“You sweet little thing. I’d be a lot more grateful if neither of you had been shot in the first place. How terribly tragic this all is. A brand new mother was killed – her new baby left in this world without a mama. Two others were taken too soon from this world, as well. I know it’s selfish of me, but I’ve been so worried. The thought of losing my Rafe rips a gaping hole in my chest. It would be unimaginable. I’ve been so worried about you, too. I know we don’t know each other well, but you’re such a sweet little thing, and knowing you were hurt just breaks my heart.”
Ari’s eyes filled at Rosabella’s kind words. How could the apple have fallen so far from the tree? Rosabella was kind, caring, compassionate – all the things Rafe wasn’t. Of course, that wasn’t entirely true. Rafe had his moments of unbelievable kindness, but he quickly pushed it away and hid behind his mask of coldness. Ari needed to find out where Rafe was shot. He’d never said a word to her.
“Where was Rafe shot?”
“He went after the gunman and the madman managed to shoot him in the arm before Rafe took him down.”
“Rafe ran toward the guy?” Ari gasped.
“Well, of course he did, dear. The man had just shot you,” Rafe’s father said as if it was the most natural thing in the world for Rafe to attack a man aiming a weapon at his head.
“I… I didn’t know.” Ari felt terrible about how selfish she’d been. All she’d been doing was worrying about her mother. She hadn’t even noticed Rafe wearing a bandage. Maybe she really was a self-absorbed person.
“Mom. Dad. What are you doing here?”
Ari turned her head to find Rafe looming in the doorway, not looking too happy. She automatically cringed.
“Raffaello Palazzo, don’t you dare use that tone of voice with me. You are in huge trouble. I can’t believe that I had to find out from a doctor that my only son was nearly killed. You should have called your father and I immediately,” Rosabella stormed.
She squeezed Ari’s hand before getting up from her chair and rushing over to Rafe to throw her arms around him. Even though she was reading him the riot act, there was obvious love in her actions. Terror often made a mother yell when they felt more like crying.
“I’m fine, Mom. I wasn’t almost killed. The guy barely nicked me,” he said as his uninjured arm came around her, his tone gentle.
“You aren’t speaking the truth. I thought I taught you better than that, Rafe. The doctor told me the shot went clear through your arm. If I can look at your skin and see light on the other side, that’s not a minor injury,” she scolded.
“I was a bit busy, Mom,” he said, though his voice carried a gentler tone as he noticed the tears streaming down his mother’s cheeks.
“Of course you were. Poor, Ari. I can’t believe anyone would fire a weapon at this sweet little girl,” she said, her voice softening.
“He will pay.” The menace was clear in Rafe’s tone.
“Yes he will, son. They have him under lock and key on another floor,” Martin said as he came over and patted Rafe on the back.
“Yes, the staff have been quite secretive as to his location,” Rafe growled.
“Son, you need to let the law take care of him. You stopped him and now he will go to prison, where hopefully they execute the worthless scum. Before he made the mistake of entering the same room as you he killed several people.”
“Their poor families,” Ari gasped.
“Yes, though money can’t make a difference in a child losing their mother, Rafe is making sure they are well taken care of,” Rosabella said with pride as she turned back toward Ari.
Ari turned quickly and met Rafe’s eyes. He wasn’t responsible for the shooting. Why did he feel accountable to take care of the victims? Her curiosity was piqued as Rafe showed yet another side of himself. He wasn’t as one dimensional as she’d first thought he was.
“Mom,” Rafe said in a warning tone.
“Oh, Rafe. You’re always so modest about how much good you do in the community. Don’t get me wrong, you can be quite arrogant at times, but underneath it all you really are quite the softie. I don’t know why you’re so worried about the world finding that out about you.”
“That’s enough, Mom,” he said, his tone very quiet. It sent a shiver down Ari’s spine.
“Rosabella, you’re embarrassing him,” Martin warned.
“Oh, hush,” Rosabella said, but she stopped.
“We should leave and let Ari rest,” Rafe said, looking at his parents.
“I’m so sorry, dear. We’re just talking away when you need to get sleep. I’ll come back tomorrow and visit with you. I’ll leave the rest of the family home so they aren’t causing all kinds of ruckus,” Rosabella said as she let go of Rafe and walked back over to Ari.
Ari was shocked when the woman bent down and very gently hugged her. She felt a lump in her throat at the motherly gesture. The woman barely knew her, and yet she was so concerned. Ari couldn’t help but compare Rosabella to her own mother, both of them compassionate with a natural ability to draw others to them.
What had happened in Rafe’s life to turn him into the control freak that he was? In his defense, it seemed he was only that way when it came to relationships – or business. Apparently, he was a saint when it came to everything else. Ari found herself wanting to know more about him.
She was smart enough to realize that was a road best not taken.
“I’ll be back later,” Rafe said. The look in his eyes left no doubt that arguing would do her no good. Fear seized her as she realized she could actually fall for this man. Under no circumstance could she allow that to happen. It was completely unacceptable.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Rafe was silent as he walked from Ari’s room beside his family. For once in their lives even his sisters were quiet as they made their way down the hallway. This situation had gone from out of control to radioactive levels.
Rafe didn’t know if it was stubborn pride, or obsession, but in either case, he knew he wasn’t letting Ari go just yet, so it looked like the only option was to smooth out the waters, convince his family to return to their home, and put things back on the right path.
“Let’s have dinner,” Rafe said as they entered the parking lot.
“That’s a good idea, son. Then you can explain to us why you wouldn’t call us immediately after being shot. I'd also like to know what’s really going on with this Ari you seem so fond of.”