Page 32 of His Forbidden Alliance

I owed Maria a check-in, but she could wait until the morning. If I put it off much longer than that, she’d start harassing me. I hated lying to her because she was damn good at seeing right through me, but no matter how hard she pushed this time, I wasn’t going to give her the whole story. Some of what had happened between me and Rafe was none of her business anyway, no matter how much she’d become a friend over the years.

I wasn’t even sure she’d believe it all. I wasn’t sure I did. Had I really had the best orgasm of my life with a man, a fucking mobster? What the hell was going on with me?

Had this job finally pushed me over the edge? Or had I really liked men all along?

All I knew was that I would’ve spent all night fucking Rafe over and over if he’d let me. I was already half-hard again thinking about it. He might be several years younger than me, but tonight, I’d been so turned on. I was sure I could keep up with him.

I jumped when the door opened behind me. I’d forgotten to pay attention to my surroundings, which could be deadly in my position. Rafe was really messing with my head.

“I’m going back to the casino,” Rafe announced. “I assume your car is there.”

“It is.”

“I’ll give you a ride since you shouldn’t be driving around in a stolen vehicle, but no talking.” He gestured toward a black sports car parked in front of his house.

That would be awkward. But what other choice did I have other than standing here, waiting for an Uber? I doubted Rafe was going to let me stay here alone. “Okay.”

As he started down the porch steps, he clicked the fob on his keys. We were both thrown back against the house as the car exploded.

I knew I should be hearing the roar of the fire and parts of the car raining down, but the blast had taken my hearing. I’d lived through a number of explosions, but the unreal feeling, the sense that I was alone in a quiet bubble, unable to step outside of it, never changed. I coughed, choking on the smoke as I tried to blink my vision back to normal, and I looked for Rafe.

I screamed when he started running toward the burning car. I stumbled down the steps and tried to grab him, but he was too fast.

“Rafe! Stop! What the hell are you doing?” It was only a fucking car. Was he trying to die?

He grabbed the passenger door handle, then jerked his hand back. He was coughing and sputtering when I reached him. When I grabbed him around the waist and slung him away from the car, he fell to the ground.

“What the fuck were you doing?” I yelled.

He didn’t respond. His eyes were closed, and he wasn’t moving. I dropped to my knees. I knew he hadn’t inhaled enough smoke to kill him, but my heart pounded with terror.

I shook him by the shoulder. “Rafe! Rafael! Are you all right?”

He coughed and turned to his side. I helped him up and pulled him toward the porch. When we were at the door, he held up a hand like he was asking me to wait. He started to speak, but a coughing fit had him bent at the waist. Finally, he got it under control and looked up at me. There was soot on his face, and his eyes were red, and I didn’t like the wheezing sound his breath made, but he was alive.

“Gallagher, did you just save my life?”

I couldn’t hold back a smile. “Zach.”

“What?” He frowned, obviously expecting my usual response.

“My name is Zach. And yes, I fucking saved you. Why would you run toward a burning car?”

“My mom’s necklace. She died, and I’ve always had, and now it’s… it’s gone too.”

“I’m sorry. We can try to get it when the car cools down.”

He shook his head. “No. It doesn’t matter now. I wouldn’t want to look at it all burned up.”

I heard sirens approaching. Someone had obviously called 911. I shouldn’t be here. I absolutely did not need to be talking to local cops. The sirens were moving closer. We didn’t have long.

Neighbors were coming out of their houses to stand on their lawns and stare. At least the fire wasn’t spreading. Thank God for the damp climate. There were some scorch marks on the side of the house, and the motorcycle he’d parked in his tiny front yard was destroyed, but otherwise, everything would be fine. At least I hoped so. I needed it to be.

“Zach?”

Damn. I loved hearing Rafe say my name. He looked painfully young and scared, and I didn’t like it. Someone had tried to kill him. I was going to find out who they were and make them pay. “Yes?”

He looked down at his burned hand. “It hurts. I… what do I do?”