I pull out my phone and look at the security footage again. Riley standing in the driveway but choosing to go back inside.
She loves me. I know she does. But is love enough to keep her loyal when the pressure gets too high, when she realizes she could trade everything she knows for her freedom?
I don't know. I'm not a gambling man, but I'd place a bet if I could. The thought of her not being there when I get back is painful.
But Sal is right.
You do for family, and Riley isn't family yet.
But I do hope to God I can make her family soon, because I can't stand the thought of living without her now.
23
RILEY
My eyes feel like sandpaper, and I blink hard at the screen in front of me, trying to make the numbers come back into focus. My body is screaming at me to stop, but I'm so close to finishing, I can't bring myself to walk away. The end is in sight, and with just one more folder to sift through, I'm not giving up.
My fingers move across the keyboard slower now as I check and recheck the work I've already completed. The dead man's switch is corrupted beyond repair which means if it triggers the way Lombardi wanted it to, it may not even send the right files. And the ones attached to it now are clean, anyway.
The ties between Rafe and the pharmaceutical company have been erased. Every piece of evidence that could lead back to him is gone, buried so deep that even the best forensic accountant wouldn't find it. And I've built a wall around him digitally—a fortress of clean records and fabricated transactions that will hold up under any scrutiny the Feds can throw at it.
It's a bittersweet moment as I close the final file and shut down the system. I lean back in the chair and stare at the blank screen.I've done everything I can do to protect the man I love from the punishment his entire family deserves, and I feel conflicted, but not when I think about how much I want Rafe in my future. That's the "sweet" part of bittersweet.
Rafe's been gone all day. He's only checked in once to let me know the shipment was going according to schedule and that he'd be a little later than he planned, and after that I dug in and focused on work. I haven’t even gotten up to pee in three hours, and the house is so quiet I just know Feodor went home because babysitting me is boring.
I push off the bed and rub my eyes, grateful the tedious task of restoring Rafe's financials is finally finished and I can rest a little, and I walk to the door and into the hallway. My stomach grumbles for food and I need to pee.
But when I round the corner, I stop.
The room is absolutely glowing and it's not the fire in the hearth.
A small Christmas tree sits in the corner near the window, covered in glittering lights that make the nighttime into day. Garland hangs from the mantel above the fireplace, and a few ornaments dangle from the tree's branches, and standing beside the tree, holding a small wrapped box, is Rafe.
He looks up at me when I walk in and my jaw hangs slack at the sight. Until this very moment, I'd almost put Christmas and all of its festivities out of my head, but seeing how beautiful he's made things—and all while I was working so hard that I never even heard him—makes me a little teary-eyed. My chest warms and I suddenly feel awkward, folding my arms over my chest.
Rafe has always been thoughtful, since the moment I got brought to his house. But this goes above and beyond.
"You got a tree," I finally say, stating the obvious, to which he responds by chuckling first.
"I thought you deserved something real for Christmas," he says. "You know, some of the traditions you've been missing."
I feel tears prick at the corners of my eyes, and I walk toward him slowly, my gaze moving from the tree to the garland to the lights, and I can't believe he did this. For me.
"When did you have time to do all of this?" I ask. But instead of focusing on him, I marvel over the tiny balls and snowflakes on the branches, the reflective silver and gold bobbles that look perfect with the white lights, and a few of my tears escape down my cheeks.
As I look up at him again, I swipe them away and shake my head.
"How?"
"I had one of my men pick it up while I was at the warehouse. I set it up when I got back an hour ago." He holds out the box, and I see his hand tremble slightly. "This is for you."
Still marveling over how he did all of this by himself without making a sound, I look down at his hands where he offers a gift. I spot his stockinged feet and understand part of the mystery. No shoes… I smile. Then I take the box and let the joy I'm feeling bubble up to a wide smile. The wrapping paper is a simple red with a white ribbon, and I turn it over in my hands, not quite believing this is real. My eyes dance from the gift to his face and back.
"Open it," he says.
"Rafe…" I protest because it's only fair that I give him something too, but he seems eager, gesturing with both hands.
"Open…" he repeats, and I can't help myself.
