As there weren’t all that many motels in Fool’s Gold, locating the twins had been relatively easy. Finn knew that money would be tight, which had eliminated all the nice places. The motel manager had recognized them immediately and hadn’t minded giving Finn their room number.
Stephen watched him warily but didn’t speak. He’d always been the quieter of the twins. Despite the fact that they looked nearly exactly alike, they had different personalities. Sasha was outgoing, impulsive and easily distracted. Stephen was more silent and usually considered his actions. Finn could understand Sasha taking off for California, but Stephen?
Stay calm, he reminded himself. Having a conversation would get him further than shouting. But when he opened his mouth, he found himself yelling from the very first word.
“What the hell were you thinking?” he demanded, slamming the door shut behind him and planting both hands on his hips. “You had one semester left of college. Just one. You could have finished your classes and graduated. Then you would each have had a degree. Something no one could take away from you. But did you think of that? Of course not. Instead you took off, quitting before you were finished. And for what? Some chance to be in a ridiculous show?”
The twins looked at each other. Sasha sat up and sucked in a breath. “The show isn’t ridiculous. Not to us.”
“Because you’re both professionals? You know what you’re doing?” He glared at them both. “I want to lock you in this damn room until you figure out how stupid you’re being.”
Stephen nodded slowly. “That would be why we didn’t tell you until after we were here, Finn. We didn’t want to hurt you or scare you, but you’re holding on too tight.”
Words Finn didn’t want to hear. “Why couldn’t you finish college? That’s all I wanted. Just to get you through college.”
“Would it really end there?” Sasha asked him, coming to his feet. “You said that before. That all we had to do was finish high school and you’d get off our butts. But you didn’t. There you were, pushing for college, staying on us about our grades, our classes.”
Finn felt his temper rising. “How is that wrong? Is it bad that I want you to have a good life?”
“You want us to have your life,” Sasha said, glaring at him. “We appreciate all you’ve done. We care about you, but we can’t do what you want anymore.”
“You’re twenty-one. You’re kids.”
“We’re not,” Stephen said, sitting up. “You keep saying that.”
“Maybe my attitude has something to do with your actions.”
“Or maybe it’s just you,” Stephen told him. “You’ve never trusted us. Never given us a chance to prove what we could do on our own.”
Finn wanted to put his fist through a wall. “Maybe because I knew you’d pull something like this. What were you thinking?”
“We need to make our own decisions,” Stephen said stubbornly.
“Not when they’re this bad.”
Finn could feel control of the conversation slipping from him. The sensation got worse when the twins exchanged a look. One that said they were communicating silently, in a way he’d never understood.
“You can’t make us go back,” Stephen said quietly. “We’re staying. We’re going to get on the show.”
“And then what?” Finn asked, dropping his hands to his sides.
“I’m going to Hollywood to be on television and in the movies,” Sasha told him.
Hardly news, Finn thought. Sasha had been starstruck for years.
“What about you?” Finn asked Stephen. “Want to become a spokesmodel?”
“No.”
“Then come home.”
“We’re not going back,” Stephen told him, sounding strangely determined and mature. “Let it go, Finn. You’ve done all you needed to. We’re ready to be on our own.”
They weren’t. That’s what killed Finn. They were too young, too determined to screw up. If he wasn’t nearby, how could he keep them safe? He would do anything to protect them. Briefly he wondered if he could physically wrestle them into submission. But then what? He couldn’t keep them tied up for the entire trip back. The thought of kidnapping wasn’t pleasant, and he had a vague notion that he would be flirting with felony charges the second he crossed state lines.
Besides, getting them back to Alaska wouldn’t accomplish anything if they weren’t willing to stay and finish school.
“Can’t you do this in June?” he asked. “After you graduate?”
The twins shook their heads.
“We don’t want to hurt you,” Stephen told him. “We really do appreciate all you’ve done. It’s time to let go. We’re going to be fine.”
Like hell they were. They were kids playing at being adults. They thought they knew it all. They thought the world was fair and life was easy. All he wanted was to protect them from themselves. Why did that have to be so hard?