AURORA MOON
"You're my twin brother?" Aurora didn't believe it. Well, maybe she did a little. Because his eyes were very much like hers. His hair was the same dark black. But ... a brother? A twin?
He plucked his cell phone from his jacket pocket and tapped the screen a few times. Then he nodded toward her phone charging on the nightstand. "DNA report."
She grabbed her phone and opened the file he'd sent to her WeChat. Wait a minute. "How did you get my WeChat?"
"My job requires a variety of skills. I'll have to teach you some because your password is Kellan's birthday, and that's too easy to crack."
Aurora glared up at him. "Don't touch my things. And this report could be fake."
"I'll take you to the DNA lab of your choice," he said. "You can pick the doctor. But I promise you, it'll come back the same."
Aurora's protest was weak and she knew it. Oh, she'd make him take her to a lab and do the tests over, but she had a feeling what he said was true.
She had a twin brother.
"Mom died when I was eight. Where were you?"
"With her best friend. Megan and Trent Hamilton raised me as their son. I knew I was adopted, but I didn't know the back story. And they never told me I had a sister. But I know everything now." He patted her leg and then stood up. "This is a lot, right? You should rest. I'll fix you something to eat, and we can talk later."
"But I want to know now," insisted Aurora.
"Nope."
"I want my husband!"
"Also, nope."
"Ryder!"
"Look at that, you sound like a miffed younger sister." He grinned. "Rest, Aurora. If you don't do it on your own, then I'll have the doctor give you a dose of night-night juice."
Frustrated, she ground her teeth. Without a real choice to make, she nodded. "Fine."
"'Atta girl." He paused. "Oh." He took her phone. "I'll keep this for now."
"Rude."
He grinned again. Then he left her alone in the room.
Aurora clasped her hands together and then looked down at her bare fingers. Where was her wedding ring? Just as the question entered her mind, Ryder popped back into the room. "I had to borrow your ring because it has GPS in it and I don't want your hubby to find you."
"Are you crazy?" She frowned. "My ring has GPS?"
"Yep. I can't disable it without ruining the ring, so I'll use it as a red herring to keep your hubby off our trail."
"This whole thing is ridiculous!"
"I agree." With that, he left again. This time when he shut the door, she heard the sound of him locking it.
Aurora pounded the bed with her fists and then plopped back onto her pillow. Worry gnawed at her. Where was Kellan? Was he truly okay? Would he think she'd bailed on purpose?
She pressed her hand against her heart as she closed her eyes. In her previous life, there had been no hint of a secret twin brother. She hadn't been kidnapped by Ryder Hamilton.
What other surprises would this second-chance life bring her?
***|***|***
DEIDRE GARRETT
"What are you doing here?"
Kellan's sharp tone nearly cut her in two. Deidre's smile faltered, and so did her courage. She hesitated at the hospital door and then entered as though he'd invited her inside.
"I made you soup." She put the container on the nightstand. "How are you feeling?"
"You're no longer employed by me, Miss Garrett. We aren't friends. You have no reason to be here."
"I was your secretary for three years. I haven't done the handover to your wife yet."
"Unnecessary. Get out."
Deidre dug her fingers into her hips, trying to calm her anger. "I brought soup for your wife, too. Which room is she in?"
The atmosphere suddenly shifted. Kellan's distracted annoyance turned into disconcerting, pointed attention. His black gaze pinned her, his expression predatory. She thought he might strangle her right there. She swallowed heavily as she took a step back.
"Why are you asking about Aurora?" His voice was low, emotionless. He closed his laptop and took off his glasses. She watched as he swung his legs off the bed and tucked his feet into his slippers.
"I heard she was injured in the car accident, too. I thought she would be in the same hospital. What's wrong?" She made the mistake of meeting his gaze when she asked, "Is she missing?"
Kellan unfolded from the bed, standing to his full height of six feet four inches in a slow, calculating way that made her heart turn over. Cold fear filled her chest, rising in her throat, choking her.
"How did you know my wife was in the car with me?"
"I-I don't know. It was a guess."
"A guess," he said flatly, obviously not believing her.
She saw him pull out the IV in his hand. Even in blue-and-white striped hospital pajamas, Kellan looked imposing. He stood by the bed, watching her back away.
Before she realized it, she was flush against the wall. She didn't have the courage to move. She certainly wouldn't try to run past him. He would catch her.
She'd always known Kellan was dangerous, but he'd never been this scary. Not to her. She licked her lips, her throat dry as the desert. Why did he care so much about Aurora Moon? That bitch was worthless. I'm better than her. Why can't you see me, Kellan? WHY?
Kellan tossed the glasses on the nightstand and took slow steps toward her. The smile on his face wasn't pleasant at all. And the look in his eyes. She thought that it might be the same look a lion had right before he attacked a gazelle. She shuddered, and he saw it. He saw her fear, and his smile became even more menacing.
"I've suppressed the news about the car crash. It wasn't reported in the media. Very few people know about it. And none of them would tell you." Finally, he stood mere inches from her. He gripped her throat with one large hand, and squeezed. "So tell me, Miss Garrett. How do you know my wife's missing?"