Betrayed: Days of the Rogue (47 page)

It was obvious Captain Fielding
wasn’t accustomed to being chastised by a subordinate, but he
didn’t argue. Instead, he stormed out of the house, jerking his
head for the Enforcers to follow him. Three did, but the fourth
stayed.

“Yes?” Reno raised a brow, not
wanting to talk to the man; he had enough to deal with at the
moment.

“Begging your pardon, sir, but I
need to speak to Dr. McRae.”

“That’s me.” Rafe stepped
forward.

“I’m sorry, sir. But I was asked to
give you this message.”

Frowning, Rafe took the proffered
piece of paper, his brow quirked.

The Enforcer folded his arms behind
his back, his expression neutral. “They tried to call, but weren’t
getting an answer. I’m to wait for you.”

Now looking truly puzzled, Rafe
unfolded the message and scanned the contents, then slowly crushed
the paper in his hand while swearing under his breath. Turning, he
leaned against the wall, eyes closed and slowly shaking his
head.

“Dr. McRae?” Brandi approached
cautiously, laying a hand on his shoulder. “What is it?”

He breathed deeply, then spoke in a
voice that was just slightly less than steady. “There’s been a fire
at my clinic. Some patients were injured. My secretary…Annette…” He
paused and cleared his throat. “They haven’t found her, but there’s
an unidentified body.”

“I’m so sorry.” Brandi whispered
the words and gave him a hug.

Reno cursed. “Rafe, if I can help
in any way…?”

Rafe shook his head and stared up
at the ceiling, blowing out a long, slow breath. “I have to head
back right away. Can you watch out for Eve?”

“Of course, we will.” Brandi looked
at Reno, and he nodded in confirmation.

Rafe gave the barest hint of a
smile. “I’ll just say goodbye to her and grab my things.” He looked
at the Enforcer. “Hold the chopper, please. I’ll be going with
you.”

Chapter 50

Eve stirred, wincing as awareness
slowly returned. She felt like she’d been hit by a truck…again.
There was a weird sense of déjà vu about waking in a strange bed,
her body aching. But this was much better than the last time.
Rafe’s scent surrounded her like a comforting blanket and she
smiled despite the pain. He’d saved her, somehow finding her in the
woods and then bringing her here. Vague images of him tending her
wounds came to mind; the feel of his hands stroking her hair, of
him whispering words of comfort as he carried her. Nothing had ever
felt as good as his arms holding her pressed to his chest.

There was a soft rustling sound,
and she lazily cracked her eyes open. Rafe stood on the far side of
the room packing his laptop in a case. In the dim light from the
bedside lamp, it was hard to make out his features, but she had no
doubt it was him. The shape of his body, the way he moved; it was
comforting and familiar, filling her with inexplicable joy. If she
hadn’t been so tired, she would have reached out to him mentally
and shared the wonderful feeling. Instead she was content to stare
at him, visually tracing every feature of his face, each
well-defined muscle.

She must have made some sort of a
noise though for he suddenly looked up and, seeing her eyes open,
hurried over.

“Eve?” The mattress dipped as he
sat down beside her. Reaching out with his hand, he brushed the
hair from her face. Instinctively, she turned her head, nuzzling
his palm.

“Hi.” She whispered the word,
hardly believing that he was here, that she was in his bed. To
speak loudly might shatter the pleasant dream she was in.

“Hi yourself.” He drew his thumb
gently over her cheek. “How’re you feeling?”

“Okay. Sore, but okay.”

“I’ll get you something for the
pain.”

Before she could reply, he left the
room and quickly returned with a glass of water and some white
tablets. Only after she’d taken them and drank all the water, did
he sit down beside her.

“They’ll start to work soon. But
it’ll be a few days before you recuperate from all you’ve been
through.”

Eve frowned, vividly recalling the
wolf attack, being abducted by Gordie, running through the
woods…

“What is it?” Rafe touched a finger
to the vertical line between her eyebrows.

“I’m just thinking of everything
that happened today.” Her voice quavered as she relived some of the
terrifying moments.

“That’s okay. It’s better to let it
out.”

“Hold me?” The words slipped out
before she could stop them, but Rafe obliged without
hesitation.

Lying down on the bed beside her,
he enfolded her in his arms, pressing her to his chest.
“Better?”

“Mmm.” She murmured indistinctly,
relaxing into his strength and warmth, enjoying the comforting
sound of his heartbeat, and the scent that was uniquely him.

He pressed a kiss to her brow.
“What do you remember?”

“Pretty much everything. The only
thing that’s a bit foggy is near the end when you found me in the
woods. I have this strange memory…or maybe it’s a dream…of you and
Damien as wolves.”

“Really? How do you feel about
that?” Rafe’s voice was calm, his hand rubbing her back in a
soothing rhythm. If she hadn’t been pressed closed to him she might
have missed the slight stiffening of his body.

“How do I feel about it?” She
lifted her head so she could see his face, surprised that he’d have
to ask. “Being attacked by that wolf was the most terrifying thing
that has ever happened to me. I think it scared me as much as
realizing Gordie had kidnapped me and might kill me. I mean, Gordie
was a person, but wild animals…”

“Since the wolf really did attack
you—inflict physical harm—that makes sense. But how do you feel
about this…supposed dream…of Damien and I being wolves? I’m
assuming we didn’t hurt you.”

“No. Of course not.” She lay back
down and snuggled close to him. “You know, it’s sort of strange but
when I was attacked, two other wolves appeared and I almost had the
impression that they were trying to save me. They knocked the first
wolf off me then…” Pausing, she licked her lips then shook her
head. “No. I’m probably not remembering things clearly. A wolf is a
wolf. I doubt I’ll ever be able to think of them in a positive
light again. They’re horrid beasts with fangs and claws.” Lifting
her head, she looked at him, her eyes wide with remembered fear.
“You or Damien becoming one of them—even though I know it was just
a weird dream…well…it scares me to death!” A shiver ran over her,
and Rafe pressed her head to his chest. Holding her tightly, he
rubbed his hands up and down her back over and over.

He was silent, but she didn’t mind.
It had been an exhausting day and already she could feel her
eyelids growing heavy. She traced an idle pattern over his chest,
feeling the hard muscles beneath his shirt.

“Eve?” His voice rumbled in his
chest, the vibration ticklish beneath her cheek.

“Hmm?” She murmured distractedly,
the pain killers taking affect. Her eyelids closed, and she forced
them open, but they quickly shut again.

“I… I wish you well.”

She smiled at the unusual turn of
phrase and would have questioned him about it but sleep overtook
her.

As Eve’s breathing grew deeper,
Rafe eased himself off the bed. Carefully, he tucked the covers
around her, pausing to study her features one last time. So pale
and delicate. He stroked her hair, marvelling yet again at the
silky, white blonde strands, then noted the faint curve of her
lips.

Even in sleep there was a hint of
the imp that her Fae heritage had graced her with. He liked how it
wasn’t a constant but rather appeared at the oddest moments; the
way she teased him, making him laugh. There hadn’t been a lot of
laughter in his life until she came along.

Slowly, he leaned forward to press
a kiss to her forehead. He allowed his lips to linger, knowing this
would be the last time he’d ever have an opportunity to be this
close to her. All along, he’d known a relationship with her
wouldn’t work. The abduction had made him temporarily lose sight of
that fact. Now…now she’d said she was terrified of wolves, and who
could blame her? But it meant there was no chance they could ever
be together. Lycan blood flowed in his veins, and his wolf was a
part of him she’d never accept.

Forcing himself to move away from
the bed, he grabbed his duffle bag and slung it over his shoulder.
He was needed at his clinic. The rogues who were patients there
would require temporary housing; his staff would need help getting
reorganized. And Annette… Someone would have to identify her body.
She didn’t have any family that he was aware of. Hell, what a
mess.

Rafe placed his hand on the
doorknob and stared blankly at the wooden panel in front of him.
Once he left this room, it was all over. He’d be caught up in life
at the clinic, rebuilding, working with clients, on call day and
night in case one was in crisis. His plan of turning the cabins
into a halfway house of sorts for rogues would slowly fade. And his
relationship with Eve…it had never really had a chance. He
tightened his fingers on the handle, wanting to turn around, to
look at her one more time, to share one more kiss, one more
bridging of their minds. Instead, he pulled the door open and
stepped into the brighter light of the hallway. They said a clean
break was the easiest, but that didn’t make it any less
painful.

Raised voices drifted down the
hallway, and Rafe followed the sound to the kitchen. Brandi was
trying to calm a clearly irate Reno. Rather than intrude, Rafe
stepped back into the shadows, planning on waiting until the
argument was settled. He didn’t feel up to playing peacemaker at
the moment.

“Reno, you’re being completely
unreasonable.” Brandi had her hands planted on her hips while Reno
paced the kitchen.

“Like hell, I am. I asked him to
wait here—”

“Damien is a grown man. He doesn’t
have to do what you tell him to do.”

“He’s my partner. My
junior
partner. When I say to wait in the kitchen I expect him to do it.”
Reno voice rose in volume as he paused in front of his mate and
glared down at her.

She glared right back. “He
was
your partner, Reno. But not anymore.”

Reno opened his mouth to respond
but then must have changed his mind. He half turned away and rubbed
his neck, the fight visibly leaving him. “Yeah, I know. I guess… I
guess I thought if I talked to him, I could make him see
sense.”

“I know.” Brandi’s voice gentled as
she wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her head to his
back. “But maybe it’s better this way. At least things didn’t end
with you two having a big argument.”

Turning in Brandi’s arms, Reno
returned her hug, resting his chin on top of her head. His eyes had
a haunted look about them. “Damien was all the family I had.”

“You haven’t lost him
completely.”

He gave a bitter laugh. “When
someone joins Deirdre’s ranks, they never come back.”

“You don’t know that for sure.
Didn’t you say everything that was known about her was based on
rumour?”

“Rumours have their roots in
reality.” He was quiet, a muscle working in his jaw. Eventually, he
leaned back so he could see her face. “Thanks.”

“For what?” She looked up at him
quizzically.

“For sticking with me.” He gave her
what started as a gentle kiss but then grew into something deeper.
Reno lifted Brandi, one hand cupping her butt while Brandi ran her
fingers through his hair. When Reno set her on the kitchen table,
Rafe rolled his eyes.

Clearing his throat loudly, he
entered the room. “Not on my table. Please. I have to eat off
it.”

Reno and Brandi ended their kiss
and looked his way. Brandi appeared slightly guilty, but Reno was
unrepentant and grinned widely.

“Sorry.” Reno set Brandi on the
ground and would have kissed her again if she hadn’t pushed him
away.

“Behave,” she chided. “Go check how
the captain is doing with the prisoners. I’ll send Rafe out as soon
as he’s ready.”

Reno squeezed her butt once more
and then walked away laughing when she swung at him.

Rafe waited a beat until the door
shut behind Reno before commenting. “He’s taking Damien’s defection
hard.”

Brandi nodded. “He’ll try to hide
it, but inside…” She sighed. “For years it was the two of them
fighting against the wrongs of the world. Having Damien join the
other side has really shaken him.”

“Damien hasn’t totally abandoned
his values. He still believes in saving the underdog. I could sense
that in him.”

“I know but the method he’s
chosen…” She shook her head. “Depending on what the captain decides
to do, Damien could be declared an outlaw. He’ll be stripped of his
rank and lose all rights to any benefits he might have received
from being a part of Lycan Link. He’ll be a homeless rogue, just
like all the rest.”

Rafe winced knowing exactly what
that entailed from his years at the clinic. Lycans like Damien were
the reason he had to rebuild the clinic. Even if his heart was no
longer in it, even if his abilities were faulty, someone had to
watch out for them. If he didn’t then who would?

“Reno said that the chopper’s ready
whenever you are.”

He nodded knowing it was time to
go, but his heart was telling him to stay. Eve would need him to
help her recover from the trauma she’d experienced, but in the end
he’d still have to leave and would it hurt any less in a week or
two? No. This was for the best. And Brandi was capable; he’d leave
her a list of instructions. “You’ll watch out for Eve? Make sure
she gets her wrist checked? She might have nightmares after all
she’s been through so if you could—”

“I’ll take care of her, Dr. McRae,
don’t worry.”

“Thanks.” The corner of his mouth
turned up in a brief smile as he acknowledged he was sounding like
a mother hen. “I know you’ll do whatever is needed. It’s just that
she’s…” He paused not sure what he could say that could possibly
explain his relationship with Eve. Once an empath formed a mental
bridge with someone they were connected in a way that non-empaths
could never understand.