Page 58 of Ghost Hunted

“Shh…”

“Let go of me! You need to free me! I’m not a prisoner! I’m not a fucking prisoner!”

“Lia, you’ll hurt yourself.”

I straddle her, holding her arms down to keep her from fighting the cuffs and injuring herself. Angry red lines zigzag over her wrists, and drops of blood form. I lean down to kiss her, and she bites my lip.

“Fuck! Lia!”

“Let go of me,” she growls. “I’m not a prisoner. I don’t want to be a prisoner!”

“Hey. You’re not a prisoner,” I lie to her. “You’re free. Everything’s okay. Just take it easy.”

“No,” she gasps. “No, no, no.” She squeezes her eyes shut. “You’re going to take her. My Jane. Please don’t take my Jane. Please let me keep her.”

“Shh.” I stroke the side of her face, trying to calm her. “It’s okay, baby. I’m not here to take Jane. Tell me about Jane.”

I hunch over her, lying my face next to hers, continuing to stroke her. The panic in my chest eases just a bit when I feel her relax.

“She’s… my… baby!”

“Yes, I know she is,” I soothe. “What happened to her, Lia? Do you remember?”

She’s entirely relaxed now, staring at me with those large green eyes of hers. Green eyes that don’t recognize me.

But at least she’s calm.

“They took her,” she murmurs. “They took her away from me. The black holes.”

“Yes.” I don’t dare to kiss her again, but I nestle my head in the crook of her neck, remembering how it felt like all those years ago, when I’d hunted my little captive down, and then let my guard down just long enough to bury my face against her shoulder and breathe her in. “The bikers. The Puicin Gang.”

Suddenly, she’s back to thrashing. I have to hold her arms down. “Shh. It’s okay, Lia. I’m trying to help. What about the Puicin Gang?”

At last she calms down again, but this time, I can tell it’s not because she’s relaxed. She’s exhausted, and she knows how helpless she is. She’s given up.

“They took my Jane,” she breathes.

“Yes, baby. But why?”

Her eyes squeeze shut as if she’s remembering something painful. And then she lets out, “Payment.”

“Payment?”

“A debt. Papa had a debt. They took her because he couldn’t pay it!”

“Okay.” I lie down fully next to her, continuing to massage her, both because I see it calms her, and because I need to touch her. “Do you know what kind of a debt it was?”

She starts to thrash again, crying out.

“Shh! Lia! It’s okay!”

“I want to be free! I don’t want to be a prisoner! Let me go! I don’t want them to come back! Don’t let them take me!”

“Okay, okay. Okay, Lia.” Panic grips at my throat again. “Okay. No one’s taking you. I promise. I’m here now. I’m Logan, remember? Don’t be scared. I’m going to protect you. It’s Logan.” By now tears are springing to my own eyes. “I’m right here.”

“L-logan…” She pauses as if the name means something to her. “Logan…” She repeats it slowly, as if it awakens distant memories. “No. Impossible. Logan isn’t here. Logan can never be here again. Logan… abandoned me.”

“I didn’t. I’m right here.” I can’t help it; I need to hold her. I need to prove to her I am here. I didn’t abandon her. I came back.