Logan exits the room and I sit in silence, waiting, twisting the blanket in my fingers with nerves. Logan enters the room shortly afterward, carrying two steaming coffees. He sits down and passes me my mug. Carefully, I take it and take a deep inhale.
“Your brothers wouldn’t tell me anything while you were sleeping.” He stumbles over the wordsleeping.Clearing his throat, he continues, “Can you tell me what happened? About Samuel?”
I look down into my coffee, my chest tightening at my brother’s name.
“Samuel . . . he is–wasmy older brother. Growing up, he was always the odd one out. Never quite fit in, keeping himself withdrawn from everyone. He’d just sit aside and observe everyone. He always gave off that impression that he was better than everyone else, that we were simply beneath him. After our parents died . . . ” As I trip over those words, I can feel the pain in my heart radiating outward. “He got worse. He thought he would take our parents’ place in our family. But it surprised him when he found out that it was me they entrusted everything to.
“The bar?” Logan asks.
I shake my head. “No. The bar was always my dream. I built that from the ground up. It wasn’t something that was passed down to me. Samuel was furious, he tried to attack me, so my brothers made him leave town and never come back.”
Logan's eyes were like a hawk, studying me closely. I look down at my coffee and run my finger over the rim.
“How did your parents die?” Logan’s voice breaks the silence, and my eyes snap up to his. It takes me a few moments to answer.
“The police ruled it an accident.”
“But you don’t think that?”
I see why he’s a detective. I bite my lip and drop my gaze again.
“What do you think happened?” he asks softly.
I raise my shoulders in a half-hearted attempt to answer, unsure of what to say. Samuel confessed to killing them. Despite the state of wreckage, a shifter would have come out of the car accident unharmed, so he had to have taken extra measures to prevent that.
“They died in a car accident, trapped in a burning car,” I say.
Logan leans forward and carefully places his mug on the small coffee table, then reaches to grab mine and does the same. Then, wordlessly, he shifts us so we’re spooning on the small sofa, the faint smell of leather and fabric surrounding us. His arm was strong and protective as it tucks securely around me, and I can feel his breath in my hair.
“I know I have a lot to explain, and I will, but for now, can you just hold me?” I whisper.
Logan tightens his grip around me. “Of course.”
“When we’re home, I will tell you everything,” I promise.
Logan’s lips press to the back of my head, his other arm sliding under my head. The comforting sensation of Logan's arms around me and the rhythmic beat of his heart help me drift off to sleep. Being held by him fills me with a comforting warmth and sense of belonging.
I stir awake as Logan shifts his arms, holding me tightly against his chest, his movements strong and secure as he stands.
“What’s going on?” I mumble, too tired and weak to open my eyes.
“Shhh, go back to sleep. I’ve got you.”
I’m placed on the bed, the covers pulled over me. Rolling onto my side, I snuggle down and tuck my hands under the pillow. As Logan's fingers glide through my hair, I feel a sense of calm wash over me, lulling me back to sleep. Logan's lips are soft and tender as they touch my temple.
“Sleep, rest. Kai will take you home when you're awake.”
Though I want to protest, I know he has to go back to work.
Chapter Fifty Two
Logan
IcansenseSalenais keeping something from me. I want to give her the space, time to herself, but I can't stand the idea that she feels like she can't speak to me. Yesterday I held her close until her breathing had evened out and her eyelids had fluttered shut before I tiptoed out of her hospital room. The need to get to the station and investigate what happened to her parents driving me. To say I’m curious to find out what she’s keeping secret would be an understatement. Overwhelmed by the need to create space between us and rebuild my walls of defense. So I’m here hiding, protecting myself from the pain the world can bring. The thought of losing her hits me hard, and I feel a knot form in my stomach. I'm torn between wanting to give her my heart and the fear of losing her. This week has made me realize how easily life can be taken away, and I don’t think my heart or soul could take it if she had died.
My eyes move to the mirror behind the bar, and the woman that’s still studying me. She’s been leaning against the wall near the door for twenty minutes just watching. I hear an internal warning bell as red flags start to appear in my mind. Isn’t that she seems dangerous, but just someone who needs to be taken seriously. In the mirror behind the bar, I watch her approach the bar where I’m seated.
She takes a seat next to me, her face set in a stern expression that makes my stomach tighten. She gives a quick nod to the bartender, and almost immediately a glass of amber liquid is placed in front of her. Picking it up, she takes a small sip from it before speaking.
