Page 93 of Earned Husband

When Colin noticed, he said something into the phone, then lowered it, talking to my dad for a minute. Dad mostly listened, but when Colin’s lips stopped moving, he asked a question, Colin answered, then he nodded and motioned toward one of the cars.

The SUV at the front pulled away from the line and rolled toward them. The driver climbed out and opened the rear door. Dad barked some instructions to the driver and Colin went to get into the car, but he looked at me before climbing in.

As our eyes met across the hangar, I realized that he suddenly looked as exhausted and worried as he had in those early days here in Egypt, but since this couldn’t have anything to do with my family’s demands, it really,reallycouldn’t be good.

“I’m sorry,” he mouthed, then climbed into the SUV and the driver shut the door behind him, hurried back to the front, and quickly jumped in behind the wheel.

The vehicle accelerated only seconds later, peeling out of the hangar like it was racing to the scene of an emergency. Beside me, Jasmine’s eyebrows swept up and she let out a low whistle. “Did someone die?”

“Jasmine,” I admonished, but because I honestly didn’t know.

“What?” she asked. “That’s usually how people get that face. I think.”

I wanted to tell her she wasn’t helping, but Dad was walking back toward us and I hurried over to him instead. “Dad?”

He looked at me, but even though he was trying to appear like nothing unusual had happened, I could see the turmoil churning behind his dark eyes. “You’ll see Colin at the resort, sweetheart. He’s only gone on ahead of us, but he’ll be there.”

A flicker of relief started up deep inside, but it didn’t last long. “What happened?”

Dad shrugged. “I’ll know more once he’s had some time to sort it out.”

“Is it business?” I asked. “His family is okay, right? No one got hurt or anything like that?”

“I believe so.”

I arched an eyebrow at him. “Youbelieveso? Surely, you have to know whether it’s work or a death in the family.”

He reached out and squeezed my shoulder. “Sometimes, those two things can feel remarkably similar. Come, my lily, let’s get moving. We’re already behind schedule.”

My eyes begged to roll. As if the schedule mattered at a time like this, but since getting moving would also get me to the resort—that Colin was already on his way to—I climbed into the closest car without argument.

Thankfully, the entire family had realized by now that something was going on, and no one wasted any time finding a seat in one of the SUVs. Within minutes, our convoy was on its way to a breathtaking resort right on the banks of the Nile.

Normally, I would’ve grabbed my camera and taken off while the rest of my family went to get settled, but I stuck with them, following Jasmine to our assigned suite once we’d checked in. She claimed the bed next to the window with a smug grin, obviously expecting me to argue.

“I’m taking this one,” she said, flopping down on it and looking over at me.

I shrugged, striding over to the other bed and laying my camera and purse down on top of it. “That’s fine. You can have whichever one you want. It doesn’t bother me.”

She frowned. “Are you okay?”

“No,” I said honestly. “I’m just going to check on Colin. Don’t wait around for me.”

“I wasn’t going to,” she said, but then the humor faded from her eyes. “I’ll be at the pool if you need me.”

I nodded and left, heading down the corridor toward the suite I’d heard the receptionist mention Colin had already checked into. The first time I knocked, nothing happened, but after a second, louder rap of my knuckles against the wood, I heard footsteps, and a moment later, the door opened.

Relief flooded his eyes when he saw it was me and he immediately stepped aside to let me in. “Deja. Hey, I’m glad you’re here. Sorry about the way I left back there.”

“It’s okay.” I went inside, waiting until he’d shut the door behind me before I turned slowly to face him.

As I turned, however, I couldn’t help taking a sweeping glance around the room, immediately noticing that his suitcase was unopened on the luggage rack and his laptop was already open on the little table. That chill that had settled in my stomach intensified, my throat drying up.

I finally looked at him. “What happened?”

“We need to talk.” He rubbed his hands across his face, squeezing his eyes shut for another moment even after he’d lowered his hands back to his sides. “I’m so, so sorry, Deja.”

My heart started sinking. Icy fingers of terror suddenly reached into my veins. “You’re sorry about what?”