Web of Lies

by Elizabeth Knox

  “Mom!” The pounding of feet makes Logan and I shoot apart and I run my fingers through my hair trying to get myself together as Sasha bounces into the kitchen. Turning to face her, I paste a smile on my face. Glancing over, Logan has his back to her, facing the stove, pretending to wipe it down with the rag that was on the counter. Sasha’s eyes dart between him and me, then back to me. “I was wondering if you could call Ms. Edna and ask if Jules can come to dinner. Malcolm has to go to his grandmother’s but Jules doesn’t feel like going home.”

  “I’ll text my mom for ya, kiddo, but I’m sure it will be fine,” Logan says, finally turning around. “Just make sure your friend calls her parents so they know where she is.”

  Sasha nods and heads back out of the room, and Logan is back in front of me, sliding his arm around my waist and cupping the side of my face and he pulls my body against his. “Don’t think this is over. Just to be continued, gorgeous.” Before I can protest, his lips are on mine, his tongue teasing its way to mine, and my whole body is on fire.

  God, damn, Logan sure knows how to work that mouth of his.

  Chapter Four

  Logan

  Stepping out of my shower, the abhorrent ringtone that signals my commander is calling hits my ears. Wrapping my towel around my waist, I wade into my room and grab my phone, hitting the green button. “This better be good because I’ve only been retired for like two days.”

  “Ivan Yarkolov escaped from prison and is off the grid,” a deep voice says into the phone, making my blood run cold.

  “Excuse me? What the fuck do you mean he escaped from prison and is off the grid?”

  “In the last week, ten members from our unit have turned up dead. You need to watch your ass, Logan. He’s coming for anyone from the 75th that had a hand in his imprisonment.”

  I hang up the phone and cuss, tossing the phone on the bed. Reaching under my bed, I pull out my lockbox and open it. Staring down at my handgun, I sigh. No one really knew much about my family while I was in the service. I kept it that way because we hunted evil people. The less others knew, the safer my family was. Ivan Yarkolov is a genocidal maniac that got his kicks selling girls to the highest bidder.

  How the fuck he managed to escape from a North Korean prison that no one knows exists is beyond me.

  “Logan, we have to go, or we’re going to be late!” My door swings open and Beth appears in my doorway. “You’re not even dressed.”

  I quickly close my lockbox and smile at the beautiful woman in front of me. She’s in a tight pair of faded blue jeans with a short-sleeve, V-neck top the same shade of emerald green as her eyes. “Give me five minutes and I’ll be ready.”

  Beth’s eyes roam over my body before she nods and turns to leave. Quickly, I toss on jeans and a long sleeve shirt, putting my gun in my emergency duffel bag. Within fifteen minutes, the girls, Beth and I are in my truck and heading to my parents. It’s strange going to Sunday dinner given the fact I haven’t had one of these in almost sixteen years. It’s also weird how quick Beth and Sasha have kinda taken over my life. Two days and I just want to keep being around them.

  “Oh, can we go to that park down the street for a bit?” Sasha says with excitement in her voice.

  Beth turns to look at her as I pull into my parents’ driveway. “How about we go in and say hi first and see when dinner’s gonna be ready before you two go run all over the neighborhood?”

  Turning the engine off, I hop out of the truck and walk to the front to wait for Beth and the girls. Beth loops her arm through mine as we head to the door. Instead of knocking, I open it and walk in, dragging her with me. “Mom? Dad?”

  Beth shushes the girls and squeezes my arm. “Logan, do you smell that?”

  My gut drops as I inhale through my nose. The rancid scent of burnt food practically burns my nose hairs, and the silence in the house is eerie. The only thing that hits my ears is the soft beeping of what I know is my mother’s kitchen timer. I let go of Beth’s arm and move her behind me as I carefully walk down my parents’ hallway toward the kitchen.

  “Mom? Answer me,” I call out, already knowing something is very wrong. “Beth, you and the girls, stay behind me, do you understand?”

  Her hand squeezes my side, fisting my shirt. “Logan, what’s going on?”

  I shake my head as we take a few more steps, the first view of the kitchen becoming visible. A dark crimson puddle slowly creeps across the stark white marble of the kitchen floor. My heart thumps in my chest so hard it hurts. “Beth, you and the girls go back to the truck.”

  “No,” she says, gripping my shirt tighter, “I’m not leaving you in here until we know what’s going on.”

  Stopping, I turn to face her and take her head in my hands, staring down into her eyes. “There’s blood on the floor. Whatever happened, two ten-year-olds don’t need to see it.”

  Beth keeps her eyes on mine as she reaches into my pants pocket, the jingle of keys breaking the eerie quiet of the hallway. Without taking her eyes off mine, she holds the keys out behind her. “Sasha, you and Jules go lock yourselves in the truck and don’t unlock the doors until Logan and I come out.”

  “Mom,” Sasha says with a shaking voice.

  “Go, now, Sasha. Please listen to me,” Beth says.

  The girls' footsteps recede and the front door slams.

  Turning back to the kitchen, Beth grabs my shirt again, and slowly I start walking again. Stepping into the kitchen is like walking into a horror movie. Beth yelps and instinctively, I grab her and pull her head into my chest so she can’t see the carnage around us. My mother is sitting at the island, her hands nailed to the counter, her head severed and sitting on the counter in front of her. My father’s torso is on the floor in front of the fridge. His arms and one of his legs are next to him making the letter H, and his other leg is next to it with a severed hand above it. Together, it spells ‘hi,’ and it takes all my energy and focus not to vomit.

  “Beth, we have to go, baby,” I say, ushering her out of the room and pulling my cell phone out of my pocket. As Beth and I reach the truck and climb in, my commander picks up. “He killed my parents. I’m taking who I am with and going off the grid. Find him, Sarge.”

  “We’re trying to. How long have they been dead?”

  “Less than five hours. Which means he is still in the state at the least.”

  “Get somewhere safe, get your other phone. I’ll contact you soon,” he says before the line goes dead.

  Tossing my phone up on the dash, I gun it out of the neighborhood. “Where does Jules live?”

  “Logan, what is going on?” Beth’s voice is shaking.

  “I can’t explain right now. We need to get Jules home, and then the three of us need to disappear for a little while,” I say, reaching over and putting my hand over hers.

  She gives me directions to Jules's house and as soon as she’s dropped off, I gun it back to the house. Telling Beth and Sasha to pack what they need within the next five minutes, I go to my room and load a second duffel bag with as much as I can of what I might need.

  As soon as we’re back in the truck, I make them both shut their cell phones off and I shut mine off before turning on the encrypted military phone I have. Getting on the highway, I make for the mountains. It’s an eight hour drive, but I’ve got a cabin in the Smoky Mountains. It’s a safe house. Every member of the 75th has one that is entirely off the grid for situations like this.

  “Are we going to be okay?” Sasha says from the back seat, tears in her tone.

  Moving my rearview mirror, I make eye contact with the kid in it. “Listen to me. I’m not going to let anything happen to you or your mom, do you hear me?”

  Sasha nods. “Can I lay down back here?”

  Fixing the mirror, I sigh. “Yeah, kiddo. We’ll stop in a few hours and grab some food before we get back on the road, okay?”

  Beth is staring out the window when I glance at her. Reaching over, I lay my hand on her leg. She looks at m
e and, without a word, takes off her seatbelt and slides over so I can put my arm around her. Driving in silence, I keep her close to me and try to come up with a plan.

  It took a team of fifteen Rangers to take out Yarkolov the first time. This time, I might very well be on my own.

  Chapter Five

  Beth

  Logan’s cabin is literally out in the middle of nowhere. If he didn’t have a truck with off-road tires, we never would have made it up the very dark roads that got us to it. He carried Sasha in and put her in the second bedroom and then let me tuck her in. I’ve sat here and stared at her for almost an hour, but the aroma of coffee coming from the other room is making my mouth water. I close the door behind me and amble toward Logan while he’s filling two coffee cups.

  Something in me just wants to feel his strength, so as I press up behind him, I lay my head against his back and wrap my arms around his stomach. His body heaves with a sigh, and it’s strange because even though I’ve only known him for a few days, it feels like our souls have known each other for a lifetime. After a moment, he unwraps my arms and turns to face me.

  “I’m so sorry, Beth,” he says quietly, cupping either side of my face.

  “Logan, what the hell is happening? Someone murdered your parents today . . . I . . . Christ, why would someone do that? They’re the sweetest people I’ve—”

  “Shhh, gorgeous, shhh. This isn’t about them; it’s about me,” he says causing my face to pull together in confusion.

  “Can you explain that?”

  Logan turns and grabs both mugs, handing me one, and then takes my other hand and leads me out to the covered porch. It’s chilly out, but not bad, with steady rain starting to fall. We sit next to each other on a handmade bench. “I wasn’t completely honest with you when you asked me about what I did in the service the other day.”

  “You weren’t in the Army?”

  He takes a deep breath and squeezes my hand. “I wasn’t infantry. I’m part of the 75th Rangers.”

  My mouth drops open as I suck in a breath. “Wait . . . You were an Army Ranger, as in like Special Ops, classified and all that.”

  Logan nods and turns toward me. “My parents never knew. It isn’t something I have ever talked about because it was safer not to.”

  A small spark of anger hits my veins. “Safe, right. That explains why my daughter and I are hiding in a remote cabin with you and have no clue what we are even running from.”

  “Ivan Yarkolov,” Logan says, turning to stare out into the woods.

  “Who?”

  “That’s who we are hiding from. A Russian mob boss named Ivan Yarkolov. He’s a class A piece of shit monster that took us years to catch.”

  My eyes roam over Logan’s face as I try to process everything. “How did he find you? If you caught him, how did he kill your parents?”

  “My commander called this afternoon to tell me Yarkolov broke out of the prison he was in and was off the grid. He’s been on the loose for weeks and has apparently killed ten of my team in that time.”

  “He’s going to kill us, isn’t he?”

  Logan grabs me so quickly I yelp as he pulls me up to straddle him, his hands tangling in my hair, his eyes boring into mine. “No. Listen to me, Beth. I will not let him hurt you or Sasha. Do you understand me?”

  The tears flow down my face, but I nod. Logan groans as he pulls my lips down to his and kisses me, slowly, his tongue dancing with mine. My hands cup the side of his face, as I tilt my head and let him pull me closer. His hard-on presses through my jeans and into my core, making my nerve endings explode with desire.

  I can’t stop my whimper when Logan runs his hands under my shirt and across my breasts. “Logan. It’s been a long time.”

  Pulling back as he runs his hands down my sides. “Mmm, how long is a long time, gorgeous?”

  My whole-body arches as Logan lifts his hips and grinds into me. “Four years.”

  “In that case, let’s do this right,” Logan says, wrapping his arms around me and standing, taking me with him. Leaning down, I run my tongue along his neck as he carries me inside to his bedroom and locks the door behind us. Laying me on the bed, Logan pulls his shirt off before crawling over me and kissing me long and hard.

  As his lips trail down my neck, I dig my nails into his back. “Logan, please.”

  Rising to his knees, he slowly unbuttons my jeans and pulls them off. Sitting up, I pull my shirt off and lay back, his eyes roaming over my body as they darken. “You really are gorgeous.” Logan pulls the cups of my bra down and takes one of my nipples into his mouth, sucking gently, lighting everything inside me on fire. As he kisses across my chest and takes my other nipple in his mouth, his hand trails down my stomach, yanking at my panties.

  His name is a prayer on my lips as he kisses down my body and pushes my legs apart. My eyes roll back in my head as his tongue swirls around my clit, bringing me almost to my climax instantly. “Ah, please don’t stop.”

  The fullness of his fingers sliding inside me is enough to drive me mad. The pressure builds faster as he curls his fingers, moving his fingers in and out of my core as he sucks my clit. He groans against my flesh as I cum. My body feels like it’s on a cloud, and I hardly realize he gets up, only to be back between my legs a second later. Opening my eyes, I gasp as he hooks my legs at his elbows and slides his cock inside me.

  “Fuck, you feel good, gorgeous,” he moans, leaning down to bite gently at my neck as he moves steadily in and out of me.

  “Harder, Logan,” I whisper, digging my nails into his back as the pressure in my sex begins to build again.

  Logan puts his hands under my knees and presses my legs back, opening my core completely to him as he slams into me. “Come on, baby. I’m not going to last long.”

  Reaching down between us, I rub my clit and within moments, I’m cumming again, and Logan is following me, moaning my name. Logan lays down next to me and pulls me over to him, wrapping his arms around me so I can put my head on his chest. It isn’t long before I’m drifting off to sleep as he trails his fingertips up and down my bare back.

  Chapter Six

  Logan

  I wake up with a small space of warmth snuggling into my side and a smile forms on my lips. Opening my eyes and looking down, Beth is on her side, her face against my chest, arm across my stomach, and leg thrown over mine. The feel of her skin against mine is way more comforting than it should be. Running my fingers through her hair and across her shoulders, she stretches a little, pressing her body into mine. When she tilts her head back, her eyes still closed, with a bit of a smirk on her lips, I lean down and kiss her softly, letting my tongue tease her lips open.

  Just as she moans into my mouth, we’re jolted apart by glass breaking out in the living room. I sit up, pulling Beth with me, my ears trained, trying to make out the smallest sound.

  “Lo-Logan!” Sasha’s panicked and terrified voice screeches and echoes.

  Before Beth can freak out, I slide out of bed and grab my sweats off the floor, sliding into them. While Beth grabs her underwear and my t-shirt, I press a panel on the wall next to my bed, which opens to a compartment. Pulling out one of my handguns, I check the clip and take off the safety. As we move to the door, I use one of my hands to push Beth behind me. Stepping out into the living room, I raise my gun and train it on the head of none other than Ivan Yarkolov, his arm around Sasha, holding her to him by the neck, a gun pressed to her temple.

  “Sasha,” Beth yells, trying to move around me.

  With one hand, I grab her around the waist and pull her to me as she struggles to get to her daughter. “Don’t do it, love. Be smart.”

  Beth stops struggling after a few minutes but doesn’t relax and doesn’t take her eyes off her daughter. “Keep your eyes on me, babygirl, okay?”

  “Mom . . .” Sasha whimpers as Yarkolov tightens his grip on her just a little, a sinister smile taking over his face.

  “If it isn’t the man who launched my n
ightmares,” Yarkolov says, his eyes narrowing on me.

  Pushing Beth behind me again, I hold my gun steady and take a small step forward. “Let the girl go, Ivan. Your issue is with me, not her.”

  The laugh that bubbles up through him sends a chill down my spine. “True. But, what better way to get back at you then take this sweet, innocent, little girl in your keeping and sell her to the highest bidder? That’s why you’re going to put that gun down and let me walk out of here; otherwise, I’m going to put a bullet through her head.”

  Beth groans behind me, pressing into me. I know as a mother; she’d like nothing more than to run across the room and rip Ivan’s head off. Sadly, she wouldn’t make it three steps toward him.

  “Or, I can shoot you in the head and bury your body in the woods,” I say, taking a small step forward. Moving my eyes to focus on Sasha’s, tears spilling down her face. “Sweetheart, I need you to stay calm and just . . . Keep your head down.” As I say the last words, I try to get Sasha to understand. “Just, keep your head down, baby, and everything is going to be okay.”

  Yarkolov starts rambling but I keep my eyes on Sasha. After what feels like forever, her eyes widen and realization floods them. Very slowly, she leans her head down and away from Yarkolov’s as best she can, all the while he is running his mouth about all the shit I put him through while he was in prison, everything he lost because of the Rangers, and how he plans to get revenge on us all. Sadly, he won’t be leaving this cabin.

  “Stay relaxed, Sasha,” I say gently, finally getting Yarkolov’s attention.

  “Yes, little one, remember that when we leave here. When I sell you, and each man has his way with you, stay relaxed. It might hurt less.”

  Anger flames in my veins and I squeeze the trigger. In less than a blink, blood and brain matter splatters all over the wall behind Yarkolov, his arm sliding off Sasha as his body slams into the wood and sinks to the floor. Sasha takes off at a run and Beth pushes around me and grabs her daughter in a tight hug, sinking to the floor. Sasha sobs into her mother’s chest, while Beth just rocks her back and forth.