Fated by Indra Vaughn Page A

while now, Hart had figured Isaac would grow out of this crush eventually. He still hadn’t, and it didn’t bother Hart as much as it probably should have.
    “Listen, are you all right out there? It’s probably got nothing to do with you because you’re pretty far out of town, right? But we heard on the news about this car exploding, and—”
    “Ah, yes. That was my car, actually.” Shit. Apparently pain meds and alcohol combined to loosen the tongue.
    “ What ?” Isaac sounded awfully awake now. Hart heard bedding shift, bedsprings creaking, and tried very hard not to imagine Isaac with pillow creases on his face. “Oh, my God. Oh, my God, Jesus Christ.”
    “Hey, hey.” Hart pushed himself up on one elbow, as if Isaac could actually see him reaching out, and winced. “Listen, I’m fine. My eyebrows got scorched a little, but I’m okay.”
    “I don’t believe it,” Isaac breathed as if Hart hadn’t spoken. “What happened?”
    “We don’t know yet.” Hart kept his voice low and calm. “But don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself.”
    “Yeah, I guess. But man, I can’t…. Are you sure you’re okay? Do you need help?”
    “I’m fine, Isaac.” Hart sighed. He had to give the kid something, or he’d never leave it alone. “The left side of my face is a little burned, so are my side and my left arm, but none of that will last, apart from maybe a little scarring on my forearm.”
    “Are you good to stay by yourself? Do you want me to—” Whatever he was about to say, Isaac swallowed it back.
    “I’m good here. But thank you.”
    “Do you have any idea why?”
    “It’s related to a case. I can’t really—”
    “Talk about it. No, I get it. Was anyone else injured?”
    Hart blinked. He hadn’t thought about that. If anyone had died in the explosion, Freddie would’ve told him, though. “Not that I know of. I’ll check in the morning.”
    “I’m sorry. You probably need to rest. I’ll let you do that, just….”
    “What?” Hart sank back in the pillows, his body feeling tired, sore, and heavy, but the blood in his veins buzzing pleasantly again as he sensed Isaac relaxing on the other end.
    “Take care of yourself, and come home soon.”
    Hart smiled. “I will. And thanks for your call, Isaac. It was good to hear from you.”
    “Any—Anytime, Hart. Bye.”
    “Bye.” Hart watched his screen go dark, then plugged it into the charger and switched it back on to set his alarm. When he settled in to sleep, he felt more relaxed than he had all day. It could’ve been the chemical mix, but in truth it felt nice to know someone out there cared.

Chapter 4

     
     
    H E WOKE before his alarm, momentarily disoriented by the stained glass lamp that hung over his head. He took in the blue and black curtains closed above a roll-top wooden desk and the faces staring down at him above his bed. Hart closed his eyes to his childhood bedroom, wondering why his dad had never taken down the band posters. When he opened them again, early dawn light spilled through the gap in the curtains, bouncing off the blue, green, and red panels of the lamp, fracturing the light into a rainbow of shattered colors across the room. His body hurt more this morning than it had the day before, and Hart wished he had brought his painkillers to bed with him so he wouldn’t have to struggle down the stairs before he could take them. Granted, the pounding headache could’ve been avoided.
    Gingerly he lifted himself up, sparing his left side. “Get it together, Hart.” His mouth felt awful and dry. The bandage around his waist and shoulder was clean, but the one around his wrist had a large reddish-yellow mark on it. He’d have to go to a pharmacy for some supplies to change it later.
    The sharp trill of his phone made him startle, raw skin under his bandages burning as he twisted to look for it. The screen lit up with an unknown number.
    “Hart.”
    “Oh, you’re up. Hi, it’s