Fatal, page 14
Raina shrugged. She needed a backbone, but she didn’t think they sold those in the gas station convenience store.
“Stay here until I finish pumping gas, then we can go inside.”
Raina nodded.
A few minutes later, Adam opened her door and reached for her hand to help her out. One more sign she couldn’t take care of herself.
She let Adam stick to her side because the reality was, she couldn’t take care of herself. If Damon stopped them, Raina had no idea what to do. She couldn’t disarm someone. She couldn’t stop an attacker. She couldn’t do anything.
They walked inside. Adam smiled at the clerk and guided Raina toward the bathrooms. He told her to stay in the bathroom until he knocked on the door so she knew it was safe to come out. Again, she nodded. Again, she was helpless.
He bought them both coffee and snacks, paid cash, and they were back on the road.
The sun was barely coming up behind them when Adam stopped again. They were somewhere in West Virginia, six hours from the B&B where she felt safe and loved and good for the first time in far too long.
Adam pulled into the parking lot for a motel that had definitely seen better days. Raina did not want to stay there. If Damon didn’t catch up to them, one of the others guests might kill them, or whatever disease they’d catch from being there.
Adam paid cash for a room and gave the guy behind the desk a new fake name. They got a key and went to a room that was definitely not clean and probably hadn’t been clean in a few decades.
“Try to get some sleep. Lay the towels on the bed if you want. Most places are good about cleaning towels.”
Raina stared at him like he had lost his damn mind. “Do you really think I’m going to sleep?”
Adam ran a hand through his hair, looking more exhausted than Raina had seen him. “I don’t fucking know. I’m just trying to keep you safe.”
“And sleeping will keep me safe?”
“Nothing is keeping you safe! I didn’t know he was there. I didn’t know he’d found us. I was so busy fucking you that I forgot to do my fucking job!”
Raina wrapped her arms around her belly and sucked in a breath, backing up a step away from the man she was falling in love with. The man who made her feel like shit.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” Adam whispered. “This is why it’s a rule.” He checked the window, then moved across the room to where she was standing next to the bed. Adam cupped her jaw and tilted her head back to meet his gaze.
She fought him for a second. He didn’t force her.
“I care about you. Too much, Raina. Being with you… I don’t care about the fucking rules. I don’t know what this is or what it’s going to be when all of this is over, but I don’t regret being with you. What I regret is putting you in danger again. Losing focus and letting Street get close enough to us that we had to get out of there like we did.”
Raina nodded. She felt like she was going to break. Like she’d shatter if something else happened. “I’m scared.”
Adam pulled her against him and wrapped his arms around her body. He kissed the top of her head and rubbed his hands up and down her back. “I am, too.”
She breathed a laugh. “I’m not sure that makes me feel better.”
Adam chuckled with her. “I won’t let my guard down again.”
Raina sucked in a breath, hearing what he wasn’t saying. They were over.
She backed out of his embrace and moved to the bed. It wasn’t stained and there were no bugs crawling around, but it smelled musty. She grabbed the towels from the bathroom and stretched them over the comforter. Then she curled on her side, facing away from Adam’s spot at the window and tried not to let him hear her cry.
Adam’s gut twisted as Raina turned away from him. He knew he said the wrong thing again, but he couldn’t risk Street finding them. He couldn’t risk Raina getting hurt. He should still be taking care of his head from his TBI, but he was driving through the night and loving Raina all night and ignoring his health.
For her.
Which was exactly what was going to get them caught.
Adam swallowed two painkillers and washed them down with a bottle of water. From where he sat, he could see the parking lot and any cars that pulled in. The curtains were closed, so no one would see him, but he was watching between the wall and the curtains.
Raina appeared to sleep while Adam watched people leave their rooms, load their vehicles, and leave. He hated having Raina in that place, but the guy at the desk didn’t care who they were or why they were there. It was a good place to lie low.
Around noon, the phone Adam hadn’t set down yet rang. He answered it quickly, even though he knew Raina would wake up when she heard him talking.
“Yeah?”
“He was staying at the B&B next door. Checked in yesterday.”
“That’s too fucking close.”
“I agree. Are you safe?”
Adam snorted. “Relatively.”
“What’s your plan?”
“Fuck if I know.”
“Can you get to Pittsburgh?”
Adam did some mental math and nodded. “We’re about four hours away.”
“I’ll text you an address. We’ll meet you there tonight.”
“With backup.”
“Lots of it. If Street’s going to stick his head out to find you, we’re going to make sure he pays for it.”
“I’m definitely on board with that plan.”
“See you in a few hours.”
Adam hung up and looked up. Raina was looking at him, red-rimmed eyes that gutted him. “Where are we going?”
“Pittsburgh. You up for a few more hours in the car?”
“As long as it gets us closer to ending this, yes.”
“That’s what I hope.”
Raina held his gaze for a long minute, then nodded and climbed off the bed. She grabbed the suitcase she never bothered to unpack and followed him out the door and back into the SUV.
Back on the road.
15
More trees, more roads, more anger. Raina was getting close to the end of her sanity. She tricked herself into thinking everything was okay when she and Adam were playing married couple. She let herself believe the lie.
The truth always comes out.
Adam checked them into the new hotel, under a new name with a prepaid reservation and a card on file that wasn’t from them.
“They’re already here,” Adam explained as he guided Raina away from the desk at the hotel.
It was a nice hotel. The kind of place that hosted happy hours in the afternoon, had room service around the clock, and employees who were not only discreet but paid well for it.
The elevator whisked them quickly to the eleventh floor. Two people were waiting for the elevator when they stepped out. Raina tensed until they both stepped on the elevator and the doors closed between her and the strangers.
Adam checked the room number written on the room key envelope and turned to the right. When they reached room eleven-twenty-two, he held the key in front of the pad on the door. It blinked green, then clicked with the release.
Raina stepped inside the room ahead of Adam. He locked the door behind them and left his suitcase at the door. Raina dragged her suitcase across the room and sank onto the bed, feeling more exhausted than one night of not much sleep should make her.
She opened her mouth to ask Adam if she could lie down for a while, but Adam was at the door to the connecting room, his ear pressed to the door.
“What are you doing?”
He cut his eyes at her and shook his head just enough for her to understand.
He needed silence.
After a minute, he knocked on the door. Another minute went by before there was an answering knock.
Adam opened the door connecting their room to another one while Raina held her breath.
Liam stood on the other side of the door, with a tentative smile. “You good?”
Adam nodded. “As good as we can be.”
“Good. Hi, Raina.”
“Hi, Liam,” she said, struggling to smile. Adam’s cousin was a nice guy, but the last thing Raina felt like was small talk. She wanted a bottle of wine to herself and a bubble bath. Then ten or twelve hours of sleep without dreams about Damon.
“What’s the plan?” Adam asked.
Liam glanced at Raina like he was gauging if he wanted to speak openly in front of her.
“She needs to know everything,” Adam said, answering the unasked question.
Liam nodded, then moved into their room. He stood near the TV and looked between her and Adam. “The judge is still missing. We don’t know if we’ll ever find him. The new judge is under the protection of Rose Protection Agency.”
“Who’s that?”
“Montgomery Rose served with Dex for a few years. Dex vouched for him. Said he’s top notch. His company is growing, and they have an excellent record.” Liam held Adam’s gaze, waiting for approval.
Adam nodded once.
“Street came out of hiding to go after you two. He got close, but the biggest problem we have is how he knew where to find you.”
“I thought you said he found the people from the first B&B,” Adam said.
Liam nodded while Adam’s words sank in for Raina. Damon found Norma and Tom. They were nice people, but Damon found them. And if they stood between him and her, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill them.
“Are they okay?” Raina blurted, ignoring whatever Liam was saying.
Liam looked at Adam, letting him answer.
Raina didn’t care who answered her as long as she found out. She’d been too afraid to ask before, but she had to know. She had to know if more people died because of her. Because Damon was obsessed with her and she ran. “Norma and Tom. Did he kill them?”
Adam shook his head. “No. Thankfully, another guest found them and was able to call for help.”
“They’re going to be okay?”
Adam looked at Liam. Liam nodded. “They should be. The husband—”
“Tom,” Adam growled.
Liam nodded once. “Tom. Street knocked him out pretty quickly. Caught him by surprise. The wife…”
“Norma,” Adam supplied.
“Norma put up a fight. Street wasn’t gentle, but neither of them had life-threatening injuries.”
“That’s not like him,” Raina whispered.
“It’s a good thing,” Adam said. “Whatever the reason.”
Raina nodded, but she knew it was bad. When she was with Damon, he toyed with her. She learned his moods, and if he didn’t get to inflict some kind of pain on her every so often, it would only be worse when he did.
She hated herself for staying there as long as she did. The broken bones weren’t the worst of it. That was the part she talked about, but the rest… That was what kept her up at night.
Adam and Liam talked, making plans like she wasn’t there. She wanted to care, but she didn’t. She knew she was done. It didn’t matter what they tried, Damon found her. No one knew how he was finding her, and it didn’t matter. He did. And he would keep chasing her until one of them was dead.
Tears built in her eyes until they overflowed. Raina stumbled to the chair in the corner of the room and sank into it. She tucked her feet up against her butt and wrapped her arms around her knees. She put her head on her knees and let the tears come.
She sat there crying for a few minutes, barely noticing when the men’s voices faded and stopped. A door closed, and the next thing she knew, she was being lifted from her seat and carried to the bed.
Adam laid her down and stretched out next to her, pulling her against his chest and holding her close while she cried.
She cried until she exhausted herself. Her body felt heavy, like she couldn’t move if she tried. Sleep tugged at her, but every time she got close to fading, Damon popped into her mind and jolted her awake again.
“You’re safe, Raina. I got you,” Adam whispered.
“I’m never going to be safe. He will find me and he will kill me. I need to stop pretending that’s not my future.”
“Raina,” Adam groaned.
“No.” She pushed away from him and shook her head. “I’ve tried to be strong. I’ve tried to have faith. Damon is the worst of evil. He is going to delight in torturing me. It won’t be the first time. But I can’t just sit here and wait for it to happen.”
“We’re not sitting here and waiting for it. We’re going to find him. We’re going to stop him.”
She sucked in a breath and sat up. She knew her words were going to hurt him, but she had to say them. “I know you’re trying, but I don’t think that’s possible. I don’t think anything will stop him, Adam. I can’t trust that I’m safe. I’m not as long as he’s alive. No matter what you do.”
Raina looked at him just in time to see the shutters fall and the defeat take over.
Adam wanted to argue with her. He wanted to tell her she was wrong. He’d never faced someone like Street before. None of them had. He had more resources than any of them knew about. He was charming when he needed to be, but he was manipulative and didn’t care if he killed people. He was a dangerous combination of the worst of humanity.
“We’re trying,” Adam confessed. It wasn’t good enough. He knew it, and she knew it. He wanted to keep her safe. But fighting against a man who seemed to know everything you were going to do before you did it made the fight not just unfair, but impossible to win.
Raina looked up at him, the resignation in her gaze gutting him. He hated that she knew there was nothing more he could do. That it was only a matter of time before someone else was put in charge of protecting her because Street had outsmarted him one too many times.
“I want you to teach me self-defense,” she whispered.
“What?”
“I need to know how to defend myself against him. I know it’ll probably only delay the inevitable, but I need to have some knowledge. I need to have a chance.”
“Raina.”
She shook her head. “I have spent the last year hiding from him. In the shelter, with Karli, now with you. I’ve been running. He’s been in control of my life because he’s bigger and stronger and more deadly. Even if he’s caught again and somehow the charges stick, he has people. It’s very possible he’ll have someone kill me. I need a chance.”
Adam closed his eyes, hating that she wasn’t wrong, but she also wasn’t right. Her best chance was to stay in protective custody. But until Street was brought in, their options were limited. And she was in danger.
“Please, Adam,” she whispered, the pain and fear she felt sinking into her words.
He nodded, knowing he had to put his bruised pride aside for her own good. She deserved the best chance she could get to stay safe. To stay alive. It didn’t matter that he’d failed at his job, that he hadn’t kept her safe like he was supposed to. He owed her.
“Thank you,” she breathed, like she thought he was going to refuse her.
She clearly didn’t know he couldn’t refuse anything she asked for.
“I have one more request,” she said, her voice even more unsure.
“Okay,” Adam said, prompting her to explain. His shoulders tightened, his body preparing for whatever else she wanted him to do.
“I want to go back to Niagara Falls.”
“What? Why? We know he’ll be there soon. He’ll go back, if for no other reason than to get more information.”
She nodded. “I know. But it’s home for me. It’s where I feel safe. I want to be there. And I know with so many people looking for him, it’s the best chance we have of finding him.”
Her gaze didn’t waver from his. There was something hidden in it, something he couldn’t figure out. Something he knew would mean he’d regret agreeing to take her back to Niagara Falls.
“He’s going to find us no matter where we go. We might as well go home and have all the resources we have. We’re stronger there, too.”
Dammit. Again, she wasn’t wrong. She was smart, and she knew Street better than the rest of them. “We will talk to Liam and come up with a plan. We’re only here tonight. He talked about switching vehicles tomorrow and going west.”
“No,” Raina cried. “Adam, I can’t. I can’t do this. He’s taken everything from me. He took my job, my life, my entire world. He’s isolated me from everyone and everything. He’s completely destroyed me. I can’t keep running. I’m tired. I’m done. I can’t. I just…”
“Okay,” Adam said, crossing the room to hold her close. She vibrated, from anger or anxiety, he didn’t know, but it didn’t matter. He was going to do everything he could to erase all her fears.
Street wouldn’t stop. He’d proven that. He was going to get Raina, no matter what anyone else did to stop him. The only choice was to kill him.
Adam knew it weeks ago. He knew it when he looked into the eyes of that monster right before Street knocked Adam out. Adam couldn’t stop him. No one would be able to stop a man like that. His mind worked in ways Adam would never understand.
The only choice was to think like Street. Adam knew Street would go back to Niagara Falls. That’s why he and Liam were talking about them going west. Putting more distance between them. But through it all, they both knew it was a risk. It meant less support, more unease around who to trust, and putting more civilians in danger like Norma and Tom.
None of that sat right with Adam. He wanted a solution that meant bringing Street in. Dead or alive, Adam no longer cared.
That wasn’t true. He did care. But he couldn’t bring himself to admit it to his cousin.
“Adam,” Raina whispered. She pressed her lips to his throat.
Liam and two of his guys were on the other side of the wall. None of them had any idea Adam had fallen for Raina and had been sleeping with her.
But one whispered plea and one brush of her lips and he was willing to throw everything away to make sure she knew she was the most important person in his world.
Adam didn’t say anything. He didn’t ask her if she was sure. He didn’t hesitate. He didn’t do any of the things he should have done. He just ducked his chin and caught her next kiss on his lips.
