Betrayed: Days of the Rogue (18 page)

“Oh.” Eve’s bubble deflated
slightly. “When—”

“Today. In about three hours. If we
leave right now, we’ll be there just in time.”

“Three hours?” Eve felt a wave of
panic wash over her. Three hours didn’t give her much time to get
her thoughts together. “Caro, if you’d have called me I could have
met you in Calgary and even had time to—”

“But I couldn’t call you.” Caro
folded her arms and tapped her foot impatiently. “Your phone is
dead.”

“Dead?” Eve hurried to her purse
and pulled out the device. Sure enough, Caro was right. “Dammit,
with all the problems with the wolf, I forgot to charge it.”

“Wolf? I thought it was a
stalker?”

“Well, you see—”

Caro interrupted before she could
continue. “That reminds me of the other thing I wanted to show
you.” She pulled a newspaper from her bag and held it out for Eve
to take. “You remember that series of unsolved murders that
criss-crossed the States and Canada last year?”

“Yes?” Eve unfolded the paper.

“Well, they’ve started again. There
was another one last night about fifty miles from here. It made me
think of you. They all happen in wooded areas, and the victims are
always by themselves. It sounds like some sort of psycho serial
killer to me.”

Eve scanned the article. Words like
‘gruesome discovery’ and ‘blood soaked clothing’ leaped off the
page causing her to shiver. Closing the paper, she set it down on
the table. “Thanks…I think.”

“Are you sure you want to continue
to stay here? I’m sure I could find a place for you.”

Eve hesitated. The idea of wolves
and serial killers had her on edge, but staying in Calgary
surrounded by all those people was out of the question. “Thanks,
but I’ll be fine. I doubt a serial killer is going to come to an
out of the way place like Grassy Hills. And Rafe’s already called
some sort of wildlife game warden about the wolf that’s hanging
around.”

“What you see in this hick place,
I’ll never know. Bamboo skewers under my fingernails would be
preferable in my book.” Caro sighed and picked up her purse. “Well,
I suppose now that you’ve got Rafe…”

“I don’t
have
Rafe—”

Apparently tired of the topic, Caro
interrupted with a dismissing wave of her hand. “Whatever. Do you
need to tell him you’re leaving?”

“Oh. Right.”

Thankfully, Rafe had chosen that
moment to climb off the roof and was heading inside. Eve hurried to
meet him in the kitchen and informed him she’d be gone for most of
the day. It was obvious he wasn’t pleased, but there was little he
could do to stop her.

“Make sure you’re home before dark,
and don’t stop anywhere along the way.”

“You sound like a mother hen.” She
shook her head. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

Rafe shot a glance out the window
to where Damien was getting another bundle of shingles from the
rear of the truck and then looked back at her. “I mean it, Eve. Be
careful.”

The intensity of his gaze gave her
a strange feeling in her stomach. She nodded and was surprised when
he reached out and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. His
fingertips skimmed over her jaw and unthinkingly she leaned into
the light caress. He allowed his hand to stay there for a moment,
heat building between them, his eyes darkening.

Eve held her breath sure he would
lean down and kiss her. Anticipation grew. His lips parted. He
began to spread his fingers out to cradle her face. She started to
rise up on her toes, willing to meet him halfway.

“Eve! We have to go!” Caro’s voice
shattered the moment, and Rafe abruptly pulled back.

He turned towards where Caro was
approaching from the living room. She had a smirk on her face as if
she knew perfectly well what she’d done.

“Ms. Dunkirk.” Rafe nodded, his
face giving no indication if he were perturbed by her interruption
or not. “Lost again?”

“Dr. McRae, it’s a pleasure to see
you again, too.” Caro looked him up and down as if deciding where
she’d like to start nibbling first.

“Doctor?” Eve blinked. She didn’t
know Rafe was a doctor! “I thought you were a counsellor!”

“Didn’t he tell you?” Caro opened
her eyes wide. “He works at some obscure private university in the
Midwestern U.S.”

“I’m a psychiatrist, but unlike
most of my peers I spend more of my time on psychotherapy rather
than dispensing drugs.” Rafe explained in a monotone voice, but Eve
was sure he wasn’t pleased with Caro’s revelation. The two
exchanged a look, and Eve wondered what was going on between
them.

Caro was the first to look away.
“Come along, Eve. We need to leave now if we’re to make that
meeting.” She took Eve’s elbow and guided her towards her car.

Chapter 14

Rafe hammered another nail into the
shingles, taking his frustration out on the bits of metal. Caro
Dunkirk had been investigating him and he didn’t like it. Of course
his cover had held, Lycan Link’s background fabricators were
top-notch, but her reasons for snooping bothered him. He’d even
bent his own rules and read her emotions trying to figure out what
was going on. On the surface it would appear she was merely lusting
after him and inclined to stir up trouble for the joy of watching
others squirm, but he hadn’t had time to look for deeper
motivations.

The fact that she’d interrupted him
when he’d been going to kiss Eve hadn’t endeared her to him either,
though he probably should be thanking the woman. Kissing Eve wasn’t
a good idea. He knew it wasn’t, but his resistance was getting low.
Four days of having her in his house, of listening to the soft
sounds she made in her sleep, of imagining her in his shower, were
taking their toll.

He’d hardly slept at all, and
keeping his mental barrier in place so he didn’t accidentally
intrude on her privacy was wearing him down. Then, to top it off,
he was trying to keep track of Damien all day without appearing to
actually have him under surveillance.

“Damn!” He missed the nail and hit
the roof, driving the hammer right through the wooden sheeting.

Damien paused in his labours,
looking from him to the hole in the roof and then back to him. He
raised an eyebrow. “I thought you wanted to repair the roof, not
destroy it.”

“Not funny.” A growl rumbled in his
chest. “Now we have to take off these shingles and put down a new
sheet of plywood.”

“Well, don’t get pissy with me. I’m
not the one taking his temper out on the roof.”

Rafe held back the snarl that
threatened to erupt. He had to maintain control; he
was
a
professional after all. “Sorry.” The apology was curt but it was
the best he could do.

Damien shrugged and hunkered down
on the roof, his hands hanging loosely between his knees, an air of
weariness about him. The man looked exceptionally scruffy today;
unshaven, dark circles under his eyes. “I saw Eve leave with
someone. Where’s she going?”

Cursing one last time at the hole
in the roof, Rafe eased himself down beside Damien. The sun wasn’t
too warm for spring, but with the heat of its rays beating off the
shingles, the temperature felt as if it had soared. He grabbed a
bottle of water from the small cooler he’d lugged up earlier and
tossed one to Damien as well.

“She’s headed into Calgary for the
day with her agent, Caro Dunkirk.”

Taking a swig of water, Damien
wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Is she going to be gone
long?”

“Why do you want to know?” Rafe
eyed the man beside him, trying to determine his reason for asking.
Except for a few brief words, Damien had stayed clear of Eve, just
as he’d asked. And there was nothing definite from the neighbours
with regards to local wolf sightings; a few discreet inquiries had
revealed that beyond some large paw prints of indeterminate origin,
everything was as it should be. To all intents and purposes, Damien
was being a good little rogue. Almost too good.

“No reason. Just curious.”

They sat in silence for a while.
Rafe thought of the call he’d placed to Reno a few days ago after
Eve’s latest wolf encounter. Reno hadn’t wanted to believe the
report at first, suggesting Eve was exaggerating or misinterpreting
what she’d seen.

“Misinterpreting a show of teeth,
snarling, and chasing her car? You’re grasping at straws, Reno.”
Rafe was used to denial from family and friends of a rogue, but he
hadn’t thought Reno would fall into that trap. The man was usually
a realist.

Reno had sighed. “Yeah. I guess I
don’t want to believe it. I appreciate you calling me. How long can
you hold off before contacting Somerset?”

Rafe had hesitated to answer. He
was going against all protocols by not reporting Damien.

“Come on, Rafe,” Reno had cajoled.
“One week. Surely, you can give me that.”

His request for additional funding
from the Academy could be jeopardized due to his blatant disregard
for safety. “Reno—”

“Look, I’ll pull some strings, call
in some favours and get there by the weekend. I swear.” There was a
hint of something in Reno’s voice, though exactly what Rafe wasn’t
sure. “I’ll even bring my mate, Brandi along. She’s a top-notch DC.
No one will be any the wiser.”

He’d agreed, albeit reluctantly and
with a disclaimer. “But if there’s any sign of danger to the
public, all bets are off.”

“Yeah, I know.” Reno had sighed
heavily. “You’re going out on limb for me and I appreciate it.
There’s stuff happening—major shit that has to do with Damien and
Beth—and I really need to be the one to deal with him.”

That had piqued Rafe’s interest,
but he knew better than to try and force information out of Reno.
The man was as close-lipped as the ex-partner that now sat beside
him.

Rafe took another drink of water
and studied Damien out of the corner of his eye. Rogue traits were
readily apparent in the man; minimal hygiene, poor eating habits,
uncommunicative, a surly attitude… Of course, the attitude wasn’t
new. While he’d never taught Damien at the Academy, being solely
involved in research at the time, rumours of his antics had been
bandied about the staff lounge. From what he recalled, giving
attitude had been typical in Damien’s younger years. Smart aleck
remarks and a disregard for rules were his trademarks, along with a
devilish grin and a predilection for the ladies.

None of that was evident right now
though. Instead he appeared lost in thought, his eyes fixed on some
distant point, his posture conveying weariness that had nothing to
do with his physical self but rather his spirit.

Rafe wished Damien would shift in
his presence. In wolf form, the man’s true feelings would be
readable but right now, he could only make educated guesses. And he
knew all too well that his educated guesses weren’t even worth a
cup of coffee anymore.

“Do you know anything about Eve’s
background? “ Damien suddenly turned to look at him.

“No. Not really. Why?” His
continued interest in Eve caused Rafe’s senses to go on alert.

Damien shrugged and got to his feet
without answering. “Is there any more plywood?” He gestured toward
the hole Rafe had made in the roof.

Rafe wondered about the random
question and if he should press the issue. His gut was telling him
yes, but look what happened last time he’d tried counselling a
rogue. No, he was on a sabbatical. All he had to do was keep Damien
here and out of trouble.

“No. I’ll have to head into town to
get some.” He silently cursed the inconvenience and his own
stupidity. “See if you can finish the other side of the roof while
I’m gone.” With Eve safely on her way to Calgary, he felt confident
leaving Damien alone for a while. There was no one within a ten
mile radius and finishing the roof should keep him busy until he
returned.

Chapter 15

Eve giggled as her friend, Aly,
flirted with the handsome young waiter that was serving their
table. They were at a small Bistro not far from the University of
Calgary and the place seemed to be a mecca for good looking young
men.

“All the cute ones are usually gay
or taken or too young,” Caro groused when the waiter was out of
earshot.

“If he’s making a play for me, I
certainly doubt he’s gay.” Aly twirled a strand of her long red
hair around one finger and eyed the man as he walked away. With her
crystal blue eyes and gorgeous red hair, she was never short of
men.

Caro drank some more of her martini
before replying. “Maybe he has a parking ticket he’s hoping to get
out of.” Aly was part of the local police force, though from her
‘off-hours’ persona one would never guess it.

“You must be between men again,
Caro. It always makes you extra nice.” Aly gave a saccharine sweet
smile, well used to Caro’s griping.

“Be nice, ladies. This is a
supposed to be a happy occasion.” Eve warned both her friends.
They’d met taking an exercise class together and despite their
vastly different life styles usually got along well together.
Tonight they were supposed to be celebrating the signing of the
contract Caro had finagled for her.

According to Caro, she’d charmed
the author with her vision for the book covers, and could soon
expect to have clients lining up at her door begging her to be
their illustrator. And even better than that, when she’d stopped by
the gallery that wanted to do a showing of her work, the director
had been effusive over her paintings.

A celebratory dinner had seemed to
be appropriate and now she was relaxing, enjoying the good food and
camaraderie. She’d missed going out with her friends, the steady
pulse of city life, the numerous venues there were to choose from.
Grassy Hills had one gas station, two traffic lights and three
restaurants. The department store and a few shops provided only a
minimal selection when it came to clothing, and outdoor wear was
the predominant theme displayed on the racks.