Betrayed: Days of the Rogue (32 page)

“And now?”

“It’s getting better. I can go into
town and not feel I’m snooping through people’s minds. And the
other day when I went with Caro, I was tired and had a bit of a
headache, but I managed to keep the wall in place.” She beamed,
obviously pleased with that success. “Of course, here it’s so much
easier with you and Damien around. Which reminds me… Why can’t I
ever sense Damien’s feelings? Not that I’m really trying to, of
course, it’s just something I’ve noticed.”

Rafe stiffened. Damn, he hadn’t
anticipated that question. He fumbled to come up with a reasonable
response. He couldn’t tell her the truth; that Fae could only read
a Lycan in its wolf form. “Some people have a…er…natural ability to
block us out.”

She nodded. “I was thinking that
might be the case or that he had some Fae genetics somewhere in his
background.”

“Or something,” he murmured into
his coffee cup. Her question drove home the fact that it would be
impossible to maintain a relationship with her. She’d question why
all his friends and associates were able to block her out; not that
she’d purposely try to read their emotions, but minor slip ups were
a fact of life for a Fae. It would be different if they were to
become a permanent couple; she’d be considered part of his ‘pack,’
but that wasn’t about to happen.

Perhaps his summons to Lycan Link
was the wakeup call he needed. It was too dangerous for Eve to stay
here. Between Damien fixating on her, and the possibility that she
might discover the truth about werewolves, the risk was too high.
No, he needed to end this, to send Eve back to her life in Calgary
or to find her another place to stay. Regret filled him at the
thought, but he knew it was the only way.

He set his plate in the sink, then
propped his hands on the counter and stared outside. This would be
easier to do with his back to her. “Do you think you could handle
being in civilization full time?”

“I hadn’t given it much thought,
actually. Grassy Hills has sort of grown on me.” He could hear the
smile in her voice. It made what he was about to say that much
harder.

“I had a message this morning. It’s
from the clinic where I work. They need me there and I’m going to
be closing the cabins.”

“Closing them?” Her voice squeaked
in surprise. “But tourist season is just about to start! And you’ve
been working so hard to get them fixed up.”

“I know it’s not the best timing,
but there are several patients who really need me.” He turned, his
emotions firmly under control, his face impassive.

Eve was sitting up straight, one
hand still holding a fork with a bite of pancake on it. Her mouth
opened and closed as if unsure of what to say. “But…”

“I need you to leave as soon as
possible.”

She gasped. “You can’t do that. I
paid you for six months!”

“I’ll refund you the amount.”

“And my apartment is still
sublet.”

“I’m sure Aly or Caro can put you
up until you find another place in Calgary. Or, if you don’t feel
up to facing the crowds, there are lots of small towns in the
province. You can easily find another cabin to rent.”

She stared at him, a range of
emotions flitting over her face; shock, hurt, anger… Finally, she
firmed her chin and a sarcastic sneer appeared. “Were my pancakes
that bad that you can’t wait to be rid of me?”

He firmed his mouth at the childish
comment. “Your pancakes are fine. This has nothing to do with—”

“Well, then what?” Her fork
clattered as she tossed it down on her plate. Standing up, she met
his gaze. “Because not for one minute do I believe you have a
sudden urge to head back to work.”

“It doesn’t really matter what you
believe though, does it?”

She studied him carefully. “You’re
lying. I don’t know why, but you’re lying.”

“Trying to read my emotions? If you
are, you’re doing a lousy job.”

“No, I’m not using my empathic
abilities. Your body language is telling me.”

Barely, he kept himself from
stiffening. He’d spent years learning to control his reactions so
as not to reveal his real emotions to clients. She was bluffing.
“Believe what you want. The fact still remains that I’m closing up
the cabins and you need to leave.”

She planted her hands on her hips.
“How long do I have?”

“I’m needed back as soon as
possible. Can you be packed and out of your cabin by tonight?”

“Fine.” She turned on her heel and
stalked from the room.

“I’ll follow you to the cabin and
lock up once you leave.” He called after her, not willing to let
her out of his sight until he knew she was safely on her way. He
didn’t want Damien trying anything.

Chapter 30

Eve stood in her room at Rafe’s
house and wrapped her arms around herself. Damn him! Was the man
purposely messing with her, blowing hot and then cold? In the
middle of the night he’d seemed friendly enough and during
breakfast… She blushed as she recalled how he’d gripped her wrist
and pressed his finger to her lips. And then she’d sucked the
pancake batter from it. He’d wanted her just then, as much as she’d
wanted him. And the conversation had flowed between them, as if
they were friends. What had suddenly changed his mind? She was
positive he’d had no intention of closing the cabins until the
moment he’d made the announcement.

She replayed their conversation in
her head, trying to recall what they’d been talking about. Hadn’t
she mentioned Damien? Surely a simple question about the man wasn’t
enough to make Rafe kick her out of her home! Yet, what other
explanation could there be? There was something going on between
the two men, but she didn’t have a clue as to what it could be.

Well, she wouldn’t stay where she
wasn’t welcome, that’s for sure. She grabbed her cell phone and
called Aly. Then, tucking the phone between her ear and shoulder,
she began to grab items of clothing and stuff them into a bag.

“Hello?” The sound of a deep male
voice had Eve freezing in place. Had she dialed the wrong
number?

“Um…is Aly there?”

“Sure, just a sec… Aly, phone!” The
male voice boomed in her ear and Eve winced at the volume. A moment
later her friend came on the line. “Hello?”

“Aly?”

“Oh! Hey, Eve! How are you?”

“I’m fine…well…no, not really.”

“What’s the matter?”

“A long story. I’ll give you the
details later. Listen, can I stay with you?”

“Er…” Aly paused and then answered
in a whisper. “Now’s really not a good time. Greg—he’s the waiter I
was talking to the other night when we were out together—he called
me last night. One thing led to another and—”

“And I should come and sit in your
living room as a payback for the other night…but I won’t.”

“Eve, I’m sorry. If you really need
a place to stay, of course you can come.” Aly’s voice sounded
contrite. She really did have a good heart.

That’s okay.” Eve quickly
interrupted her. “Caro has a spare room.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Don’t worry about it. I’ll be
fine.” Eve ended the call with a promise to get together soon and
then shoved the phone in her purse. She wouldn’t call Caro, she’d
just appear on her doorstep and if that didn’t work… Well, she’d
worry about it then.

Slinging her purse over one
shoulder and her tote over the other, she was about to tell Rafe
she was ready to go when a perverse mood struck her. Why was she
waiting around for him to basically escort her from his property?
If he wanted her gone, she’d do it on her own.

On the verge of stepping out the
door she paused, recalling the second wolf she’d seen last night.
What if a whole pack was invading the area? Oh hell, she’d have to
get Rafe to go with her after all! Angry at her forced dependence
on him, she stomped towards his room.

“Ra—” She paused upon hearing him
talking. He was on the phone to someone. Not really meaning to, she
caught part of the conversation.

“Thanks, Annette. I knew I could
count on you. It’s one of the reasons I love you.”

Love? An icy waved washed over and
settled like an iceberg in her stomach. She swallowed hard and
continued to listen.

“That’s right. I’ll be flying in
tomorrow. I have a few minor things to tidy up here, nothing
important.”

Minor? Nothing important? Hurt
battled with anger inside her and she turned, softly walking to the
front door, not wanting him to know she’d been eavesdropping. She
knew she cared about Rafe. She hadn’t realized how much she’d
secretly hoped he reciprocated those feelings, until she heard him
relegate her to the realms of something that needed to be ‘tidied
up’!

An actual pain occurred in her
chest and she leaned against the wall, her hand pressed between her
breasts. Rafe McRae loved some woman named Annette. Tears
threatened to spill and she blinked rapidly to hold them back. She
wouldn’t cry over the man; the two-timing bastard wasn’t worth
it.

Realizing she was leaning on the
very wall he’d used when he’d made love—no,
had sex
—with
her, she pushed off from the surface. Being in the foyer brought
back too many memories. Eve pulled open the front door and ran to
her car. At the moment, all she wanted was to get away.

Rafe ended his call and then
lightly tossed his cell phone in his hand as he contemplated
Annette’s efficiency. She was going to pull all his records, have
them ready for him to take to Lycan Link, plus she’d promised to
have everything in place for Damien’s arrival. He’d decided that he
wasn’t going to wait for Reno. The Enforcer’s intentions towards
Damien were unclear, and he wasn’t going to chance losing another
rogue to Lycan Link’s Trackers. He’d bring Damien in himself, even
if it meant drugging the man.

Pleased to have one matter taken
care of, he pushed himself out of his chair. He’d find Eve and take
her to her cabin—

The sound of a car engine broke
into his thoughts. Looking out the window, he cursed as he saw the
rear end of Eve’s car disappear from view around the bend in the
driveway. What the hell was the woman thinking of?

He ran on to the porch only to look
around, cursing long and loud when he realized that Damien hadn’t
returned his truck. Rafe raked his fingers through his hair and
tried to decide what to do. He could shift forms and chase her down
the road, but wouldn’t that look great? If he cut across country,
he could arrive at Eve’s cabin before she did. Of course, then he’d
have to explain how he got there without a truck.

No, he’d swing by Damien’s place
first. It was hardly out of the way. He’d get the truck and then go
to Eve’s. It would only put him about ten minutes behind her.

His cell phone, still clutched in
his hand, rang and he answered trying to hide his irritation at the
delay. “McRae here.”

“Mr. McRae? This is Constable Duffy
from the Grassy Hills police department.”

Rafe frowned wondering why the
local police would be contacting him. “What can I do for you?”

“I wanted to inform you that we’ve
had several reports of wolf attacks in the area.”

“Wolf attacks?” His stomach
tightened.

“That’s right. A few pets have been
mauled. Some livestock’s been killed. We’ve had two eye witnesses
who have actually seen the animal. They say it’s a big beast, black
as sin.”

Black as sin. Damien. What the hell
was going on? He forced himself to keep his voice mildly
interested. “Really? That’s unfortunate.”

“No need to be concerned, though.
It’s likely sick, or injured, and probably too weak to hunt its
usual prey which is why it’s heading into town to look for food.
We’ve contacted Wildlife Control and they have a team of experts on
the way. We’re recommending all local residents avoid going out
into the woods, and preferably stay indoors until the matter is
taken care of.”

“How long will that be?”

“According to the individual I
spoke with, there’s a special unit that acts quickly in cases like
this. It’s usually all over within twenty-four hours. I’ll call you
once they have the animal.”

Rafe flicked his phone shut. At
best, he had less than twelve hours to get Damien out of the area
before Somerset’s Trackers arrived. Heading back inside, he
rearranged his plans. Setting down his cell phone on the counter,
he pulled out several vials of tranquillizer and strapped one to
his ankle, one to his belt, and one to his arm. There wouldn’t be
much time for diplomacy. If he ended up in a fight with Damien,
he’d hopefully be able to reach one of them.

Okay, what next? He’d swing by
Damien’s and get the truck. If the man was home, he’d have to play
it cool so as not to tip him off. First he’d check on Eve, make
sure she was safe, even escort her to the main highway. Once she
was on her way, he’d head back to Damien’s or start tracking the
man. With any luck he’d be able to tranquillize him and truss him
up so he couldn’t escape. Then, he’d head for the clinic, hopefully
being well out of the county before Rogue Retrieval landed in
Grassy Hills.

So much for escaping stress by
living in a quiet backwoods town!

Chapter 31

Annette drummed her fingers on her
desk considering what to do while waiting for her contact to get
back to her. He hadn’t answered when she’d called, which meant she
had no way of warning anyone that Dr. McRae had his mind set on
bringing Damien in to the clinic. That tidbit of information should
be worth extra money.

Deciding she might as well get some
work done while she waited, she began to search through the filing
cabinets. Dr. McRae wanted copies of all the background information
he’d compiled on the rogues that had died since Adrian Somerset
took over Rogue Retrieval. It was an easy enough task to accomplish
and soon she was neatly stacking the files on the table, feeling
rather smug that everything was under control in her corner of the
operation at least. There was nothing revealing in the files, she
was sure of it. Just to be on the safe side, she opened one up and
began to read the contents.