“You sure you can slum it?” I raise an eyebrow at him.
I wouldn't be opposed to Vaughn staying here while I finish my last few tests for school and I know I’d feel safer. Vaughn and I might bicker but he’s a good guy and he has this habit of taking care of me. He’s always cooking and cleaning up after me, so what girl in their right mind would turn that down? Oh right. One who knew he could break her heart because Vaughn has heartbreak written all over him. I think it’s why I’m so prickly with him—I’m trying to keep some space between us.
“Trust me, sweet thing. This is far from slumming it.”
Chapter Three
Vaughn
“Shh.”
The librarian makes the sound a little too aggressively if you ask me, but I press my lips together and try to be good.
“I told you this wasn’t a good idea,” Berkley whispers without looking up from her textbook.
I’m sitting across from her because sitting beside her felt like too much of a temptation. How could I let her work while staring down at her bare legs and thinking about all the ways I want to defile her?
The campus library is big and old, but Berkley says she likes the way it smells. I don’t understand it, but seeing a calm come over her as she inhaled made me keep my judgments to myself.
Berkley walked in like she knew this place up one side and down the other. She beelined for a back staircase and we walked up three flights to a nook in the far corner. This part of the library has no windows and is insulated by rows and rows of old textbooks. But it’s peaceful and I understood why she likes this spot so much.
“I can’t sit at your place all day.” I lean back in my chair and give her a cocky smile. “Besides, who would bring you food?”
“There’s no food allowed in here.” This time she looks up in time to see me tuck my candy bar back in my jacket.
“Okay then.” I roll my eyes as she tries to hide her smile and goes back to scribbling.
We’ve been up here for hours and she hasn’t taken a break yet. I admire her work ethic and the way she focuses. I went to college but took easy courses and partied my way through it. I had the luck of not really studying and coasting through with enough of a passing grade to get my diploma. I should’ve been like Berkley. She’s so smart and part of me wonders if she thinks I’m not. I run our company’s marketing and social media and I’m really good at it. I’ve put us on the map digitally but now I wonder if all that seems vapid to Berkley. Suddenly I wish I had better credentials to impress her with, but maybe she wouldn’t even want to hear them. Most of the time she seems utterly annoyed with me, but then again, I like that too.
There’s not much about her I don’t like.
The librarian walks by us again and I know it has to be intentional. It’s not like there’s anything to do up here for her other than glare at me and make sure I’m being quiet. I guess she’s the snack police too, but I try to ignore my stomach as it complains.
“You’re taking a break in twenty minutes,” I whisper to Berkley and she doesn’t look up. “No negotiating.”
“Fine,” she says sharply, but I see the edge of her lips curl just slightly.
Just then my phone vibrates. I take it out and see Xander’s name on the screen. I look up to see Nosy Librarian has left the floor and then glance back at Berkley.
“I’m going to take this.” I push away from the table and as soon as I walk to the other corner, I feel her eyes on my back.
I answer the phone. “How’s paradise?”
“Not great,” X complains, and I have to hold back my laugh.
“How’s Lula?” I can’t resist the jab and then I hear a growl on the other end of the line.
“I’m calling for a reason.” He ignores the question as I glance over to Berkley. She cuts her eyes away quickly and goes back to writing in her notes.
“Let me have it.”
“I looked into the files and found out who the guys were that Kade got tangled up with.” He sighs and I can hear him pacing in what’s most likely his office. “It’s a guy named Peter Guzik.”
“Never heard of him.”
“Yeah, me either. But apparently he reached out to Kade with some business idea and Kade thought it would be a good opportunity for us.” X sighs and I know he’s trying to control his anger.
“He only wants what’s best for us,” I remind him and there’s a long pause. “Tell me the rest of it.”
“From what I found out, Peter threatened Kade after he pulled out of the deal and then Kade kept digging. The feds got involved and Peter tried to have Kade silenced with the car accident.”
“Damn.” It’s all the stuff we knew, but hearing it again this way makes my chest ache. I can’t imagine what I’d do if I had lost my brother.
“Since the accident Peter has gone underground. But one of the contacts at the FBI messaged Kade and told him that there’s been a price put on his head. On the head of any Warsaw family member.”
“Fuck,” I whisper, glancing over at Berkley again.
“Vaughn.” Xander’s voice is soft, and for some reason it grabs all of my attention.
“Yeah?”
“They know you’re in London.”
“What?” My voice is too loud for the quiet space and Berkley looks around like she’s checking for the librarian.
“It was on the FBI report. They know about you, and they know about Berkley.”
“Oh God.” My stomach drops and my heartbeat speeds up.
“I don’t know how much time you have, Vaughn, but you’ve got the best of our security there with you and I know you’ll keep her safe.”
I swallow, unable to form words.
“Just get back to the island as soon as you can. They still don’t know about it.”
I find comfort in knowing that my family is protected, but the fact that Berkley is so exposed here is making me anxious. I need to get her to a safer place and not one with so many access points. She’s only got to take her exams at the end of the week, so it’s just a few more days before we can be out of here and on the island.
I take a deep breath and nod to myself. We can do this. I can do this. “Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to either of us.”
“Just keep your eyes sharp, baby brother.”
“You can say you miss me,” I tease, needing to lighten the mood. It may not be the safest place for us here, but we’ve got security, and Berkley has me.
“Like a kick in the balls,” he says, and I can almost hear a smile in his voice.
“Speaking of balls, how’s Lula again?”
“Goodbye, Vaughn,” X says right before hanging up.
I end the call and the heavy cloud comes over me as I tuck the phone in my pocket and go back to the desk. Just then the librarian walks over to our table and opens her mouth with what I know is going to be a scold.
“Save it, we’re leaving,” I tell her, holding up my hand. “I’m hungry.”
Berkley hides her smile as the old librarian huffs away from us, seemingly upset she didn’t have the chance to kick me out.