Page 42 (2/2)
RUSTY pulled into Donovan’s drive and parked her Jeep beside Donovan’s truck just as he alking out the door He looked grim and resolved Her nape prickled because she knew that look Whatever shit was going down today was heavy
Not that Donovan had volunteered anything in the way of information He’d only said he needed her to come and stay with Eve while he "took care of business"
Rusty pitied the poor fool Donovan intended to take care of Though none of her brothers was ever overly descriptive in their accounts of the h--and hell, she had eyes--to know that a Kellyto behold
"Thanks for co, Rusty," Donovan said "I hope to be only a few hours, but I’ll keep in touch I don’t want Eve to worry, so if you can keep her occupied and distracted I’d appreciate it She wasn’t feeling well yesterday I think the stress is getting to her She had a headache and I had to give her an injection so she could sleep last night I left her in bed, so don’t disturb her I want her torest"
Rusty could see the very real concern reflected in Donovan’s eyes She reached out to squeeze his shoulder It was odd to be offering hi and reassuring in the Kelly fah he needed it, and while he’d ive Eve an injection to help her sleep, he hih he’d slept a wink
"I’ll take care of things here," she assured his can move forith their lives"
No, he hadn’t volunteered any information on the who and how of his mission today, but she wasn’t an idiot She knew it had everything to do with Eve’s stepfather and that Donovan would behis move in short order She only wished she could be there to see the ensuing ass kicking
The corner of Donovan’s mouth lifted in a seaze focused Detere her state care of, but neither did he refute it
He ruffled her hair and then without a further word, he strode to his truck, got in and roared down the road toward the main entrance to the compound Rusty watched until he disappeared, a cloud of dust kicking up in his wake
They really ought to consider paving the roads inside the compound
She waved her hand in front of her face to clear the cloud of dust that drifted back toward the house, and then she turned and headed to the front door, quietly letting herself in
But when she walked inside the living rooht before her
Eve, her expression just as gri a few feet away and she was holding one of Donovan’s pistols And it was pointed directly at Rusty
"What the hell?" Rusty de in the silence
"You’re going to get me out of this compound," Eve said calenuine baffle on here? She felt as though she’d stepped into an alternate universe Had the entire world gone mad on her?
"Why isn’t important," Eve said, her voice like ice
Her eyes were cold, her expression inscrutable But the gun never wavered in her grasp, and it made Rusty damn nervous
"Um, Eve? Just so you know, that pistol doesn’t have a safety"
If she sounded nervous, it was because she was She was bloody well terrified And Rusty didn’t scare easily But being on the business end of a loaded, aiun? Yep, that would do it
"Then you better er has no reason to accidentally pull the trigger," Eve said in an even icier tone
Holy fuck The world had gone insane Rusty shook her head, certain that this was some bizarre dream she’d walked into
"I don’t understand," Rusty said quietly, trying to stall But how? Donovan would likely be gone for hours Her other brothers would all be with him, as would Nathan and Joe’s team in all likelihood There was no one to help her No one to defuse the situation Rusty was it, and if she didn’t get Eve to see reason quickly, this was going to be one FUBAR situation
Not to mention Donovan would have her ass if she allowed Eve off the premises With her stepfather still a wild card, it wasn’t safe for Eve to leave the confines of the high-security compound Surely she had to realize that
"All you need to understand is that if you don’t do exactly as I tell you, I’ll pull the trigger," Eve said in a cold voice Rusty didn’t recognize at all
Eve was one of the entle, soft-spoken women Rusty had ever met This was so out of character for her that Rusty didn’t even knohere to begin But whatever she did, she had to do it quick before this resulted in death Her death
"I’er to myself and to others Surely you know that It’s in all the news reports"
"Bullshit," Rusty snapped "Where are Travis and Cammie?"
Her response see here," Eve said, her voice cracking with eh the front door
Here was a weakness Rusty could possibly exploit
"You’d just leave them behind?" she asked incredulously "If you do, you aren’t the person I thought you were, Eve"
Pain drifted into Eve’s eyes And grief Honest-to-goodness devastation It was as plain as if Eve wore a sign on her forehead
"I can help you," Rusty said in a low voice, one she hoped was soothing and convincing "Just tellI can to help I can call Donovan He’ll sort this out Whatever it is, Eve It can be solved It’s what my brothers do"