Chapter Fifty Three
Salena
IsenseLoganthemoment he pulls up outside. It’s late and I was expecting him hours ago. He has been sitting in his car for fifteen minutes; I don’t know what’s wrong, but something is bothering him. Ever since he left the hospital yesterday, he has been pulling away. Bit by bit, I can see the distance he is creating between us, and I’m not sure how to fix it.
Kai and Felix are working downstairs at the bar. They are flatout refusing to let me work. Kai was the one to drive me home from the hospital, and I haven't seen Logan since he left the hospital yesterday afternoon. He sent a few vague messages, and called once last night, but his tone was distant and unfamiliar. I had planned to tell him everything when I got out of the hospital, but with how he’s acting, I’m worried it’ll be the last thing to push him further away. The longer I cling to this secret, the heavier it seems to get, making it more and more difficult to tell him.
It is tearing me up on the inside. I’ve been pacing all day, checking my phone and the parking lot constantly. Sander dropped by and said he was leaving tomorrow now that the case has been closed.
There’s a soft knock on the door, and I frown. Logan never knocks, and I know it’s him. My stomach is in knots with apprehension as I approach the door and swing it open.
“Logan?”
“Salena. I . . . ” he reaches up, rubbing the back of his neck. He only does that when he’s lost and uncomfortable.
“Come in,” I say, stepping to the side.
Logan looks at me with a solemn expression before shaking his head.
“Logan, what’s going on?” I hate how my voice shakes and my body trembles.
“I’m leaving.”
“What? What do you mean?” I grip the door harder to keep myself grounded.
“I'm sorry, Salena, but I can’t be what you want. I’m broken and scarred. I have demons.” He shakes his head, taking a step back toward the stairs. His clear blue eyes hold a mixture of emotions.
“You don’t get to tell me what I want,” I whisper harshly. “And who says you're broken, Logan?” I chide, unable to keep the hurt and confusion from my voice.
A myriad of emotions well up inside me, making my throat tighten.
“I’m telling you I can’t do this, Salena.”
No, no, no.
As I attempt to say the word, I hear a catch in my voice. “Why?”
I wait, but he doesn’t answer. I’m not sure he will.
My heart thunders, and I stop breathing. I am stunned silent.
“I’m sorry, Salena.”
I watch, frozen as he turns and makes his way down the stairs. A crack of thunder rattles the windows as I stand there staring after him. Life isn’t fair. We have finally put my stalker behind us, and he is leaving. Snapping out of it, I race down the stairs in seconds, ignoring the pain flaring in my stomach and shoulder from those damn bullets.
You are strong. Show him you are strong, I chant to myself as I chase after my mate.
The storm bears down, having gotten worse over the last hour. Gusts of wind lash through the trees, sending them whipping back and forth. Lightning lights the sky, showcasing the darkness of the night. The wind howls, and the moon is barely visible through the dark, ominous clouds.
My heart races as I draw to a stop and take in the man who is little more than a shadow beneath the raging sky, his shoulders hitched high as he strides toward his car at a clipped pace.
He is a lost man. He feels out of place everywhere he goes, never able to find that place where he belongs. What he doesn’t realize is he belongs with me. I want to carve out a place for him, welcome him, show him what it’s like to belong. To be treasured and loved. I thought I had done that, but maybe my secrets have been what was holding us back.
The wind and rain whip my hair across my face as I stand there.
“What if I want you to stay?” I shout over the raging storm. “What if I needed you here with me?”
In the distance, he freezes, as if my words have rooted him to the spot. Slowly, he turns those wintery blue eyes on me. The rain falls heavier as we stare at each other over the distance.
