Betrayed: Days of the Rogue (34 page)

By keeping up her mental tirade,
Eve was able to complete her tasks quickly and without tears. In
fact, she was just stuffing a few last minute items in a bag when
she heard the unmistakeable sounds of Rafe’s beat up old truck
pulling into the yard.

A quick peek out the window
revealed that it was indeed him and she cursed. If she’d been a bit
faster she could have avoided the man altogether. She wondered why
he was even here, but then decided he might want to lock the place
up. Damn, couldn’t he even wait until the dust settled from her
leaving?

Hefting her bag, Eve stepped out on
the porch just as Rafe was climbing the steps. From the set of his
shoulders and the look on his face, she could tell he wasn’t in the
best of moods. Well, too bad for him. She wasn’t feeling exactly
like Miss Mary Sunshine herself.

“Why are
you
here?” She
spoke with purposeful rudeness ensuring he knew exactly how pissed
off she was.

His gaze was hot and angry as it
flicked over her. “Checking on you. It seems dangerously impulsive
actions are habitual with you.”

“Dangerously impulsive?” She
snorted in derision.

“I told you I’d escort you
here.”

“Well, maybe I’m tired of having to
do whatever you say, of having my every move watched.” She folded
her arms and lifted her chin, ignoring the way his face was
darkening.

“It’s for your own damned good. In
case you’ve forgotten, there’s a wolf around here.” He stepped
forward, invading her personal space but she refused to back down,
despite the fact that her every instinct was screaming a warning to
shut up before she regretted it.

“I’m overwhelmed by your concern,
but as you can see I’m perfectly fine. Now get out of my way.” She
moved to brush past him and he shot his arm out, grabbing the
railing and effectively barring her path.

“No.”

“No?” She rolled her eyes. “Less
than an hour ago you were telling me I had to clear out.” She
pushed at his arm, but it was like a steel bar, not budging even an
inch.

He hesitated, seeming to choose his
words carefully. “Circumstances have…changed.”

“Changed?” She shook her head. “Too
late. If Annette turned you down, that’s not my fault. You had your
chance and blew it.”

“Annette?” He looked perplexed and
she took advantage of the moment, ducking under his arm and
storming towards the car. He followed her.

“Yes.
Annette
. I heard you
say you love her.” She opened the trunk and placed her bag inside
then slammed the lid down. When she turned, Rafe was directly in
her path.

“You were eavesdropping on my
private phone call?” His eyes darkened.

“It’s a damned good thing I did. It
confirmed what a bastard you are!” She shoved past him, but he
snagged her by the arm and pulled her back, the force of the motion
bringing her chest into direct contact with his. He held her there
easily no matter how much she pushed to be free.

“What else did you hear?” A flush
was now coloured his cheeks.

“Scared I’ve discovered more of
your secrets?”

He stiffened and then with a speed
she found hard to believe, he gripped her hair, pulling her head
back until she was looking right up at him. His eyes seemed to bore
into hers. “What. Did. You. Hear.” He spoke between clenched teeth,
his voice deep and angry.

Eve froze, suddenly very afraid.
She’d never seen this side of him before. Swallowing hard, her mind
raced as she wondered what dark secret he thought she might have
overheard. “Just…just about Annette. That you love her. That I’m
‘nothing important.’” Her throat tightened as she said those last
words, tears stinging the corners of her eyes. Even though she was
angry with him, it still hurt to think he’d relegated her to the
‘nothing important’ category.

Some of what she was feeling must
have shown on her face for he slowly relaxed his grip on her hair.
The darkness left his expression and he looked regretful.

“Eve, I’m sorry. I…” Rafe studied
her face, the hand that had gripped her hair now cradling her head.
Then he leaned down and gently brushed his lips over hers.

It was a tender, barely there kiss,
his breath ghosting over her skin as he exhaled.

For one moment she savoured the
sensation, the light tingle of awareness that sprang to life and
hinted at greater pleasures to come if she allowed this to
continue. But…

She pushed against his chest and
this time he allowed her to step away. Then she slapped his face as
hard as she could. “Don’t you ever grab me like that again.”

They stood there glaring at each
other, the outline of her handprint on his face. His lips were
firmly compressed, his nostrils flaring.

She waited, insanely hoping he’d
say something. Yell at her. Apologize. Take back his ‘eviction
notice.’ Deny what she’d overheard. Offer some lame explanation for
saying he loved Annette. It was pathetic, of course. Anything he
said right now would likely be a lie, but some spark in her heart
was hoping he’d at least try.

The moment stretched between them,
the cool spring breeze blowing her hair in front of her eyes. She
pushed it away impatiently, not caring that the sun was beating
warmly on her back or that a robin was singing in a nearby tree.
She was too emotionally wrought to accept the comfort that nature
was offering. Why didn’t he say something? Or at least use his
empathic abilities to make her understand? It was hard to believe
that he was actually a cold hearted bastard, but all the evidence
pointed that way.

He opened his mouth as if to speak,
then closed it again. When he looked away, she knew it was
over.

“Goodbye, Rafe.” She stalked around
the car, opened the driver’s door and climbed in.

“I’ll follow you until you’re out
of the area.” His voice sounded strained, but she didn’t try to
figure out why. All she knew was that he’d made no effort to
convince her he cared, or that perhaps she’d misunderstood his
relationship with Annette. Plain and simple, Rafe wanted her
gone.

She slammed the door shut, started
the engine and drove away. Through the rear view mirror she could
see him getting in his truck and following her. The small cabin
faded from sight, lost in a haze of dust from the gravel laneway.
She’d enjoyed her time there, even vaguely toyed with the idea of
staying, but that wasn’t going to happen now. Eve forced herself to
stare straight ahead and ignore the vehicle behind her.

Down the lane to the private road,
and then onto the highway. The trip through Grassy Hills was faster
than usual, both sets of traffic lights changing to green as she
reached them. Apparently, they couldn’t wait to see the back of her
either. She drove by the gas station, noting that Mike was pumping
gas and Gordie was washing windshields. Going past the lumberyard
she wondered if Damien was there buying more lumber for his porch.
What would happen to him now that Rafe was closing up? Would the
man find another job? A place to stay? A new ache settled in her
chest as she contemplated never seeing him again. Dashing a tear
from her cheek, she stared at the road ahead of her. Her time here
was finished. Once out of the town, the speed limits increased, and
she pressed firmly on the accelerator hastening her exit from the
area.

Behind her, she could see Rafe
pulling off to the side of the road. He’d likely stay there to make
sure she didn’t double back. As if. Lifting her chin, she reached
over and cranked up the radio, letting the words of a popular song
drown out the sadness that filled her heart.

Rafe watched Eve’s car disappear
from sight, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly enough
that the ancient plastic casing creaked in protest. She was gone
and it was for the best. For one impetuous moment back at the cabin
he’d thought to keep her with him, to protect her from Damien, even
take her along with him to the clinic, thereby introducing her to
his real life. But then common sense had taken over. Fate had
everything perfectly coordinated. Eve had overheard him talking to
Annette and jumped to the wrong conclusion. While the hurt in her
eyes had been difficult to see, she now had no reason to disbelieve
his sudden closure of the cabins. And thankfully she hadn’t
overheard any other part of his conversation. If she’d learned he
was a Lycan, things could have become very messy. As it was, she
might hate his guts, but they had no future together, and trying to
pretend otherwise was pure self-indulgence.

He fingered his cheek, recalling
the force of her blow; how his head had snapped to the side and his
skin had stung. In a way he was glad she’d slapped him. It made him
feel less guilty for how he’d treated her.

When he could no longer see her
car, he put his truck in drive. Executing a u-turn, he headed
towards Damien’s cabin. Tracking the man down and bringing him in
before Rogue Retrieval arrived was now his priority. If Somerset’s
team was on its way, he didn’t have time to waste.

When he’d gone to Damien’s cabin to
get the truck, the man hadn’t been there though his scent had been
relatively fresh. It should be easy to pick it up now and track him
down.

Chapter 34

A few miles out of Grassy Hills,
the gentle dinging sound of a warning bell interrupted the song
that was playing on Eve’s car radio. It was a ballad about love
gone wrong and, since she was already feeling sorry for herself,
she didn’t mind the distraction. Flicking her gaze to the gauges on
the dash, she found the source. The low fuel light was on.

With a curse she pulled over and
put the car in park, then leaned her forehead against the steering
wheel. Couldn’t anything go right? Her ‘I don’t give a damn’ exit
from town was now going to be followed by her slinking back to get
gas. Wouldn’t that give Rafe something to laugh about! Maybe she’d
be lucky and Rafe wouldn’t still be there. Of course, given the way
her life was going, she wouldn’t bet any money on it. For a moment
she considered trying to make it to the next town, but it was too
chancy, and she didn’t want to be stuck on the side of the road
waiting for a tow truck.

Grumbling to herself, she headed
back to town.

Grassy Hills’ one and only gas
station, the Gas and Go, was located on the corner near the first
traffic light. As usual, the place was busy.

“Sorry, Eve, business is booming
today.” Gordie called out to her as he cleaned the windshield of
the car on the other side of the pumps. Of course, in Grassy Hills
busy meant four other cars were there, but she nodded in agreement.
“I haven’t seen you around much lately. You been away?”

“No, just busy.” She wasn’t going
to say she’d been at Rafe’s hiding from a wolf.

“I saw you leaving town a few
minutes ago, but now you’re back. That was a mighty short trip.” He
tossed the question at her as he began to check the tire
pressure.

“No, I realized I was short on gas.
Actually, I’m returning to Calgary. Time to move on.” She blinked
against the sting of tears and tried to appear delighted with the
prospect.

“Oh.” Gordie stopped what he was
doing and stared at her. He appeared about to ask her another
question, but the driver of the car he was servicing called his
name and he turned to deal with the patron’s request.

Eve sighed in relief. She
definitely didn’t want to talk about her reasons for leaving and
hoped Gordie would remain occupied until she was gone. Gently
rubbing the palm of her hand—it still stung from that slap—she
furtively looked around for any sign of Rafe.

Thankfully, it appeared that he
hadn’t lingered in town. Facing him again was the last thing she
wanted to do…especially after slapping him. She’d never slapped
anyone before, had actually scoffed at the very notion when she
read about it in a book, but the way he’d grabbed her and growled,
and then kissed her as if that would make everything better! No
way.

She felt herself tensing up at the
memory and forced herself to relax a bit. After all, she was
completely happy with that fact she wouldn’t be seeing him again.
Her life had been progressing very nicely before they met and it
would again. Brushing her hair back, she assumed an airy pose. Men.
Ha! Who needed them? Giving a sniff, she tried to distract herself
by studying the other vehicles getting gas.

One was a police cruiser. Constable
Duffy was leaning against the driver’s door, talking to Mike
Privet, the owner of the gas station. Mike was nodding, a serious
expression on his face, and Eve speculated what the topic of
conversation might be. A local crime wave? Excessive littering and
jay-walking? Life in Grassy Hills was pretty calm.

Gordie had finished with the
windshield and tires of the next car and was now topping up the
washer fluid. Grassy Hills still sported a full-service station. It
took a bit longer, but no one was ever in much of a hurry in the
small town. Gordie glanced her way, obviously still curious about
her news. He held up one finger to let her know he wouldn’t be much
longer and she gave a nod of acknowledgement. He was a nice boy and
had actually asked her out twice, but at the same time she hoped
Mike would be the one to tend her car.

Turning her attention to the
nondescript grey vehicle on the other side of the pumps, she noted
the occupants were unfamiliar to her. In the few months she’d lived
in the area, she’d come to know most of the inhabitants if not by
name, then at least recognizing their faces. These men must be new
to the area and she began to study them with an artistic eye; after
all you never knew where inspiration might be found.

The two inside the vehicle were
both male and sported serious expressions. A third man, equally
grim looking, was standing near the rear bumper filling the tank,
apparently not willing to wait for Mike or Gordie to do the job.
Eve began to speculate why they might be in the area. Business?
Visiting relatives? Tourists?