The Fighter and His Tiger (Unexpected Love #1)

39. Saturday Week Fifteen (the solution.)

39. Saturday Week Fifteen (the solution.)

"You're taking this pretty well, Rei," Cayd noticed.

I peered at him across the table and gave him a soft smile, "I had a mild panic attack earlier."

Eli scoffed, "mild, tigru?"

Abruptly my mood changed and I glared at Eli, "don't think for a second that all is forgiven, Ryker."

He didn't even bother to hide his wince when I referred to him as Ryker and I didn't have it in me to care. Who was he to just disappear from my life and then reappear in it and drop this bombshell?! And to tell me he loves me!?

Pissed was a nice word for what I was feeling right now. The second I start to get over him, to move forward, he comes bulldozing back into my life with a declaration of love and a pitiful excuse as to why he acted the way he did.

Cayd whistled lowly and Raven kicked him under the table.

The door opened and Max came in, followed by a tall man who looked to be in his mid-thirties. He had a deep tan which was exaggerated by the open neck white shirt he wore. His brown hair was slicked back with gel, highlighting his brown eyes which seemed darker with both wisdom and lethality.

Max's eyes flickered to me, "good, you're here."

I frowned, "why is that good?"

"Mikael's people are watching your house."

Like a bullet, I shot out of my chair and screeched, "what?!"

The tanned man dropped his hand on Max's shoulder and gave him a short look, "not very smooth, mi Viejo amigo." [my old friend.]

The hand which was on Max's shoulder stretched past to stop in front of me and he shot me a dazzling smile, "I'm Rafael, Cayd's uncle."

I looked at his hand then back at Max, "what do you mean they are watching my house? My family comes home today, what about them?"

Rafael's hand fell back to his side but I didn't care about niceties as worry for my family overwhelmed me.

Raven stood and gently placed her hand against my arm, "that's why we asked you here, Rei."

I'm sure my confusion was evident on my face as I scanned her with my eyes. She looked at me with pity which I was now used to but she also looked at me with care in her eyes, like she wanted to do what she could to help me.

But with only my family in mind, I stepped back from her, "I can't be here."

Worried about my Nan and Ty, I moved to go past Max and Rafael to leave but Max caught me before I could make it far.

"Let me go!" I demanded, struggling to get out of his hold, tears of frustration welled in my eyes but Max just held me against him, "get off of me!"

"S'okay, Rei. Just calm down," he uttered so quietly I doubted the others heard him over my wails, "we've got you, okay?"

Slowly, I began to calm but Max still kept a firm hold on me to ensure that I didn't leave.

"Well," began Rafael, "now that that is over with maybe we should begin discussing the reason I flew halfway across the world."

Eli shot him a glare but Rafael just waved him off and took a seat at the circular table.

"You good?" Max asked. Anger, fear, confusion were all still prevalent in my mind but desperate to know what was happening, I nodded and he released me to take a seat at the table.