Risk It All - Raph X OC

Attraction

As Raph drove the truck, every muscle in his body was tense with frustration. Usually, he found rescuing a victim from a dangerous thug deeply satisfying and letting out steam by pummeling the idiot to the ground. Today, however, that satisfaction was overshadowed by anger and self-recrimination. His altercation with Sergei had ruined his chance to search the house and possibly undercover proof Sidorov had been involved in Leo's disappearance. Raphael growled. But what else could he have done? The blonde trespasser had been in danger. Her survival had to take precedence over his original plan, which was a long shot born of desperation. Donny's going to be pissed when he tells him what happened.

That logic was inescapable to any reasonable person. So why did a niggling voice in his head question his motives? Why did it accuse him of placing the well-being of a straner over that of his own flesh and blood? Who is this woman? And why didn't she tell Sergei who I really was? Why isn't she afraid of me?

No, that was ridiculous. Despite the fact that he and Leo had a complicated relationship, colored with anger and resentment and hurt, not of that had influenced his decision to run interference for the woman. He had made the right call, according to his training and conscience. His father would be pleased, no doubt. Since April moved with Casey to New Orleans, that was the last female woman to every bat an eye his way. And not even sexually. Raphael accepted his fate to never find a woman, let alone one that found HIM attractive. The noise in his head was caused by worry and uncertainty.

Next to him, his passenger was hyperventilating, her rapid breathing audible in the confines of the truck. She was obviously terrified, and must be realizing who he was. This is it. Her reaction didn't surprise him - first seeing a gun at her brother-in-law's head, actually discovering there's a walking, talking turtle, and then Sergei pointing a gun at her. Raph didn't regret knocking him out.

When the woman had first crawled out of the garden, he'd known her presence was a complication he didn't need, but he'd been confident he could control the situation. Leo would laugh Raph right now if he could see the shit he got himself into. Always rescuing a damsel in distress. A sexy damsel that is...

Raphael adjusted his seating position to push away the thoughts that intruded. Whatever he thinks will come out of this.. won't. His mission is still to locate his brother and get back to his life under the city. I'm going to need to watch some porn, maybe that's why I'm getting hot and bothered.

Brooke's claim that Sidorov had drawn a gun on his visitor had substantiated his suspicions that the supposedly retired retire dmafia boss hadn't completely walked away from his criminal past. Raph had warned her to make a speedy exit. Everything would have been fine if she'd moved a little fast or if Sergei had been content ot hang out a little longer at the tennis courts. The difference of a few seconds had proved disastrous, a point driven home when Raph had spotted the two facing each other, the guard's gun aimed at the blonde's slender stomach. He could have walked away from the situation, but he'd felt compelled to intervene... and get his cover blown. When Sergei realized that the maintenance man was indeed a mutant turtle, the human's face did it's usual morph into terror and disgust. Raph was used to this.

What if he hadn't intervene? Would the woman have managed to escape on her own? Or would she have ended up like Leo... missing, with family members trying desperately to figure out what had become of her?

Raph clenched the steering wheel tightly, there was no point dwelling on what-if scenarios, he had to decide his next move based on what had actually gone down. Donny's not going to like how I went off script and got a woman involved. Fuck.

He would take her to her car so she could contact the police, even though the last thing he wanted was police swarming all over the property. If the former Russian mobster felt he was under scrutiny by the authorities, he wouldn't go about his usual routine or take part in the candid, potentially incriminating conversations Raphael had hoped to record on the bug in his office. Fuck.