He has no reason to wantme. Vaughn, maybe. Though I doubt he cares about the ex-cop much. Carter, on the other hand, does want Vaughn dead.
Vaughn.Not me.
If everything Vaughn’s told me about Carter is true, then he’d only be trying to find me if Hailey wants to meet me.
After all, wearesisters.
Running is tiring. I miss my life, my job. I might not stay in touch with my parents or have friends I keep in touch with regularly, but I love my little flower shop. The longer we stay hidden, the more I hate myself for reaching out to Vaughn in the first place. I should’ve walked away the moment I learned my biological mother was dead.
I just had to dig deeper, didn’t I? As if knowingwhyshe abandoned me would help me live a better life.
“I know you hate this,” Vaughn says, making me jump.
I’ve been so deep in my head I didn’t hear the wheels of his wheelchair move... He’s close now, inches from my bed.
“I don’t understand why you think I’m in danger. If Blaze wanted to hurt me—”
“You’re safe until he or Octavius decide they need me again. They took you away once.” He pauses, straightening up, his shoulders squared back. “I can’t let it happen again, sweetheart. I can’t lose you. I’ve failed too many times already.”
I swallow hard, ignoring the peculiar, unpleasant feeling sliding down my spine whenever Vaughn calls mesweetheart. It could be considered an innocent term of endearment. One a father would use when addressing his daughter, but Vaughn’s voice is loaded with more than paternal care.
And so is the heat behind his blue gaze.
“You did what they asked,” I insist, voicing my concerns. “What else could they possibly want from you?”
“They’ll think of something, trust me. Octavius had big plans before Willard got in his way. The evidence has evened out the playing field. Now they’ll be looking to strike.”
He runs a heavy hand down his face, inhaling a deep breath. His tone changes from the agitated, on-the-verge-of-losing-his-patience growl to a calmer, more patronizing register.
“As much as Hailey despises me now, she wouldn’t stand by if my life was threatened. Sooner or later, Blaze will figure that out. They’ll use me to manipulate her and, by extension, Carter because he’ll do whatever it takes to protect her from harm, be it physical or emotional.”
“Wouldn’t it be wise to ask Carter for help? If he won’t kill you, he—”
“He’ll use me like the others,” he cuts in, his voice breaking. “I’m tired, sweetheart. Tired of being a pawn, tired of dancing to their tune, tired of paying for the mistakes I made while trying to save your mother. I want a fresh start... with you, safe.”
I shudder again, a cold dead hand clutching my throat. The way Vaughn stares at me turns my insides into hard knots.
My imagination is skewed. He’s not really attracted to me, is he? He’s protective in a healthy, stepfather kind of way. It’s been so long since anyone cared for my well-being, for my safety, that I must be misinterpreting the signs.
Come to think of it, I doubt anyone ever cared.
I hide my face in my hands, my headache intensifying.
“Whatever they’re planning,” Vaughn continues in a soft, lulling tone, “whatever they might use me for later, I can’t risk them hurting you. I’m sorry for your current lifestyle, but I’m working on a more permanent setting. We might move to Europe soon. We’ll be safer there. New identities, new lives.”
My heart stutters in my chest. Europe? Together? Does he think I’ll leave my life behindjust like that?
I’m not the one they want. It’s him.
“I can’t do that,” I say on a sigh, digging the pads of my hands into my eyes as if that’ll ease the headache. “They’re not after me, Vaughn. I’m useless.”
“You’re a bargaining chip,” he clips, his temper flaring. “They’ll use you to manipulate me. I can’t be Grey’s pawn forever, Bianca. I can’t keep doing his bidding, and he won’t stop using me until I’m good and dead.”
Then maybe you should let Carter kill you.
I shudder at the thought. Who the hell am I to even think this way? What happened to the girl who wouldn’t hurt a fly?
The past three months happened.
