Page 83 of Hidden Raphael
"Sure. Can we run as you work?"
He tucked the gun into his pants as he sawed at his wrists.
"Let's go."
Twigs broke in the distance. She turned around and saw Roger barreling toward them. She covered her mouth with her fist and grabbed Raphael's arm to get him to move. His hands were behind his back as she tugged him toward the forest as fast as she could run. Then he let go of her arm.
In the split second it took her to turn around, a hugebamreverberated behind her. She blinked. Raphael hit the ground hard and she hadn’t caught him. She helped him stand and grabbed Raphael's shoulder and hoped to get him to run with her. They had seconds to get away.
His arms wrapped around her and tugged her to the other side of him just as Roger launched at them. She dropped her hand to yell, but then both men punched at each other.
She picked up the designer bag and wielded it like a shield.
Roger's face came closer to her, and she hit him with the Valentino buckle.
Raphael then wrapped his fist around the gun and smashed it into Roger’s face, and he fell to the ground.
"Why didn't you shoot him?"
“Aren’t you the peace-loving type?” Raphael pushed the holster in his jeans and shrugged. "Besides, no bullets in that gun."
"Figures." She’d not say anything about the peace comment. She’d never been bloodthirsty in her life. Something had happened to her here, but she couldn’t let anyone hurt Raphael.
He took her hand. "Run."
Night had fallen while they’d fought the assassins. The coast guard should be here. They should go to the shore. She nodded. "Together."
His eyes widened and then he nodded. They both ran out of the clearing.
Blackness filled the air and she had no idea how long they ran. They were halfway to the castle, and her legs had a shooting pain. "Can we slow down? I'm not a runner."
"We have to be fast."
All her years of yoga hadn’t prepared her for this. She needed only a moment. "Please slow down. I can't breathe, and I have Michaela's medicine."
"Okay." He slowed down and took the bag off her back. He placed it on his own despite how broken his ribs were. "We can't stay long. The castle is close."
Waves lapped in her ears. The ocean was close. Her breaths and how fast her chest enlarged and then deflated became in sync. They had to go. She picked up her pace.
Raphael's eyes narrowed. He didn't ask her how she was. He stood and offered his hand to help her up. "Let's go."
Another minute or two would be heaven. Her hand went to her chest and clutched as she labored for every breath. "Shouldn't we go to the beach? The boat might have arrived."
He held her hand, but guided her back toward the castle. "No, nothing is coming."
The darkness of the night didn't seem to end. There wasn't even a moon above them in the clearing. She rubbed her neck, but followed Raphael. This time his pace was brisk, but she wasn't panting as she argued. "The helicopter crashed. They'd investigate. You said."
Raphael shook his head like she'd made up the story of a rescue. "Roger and Harry canceled the distress signal, and reported Michaela was fine."
No. He had to be wrong. Her mouth fell open. "What does that mean?"
He crossed his arms. "I'm a security zone. The authorities won't… No one is coming."
Her heart constricted. This wasn't good. She bit back her response and let her feet pound into the ground.
There was no way she was stuck here with Raphael any longer. She couldn’t trust her own heart near him till April.
Footsteps echoed in the forest. Roger and Harry must be awake. "We should hurry."
