Page 35 of Return of the Bad Girl (Rock Canyon, Idaho 4)

“Yeah, I’m surprised she even had the nerve to come back to town. I heard her dad kicked her out because she refused to go to rehab for her coke addiction.”

“Seriously?”

Giving the windshield one more swipe, she turned around to catch two women she didn’t recognize passing her. “Actually, it was sex addiction. If you’re going to spread gossip, at least be accurate.” They hurried away, and she called, “Have a nice night.”

Great. Miss Know It All will probably have that rumor by tomorrow.

Caroline climbed into her car and flipped on the headlights. Her wipers and cleaning fluid helped a little, but she was going to have to take her car through a wash before the shaving cream sat too long. The smell of smoke and bar funk filled her car. With the place packed so full, it had been impossible not to get funkified.

Ugh, she wanted a shower.

As she pulled out of her parking spot, her headlights illuminated Gabe and Kirsten, locked in an embrace. For some reason, seeing them together, so close they could be making out, made her grip the steering wheel harder. She didn’t like Kirsten’s draping herself all over him like that, and why was he letting her, anyway?

For someone who doesn’t care about him, you sure are getting pissy.

Caroline suddenly realized she’d been sitting there too long with the glare of her headlights on them. And Gabe was looking right at her.

Shit. Pulling forward, she drove past without looking at them. She hoped he couldn’t see who was driving, but he’d probably recognize the car. Damn it; she didn’t want him thinking that she was spying on him, because she wasn’t. She didn’t care who or what he did, as long as it wasn’t illegal and didn’t affect her.

Which is why you were basically Fatal Attraction stalking him, right?

Fuck, the voice in her head needed to shut the hell up. Okay, so she was attracted to him. So what? She was attracted to lots of jackasses, and not one of them had turned out okay. This was her chance to turn over a new leaf and not follow her same old patterns. No dirt bags, assholes, or criminals. Item number two put Gabe smack in the middle of the undesirable list.

It took about fifteen minutes to go through the car wash at Mr. Nelson’s Chevron station. Once she was finished, she headed down Main Street to Oak Avenue, pulling down the alleyway slowly, just in case she hadn’t beat Gabe home. The spot was empty.

After she parked, she climbed out of the car and took a deep breath as she tried not to run for the stairs. No matter how many times she told herself that Rock Canyon was a safe place, the fact was, her rapist worked with her father just a little way down the street. And she’d accidentally forgotten her Mace and Taser tonight. But she wasn’t worried about Kyle making trouble, especially since he had no reason to. She’d kept his secret.

Still, the quiet of the alley was making her nervous. She glanced over her shoulder nervously before rushing into the apartment the minute her key turned the lock. The door slammed harder than she’d intended, her heart pounding against her breastbone as she twisted the dead bolt into place.

She was jumpy as hell and had no idea why. Just nerves, she supposed, but she’d lived in way rougher places than this. Maybe it was because she still hadn’t shaken the run-in with Kyle, and tonight, Wayne Coulter’s cold blue eyes and tight grip on her arm had brought on a rush of unease. Not that the two men looked alike, but the expression in Wayne’s eyes had reminded her of Kyle’s: untouchable, able to get away with anything.

And why not? He had. Aside from Shelby, who obviously hadn’t cared, she’d never told anyone what Kyle had done. She’d simply shoved that bag of bloody sheets under a loose floorboard in the back of her closet and kept quiet. It was her fault that he’d been allowed to move on and become successful.

There had been so many chances for her to come clean, but every time she found an opening, Kyle’s words would creep back in. If she tried to press charges, would he hurt her sisters? Kyle was sick, but as long as she didn’t give him a reason, he would stay away from Ellie and

Val.

But now with Kyle being nearby, Caroline’s old fears had returned. Though she wasn’t as worried with Justin staying at the house most nights, what about Ellie? Any time she left the house, she was vulnerable.

It wasn’t the first time Caroline had worried about her sisters’ safety since Kyle’s threat.

A few weeks after he raped her, Caroline still hadn’t been able to sleep without the nightmares. Every night, she’d dreamed of Kyle’s attacking her, only in her dreams, she felt and remembered everything. But one day, just as she was at her wit’s end and had been ready to tell her father, she’d shown up at her sisters’ school to walk them home . . . and they hadn’t been there. She’d been frantic, racing to the house to see if they were there, but they weren’t. She’d called Val’s phone, but there was no response. Just as she was about to call the police, Val and Ellie had come through the door with ice cream cones . . . and a smiling Kyle behind them.

Caroline hadn’t been able to breathe. When she’d told Kyle he needed to leave because her dad wasn’t home, he’d just smirked at her.

“I’ll see you around, then.”

The minute Kyle was out of the house, she’d dead bolted the door and started yelling at Val and Ellie that they were not to go anywhere alone with Kyle. Despite their confusion, she’d dragged a promise out of them and went upstairs to her room. Once inside, she’d closed the door and slid to the floor against it, sobbing.

Now, Caroline headed into her room, and when she went to open her dresser drawer, she realized her hands were shaking at the memory.

Get a grip. Kyle has no interest in you anymore, and you—and your family—are perfectly safe.

Gathering up her night clothes, she went down to the bathroom to shower. She was just getting ready to turn on the water when she heard the front door open. Hearing Kirsten’s high-pitched giggle, followed by Gabe’s low voice, helped Caroline relax. She felt better having him there, which was mind-boggling, because she had left her sister’s to get away from all of the noise.

Letting the heat rush over her body, she scrubbed herself until the water ran lukewarm. After drying off and pulling on her pjs, she stepped out of the bathroom and saw Kirsten dancing unsteadily in the dining room.

Kirsten stopped dancing when she noticed her. “What are you doing here?”

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