Tristan turned as though to leave, and I reached out to stop him. He flinched at my touch, and I pulled my hand back like I'd been burned as my heart cracked into jagged pieces. "I just… Are you hurt?"
He studied me for a long moment. "I'm fine," he told me dismissively. "I need to get cleaned up."
But he wasn't fine. I could see it in the tightness around his eyes and hear it in the emotionless tone of his voice.
I watched him walk away toward the back of the house, his back stiff and straight, and I forced myself to let him go, even though a part of me wanted to go after him, to demand he talk to me, or at the very least let me hold him. But I knew it would be useless. I couldn't reach him right now.
"Luna," Veda said softly from behind me. "Why don't you try to get some rest? Logan’s probably out for the night, and I'm sure Luca will let you use one of the spare rooms. It's been a long day."
I shook my head, wiping at my tears. "I'm not leaving my brother. He'll be scared if he wakes up and doesn't know where he is."
Veda sighed. "Are you sure? You look exhausted. I can sit with him."
"Thanks, but no. I need to be there. I'll rest later," I promised her when she looked like she was going to argue more. I couldn't leave Logan right now, despite the weariness seeping into my bones. With one last longing look in the direction Tristan had gone, I left them all standing in the great room and returned to Logan's room with determined steps. Sinking into the chair beside him, I resumed my vigil at his bedside as I tried not to read too much into Tristan's reactions to me, or mine to him.
Pulling the photo of me and my mother from my back pocket, a shadow of doubt slid down my spine. Maybe it was better this way. I hadn't forgotten about this picture, or what it could mean. If anything, it only made my feelings for my captor—my savior—even more complicated.
I shouldn’t care about him. But how could I not after everything he'd done for me? He'd risked his life—more than once—to keep me safe from Gino. Even if I didn't agree with his methods, was I just supposed to ignore that?
And the worst thought of all—the one that made my breath catch and new tears fill my eyes—what if after today he realized I wasn't worth it after all?
The minutes ticked by slowly as I waited for the night to pass and the next day to dawn. Everything always looked better by the light of day. Lisa brought me more coffee, along with a glass of water, but I left them both untouched on the end table. I couldn't stomach anything right now. Not until I knew Logan would be okay.
Veda came in a little while later wearing a clean white T-shirt and yoga pants. She was taking some college courses, she told me, and brought her homework in with her, asking if that was okay. I nodded and asked her about her classes, but, eventually, she left to get some sleep herself.
I must've dozed off at some point, though, because the next thing I knew, I felt Logan's hand twitch in mine. My eyes flew open, and I sat up straight, my heart pounding right out of my chest. The house was dark, but someone had turned on a lamp in the corner. It let off a muted glow, giving me enough light to make out his still features. "Logan?" I whispered.
His eyelids fluttered, then his good eye slowly opened and his hand slid up to hover over his ribs. He blinked a few times, frowning in confusion as he took in the tray ceiling and crown molding. Turning his head slowly, his gaze slid to the large windows, where lights flickered like fireflies on the other side of the dark lake, before coming back to land on me. "Luni? What..." He cleared his throat and lifted his head, looking around. "What happened? Where are we?"
Relief crashed over me, and I fought back tears. I was so fucking tired of crying. "You're okay," I said, squeezing his hand. "You've got a broken arm and some cracked ribs. Lots of bruising. But you're safe now."
He tried to sit up and winced, falling back against the pillows with a groan. "Where are we?" he asked again.
"Luca's house," I told him. "And be careful with your arm. It's just in a brace because the doctor didn't have anything to make the cast."
He glanced down at his arm. "Who the hell is Luca?"
"He's a…" I wasn't sure what to say. Criminal? Mob boss? Murderer? "…a friend."
"A friend, huh?"
I could tell he didn't believe me. And I didn't have a better explanation, so I just shrugged. "I'm sorry he hurt you," I told him when silence fell between us again. I didn't have to tell him that I was talking about Gino now.
Logan turned to me, his eyes filled with confusion and betrayal. "Is it true? Is Gino our father? Was everything he said true? About him? Aboutyou?"
I hesitated. I didn't want to lie to him, but I also didn't want to tell him the whole truth. Not yet. "It's...complicated," I said finally. "Would you like some water?"
"Uncomplicate it," he demanded, sounding more like himself despite the hoarseness of his voice. "How long have you known our father is alive?"
Standing, I strode over to the table where Lisa had brought in a cup and a straw along with a pitcher of water and poured some for him anyway. "Not that long."
"Why didn't you tell me?" He shook his head when I offered him a drink.
"I didn't know who he was until Tristan found out and took me from Gino's." I skipped the part about the cell.
"Wait. Who's Tristan?"
Another hard question to answer. "He's the guy who came after us."
