He reaches under my chin, forcing me to look up at him. “Come on, sweetheart, I promise you’ll enjoy it.”
“Get your hands off her or I swear I’ll-” Logan is cut off by another hard blow from the beefy guy, silencing him once again and I flinch.
“Stop hurting him, please,” I plead.
“He brought all this on himself, sweetheart,” he says, trailing his finger back and forth across my jaw.
“If you touch her I will fucking kill you,” Logan says, and Donovan snaps, a low angered growl rumbles deep in his chest. He pulls out his gun and marches over to Logan.
“Shut the fuck up!” he roars, aiming the gun straight at Logan’s head. “I’m growing tired of you, Cooper. Maybe I should just put a bullet in your head and have done with it.” Logan’s eyes find me and holds my gaze, giving me a smile as if accepting his fate.
No. It can’t end like this.
“Wait!” I shout, my heart hammering in my chest, and I feel a wave of relief wash over me when Donovan lowers the gun away from Logan and turns back to face me. “I can get your money. Every penny,” I say, taking a deep breath to steady my heart.
Donovan’s eyes narrow. “I’m listening,” he says coolly, taking a deep breath while straightening his jacket.
“I have a car,” I begin, swallowing around the lump in my throat at what I’m about to do, what I’m about to give up. “It’s a 1965 Pontiac GTO. It’s newly refurbished. Take it as payment.”
“Ames, no,” Logan mutters with a gruff, weary voice.
“It’s worth at least forty-five grand. Enough to cover the rest of the money that Logan owes you. It’s out there,” I nod my head in the direction of the workshop. “Take it, just… just leave us alone. Please.” The thought of losing the car feels like a knife driving straight through my heart, but losing Logan hurts more.
I’ve already lost my dad, I can’t lose Logan too.
Donovan looks over to the guy who’s standing guard by the door. “Go check it out.” He leaves the office to inspect the GTO and Donovan’s eyes find mine again, studying me. “Why should I trust you?”
“Why would I lie? You just had a gun to my boyfriend’s head, you think I want to see him dead?”
Donovan strides back over to me and looks me over, studying me closely. “I can tell by your face the car means a lot to you. So why? Why would you give it up for him?”
I glance over to Logan who’s silently watching, blood pouring from his brow, his nose and his split lip, and the truth falls so naturally from me. “Because I love him.”
As I say the words, my eyes stay fixed on Logan, and his expression softens under my gaze as the words leave my mouth, and even through all the pain and the bruises, the corners of his mouth curve upwards.
The guy returns to the office. “She’s right, Boss. It’s in great condition. It's a sweet fuckin' ride for sure."
Donovan nods to his man before turning his attention back to me. He looks almost disappointed that he didn’t get to have his way with me, and the thought has me standing up a little straighter and my chin a little higher.
“Do we have a deal?” I ask, stealing a quick glance at Logan.
“Youdon’t have to do this, baby. Not for me,” Logan says.
“Yeah I do. They already took my dad from me, I’m not gonna let them take you too.”
I glance back to Donovan and stare into his eyes as he searches for any hint of a lie or betrayal in mine. “You got yourself a deal, sweetheart.” Relief and a twinge of pain floods me. “Keys?”
Logan reluctantly tells him where they are and once he has them, Donovan readies his guys to leave, but just before they do, Donovan stops just in front of me. “I won’t lie and say I’m not a little disappointed. We could have had a lot of fun together, you and I.” And with that, he shakes his head slowly as he retreats out the door, followed by his men, all except for one.
David hasn’t moved a muscle since all of this began, and it’s not surprising to find his gaze on his feet where it’s always been.
“Does your dad know you hang out with criminals and that you killed his best friend?” I ask, and I see him flinch at my words.
“I-I didn’t know it was him. If I did I-”
“If you knew it was him you’d have what? Huh? It doesn’t matter if you knew it was him or not. You shot someone. Why?”
“I didn’t have a choice,” David says.
