Page 67 of Rafe’s Future

Her words trailed, but even through the shadows, Rafe could see them in her eyes.

“I know, sweetheart. Me, too.” He smiled, doing his damnedest to keep his own emotional upheaval in check. “Now, go. Get to Alice and Slade’s, and don’t forget to tell her everything I said.”

Lena nodded, her face crumbling for the briefest of seconds before regaining her usual control. Rafe watched as she turned and started for the front door. Every step carried her farther from him but closer to safety.

The cabin’s floor plan gave him a clear view of the simple entrance, making it possible to see her right up to the end. Lena reached the door but paused to turn back his way.

One last look.

Committing their final moment together.

“It’s okay,” Rafe repeated the promise he’d already given a few times before. “Apparently, I’ve served my purpose here, but you . . .” His smile widened. “You, Director Price, still have more to do. So go on.” A quick jut of his chin. “Get to it. Deliver my message to Alice, and then you go get the bad guys.”

Her lips parted as if she had intended to say more. A pounding heartbeat later, Rafe watched her turn around and walk out the front door.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Rafe sucked in a deep breath as the cabin door was pulled shut. He’d done it. He’d finally convinced Lena to leave.

You’re screwed, but at least you know the woman you’ve fallen for is going to live.

His relief was short-lived, stolen back by the sound of hurried footsteps near the door directly behind him. Rafe tilted his head that way as he listened closely. When he heard the footsteps again, his brow furrowed.

“Lena?”

There was no answer.

He listened again, straining over the pounding of his heart. The cabin had gone so quiet, he could hear the faint hum of the refrigerator to his right. Then came the unmistakable scraping of wood against packed earth.

Rafe’s blood turned cold.

He knew the cabin’s layout. Knew the narrow strip of ground that ran along the back wall. Thanks to his keen eye, Rafe also remembered seeing a stack of old cinder blocks near the foundation earlier, when he’d been outside.

“Lena!” His voice was rough with warning. “I know you’re out there. Whatever it is you’re doing, stop!”

When another scrape sounded from out back, it became clear she wasn’t leaving. Rafe wanted to turn around and yank the door open. To demand she explain why she was being so reckless.

But he didn’t dare move his lower body even a fraction more. It may have worked out fine the first time he’d turned himself around, but he wasn’t about to push his luck further. Besides, he didn’t need to see Lena’s gorgeous face to understand what she was doing.

From the sounds he’d heard, she was hauling those heavy blocks from where they’d been left and stacking them next to the back door.

She’s planning to create enough counterweight with the blocks to free me.

A block struck another with a dull, hollow thud.

“Lena, stop!”

But she ignored him. Of course, she did. The woman was so damn stubborn.

Stubborn. Fearless. Infuriatingly brave.

And apparently willing to gamble her life to save his.

Rafe’s heart slammed against his ribs as he shouted at her again through the door.

“Lena, listen to me. You don’t know how much weight it’s going to take, or whether there are even enough blocks to make a difference.”

“It’s enough,” she hollered back, her voice sounding much closer than before.