Max sat on a chair next to the bed, leaving Cole and Logan facing each other. Running a hand through his hair, Logan tried to calm his racing heart. He wasn’t going to like what Cole had to say—he knew that much—but he had to hear it. “Tell me.”
“Come sit down.”
“I think I’m going to need to,” Logan muttered, letting Cole lead him to the bed.
Logan sat.
Cole remained standing. He glanced over at Aaron, who gave him a small nod.
Logan tried not to let that irritate him.
“I want to come back to London with you and Aaron.”
“You what?” Max asked, incredulous.
Logan sighed and dropped his head into his hands. Exactly what he’d feared. “No.”
“No?” Cole’s voice had the edge of a growl to it. “You’re not even going to hear me out? Just no?”
“People died to get you out of London, Cole, and you want to go back?”
Cole looked instantly contrite. “I know, and I’m not trying to belittle their deaths.”
“Then what? What could you possibly want to go back there for?”
When Cole didn’t answer straight away, Logan looked up. “Please don’t make this about me.” He stood and gripped Cole by the shoulders. “I don’t want to leave you, Cole, believe me, I don’t, but going back there... I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.” He glared at Aaron. “Have you told him what would happen if he went back?”
Aaron nodded, far too calmly for Logan’s liking. “I have.”
“Really? Everything?” Turning back to Cole, he started to list them on his fingers. “They’ll arrest you for starters. No matter what story the two of you have come up with, they’ll arrest you for running away. Then they’ll question you, and they won’t be nice about it. They’ll want to know everything you know about the people who helped you escape. That includes me, Aaron, Max, John, Mothecombe. They’ll question you about your parents’ death. Fuck’s sake.” How could they not see what a shit idea this was? “You know far too much, Cole. You can’t go back.”
“To be fair,” Max said softly, “Max and John aren’t our real names, and our pack isn’t in St Neot. Also the cavern is done being used as a stopover point, so...” She held out her hands.
“Not helping,” Logan hissed.
“I’m just stating facts. But I agree with you. It’s a terrible idea.”
“What if he gives them just enough information to satisfy them but hardly tells them anything important?” Aaron said quietly.
Logan scowled. “And how would he manage that? You know they won’t stop until he’s broken.” Even talking about it set Logan’s teeth on edge. He turned to Cole, pleading. “You can’t... You can’t do this. Please.”
“There’s someone in Paul’s team who could help. If he did the questioning...”
Logan could see where he was going but... “If? You want to risk his life—all our lives—on an if?”
“I’m pretty sure Jacob could make it happen,” Aaron said, defensive. “And yes, before you ask, we’ve already run this past him.”
Anger rippled through Logan, and it was all he could do not to tip his head back and roar at the fucking stupidity of it all. “Why?” he whispered, not trusting himself with anything louder. “Why do this to yourself?” To me? he wanted to add, because it would kill him to see Cole treated like that.
Cole reached for his hand. “Because there are people out there who want to fight, Logan. I know there are. We just need to find them. You said they wouldn’t trust shifters who’d fought for the Alliance, but they might trust me. Others like me, forced to join packs against their will? They might trust me. The McKillan pack won’t punish me forever, you know that. Otherwise they might as well kill me from the get-go. If I toe the line, behave myself, then maybe I can fit in enough that I can be of use.”
“Use to who?”
“To the people who helped me escape in the first place. There’s plenty of people out there who felt like I did. It didn’t work out for me, but it might work out for them. For everyone eventually if we can band together.”
Cole was talking about a revolution.
Something Logan wasn’t sure he was equipped for. Helping people escape the city was one thing. Overthrowing the government? Going against his pack? That was on a whole other level.
