32
LOGAN
J ust as the weight of exhaustion finally pulled me under, my phone buzzed against the nightstand, prodding me awake. The device vibrated impossibly loud in the stillness. Afraid it would wake Bloom, who needed his rest after the terrible day we’d had, I quickly grabbed it, squinting against the harsh screen light. The caller’s ID was withheld.
Every instinct inside me urged me to ignore the call, but I swiped the button to answer.
“Hello,” I whispered.
“Keegan, are you free to talk?”
Uncle’s urgent voice came across the line a little too serious for my liking. I glanced over at Bloom, whose back was to me. “Give me a sec.”
Carefully I peeled back the sheets and slipped out of bed. The floor was cold beneath my bare feet, but I dashed to the bathroom, leaving the door ajar. I sat on the closed toilet and pressed my toes into the plush mat.
“You can talk now,” I said.
I’d sensed there was a lot more he wanted to say to me, but not in front of the Blood Hounds.
“Are you okay?” Uncle asked. “Did they make things difficult for you?”
“The Blood Hounds aren’t a threat. You don’t have to worry about them.”
He chuckled. “Your fiancé is like a little savage, but I can see you care about him.”
“He’s not a savage. He’s just…Bloom, and yes, I care about him. That’s why I’m marrying him.”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, Keegan.”
“I’m not going to leave him.” Bloom would never recover from such a betrayal. Unlike with my family I would never betray him.
“What if it’s the right decision for you both?” he asked. “The longer you’re in Smoky Vale, the more risk you bring on to both of you. Do you really want him involved in this war with your father?”
He was right. I didn’t want Bloom to get mixed up with my mess. I wanted him to be safe and happy. But we’d passed the point of me walking away. It was too late now. It was no longer my choice but Bloom’s, and he’d made it clear he’d chosen to be with me.
“What are you proposing?” I asked.
“I can get you out of the country. I’m not saying your father won’t find you again, but it’ll be years before he does.”
“Where are you thinking?”
“I was thinking the Netherlands.”
“The Netherlands?”
“Yes. I can have you on a private jet there tomorrow.”
“My wedding is this weekend.”
“It’s your choice, Keegan.”
I ran my fingers through my hair and clamped my eyes shut. “What if we use our honeymoon as an excuse and we leave for the Netherlands and never return?”
“As in bring him with you?”
“I told you, Uncle. There’s no way I can leave him behind.”
Then I wouldn’t just have my father after me, but Bloom and the entirety of the Blood Hounds for me breaking his heart.
“He’s young. He’ll forget about you in time and find someone else.”
“Believe me, he won’t.”
Just as I would never forget about him. There was no after Bloom for me.
“Then by all means take him. Shall I make the arrangements, then?”
“Sure. That sounds good.”
“I’ll keep in touch.”
“Thanks, Uncle. I—I appreciate everything.”
“It’s the least I can do, Keegan. No, I should call you Logan now, shouldn’t I?”
But deep down, we both knew I would always be a Keegan Agosti.
“I’ll likely have to change my identity again.”
“Don’t worry about it. We’ll have it all sorted out for you. Go, get some sleep, and we’ll stay in touch.”
I hung up the phone but made no attempt to get up. Not even when my ass cramped from sitting on the toilet. My mind raced in circles, trying to make sense of the last twenty-four hours.
At least Bloom had forgotten about his distressing session with Dr. Simms.
A sound from the bedroom snapped me out of my thoughts. I cocked my ears. Was there an intruder in the room? We were at the clubhouse. No one would dare to break in. But the sound was unmistakable…like a groan.
“Bloom?” I crept back into the bedroom, stepping cautiously toward the bed.
The faint light from the bathroom spilled into the room, casting long shadows that seemed to pulse with my heartbeat. Bloom lay twisted in the sheets, his limbs tangled as though he were trying to fight his way free. His face was half-buried in the pillow, but what I could see of it was slick with sweat, his features drawn tight in distress. A low, guttural groan escaped his lips, a sound that sent an icy shiver up my spine.
I reached out hesitantly, not wanting to startle him but desperate to wake him from whatever nightmare had taken hold. “Bloom, hey. It’s me.” My voice wavered, and I hated how powerless I sounded. I hated to see him suffer so much.
His body jerked, his back arching off the mattress as if he were trying to escape some invisible grip. His hands clawed at the sheets, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He was mumbling now, incoherent words that tumbled together in a torrent of fear and pain.
“Bloom!” I said louder, gripping his shoulder. His skin was clammy, and tremors ran through him. “Wake up! It’s just a dream.”
He twisted away from me, his lips forming a word but no sound came out.
I leaned closer, my heart pounding. “Bloom, you’re safe. You’re with me.”
But his body writhed harder, his head thrashing side to side. His fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles were stark white against the dim light.
“Bloom!” I shook him gently but firmly. His eyes flew open, wide and wild, and for a terrifying moment, they didn’t seem to see me.
“It’s me,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “It’s Logan. You’re safe.”
He blinked, his breaths still coming in shallow, uneven gasps. His hands reached out blindly, and I caught them, holding on tightly. “It’s okay,” I murmured. “You’re okay. You’re here with me.”
Gradually the tension bled out of his body. His chest heaved as he gulped in air, his grip on my hands loosening. Shudders rippled through him, and his throat worked, but no sound came out. He opened his lips, tried again, but nothing.
With a groan, he folded himself into a tight ball with his back to me. A lump tightened in my throat. His body shook the mattress, so fragile like an injured bird.
Carefully I slid into bed with him and formed a protective shell around his body. The tension gradually eased out of his body until he relaxed against me and fell asleep. I watched him for as long as I could, knowing it was selfish of me to take him away from Smoky Vale and his family but not seeing any other way.
The next time I woke up, Bloom was staring at me. Almost gave me a heart attack. I closed my eyes and swore under my breath.
“Did I scare you?” He inched so close to me the tip of our noses touched.
“Yes.” I groaned, gathering him in my arms and rolling over onto my back with him on top of me. “I feel like I didn’t sleep long enough. What time is it?”
“Almost noon.”
“Already?”
“I’ve been awake forever.”
“Forever, huh?”
“Hmm.” He danced his fingertips over my collarbone. “I didn’t mean to keep you awake. Just some stuff from the therapy session.”
I stamped down the urge to ask him again if he wanted to talk about it. “You don’t have to apologize. We’ve both got a lot going on.”
“Yeah, I’m not sure I buy the reason your uncle came to Smoky Vale.”
“I know, but we were always close. Before I left the family, that is. This was the exact sort of thing he did when I was younger—hide me from my father’s wrath.”
Bloom sat up, straddling my thighs. He slipped his hands under my shirt and gave me that knowing look. I caught them in mine and held them tight.
“Sweetheart, we need to talk.”
“It can wait, can’t it?”
“No, it’s urgent. About us.”
“You’re leaving me?”
I’d already told him a dozen times that I wasn’t leaving him behind. The fact that he still asked didn’t sit right with me. Wasn’t I convincing enough?
“No, never. Quite the opposite.” I tucked a loose strand of hair behind his ear. “I want us to stay together—in a new place.”
He furrowed his brow, his eyes searching mine. “You mean…leave Smoky Vale? Leave my family behind?”
“It won’t be easy. I know how close you are to the bikers, but this is the only way I can think of to keep us both and them safe.”
“You’re trusting the US Marshals again after what they did the last time?”
“No. I—”
“Don’t tell me you’re trusting your uncle.”
“He offered. He even thinks I’ll take him up on his offer, but I won’t.”
“You don’t trust him either?”
“It’s not that I don’t trust him, but if it’s one thing I’ve learned from being in WITSEC, it is that when you disappear, no one can know where you’re going. It creates too much risk.”
“So we just leave, and they wouldn’t know where we are?”
I nodded, my breathing turning shallow. What if he turned me down? Leaving his brothers behind wouldn’t be easy for him.
“Think about it carefully. Once we leave, there’s no turning back.”
“What if I said no?”
I tried not to let the fear of him turning me down creep into my voice. The decision had to be his alone.
“I’d be crushed, but I’d understand.”
I had to understand, but a part of me wanted to protest that he was the one who vowed he wouldn’t leave me. He was the one who made those wild promises I’d believed in.
“If you go, I go.” He shifted off me and landed on the bed next to me with his legs folded lotus-style. “Crowe will understand.”
I took his hand and held it in mine. “Are you sure? You won’t regret it later?”
“I’ll never regret choosing you. But do we leave before the wedding?”
“No, our wedding can be something positive they remember when we’re gone. They’ll think we’re on our honeymoon, and that’s when we’ll do it.”
“Where will we live?”
Definitely not the places my uncle had mentioned. “I’m thinking Ireland.”
“Ireland?”
“Yes, the process for moving there is not very difficult. Plus, it’s beautiful there.”
He would love it. I would make sure of it. Whatever he wanted to do with his life, I would help him to achieve it. If he wanted the moon, I would lasso it for him. As long as he agreed to leave with me.
Bloom sighed heavily, his eyes locked on our intertwined fingers. The confusion was clear in his gaze. This was not what he had signed up for, this was not the life he had envisioned. He loved being a biker, loved his family. It was a lot to ask of him, to sever all ties and move to a foreign land.
His forehead creased into thoughtful lines. “Okay. I’ll go wherever you go.”
I sat up and took him into my arms, squeezing him hard. “I swear I’ll do everything to make you happy, Bloom. Everything will be okay.”