His eyes didn’t leave mine. He didn’t even speak, he just... looked. It was hard to breathe the way he kept staring at me, as if he was trying to pull the truth straight out of my bones. But I held my gaze steady, feigning confusion behind a mask that was starting to crack. 

“Tell you what?” I repeated, forcing a small, nervous laugh. “You’re being cryptic, Vaughn.” 

His jaw flexed, but he didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he just stared at me for a long, aching beat, his ...