After the Storm (KGI #8)(101)

“Of the two, their father or Donovan, who would you prefer for Cammie and Travis to be with? I know Walt will hurt them. No matter that Donovan betrayed me, I don’t think him truly capable of hurting those children. He cares for them deeply. Me, not so much, since he plans to turn me over to my stepfather. The sacrificial lamb, so to speak, so he can protect Cammie and Travis.”

Rusty couldn’t have been more shocked if Eve had pulled the trigger and shot her where she stood. Her mouth gaped open as she stared back at Eve. It was then she realized that Eve believed every word that had come out of her mouth. Somehow, she’d gained the belief that Donovan had betrayed her—or would. How the hell was Rusty supposed to convince her differently? For that matter, what did she really know of the situation?

Donovan hadn’t shared much about Eve, or his feelings for that matter. He’d been extremely possessive of Cammie and Travis and, Rusty had thought, of Eve as well. Had she been so horribly wrong about a man she called brother?

No f**king way. Which meant Eve had some f**ked-up intel. The question was, how had she arrived at such a ridiculous conclusion?

Eve took a step forward, her eyes once more gleaming with resolve. She lifted the gun higher so it was aimed directly at Rusty’s chest. A cold chill snaked down Rusty’s spine. She was good at reading people. It was a skill that had served her well and had saved her ass on more than one occasion.

And right now she absolutely believed that Eve meant every single word of what she was saying. This was a desperate woman, making desperate choices. She had the gun to prove it.

Shit, shit, shit. What the hell was Rusty supposed to do?

She had no choice. She had to do as Eve asked, or rather demanded. It was too risky. What if Eve squeezed that trigger a little too hard in her effort to convince Rusty she meant business? Even if Eve had no intention of shooting Rusty, she could well do it by accident.

“Where do you want me to take you?” Rusty asked in defeat.

There was no triumph in Eve’s gaze. No sense of victory. She just looked . . . sad.

“To the hardware store. I’ll leave you there, but I’ll need your Jeep. Sorry. I don’t have a choice,” Eve said in a low voice.

Jesus God, she was standing there pointing a gun at Rusty and threatening to shoot unless Rusty cooperated, and in the next breath she was apologizing for the fact that she planned to steal Rusty’s ride.

Eve draped a shirt over the hand holding the gun and then motioned for Rusty to walk out of the house and back to her Jeep.

When they got outside, Eve directed Rusty into the front while she climbed in back and reclined on the seat so no one would see her head. But she angled the gun so it was pointed at the side of Rusty’s head. Rusty would have to be extra careful going over any bumps because she sure as hell didn’t want the gun accidentally discharging.

“Make sure you don’t do anything to alert anyone when we leave the gate,” Eve said in a low voice that was filled with purpose. “I know retinal scans are performed upon entering but that all you have to do to get out is punch in your key code from your vehicle, so there’s no need to roll down your window or even pause. If you do, I shoot. It’s that simple.”

That simple? Jesus. Rusty was beginning to wonder if the reports had been right and Eve was mentally unstable. Because normal people didn’t wield a gun and make threats.

But a desperate person did.

And whatever had driven Eve to her current level of desperation had to be bad. Rusty wasn’t a fool. She knew Eve had strong feelings for Donovan. But she also knew that she wasn’t as confident about her acceptance in the Kelly family yet. And who could blame her? Her life had been shit. Cammie’s and Travis’s lives had been shit. Rusty had been quick to condemn Eve for deserting her siblings, but it was in fact a selfless gesture on Eve’s part. Rusty had seen the pain that had swamped Eve’s eyes at the mention of leaving them behind. That kind of grief couldn’t be faked. And yet she was leaving them. With Donovan. Donovan, who she was convinced would protect them from her stepfather.

The question was, why didn’t Eve trust Donovan to protect her as well? What was it she’d said? That Donovan had betrayed her?

There were so many questions Rusty wanted answers to that her head was spinning. And she had no idea how to get those answers from a desperate woman pointing a gun at Rusty’s head.

This was one time when she wished Sean were actually pulling his hover routine and were around. Rusty might not be sure of the cop or his intentions. And that kiss had certainly put a different spin on things. But she did know Sean was a damn good cop with a very caring heart. How many times had he gone to the wall for the Kellys? How many times had he done things that could well jeopardize his reputation and career in law enforcement in order to do the right thing?

Yeah, she could use Sean about now. He had a level head and he was loyal to his bones. He could talk Eve around. She was sure of it. He’d certainly talked down Rachel on more than one occasion when Rachel was at her most vulnerable and precariously close to a nervous breakdown.

Eve’s break from reality certainly qualified in this instance. Rusty didn’t believe for a moment the woman was crazy or mentally unstable. Emotionally unstable at the moment? Hell yeah. She’d apparently been thrown one hell of a curveball. Rusty just wished she knew what the hell had gone on in that house to make Eve resort to such desperate measures.