Betrayed: Days of the Rogue (43 page)

Eve stared at him in surprise.
Another Fae in Grassy Hills? What was this? A convention?

“You’re surprised, aren’t you?
There are so few of us around.” He reached out and caressed her
knee. Eve tried to subtly shift out of reach but was already as far
as the ropes would allow. “I’ve been watching you, picking up on
bits and pieces of your feelings. You’ve improved in keeping your
wall in place, but today it was slipping.” Gordie frowned as if a
thought suddenly came to mind. “You’ll have to learn to be more
careful. I don’t want you sharing your feelings with anyone else.”
His hand on her knee tightened painfully, and Eve gave a protesting
squeak.

“Sorry.” He let her go and took a
sip of the ever present can of cola. “I get so lonely some times.
It’s hard to wait. But today, I knew you felt the same. That you
were feeling alone and needed me, just as much as I needed
you.”

“I’m lonely?” She wondered where
he’d gotten that idea.

He nodded. “Oh yes. I could see it
in your face, sense it inside you. Lonely and lost and hurting…” A
distant look came over his eyes, and Eve had the feeling he wasn’t
really seeing her anymore. It was sort of creepy, and she cleared
her throat, hoping to snap him out of it.

Gordie blinked and stared down at
his plate. “I miss the feeling of having a bridge with someone. Of
being completely connected to them, knowing their every feeling.”
He looked up at her, his eyes wide. “I need someone with me, inside
my head. You understand that, don’t you?”

She wondered if this was the
addiction that Rafe had spoken of. If it was, then she was dealing
with a Fae addict, and she was going to be his next fix. Eve
swallowed hard and tried to keep her expression neutral as she
fished for more information. “So you’ve formed a mental bridge with
someone before?”

“Many times. They haven’t always
cooperated with me though. They try to block me, to put up a wall
for privacy.” He shook his head. “I can’t allow that. The bridge is
there so we can be as one on all levels.”

“So when they put up a wall…?” She
raised her brows waiting for him to fill in the missing piece.

He shrugged taking another drink
from the can in his hand before answering. “I miss them when they
leave.”

Even though she didn’t want to know
the answer, Eve knew she had to ask. “Where do they go,
Gordie?”

“Away.” He stood and picked up his
plate. “Do you want anymore?”

“No. Thanks.” Eve handed him her
plate, suddenly feeling rather sick. Away likely meant dead, and he
probably killed them. She had to find a way to escape before it was
her turn to…leave.

“I’ll bring dessert. Do you want
more to drink?”

She shook her head. Her glass of
water was still almost full. Gordie picked up his own empty can and
left. The door was slightly ajar, and Eve strained to see into the
rest of the house, but really only got a glimpse of a short hallway
and a bit of the kitchen at the far end. Cases of soda were stacked
beside the fridge, and she could hear Gordie humming along to
classical music as he dealt with the supper dishes.

Classical music and soda. Sort of a
weird combination. But, then again an empathic auto mechanic, who
wanted to be a doctor and kidnapped women in his spare time, wasn’t
exactly run of the mill either.

Eve rearranged where she sat on the
bed, the springs of the mattress squeaking softly as she moved. A
nasty thought crossed her mind. Was this Gordie’s bed? Had he
shared it with the other women he’d kidnapped? It was bad enough
that she was wearing his t-shirt, but being in a bed where he’d…
The very idea made her skin crawl, and unthinkingly she tried to
leap off it.

Unfortunately, the ties on her
ankle wouldn’t allow that. Instead she half fell forward, one foot
suspended, just shy of touching the floor. She caught herself with
her injured arm on the small table Gordie had pulled up beside the
bed, and a cry of pain escaped her as the table scraped along the
floor hitting the chair Gordie had been using.

Not surprisingly, the noise drew
attention, and Gordie hurried into the room, a worried frown on his
face. Eve was balancing herself on one foot while trying to push
herself upright without further injuring her wrist.

“What were you doing? Are you
trying to leave?” There was coldness to Gordie’s voice, and Eve
felt every nerve-ending prickle in alarm.

“No! Of course not! I…I was trying
to stand up. My leg was cramping.” She tried to keep the fear from
her voice, to think calm, innocent thoughts as she lied.

He scowled, and Eve panicked, sure
he didn’t believe her.

Thinking quickly, she tried to
distract him. “I hit my wrist. Can you check it?”

His expression immediately changed,
and he hurried over, concern lacing his words. “I hope you haven’t
aggravated the injury. Common medical advice is to keep a sprain
elevated and to rest the injured joint.” After helping her on to
the bed, he checked the injury. “Hmm… Your wrist is still swollen,
and there’s some bleeding from these bites...” He frowned and shook
his head. “I hope the animal wasn’t rabid. I’m not sure I can get
rabies vaccine over the internet.”

Rabies? Oh God, she hadn’t thought
of that! “Gordie, I really think I need to go the hospital—”

“What’s the matter? Don’t you trust
me?” His face clouded over, a dull, ruddy flush appearing on his
cheeks.

“No. No, it’s not that.” She
hastened to reassure him. “It’s just that you said you don’t have
an x-ray machine, and now you mentioned rabies…”

His expression softened. “Don’t
worry, sweet Eve.” He cupped her face, and she fought not to pull
away, not daring to upset him again. “I’ll check my suppliers and
research symptoms for rabies. You’re too important to me to let
anything happen to you.” His thumb brushed over her cheek, and then
he softly trailed his fingers down her neck before stepping away.
“I’ll apply more antibiotic cream and change the bandages on your
arm. Give me a few minutes to finish with dessert.”

Eve clenched the fingers of her
good hand as she tried to keep her voice calm. “I…I don’t really
feel like eating dessert right now.”

“No? Then I’ll eat yours.” He gave
her an indulgent smile before leaving the room.

Eve slumped back against the
headboard and exhaled slowly. Dealing with Gordie was like walking
a tightrope. One wrong word, one wrong move and he seemed on the
verge of going psycho. How was she ever going to get out of this
alive?

She cradled her sore arm and rolled
her head to the side studying the room. There was nothing she could
use as a weapon. The window was small and with a bed attached to
her ankle, there was no way she could get through it. If she could
cut through the ropes…but there were no scissors or knives
conveniently lying about.

One thing did catch her attention
though. The table beside her had a small drawer, and it was now
slightly ajar from when she’d fallen against it. Eve glanced
through the doorway and listened carefully. It sounded as if Gordie
was still busy in the kitchen. Reaching out, she cautiously pulled
on the handle.

The drawer silently slid open
revealing a collection of newspaper articles all neatly paper
clipped together. She drew them out, scanning the top one. It was
the same article Caro had shown her about a murdered woman in the
next county!

With shaking hands, Eve flipped
through the other pages; they were from newspapers across Canada
and the U.S., all reporting the deaths of women. Some were reported
as murders, some as suspicious deaths. All said there were no
suspects.

Eve checked the dates of the
articles. The first was over three years old, the following one
from a year later. The next three were around four months apart,
then two and… Each successive murder seemed to be getting closer
and closer together. It had been what…a week since the last woman
was killed?

Eve returned the clippings to the
drawer, quietly shut it and then sat with her hand pressed to her
mouth. There were almost a dozen reports in that drawer. It was too
much of a coincidence not to believe Gordie was responsible. He had
to have killed all those women.

She began to tremble with fear.
Gordie was a murderer, a cold blooded killer. He used female Fae
and then disposed of them like an old magazine, and she was the
next issue. The need to scream, to give vent to how she was feeling
bubbled inside her, and she pressed her fist to her mouth, biting
down on her knuckles to keep from acting on the impulse. She had to
stay calm, to keep her mental wall in place. Gordie couldn’t be
allowed to know how afraid she really was. It might tip him off
that she knew he was quite likely a murderer. And yet, eventually
he was going to demand that she open up to him. After all, that was
why he’d killed the other women—because of their refusal to let him
in.

The very thought of having Gordie
in her head, of experiencing Gordie’s emotions, filled her with
revulsion. With Rafe, it had been warm, comforting, and thrilling
all at once. His desire had fired hers. It had raced down her spine
and filled her with heat and hunger until she’d been clawing at
him, demanding release.

Just recalling the experience had
her warming up, and yet at the same time it made her more centred
and focussed. Eve opened her eyes, not even having realized she’d
closed them. She was still scared, but she didn’t feel as alone
anymore. An added bit of bravado seemed to be invading her spirit.
Straightening her spine, she began to plot how she might get out of
the mess she was in.

Absently rubbing her sore wrist,
she studied the contents of the room. There must be a something she
could use as a weapon. Curtains, a bed, a small table, and a
dresser. Her gaze lighted on an abandoned can of cola on the
dresser, and she narrowed her eyes. Gordie was always drinking the
stuff. Perhaps…

“Sorry I took so long, Eve.” Gordie
appeared in the doorway a few minutes later. He had a new can of
soda with him and what looked like a medical kit in his other hand.
“I ate your dessert. You’ll be sorry you didn’t grab it while you
could; it was a chocolate sundae.” He grinned at her as he set the
kit on the table.

“Maybe next time.” She murmured her
response as she tried to keep her eyes from widening. Gordie was
adjusting the position of the table. His fingers brushed over the
drawer, and she saw that it was open a fraction of an inch. He
didn’t appear to notice however, merely setting the table in a
place better suited to him before beginning to take out rolls of
bandages and a tube of ointment.

“You seem to have a lot of medical
supplies on hand.” Eve didn’t want to think about exactly why he
had so many. She had a feeling she wouldn’t like the answer.

“I like to be prepared. Things
happen.” Gordie pulled his chair over beside the bed and took her
arm. “Did I tell you I considered being a doctor once?” He said
conversationally. “I know I’d have a great bedside manner, always
being able to read the emotions of my patients.”

“It wouldn’t really be ethical
though, would it?” Eve pointed out. “I mean, you’d be in their
heads without their permission.”

He shrugged. “I suppose, but it
would be for their own good.”

She made a noncommittal noise, not
wanting to get into an argument with the man. Besides, she was too
busy looking at her arm. He’d removed the bandages, and she had her
first look at the damage the wolf had done.

Her skin was an angry red with dark
puncture wounds in an arch formation showing exactly where the wolf
had bit down on her arm. Bruises were already appearing and various
lacerations criss-crossed here and there. Seeing the wounds brought
back memories of how it had felt when the wolf had jumped on her.
The impact of its paws on her back as it knocked her to the ground,
the weight of the beast pinning her down, the feeling that her arm
was being pulled from its socket…

“Looks nasty, doesn’t it?” The
gentle prodding of Gordie’s fingers caused her to hiss in pain.
“Sorry. Just checking for signs of infection.” He carefully applied
ointment and began to rewrap the wound. “How is it feeling?”

“Sore. Throbbing. My wrist, too.”
Eve licked her lips and carefully phrased her next words. “Do you
have any more of those pills you gave me earlier? They really
helped take the pain away.”

Gordie cocked his head and studied
her carefully. She wondered if he could somehow sense her
intentions, and she focussed on the pain in her arm. If he got past
her wall all he’d learn was that she was hurting.

After a moment he nodded. “I’ll get
you one as soon as I’m done here.”

“Thanks.” Eve held back her sigh of
relief, and watched as he finished tending to her arm. When he left
she took a steadying breath, praying she could carry out her plan
as easily as the heroine had in the best-selling novel she’d read a
while ago.

Gordie returned with a bottle of
pills and carefully tapped one out into her palm.

“Will one be enough to get me
through the night?”

“If you need another later on I’ll
give you one.” Gordie put the cap on the bottle and tucked it in
his pocket.

“Okay.” She popped the pill in her
mouth and quickly tucked it between her cheek and upper gum line,
thankful that fear had made her mouth exceptionally dry. Carefully
she took a sip of water, trying to keep the moisture away from the
sedative. The next part was the hardest. Setting down her glass,
she purposely placed it slightly over the edge of the table and
then gave a gasp of feigned surprise as it tipped onto the floor.
“Sorry! I’m so clumsy!”

“No problem, I’ll get something to
clean it up with.”

Gordie set down his can of soda and
hurried to get some paper towels. As soon as his back was turned,
Eve took the pill from her mouth. Some of it had already started to
dissolve, leaving a nasty taste in her mouth, but there was still a
significant portion intact. She dropped it in his drink hoping it
would be enough to do the trick. She’d been counting on him leaving
the whole bottle of pills, but since he hadn’t she’d have to hope
one would do the trick. After giving the can a few swirls to speed
up the dissolving process, she set it down and folded her hands in
her lap just as Gordie reappeared.