The answer was staring up at me with dead eyes.
I crawled out of the bed and cataloged his body. The only disturbance I found was the small hole between his eyebrows. Rafferty had picked up his gun and gotten off a clean shot without looking.
“He’s gone,” I said, numb.
“I’m so sorry.”
I could hear the genuine regret in his voice, which was ridiculous. “He was going to kill you, Raff. And when he figured out I’d killed his dad, he would’ve killed me.”
Fuck. I need to get him out of here.
As the reality of the situation started to settle in, a phone started going off, fraying my last nerve.
“That’s mine,” Rafferty said, then pointed to the closet. “Get some clothes on.”
He disappeared into the hallway, still naked, and returned seconds later with the phone against his ear.
He mouthedmy boss, then pressed his finger to his lips. I numbly pulled on a nice pair of slacks and a soft sweater from his grandfather’s collection as I listened to his side of the conversation.
“Hey, Ronnie.”
He gestured to the socks and shoes. I found a pair of black ankle boots that were only a little big and paired them with thick wool socks.
“Yeah, got snowed in here. Wi-Fi and cellular were out all night.”
Rafferty nodded along as she spoke, digging a fresh pair of underwear and joggers out of his duffel.“The dam? Wow, that’s less than three miles down the road from where I am.”
“No, I haven’t,”he said as he slid on the underwear.“They haven’t been able to dive for the bodies yet?”
He pulled up the joggers and sat to put on his socks and tennis shoes.
“Well shit. I’ll keep an eye out. Should I stop drinking and help with the search party?”
He snorted.“Yes, I’ll sober up in time for my shift.”
He paused, listening intently as he watched me.
“Yeah, sure. Keep me up to date.”
Rafferty held out his arm. I stepped into his embrace.
“Thanks, Ronnie. I’ll be here if you need anything.”
He ended the call and brought me into a full hug. “Are you okay?”
“Why didn’t you tell your boss about me?” I asked, burying my face in his chest.
“The Rangers obviously can’t keep you safe, so it’s better if they think you’re dead long enough to give you a head start.”
I shook my head. “But why would you help me? You’ve got your whole career ahead of you.”
“No, I’ve got my whole life ahead of me,” he said gently. “And I don’t want this career anymore.”
That didn’t make any sense.
“Rafferty, you can’t make that decision based on one vodka-fueled encounter with a criminal.”
He chuckled, that low tone vibrating my core. “I decided to quit on the drive out here. I’ve been drinking to give me the courage to acknowledge how I really feel. The vodka-fueled encounter with a criminal was just a bonus.”
