Taming Rafe Animals MC book 7

Chapter Seventeen.

As soon as the sun rose Raphael left Tess alone in the recess of their bed, tucked under the many blankets.

He hiked to the top of the mountain to check his text and voicemails, positive that the men who hired him would have left some.

He barely made it to the place where he had service when his phone began ringing, glancing down he saw the number of one of his acquaintances, Shaw Morgan, they had worked together a few times but in this business, you didn't really have friends.

"Hello?"

"Raph, it's Shaw."

"What can I do for you?"

"It's more like what I can do for you, you screwed over the wrong people. They're calling around looking for someone with the balls to take out a hit on you and that girl. They called me two days ago."

Raphael's heart dropped, he knew they would take drastic measures to get Tess taken care of for good but he didn't think they would hire another pro.

"What did you say?"

"I told them I was booked solid, I'm not a fan of going after my own kind but...I owed you one so this is it. Now we're even."

"Thanks, any idea how long I have?"

"Sorry, no."

"Okay, thanks for letting me know."

"No problem but take my advice and get rid of that girl now."

"Yeah, I guess play time is over," He said forcing a laugh, the last thing he wanted was for someone to know just how attached he was to the woman in his cabin.

"One way or the other she needs to go," Shaw said.

"Yeah, one way or the other." He agreed.

He hung up the phone hating himself for the first time in a long time, he hated his job, who he was and every circumstance in his life that lead him to that moment.

Tess was an innocent person she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and she was doing to pay the ultimate price for it.

She didn't deserve to have a creepy boss touching her, to see him murdered in front of her, to be kidnapped and held hostage for weeks, she didn't deserved to be tied to him.

He turned and began the hike down the mountain debating all the things he could do and all the options he had but they all echoed one similar problem, he had to let Tess go.

He would be outnumbered on this mountain and he would most likely lose but every moment they were distracted with him Tess could be putting miles between them.

He reached the cabin and stopped outside for a long minute, he didn't want to let her go. He didn't want to give up his chance at happiness again but he had too, he loved her too much to let her stay another minute.

He stepped inside the cabin and headed to the bedroom where he found Tess exactly as he had left her.

Leaning down he pressed a soft kiss to her temple.

"Wake up baby."

She smiled and stretched in the large bed and rolled to face him, smiling up at him.

"Baby...I need you to get dressed, okay?"

"What? Why? Is something wrong?"

"Just get dressed."

He left her alone in the bedroom to get dressed, she didn't take long before she joined him in the living room.

"What's wrong?"

He lifted a backpack from the couch and handed it to her.

"In this bag is enough money to get you through until you're home, a map, a few changes of clothes and a gun. Everything you need to get out of here.

He handed her the bag then pressed a set of keys into her palm, clearly they were for his truck.

"No..I don't want to go."

"You don't have a choice, this isn't a request."

He pushed past her a little roughly to a small wooden box on top of the fireplace mantle, he opened it but didn't turn to look at her.

"Raph, please...come with me, whatever is wrong whatever is happening we can fix it."

"I am fixing it and this is the only way."

He turned towards her a pair of dog tags hanging from a silver chain, she knew one was his the other was Chloe's.

He reached out and draped them over her head letting them hang around her neck.

"You have to go Tess, you don't have a choice."

"Why?"

"They're coming. The men who hired me will be coming, they'll come for you and I can't fight them all alone. I can at least buy you some time."

"No, they'll kill you. I can't just leave you. Come with me."

"I can't...if I leave they'll only hunt us both down and someone else might get hurt."

She started to cry and even though he was trying to be tough he felt himself weaken just a little.

"I don't want to leave you," She said softly, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"I don't want you to leave me," He admitted softly, wiping the tear away.

He leaned down for one more kiss, keeping it gentle and not pushing it any further.

When he pulled away she was crying even harder.

"Go, get in that truck and go to the police. Tell them everything. Whatever you do...don't come back."

She bit her lip and managed a weak nod, he reached behind her for the backpack she had dropped and then carefully led her out of the house.

They walked to the truck and he opened the door, letting her climb in he tossed the bag on the other seat.

He stood near the open door while she moved her seat, adjusted the mirror and did whatever she could to stall. Finally she gave another small nod and turned towards him with teary eyes.

"Follow this road it takes you into town...the sheriff is a good man."

"Okay."

They stayed there a few long minutes just watching each other then finally he found the strength to back up and shut her door.

She waited another second before doing as he said and following the winding road away from the cabin and out of sight.