radio still clipped to his shoulder and flicked it on. “Dispatch, I’ve got a 190 in progress and I need backup.”
He gave them the address, then gestured to the clothes that remained on the floor and told Sloan’s companion to put them on.
Sloan looked up at him, fire in his eyes. “Better start getting that resume in order, hotshot. And I sure hope you’ve got experience cleaning toilets, because when I’m done with you, that’s about the only job you’ll be able to get.”
“Stop,” Rafe said. “You’re scaring me.”
But as he looked into Sloan’s eyes, he could see that this was far from over.
Chapter Ten
Lisa wasn’t able to go back to sleep that morning.
After Rafe and his partner left, Beatrice had scooped up Chloe from the sofa and carried her upstairs, announcing that she was headed back to bed.
“I bought some eggs if you want breakfast,” she said. “And the coffeemaker’s set on automatic.”
Lisa knew Bea wasn’t happy with her. Her words had come out in a clipped monotone that telegraphed her displeasure. Bea felt that failing to press charges against Oliver was a mistake. That he had gotten away with too much in his life because people were afraid of him.
And maybe she was right. Maybe Lisa should have pressed charges. But, until tonight, Oliver had never laid a finger on her and she knew that much of what had happened here had been fueled by the drugs and alcohol.
There was actually a time when Oliver had been sweet to her. Kind. And despite that sense of menace she felt around him now, despite the episode with that other woman—the one that had led to their divorce—Lisa had a hard time equating the man she had married with the picture Rafe and his partner had painted.
So when it came time to pull the trigger—to use one of Oliver’s favorite phrases—she couldn’t bring herself to do it. A mistake, perhaps, but it was her mistake and she would own it, just as she owned all the others she’d made.
Her inability to sleep, however, had nothing to do with Oliver. The significance of what had happened with him in this room paled in comparison to what had followed.
Lisa had long ago given up on the thought of ever seeing Rafe Franco again, had convinced herself that he no longer mattered to her. She had assumed that he had stayed in California and was spending his weekends on the shores of Malibu or Zuma Beach or one of the other sun-and-fun hot spots they’d seen on television.
But suddenly here he was, the man she had loved so fervently. The first—and only—real love she had ever known. He was no longer a confused, idealistic college student, but a grounded sheriff’s deputy who commanded a room when he entered it.
The transformation Rafe had undergone was startling to Lisa, but in a good way. Three years ago, when they parted ways, she had been convinced that he was too young and restless to commit to her. That trying to tie him down would be a mistake, even if she loved him more than anyone she’d ever known.
It was because of that love that she had let him go. Had even pretended that she, too, was restless. That she, too, wanted to explore the possibilities of life. They had talked about going their separate ways many times in that last year of college, and she knew that Rafe needed time to find himself.
So she had given it to him, even after she found out she was pregnant.
When the doctor sprang the news, Lisa’s first instinct had been to try to contact Rafe. To tell him he was about to be a father. Rafe was just the type of guy to drop everything, to put his life on hold and do the right thing. To marry her and help her raise their child.
But the last thing she wanted was a marriage based on obligation. Her parents had married because of her, and they had been miserable for as long as she could remember.
So she had never picked up that phone, had never sent him that email. Had convinced herself that this was the right thing to do. To grant Rafe his
He gave them the address, then gestured to the clothes that remained on the floor and told Sloan’s companion to put them on.
Sloan looked up at him, fire in his eyes. “Better start getting that resume in order, hotshot. And I sure hope you’ve got experience cleaning toilets, because when I’m done with you, that’s about the only job you’ll be able to get.”
“Stop,” Rafe said. “You’re scaring me.”
But as he looked into Sloan’s eyes, he could see that this was far from over.
Chapter Ten
Lisa wasn’t able to go back to sleep that morning.
After Rafe and his partner left, Beatrice had scooped up Chloe from the sofa and carried her upstairs, announcing that she was headed back to bed.
“I bought some eggs if you want breakfast,” she said. “And the coffeemaker’s set on automatic.”
Lisa knew Bea wasn’t happy with her. Her words had come out in a clipped monotone that telegraphed her displeasure. Bea felt that failing to press charges against Oliver was a mistake. That he had gotten away with too much in his life because people were afraid of him.
And maybe she was right. Maybe Lisa should have pressed charges. But, until tonight, Oliver had never laid a finger on her and she knew that much of what had happened here had been fueled by the drugs and alcohol.
There was actually a time when Oliver had been sweet to her. Kind. And despite that sense of menace she felt around him now, despite the episode with that other woman—the one that had led to their divorce—Lisa had a hard time equating the man she had married with the picture Rafe and his partner had painted.
So when it came time to pull the trigger—to use one of Oliver’s favorite phrases—she couldn’t bring herself to do it. A mistake, perhaps, but it was her mistake and she would own it, just as she owned all the others she’d made.
Her inability to sleep, however, had nothing to do with Oliver. The significance of what had happened with him in this room paled in comparison to what had followed.
Lisa had long ago given up on the thought of ever seeing Rafe Franco again, had convinced herself that he no longer mattered to her. She had assumed that he had stayed in California and was spending his weekends on the shores of Malibu or Zuma Beach or one of the other sun-and-fun hot spots they’d seen on television.
But suddenly here he was, the man she had loved so fervently. The first—and only—real love she had ever known. He was no longer a confused, idealistic college student, but a grounded sheriff’s deputy who commanded a room when he entered it.
The transformation Rafe had undergone was startling to Lisa, but in a good way. Three years ago, when they parted ways, she had been convinced that he was too young and restless to commit to her. That trying to tie him down would be a mistake, even if she loved him more than anyone she’d ever known.
It was because of that love that she had let him go. Had even pretended that she, too, was restless. That she, too, wanted to explore the possibilities of life. They had talked about going their separate ways many times in that last year of college, and she knew that Rafe needed time to find himself.
So she had given it to him, even after she found out she was pregnant.
When the doctor sprang the news, Lisa’s first instinct had been to try to contact Rafe. To tell him he was about to be a father. Rafe was just the type of guy to drop everything, to put his life on hold and do the right thing. To marry her and help her raise their child.
But the last thing she wanted was a marriage based on obligation. Her parents had married because of her, and they had been miserable for as long as she could remember.
So she had never picked up that phone, had never sent him that email. Had convinced herself that this was the right thing to do. To grant Rafe his
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