She’d hidden for five years, and in an instant, it was all coming back to her. She’d been safe here, and now she had to wonder if he was going to find her again.

She stood and smoothed out her shirt. She made sure the file was in pristine order and turned on her heels to walk out of the quiet interrogation room. She was pretty sure it had never been used to actually interrogate anyone. Mostly Nate just locked people up and let them go after he’d either calmed down or they had paid their legitimate fines. The citizens of Bliss had quickly gotten used to the sheriff’s temper. They knew if they were wrongly jailed there would be a nice free meal and a beer waiting for them at Trio. Laura had a sudden desire to be there. She could sit at the bar and joke with Callie and Zane while she sipped the chardonnay Zane kept behind the bar for her.

Why had this followed her home?

Laura stepped out of the door, looking for Joe. She knew he wanted to ask her some questions. She wasn’t looking forward to any of this.

A hard hand clamped down on her elbow, pulling her toward an open door.

Rafe sent her reeling into Nate Wright’s office. He closed the door behind her, the very discipline of his action telling her just how pissed he was. He shut that door with a quiet intensity.

Laura wasn’t having it. He’d been the one to pull her back into this world. Cam had explained his part. He’d practically tackled her and begged her forgiveness. She believed him that he hadn’t sicced the feds on her, but Rafe was another matter. Rafe was the one who had always been devoted to the job. He’d been the true believer. At the time, she’d seen his devotion to justice as something intensely noble. She still did, but damn, if she didn’t wish he had been a little more devoted to her. She would have enjoyed the chance to decide for herself if she wanted to be a part of this again.

“What do you want, Rafe?” She was alone in a room with him. A tiny room. A room that suddenly seemed far too small for two people.

His face was set in tight lines, his jaw painfully stubborn. “I want a lot of things, bella. I doubt you’ll be willing to give them to me.” There was no mistaking the hard edge of his tone—or the line of his erection. Rafe was angry, and it was doing something for him. The sad thing was it was doing something for her, too. “You can’t seriously think I want to be alone with you.” Where was Cam when she needed him? Oh, yeah. She’d told him to leave her alone. Well, she’d gotten what she wanted. She’d claimed she needed time to think about the new facts and the case, but what she’d really needed was time away from both of them. Yet even as she had sat there staring down at proof that her worst nightmare was still at large and at work, she’d thought about them. When was she going to learn?

“I don’t care what you want at this moment.” His back was to the door, as though guarding it. Laura was suddenly extremely aware of just how alone they were. “I’m going to talk to you, and you’re going to listen.”

“Well, it doesn’t seem like I have a choice.” She crossed her arms over her chest and hoped she was giving him her absolute most intimidating glare. He hadn’t been huge on giving her choices.

Resentment started to bubble up. “What’s wrong, Rafe? Are you afraid if I’m given a choice and treated like an actual functioning adult that you’ll lose out? You’re probably right. If you weren’t standing in front of that door, I would be out of here.” His lips curled up in a bitter imitation of a smile. “Yes, bella, you’ve made that plain to me. But I do take offense to the accusation that I’ve taken away your choices.”

She allowed her eyes to widen in suspicion. “Really? And what exactly did you mean to do by storming into Bliss the way you did?

We have phones, you know. A simple phone call would have saved all of us time.”

“Would it? Because you would have answered and been so reasonable. If I am not treating you like an adult, bella, it’s because I haven’t known you to act like one.”

Her fists clenched. It was ridiculous. She was one of the most responsible people she knew. She always made the responsible choice. The craziest thing she’d ever done was sleeping with Rafe and Cam, and it was clear where that had led her. “Fuck you, Rafe.” She started toward the door, rage riding her. She wasn’t a child.

She didn’t have to stay here and listen to some lecture he seemed to need to get out of his system. He would move out of her way, or Laura would see if she remembered anything from martial arts class.

Rafe had her pinned to the desk before she could take her next breath. Unlike her, it seemed Rafe had never stopped training.

He invaded her space, his big body holding her down. Though he’d slammed into her, his hands had come around and taken the brunt of hitting the desk. Even when he was being violent, he made sure she didn’t get hurt. “Very mature, bella. I should have expected that. Let me explain a few truths of the world to you. Mature people do not walk out of their hospital beds leaving everything they own and love behind.”

“I didn’t give a shit about my belongings, and I sure as hell didn’t love anyone.” She was lying, but she wasn’t about to admit it to him.

“I don’t believe that for a second,” Rafe replied, his voice low. He was between her legs, and his cock jutted up as though seeking her pussy. His hands gentled and smoothed back her hair. “You loved me.

You loved Cam. But you were very angry with both of us. You chose to punish us.”

“I chose to walk away from a life that didn’t work for me anymore.” She averted her eyes. It was another lie, but Rafe wasn’t completely correct, either. “What should I have done? I didn’t have a job. I was completely free to do as I chose.”

“What should you have done?” He repeated the question as though the answer should have been evident. “You should have stayed. You should have fought.”

But she’d been fighting so hard and against so damn many things.

“You have no idea what he did to me.”

“I know what he did, bella. And I know you punished me by not allowing me to take care of you.” He was unwavering. Rafe was the rough one. If this had been Cam, Laura had no doubt he would already be whispering to her, trying to soften her. Rafe seemed to want her angry. “Ask yourself how you would have felt if Cam or I had simply vanished without explanation. Be honest, bella. You might not be honest with me, but be honest with yourself. If you loved someone and they disappeared without a trace, how would you feel?” Betrayed. Angry. Panicked. Sad. So fucking sad. She’d felt every single one of those things along with an aching emptiness that she was sure had never really gone away. She’d told herself at the time that it was better to just leave. They obviously didn’t really love her, so she was free to go. Was there any truth in what Rafe was saying?

Had she punished them?

“Keep silent,” Rafe said, his fingers sinking into her hair. “I can see it on your face, you understand. I also know that you’re questioning everything. You’re wondering if I ever loved you. But I’m not the one who walked away.”

This she could deal with. “No, you’re the one who threw me under a bus at the first given opportunity.”

“I can admit my mistakes, but I was still there, ready to talk it out.

Cam and I called you over and over again. You wouldn’t answer the phone. We intended to explain everything to you that night, but it was too late.”

She shrugged. “Sorry I missed our little meeting. I was busy being tortured.”

That was a direct hit. He actually eased up a little. “And you think I don’t feel that every day of my life? If I hadn’t made the decision to go with Edward’s profile, you would never have been taken. But I won’t allow that to hold me back another second. You are going to listen to me. I’m putting aside this bullshit. You are going to go back to your cabin and very quietly pack a bag. Tell Joe that you’re tired or you’ve forgotten something. I’ll drive you.” She knew exactly where he was going with this. “And I suppose once we have this little bag I’m supposed to pack, we’ll just keep right on driving.”

“Yes. I will not allow you to be used in this fashion. I don’t care that you don’t believe me, but I never meant for you to get involved in this again. We’ll drive and call Cam. He can run interference for us and meet us when we find a place to stay.” Tempting. So tempting. But she’d done that once, and the past had still caught up with her.

Rafe’s hands caressed the line of her throat. His eyes had gone sleepy with desire. She wanted him. Bastard that he could be, she wanted him. The last hour had shaken her to her core. She wanted more than just Rafe. She wanted to feel grounded and whole, and she wasn’t sure she could ever feel that way without the two of them in her life. But if she ran with them, she would just pull them into her trouble. Rafe couldn’t leave the FBI. It had become his home. Cam wouldn’t be happy on the run, and that’s what they would be.

“You know I can’t do that,” she said as he pulled her legs up. She didn’t fight him as he wound her legs around his waist, his cock shoved against her pussy.

“I know you will do it, bella,” he replied, his voice deep in his throat. “I’ll make you do it.”

His hips slid against hers in an easy, smooth rhythm. Laura had no doubt of how he intended to impose his will on her. He would fuck her into submission if she let him. He was already pulling the light, flowing skirt up around her waist. His hands toyed with the edges of her panties. He would find out just how interested she was if he delved inside.