Page 105 of Rogue

“I invited him in from the rain. It was coming down in buckets, what else could I do?”

She touches her fingers to her lip, and the cool, calm, collected person I’ve been trying so bleeding hard to become goes berserk.

“Are you out of your goddamn mind? Inviting a stranger inside? With all the riffraff floating around Shelby? You should know better, Madelyn.” First Franco’s men, nowhim. “What color hair did he have?”

Please sayblack. Orbrown. That right now, Franco is all I have to worry about.

And Jaxson. Crap. Oh crap.

“Blond. He was a bit stiff…aloof is a better word. And kind of fierce.”

“What did he say?”

“Not a whole bunch.”

Blond. Aloof. A tight-lipped asshat. Declan.

Fuck.

“He asked if I was your sister.”

I squeeze my eyes shut, and when I open them, I’m staring at her acceptance letter to San Diego State University, which she’s proudly hung on the refrigerator door.

“Who is he?”

“No one you want to know. Grab your bags. We’ve got to get out of here.”

“What’s going on, Kylie?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“Can’t? Or won’t?”

I block out that sweet tone of hers. My bossiness never seems to rattle her. Then I shift into deep-panic mode.

She tries to reassure me. So innocent. So unaware of the danger she’s in.I’min. Not only is Franco on my tail, it seems Declan might be after me.

I swear to God, I’m hyperventilating. Panting like a sick dog. I glance at the kitchen clock. I can’t leave the trailer with dead bodies lying around. “Call a cab to pick us up, okay? And for the love of God, stay put.”

“Kylie . . .”

“Please. I’m begging you. There’s very little time left . . .”

“Time for what?” she asks.

Jaxson.

It takes me ten minutes to drag the dead bodies to the corpse of trees behind the trailer park. If the police investigate, if Declan did kill these men, then TORC is at more risk of exposure. Thankfully, Madelyn didn’t go outside, that by the grace of God she didn’t see them.

By the time I’m done, I’m frantic. I’m cutting things close. Far too close for comfort.

Two men, I remind myself.And Jaxson is a professional.

A few minutes later, I’m ushering Madelyn into the cab. Pausing briefly on the stoop, trying to see through his eyes. Staring at the two lone trees sitting side by side directly ahead of me. If I were going to shoot someone outside this trailer, that’s the spot I’d set up shop.

It felt like he was guarding the place, Madelyn had said. Declan killed Franco’s men.

It takes less than five minutes for the cab to pull up in front of the Pitt. “Please, just do as I say. I’ve got to go. Wait inside the Pitt for me.”