her comment and the desire to grab her and never let go, he sat on the leather chair and bent to tie his boots.
She stepped farther into the room. “I’m not an invalid, Rafe.”
No, she was the strongest woman he’d ever met, and he wasn’t taking a chance on her life. “Billy’s going with me.”
“So have Billy stay here.”
“We’ve been through this,” he said without looking at her. “Billy’s running surveillance from the van. Hailey and Pete are waiting at the gallery for Swanson. You’re staying here with Shane.”
“This isn’t your fight.”
Yes, it was. He stood and looked at her. Didn’t she get that? It was his fight because it was about her. He’d do anything for her. Anything to make sure she was safe. And that meant not letting her get within ten feet of Christy Swanson and her twisted sense of revenge.
“You asked me not to stop you in that cave. I let you do what you had to do, even though it wasn’t what I wanted. Now you gotta let me do my part.” He reached for his denim jacket from the bed. “We made a deal, querida. I don’t order, and you listen, remember?”
“A lot’s changed since then.”
Back to her, he closed his eyes at the brutal honesty in her quiet voice. Nothing had changed for him. If anything, he loved her more, because of the resilience she’d shown time and again.
He forced his arms into the jacket. Every minute that passed wedged a bigger barrier between them. He had one shot to change it back, to make it right. “Fine. Then I’m ordering.” He grabbed the bag at his feet and pushed past her. “You’re staying.”
She followed him into the hall and down the curved staircase. Billy waited in the foyer with his hands tucked into the front pockets of his black jeans.
“Rafe. Wait.”
Her fingers on his arm stopped him. He turned at the bottom of the staircase, frustrated because he didn’t want to argue with her before he left. More frustrated because what he wanted most was her to believe in him. On a deep breath he looked up.
She stood two steps up, at eye level. Gardenias drifted toward his nose, reminding him of every second he’d spent in her arms. Did it mean anything to her? He searched her eyes for a flicker of hope, for something to tell him he hadn’t lost her.
He couldn’t see it. All he saw was his own reflection in those shimmering green gems. “What, Lisa?”
Her eyes raked his face until every nerve in his body hovered on the edge. He waited for her to reach for him, to kiss him, to give him some indication there was still a chance for them.
“Be careful,” she said softly.
He steeled himself against the quick stab of pain in his heart and turned for the door. “I’ll call when we’re done.”
Lisa pushed up from the couch where she’d been sitting for the last ten minutes. She couldn’t focus on the book she’d pulled from Lauren’s shelf. Couldn’t listen to more of Shane’s grumbling about the ridiculous crime scene– analysis show he was watching on T V.
Running a hand through her hair, she headed for the kitchen. She felt like she was in the witness protection program, with a big bad cop watching her every move. She knew he was just looking out for her and that he was worried, but the way he eyed her like she had a tumor growing out of her forehead was grating on her last nerve. And sitting here twiddling her freakin’ thumbs while Rafe was out there doing God knows what wasn’t helping her mood either.
She pulled the giant refrigerator open and reached for a bottled water. Muffled grunts echoed from the TV in the living room as she uncapped the drink. Frowning, she lifted the water to her lips.
She should have demanded Rafe take her with him. He was being overprotective and domineering again, and she didn’t like it. Didn’t he realize how that made her feel?
She took a long swallow and paused.
He didn’t know, because she hadn’t told him. He was risking his life for nothing more than a piece of rock.
Her stomach rolled. She lowered the bottle and pressed a shaking hand against her abdomen. In the long run, what did it really matter if they had all three Furies? If they sold Alecto, he’d have enough money to take care of his mother until the end. Would having the others change