I turn around, cursing at myself when I see how far I’ve walked. I break into a sprint, still managing to gasp into thephone,” How do you know? How do you know about that? Why did no one tell me?”
“We found out just two hours ago. Carmelo called to brag about it. Everest was in Idaho and he took the first plane to you. I’ve been stuck in Astley, because we have a plan, Logan, and things are going to work out. We’re gonna come out on top, but we need to stick together, like we always have. They know where she is, so you’d better go back to the house now, because the cameras in the front just got turned off, and I don’t know why. Get your gun.”
“Right. Right.” I’m sweating as I reach the back door. “I’ll call you after.”
I hang up, slam the door shut behind me, cursing myself for having stood there just ten minutes ago and made the wrong decision.
I grab my gun from the cupboard up high that I keep it in, remove the safety, and rush to the bedroom…
Too late.
Too fucking late.
The door is open, and Coltello is holding a gun to her head.
39
Logan
“I’m not here to kill her.”
Okay.
I know that’s bullshit, but I relax my hold just slightly on my gun, reading into those words the semi-reassuring promise that he’s not going to kill heryet.
He’s sitting on the bed, and she’s sitting in front of him. Even though he’s not touching her, the fact that he’s sitting so close to her, onourbed, is enough to make me see red. But I take a few steady breaths, willing myself to calm down.
Then I seek out Lia’s eyes, but she’s got them fixed on the hands she’s twisting in her lap. She doesn’t dare look at me. The realization that our last moments together were spent with me hurting her is nearly enough to drive me to my knees in anguish.
But not quite enough, because I have to stay strong. As long as there’s still hope, I need to remain strong.
“Okay.” This time I say the word out loud. “What are you here to do, then?”
Coltello’s lips split into a wide grin, revealing two rows of yellow teeth. “I’m here to pay my debt.”
“Right. You’ve got a funny way of paying it.”
“Well, you did tell me you don’t do debts. And it turns outIama big boy, so Ididfigure it out.” His grin grows wider, deforming his features. “This gun is just my way of making sure you play nice when you collect. Okay?” He removes the gun from her temple and she lets out a breath, growing just limp enough that I have to bite down on the urge to rush to her and prop her up.
“Come on.” He pats the space on the bed in front of Lia. “Sit down. I won’t bite. Take your girl in your lap. I like seeing her in your lap a lot better than I liked seeing her in Carmelo’s. Go ahead.”
I can’t decide if I’m angry or confused, or some overwhelming mix of both. Still, I seize the chance to hold her, and even though it means following his condescending orders, I sit down right where he told me to, and drag her to me.
“On your lap. Put her on your lap.”
I stare at him, a suspicious edge to my confusion that makes my back stiffen. Still, I do what he says, because Idowant her in my lap. I gently press her head to my chest, but she doesn’t need my encouragement. She nestles into me, quiet sobs making her back shake. I can safely say I’ve never felt less hard as I take in Coltello’s leery grin, the way his eyes drag over her, his tongue actually pushing out of his mouth to lick his upper lip.
It takes everything I have to restrain myself from killing him then and there. But he’s a fast shot, and I realize with a sickening suddenness that Lia’s… my shield.
I don’t know what would be worse, that he’s a pervert whose intentions with Lia are filthy, or that he’s just forced me into turning the girl I love into the one thing that stands between us.
It’s starting to feel like some fucked up combination of both.
“Why don’t you put down your gun,” he drawls, cocking his own gun at her. “Go on, man. Do it.”
I slowly lower it, putting it on the mattress beside me. What choice do I have?
Weak, weak, weak.
