I pop up from my seat and grab my bag from off the floor. I look around to see everyone else is still working on their exam and then I glance towards Professor Milly. She gives me a thumbs-up with a big smile. She can see my test score right away and the look on her face reaffirms what I already knew.
“Thanks,” I mouth and wave goodbye before I walk out of the classroom.
I pull out my phone to see I have a ton of time left, then I remember my books. I was going to turn them in before my last exam, but Vaughn distracted me again this morning and I was running late. I guess not late, just not early enough to drop them off before my test.
Seeing I’ve still got time, I make my way toward Professor Brown's office. I emailed him last night that I’d be dropping them off. I want to make sure I return them so the next student who needs them has the chance. I know how grateful I was for him to lend the set to begin with.
While I’m walking I fish them out of my bag and then fire off a text to Vaughn that I’m done early and will be out in a minute. He went back to our hotel to grab our stuff and check us out and then was coming right back to pick me up. We’re going straight to the island from here and back to paradise.
I’m excited to see my sister but I’m ready for some quality alone time with Vaughn. I’ll have nothing to worry about there with my classes done and everyone safe and sound. I can explore whatever this thing is that’s grown between Vaughn and me and where it might lead. He hasn't said this is forever and he hasn’t used any words of love, but I feel them and he has to feel this, too. I gave Vaughn a good fight but he pushed through every wall I tried to throw up at him. The man is unstoppable when he wants something. I’m getting now how my sister fell so hard and fast for his brother because I’ve found myself in the same situation.
I turn the corner and smile when I see Professor Brown’s door is open at the end of the hallway. I’ll be able to leave the books without worry. I kind of hope he has a class right now. I don’t want to make small talk and he’s known to wrap you in conversation if you let him. Normally I don’t care but I’m bursting to get back to Vaughn.
I pass his classroom, which is connected to his office, and see that it’s empty. My phone vibrates in my hand and I see it’s a text.
Vaughn: Where are you?
Me: I went to drop off my books. I’m ready.
I send my reply and wonder if he’s back here already before I poke my head into Professor Brown’s office.
“Hey.” He looks up from his phone at the sound of my voice.
“Berkley.” He smiles and stands from his desk. He comes around and pulls me into a hug, and I freeze for a second, thrown off by it. The books I’m holding are lodged between us and I’m pretty sure one jabs him in the side.
“Sorry,” I say as I step back and look down to see one of them is bent. Professor Brown just rubs his side with his hand and waves it off.
“It’s fine.” His eyes flick to the door like someone is behind me, but when I look it’s empty.
“Thanks for letting me use these,” I say, turning around and holding them out.
“Of course.” He points for me to put them on his desk, so I walk over and set them down.
“Well, umm. I guess that’s it.” I stand there hoping he’s not going to give me another awkward hug but he only smiles. Why does this feel weird? I always thought Professor Brown was a little odd, but this is different.
“Yeah, since you turned down the job,” he reminds me.
I don't want to teach, at least not at the moment. Maybe one day I’ll change my mind, but right now I’m about to go on an adventure of some kind without a return date. My heart flutters as I think about that.
“It’s time to go home.” I tell him the same thing I said the first time he asked me about filling the position.
“You should’ve taken the job.” He shakes his head at me in disappointment. “We would’ve worked well together.” He reaches out and tries to grab the end of my ponytail and I smack his hand away.
“What the hell?” No wonder this feels weird. He’s being creepy and looks at his hand before giving me a disgusted look.
“You just made this easier.”
“What are you—” I’m cut off when a hand lands on my mouth from behind. I scream but it’s muffled and I remember no one was in this hallway when I walked down it. I try and jerk away but I’m only pulled tighter into my attacker.
I kick out, trying to get away as I’m lifted off the floor and my feet fly in the air. I hit something and I hear a grunt followed by a moan. I think I only got Professor Brown and not whoever has a hold on me. I wrap my hand around my phone like a lifeline as I’m pulled from the room.
“Got you,” I hear the man say. “Fucking hell, this has been a nightmare.”
“I’m going to show you a nightmare,” I try and say behind his hand, and I fight harder.
“They told me dead or alive,” the man says in my ear. “Alive is more money, but I’ll snap your fucking neck if I think you’re going to be a problem.”
“Not a problem. A nightmare,” I say behind his hand, knowing full well if he gets me out of this building I might as well be dead.
My mind flashes to Vaughn and how he kissed me before smacking my ass and pushing me toward class. The look in his eyes and the way he watched me as we parted ways. He’ll come for me. If there is one thing I know about Vaughn, it’s that he won’t stop until he gets what he wants. And he wants me.
Chapter Eleven
Vaughn
I try calling Berkley the second she doesn’t answer my text. I curse when it goes straight to voicemail and I want to scream. I should have known she would be done early. She knew the material front and back and could answer every question I gave her before it was even out of my mouth. The woman is a fucking genius, so of course she finished her exam an hour before she was supposed to.
I grit my teeth as Sean pulls up at the curb in front of her building. Normally he’d wait behind the wheel, but I’ve put the team on red alert and we both hop out of the SUV.
“Are you strapped?” I look over at him and he nods. I don’t like guns, but right now I want Berkley as protected as possible. “Where the fuck is she?” I say, mostly to myself, as we approach the building and there’s no sight of her.
I had a guard stationed outside her classroom and two at the front of the building, but the one inside is gone and the other two are searching for her as we speak.
When we go inside I scan the hall and try to think of where she could have gone. What did she have with her when she left the hotel? I look up and see a sign for the teaching lab and something ticks in the back of my mind. Something about a professor needing a book?
“Shit,” I hiss, taking off down the long hall in a sprint. She mentioned the other day she needed to return a book to the professor of the teaching lab in this building. I was thinking it wasn’t a big deal, but she had her backpack with her this morning so the book was probably in there.
I hear the boots of the security guys behind me, and when I get to the end of the hall I go around the corner and there’s nothing. Just when I’m at a loss for what to do next, an older man comes stumbling out of his office.