Betrayed: Days of the Rogue (7 page)

Beth? He mentally called her name,
searching in vain for her comforting presence. Like a puff of
smoke, her thoughts occasionally brushed over him only to disappear
when he tried to take hold.

He sighed, that moment of hope
being replaced by logic. His mind was playing tricks on him again,
pushing him to the borderline of insanity. The remnants of their
mental link sometimes refused to accept the reality that Beth was
gone. It was rather like the phantom pain an amputee might feel,
painful aches plaguing the patient despite knowing the limb was
missing.

His stomach growled and he
concentrated on basic necessity. Food, that’s what he needed to
make the voices in his head fade away. He hadn’t eaten yesterday
now that he thought about it. First, he’d get some breakfast, then
order Beth’s flowers. Pulling open the door, he left the shabby
room.

Chapter 4

Eve chuckled as she drove into
town, thinking of how she must have looked that morning. After
peering out of all her windows to check for the wolf, she’d picked
up Rafe’s shotgun and cracked open the front door. An early morning
mist had drifted across the lake and enshrouded the area around the
cabin. It made it difficult to see, but she’d watched and listened,
tuning into the quiet pulse of nature. All had seemed serene, but
how accurate was her interpretation? Gathering her courage, she’d
dashed to her vehicle, almost throwing herself inside and slamming
the door shut, her heart pounding furiously. God, she’d probably
looked like a caricature of some cheesy action heroine.

She wasn’t the heroine type of
course, and would have happily stayed in the cabin like Rafe had
told her to; it wasn’t that much of a hardship with books to read,
paintings to work on and a collection of DVDs to play on her
laptop. However, she was supposed to meet Caro in town, so when a
call to his house had yielded no reply, she’d decided to take a
chance.

A faint tremor had been noticeable
as she’d placed her hands on the steering wheel. While she’d only
had to go a few yards from the cabin to her car, fear and the
swirling mist had given the impression that it had been much
farther. Strange how the idea of being attacked by a wild animal
could alter your perception! It had taken her most of the drive
into town to calm down and realize what an idiot she was being. The
wolf was probably long gone, and yesterday’s call to Rafe had been
a waste of time.

Well, not a total waste. The
corners of her mouth curled upward as she recalled her dreams of
the previous night. Being so close to Rafe had inspired some rather
lusty midnight imaginings featuring her landlord pinning her to the
bed, while trailing his mouth down her neck and then even lower. In
real life she might find him overwhelming, but what he did to her
in her imagination was something entirely different. She wiggled in
her seat at the memory, her body aching from unfulfilled need. With
any luck, she’d be able to continue the dream tonight. Now
that
was something to look forward to!

The rest of the drive was filled
with her planning exactly how the dream should continue. A catchy
romantic ballad played on the car radio providing the perfect
background for her mental fabrications, and leaving her feeling
rather hot and bothered by the time she parked the car. In fact,
the waiter at the small cafe, where she’d arranged to meet Caro,
gave her several speculative looks as she fanned herself with the
menu before ordering a muffin and a cup of tea.

Still contemplating her sexy
landlord, she began to doodle on the sketch pad she always had with
her, recreating Rafe’s features with easy strokes. Art was her
passion and she managed to scrape a living out of it, creating book
covers as well as selling her own original paintings. Luckily, Caro
was understanding and didn’t mind if she worked from home, a cabin
or an office. Today, she’d hand over her latest projects, and then
she’d have a week of freedom while waiting for her next
assignment.

“Here you go.” The waiter placed
her order on the table in front of her and she looked up to thank
him, only to have her gaze lock upon a man seated across the
room.

Black hair, classic features,
stubble gracing his chin. A thin white t-shirt stretched across
broad shoulders that tapered to narrow hips and long legs encased
in denim. Beautiful. The man was simply beautiful. There was no
other word for it.

Completely entranced, she watched
as he picked up his mug and brought it to his mouth. His lips were
perfect; sensual without being too full. She noted his long
fingers, the corded muscles on his forearm. He was obviously fit,
but far too thin. There was a look about him as if life had treated
him badly.

Shifting her focus so she could
study his face again, she was shocked to find him looking directly
at her! Heat rushed to her cheeks and she quickly turned her head,
embarrassed at having been caught examining him so thoroughly.

Slowly exhaling, she fought for
composure. A man who looked like that was probably used to women
ogling him. She took a sip of her tea and then reached up to push
her hair away from her face, using the movement to flick a glance
his direction again.

Eve froze, her hand on her hair. He
was still looking at her! Quickly, she dropped her hand and
concentrated on her meal. Was he upset? Or interested? That last
idea made her heartbeat quicken. Taking a bite of her muffin, she
tried to calm herself but her senses had apparently gone into
overdrive making her acutely aware of the man across the room. It
was a miracle she hadn’t lost control and started reading his
feelings. As it was, a faint sensation, hardly more than the
whisper of a breeze, was teasing her mind. She clamped down even
more firmly on her mental wall, determined to keep her abilities in
check.

The sound of a chair being pushed
back had her swallowing hard. Was that him standing up? A quick
flick of her eyes, confirmed the fact. He was heading to the cash
register to pay and then he’d be gone. Regret washed over her,
which was ridiculous. A complete stranger was nothing to get in a
stir about, no matter how good-looking he might be. Especially
since she’d been fantasizing about another man mere moments
before!

Pulling a morsel off her muffin,
she popped it into her mouth, chewing slowly and staring resolutely
out the window. No more glances in the man’s direction were
allowed.

The cash register made a light
pinging noise as it opened, there was a faint murmur of voices,
then the sound of footsteps crossing the room. Eve suddenly
realized she was sitting near the door and that he’d have to pass
right by her. She grabbed her tea cup and took a sip then nearly
choked when he stopped beside her chair, his shadow falling across
her table.

She could feel him willing her to
look up, waves of power seeming to radiate from him. For perhaps
two seconds she resisted but her awareness of him, of his nearness,
couldn’t be denied. Giving in to the urging inside her, she allowed
her gaze to travel up the length of him.

When her eyes finally met his, the
intensity of his stare caused her to inhale sharply. He was
examining her feature by feature, a frown marring his brow as if
she were a puzzle he couldn’t solve. A muscle worked in his jaw and
shadows passed, in rapid succession, over his face as if he were in
emotional turmoil; hope, despair, longing, confusion. His lips
parted. He appeared about to speak, then his hands curled into
fists. With a shake of his head, he abruptly turned and left.

Unable to stop herself, Eve
swivelled in her seat and watched him cross the road before
disappearing from sight. What the heck had that been about?

Before she could engage in any
effective speculation, Caro arrived. Her lemon yellow sports car
roared to a halt at the curb, blocking Eve’s view and causing more
than one local resident to stop and stare. Exiting her car, she
paused for a moment, as if striking a pose should anyone care to
take a picture, and then entered the café in a swirl of brightly
coloured silk and heavy perfume.

Giving a dramatic sigh, she sat
down opposite Eve.

“I’m here.” Caro made the
announcement as if she’d accomplished some monumental feat, and Eve
barely held back a round of mocking applause. Caro wouldn’t
appreciate the humour of the gesture.

“Glad you could make it.” Eve
smiled. Caro’s flamboyant shows were enjoyable as long as they were
only experienced in short doses. She gestured for the waiter.
“Would you like some herbal tea?”

Caro shuddered and ordered black
coffee instead before leaning back and casting a sweeping glance
over her. “Apparently you weren’t accosted by your stalker last
night.”

“Um…No. I wasn’t.” She paused, her
tea cup halfway to her mouth.

“Too bad, it would have made an
interesting addition to your bio.” Caro sipped the steaming
beverage that was placed in front of her, and Eve gave the woman a
considering look. She wasn’t entirely sure the woman was joking.
Deciding to give her the benefit of the doubt, she explained what
had happened.

“It was a wolf, not a stalker. At
least that’s the creature that I saw watching the cabin. I called
Rafe and he came and checked the area for me.”

“Mmm… The idea of your Rafe rushing
to save you from a wild beast summons up all sort of yummy
scenarios.” Caro licked her lips and then grinned, her teeth
strikingly white against her blood red lipstick.

“He’s not
my
Rafe and he
didn’t come rushing to save me. He simply searched the area around
the cabin and suggested I stay…elsewhere…until the wolf moved
on.”

“Elsewhere? As in his place?” Caro
leaned forward, likely expecting to hear juicy details.

“Well…he did make that suggestion.”
Eve took another sip of tea, “but I turned him down, of
course.”

“
Of course
? My God, woman,
what’s wrong with you?” Caro sat back and shook her head. “The
local hunk makes a play for you and you brush him off. Didn’t
anything I taught you sink in?”

Eve rolled her eyes. “First of all,
it wasn’t a play, and of course I turned him down. He didn’t really
want me to stay with him, he was only trying to help out. And
secondly, I don’t recall you teaching me anything. In fact, weren’t
you warning me off men a few months ago?”

Caro sniffed. “That was because I’d
recently broken up with Barry, but now that I’ve found Ross I’m
seeing the male of the species in a more favourable light
again.”

“Oh.”

If she recalled correctly, Ross was
the new intern and half Caro’s age. Not wanting to hear the sordid
details, Eve switched topics, and the two soon got down to the
business of discussing potential new projects and trends within the
art world. When the meeting was done, Eve transferred her canvases
to Caro’s car and watched as the woman drove off, pleased to have
avoided further interrogation about Rafe.

She wondered if he’d be back today
to check for further evidence of the wolf. He said he would, and
something told her he was a man of his word. With that in mind, she
decided to quickly finish her errands in the hope of being back
before he arrived at her cabin. It wasn’t because she was afraid
he’d be angry that she’d ignored his instructions to stay
inside—after all, he wasn’t in charge of her—but on the other hand,
avoiding a confrontation seemed…prudent. And, if she was home,
she’d have another opportunity to ogle him, which might increase
the chance of a continuation of last night’s erotic dream.

A smile graced her face while she
completed her shopping, thoughts of Rafe keeping her sufficiently
occupied that she barely noticed the emotions of the local
townspeople she encountered. The cashier at the grocery store was
feeling lusty. The man ahead of her at the bank was stressed. Minor
glimpses into people’s lives, and she was easily able to block them
out by focussing on Rafe. It made for a pleasant change, and she
chuckled inwardly, deciding that she could call daydreaming about
the man a form of therapy.

It wasn’t until she arrived at her
car, arms laden with her purchases that her calm began to waver. A
faint niggling in the back of her mind had her puzzling and then
that sense of being watched returned. She placed her parcels inside
her vehicle before turning around to scan the street. Cars moved
past at a moderate rate, shoppers walked by singly or in small
groups, intent on their errands. The owner of the Gas and Go, Mike
Privet, was washing the wind shield of a car while Gordie, his
apprentice mechanic, was checking the tire pressure. Gordie tipped
his ball cap at her while Mike waved. She returned the gesture. A
few other people casually glanced her way, but no one was paying
her any particular attention.

Surely, the wolf wouldn’t have
followed her into town. Wild animals shunned humanity…unless they
were sick. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms, trying to
dispel the chill that had settled over her at the idea of a rabid
wolf stalking her. Of course, she was being ridiculous. The animal
was probably miles away and it had appeared perfectly healthy, even
if it was on the thin side.

Eve forced herself to stand tall,
straightening her shoulders that she had unknowingly hunched. There
was nothing to be worried about. No wolf was walking the streets of
Grassy Hills and no one was watching her either. And even if
someone was, what could that person do in the middle of town?

Slamming the trunk shut, she
rounded the car in preparation for leaving only to notice the man
from the café sitting on a bench across the street. He’d been
hidden from view by a truck stopped for a traffic light, but now
she could easily see him. His body was hunched forward, elbows on
his knees while he stared at the ground; the epitome of
dejection.