Part 57 (2/2)

Lance raised one shoulder. ”Sorry about the fight.”

”Yeah. I'm sorry, too. And I appreciate the help.”

”You two go on,” Savannah said. ”I'll call Ross and explain. Well, I'll say as much as I can on the phone.”

”Thanks. He already knows a little. I called him last night about getting an ID for Rinna.” Logan ran back to the car. Lance started to follow him, until his wife called him back.

”Maybe you'd better go separately. Lance needs shoes and a s.h.i.+rt.”

His brother looked down, taking in his state of partial undress. ”Yeah. I'll be five minutes behind you.”

Logan wasn't wearing shoes, either. But he jumped into his SUV and roared back down the access road to the highway.

When he reached the blacktop, he forced himself not to speed, since getting stopped by a traffic cop wasn't going to increase his chances of finding Rinna.

He made good time, then raced inside the front door, to his home. Inside, he picked up the s.h.i.+rt that Rinna had worn. Standing in the open doorway, he caressed the soft fabric with his fingers, then held it to his face, breathing in Rinna's scent.

”d.a.m.n you,” he muttered. ”We could have worked this out together, if you'd just trusted me.”

Was that it? A matter of trust? He didn't want to think that was the problem. He wanted to find her, and he didn't even know where to start.

He heard tires crunching on the driveway and stepped outside, the hand with the s.h.i.+rt extended, expecting to see Lance pulling up the driveway.

But it wasn't his brother, and he froze, then hastily dropped his hand.

IT was too late to run. Rinna stood frozen in place as soldiers came racing out of the bushes and surrounded her. Two of them grabbed her arms to stop her from getting away.

They held her in place, and she stiffened her shoulders as she saw a man emerge from between the trees.

It was Falcone. He had the same dark hair, the same confident walk, the same smirk on his handsome face that she remembered.

As he strolled straight toward her, she felt like she was going to throw up, but somehow she controlled the sickness churning in her stomach.

He was dressed like a man from this world with a blue s.h.i.+rt that b.u.t.toned down the front, jeans and what Logan called running shoes on his feet. But he still looked like the n.o.ble who was going to be ruler of Sun Acres.

”It's good to see you again,” he said.

She didn't bother to answer.

”You could have made this a lot harder for me.”

She raised one shoulder. ”I'm tired of running.”

When he stepped forward and stroked his finger against her cheek, she felt her insides turn to ice. Everything that had happened between them in those terrible hours in his bed came racing back to her. He hadn't wanted to make love to her. He had wanted to punish her for being better in school than he had been.

”I don't like it when a woman leaves me without permission,” he said in a low voice.

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