After the Storm (KGI #8)(62)

Curses exploded from Donovan’s mouth as rage swelled out of control in his chest. It shouldn’t have surprised him. Nothing should have surprised him after Eve had related so much about what an utter ass**le Walt was. But he hadn’t been prepared for the fact that her stepfather would have molested his only daughter. Had that been why he was so adamant about Eve’s mother giving him a daughter?

He wanted to hunt the bastard down and kill him with his bare hands. Fury sizzled in his veins until it was all he could do to sit there, holding and comforting Eve, when he wanted to take the man apart who’d done so much harm to three innocent people. Four, counting Eve’s mother. He didn’t disbelieve Eve’s assessment that Walt had killed his wife. Donovan could well believe it.

“I told Travis I’d do whatever I could. That we’d run. Together. That I’d never leave him and Cammie. That I wouldn’t have left them but Walt had thrown me out of the house and forbidden contact. I later discovered that one of the maids had helped Travis. She’d known what Walt’s intentions were toward Cammie and she’d given Travis her phone to call me, and with the maid’s help, they sneaked out of the house at night after Walt had gone to bed. Her husband drove Travis and Cammie to meet me at a local grocery store. And he gave us his truck. I was stunned at his generosity, but he only told me that he and his wife, the maid in Walt’s house, had a daughter and they’d never allow anyone to hurt her like Walt was trying to hurt Cammie. So we took his truck and drove. We kept on driving until I was able to trade it in on a different vehicle. I gave a false name and it was a dealership that wasn’t exactly concerned with having all the i’s dotted and t’s crossed. I was concerned that Walt would have discovered who helped us and it would be too easy for him to find us if we continued to use the maid’s husband’s truck.

“So we set out in the other car and drove as far as we could. It broke down outside Dover, which is how we came to be here. I had enough money from temporary jobs I picked up along the way to rent the trailer. I knew we needed to stay long enough to build up enough cash to make our next move. But then Cammie got sick and I couldn’t leave her, so Travis got the job in the hardware store.”

“You were planning to run again last night,” Donovan said gently.

Eve flushed, pulling away from him to stare down at her lap. “Yes. I thought we were gaining too much attention. I’m not saying we didn’t appreciate all you and your sister were doing for us. But then there was the doctor you were going to bring over. The more people we were exposed to, the more likely it would be that we would be found. We were going to walk to Clarksville, where I could pawn my mother’s jewelry, and then take a bus into Kentucky. To a larger city. My mistake was in stopping in such a small town. We needed to go someplace larger. Where we could blend in and not draw much attention to ourselves.”

“I hope I’ve dissuaded you of that notion now.”

She gazed up at him, confusion still bright in her eyes. “I just don’t understand you, Donovan,” she said helplessly. “I don’t understand any of you. Why? Why would you help someone you don’t even know? You act like you . . . care.”

Donovan sucked in his breath, knowing that what he had to say could very well scare her off for good. That she might flee at the very first opportunity, not that he planned on giving her one. But he couldn’t lie to her either. She’d never trust him if he wasn’t completely honest with her. So he took a huge risk and laid it out.

“I do care, Eve. I care a hell of a lot.”

CHAPTER 19

EVE stared in shock at Donovan. There was no deception in his expression. His eyes were earnest. Blatantly honest and . . . sincere. He definitely cared. But she got a ridiculous sense that it wasn’t caring about someone in trouble. Like he’d care about a job he was doing. Hadn’t he said that he and his brothers helped people like her all the time? How crazy was it for her to read further into this? To assume he had feelings that went beyond the normal? Like she somehow mattered to him? That he was attracted to her?

And was she attracted to him? Or was this some crazy savior/victim thing going on? Her falling for the first guy who expressed concern and seemed to care for her?

She needed her head examined because she was in way over her head.

She wanted to ask him how much he cared, but doing so would set her up for inevitable disappointment. She needed to be objective. Look at him as someone who could help her and Cammie and Travis. And they did need help. Desperately. Would she be a fool to turn him down?

Yes. The answer was simple. Cammie and Travis deserved anything she could provide for them. It was obvious that she couldn’t do it on her own. Not anymore. She—they—needed Donovan Kelly.

“Tell me, Eve. Do I have any chance of making you trust me? And if asking for your trust is too much, will you at least accept the help I’m offering? Can you give me your word that you’ll stop running and give me—my brothers—the chance to help you?”

Slowly she nodded, though she wasn’t sure which part she’d agreed to. Maybe all of it. Maybe she already did trust him. Otherwise, would she be here? Not that she’d had much choice in the matter, but she hadn’t fought. Hadn’t even attempted to turn down his aid.

Satisfaction burned brightly in Donovan’s eyes, and his shoulders seemed to sag. In relief? He reached forward, touching her face with his fingertips, and she shivered at the warmth his touch provided. She was starved of affection. Of having someone touch her in such an intimate manner. Walt had touched her, yes, but every part of her had shriveled. She’d shrunk away from his touch, not wanting him anywhere near her. And Cammie. God. Nausea still rose in her stomach every time she imagined that precious little girl in the hands of a monster.