Vaughn was very still beside her. So still, she wasn’t even sure he was breathing. She pulled out of his arms and stood to pace at the foot of the bed. She thought she should feel lighter somehow, like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders now that her secrets were out—but she didn’t. Instead, a bone-deep cold settled over her, and she shivered.
Vaughn was a man with such an ingrained sense of justice, she was terrified of what she’d see when she looked at him again. If he wasn’t sure about turning her over to the authorities before, he definitely would be now, and his rejection might just rip out the last little bit of her heart.
Vaughn finally released an explosive breath and stood up, too, blocking her path. He clasped her shoulders, waited until she looked at him. “You killed Marcel Bellisario.” A statement, not a question. His voice was quiet, carefully modulated.
She nodded, her throat too tight to speak.
“Oh, vixen,” he said softly and dragged her in for a tight hug. “You didn’t need to run. After the hell you’d been through, no court in the country would have convicted you of murder. You were clearly defending yourself, and I’m sure the physical evidence backed you up.”
“It did,” she whispered and clung to him. Because it felt so damn good to be in his arms. “And I didn’t run. Not at first. After I killed him, I did what I thought was the right thing and turned myself in to the police. One look at me and they knew what had happened. They took me into custody, but it was more for my safety than with intent to prosecute me. Honestly, they were more interested in what I knew about the Bellisario family. The FBI got involved, and they promised they’d protect me, but Giuseppe has friends everywhere. He even once told me that he has a nephew in the FBI. I guess I could have taken a chance, but I was scared. It was only a matter of time before he came after me, so I took all the money I had saved and I ran.”
“And Bellisario’s been chasing you ever since.”
She nodded. “He’s come close a couple times. The last time was right before I arrived in DC. I thought maybe aligning myself with someone who had a measure of power in the government would stop him from coming after me.”
Vaughn grunted. “Except you chose another psychopath.”
“To be fair, Preston seemed like a perfect candidate. Young, up-and-coming politician with no ties whatsoever to the Bellisarios…but I know,” she said and sighed. “I have really horrible taste in men.”
“I’ll try not to take offense.” He set her back at arm’s length and smirked down at her.
She appreciated his attempt at a joke, but it didn’t lighten her mood. Vaughn was the first good guy she’d ever met, but he had to know this thing between them had zero hope of working out. Giuseppe Bellisario wanted revenge for his favorite son’s death, wasn’t going to stop until he got it, and she wasn’t about to put Vaughn or his brothers in danger.
She opened her mouth to tell him just that, but she didn’t get the chance because he pressed his lips to hers. It wasn’t the kind of kiss she’d come to expect from Vaughn. Wasn’t a battle, but a soft, sweet meeting that stole her breath and her heart.
“I wish you would have told me this sooner,” he murmured when he drew away.
She tried for a smile and failed. “Doesn’t take a shrink to figure out I have a boatload of trust issues.”
“You can trust me. I wish I knew how to prove it to you.”
Her heart wrenched, and she couldn’t help the sudden rush of tears. “You don’t have to.” She cupped his stubble-roughened cheeks in both hands. “But I don’t want you involved with Bellisario.”
He again flashed that smile of his, the predatory one with just an edge of mean in it. “I’m already on his radar, and I think it’s time we had another talk.”
“Vaughn, no. First thing he’ll do is go after your brothers—”
“Who are all big boys and can take care of themselves.” He leaned in, pressed his forehead to hers, and linked their fingers. “I told you I’m not letting you run anymore. We’ll figure this out. Together, okay?”
Together.
It was what she’d wanted since she first turned him down at Jude and Libby’s wedding last fall, and more than she ever could have dreamed of. She rolled her lips together to keep from sobbing in relief that she didn’t have to be alone anymore. “How?”
“We’ll go back to DC. I’ll call Cam and round up some cops we can trust—” He stopped short and drew away with a groan. “Oh, shit. Cam.”
…
Cursing at himself, Vaughn searched his pockets for his phone. Not there. What had he done with it?
Dahlia sat down on the bed. “What’s wrong?”
“Fuck.” He rubbed both hands over his face. “Cam should be here by now.”