After the Storm (KGI #8)(103)

“That’s crazy! Donovan would damn well protect you too!” Rusty said fiercely. “If you gave him the chance. It’s not just those kids he wants, Eve. He wants you too!”

Eve held up a hand after securing the knot around Rusty’s ankles. “Don’t! Just don’t. You’ll only defend him, and his actions are indefensible. You’d side with him. I’d expect you to. He’s your family—your brother. I’m not. I know where your loyalty lies and it’s not—and shouldn’t be—with me.”

“Bullshit!” Rusty snapped. “I’ll help you. Whatever you need, Eve. We’ll work this out. Let me help you if you won’t let Donovan. But you taking off like this is not the answer and you know it! You’re scared shitless. You don’t want to hurt me. You sure as hell don’t want to shoot me. You keep apologizing, for Christ’s sake. Hardened criminal you aren’t, and you sure as hell aren’t mentally unstable. That’s bullshit and I don’t believe it for a minute.”

Eve’s expression saddened and the anger left as she gazed thoughtfully at Rusty.

“Even if I thought I could trust you, I couldn’t—wouldn’t—put you in any danger. You’re right, Rusty. You were kind to Travis and I’ll always appreciate that. You have a good heart, but I can’t let you help me. It’s too dangerous. My stepfather would kill you without thought. And as I said, your loyalty belongs to your family. Not me.”

“That’s bullshit!” Rusty repeated, frustration grinding her jaw until her teeth ached from it. “No matter what you think you know, there is no way Donovan would throw you under the bus like you’re saying he has. No f**king way! What can I say to make you believe that? If you won’t believe in him, will you at least believe in me? You have to trust someone, Eve. Nobody can make it alone. We all need someone at some point. God, I learned that lesson the hard way, and thank God the Kellys were too stubborn to let me throw their kindness back in their faces.”

Eve smiled faintly as she wound the rope around Rusty’s wrists, tying her hands behind her back. Rusty craned her neck, staring up at Eve, looking for any sign that she was getting through to her. God, she couldn’t let Eve walk out that door and into God only knew what kind of hell awaited her.

“I wish Donovan were as admirable as you in his loyalty,” she said sadly. “Donovan is only loyal to his cause and his interests. And in this case, his interest is in my brother and sister. He’s ruthless. Oh yes, he’s utterly ruthless when it comes to protecting what he considers his. I could admire that if it weren’t aimed at me and at my expense. It’s the only reason I’m leaving Cammie and Travis with him. I can’t protect them. God, I wish I could. I’d do whatever I could to ensure their safety and well-being. But I can’t. You’re right that everyone needs someone. And Travis and Cammie need him. I do know he cares about them and he’ll protect them from Walt. Even if he sacrifices me in the process. And that hurts, but it’s at least a relief that he’s willing—and able—to take care of them when I can’t.”

She went silent a long moment as she finished securing the bonds around Rusty’s hands and feet. Then she stood, reaching for the money bag on the counter.

Rusty was trying to process Eve’s impassioned speech. The conviction—and resignation—in her words. She couldn’t wrap her mind around what the hell Donovan had done to drive Eve to such a desperate—and selfless—act. Eve was utterly convinced that she was being handed over to her stepfather by the only person she’d allowed herself to trust. Rusty couldn’t even imagine the pain Eve was experiencing. True or not, Eve believed it wholeheartedly, and it broke Rusty’s heart for this fragile woman who’d been handed far too much hurt in her life already. This was, Rusty believed, the final straw. Eve looked utterly defeated. Hopeless. And resigned to an uncertain fate.

“Do me one favor, Rusty,” Eve said in a husky voice laced with tears and knotted with emotion. For a moment she remained silent, obviously grappling with the words she wanted to say. “Don’t let Cammie and Travis forget how much I love them. Don’t ever allow them to think I left them willingly. Make sure they’re happy and loved. That’s how you can help me.”

Tears burned Rusty’s eyes as Eve walked toward the back of the store. Never had she felt so helpless. Not even when she’d been a surly teenager on her own, desperate for her next meal and fearful of the lengths she’d have to go just to survive.

Eve was utterly devastated. She was broken and defeated and she left with the weight of the world on her shoulders. She believed—absolutely believed—that Donovan had betrayed her.

Had he? An uneasy sensation crawled up Rusty’s spine. She knew well that Donovan could be ruthless, as Eve had just said. But how ruthless? Could he really have planned to sacrifice Eve in order to ensure Cammie and Travis’s safety?

She shook herself from her thoughts and leaned back, stretching her bound legs upward toward the button that triggered a silent alarm. Now wasn’t the time to ponder the what ifs. No matter what Donovan had done—or what Eve thought he’d done—Rusty had to get help and fast. She couldn’t let Eve walk into the hands of a monster.

She just prayed that Donovan had already taken care of the matter and that Eve’s stepfather was no longer a threat. Because now Eve was alone and vulnerable, and worse, she thought that she’d been betrayed by the man she’d put all her faith in.