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I ask him the question, even if I’m not sure that I want to know the answer.
“Did you hurt Olivia?”
The offended shock on his face is real. “Of course not. I really liked her. I don’t know, maybe I could have even loved her. I would never do something like that.”
I really want to believe him, but I can’t fight the impression that he isn’t telling me everything that he knows. “How did she end up in the woods that night?”
“No idea.” He holds his hands up in a placating gesture when I lean closer. “I really don’t know. I swear.”
My gaze narrows as I study him. “Then why didn’t you tell me any of this earlier?”
“What was I supposed to fucking say? Oh man, that’s the girl I secretly dated for almost a year. Sucks that someone else nearly beat her to death. Wish I knew what happened. That wouldn’t have helped anyone and would have just made me a suspect.” Vaughn’s tone is more than a little exasperated, but it carries the ring of truth. “I don’t know how Olivia ended up making a sextape with guys in Havoc masks or got caught up in the Bacchanal. I really wish I did.”
Jagged emotions cut through my insides — anger, frustration and a healthy dose of fear. “Someone in Havoc House did this and the alumni rare trying to make it go away. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“It wasn’t me,” he responds solemnly.
God, I want to believe him. “None of that explains why you would hold Evangeline at gunpoint and force her to the police station to make a false statement.”
“You have no idea what it was like for me when she strolled onto campus on the first day of classes. I thought she was Olivia, and I kept waiting for a confrontation that never came. She acted like she’d never even known me. Olivia never mentioned having a twin, but eventually I realized that the girl parading around St. Bart’s couldn’t be her.”
“I’m still waiting for an explanation that will keep my hands from wrapping around your neck. You held her at gunpoint.”
Vaughn shifts on the bed so he can look me fully the eye. The expression on his face is more intense than I’ve ever seen it. “I was just so angry…I wasn’t thinking straight. I’m not gonna lie, it pissed me off that some imposter was stirring up all this shit. When she told me that Olivia was in a coma…it made me see red.
“Why have her go to the police?” I ask incredulously.
“We might bribe the cops so they won’t break up our parties or confiscate our drugs, but sexual assault and attempted murder are something different. The alumni will do anything to protect Havoc House,” Vaughn insists, his voice tight. “I thought if I could just make Evangeline wrap all of this shit up with the police then it would be over. The alumni weren’t going to let it go as long as they thought Olivia was out here causing problems for Havoc House.”
I want to bring up the messages on his phone, but hold my tongue. For now, I don’t want him to know just how suspicious I am until I’m sure where he stands.
I lean back in the chair and cross my arms over my chest. “You’re an idiot, but I guess that tracks. You’re lucky to be alive. Someone tried to kill you.”
“You really think that’s true?”
My tone is ruthless. He needs to understand. “Someone might have been gunning for the girl they thought was Olivia Pratt, but they were willing to take out anyone standing in the way. That includes you.”
Vaughn looks disbelieving. “That girl never should have come here. I don’t know what Evangeline was thinking.”
My tone is incredulous. “Olivia is her sister and Evangeline wants answers. You’re really not concerned that someone in Havoc House is willing to kill to keep this quiet?”
“If I believe that’s actually what happened. I can barely remember the crash,” he argues, eyeing me. “How did you figure out she wasn’t the real Olivia?”
“I didn’t, not until I had the sheriff run her prints. I had no idea who she was until a few days ago. The two of you had already crashed into a tree by the time I figured it out.”
A look of remorse briefly crosses his face. “Is she okay?”
My gaze moves over the cast on his leg and the generally wrecked state of his body. “Better than you are.”
“I hope she was smart enough to get the hell out of here.”
I briefly consider lying to him, but I quickly realize that I’m going to need his help. Eventually, I’m going to need to figure out how to get Evangeline and Vaughn in the same room without violence happening. “She isn’t gone. I promised to help her figure out who hurt Olivia and bring them to justice.”
Vaughn’s jaw drops. “You’re going up against Havoc House? Are you fucking suicidal?”
“I’m not going up against Havoc House,” I snap. “None of us should want to protect the asshole that thinks it’s okay to attack women. I thought you cared about Olivia. Whoever did this deserves to rot for it. If anybody should want the truth, it’s you.”
His mouth flattens into a grim line. “I do want the truth.”
