Page 36 of Protected from Malice (Blade and Arrow Shadow Team #1)

RAFE

I thought I knew what true rage felt like before.

I thought I knew after Indy was hurt. After Mandy was killed.

But this .

The woman I love is hiding in a bathroom, sobbing in fear, while the fucking monster who raped her is on the other side of the door.

Who is he? How did he get there?

What are the fucking odds?—

Does it really matter?

All that really matters is getting to Eden. Making sure she’s safe. And then…

Then I’ll deal with that piece of garbage.

Make damn sure he never, ever hurts Eden again.

After waving my ID at the security guard stationed at the front entrance, I blow through the metal detectors without setting them off. I wish I could have my weapon on me, but the strings Tyler pulled to get me access to the building only go so far.

Once it was decided Eden was going back to work, there wasn’t a chance I’d allow it to happen without being able to get to her quickly.

But in all the scenarios I conjured up in my mind—an unbalanced employee taking his coworkers hostage or an angry protester raging against the pharmaceutical industry—I never imagined this .

After more than two years of nothing, suddenly, here he is.

In the west wing of the building. Basement level.

At least, I hope he still is.

Uncaring of the curious looks I’m receiving, I sprint past reception, bypassing the elevator to take the stairs instead. I’ve studied this building inside and out, so I know exactly where Eden’s located. Less than a two-minute run, which still feels an eternity too long.

Once I get into the stairwell, I practically fling myself down it, using the railing as a counterpoint for balance. With each step, my rage fans even hotter and more intense.

It’s all-encompassing, this storm of emotion I’m caught in. It comes in alternating waves of rage, guilt, vengeance, and absolute desperation.

Reason—that tiny voice shoved to the back corner of my mind—reminds me that Eden’s locked in the bathroom. From the inside. That there’s no way this fucker can get to her. That it’s only been a few minutes since I received Eden’s frantic call while I sat in my car in the parking lot.

Because I wasn’t leaving her. Not today. Not when I felt nauseous at the thought of it. Not when I had to fight myself half a dozen times not to turn the car around and bring her back home.

I make it to the door that leads to the basement hallway, then force myself to stop for a second.

Instinct is driving me onward, telling me to fly down the hallway and tear this fucker from limb to limb, but I know I need to be smart about this.

I need to think like I did when I handled the man who killed Mandy.

No, I’m not going to kill him right now. As much as I’d like to, I can’t do that here.

But he’s going to be punished. Of that, I’m sure.

Before I leave the stairwell, I send a quick text to Eden.

I’m coming. Are you safe?

Almost immediately, her response blinks onto my screen.

Still in the bathroom. I can’t hear him. I’m not sure if he’s out there or not.

I can almost see her, crouched in the corner of the bathroom, still crying as she’s thrown right back to that traumatic event from two years ago. But trying so hard to stay strong, like she always does.

Fuck, I wish I could take away her pain. But some scars last a lifetime, and we just have to learn how to deal with them.

I’ll help her deal with them.

But first, this.

I send one more brief message.

It’s going to be ok. I love you .

Then I pocket my phone, push open the door, and step into the hallway.

I’m poised for anything.

An empty hallway, with the fucker already in hiding.

A crazed monster raging, possibly with a weapon.

But what I find lands somewhere in the middle.

There’s a man wearing a gray suit pacing back and forth midway down the hallway.

His shoulders are tight. His hands are clenched into fists.

I catch fragments of sentences as he angrily mutters to himself; things like, “How could this…” and, “She wasn’t supposed to…

” and finally, “How the fuck can I get out of this?”

He pauses by a door and thumps his fist on it. “Fuck,” he grits out. “ Fuck .”

While he’s distracted, I move towards him. Not move. Stalk . Silently. Like a hunter about to catch his long-awaited prey.

Violence simmers inside me.

This fucker .

How dare he?

There’s no question in my mind that he’s the one. I already believed Eden. If she said it was his voice, then it is. But seeing him like this, so clearly agitated, right outside the bathroom where Eden’s still hiding…

Like Eden said, it’s him .

I’m less than fifteen feet away when he finally sees me. Dismay flashes across his face, but he quickly hides it. Then he flashes me a fake smile—a stiff, brittle one—and gives a quick nod of greeting.

I don’t respond. I just keep walking towards him.

His smile fades.

A beat later, he turns and starts striding briskly away from me. As he walks, he adjusts his posture, loosening his shoulders and adding a confident lift to his step. In seconds, he transforms from an angry, dangerous man to an easygoing one; one no one would ever suspect of such a horrific crime.

Except I know.

And he’s not going anywhere.

With long, purposeful steps, I catch up to him in seconds. In the moment before my hand lands on his shoulder, his body tenses, as if he’s preparing to run.

To run away like the damn coward he is.

To go on to hurt more women.

To traumatize them. Leave them with nightmares they may never be free from. To steal something so sacred, so?—

No.

Not again. Never again.

I grab his shoulder in a vise-grip and spin him around, then shove him against the wall so hard it vibrates with the force of it.

“You’re not going anywhere,” I growl. As I meet his gaze, I let him see the banked rage burning in my eyes.

“Don’t bother trying to get away from me. It’s not going to happen.”

He blinks at me. Fear pales his skin. “What?” His eyes go wide. “What are you talking about?”

And now that I hear his voice, I can understand how easily Eden identified him.

He has a deep southern drawl with a hint of gravel to it, but there’s an undertone of flat, Midwestern, too.

Not a typical voice that you’d forget right away.

I’d remember his voice, and I only just met him.

For Eden, who’s been living with the memory for years…

of course she would recognize him immediately.

I grab his right wrist and force it up, twisting it until he bleats in pain. Pinning his hand to the wall, I inspect his ring. A big, ostentatious ring with Greek letters on it, just as Eden said.

“Dude, what the fuck are you doing?” he demands, sounding more irritated than scared. “Are you some undercover security guard or something? I have permission to be here. I went to college with Matt?—”

“I don’t fucking care.” I get right in his face. “I don’t give a flying fuck who you know.”

“What?” He’s indignant. Pompously offended in that cocky, rich boy way, just like Mandy’s ex was when I first confronted him. “Let me go. Now. Before I talk to Matt and have his dad fire?—”

“Stop talking.”

It’s so full of rage, he immediately goes silent.

“Listen to me, you piece of shit,” I continue, dropping my voice to a low, poisonous snarl. “Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to open your wallet and show me your license. Now.”

“Wha—”

“ Shut up. You’re going to show me your license. Then you’re going to get the fuck out of this building. You’re going to tell your buddy you feel sick and want to leave. You’re not going to say anything about our conversation. Understand?”

He gives a token struggle to pull away, but I easily hold him still. Then I tighten my grip on his shoulder, digging my thumb into the fleshy part between the joints until he yelps. “Do you understand?”

“Why would I do that?” he asks, more quietly this time. “You have no right?—”

“Have no right?” My voice is liquid ice. “I know what you did to her.” I jerk my chin at the door behind me, where I know Eden’s hiding. “I know . And if you don’t want me to call the cops on you right now, you’ll give. Me. Your. Fucking. License.”

The remaining color in his face disappears. “Okay. Okay.” He fumbles for his wallet and yanks out his license, then hands it to me with trembling fingers. “Whatever she told you, man, it’s not true. And it’s her word?—”

“Don’t you fucking dare .” The urge to snap his neck is so strong, it takes every bit of control to contain myself. “Stop talking. Now.”

I release him to take a picture of his license with my phone, idly wondering if he’ll just take off running. But he’s frozen, just staring at me in abject horror.

Once I’m done with his license, I shove it back at him. Then I snap a photo of his face as well. “Get out of here.”

He blinks at me again.

“Go,” I bark. “Now!”

With a yelp, he tears off down the hallway, glancing back at me a few times to check if I’m coming after him.

I wish I could.

Dammit, I wish I could.

But while I’d love to kill this man—Kurt Wilson, according to his license—now, it’s not the right place. Not the right time.

Does that mean it won’t happen? Fuck no. Just not here.

I watch him disappear into the stairwell and wait for the resounding clang of the metal door slamming shut behind him. Then I rush to the bathroom door and knock on it, calling out, “Eden, baby. I’m here. It’s safe. Can you let me in?”

At first there’s nothing.

My heart leaps to my throat. What if she had a panic attack and hyperventilated? What if she’s unconscious in there? What if she passed out and hit her?—

The door flies open.

Eden stands in the doorway, trembling all over. Her eyes are red and puffy. Her face is wet with tears. She looks at me like she can’t believe I’m here.

“Rafe?”

Fuck. Her voice is so tiny. So scared.

“Eden, baby.” I open my arms as she crashes into me, wrapping them around her and pulling her into my embrace.

She buries her face in my neck, sobbing.

Between shuddering gasps, she says, “I saw him in… the lounge. I didn’t know at first…

But I heard him… Then he looked at me… He knew.

He knew it was me. He said… He said we needed… to talk. Before I got any crazy ideas.”

Ah, fuck.

I wish I’d just killed him.

“He’s gone. He’s gone,” I croon. Rather than tend to Eden in the hallway, I pull her back into the bathroom and shut the door behind us. “He’s gone,” I repeat over and over. “I promise he won’t hurt you again.”

It’s the worst kind of pain, holding her while she cries and knowing I can’t fix the thing that’s hurting her.

Feeling her struggle not to fall apart, hearing her broken sobs, and wishing more than anything in the world that I’d just been there two years ago.

That I’d been able to stop her from being hurt.

But finally, her sobs settle into shuddering hiccups and sniffles. Then she drags her face from my neck and looks up at me, looking more vulnerable than I’ve ever seen her. “How… how did you get here so soon?”

I kiss her heated forehead and brush a few damp curls away from it. “I didn’t leave, baby. I was right outside in the parking lot. I wanted to be here in case you needed me.”

Fresh tears spring to her eyes. Her chin wobbles. “You didn’t leave.”

“No.” My throat goes thick. “Never. Never again.”

Eden stares at me for a few seconds. Then she swipes at her damp cheeks and takes a deep breath. Her shoulders set. “What… what do we do next? Should we call the police? I don’t know his name. He said he went to college with the owner’s son, but?—”

“I’m handling it.” Framing her face with my hands, I thumb away her tears. “I got his license. A photo. We’ll find him. Trust me.”

Realization flashes in her eyes. “Rafe. I don’t want you to get into trouble. If anyone saw you here?—”

“Don’t worry about it.”

I can handle myself. And if I’m the one to eliminate Wilson, I’ll make damn sure I never get caught.

But.

There’s a phone call I need to make first.

So I tuck Eden back against my chest. With one hand, I stroke her back in slow circles. With the other, I pull out my phone and dial Indy.

When he answers, he sounds almost cheerful. “Hey, Rafe. I was looking up some local hikes and thinking we could check out one this weekend. Tyler said he’d stay with Eden if you?—”

“Jones.” It’s his old nickname from the Army. One I never use anymore unless things are really serious.

He immediately sobers. “What’s wrong?”

I hug Eden closer to me. “We found Eden’s attacker. He was here. At her work.”

“What?”

“She’s okay,” I add quickly. “She saw him and immediately called me. I was out in the parking lot, so I got here right away.”

“Tell me you caught him.” Indy sounds more dangerous than I’ve ever heard him.

“I have his photo. His license. With Tyler’s help, we can find him anywhere.” My jaw grinds painfully as I continue, “I wanted to… Here. You know. But it’s her work. There are too many people…”

“I know.” Something hard thuds. “Shit. I know.”

“I can handle it. You know I can. Fuck. I want to.”

Part of me cautions to hide this from Eden. The dirty, bloody part that most people wouldn’t approve of. But she accepted it before. If we’re going to have a future together, which I damn well hope we will, I don’t want to start it with lies.

Will I tell her the details of it? Of course not. But when Kurt Wilson mysteriously disappears, she’ll know, anyway.

After a brief pause, Indy says, “I know you can. But she’s my sister. I wasn’t there for her before. This time… I’m taking care of it.”

“Okay.” I kiss Eden’s head. “We’ll talk more about it later. Right now, I’m getting Eden out of here. We’ll be home shortly.”

Indy’s silent for a second. Then his exhaled breath gusts over the phone. “Thank you, Wayne. For protecting my sister. I can’t tell you—” He stops.

“I know.” As I kiss Eden again, my chest goes tight. “I love her. And I’ll do anything for her.” Swallowing against the lump in my throat, I add, “I’ll send Tyler the photos. We’ll be back soon.”

Once I end the call, I hug Eden and ask gently, “Are you ready to go home? We can sneak around the back so you don’t have to see anyone. Would that be okay?”

She nods. Then she lifts her gaze to mine. “Thank you, Rafe.” She stretches up to press her salty lips against mine. “I love you, too.”