Page 75 of Vas

“I came to surprise you.” She stood and flung her arms wide. “Surprise.”

She took a few flitting steps toward him, and he flinched. Halting in her tracks, she took a better look at him. What she had taken for surprise, she realized now, was really disbelief. Or maybe it was annoyance. All she knew was, with the deepening of the lines around his eyes and the sight flaring of his nostrils, he did not look happy to see her.

Hurt replaced her smile and soured her stomach. Feeling suddenly uncomfortable, she mumbled, “I guess I should’ve called first. Maybe I should just go.”

“No. But let’s talk up in the room.” He closed the distance to the elevator and pushed the up button.

She stared up at his profile while they waited for it to arrive. His silence was eating at her. It was almost as though they had gone back in time and she was looking at the Vas she’d first met. Where hadherVas gone and what did they need to talk about? Why did those words always sound so ominous? Anna had never pegged him as the cheating type, but it was impossible for her mind not to go there when he was acting so strange. Not to mention, he looked pale and his hair was all mussed. Even his breathing was labored and uneven. What the hell had he been up to? All those thoughts had worry joining her current hurt party.

It was hard not to sneak glances at him while in the small confines of the elevator, his face an unreadable mask. A boisterous couple got on one floor up and off again three later, prolonging the torturous journey, her anxiety building to a state her hands were actually trembling.

Vas had hit the button for the sixteenth floor when they had first gotten on the elevator, and now the doors opened into a small alcove adjacent to a long, carpeted hallway. They started the walk down it, Anna feeling like a convict walking to their doom. A little melodramatic perhaps, but she was feeling rather dramatic at the moment, and Vas’s attitude was far from convincing her otherwise. Not for the first time that day, she wished she’d just called him first.

Far too soon, they were at his room, and he slid the keycard through the lock, giving the heavy door his weight to open it.

“Go ahead and make yourself comfortable. I just need to use the bathroom.”

There was a door to his left that he disappeared behind. Then she heard the distinct click of a lock engaging.

The room was a suite with a straight-forward floor plan—bathroom, bedroom area, and a step down into a living room. She tried not to be nosy as she walked the length of it but found her eyes scanning every surface for some hint as to why Vas was behaving the way he was. There was nothing. No receipts or scribbled on scraps of paper littered the dresser or nightstands. The trash cans were empty. And the only personal item lying about was a laptop sitting on the small dining table.

Anna took the step down and went over to it. The lid was shut. She snuck a peek over her shoulder. The bathroom door was still closed and she could hear water running. She reached a hand out, then, just as quickly, let it drop back to her side. No matter her curiosity, her conscience wouldn’t allow her to invade his privacy to such an extent. Instead she set her bag down on the coffee table and went over to the window to try to lose herself in the view. Now dark outside, the Strip was glowing.

Lost in the flashing, neon glitter, time passed. Anna wasn’t sure how much, but enough that she looked at the bathroom door in concern. She strained to hear some sort of activity, but there was nothing. Even the sound of running water had stopped. What the hell was going on here? Mind swirling, her feet carried her to the bathroom door.

She knocked. “Everything okay in there?”

It didn’t take long for him to reply. “Yeah, I’ll be right out.”

Seconds passed then the door opened. Vas stood looming before her, his bare chest all she could see until her widening eyes zeroed in on the blood-soaked towel held at his side. All thoughts of Vas’s strange mood flew from her head as worry for an entirely new reason overwhelmed her. “Oh, my God. What happened?”

“I was mugged,” Vas blurted, a scowl instantly pulling at his lips, the action made more curious as it was the first emotion he’d displayed since his initial reaction to seeing her.

Pulling her scrutiny from his face, she tentatively tugged at the towel, her stomach somersaulting at the sight of blood and gore hidden underneath. “Is that… Is that a gunshot wound?” She quickly darted her eyes behind him to see more blood-smeared towels littering the bathroom counter. Horror had her heart racing and her thoughts turning manic. “We need to get you to a hospital. Why weren’t you taken to a hospital?”

“I can’t go to the hospital.”Stepping past her, Vas dropped his eyes as he pressed the towel more firmly to his side.

“Well, why not?!” Her normally modulated tone rose a few octaves. What the heck was he thinking? Had he lost his mind?

Vas ran a noticeably shaky hand through his hair before gesturing toward the couch. “Let’s go sit down for a minute.”

He softly grasped her upper arm, walking her past the king-size bed and down the single step into the living area. Following along mutely, she let him steer her to the couch and gently sit her down before he headed to the table and his laptop. She watched numbly as he logged onto his computer. He was way too calm as he stood there, bleeding and typing as if it were any other day.

Her initial panic waning, his coolness in comparison to her concern made her patience slip. “Are you going to tell me about this mugging?”

Seconds ticked.

“Vas?”

He had gone back to the silent treatment and now irritation was starting to overpower her anxiety.

“Vas!”

“Hang on one second, sweetheart. I need to make a call real quick.” He pulled out his phone, tapping on it.

“Who are you calling?”

He turned his gaze from the computer screen to look at her. “A doctor.”

---