On those few occasions when she did take time to eat, she did so alone, finding a quiet corner somewhere and sinking into the shadows. Once he even saw her disappear into a broom closet with a sandwich and a Coke. He couldn’t blame her. People flocked to her, wanted to be around her.
It was not something he’d ever experienced personally – people tended to do just the opposite in his presence – but it was easy to see how it could become tiresome after a while. Hell, he found himself walking outside at least once an hour just to get away from it all, and he wasn’t actively interacting with any of them, preferring instead to simply do the jobs that allowed him to keep an eye on Rebecca and avoid any unnecessary socialization.
For the most part, he remained in the background, finding things to do while quietly observing. But every now and then he couldn’t keep his distance. Once he deliberately positioned himself outside the doorway knowing she was headed that way, just so he could discreetly catch a whiff of her scent.
Another time he just happened to be nearby when the shipment of provisions came in and he was able to easily lift the boxes she couldn’t budge. It was then that he caught her discreet little glances at his flexing, rippling biceps when she thought he wasn’t looking. Kane wasn’t a vain man by nature, but he’d be lying to himself if he said he did not take some pleasure in the way she seemed to like what she saw.
He didn’t understand it, but he couldn’t help it. Maybe it was because they had formed some bizarre kind of bond between them in the jungle. Life and death situations had a tendency to result in that kind of thing. For whatever reason, Kane felt the need to look out for her, as if he was responsible for her in some way. It didn’t help that she seemed incapable – or unwilling – to take care of herself like she should.
So what if sometimes food mysteriously appeared when she’d neglected to take time out for lunch or dinner? Or if, when she took an occasional foray into the ladies room, she returned to find whatever task she’d been working on, had been completed in her absence so she might actually sit down and rest for five minutes?
What Kane also found particularly frustrating was her apparent lack of fear. Not just of him, but of everyone. The woman seemed to be totally lacking a sense of self preservation. She had no qualms working with anyone, even some of the rougher types that looked at her with barely disguised hunger in their eyes. Either she ignored it, or chose not to see it, but Kane saw it. He felt the tension coil in his belly every time she was near them, and made sure that he stayed within range.
Just one wrong move – that’s all it would take – and it would be someone’s last.
At least there seemed to be lots of people around most of the time. It didn’t ensure her safety, but it did ease him somewhat. It was her occasional sojourns outside the shelter at night that bothered him the most. There always seemed to be a gang of punks skulking around, lighting up in the shadows. Goth types, bedecked in black, thriving in the misery that came with something as unfortunate as a flood, feeding their obsession for depression.
Unsurprisingly, Rebecca had befriended them, and for some reason, that bothered Kane. A lot. Obviously, she was drawn to those who needed help the most. But these kids didn’t need her. They wanted to be miserable, or at least pretend they were.
Maybe they were only doing it for the attention; maybe they really were decent underneath all the black clothes, piercings, and makeup; but he couldn’t help the unease he felt whenever she was around them. Maybe that’s why he always made sure that they saw him, knew he was around, even when Rebecca didn’t.
*
“I still can’t believe you’re here,” Aidan said, hugging her for the third time in the last hour. He had finally managed to pull her away from the shelter with a little extra help from Michael, who told her flat out to go home and get some rest. Now, after her hot bath and late dinner, it was just the two of them in Aidan’s townhouse. Rebecca was comfortably ensconced on the plush sofa, dressed in fleecy, warm sweats, a hot cup of tea held between her palms.
Rebecca laughed. “If I’d known you’d be this happy to see me I would have visited earlier.”
Aidan pulled away, but left his hand on her shoulder. “I really wish you would have.”
She averted her eyes, but not before he caught the doubt that must have shown there. He curled his index finger under her chin and gently forced her to look at him. “I know you probably don’t believe that, but it’s true. I’ve regretted that day ever since. I was afraid I wouldn’t get the chance to tell you - ”
“Aidan, stop,” she commanded softly. “I’m here now, and nothing else matters.”
“It does matter. You need to know how sorry I am – for the things I said, for not being there for you, for - ”
“Aidan,” she said, more firmly. “It’s alright. What happened was not your fault. It had been building for a long time. You know that. All you would have accomplished is getting yourself disinherited as well.”