I think we should try to find Rafe," she said.
I took a deep breath. "I know he didn't make it."
"But you'll feel better if we look. We might as well go in the direction the helicopter came from. Just in case."
She had a point. We had to walk. Why not walk that way? I shook my head. "If we're going back for anyone, it should be Nicole. If there's a chance she's alive--"
"There isn't. Not from what I saw. And if she did survive, that means they want her alive, which means she's safe enough for now. I think we should try to find Rafe."
I turned to her. "I know you liked him. Everyone's focusing on me, but you lost him, too."
"No, I didn't. He was yours."
"He didn't belong to any--"
"I only started flirting with him to make Corey jealous. Then I guess I did kind of fall for him. But the guy I was crushing on wasn't Rafe Martinez. Not the real one, anyway. I get that now. He was showing me someone else. He was showing us all someone else. Everyone except you."
"That's not--"
"Corey told me what Rafe did on the helicopter. How he let go so he wouldn't pull you and Daniel out. The Rafe I knew wouldn't have done that. Wouldn't even have thought of it."
"He didn't mean to trick you," I said. "He was looking for something in Salmon Creek. Something he really needed to find, to help his sister. He didn't mean to hurt anyone." Not Hayley and the other girls he'd chased and cut loose. Not me, the one he'd finally caught, only to admit he'd pursued me for a reason.
I understood that now. I wished I could have understood it then. I wished I could have said something in that last moment, before he let go.
He'd told me it was okay. His last words to me.
Why couldn't they have been my last words to him?
I took a deep breath. "I know he didn't make it."
"But you'll feel better if we look. We might as well go in the direction the helicopter came from. Just in case."
She had a point. We had to walk. Why not walk that way? I shook my head. "If we're going back for anyone, it should be Nicole. If there's a chance she's alive--"
"There isn't. Not from what I saw. And if she did survive, that means they want her alive, which means she's safe enough for now. I think we should try to find Rafe."
I turned to her. "I know you liked him. Everyone's focusing on me, but you lost him, too."
"No, I didn't. He was yours."
"He didn't belong to any--"
"I only started flirting with him to make Corey jealous. Then I guess I did kind of fall for him. But the guy I was crushing on wasn't Rafe Martinez. Not the real one, anyway. I get that now. He was showing me someone else. He was showing us all someone else. Everyone except you."
"That's not--"
"Corey told me what Rafe did on the helicopter. How he let go so he wouldn't pull you and Daniel out. The Rafe I knew wouldn't have done that. Wouldn't even have thought of it."
"He didn't mean to trick you," I said. "He was looking for something in Salmon Creek. Something he really needed to find, to help his sister. He didn't mean to hurt anyone." Not Hayley and the other girls he'd chased and cut loose. Not me, the one he'd finally caught, only to admit he'd pursued me for a reason.
I understood that now. I wished I could have understood it then. I wished I could have said something in that last moment, before he let go.
He'd told me it was okay. His last words to me.
Why couldn't they have been my last words to him?
( Kelley Armstrong )
[ The Calling ]
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