Rogue Betrayal Page 3

  My eyes pinched with unshed tears.

  Please, no.

  I was not going to cry about this.

  I was not this…this pathetic.

  It was a good thing he was getting help from Charley. She would fix it, probably lecture him a bit. I didn’t think he’d tell her what happened.

  But who knew at this point?

  Robert dated Riella, knew she was a goddess, and when I asked about it, lied.

  Then again, maybe he didn’t view me as someone he talked to. Maybe he didn’t think I was worthy enough for his secrets. Maybe I was really just someone who could help him build crawlers and expand his technology.

  Which was good.

  That was all I wanted to be.

  But no.

  I turned and nearly bumped into the broad chest of Dr. Dickbag himself.

  “Oh.” He barely saw me, but still managed to stop himself just in time so we didn’t touch. His sharp blue eyes flickered across my face, narrowed on the tears I was almost positive were still there, hanging out like those people in middle school who couldn’t seem to take a goddamn hint. “The tech kid.”

  Kid.

  Of course.

  Probably that was what Robert thought I was too.

  A kid.

  Dr. Dickbag glanced over my shoulder - maybe over my head - and his eyes narrowed, jaw locked.

  I looked back only to see Charley blowing on Robert’s knuckles. There was a soft look in his eyes as he looked at her, and I nearly choked.

  This wasn’t Charley’s fault. I knew it wasn’t. But she said she saw how he looked at me. Did she not see how he looked at her? And what did Dr. Dickbag care anyway?

  I didn’t want to deal with this. I brushed past him, accidentally bumping shoulders with the good doctor on the way out. I couldn’t even muster up an apology. He didn’t even notice. Maybe he had a thing for Robert or something. Who knew?

  I stepped out of the smothering room. The crisp, cool air immediately relaxed me. I tilted my face to the sun like a flower, feeling the weight of that scene roll off my shoulders. I couldn’t be around Robert. Everything was coiled bones and thorns. And it wasn’t just him. The worst came out of me when he pushed my buttons, when he cracked my heart without even realizing what he was doing.

  I slowed my pace, trying to get the poisonous anger to leave my body. I walked around Ring Road twice before I remembered I had training. It was so easy to get distracted. I wasn’t sure what that said about me. I knew that wasn’t healthy. Maybe there was something positive I could do that might come from this.

  I got to the locker room in time to see Charley there, rosebuds laced on a crown on top of her head. Somehow, the subtlety only brought out her features more.

  “What happened to Robert’s hand?” she asked the second she saw me. “I mean, I know we talked about it. But do you know how he injured it?”

  Anything that disappeared after leaving that building jumped back inside of me. It was like my demon was a genie and Charley had rubbed my lamp in the worst kind of way. “What do you care?”

  Her eyebrows shot up, surprised by my snarl. “Well, considering there’s a good chance he sprained them, I’d say that’s significant,” she said, opening the locker door. “What happened between you two?”

  “What?” I asked. I unbuttoned my shirt. It took me longer than normal simply because my fingers fumbled over the middle button twice until it finally gave.

  “Oh, come on.” She lowered her voice as she shifted her hips and her skirt fell to the floor. She pulled up her track pants, glancing up at me. “You’re angry, Lara. And I don’t know why. I just think it has something to do with Robert. And I think Robert’s angry because of whatever happened between you two. Angry enough to punch a wall.”

  My eyebrows shot up as I stuffed my shirt into my locker, not caring if it wrinkled. “He told you that?” I asked.

  “I’m not stupid,” she said, tugging on her shirt. “I can see a wall punch from a mile away, even if it was hastily patched up. He didn’t tell me why he hit the wall, though.” She glanced over at me again, as if seeing me for the first time. “You saw me, didn’t you? With him.”

  I snorted. I reached my arm to grab my pants and forced my feet into them without saying anything. I yanked them up and then stepped into my tennis shoes. I didn’t want to talk about this. There was nothing to talk about, and I certainly didn’t care if she helped with his hand or not. I knew she wasn’t interested in him. I knew this wasn’t her fault. But it wasn’t like I was around Robert. I couldn’t just yell at him, even if he deserved it.

  Or maybe I just needed a release. I needed to -

  “It doesn’t mean anything,” she said. “I was actually looking for you, you know. Robert must have been coming after you because I ran into him and noticed his hand.”

  “You don’t have to tell me,” I said through gritted teeth. Because I didn’t want to know.

  But I did.

  Deep down, I did.

  Charley snorted. Once her shirt was on, she reached up to adjust the crown on her head. “Yeah, okay,” she said. “He likes you, Lara. I wasn’t sure about it before but I know now.”

  I rolled my eyes and slammed the locker shut. “I saw Riella,” I said.

  “And you’re way prettier than she is,” she snapped, glaring at me. “Wanna know how I know? Because you’re real. You push him. You make him better, even if he thinks he’s right all the time. And he does the same to you.”

  “I don’t care if he -” I cut myself off. “He lied.” I dropped my voice. I didn’t want anyone overhearing our conversation. “About Riella. About…” I flared my nostrils. I didn’t think she knew what Riella was so I didn’t want to reveal such a thing to her in the heat of the moment. I swallowed the truth and nearly choked on that too. “He lied about what she was to him. What he knew about her.”

  Charley thought for a moment. “I get it,” she said softly. “I also know you’re looking for any excuse to lie to him too.”

  “What?” I jerked my head back like she slapped me.

  “He doesn’t know about the other night, does he? Your little clandestine meeting with the buff stranger on the pier?” Charley perked her brow, fiddling with her ponytail. When I didn’t answer, she cocked her head to the side. “So, you’re both lying.”

  “I -”

  Charley held up a hand. “Honestly, I don’t care,” she said. “You’re my best friend. I’m automatically on your side. But that doesn’t mean I have to agree with how you’re handling things or that I have to baby you. You’re both lying to each other probably because you both care what the other thinks. Maybe get your head out of your ass and be the bigger person and tell him about it.”

  I looked away. My cheeks pinched. I wasn’t sure if it was because I was ashamed of my actions or if it was still anger burning through me, stubbornly refusing to go out even if it was starting to get exhausting.

  “But he…” Even before I could formulate my argument, I could hear how pathetic it was. “Why should I go to him first?”

  “Who cares who goes to who first?” Charley asked, knitting her brows together. “That isn’t what relationships are about, Lara. You care about him, right? Then put your pride aside and apologize. Tell him the truth. And move on.”

  She said it like it was so simple. Like she didn’t understand how I wasn’t able to just do the steps she laid out in front of me.

  “How’s his hand?” I asked instead, shifting my weight. I frowned when I noticed one of my shoes was untied. I reached down and began to tie it, angling my head up so I could hear Charley.

  “Well, he’s going to be in pain the next couple of days,” she said, crossing her arms over his chest. “He can’t do anything physical. No building anything, tinkering with anything. I doubt that’s going to make him happy. In the entire time I’ve known Robert Lannister, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him idle.”

  I blew out a breath and stood back up. “No perma
nent damage?” I asked.

  “No.”

  I nodded, relief spreading warmly across my body. I furrowed my brows and turned to Charley. “What was Dickbag doing there?” I asked.

  Charley’s entire demeanor shifted. “God, he’s such an asshole,” she said. “I guess Robert called him to check on his hand and then made some blithe comment about me checking it. Like I knew any of that.”

  “Hey,” I said in a low voice. “Look, this is probably going to sound crazy, but…does he have a thing for you?”

  “Me?” Her voice hiccuped in her throat. I rested my arm on the wall of lockers and narrowed my eyes. That was her response when she was hiding something too. “No way. He won’t even let me shadow him, Lara.”

  Except…I didn’t believe her.

  She was keeping something from me. She had been for a while. And it all led back to Dr. Dickbag.

  I wanted to be mad.

  I did.

  But I couldn’t.

  I was already brimming with anger. I didn’t want to be mad at her. And maybe she had a good reason for it, whatever it was.

  “If you’re sure,” I said.

  “‘Course I am.” She bumped my shoulder with hers. “Let’s get out there before Logan has an aneurysm about us being late. The last thing I want is Dickbag to be called to the scene and have him lecture me on my uselessness again.”

  Chapter Five

  Alone with my thoughts, I ran a mile in six minute and three seconds. I didn’t think such a thing was possible, but apparently, anger could make me do anything as long as I directed it in the right way.

  Logan was so impressed, he jogged over to me and clapped my shoulder. I tried to muster a smile, but I struggled to catch my breath.

  Logan wrinkled his nose, letting his arm drop to the floor. “Jesus, kid, am I going to have to get you to the med wing for a ventilator?” he asked.

  I couldn’t even be embarrassed. I held up a finger, indicating he should give me a minute, before placing my hands on my knees. When I finally found my footing, when I finally caught my breath, I stood straighter. Logan arched a brow, seeming to ask if I was sure I was done. I nodded in response, not trusting my voice.

  “You barely scraped by,” he said, “but you fucking passed. Next Friday, you’ll be in the training block with Dalton. Unless you’d prefer to stick with Charley?”

  “I don’t…it doesn’t matter,” I said.

  My instinct was to stay with Charley, obviously, but Dalton might give me information on his father. It wasn’t exactly the most selfless reason, and guilt filtered through my bloodstream like strong medication, but I ignored it. Robert wasn’t going to help, and I wasn’t sure if Eddie was willing to get involved. Truth be told, it didn’t sound like it. Which meant I was on my own. And after what happened to Rogers, the fact that I found his body right outside Robert’s lab, only told me that Robert wasn’t wrong. This might have to do with him, whether I wanted that for him or not.

  “Kid wants you to be with him,” Logan said after a moment. “And after what happened to his father…” He let his voice trail off, golden eyes holding onto my own. It was like he was asking me permission, but I wasn’t sure what for.

  So, I nodded again. “Yeah,” I said. Because I understood. And maybe…maybe I could help Dalton.

  “I’ll let him know.” He wrinkled his nose. “Now, hit the showers. You smell like a prepubescent boy who still hasn’t learned about deodorant.”

  Jackass.

  By the time I stepped out of the training facility, I was ready to go home. Maybe I could look up gossip blogs and see if there was any information on Robert and Riella and their relationship.

  “Hey.”

  I stopped abruptly, surprised to see Dalton there. A small smile touched his face, causing tiny little bees to start buzzing around in my stomach. Not quite butterflies, but not quite empty space. I couldn’t help it. He was Prince Charming wrapped up in the boy-next-door. There was something about him I was drawn to. And maybe it was because he wasn’t Robert.

  “Hi,” I said.

  I noticed his eyes were slightly red. He must have been tired. Either that, or he was crying. Though, if I was being honest, I couldn’t picture Dalton crying. He seemed like the sort of guy who wanted to be strong, to project solidness in a time of destruction. There was no way he would let someone get under his skin and show his emotions, especially if he was taking care of his mom and his brother.

  I opened my mouth, about to ask him if he was okay, but then stopped myself. That would have been the dumbest thing in the world. Of course he wasn’t okay. Nothing had changed. The world might have carried on without Dean Rogers, but that didn’t mean Dalton’s life was different.

  Instead, I cleared my throat and forced a smile. “Did you know I hit my six-minute mile?” I said.

  His smile widened. “Really?” he said. “I think Logan mentioned that. Something about how you’ll be at training block next week.”

  “Aren’t you proud of me?” I asked.

  “Very.” He reached up and cupped the back of his neck with his palm. “In fact, maybe we should celebrate.”

  “Celebrate?”

  “There’s a party at the dorms tonight,” he said. “It’s kind of hush-hush. Even though we’re all adults, we still have curfew. Even on a Friday. So, technically, there should be no party. But…” He let his voice trail off.

  “When does anyone ever follow the rules?” I guessed.

  I wasn’t sure how things played out in the dorms since I lived off-campus. I wondered if Charley could tell me since she lived here. In fact, she was grateful to get away from her family, needing her space, her independence. In all honesty, I didn’t care.

  But I was intrigued at the prospect of a party.

  “Okay,” I said with a small smile. “I’ll be there.”

  “It starts at eight,” he said. “In the Combat Support dorm. The one in front of the fountain.”

  I had no idea why I was excited at the prospect of going to a party. Probably it had to do with the fact that I never got invited to them when I was in high school or even in my last couple of years at college. This was significant.

  Charley didn’t look entirely pleased to be here, though she did dress up for it. She wore a simple sundress that was too thin and too revealing for a December night, and she had those bright red Christmas flowers knotted in her hair, which had been pulled into an elaborate bun with braids running up and down it. I had no idea how she was able to do such intricate designs with her hair but she always looked otherworldly in a way most women couldn’t.

  “Why so serious?” I asked, nudging her as we began to make our way down the long hallway.

  “I hate parties,” she said. “And it really is breaking curfew. I swear, Dickbag has it out for me. If we get caught…” She let her voice trail off and shook her head, pressing her lips together.

  “We won’t,” I said, taking her hand in mine and giving it a gentle squeeze.

  We heard the party the further down the hall we got, and my heart thrummed in my chest in anticipation. I hated that I was so excited for something that probably wouldn’t amount to much, but this was the most social I had been in a while.

  By the time we were at the door, I was practically on my toes. I would be skipping if Charley’s sour face wasn’t so distracting. I wanted to ask her what her problem was, for real, but decided not to. It probably had to do with her mom. Even though she lived in the dorms, she went home frequently, just to spend time with her younger sister, Kora.

  I knocked, but there was no way anyone could hear me. I glanced at Charley, who shrugged. I reached for the knob just as the door opened and Dalton himself answered. He glanced at Charley, nodding his hello, but when his eyes swept over me, they lingered.

  On me.

  Not Charley.

  Which was…weird.

  I wasn’t wearing anything special - low cut skinny jeans and a corset top that hugged my curves. I s
till wore Chucks on my feet, wanting to dress comfortably rather than to look especially good, but I didn’t think I looked bad.

  Not that I expected Dalton’s heady stare.

  I was sure I was blushing.

  “You came,” he said.

  “I did.”

  “So…are we going to party in the hallway or can we go inside before one of the professors patrols this hallway and we get caught?” Charley asked. She sounded snippier than normal, and pulled her head away from her shoulder to look back at Dalton.

  Dalton’s brows sprung up, as though he, too, was surprised by this uncharacteristic burst of smarminess.

  “Come in, come in,” he said, ushering us inside. “Let me get you a drink.”

  “I’m good, thanks,” Charley said, following me inside.

  Every guy who had a pair of eyes stopped what they were doing to stare at her. Some noticed me too, but the majority of attention was directed towards her and she didn’t even notice it.

  We stepped into the ridiculously small kitchen. It couldn’t be more than half the size of the kitchen my apartment had. A kid I recognized from Robert’s class looked through the fridge while a couple made out in the corner of the room.

  “Okay, one drink, then.” Dalton came to the bar that divided the living room and the kitchen and handed me a red plastic cup and handed it to me.

  “What is that, anyway?” Charley asked. “We didn’t see you make it.”

  “Just beer.” Dalton took my drink and dumped it into the sink behind him before pulling out a bottle and uncapping it with some kind of opener on his keychain. He poured it into the red plastic cup, shooting Charley a look. “Better?”

  Charley frowned but didn’t say anything. Her eyes kept going to the door, like she didn’t trust someone not to burst through it.

  I brought the cup to my lips just as the song changed and a couple of bodies huddled on the couches jumped up and started to dance. I smiled as I took a long gulp of beer. I couldn’t help it.

  Dalton watched me, a twinkle in his eyes. “I’m glad you came,” he said.