warm in here. Anything you want to eat or drink is yours, I don't have a television or phone or internet but I think there are some books."

She didn't reply and he crossed the floor to pull on a heavy coat and his boots.

"I have to chop wood for the night or we will freeze to death."

She didn't reply again and he exited the building closing the door behind him. She stared at the door for a few minutes before turning back to her breakfast.

After she ate she did the few dishes in the sink plus her own, more to keep herself busy and grasping for some semblance of a normal day. Then she walked around the cabin looking at the sparse decorations.

There was nothing personal in the cabin, no photos or knickknacks.

She glanced out the window and saw him chopping wood diligently, he had shed his coat but she knew it was cold outside.

She looked out every window she could find hoping to see some sign of other life but quickly realized the small cabin was surrounded in nothing but wilderness. Her only shoes were the heels she had worn yesterday.

She would have to steal his boots and that meant waiting until night to try and escape again.

She was afraid of the outdoors, the mountains were steep and slippy, the snow bitter cold and she had no doubt wolves and bears waited to tear her to pieces but she was also afraid of inside. Of the beast in the cabin with her who murdered men he didn't know and could snap her in half like a toothpick.

She moved to the kitchen and opened the drawer taking a knife from the top drawer and hurrying to stash it under her mattress, if he came for her in the night he would get a fight in return. In the meantime, she decided to lie low was her best option until she had a chance to run.