In a Broken Dream (The Broken Series Book 4) (13 page)

He
came around when he caught sight of the Mount Helena Ridgeline, some twenty
minutes later. “It’s beautiful,” he breathed, staring up at the sprawling mountain
top. The first part of the trail involved a series of switchbacks carved into a
hillside that was swaddled in yellow, blue, and white wildflowers. There were
very few pine trees at the base of the trail, but there were a considerable
amount along the top.

I
smiled at Rafael as I began stretching my legs. “Are you ready to do this?”

“As
long as I get to carry the bear spray,” he replied. He tugged his heel toward
his hamstring as he began stretching out. “How long is this hike anyway?”

I
reached for my water bottle. “Seven and a half miles. Dan and Kimme are moving the
jeep to the other end of the trail so we don’t have to hike back.”

“Okay.
Let’s do this.” He strapped the bear spray around his belt, grabbed the
backpack, and walked toward the base of the trail. “Ladies first,” he said,
waving me forward.

“You
just want to look at my bottom,” I whined.

“No.
I want to hike behind you so I can catch you if your foot slips on these
rocks,” he replied.

I
rolled my eyes. “Yeah, right.”

“And
look at your very fine bottom,” he added with a laugh.

It
wasn’t long before we were both breathing too hard to speak. The switchbacks
helped, but it was still a very steep climb. We made it to the top of the ridge
about thirty minutes later. I braced my hands on my knees while I caught my
breath. “What do you think?” I finally asked.

Rafael
took a long pull from his water bottle. “This view is amazing. When you look
out over the back of this ridge, it feels like we’re the only two people on the
planet.”

A
Meadowlark called from a nearby tree. I sighed contentedly when a gentle breeze
brushed against my skin. “I love how peaceful it is up here.”

Rafael
reached for my hand as we began walking along the top of the ridge. The trail
was wide enough here so that we could walk side by side. “Would you like to
move back here when you’re done with school?”

I
shook my head. “No. I’d like to visit more often, but there are too many ghosts
haunting me here.”

Rafael
quietly considered my remark. “Have you decided what you want to do with the
house in Paris?” he finally asked.

Speaking
of ghosts
, I thought. “I don’t want to be responsible for the
staff losing their jobs, but I can’t stay in that house. It’s too painful.”

“Why
don’t we put it on the market and see what happens? Maybe the new owners will hire
the staff,” he suggested softly, “or I can ask Devry to help them find other
families to work for.” Devry was helping us manage Michael’s estate.

I
took a deep breath and blew it out. This did little to ease the tightness in my
chest. “What if we were to keep the house but use it for another purpose?” I
inquired softly.

He
glanced at me curiously. “Like what?”

“I’m
not even sure this is possible, but I’d really like to take this horrific experience
and turn it into something good. What if we formed our own NGO, kept the staff,
and offered the house as temporary refuge for people who have been held as
political prisoners or people who are seeking asylum for speaking out against
oppressive governments? There are sixteen bedrooms in that house. We could help
a lot of political refugees.”

Rafael
looked thoughtful as he turned the idea in his head. “How would we go about
identifying these people?”

I
shrugged. “Senator Rockefeller serves on the U.S. Senate Select Committee on
Intelligence. I’m sure those senators know people who are seeking asylum. Maxim
would also know people who are being persecuted in the former Soviet states.”

He
shook his head. “I don’t want to get any more involved with Maxim than we
already are.”

I
had suspected as much. Entanglements with the Russian mafia probably didn’t bode
well for someone trying to establish a reputable security firm that catered to
foreign dignitaries. “What if we just worked with Senator Rockefeller? Maybe he
can help us establish a connection with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services or the UN Refugee Agency.”

He
took another sip of water. “It would be nice to carve some good out of all of
this. I’m not sure how receptive the mayor or the other property owners within
the eight arrondissement will be to this idea. This is bound to raise some security
concerns.”

I
nodded. “I can about imagine.”

He
squeezed my hand encouragingly. “I’ll ask around and see what I can find out. I’m
hungry. Are you ready for lunch?”

I
laughed. “I’m more than ready! Couldn’t you hear my stomach growling?” I tugged
him toward a cluster of trees that were tall enough to offer some protection
from the sun without completely blocking our view. The spot was far enough from
the trail to offer a bit of privacy as well.

Rafael
shrugged the backpack off his shoulders. He pulled out the red and black
checked picnic blanket Kimme and Dan had lent us. We spread the blanket over a flat
patch of grass and lowered onto our knees. Rafael studied the oddly shaped sandwiches
when he pulled them out of the Staggering Ox bag. “So what’s the story on these
sandwiches?”

I
reached for the sandwich labeled “Nuke.” “The Staggering Ox bakes their bread
in coffee cans,” I explained, as if that made all the sense in the world. “Trust
me. You’re going to love these sandwiches.”

“How
can I not love a sandwich named ‘Slam the Damn Taliban?’ Rafael asked. He unwrapped
the ribbed tube of bread that had been hollowed out in the center and packed to
bursting with gyro meat, cheese, vegetables, and a hefty dose of camel spit.

I
eyed my sandwich. I had ordered “The Nuke” with ranch dressing, although I’d
been seriously considering the “Yo’ Mamma Osama.” Mixing gyro meat with bacon
and black beans proved a tad bit too adventurous for me.

I
sighed contentedly as we settled in to enjoy our lunch. “So, how are you
holding up?”

“Me?”
Rafael asked, seemingly surprised. “I’m fine. Why?”

I
chuckled. “You’ve been grilled repeatedly over the past few days. First Lexie,
then Siobhan, Dan, and now Charlie… and you haven’t even met my parents yet! Aren’t
you tired of sitting on the hot seat?”

“Siobhan
was the worst,” he confessed with a smile. “In all seriousness, I’d be sorely
disappointed if your family and friends didn’t question me. It just goes to
show how much they love you. They’re just trying to make sure you’re in good
hands.”

I
couldn’t for the life of me imagine how I’d won the affections of such a patient
and understanding man. “Were you really planning to sacrifice yourself in a
hostage exchange?” I asked. As much as I hated talking about Ukraine, this
recent discovery had left me feeling thoroughly shaken. If Rafael was willing
to sacrifice his life for me, shouldn’t I be willing to do the same?

Rafael
leaned forward and tucked my hair behind my ear. He gently caressed my cheek.
“Yes,” he admitted softly. “I would have risked anything to secure your
release.”

I
gazed into his soft brown eyes. I knew he wanted to propose, but he was waiting
for me to work through my anxieties. I knew he’d never hurt me. He swore he’d
never leave me and promised never to be the cause of my tears. Rafael had kept
both promises. He had remained by my side despite my involvement with Michael,
Kadyn, and Maxim. He’d tolerated far more than any other man would have. He was
completely devoted to me, patiently waiting for me to overcome my fears. So,
what was I afraid of?
Losing him.
More than anything I was afraid of
losing Rafael.

Rafael
reached for my hand. His voice remained soft, as if he were hesitant to break
the spell. “What are you thinking?”

Tears
welled in my eyes. “How much I love you. How lucky I am to have you in my life.
I don’t think I tell you that often enough,” I replied.

Rafael
caressed my arm before cupping my face. Ever so slowly, his lips sought mine.
He gathered me into his arms as he deepened the kiss. We fell back onto the blanket
as he fit his body to mine.

Rafael’s
tongue swept through my mouth. My body heated, humming its approval as his kiss
grew more consuming. My heart tripped when I felt his body harden against mine.
His lips trailed down my neck, his hands caressed my breasts, and my body
responded in kind.

My
hands swept over his shoulders and back greedily. I couldn’t get enough of him.
I couldn’t pull him close enough, and I was suddenly desperate to feel so much more.
There was no fear… only a searing desire to feel him moving inside of me. I
pulled his shirt over his head so I could feel his bare skin. “Rafael,” I groaned.
I struggled out of my own shirt.

Our
kiss grew feverish, despite the gentle breeze that cooled our skin. I locked my
legs around his. That still wasn’t enough. I reached for the button on his
shorts. I had grown completely mindless with need. I wanted and needed every
part of him.

Suddenly,
Rafael was on his feet. “What was that?” he hissed. His hand hovered over the
bear spray; his eyes focused intently on some bushes that were a few yards
away.

I
grabbed my shirt and yanked it over my head. “I didn’t hear anything,” I
whispered. I scrambled to my feet. I stared at the bushes, which were now
moving. The movement was far greater than it should have been given the light
breeze that caressed my skin.

A
slender deer burst from the bush and darted past us.

“It’s
only a deer,” I breathed.

“Not
that. That,” Rafael stated quietly.

I
turned to look at the bush. My eyes widened at the sight of tightly coiled
muscles, hunched shoulders, a flickering tail, and deeply intelligent eyes. I
hadn’t a clue how something could be so beautiful but terrifying at the same. “Oh,
crap,” I muttered in a hushed tone. “That is a mountain lion.”

He
gave me an incredulous look. “
A lion?
” He ripped the Velcro from the
holster. Suddenly, he was holding the bear spray out in front of him with both
hands. He had assumed the same stance he would have if aiming a handgun. “Get
behind me,” he demanded gruffly. He stepped between me and the beautiful feline.

In
a dazzling explosion of sun-kissed fur and muscular grace, the mountain lion
was gone.

Rafael
glanced uncertainly at me.

“She
ran when she heard the Velcro,” I concluded. “Maybe she’s been sprayed before.”

Rafael
shoved the bear spray back inside the holster and reached for his shirt. “We’re
leaving. Now.” He shoved the blanket and the paper bag from the sandwiches
inside the backpack before reaching for my hand and tugging me toward the trail
in the same direction we had come.

I
dug my heels in. “Rafael, we have to go the other direction. We’ve been on the
trail for over an hour. I’m sure Kimme and Dan have already moved the jeep to
the end of the trail.”

His
eyes widened. “But that’s the same direction the mountain lion ran.”

I
blew out a breath, trying to ease the adrenaline that was still pounding through
my veins. “That mountain lion is long gone, and you saw how she reacted to the
sound of that Velcro. She’s not going to mess with us.”

Rafael’s
shoulders slumped. “You could have warned me about the lions,” he grumbled. He
kept a firm hold on my hand as he began walking in the right direction.

“You’re
just mad that she interrupted our make-out session,” I surmised with a giggle.

Rafael
smiled, and a tiny bit of tension eased from his face. “Damn right I am. That’s
the furthest we’ve gotten in months!”

I
laughed at the pained expression on his face.

Rafael
set a fast pace, which made it impossible to manage any sort of in depth conversation.
He looked visibly relieved when he caught sight of the jeep. We drove to
Kimme’s house so we could shower and change clothes. We’d been planning to eat
with Kimme and Dan, but they were delayed at the fort, so I took Rafael out to
dinner instead.

*
* * * *

I
reached for Rafael’s hand. We crossed the parking lot and jogged down the old
wooden stairs. My legs were fatigued, but I was still feeling invigorated from
the hike. “I used to come here for happy hour at least once a week with some of
my friends from work. The Windbag makes the biggest, thickest, juiciest,
mushroom cheeseburgers in the world.” I swiped at my chin, half expecting to
find grease there. I turned left when we entered the cobblestone walking mall.
“This area is known as Last Chance Gulch.”

Rafael’s
feet slowed when he caught sight of the old, historic buildings. “Why did they
name it Last Chance Gulch?”

I
followed his gaze. He was eying two gargoyles perched atop one of the stone
buildings. “Some gold miners decided this gulch was their last chance to strike
it rich.” I chuckled softly. “They weren’t wrong. Within a few years of their
discovery, Helena had more millionaires per capita than any other city in the
world.” I stopped in front of the Windbag. “This is where they spent their
money.”