Memorizing Mace (Twist Brothers #2) - Bex Dane Page 0,2
home.
I wanted action, but not this kind. Never this.
She can't die. Not her. Not Loralei.
"Hold on, sweetheart. We're getting you some help."
Chapter 2 Mace Twist
Loralei
Stinging light blinds me through my squinted eyes. Slowly, perforated ceiling tiles above my head come into focus. Where am I? My chest feels numb, but my arms and legs are burning.
"What the hell was she doing there?" In the distance, a deep angry voice rumbles and echoes, but the pounding in my head muffles it. "There's no way she went there on her own. Giselle and Arthur must be behind this."
The voice is definitely speaking to someone else. It seems like he could be talking about me, but I have no idea what the words mean. As I wake up more fully and turn my head, I see I'm in a hospital room. Panic bubbles in my chest. I'm in the hospital? And someone is yelling on their phone? What the heck?
"This is driving me nuts. She needs to wake up and answer some damn questions. First she shows up at Twist Cabins and causes a brawl. A few weeks later, she's unconscious on Morganna's island?" He pauses. "How could I have missed this? I'm telling you, I followed her to see what she was up to. She was clean. No ties to you or Morganna, so I let her be. I shoulda stayed on her."
He's quiet for a moment while I try to process all that's been said.
Twist Cabins.
I did go to Twist Cabins, but that wasn't weeks ago. It was just a day or two ago. I didn't realize someone there figured out I was behind the gossip that caused a massive fight to break out. So whoever this person is, he was there, he recognized me, and he followed me.
Oh no.
Tell me it's not him. It can't be him.
"How's Cass's arm?" The voice sighs and grunts as he listens to the other end of the conversation.
My eyes adjust and finally focus on a dark figure sitting in the corner of the room. Head down, long legs covered in dark jeans, thighs wide with his muscular forearms braced on them. One hand is buried deep in the curly long hair that conceals his face, but the visceral burst of dread rushing through me tells me exactly who he is.
It's him.
Mace Twist. My arch enemy since I was eighteen. The thief who stole my virginity then used me to get to my father. God, I hate him and he hates me.
Now he's sitting in a hospital room with me ranting about nonsensical things. Suddenly, it's hard to breathe, and I have to look away from the disturbing sight to put this all together. Okay. Let me think. It's so hard through the headache, but Mace is here. I'm in a hospital room. He saw me at Twist Cabins two days ago, and now he's angry at me for being on an island I've never heard of.
Oh Lord. What have I gotten myself into this time?
Mace grunts and shakes his head. "It's time for you to drop this now, Cutter. He's dead."
I hold back the gasp that wants to fly from my lips. Someone's dead? Cutter is Mace's older brother. Have I woken up in some kind of Twist Brothers' nightmare?
Mace must be so deep in his conversation that he hasn't realized I've woken up. He huffs out an ironic laugh. "I think she's the one woman in the world I can't persuade."
If he's talking about me, he's right. The hypnotizing power he wields over other women to persuade them to give up their values won't work on me. Not again.
"I'll ask her about Giselle, but I got work to do. I'm just here till she wakes up then I'm gonna make myself scarce."
So his plan is to leave once he knows I'm awake?
"Will do. Peace out."
He ends the call and looks up from under his sun-kissed hair. His face is tan from surfing even though it's winter. The man I've always thought of as the Hawaiian Jesus is sitting in a hospital room with me. His deep blue stare sears my eyes. The same gaze that seduced me then destroyed my life. He's dangerous. He can hurt me. Fear squeezes my chest and panic bubbles up my throat. This is unsafe. I need to run.
I scramble out of the bed, but I'm connected to tubes that shake and tug my arm back.
"Hey, hey, hey. Easy." He stands up and walks toward me with his