Within half an hour of getting that phone call, Zander and I were on the road. My sisters and my brother were coming as well, although Carole and Lara were taking Lara's car while Dean rode with us. The hospital was in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Zander told me it would take us about three hours to get there if traffic was good. I hoped it was. I needed to see my twin.

The lady on the phone said he was stable, but I wasn't going to believe that until I saw it with my own eyes.

I had no idea what Rhys was doing in Massachusetts, but apparently, he'd been found there, lying on the ground outside a diner. Someone beat him until he passed out.

I got the feeling I knew who that someone might have been.

But that didn't matter now.

All that mattered was getting to Rhys.

During the three and a half hours it took us to reach the hospital, none of us really spoke. Not aside from Dean uttering some variation of I swear if I get that asshole, under his breath every few minutes.

I kept quiet. Zander didn't say much either, but he glanced at me every so often, sometimes reaching over to squeeze my knee or my shoulder. I appreciated his support, but nothing could make me feel better before we reached Lawrence.

Once Zander parked the car in front of the hospital, I sped off ahead of everyone else.

No one tried to hold me back as I raced across the parking lot and to the information desk. I drummed my fingers on the desk as the nurse looked up what room my brother was in. The second she told me, I was off again.

Rhys was on the third floor and the elevator seemed to take forever to get up there. Especially because people wanted to get on and off on the second floor, in wheelchairs and with crutches. I gritted my teeth, said nothing, and stormed out of the elevator when the doors dinged open on the third floor.

I entered Rhys' room without knocking.

There were four beds in the room. I spotted my brother in the one closest to the window on the right—and didn't care about the others. Rhys seemed to be sleeping, but he opened his eyes when I approached the bed.

“They told me they called you.” He sounded almost apologetic that he'd caused me any trouble.

“I'm glad they did,” I said, drawing up a chair so I could sit by his side. “Lara and Carole and Dean are here too. And Zander.”

“You all came?”

Carefully, I reached out to stroke some hair back from Rhys' forehead. He looked awful. Both of his eyes were bruised, he had bandages wrapped around part of his head, and it killed me to see him like this. I felt like I should have been able to prevent this somehow. Like I failed him. Rhys had never had many social skills and no ability to read people. It was my job to make sure that the other kids didn't bully him. But we'd drifted apart. I'd let us drift apart. And this was the result.

“You didn't have to come,” Rhys said. “I'm okay.”

“No, you're not.” I picked up a glass of water that sat on the bedside table. “Drink something. You look like you could use it. Did they give you enough painkillers?”

“They've been good,” Rhys said, taking the glass from me.

While he drank, I pulled the curtains around his bed closed so we could have some privacy. Part of me wondered about Zander and the others being so slow to catch up. Were they trying to give us a moment of privacy too?

Whatever the reason, I was glad to have my brother to myself for a minute.

“Tell me what happened,” I urged him. “Why are we in Massachusetts?”

“Pit stop,” Rhys said. “I was passing through here on my way to Maine.”

Was I hearing that right? “You were on your way to Maine? To Oceanport?”

“Yeah.” Rhys gave me a small smile.

“What happened?” I asked again, because none of this made sense to me. “Were you trying to escape? Did your husband catch up with you?”

“Escape makes it sound so dramatic.” Rhys started to shake his head, but then he winced and stopped. “You've always had a flair for the dramatic.”

“Just tell me.”

“My husband and I had a fight, yes, and I left. But the people who did this to me... that wasn't him.” His eyes strayed to the side. I wondered how much he actually remembered of the attack and how painful it was to recall. It was only a few hours ago. Too soon to make him talk about it, maybe.

But I didn't need details. I only needed to know who the culprit was. I desperately needed someone I could blame who wasn't me. “Do you know who these people were?”

Rhys licked his cracked lips. “His brothers.”

I swallowed, my hands balling into fists. I understood being upset for your brother. I was mighty upset for my brother right now, but beating up his spouse because they had an argument? Or broke up? Hell no.

I didn't understand how anyone could hurt Rhys. He might be a bit of a social recluse at times, but when he interacted with someone, he was always gentle, always kind. He couldn't hurt a fly—or the bugs he used to collect as a child.

“I'm so sorry,” I said, because I didn't know what else to say.

“It's not your fault.”

Then why did it feel like it? I was hell-bent on getting my brother away from the Vinists... until I got distracted by falling in love with Zander. I got complacent and I lost focus of my original goal.

Before I could say any more, though, there was a knock at the door. “I guess that'll be the others. Are you up for more visitors?” He looked tired. Of course he was. I kind of just wanted to cuddle up with him and hug him until he fell back asleep, the way we did as young children when one of us had a bad dream.

Only this was so much worse than a bad dream and I didn't know what to do about it.

“Let them in,” Rhys said. He even managed to smile. “I haven't seen them in so long.”

“Okay then.” I forced the corners of my lips upward. If my twin could manage to stay optimistic through all this, so could I.

Stepping through the curtain, I went to the door to let everyone else in. My siblings streamed in first, and then Zander. I hung back with him, watching as the others approached Rhys.

Quietly, Zander took my hand and I leaned on his shoulder.

“Need me to get you some coffee?” he asked.

I shook my head.

“Hot chocolate?”

“Now you're talking.”

“All right, let me just—”

“No,” I cut him off. “I'll come with you.” There were enough visitors in this room even without me and Zander and now that I knew Rhys was safe, I could be persuaded to give him some space, even if only for a few minutes. Besides, I needed some room to breathe too. Somewhere I could unload for a moment.

“Okay.” Zander led me out the door and down the hall. “How is he?”

“Awful.” I shook my head again. “It's all so...” I didn't even have the words to express how terrible it all was.

“Was it his husband?” Zander asked as we waited for the elevator.

I snorted. “Might as well have been. He says it was his husband's brothers, because he tried to leave.”

Zander said nothing in return, but I saw his eyes turn to slits. I didn't have to explain to him how horrible this was, he knew. Other alphas might have come up with some ridiculous excuse how it was Rhys' own fault for running away, but not him.

It was why I hadn't cringed on the inside when his mother practically demanded that we get married.

“I'm going to book us into a hotel for the night,” Zander said when the elevator finally arrived on our floor.

“What about your dog?”

“I'll ask Kade or Griff to take care of her. I'm sure they won't mind, considering the circumstances.”

I nodded, stepping onto the elevator. “What about your store, though?”

“Who cares about the store?”

I stared at Zander as the automatic door closed behind us. I was almost ready to propose to him right then and there, but I couldn't help teasing him instead. “Who are you and what have you done to my boyfriend?”

“Hey, I know there are more important things than my bookstore, okay? Besides, I feel... responsible.”

“You do?” How could he feel the same way as me?

He sighed. “I'll explain to you when we have some privacy.”

“Okay,” I said slowly, wondering what he meant. Whatever it was, though, it was weighing heavily on him. I could tell by the tension in his shoulders.

With everything else going on, I told myself not to worry about it.

I really should have, though.