by WL Knightly
He shook his head. It wasn’t an even comparison. “But you didn’t do anything wrong.”
“And you did? You hurt someone?” He expected to see the horror on her face, but instead, her eyes were full of compassion.
He looked down at the floor and heard her voice break as she began to cry. “Tell me about that club, Logan. What kind of club was it? What did you have to do to be in it?”
“I told you about Bay and his animals. That’s what the Zodiac is. At first, things seemed normal. But then, by the time Tad came along, Bay was talking crazier and crazier. He had this idea that we’d be stronger not only if the circle was completed with a member representing all of the signs, but he said there had to be a ritual. Something to really bind us once we were all together.”
“So, I was right. It was more like a cult.”
“We didn’t see it that way at first, not at all. I mean, we were kids at camp, going fishing and playing kickball and shit. We got the brands to make us a part of a team.”
“Couldn’t you have just worn red bandanas or something?” Hannah walked over to the couch and sat down, her eyes filled with disbelief.
He sat next to her. “None of us knew what he meant until that night.”
“What did he mean?” She turned and faced him.
“He said we had to make our mark. He wanted us to carve it into this girl’s back. He had her tied to a millstone when we got there. I wasn’t sure how long she’d been there, and by that time, he had us so shaken up that I think we all would have done anything for him.”
“You hurt her?” Hannah asked softly.
“All of the others had done it. I was just trying to be like them. I didn’t think that any of us had cut her too deeply.”
Hannah put her hand over her mouth.
“I shouldn’t be telling you this,” Logan continued. “It’s Bay’s biggest secret, and he’s going to kill us both when he finds out that I told you.”
“You were just a kid, and you were manipulated by him. Anyone would see that, Logan. You’re not a bad guy, but he is.”
“He’s an attorney whose already earned a lot of respect and has gained enough dirt on anyone who doesn’t give him any.”
She leaned in close to him and kissed his lips. “I don’t blame you. For any of it. And I’m glad you took off that mark. I want to get you away from Bay. We should tell the police all about it, and then we should go far away and never look back. They’ll cut you a deal for talking. They always bargain with one to get the others.”
“I can’t turn them in now. Bay’s the worst of us. The others are more like me than him. And confessing would hurt so many of them. They have lives, careers that they are just getting off the ground, family businesses. One is even a pastor now.”
“And my brother, is dead. He gets to die and take the blame for all of this horrible shit, and you guys get off scot-free? And Lidia. She died for nothing, too?”
He turned and lay back on the couch and pulled her closer. “That was supposed to be me. They’re really coming for me, for what we did to that girl.”
“Do you regret it?”
“What kind of question is that? Yes, every fucking day. I wish I could have done something to stop it. I wish I could have just had the courage to go against Bay.”
“You’ve found that courage now by telling me. Now is your chance to stop this. All of this. Right now.”
“It’s not why I told you. I think it’s because you healed a part of me and because I think I could fall in love with you.”
She put her hand on his chest and leaned up to kiss him hard on the mouth. Their tongues collided as the kiss deepened, and she threw her leg across his lap and straddled him.
Logan didn’t know what he’d done to deserve such an angel in his life, but he was determined not to fuck it up now.
He hissed through his teeth as she rubbed his cock and it hardened in response. She undid his pants and then stood up to take down her jeans and panties, which she left on the floor.
He reached up to take her hand, and when she took it, she met his eyes. “Take me to bed?”
“I can’t wait that long.” He pulled her back into his lap, and she straddled his hard erection, gripping his arms as she lowered herself onto him.
Once she settled around him, she rode gently. He reached for the hem of her shirt to pull it over her head. She held her arms up, and once her arms were free, he reached back and undid her bra.
She slipped the lace away and tossed it to the floor. Before she could put her arms down, he leaned forward and kissed her breasts, pulling her perfect, tight nipples into his mouth one after the other. He hadn’t told her of his fetish and probably never would. She was different from Lidia, and those deep secrets of his, about his upbringing and how they had affected him in the past, had been taken to the grave with her.
Hannah moaned and ran her fingers through his hair. She felt so good on his dick that he forgot all about his pain. Even though he was still aware he’d told her too much, he wasn’t worried about a thing. She was into him, just like he was into her, and the fact that both of them came from a broken place was only going to make their bond stronger.
She ground her sweet, slick heat hard against him, and he lifted her up as if she weighed nothing and carried her to the bed. He laid her down on the covers.
He pounded into her at a steady pace, and soon, she met his eyes and whispered close to his ear, “Harder.” Her voice rose an octave with the request, and he could tell it felt just as good for her as it did for him.
He sped up, taking it slowly up to the hard fucking that Lidia had always appreciated, and soon, Hannah was writhing beneath him, her mouth open, her eyes so full of passion that she could barely keep them open. “I’m coming.”
He continued to work her, not stopping until his own release shot across her tits.
“Promise we’ll always be together,” she said.
“I promise. I’m surprised you haven’t run screaming by now.”
“Well, if what we just did didn’t prove my loyalty, I don’t know what will.” She kissed his lips and pulled away with a serious look.
“I do trust you, Hannah.”
“I know. And I know you’ll tell me what happened in your own time. About the girl and how much trouble you got into. It’s obvious someone’s out for revenge.”
“I don’t mind telling you, as long as it stays between us. It kind of feels like a weight has been lifted just telling you about it.” He took a deep breath and leaned closer to kiss her shoulder. His own was screaming from the burn, but he tried not to think about it.
“Wait, before you tell me, please let me bandage your wound.” She sat up and moved to the edge of the bed.
“Okay. You should find what you need in the medicine cabinet. I keep burn cream because of my welding. I’m always burning myself.”
“I’ll be right back.” She gave him a kiss and then headed off to get what she needed.
He watched her go, thinking he could look at her like that forever. Especially when she returned, and he got the full frontal. She was perfect.
“Here, let me look at that.” She went to work on him, only applying the cream and a bandage. “You’ll need to change that dressing.”
“Thank you.” He took the extra bandages and put them on his nightstand. “She didn’t make it, you know? That girl. Someone cut her too deep, and she bled out before she could get help. We all had our hand in it, even Tad. So, you see, trying to clear his name won’t matter. Not really. He’s not guilty of the one crime, but he’s guilty of another.”
Hannah wiped a tear that slipped down her cheek, and then she met his eyes. “Thank you for telling me. Thank you for trusting me, Logan. I think we need to take care of each other.” She looked over his shoulder, and he turned to see that she was looking at the clock on the bedside table. “Shit! I’m late for my shift. I can’t believe I didn’t fucking notice the time.” She leaned in and kissed him. “I
am so glad we’re together. We can lean on each other.” She closed her eyes and held a hand to her heart.
“Me too. I wish you didn’t have to go.” He was feeling a bit sick and needed to lie flat.
“I know. I hate to leave, but I’ll be back here first thing after my shift. Be waiting?”
“I’ll be here. I might go down and clean up the studio in the morning, but I’ll have my phone. I think I’ll get some sleep first.”
“Sleep well, baby. I’ll show myself out.” She leaned in and gave him one last peck and then turned to gather her clothes.
He breathed a sigh of relief, feeling for once that things were going to get better. He and Hannah would make it together.
21
Hannah
Hannah pulled on her clothes in the hallway and then hurried around the couch to get her bag. Then she took the stairs down two at a time and couldn’t get the hell out of the apartment fast enough. She stopped once she reached the car and allowed herself to flip out a little.
“Fuck!” She gripped the steering wheel, her entire body shaking all over from the fact that she had played such a fucking part. She deserved an award for it.
She had such high hopes for her and Logan, but with his drunken confession, which she had worked her fucking heart out to get, there was no way in hell she was ever going to be alone with him again.
To keep him from being suspicious, she’d gone to great lengths, and even though she had given herself to him again, it was only to get the answers she needed.
Her brother had been in trouble the whole time, and he and those delinquent friends of his had committed a murder as a part of a ritual. There had to be someone, like Bay, pulling strings and as soon as she could get back to the hospital, the only place she felt safe, she was going to call the police and spill everything about the fucking club and Bay and Logan. She didn’t care if Tad’s legacy was pure any longer. What they had done was inexcusable, and innocent people like Lidia were dying because of some kind of revenge scheme.
She couldn’t believe that he’d branded himself and that he had gone to such lengths to hide something that could link him up with the killer, when in fact, he should be turning himself in.
Shame burned through her as she felt the pain between her legs where she’d given herself to him, but it was a small sacrifice, considering what others had suffered, especially since she had already slept with him before.
She’d thought for sure he was the one; that she’d finally met a good man, an honest man, one who couldn’t hurt a fly. Instead, she’d met a spineless asshole who was no better than Bay Collins, whom she hated more now than ever.
How he’d managed to convince them all to do his dirty deed was crazy, but that only proved what a dangerous person he was.
He was a snake, a pretender, and she was going to blow the lid off the entire case and shock the city with what she had to tell them about The Slayer. The name fit him well.
She tried to start her car, but it made a winding sound. It had done it before, but now was not the fucking time for it. She looked up and saw a coupon on her windshield. The fucking donut shop next door must have placed it there. She let out a long breath and opened the car door, hoping to reach it when her phone sounded out a text notification tone. She shut the door and took out her phone to check her messages.
There was something from work: a message asking her if she could come in early because of a major pileup.
As much as she wanted to go and tell the cops everything she knew, she needed to get to work. She tried to start the car, and thankfully, it started. She backed out of the space and headed to the hospital. On the way, she realized she’d never gotten the fucking card off her windshield. Luckily, it hadn’t gone anywhere. She parked, and when she got out of the car, she waved to another nurse who was on his way in. “Did you get the call too? About the pileup?” She reached under her wiper and got the coupon, which she stuck in her pocket for later, as the man approached.
“I didn’t get any message; this is just my normal shift. Want to walk in with me?”
She nodded. “Thanks.” She figured she’d learn more in the hospital and headed inside and didn’t stop until she reached the nurse’s station.
“Thanks for coming in, Hannah, but I’m afraid three of those five have passed away, and the other two probably won’t make it through the night.” Gail gave her a solemn look. “I knew you were close and thought you might be able to help us out.”
“God, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t at home.”
Gail gave her a reassuring pat on the back. “Don’t worry about it, Hannah. You wouldn’t have been able to save them, either.”
It still wasn’t a comfort to her, especially knowing that she had been with a murderer the whole evening. “Thanks. I’ll get on my rounds.”
“Sounds good. Hey, are you okay?” Everyone had heard about her brother, and while not everyone had been supportive, Gail had always been sweet.
“I will be. It’s just going to take some time. I had no idea about my brother or my uncle. It’s like I was living with a total stranger all those years. I know that the public opinion is to hate them both, but that wasn’t the brother and uncle I knew. It’s kind of hard to hate them, even though a part of me wants to, right along with everyone else in the world.”
“Hey, they’re your kin. It’s hard to hate our family, no matter what they do. I’ve got a brother in jail for armed robbery. I hate what he did to that person, but I know there’s a good man in there somewhere, so I keep trying to get along with him, even though it would be a hell of a lot easier to just let him go. Out of sight, out of mind. But that ain’t me. It’s the flaw of being a caregiver, I guess. We just can’t help but give a care.” She gave Hannah a warm smile and then patted her hand. “I’ll say a prayer for you. It’s all going to work out.”
“I’m actually not feeling well, too. But I didn’t want to leave anyone short-staffed.”
“How about this? If you can get your rounds done for me, I’ll take over the second rounds.” The woman was too good to be true.
“Would you?” She knew if Gail would cut her some slack and do her that favor, not only could she get the hell out of there in the next two hours, but she could make an early trip down to the police station.
“I’d love to. I don’t have anyone to go home to anyway. And you should be up here if you’re feeling sickly.” She turned and walked away, and Hannah just wanted to run after her and give her a hug.
Instead, she headed off to do her rounds and thought about the kind nurse’s words. She had a point. It was hard to hate family for the horrible things they do, and that was because when you knew their heart, it was hard to imagine that they could do something to hurt anyone or anything, especially a young, innocent girl.
A part of her felt guilty for leading Logan on, but maybe if he had spoken up years ago, her brother wouldn’t be gone.
She finished up with her rounds, and just as promised, Gail let her check out early. She gathered her things from her locker and hurried out to the parking garage to get into her car. She unlocked the door and slid into her seat, and when she did, another card was on her windshield. Or was it the same one? She reached into her pocket and turned over a card that had the symbol her brother had on his shoulder, the funny looking seven with a tail.
Her blood turned cold, and she spotted a few people walking to their car in the distance, so she went ahead and got out to get the next card.
She snatched it so quickly, her heart nearly beat out of her chest, and she’d gotten back into her car so quickly, as if the garage floor was made of lava. She turned it over, and there was the sign of Aquarius, the one that Logan had burned off his arm.
She tried to start her car, but it wouldn’t start. Shit. She took a few calming breaths, looked around, and then tried again. There was a killer out there somewhere, and she was so scared she couldn’t even contemplate her next move.
The car wasn’t starting. She sl
apped the steering wheel and wondered what the fuck could be wrong with it. She wasn’t getting out of that car or budging until someone else came out to get into their own car, and in the meantime, she’d keep trying to get her stubborn car to start.
After a few more attempts, she thought she spotted someone walking in the distance, and then a family of three came around the corner, the two parents swinging their kid by the arm as they strolled out from between some cars. This was her chance.
She took her keys out of the ignition, but then dropped her phone down onto the floorboard. She wasn’t about to leave without it, so she leaned over and fished it out. By the time she sat up again, the family was gone. They couldn’t have gotten far. She tried one more time to get the car to start, and when it wouldn’t, she gave up. She was being ridiculous. If someone had wanted to kill her, they sure as hell wouldn’t have to wait for her to get out of her car. No, they’d have already come over and busted out a window or something.
She took a deep breath and eyed the door on the other side of the level that went to the elevator she used every single day. With the shoes she had on, she could make a quick break for it and scream like hell if anyone came near her.
She tucked her phone into her pocket and grabbed her bag, which she put her keys in and hung around her neck. It was now or never. That time of night, there weren’t many around, and she wasn’t going to be a sitting duck. She opened her door and stepped out, cautiously getting to her feet and then slamming her door, which she didn’t even take time to lock, as she hurried across the lot to the elevator. When the door opened, a familiar face greeted her.
“What the hell are you—”
A sharp sting hit her head, and the last thing she remembered was falling to the cold, hard concrete.
22
Darek
Darek stood in the crowded courthouse lobby waiting for Bay to show up. Having to wake up in the miserable motel every morning was getting old fast. Not only did he hate not having enough hot water, but the place still smelled of stale cigarettes from whoever had lived there before. He turned his nose down to his collar and hoped that he hadn’t started to take on the smell himself.