Betraying Innocence (7 page)

She grabbed the landing net and made her way back to where Rafe stood waiting. He looked at the net in her hand and grinned. Without thinking, she
smiled back, passing him the net.

“Can you manage?” she asked. “I have to
get my dad from the ferry.”

Their fingers brushed when he took it.
Warm sparks shot up her arm, making her skin tingle. She jerked back in surprise.

“Sorry,” she mumbled sheepishly
, rubbing the tips of her fingers on her thigh.

He was looking at her oddly, like he couldn’t quite figure out what
to say. The intensity behind his gaze had her shifting her weight nervously from foot to foot.

She slicked her lips. “I should go.”

He blinked as if coming out of a trance. “Oh, right.”

She
followed him out, locking the front door behind her. With a last wave at the three watching her, she climbed into the truck and pulled out in reverse.

Her dad’s ferry was just docking when she pulled into a parking spot and climbed out. She pocketed the keys and hurried to meet him.

“You remembered!” her father teased when he clambered off the giant white boat. “Here I was worried you’d forgotten all about me in your first taste of freedom.”

Ana rolled her eyes. “I’ve been alone before, Dad.”

He slung an arm around her shoulders and drew her into his side as they walked back to the truck. “What are you talking about? It was only yesterday you had your hair up in pigtails and demanded everyone call you Princess Ana.”

They reached the truck. Ana pulled away. “You’re right. What was I thinking?”

He patted her shoulder. “It’s okay. That whole memory issue, I hear it gets worse with age.”

Giving him a playful shove, Ana rounded the truck and climbed into the passenger’s seat. Her dad got into the seat beside her and extended his hand. With a remorseful sigh, she dropped the keys into his palm.

“Hello, baby,” he crooned to the truck, stroking the steering wheel. “Yes, I missed you, too.”

Ana just shook her head, smothering
her laugh.

There were thirteen missed calls on the machine when they got home. All thirteen were from Mom.

“Ana? Where are you? I see the lines were hooked up. Now answer the phone!”

Beep!

“Ana, it’s Mom. Answer the phone!”

Beep!

“What is this I hear about some guy dying in my house?”

Beep!

“Answer the phone, Ana! Now!”

Beep!

“Richard, if you’re listening to this, why is your cell off? Have you talked to Ana? What the hell is going on over there! Someone better phone me or God help me I will come up there and…”
Her voice faded as she pulled the receiver away from her ear.
“No I don’t want the teal color! What kind of assistant are you? The green one. Yes.”
Then she was back, her voice louder.
“Richard! Call me!”

Her father blanched. “Ah man! How did she find out from a hundred and forty-one miles way?”

Ana shrugged. “It’s that scary Mom Magic, I guess. Kind of like how she has eyes in the back of her head and can smell fear from a mile away.”

Dad sighed,
rifling a hand through his hair. “I am never going to hear the end of this.”

While Dad called Mom and explained to her what
had happened and that nobody died, Ana went upstairs to finish the rest of her unpacking. There were only four boxes, but instead of heading for them, she went to the window and peered out. No ball in the pond, she noticed. Part of her wondered why Rafe hadn’t just fished the ball out instead of dragging his brother and sister to her front door, but that was just another added mystery to the package that was Rafael. The guy made no sense to her whatsoever.

“Ana!”

She was in the process of crushing the last box when her father’s booming voice reverberated up the stairs, down the hall to swarm her room like a cannon fire. The part of her brain that recognized annoyance in her father’s tone, prickled. Apprehensive and mind scrambling to create an excuse for whatever she was about to be reprimanded for, Ana hurried downstairs.

“Yeah?” She got to the bottom of the stairs and
blinked. “Rafe?”

He stood just inside the foyer, hands in his pocket, looking very uncomfortable in the presence of her scowling father. He glanced up when she joined them and gave an acknowledging nod.

“So you
have
met,” her father said slowly, frowning down at her as if talking to anyone from the opposite sex was just the worst crime ever committed. “I was wondering why he was returning my fishing net.”

Ana rolled her eyes. “Chill, Dad! He borrowed it to get his brother’s ball out of the pond.”

Dad pursed his lips. “Yes, that’s what he told me.”

Having gone through this song and dance when she’d become friends with Jamie, Ana just wasn’t as intimidated by the overprotective act as she used to be. But then again, she
had never had an inexplicable urge to rake her fingers through Jamie’s hair the way she did Rafe’s, so maybe her father did have a little more cause for concern. Nevertheless, no matter how hot Rafe was, Ana wasn’t stupid enough to fall for a boy like him.

Shaking her head, Ana turned to Rafe, offering him an apologetic smile. “Thanks for bringing it back.”

Staring just an inch above her head, Rafe nodded. “Yeah, no problem.”

“Guess your brother was happy to get his ball back?”

Again, he nodded, slower this time. “Yeah. He said to tell you thanks.”

Somehow, she couldn’t see that coming from the grumpy little boy. “No problem.”

Seconds passed, each more suffocating than the last. Her father continued to watch them — or rather slowly magnify-roast Rafe like an ant at a picnic. Even the way he held the net, like a baseball bat over his shoulder said very loudly just how much he disapproved of the boy darkening his doorway and committing the ultimate crime — being within a hundred miles of his daughter. Ana could only sigh and pray to be evaporated on the spot.

It was Rafe who broke the palpable silence
. “I should…” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder, already inching backwards towards the door. “I’ll catch you later.”

“Ana will be busy later,” Dad piped in, somehow making those five little words come off like a threat.

Rafe bobbed his head slowly like that made perfect sense. “Right. See—”

Bang!
The door slammed shut in his face.

“Dad!” Ana exclaimed, horrified.

“He was leaving!” he cried with all the innocence of an evil villain. “Besides, do you really want to be friends with a guy like that?”

She gaped, too outraged, mortified
… appalled to formulate words for a sold minute. Then it all came charging back.
“
What does that even mean?”

“It means
that boys who look dangerous, usually are. He’s a far cry from Jaime.”

“I was never interested in Jaime.”

Dad threw his hands up. “Well, maybe that’s the kind of guy you should be setting your sights on, Ana.” He put his hands up to stop her when she opened her mouth to argue. “Look, I get that you’re almost an adult and there’s something exciting about a guy like…”

“Rafe,” she supplied.

“Whatever. But boys like him only want one thing and I sure as hell won’t let him get that from my daughter.”

A
na wanted to laugh. Rafe didn’t need her to get that one thing. Most of the girls in town were tripping over their panties chasing him. He had his pick of any one of them. But she didn’t tell her father that.

Instead, she folded her arms and
replied, “I’m not stupid. I’m not going to let some guy go there just because he’s hot, okay?”

He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I never said you were stupid, but
that kid sets off all my daddy senses, okay? Just stay away from him.”

“I can make that decision on my own
. I’m going to be eighteen next year.”

Dad squeezed her shoulder, shrugged his own and replied simply,
“That’s still a whole twelve months away. Until then, I reserve the right to be a total jerk until further notice.” He shrugged again. “It’s one of the perks of being a dad.”

Then, w
ith a brilliant smile, he pivoted on his heels and strolled into the kitchen, whistling.

Ana

The creak of rusted hinges stole the thin wisps of sleep Ana was trying desperately to cling on to. It seeped through her wall of defense and her eyes snapped open. They darted to the door. Still firmly shut. They moved to the closet. Also shut. It was three fifteen in the morning.

Groaning, she pushed upright. “Dad?
Is that you?”

Silence curled through the house
, dense like fog. Part of her wondered if she could touch it if she reached out.

Mitzy
hopped off the bed and slinked over to the door. He sat on his haunches and mewled.

“Now?”
she hissed. The last thing she wanted was to open the door. “Can’t you hold it in?”

The cat twisted his head around and pinned her with unimpressed green eyes and
mewled again, clearly not taking no for an answer.

Resigned, Ana pushed
back the sheets and swung her legs over the edge of the mattress. She yawned and stuffed a fist into her eyelid. Still half asleep, she rose and shivered as the cold soaked into the bottom of her feet. She made a mental note to ask for a heater.

“I’m coming!” she grumbled when Mitzy growled his displeasure. “God you’re a
bossy cat!”

Shuffling to the door, she yanked it open.
Mitzy bolted past her, padding stealthy to the landing of the stairs. He looked back, mewled.

“Go!” she told him.

He mewled.

“What is wrong with you, cat?”

Abandoning the safety of her room, she followed him downstairs. Each step felt like a cube of ice beneath her foot.

Mitzy was already at the bottom
; long, straggly tail twitching. He took off once Ana had reached him. He loped down the hall, illuminated by a square patch of yellow spilling from the kitchen doorway. Ana frowned. Her parents never left the light on.

Mitzy purred, a sound she hadn’t heard him make in years.
She looked down to find him rubbing himself against the bottom half of the door the way a normal cat would rub himself along his owner’s legs.

“Hey, stop that.” She started for him.

He made another sound, something deep and guttural.

“Come here, boy,” she whispered, her heart lodged somewhere in her throat. “Come on.”

Ignoring her, he went up onto his hind legs, planted his front paws on the door and began clawing at the wood, peeling away wood and paint. His purrs intensified, becoming growls of something much too big for his tiny frame. Ana gasped, her breathing rapid.

“Mitzy…”

“Ana?”

The overhead lights flared to life, blinding her. She hissed as her hands flew up to shield her eyes. She spun around, squinting through her fingers at the figure standing at the bottom of the stairs.

“Dad?”

“What are you doing down here?” He looked around. “Who are you talking to?”

Relieved not to be alone anymore, Ana stabbed a finger in the direction of the cat. “He won’t stop clawing at the door.”

Brow furrowed, Dad joined her in the hall and followed her finger. “Who won’t?”

Frustrated, Ana turned.

The cat was gone. The claw marks were gone. There was nothing there.

“But…” She turned on the spot, looking for the feline. “He was just here. He made me come down.”

“Who?”

“Mitzy! He was…”

At the top of the stairs … watching her
with his cool, green eyes.

Ice cold dread coiled in the pit of her stomach.
Sweat dampened the back of her shirt, plastering it to her spine.

“He was here,” she rasped. “I swear, he was…”

Her father’s hands were warm and gentle around her as he pulled her into his chest. “You were dreaming.” He stroked her hair. “Come on.”

She let herself be led up and even let herself get tucked in the way he’d done when she was little. He kissed her temple, murmured good night and left her
wide awake in the dark.

“How are you feeling?”

Ana yawned loudly, dropping her head back against the headrest. “So tired.”

Dad nodded like it made perfect sense. “You had a rough night.” He took his time making a turn. “Want to talk about what happened?”

She’d asked herself the same question for most of what was left of the night as she had laid there, watching the door and listening as the house settled around her. She’d only come to one conclusion.

“I guess I was sleepwalking.”

Her father’s eyebrows lifted. “That’s a new phase. Don’t kids usually outgrow that? I mean, you’re kind of going backwards in the order of things.”

She rolled her eyes, in no mood for joking, talking, or being awake. “
I have no idea.”

A moment of silence strained around them as they passed through the gates at the airport and circled the lot for a spot to park.

“So what were you doing?” he asked.

Ana shook her head. “I have no idea.
I thought Mitzy was asking me to follow him downstairs.”

Dad nodded slowly. “
Yeah that’s what you said last night.”

Her mom was ranting into her phone when she finally
disembarked the plane. Ana wondered how long it was after the tires hit the asphalt before her mother switched on her phone. Assuming she even waited that long.

“Yes of course I’ll have the presentation ready. I’ll fax it over the second I get home. Yes.” She pressed a kiss to the top of Ana’s head
, brushed a kiss to her father’s cheek, then went right back to negotiating business.

“Did I miss
anything?” Mom asked, once they were strapped into the truck and pulling out of the airport.

“
Nope,” Ana and her dad muttered together.

Mom looked from one to the other, suspicion narrowing her eyes. “It’s just you both look
so … miserable. Is it because I asked you to come pick me up? You know I would have done it myself, but I’m just so tired.”

“
We had a bit of a rough night,” her father explained.

“It’s why Dad won’t let me drive your car back,” Ana muttered, a bit peeved about the fact.

“That’s not why,” her dad replied. “I would just feel better if you didn’t look ready to fall asleep sitting up.”

“
Did something happen last night?” Her mother turned slightly in her seat to peer at Ana in the back.

Ana shook her head. “
Just a bad dream.”

Her mom sat back again. “
Well, I guess we’re all going to have an early night.” She sighed, tilting her head back against the headrest. “I am just exhausted myself.”

“Ana. Wake up.”

The sheets rustled in the dark as Ana shifted.

“Ana.”

“What?” she grumbled into the pillow.

“Wake up, Ana.”

“No … why?”

“
Come here.”

Groaning, she sat up, her head a million miles away, lost in the heavy fog of sleep.
The floorboards creaked as she was led down the stairs. Her shoulder scraped the wall along the hall leading into the kitchen.

“Where are we going?”

“This way.”

“Mom?” The back
door was open to the cool, night air. Ana frowned as she staggered her way forward. “Dad? Where are you?”

“This way.”

The night was crisp, moist with condensation. The dew on the grass dampened the bottom of her flannel pants as she was propelled across the yard.

“Ana!”

“I’m coming!” Her foot caught on a root. She staggered but kept upright.

“Ana, stop!”
The voice wasn’t the same. This one was panicked and loud.

“This way!”

“Where are we going?”

“Ana!”

Something slammed into her, nearly sending her to the ground. Bands of steel clasped around her, crushing her breathing and lifting her off her feet. The assault had the mist lifting from around her. She was sent violently crashing into reality. She cried out as she was swung around and set back down onto her feet.

“Ana.” She was grabbed and forcibly turned to face her father’
s drawn and pale face and the wild fear in his eyes. “What were you thinking?”

She stared at him
, her mind and her eyes at war with what was happening. “What are you doing?”

He jerked back. He straightened, scrubbing his hands over his face. He swore. His fingers fisted back through his hair.

“What are you doing out here, Ana?”

Disorientated, she looked around her.
“I’m outside.”

“Yeah, you’re outside!” he shouted, his voice bordering on hysteric
al. “What are you doing outside?” He rubbed a shaky hand over his mouth. “You nearly walked straight into the pond. Jesus … if I hadn’t gotten up for a glass of water … Christ, Ana!”

“I … I’m sorry…
I don’t know how I got here.”

With another violent curse that would have had her mother laying bricks, she was snatched up by his arms and smothered into his chest. He held her so tight she couldn’t breathe. Then, just as suddenly, he released her.

“Come on.” He exhaled sharply. “Let’s get you back to bed.”