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“Do I have a concussion? Because I see two of Ryan,” Elias muttered as the two of us neared where he was still lying on the ground.
“About that…” Samara hedged, her shoulders hunched.
“Give me the code to unlock the panic room,” I commanded.
“Elias, this is my brother Vaughn. Vaughn, Elias.”
Confusion mixed with the pain glazing his eyes. “Wait. Professor Vaughn? That Vaughn? As in Abi’s Professor Vaughn?”
“Yes,” I confirmed, pointing toward my sister. “And she has the code to get Abi out of the panic room. Give it to me. Now.”
“Okay. Fine.” She rolled away from him, and I started to relax. But then her fingers wrapped around one of the many discarded guns on the ground. I knew it was coming as soon as she lifted the weapon, but I didn’t have time to brace myself for the impact of the shots as they hit their target.
Me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
abi
My heart broke when the door to the panic room closed, locking me inside with Vaughn’s father. “No,” I whispered, stumbling forward as the world seemed to dim around me. A metal wall slid into place, and I slapped my hand against the cold surface, a sob bubbling from me. “No! Vaughn, please. Don’t leave me!”
“Shh, little one. It’s okay,” a deep voice soothed behind me. An arm encircled my waist, pulling me back from the door. “You’re safe here. I’ll protect you.”
Tears blinded me, but I didn’t struggle against Cristiano’s hold as he urged me onto a surprisingly comfortable seat. He crouched in front of me, his brown eyes full of concern as he wiped my tears. “None of that, now. Christian said he loves you. If you want me to convince his mother to let him keep you, you have to be brave.”
“I’m not scared for me,” I sobbed. “There were people shooting at the house. Explosions! What if he gets hurt?” Nausea turned in my stomach. “Please open the door so he can come inside with us.”
“Can’t help you with that, sweetheart. That door closed, and I don’t have the codes. My Sammy is the only one who can unlock it once it’s been activated.”
“Wh-what?” I cried, looking at the metal wall. The doors had shut so tightly that it was impossible to see where it actually was, even if I didn’t have tears in my eyes. “Are you telling me we’re stuck in here until Sammy lets us out?”
“Don’t look so worried.” He gave me a grim smile. “Sammy will be back soon enough. There is a small bathroom, as well as enough water and nonperishable food to last us months.”
“Oh my God,” I whispered. “We could be in here for months?”
“No!” He shook his head with a laugh. “It’s just stocked in case…” He trailed off, his brown eyes softening on me. “No, Abigail. My daughter will make sure we’re not in here for longer than necessary.”
“But Vaughn and Sammy should be in here with us,” I argued. “Please, the gunshots were close. They could get hurt.”
Amusement lit up his face. “Abigail, do you know who my children are?”
My heart clenched at that question. “I thought I did. Now, I’m not so sure. Vaughn—”
“Vaughn?” Cristiano repeated, confusion wrinkling his brow.
“Oh, um, Christian.” That was Vaughn’s first name, and I needed to remember to use that when I was talking about him. I didn’t want to upset his dad in his dementia-addled state.
Cristiano wiped away a few more of my tears, warm affection replacing his confusion. “He’s a good boy. A bit stoic at times, but that’s just his mother in him. Once you meet Anya, you’ll realize what I mean.”
“H-he doesn’t talk about his mom,” I muttered, sniffling. “He hasn’t told me much about anyone in his family.”
It hadn’t bothered me. I’d thought we had plenty of time to get to know each other better. But the man I loved had just locked me in a room while people were shooting at his parents’ home.
Please, be okay. Please, Vaughn. I need you.
“I’m sure he had his reasons,” Cristiano said with a tight smile. “Probably didn’t want to scare you away.”
I snorted. “If him stalking me didn’t scare me off, I’m not sure anything would.”
