"Your new boyfriend."
"I don't know," I told him honestly. "Maybe. Things are kind of a mess right now."
"He took you from our…from Gino?"
I nodded. "I met Tristan when Gino brought me here for a wedding. He thought I looked familiar. Eventually, he figured out who I was, and realized what Gino was doing, and that I didn't know I was his daughter, so he rescued me from our father and brought me here, where I'd be safe from him." It was a simplified version, but I wasn’t ready to get into the details. Not yet.
Logan was quiet for a long time as he stared up at the ceiling.
I leaned over him, searching his swollen face anxiously. "Are you okay? The doctor left you some pain meds if you need them."
"I'm fine. I don't want them."
"Logan, you're safe here. We both are. You don't have to worry about anything."
He looked at me then. "Luni, our father is some kind of gangster, isn't he?" He didn't wait for me to respond. "And have you looked at the guy who came after you? Like, really looked at him? That's one scary motherfucker."
"I know," I told him. "He's a bit…closed off. And protective. But he won't let anything happen to us.” I fussed with his blanket. I’d see if someone could get him some more comfortable clothes tomorrow. He was still in his jeans and T-shirt, although I’d taken off his sneakers earlier. “You need to sleep."
"Why would he want him instead of us?"
I thought about how to explain. "They have a history."
He looked at me, then looked away. "Do you have a mirror?" he asked me suddenly.
"Uh…" I glanced around the room. "No."
"Would you bring me one? I want to see what that son of a bitch did to my pretty face."
I laughed. "I'm not sure that you do, honey."
He started to grin and then winced.
"Get some sleep, Logan. I'll stay right here with you. I promise."
I thought he was going to argue with me, but then he took as deep a breath as he could manage and his eye started drifting shut. "I'm not done with my questions, Luni."
"I know."
"You're gonna answer them." His words were barely more than a mumble, but I understood him well enough.
"I know," I whispered. "I will."
I stayed by Logan's side until he fell asleep. When I was sure he wouldn't wake up again, I slipped out of the room.
The house was dark and quiet, but I couldn't even think about trying to sleep myself. My mind was too full of everything that had happened over the last twenty-four hours.
Had it really only been a day? It felt like a lifetime.
With the soft lights underneath the cabinets leading me to it, I made my way to the kitchen on the other side of the house, thinking I'd rummage around and see if I could find any decaf tea.
I froze when I saw Tristan standing at the island. His back was to me, his hands braced on the edge of the counter, and his head bowed. From the doorway, I could smell the dark forest scent of him that told me he'd showered, and he'd changed into a long-sleeved, black cotton shirt and black sweatpants. His dark hair was still damp and brushed back from his face.
I didn't move, not wanting to startle him. He looked so vulnerable standing there, his shoulders slumped, his head down. Like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
And maybe he was.
All the things he’d done to protect me flashed through my mind as I watched him. How he'd risked his life to save me from Gino. How he'd brought me to his home—to his cell—to keep me safe. The only place he ever really felt that way. How he'd helped me save Logan, even though I knew it was only me he'd wanted.
