“Who is this?” a male voice demanded.
A voice she recognized.
A voice that had haunted her for years.
Every cell in her being froze in fear, and she raised a hand to her mouth to cover her cry of surprise. She ended the call and dropped the phone from her numb fingers, backed away from it like it was a ravenous animal crouched to attack.
Vaughn had lied to her.
He hadn’t tracked her down to take her back to DC. He’d tracked her down to hand her over to Giuseppe Bellisario.
He’d lied.
In the bathroom, the shower shut off.
Oh God. She’d made a huge mistake trusting him.
She had to leave. Now.
…
She was gone.
Vaughn stood in the bathroom doorway, a towel wrapped around his hips, and stared at the empty room, the rumpled bed. For a hopeful second, he wondered if she’d gone to the vending machines for something to eat—but, fuck, he knew her better than that. She’d run again. There was no doubt in his mind.
He’d had a feeling she would, and although he hadn’t wanted to be right, he’d mentally prepared himself for this.
Because, this time, he was done chasing her.
She wouldn’t tell him who she was, wouldn’t let him help solve her problems. He didn’t even know her real name. It was like chasing a ghost, and he couldn’t keep doing it or he’d drive himself insane.
Over on the nightstand, his phone let out a chime indicating an incoming message. Numb, he walked over and picked it up, saw the text from his twin. Instead of returning the text, he decided to call.
Cam answered halfway through the first ring. “Where the hell are you?”
Vaughn sank to the bed and stretched out. The scent of Sage and sex folded around him. Like he needed the reminder of how fucking good she’d felt. He sat up again and winced as pain stabbed through his side. “Uh, it’s a small town about two hours from Atlanta.”
“With Lark?”
“Sage,” he corrected. “She goes by Sage now. And no. She took off again.”
Cam exhaled slowly. “Don’t tell me you’re gonna keep chasing her.”
“No, I’m not. I’m done. You were right. This…obsession I’ve had with finding her is ridiculous. I’m coming home.”
The declaration got a whole lot of radio silence from his twin. It stretched too long, edged into uncomfortable territory. Just as he was about to open his mouth and say something—anything—to break the silence, Cam finally spoke again.
“You okay?” he asked.
Not even close. Every muscle in Vaughn’s body ached, and he was pretty sure a cracked rib accounted for the shooting pain in his side every time he moved. On top of that, there was now a hollow ache in the center of his chest that hadn’t been there before. “Yeah. Uh, I’m good.”
“You’re lying,” Cam said without a shred of doubt in his voice. “I’ve been uneasy, restless all night. You’re injured, aren’t you?”
Damn. “You know, sometimes being a twin sucks.”
“Tell me about it. Especially when your twin is a suicidal maniac, but you wouldn’t know anything about that because I’m the sane one. What did you do now?”
Vaughn winced. “I’m not suicidal. I was just…in a car accident last night.”
The reaction was about like he expected. Cam exploded with a heartfelt, “Jesus Christ, Vaughn!”
“What’s wrong?” Eva said in the background. “Is he okay?”
Cam’s voice faded away from the receiver. “He was in an accident. Here, talk to him. I need to check flights to Atlanta.”
Eva came on the line. “Dammit, Vaughn.” Those two words were her constant refrain when dealing with him, and despite everything, they made him grin.
“Hey, Eva. Tell your husband I’m okay. Just banged up. He doesn’t need to—”
“You know he does,” she interrupted. “You’re hurting.”
“What? You married Cam so you suddenly have his twin radar?”
“No,” she said gently, which made him realize how snappish he’d gotten, and he mentally kicked himself. She added, “I can hear it in your voice.”
“I’m fine.”
“Uh-huh.” There was a pause. She lowered her voice: “He barely slept last night, Vaughn. He’s going to make himself sick worrying about you.”
Guilt tightened his throat. “He doesn’t need to worry about me.”
“You know he can’t help it. It’s in his nature.”
“Yeah, he’s always been the better of the two of us. I’m the evil twin, right?”
Eva laughed. “Hey, I was drunk and mad at you for being a cock-block when I called you that. Besides, it’s not true. You’re the…moody twin.”
He snorted. “I think I’d rather be evil.”
“You would.” Another short pause. “Can you go to an ER and get yourself checked out? Please. If not for yourself, then at least do it to make Cam feel better.”
Direct hit. She knew right where to aim. And hell, he could do with something to take the edge off the pain. “All right. I’ll find the nearest hospital.”
“Good. Let us know where it is, and Cam will meet you there.”
Chapter Thirteen