“They’re waiting for a bed in the hospital,” Ava said to him in a low voice. “The cops left because they’re keeping her overnight for observation for a bad concussion. Tomorrow, she has to report downtown to be processed for her arrest.” Her voice shook as she ended her sentence.

The nurse stopped at a curtained bed. “Jayne? You’ve got some visitors.” She smiled brightly at Ava and Mason as she whipped back the curtain.

So that’s Jayne McLane. The woman with closed eyes lying in the bed didn’t look anything like Ava. Her hair was a bright blonde, and she seemed paler and bonier. She had a dozen lacerations down the left side of her face and a large bandage on her forehead. Her left wrist and hand were bandaged. Her eyes opened, and the resemblance punched Mason in the stomach. Ava’s eyes stared out of the other woman’s face.

“Ava!” Jayne sniffed and rubbed her nose with her forearm, avoiding her bandages. “I was so scared. I can’t believe this happened!”

Ava stood at the foot of the bed, staring at her sister, her face unreadable.

Jayne held out her good hand for her sister to take. Ava didn’t move. Jayne glanced at Mason and back to her stiff sister, her gaze confused. She let her arm drop.

“How badly are you hurt?” Ava asked.

“Well,” Jayne gestured at her head. “I think you can see most of it. I sprained my hand on the steering wheel, and they say I have a bad concussion. I don’t hurt too bad right now.”

Her glassy eyes told Mason she was enjoying some potent painkillers.

“Were you drunk?” Ava asked.

Jayne looked away. “Not really. I’m sure my test will come back—”

“How much did you drink?” Ava’s words sliced through the air.

“I don’t know!” Jayne yelled back. “I can’t remember.” She gritted her teeth as she stared at her twin.

Mason took a half step backward. The tension around the bed was stifling. If Jayne was expecting some sympathy from her twin, it wasn’t coming.

“You stole my keys out of my purse this morning.”

Jayne jerked her head like she’d been slapped. “No, I didn’t.”

“Then how did you wreck my car?”

Jayne burst into tears. “Jesus Christ, Ava! You don’t have to yell at me. I’m hurt! I have a concussion and have to stay in the hospital.”

“You. Stole. My. Car.”

Jayne sniffed. “You have no sympathy for me at all. How can you be such a bitch at a time like this? I mean, the car is insured, right?”

Mason blinked. Ava hadn’t been exaggerating.

“You stole my car. You drove it drunk. You wrecked it, and you hit another car. You’re lucky you didn’t kill someone! You’re probably going to jail for drunk driving. And if I feel like it, you’ll be charged with stealing my Honda, too!” Ava clenched her hands into fists, and Mason rocked onto his toes in case he had to stop her from taking a swing at her sister.

“You’re so mean to me! You’ve always hated me!”

Jayne is nuts. How does Ava put up with it?

Ava closed her eyes, and Mason imagined he could hear her counting to ten.

“You’re going to survive,” said Ava calmly. “But you’ve interfered in my life enough this decade. Don’t call me.” She turned around and walked away.

Jayne sat upright in her bed. “Ava! Wait! I need someone to give me a ride home tomorrow.”

“Ask your boyfriend,” Ava tossed over her shoulder as she departed.

Jayne gasped and turned to stare at Mason. “Who are you?”

“A friend of your twin.”

“Are you dating her? She only pretends to be nice at first. Deep down she has a lot of issues, especially when it comes to men. You should be careful around her,” Jayne said with a straight face, blue eyes full of innocence.

“Thanks for the advice,” said Mason, touching the brim of his hat. “Good luck to you, ma’am. I hope your cellmate doesn’t have irritable bowel syndrome.”

He followed Ava’s footsteps.

18

62 HOURS MISSING

Ava strode blindly out of the hospital, brushing the tears on her face. Her twin had looked like a battered doll, and Ava had been cruel to her. Jayne was being kept overnight in the hospital, and all Ava cared about was that she’d wrecked her car, and then told her to never call again.

Which twin was the selfish one?

She yanked on the door handle of Mason’s vehicle. Locked. As she’d known it would be. He was the predictable type who always locked his doors. She laid her forehead on the cool metal of the car and blinked away her tears. Predictability was something she could use a big dose of right now. She was exhausted from having the rug ripped out from under her.

It left her silently bleeding inside, where no one could see.

The car doors clicked as Mason hit his remote. Ava didn’t move.

“Hey.” He cleared his throat. “Your twin is a real piece of work.”

Ava lifted her head, wiped her nose, and nodded. “You saw a good example tonight. Did you notice how she didn’t admit she stole my car? And never apologized for wrecking it? In her mind, it was her right. She believes she doesn’t need to apologize to me for anything.” She leaned against the car, shaking her head.

“Would an apology have helped?” His voice was low and gentle as he leaned an arm on the car’s roof, by her shoulder.