Page 89 of Mafioso's Muse

She cleared her throat. ‘Can you stay on the phone with me for a bit? Please?’

He rose from behind his desk and made his way out into the hall, where Finn was lounging, reading the paper. The driver looked up, then, seeing Vaughn’s face, tossed the paper aside and fetched the car keys.

‘Of course I can,’ Vaughn told her. ‘Where are you?’

Finn walked ahead to the car parked out front.

‘I’m on my way home. Cecil Street, about ten minutes away.’

Vaughn muted the call and said to Finn, ‘Willow’s apartment.’ Then he unmuted it and asked, ‘Are you on foot?’

No reply.

‘Willow?’

‘Sorry, what?’

He got into the back seat of the car. ‘I asked if you’re on foot.’

‘Yes.’

‘Alone?’

‘Uh-huh.’

Something was definitely wrong. He could feel her fear coming through the phone. ‘Are you hurt?’

She hesitated. ‘No.’

The pause turned Vaughn’s stomach.

‘Are you still there?’ she asked.

‘Of course.’ He could hear how fast she was walking.

‘Can you keep talking to me until I get home?’

His eyes sank shut. ‘I’ll stay on the line as long as you need.’

She exhaled into the phone, sounding relieved. ‘Tell me about your day. What did you do?’

He tried to think past his worry. ‘I went rowing this morning.’

‘You did?’

That seemed to bring some life back to her voice. He’d been rowing a lot of late. It was becoming the best part of his week. ‘Yeah. I’ve been a few times, actually.’ He watched the street signs flash by. ‘How did the performance go tonight?’

‘Amazing, actually. I think it was our best night yet.’

That was the best thing he’d heard all week. ‘That’s great.’ So what had happened afterwards that had driven her to call him? ‘Did you go out? Celebrate?’

‘Dinner.’ There was a long pause before she added, ‘A Turkish place.’

His eyebrows came together. ‘With who?’

‘With Harrison.’

Fucking Harry. And there was his answer to what was wrong.