What Lies Within (36 page)

“I’ll have you know I haven’t seen my twenties for years—”

“Years.” She rolled her eyes, and he was sorely tempted to tell her
she
was the one acting like a child. “So you left the twenties behind what? Two years ago? Three?
Much
more mature. Face it, Rafael, you’re scarcely more than a kid.”

“Better than being forty and acting like you’re ready for the nursing home.”

That stopped her. Cold. A tiny voice told him it was enough. More than enough. Downright mean, in fact. But he was on a roll.

“And I may be younger than you, but at least I haven’t let my heart dry up into some hard, bitter stone. You’re so tied up with fear and regrets you can’t even trust yourself, let alone anyone else. As for God? I don’t see you leaning on Him either.”

“My faith is none of your business!”

Her choked words drew a harsh laugh from him. “Your faith?
What
faith? The only God I see you relying on is the one you see in the mirror every morning. Look, I know you’ve taken some hard hits—”

“You know
nothing
about my life!”

He ignored her, in part because he still had things to say. Mostly because she was wrong.

About a lot of things.

“But who hasn’t?” He lifted his cane. “
Mira
, you think I
like
having to use this thing? That this is what I wanted for my life? You think I couldn’t be bitter? Then think again, mija.”

She hugged her arms around herself, and he realized she was trembling. Words caught in his throat, and he looked away. What was he
doing?

And how many more times was he going to ask himself that?

Here she was, frightened, terrorized, and all he could do was spit judgment at her. “Kyla.” He reached for her, but she jerked away as though his touch stung even more than his words.

“No!” She took two steps away from him, holding her hands out as a barrier. “Please … just … no. I can’t …”

The rasping words tore at him. He started toward her—when a loud, deep bark sounded, followed by a cheerful voice ringing out.

“Kylie!
Rafa!
”

They both turned, and Rafe stared, not believing his eyes.

“Annie!”

“Annot!”

He and Kyla spoke together, and Rafe realized too late he’d given himself away. He caught just a glimpse of Kyla turning confused eyes his way—before a petite bundle of energy launched herself into his arms and hugged the stuffing out of him.

Annot. Hugging Rafael.

This made no sense at all.

Admittedly, Annot was as friendly as the summer day was long, but still. To hug a total stranger with such abandon? That went beyond the pale, even for her sister.

“Hey, sis.”

Kyla pulled her gaze from the curiosity in front of her and felt a smile lift her face—and her heart. The first smile she’d really felt in the last few days.

“Avidan!”

Her brother’s arms closed about her, and she leaned into him, grateful for his strength surrounding her. She hugged him. Tight.

“Hey, easy! I need those ribs.”

Kyla stepped back on a shaky breath. “I’m sorry. I’m just so … It’s great to see you.” She turned to Annot, who had slipped up beside her. “Both of you.”

Annot embraced Kyla, then stepped back to control an excited Kodi. When Annot looked at her again, her smile was pure sunshine. “Why didn’t you tell me Rafa was here? I wouldn’t have been near as worried if I’d known you had a Marine watching over you while you were at the site.”

Kyla blinked. Rafa? Annie knew Rafe?

Dan came up, tight-lipped. “Murphy.” He nodded to Rafael. “Been a long time.”

A long …? Kyla stared at her siblings. Had they completely lost their minds?

“Kyla—”

Whatever Rafael had intended to say was lost in the music of Annot’s laughter. “Kylie, it’s Rafe. Rafe
Murphy
. You remember the Murphys. They lived down the street from us.”

You remember the Murphys …

Kyla felt her face drain of color. Her head spun as though she’d taken a ride on a turbocharged merry-go-round. Her gaze went to Rafael. It couldn’t be …

Annot’s eyes widened at Kyla’s clear confusion, then she looked back to Rafe, who Kyla suddenly realized was quite red-faced. “You …” She turned back to Kyla. “You don’t know who he is. And you”—she turned an intrigued gaze to Rafael—“didn’t tell her. Oh, Rafa.” Annot shook her head. “What were you thinking?”

By now Kyla was downright miffed. “Of
course
I know who he is. He’s Rafael Murphy, he owns Cuppa Joe’s coffeehouse.” Her words seemed as out of control as her emotions. “He makes marvelous coffee and he loves to say terrible things to me and drive me absolutely insane.”

Annie took Kyla’s arm, but Rafe forestalled whatever explanation she was about to offer.

“No, I should tell her.”

Kyla did something she hadn’t done since childhood. She stamped her foot. “Tell her
what?
And stop talking about me like I’m not here!”

Rafael straightened. “Like Annie said, my family used to live down the street from you.”

But only one family lived down the street. A family she’d sworn to forget. A family she’d thought she would join. Prayed to join.

A family that destroyed her life.

Suddenly the pieces fell into place.

Of course. “Rafa.”

Rafael inclined his head. “That’s what Annie”—those dark eyes—eyes that had blazed with anger, eyes that burned with other emotions she hadn’t dared define—“and you used to call me. I’m Berto’s brother.”

Berto.

No. Oh, no. It couldn’t be. It just couldn’t.

But it was.

The name she’d banned from her mind hit Kyla with the force of a jackhammer. “You …” Long-buried memories surged to the surface, struggling to break free. Kyla did the only thing she could.

Shove them away using the one emotion more powerful than her pain.

Anger.

FORTY-THREE   

A
nger. Betrayal. Sorrow.

Annie watched, amazed, as these emotions touched her sister’s features, colored her voice. Listened as she lit into Rafe, accusing him of everything from lying to causing global warming.

Okay, that last one was an exaggeration. But not by much. To say her older sister had lost it would be an understatement. And that told Annie more than anything else could have.

Dan moved as if to intervene in the heated exchange between their sister and Rafe, but Annie stopped him with a hand on the arm. “I think they need to work this through.”

He glanced from them to Annie. “If they don’t kill each other first.”

She smothered a smile—no way she wanted Kylie to think she was enjoying all this. She leaned into her brother and pursed her lips. “So this is what it’s like.”

Dan cocked his head. “What’s that?”

“Watching two people in love doing everything they can to not admit that’s where they are.”

Dan’s eyes widened a fraction and he turned back to their sister. “In love? With Rafael Murphy?”

Annie heard the hesitation in his tone. “Dan, Rafe isn’t Berto. He’s a good man.” She angled a look up at him. “A really good man.”

He didn’t say anything for a moment, just watched the two in front of them. “I thought you said Kyla was practically engaged to this Mason guy.”

True enough. But come to think of it, Kyla hadn’t said anything about Mason the last few times they’d talked. Of course, she hadn’t said Mason was out of the picture either.

“Well, I’ll tell you one thing.”

Annie inclined her head. “What’s that?”

“Your buddy Rafe had better be a
strong
man.” He shook his head. “Or dear Sister-Mommy is going to eat him alive.”

“Annot!”

Annie jumped, and found Kyla glaring at her. “Are you two ready to go?”

“We’re not finished here.”

Kyla turned to Rafe. “Oh, yes we are.” She aimed a hard stare at her siblings, Sister-Mommy in full view. “You two, meet me at my place.”

Not waiting for a response to her overly harsh command, she walked away. Annie looked from her to Rafe … and grinned.

She’d known something was going on with her sister. But she would never, in her wildest imagination, have guessed it was
this
interesting!

FORTY-FOUR   

L
ook, if she doesn’t want to talk with him, I don’t think she should.”

Annie shifted in the car seat to face her brother as he drove. Why was he so angry? “Of
course
she needs to talk with Rafe—”

“Why? It’s not like Kyla has any reason to trust anyone in that family.”

Ah. So that was it. “Dan, Berto is the one who hurt Kyla, not Rafe. Rafa … he’d never do anything to hurt her.” She laid a hand on her brother’s tense arm. “He loves her. Has since we were kids.”

The look Dan gave her would have given a bonfire frostbite.

Annie settled back in the seat, a sudden thought niggling at her. “Is there more to this whole Berto thing than I know?”

A veil dropped over Dan’s features. “What do you know?”

“That’s not an answer.”

“Neither is that.”

Annie pulled her feet up to rest them on the dash, only to have her brother swat at her ankles.

“Do you mind? I’d rather not have your footprints on my glove box.”

She wrinkled her nose at him. “Whatever you say,
Brother-Daddy
.”

“Ha-ha.”

“Okay, fine. What do I know about Berto Murphy and Kylie? They
dated. She loved him. He dumped her and broke her heart.” She arched her brows. “Anything I forgot?”

For a moment she didn’t think Dan was going to answer. “No. That pretty well sums it up.”

Her brother wouldn’t lie to her. And yet … she had the distinct sense he wasn’t telling her everything. She settled back into her seat. Dan could be a regular Fort Knox when it came to keeping people’s secrets. That had worked in Annie’s favor in the past, but now? Well, Kyla was her sister, for Pete’s sake!

“Come on, Dan. What gives?”

He kept his eyes on the road, ever the diligent sheriff’s deputy. The man never ate or drank while driving, and cell phones? Not on your life. He said they were the worst thing to happen to driving. If he’d said it once, he’d said it a gazillion times:
“More accidents happen every year from people talking on their cell phones while driving than happen as a result of driving drunk.”

“You’re not going to tell me, are you?”

He hesitated. Then lifted his shoulders in a slight shrug. “It’s not my story to tell.”

Ah ha. So there was more to it than she knew. Fine. Then she’d just go to the source. “Do me a favor, okay?”

“What’s that?”

“Give Rafe a chance.”

This time Dan did look at her. Just for a moment. “You’re sure he loves her.”

Oh yeah. “Definitely.”

“And she loves him?”

Annie slapped her hand to her forehead. “Duh! Did you
see
them out there? When was the last time you saw Kylie lose it like that?”

“Never.”

“Exactly my point.”

Dan’s confusion creased his forehead. “So if a woman screams at you, she’s in love?”

“No. But if Miss Iron Control screams at you?” Annie looped her arms around her legs. “Time to order china patterns.”

Dan shook his head. “I’ll never understand women.”

“Of course not.” Annie gave his arm a comforting pat. “You’re a man.”

He turned a corner, and Annie saw they were almost to Kyla’s house. “So you’ll leave things with Rafe alone? Let them work it out?”

Dan pulled his vehicle into the driveway of Kyla’s town home, put the gear into park, and turned off the ignition. He leaned against the door, studying Annie. Then he gave a slow nod. “But if Rafe Murphy hurts her like his brother did—”