[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

Such bullshit.
 I tried to tell you multiple times how I felt, but you never cared. Then at that party, I practically
throw myself at you, and you did nothing. Nothing at all! That was it. That was the moment that pushed
me to convince Cat you were worthless, she said with a smirk.
 Didn t work, did it? She s still with me, he murmured.
Her smirk faltered, her eyes dimmed.  Not for long.
His heart fell into his toes.  What do you mean?
 I mean that you won t be able to get out of this hellhole unless you agree to do what I tell you.
 What do you want from me?
 I want you to break up with Catalina.
Rafe remained silent. He refused to agree.
 You re going to tell her the reason you re breaking up with her is because you re in love with me.
That you ve been in love with me for years and you used her to get closer to me.
He slowly shook his head. Would Cat really believe that? After everything they shared the last few
days?  You re crazy.
 Crazy for you. And you d be crazy too if you don t agree to this. I have plans, Rafe, if you don t split
up with her. Plans to keep you in here for a very, very long time.
 Your charges won t hold, he tossed at her.  No one will believe you. Cat is a grown woman who
left with me willingly.
 She s a woman who s mentally unstable and I m her guardian. At this very moment she s lying in the
fetal position, drooling on her bed. What woman would do this when her beloved fiancé is locked up
in jail? I ll tell you& a woman who has numerous, untreatable problems. Annalisa leaned back in
her chair, looking smug.  She needs help, Rafe. She s unstable. Incapable of being a proper wife to
you. You ll see. With all of her problems, there s no way you could marry her.
She was sick. A fucked-up, twisted mess, and he needed to pretend he was on her side to get the hell
out of this place and rescue Cat before something terrible happened to her.  So that s all you want? Is
me?
Hope lit her eyes, her smile.  A simple request, don t you think?
He nodded slowly, his stomach curdling at what he was about to say.  I need to get out of here,
Annalisa. If being with you is the solution, then I ll agree.
 So you ll end it with Cat.
 Absolutely. He nodded and shrugged.  You re right. She s not the one for me. We do have more in
common, don t we?
 Yes, she said eagerly.  Yes, we do. I m so glad you can finally see it. Maybe being in jail for a few
hours was good for you. Helped you see things clearer.
Yeah, sure.
 You must be right. We belong together, you and I. He choked the last few words out, but she didn t
seem to notice.
Tears sparkled in her eyes.  You don t know how happy you ve just made me.
 Hurry and talk to the detectives. Tell them you want to drop the charges so we can be together.
 I will. I swear I will. She pushed her chair back and stood, smiling down at him with tear-filled
eyes.  You ve made me the happiest woman on Earth, I swear.
He returned the smile, more a baring of teeth than anything else. God, the woman turned his stomach.
 Hurry, darling. I need to get out of here so I can go talk to Cat and break it off with her.
Her smile turned into a frown.  Oh, you might want to wait before you talk to her.
 Why? What had she done to Cat?
 She s so sleepy. I don t know what s wrong with her. Maybe she ll be awake by the time we get out
of here.
 Did you& did you do something to her, Annalisa?
 Oh, stop worrying. You act like I tried to kill her. She waved her hand, her words like little daggers
to his heart. Was she capable of such a thing? He hadn t a clue.  I just gave her a little something to
help her sleep. I had to. She was like a dog with a bone, determined to find justice for you once and
for all.
Just hearing those words confirmed his feelings. He was in love with Cat. He might ve been all along,
but it was hard to admit when he barely knew her. A few days with her showed him how perfect they
were for each other. How much they belonged together.
Why was Annalisa so hell bent on keeping them apart? Was she that delusional to believe they really
belonged together? Was she the one who was mentally unstable?
He d bet yes.
Chapter Thirteen
Rafe left the jail less than an hour after Annalisa came to visit him. The process had been remarkably
easy. She d gone to the detectives she d first contacted when he and Cat had been in New York and
admitted she d made a mistake. Her sister was fine and Rafe shouldn t have been arrested.
They released him without question, which blew his mind. Just as easily they d arrest and charge him,
they d let him go? Frightening.
More frightening? Annalisa s behavior. She acted as if nothing were amiss. As if it wasn t a big deal
that she d gone to such lengths to break up his relationship with her sister. She d had him jailed.
She d somehow drugged Cat. Who knew how she was doing? Was she okay? God, he could only
hope so.
Fear kept him motivated. The minute they walked out of the station, they ran into Matteo, who was just
about to head inside.
 I need to talk to him, Rafe told a wary Annalisa.  Alone.
She shifted on her feet, her expression wary, her gaze narrowed.  Honestly? I don t want to let you
out of my sight.
Cautious one, wasn t she? She had every right to be. He planned on enlisting Matteo s help him out of
this insane situation the minute he got his brother out of earshot.
 He s my oldest brother, the one I ve always gone to for advice. There are a few things we need to
discuss. Privately. But don t worry. Dread flooding him, he drew her into his arms and gave her a
quick hug, patting her back awkwardly.  Give me ten minutes.
She nodded, snuggling her face against his chest before he practically pushed her away from him.
God, she made his skin crawl.  Ten minutes, but that s it, Rafael. Then we need to get home. You
need to talk to Cat. And then you need to tell my mother what you intend to do.
 What I intend to do?
Annalisa beamed.  Why, marry me, of course.
Dread consumed him, his stomach roiling at the thought of actually marrying this woman. He didn t
even know her. She was flat-out crazy.
And completely delusional.
Turning away from her, he faced Matteo, who watched him with slack-jawed fascination.  What the
hell is going on here? his big brother muttered.
 Let s go. Rafe grabbed Matteo s arm and steered him away, knowing he couldn t get out of her sight
but at least she wouldn t be able to overhear them.  She ll probably time us exactly ten minutes and
then I have to leave.
 Why are you even talking to her? Isn t she the one who put you in jail in the first place? With her
trumped up kidnapping charges and false documents? Matteo asked incredulously.
 False documents? Do you know something I don t? Hope lit within Rafe. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]