Betraying Innocence (24 page)

Rafe cursed.

“Language, young man!” Sally scolded, slapping her book down on the desk.

Ana opened her mouth
to ask if there was anything else she could remember about the Baits disappearance when a voice from behind her called her name.

“Ana?”

Startled
, Ana turned and stared into Vinny’s grinning face.

“I thought that was you,” he said, stopping a few feet from her.

“Vinny, hi.”

“Hey yourself!” he
said. His gaze darted to Rafe, then to the hand Rafe still held and finally returned to Ana. “What are you doing here?”

“Just looking some stuff up,” she said
. “You?”

“Homework.
” He glanced down at her injured arm. “I heard what happened. Are you all right?”

Ana
grimaced. “Yeah, I’m fine, just thoroughly embarrassed.”

Vinny chuckled. “It wasn’t your fault.”

No, but she could hardly tell him a ghost made her trip.

An awkward sort of silence draped over them where no one spoke for a moment. It wasn’t until Rafe shifted that she got some sense back.

“Um, you know Rafe, right?”

Vinny nodded. “Yeah, we have a few classes together.
”

“We should go,” Ana said when the same tense silence fell over them.
She grabbed the printout off Sally’s desk. “We still have searching to do.”

Vinny’s
gaze dropped to the paper. “Isn’t that your house?”

Ana
glanced at the page as though surprised to see that it was. “Uh, yeah…”

Vinny craned his neck to have a better look. “Johnny Baits.”

Ana looked at him. “Do you know him?”

Vinny laughed. “No, this
was before my time, but everyone here knows the story. Nothing ever happens here in Chipawaha Creek so people always remember when something does. Johnny Baits was the only kid to ever disappear like that.”

“Like what?” Ana took a step forward, anxious.

He shook his head. “Well, just taking off like that one night. I don’t know all the details, but you should ask my dad. He and Baits went to school together. I think they were even friends. My dad was there that night. You’re coming over for dinner this weekend, right? You should ask him then.”

Ana blinked. “
Sorry?”

Vinny glanced quickly from Ana to Rafe, then back, confusion crinkling his brows. “Saturday, you and your parents
… Mom’s been talking about nothing else since my dad told her you guys were coming. She’s really excited to meet you.”

Next to her, Rafe released her hand. She felt it almost instantly as he drew away.

“I’ll meet you back at the car,” he muttered, already walking away.

She started after him, catching herself only a second too late. She turned back to Vinny, her grin sheepish. “Sorry. We have to go, but I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

With a last wave, she hurried after Rafe. She caught up to him at his car. He was leaning against the side of the hood, hands lost in his pockets. Her backpack was at his feet.

“Hey.” She jogged up to him. “What’s wrong?”

He shook his head. “Nothing.” He pushed off, still without looking at her and started to turn away. “We should go.”

“I didn’t know,” she blurted.
“I mean, I did. I was there when Mom and Mr. Andrews made the plans, but it wasn’t me. I didn’t agree or anything.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He circled around to his side of the Firebird and threw open his door.

She had no idea why her stomach was in knots or why she felt the urgency to try and make him understand, but it was eating at her that he did. That he knew
…

Silently, Ana grabbed her bag and got into her side of the car.
He waited until she had strapped in before pulling the car from the parking lot and heading south, back through town. But instead of returning her home as she’d expected, he pulled over next to the diner.

“I’m hungry,” he muttered when Ana glanced at him.
“Coming?”

He was out of the car and at her
side before she could reply. He yanked open the door and offered her a hand out. She left her backpack on the floor of the car as she let him tug her out. He closed her door and kept a hold of her as he led them inside.

The server she’d had the day before, Wanda, hurried over to them, notepad and pen poised.
Her gaze swept over them, the surprise and interest unrestrained. There was a ghost of a smile curling the corner of her lips when she finally reached them. Ana ignored it as she made her order. Rafe seemed to do the same and said nothing a moment as they watched Wanda hurry away, possibly to jump on the phone first chance she got. Ana wondered if her outing with Rafe would reach the ever listening ears of Mayor Andrews by suppertime. She wondered why everyone cared so much.

“What did you do?” she asked Rafe, tu
rning to pin him with curious eyes.

Rafe reached for the salt shaker. He twisted it absently until the label was perfectly aligned with the shaker beside it marked
pepper
. He nudged both back so they struck the napkin dispenser.

“What do you mean?” He kept his gaze turned on the items
at the end of the table.

Ana
shrugged. “Every person I meet tells me to stay away from you, like you’re the plague or a cult member. I’m beginning to wonder if you sacrifice babies in your basement.”

His lashes lifted just enough for him to peer at her through their sooty fringes. “
I prefer virgins.” He paused a full heartbeat before adding, “I have applications if you’re interested.”

She knew she should be insulted, but the dark glint in his eyes was impossible to ignore. She snorted. “Are you
insinuating I’m a virgin?”

If possible, the intensity in his gaze sharpened, became brutally focused. “I insinuate nothing, but I wouldn’t say no to
a demonstration.”

She laughed and dropped her gaze. “You need to stop that.”

The leather beneath him squeaked as he adjusted his weight and leaned back. His long fingers threaded together on the table between them. “And what’s that?”

“Flirting with me.” She raised her head and studied him. “
I don’t know why you do it when you just wind up pushing me away. Truthfully, I don’t know why you do anything you do. You’re so conflicting.” She moistened her lips, amusement gone now as she turned her head towards the window overlooking the street and the people going about their business. “I don’t understand you.”

His
tawny eyes skirted away from hers. “We should talk about what’s going on with your house.”

Grateful for the change of topic, Ana nodded. “Okay.” She pulled her drink over to her and stirred the cubes of ice floating along the surface with her straw. “Do you know anything about the people
who used to live there?”

He shook his head. “There were a few.” He drummed his fingers on the table, his eyes squint
ing as he tried to think. “I don’t think any of them died though.”

“What about the Baits family?” she asked.

“Everyone knows about them,” he said. “I mean, you heard it enough today, nothing ever happens here so when something does, people remember. My mom grew up here. So did my dad. Both have deep roots in Chipawaha Creek. Both their families were some of the few first settlers here. My great some odd grandfather was one of the founding fathers so you can kind of say this town is my birthright or something. My dad tried to get my mom to leave after I was born. He hated it here. Hated the people. But she refused even when…” He wet his lips and turned his gaze down onto the table.

“What?” she prompted, desperate for even a small shred of information on the boy in front of her.

He exhaled, the sound pulsing with frustration. “My family isn’t known for being the most upstanding pillars of society, okay? I come from a very long line of delinquents, thieves and m … murderers. We’re not the sort of family you want into.”

“Did you do any of those things?” she asked.

The way he was suddenly staring out the window said plenty, even before he replied, “For a while.” He rubbed a hand over his eyes. “When I was younger. I did a lot of stupid things. Never murder, but I hurt a lot of people because I thought it was what I was supposed to do. That it was expected of me. Then I realized the only person I was hurting was my mom. She was the one taking the blows for me. The town turned on her, said the worst things possible to her. They treated her like garbage because of me. I think that’s why she was so quick to fall for Dan. He was the only one who didn’t turn away from her. Everything that happens to her and the twins now is my fault. They’re miserable because of me. I make people miserable. I ruin their lives.”

“Stop that!” The words hissed out before she could stop herself.
“That isn’t true.”

He leaned forward and dropped his voice. “It is, and I will ruin yours if you stay with me.”

Following his movement, she folded her arms on the table and brought her face inches from his. She narrowed her eyes and whispered, “I don’t believe you.”

Their gazes tangled a moment as they searched
each other’s eyes. Rafe was the first to grin.

“
Let’s get back to your ghost problem, okay? My problems aren’t going anywhere any time soon.”

Wanting to protest, but not knowing what to say, Ana just nodded as she drew back.

“I remember the place being empty a lot,” he picked up as though they’d never deterred from the original topic. “I was five when the Kahn family moved there. They had a son a year older than me in school. I think they only lived there a year. Six months later, there was the…” He puffed up his cheeks and exhaled, staring at a point just above her head, as though the names of the families were written in the air. “Copes … no, Foresters. Then the Copes. Then the…” He grimaced. “Porters? I think. None of them ever stayed for very long. Before you moved in, it had been empty for five years. Before that the Ewines lived there.”

Ana frowned. “And no one thought that was weird? Did any of these people ever say why they left?”

Rafe shrugged. “If there was a reason, I never cared enough to listen.”

Their burgers and fries
arrived, putting a momentary pause on their conversation. Wanda puttered around their table for longer than was necessary to serve two platters of fries and burgers, asking if they needed salt or pepper or ketchup. It took all of Ana’s patience not to point at the items already on the table. Not that it would have made a difference. Wanda’s attention had been captured by Rafe and Rafe alone. She kept rapping her pen on the spiral cords of her notepad while she bit her bottom lip and eye-humped him.

“Are you sure there’s nothing else I can get you?” she kept asking like
Rafe’s
no, I’m fine, thanks,
was code for
yes, I’d like a side order of desperate
.

Ana
quickly stuffed three French fries into her mouth to keep from blurting out anything she’d regret later.

“I think we’re good,
thanks,” Rafe told her, reaching for the salt shaker.

Wanda continued to stand there, swaying side to side
as he shook salt over his fries. “I could—”

“
Just give him your number already!” Ana finally snapped. “I can pretend I need the bathroom if it’ll make it easier for you to write it on a napkin.”

Wanda’s cheeks went scarlet. Her mouth gaped as she stared, horrified, at Ana. Across the table,
Rafe was staring at her as well, as were the handful of customers occupying the place. Ana squeezed her eyes closed and cursed. Wanda was still frozen in place when she opened them again.

“I
am so sorry—”

“
Bitch!” Wanda hissed. Her bottom lip trembled. She pursed it quickly before spinning on her heels and sprinting into the kitchen. The door swung shut behind her.

Ana slumped back in her seat.
She could feel the eyes of judgment burrowing into her from the other customers … and Rafe. She cursed again.

“That was interesting.” The amusement in
Rafe’s voice only made her want even more to crawl beneath the table.

“I didn’t mean to say that
.” She mashed her face into her hands. “God, I don’t even know why … I should go apologize.”

He stopped her before she could slide out of the booth.
“I wouldn’t.”

Ana frowned. “But I—”

“She’s upset and in a place full of sharp objects…” He gave her a pointed look. “Trust me. You should let her cool down first.”

Seeing his point, she returned to her seat and stared down at her food. “
I feel awful.”

He
leaned forward, resting his hands on either side of his plate. “I thought it was damn sexy, seeing you all jealous like that.”