Fyre & Revenge

by Mina Carter

  The only ‘real woman’ he knew other than Rae was the wife of the man who sat opposite him. JJ wasn’t newly married, but some problems had kept him and Zette apart until just before the birth of their daughter, so he still had the ‘honeymoon’ look. The look of a man completely and utterly besotted with his family. Logan had spent the last half hour being shown pictures of them on JJ’s cell phone, the proud dad eager to show off what seemed like hundreds of near identical photos.

  Trouble was, Logan could understand it now. Even a month ago he’d have tolerated JJ’s behaviour with amusement and rapidly brought the conversation back around to business. Today he’d happily studied each picture, his mind’s eye envisioning a similar scene in the future. One in which he was showing off baby photos. He smiled to himself; maybe that day wouldn’t be far off.

  His eyes softened as Rae turned, spotting them and walking over. She had done that. Her little games had pissed him off at first, sparked his competitive instincts. But Rae had wormed her way in. He never knew what she was going to do next. Like last week, he expected her to walk out on him after the scene with Carrie. But she hadn’t.

  A frown marked his brow. That bothered him a little. He’d wanted her to say something, give him a hint to indicate this thing between them was something other than just about her house. That, possibly, there might be an inkling of feelings they could build on to make the fantasy they’d been playing since the crash real.

  He wanted that. He wanted the dream he’d had when he first woke up, of a wife waiting faithfully by his bedside for him to wake.

  Logan had spent most of his life alone. As a child he’d been shunted off to boarding school as soon as he was old enough, and any time he’d spent at home he’d dedicated to avoiding his parent’s arguments. So the idea of someone who cared about him, worried about him and to cuddle at night was seductive.

  He stood as she approached. He’d taken her shopping to replace the trashy clothes he’d had put in the apartment, buying her a new and far more tasteful wardrobe. Clothing he noted she wasn’t wearing now, the black trousers and grey satin top ones she’d brought from home.

  His frown deepened as he noticed the pallor of her skin. He moved, meeting her a little way from the table he and JJ were sat at. He needed a few seconds of semi privacy with her.

  “Hey honey, you’re late. I was getting worried about you.” He caught her lips in a swift kiss as he reached for her hand. She hissed as he touched her, her eyes darkening in pain.

  “Really?” she threw back, a slight note in her voice. Logan looked down. She had small white dressings on the ends of three of her fingers. Stick on butterfly stitches, covered with semi-sheer surgical tape.

  “Oh sweetheart, what did you do?” he asked, bringing her hand up to kiss it. A surge of protectiveness took him by surprise as he ushered her to the table where JJ sat. “Here sit down, let me get you a drink… JJ, this is Rae. Raelyn, this is my business partner JJ.” He made the introductions as he held her chair out, looking around for the waiter.

  “It’s okay, I won’t be stopping long. Logan, it’s over, I brought you your key back.” Her voice was firm, with only the slightest hint of a tremor as she dropped his key card into his hand. He accepted it without thinking. Stunned speechless he just stood there, looking at her.

  Her lips quirked, sadness in her brown eyes. “I’ll be out of the Gatehouse by the end of next week. You can have the bank take possession then. I’d say it’s been a pleasure doing business with you Logan, but it really hasn’t. You take care of yourself.” Then she was gone, leaving Logan staring at her back and then the swinging door.

  He shook his head, unable to believe what had just happened. She couldn’t have walked out on him! He couldn’t have misread the situation that much, surely? No, he never got it wrong this badly. This dinner was supposed to put everything back on the level, sort things out and put them on a better course.

  JJ cleared his throat in the silence, bringing Logan back to the present. He stood there like a prize idiot, his key card in his outstretched hand.

  “You might want to go after her.” JJ advised, sympathy in his eyes. “Believe me, you’ll regret it if you don’t.”

  Logan didn’t need any more convincing. “Take care of the bill, would you? I’ll ring you later!” he called back over his shoulder as he ran for the door.

  He burst through it and onto the street. The light rain splattered his face, staining his shirt. He ignored it, scanning up and down for Rae. Desperation filled him as he jumped a little to try and see over the crowds. It had been empty out here earlier, now everyone and his bloody dog was here… He paused, spotting a familiar figure. There she was!

  “Rae! Rae!” he yelled, dodging and weaving through the throng until he caught up with her. “Please honey, wait a minute.”

  Rae hunched her shoulders in her coat, refusing to look at him as she walked at a fast pace down the street. “Why Logan? What’s the point?”

  He slid in front of her, halting her in her tracks. She tried to slide to the left and then to the right, but he blocked her both times. Finally she looked up at him, exasperation on her face. “Logan, get out of the way. I need to get to the station.”

  Her eyes were red, classic signs that she’d been crying, but that was nothing compared to the dull look in her eyes. Logan felt like he’d been punched in the gut. Did her house mean that much to her? He’d done his research on it. She’d only been there a couple of years. Before Rae it had belonged to the old estate, so it couldn’t have any sentimental value. Surely?

  “Please, I’ll get you another ticket.” He promised. “Just talk to me.”

  She sighed, made a show of checking her watch. She shot him a glance from under her hair. “Okay, two minutes then I’m gone. I have packing to do, remember?”

  He moved closer, stroking along her cheek with gentle fingers. “You’ve been crying.”

  She backed away from his touch. “No shit Sherlock, nothing gets past you does it?”

  “Does the house mean that much to you?” Logan couldn’t help asking, his curiosity getting the better of him.

  “Oh God, even you can’t be that dense, surely?” Her bark of laughter was short and bitter. “No Logan, the house does not mean that much to me. I finally realised that, thank God.”

  “Then why have you been crying?”

  “None of your damn business,” she snapped, and tried to move around him. His hand shot out to stop her.

  “Tell me. I won’t let you go until you do.”

  She shook him off, glaring at him. “Piss off Logan!”

  “Just tell me why you were crying,” he demanded, something in her eyes telling him it was important.

  She hissed, shrugging him off again. “Okay, if you must know. I love you. Okay? Happy now? Good, now get out of my way!”

  Logan froze, her words hitting him like a freight train.

  I love you.

  She loved him.

  That single truth permeated every cell in his body, easing an ache in his heart he hadn’t realised was there. As though he’d been waiting to hear someone say those words, waiting all his life for someone to love him. Love him for himself, not for what he could give them in either money or status. Rae wasn’t the sort of woman who was impressed by money or status. He knew that without asking.

  He could feel his grin spreading and said the first thing that sprang to mind. “Marry me.”

  She stopped stock still, her dark eyes on his face.

  “Oh my God, you really are into your sick little games, aren’t you?” Her lip curled as she shook her head. The corners of her eyes wrinkled suspiciously.

  “Piss off Logan, I never want to see you again!” she hissed at him, darting sideways.

  Logan made a grab for her as she shot past him through the parked cars at the side of the road, but he was too late. The car came out of nowhere, the screech of brakes carving themselves into his mind before the hideous thud as it hit the woma
n he’d only just realised he loved.

  * * *

  Rae woke slowly, encased in comfortable darkness. She drifted in the warm cocoon. She frowned, something tugging at the edges of her memory. There was a reason she should wake up, but at the moment she didn’t really want to. Awareness crept over her by slow degrees, pain flaring all over her body. She sucked in a sharp breath. Okay, that was what her subconscious had been trying to tell her.

  The screech of brakes and the honk of a car horn came back to her. A hideously painful thud that stole her breath away. Then darkness. A car… She’d been hit by a car.

  A voice intruded on her thoughts, separating itself from the background noise to become clear and sharp. “Yes, I’m her husband… Logan Fyre. Thank you doctor, I’ll stay until she wakes up. No, I’m fine thank you, there’s a coffee machine down the hall so I’ll make myself comfortable. Thank you for everything you’ve done, I’m just relieved she’s going to be okay.”

  Rae opened her eyes as the door closed behind the doctor to find Logan sitting next to her. He smiled as she blinked, looking around the room to orient herself, and wrapped her hand in both of his. His thumb stroked over the back of her knuckles, his eyes warm. An expression she hadn’t thought she’d see again on his face.

  “You’re not.” Her voice emerged as a croak. She swallowed to ease the dryness. Everything smelt and tasted antiseptic.

  “I’m not what, love? Here, let me get you some water…” He looked around for the water jug, starting to pull away but Rae held on. He’d said he was her husband and she wanted to know why. What sort of game was he playing now?

  “You’re not my husband,” she stated, her expression wary as she looked at him.

  He turned back to her, sitting still. His eyes locked with hers, open and honest. “No, I’m not. But I’d very much like to be… If you’ll have me.”

  His gaze flicked down, his expression drawing in pain as he frowned. His eyes red-rimmed with exhaustion, stubble on his chin and his hair standing on end, he looked like he’d been to hell and back.

  “When you… When the car hit you… I thought I’d lost you.” Naked anguish filled his eyes. “I thought the last thing you believed was that I was still playing games, not that I—” he took a deep breath, pulling her hand to his lips to kiss her knuckles. “Not that I love you.”

  He loved her! Rae closed her eyes, emotion flooding over her and bringing her close to tears. There was no question of whether she believed him or not. Even Logan couldn’t fake the honesty and love written on his face.

  “Please Rae, put me out of my misery,” he begged. “Say there’s a chance for us. That I haven’t completely screwed up with my stupid games.”

  She smiled, her fingers tightening on his. Love and hope uncoiled from the small corner of her heart she’d locked them into, expanding and filling every cell of her body. “We both played games Logan.” She reminded him softly, her smile starting to spread over her lips.

  He shrugged, “Yeah, but mine—”

  “Shhh.” She grinned. “I love you, you love me, so come here and kiss your wife, Mr. Fyre.”

  The End

  About the Author

  Mina Carter is a bestselling, multi-genre author. She lives in the UK with her husband, daughter and a bossy cat.

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  Look for these titles by Mina Carter

  Strathstow Sharks Series

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  Seduced by the Scrum-Half

  Paranormal Protection Agency Series

  Dragon’s Honor (PPA #6)

  Paranormal Protection Agency, Volume one (Bundle, books 1-5)

  Project Rebellion Series

  Blood Mate

  Perfect Mate

  Lyric Hounds Series

  Sex, Wolves and Rock ‘n Roll

  Wolf-Bond

  Melody’s Wolf

  Standalone Novels/Novellas

  Seducing the Sergeant

  Hedging his Bets (with Celia Kyle)

  Reaper

  For a full list, please visit http://mina-carter.com/bookshelf/