Chapter 33
Logan
Hiding my smirk, I close the door after the elevator doors close. She thinks she got away with that, but I know one thing.
Holding my real phone up, I flick to the app for the GPS tracker that has been slotted into the battery case of the burner phone and watch as I know exactly where she’s going. I’m not wrong. She is directly below me by three floors.
And that’s why I let her go.
There is absolutely no way she would’ve walked out of here alone if she were leaving the building.
But now she thinks I’m chill and will let her do things on her own when in reality, it is the exact opposite. If anything, I’m even more possessive of her than I was an hour ago. Luckily, I trust her with Rue.
But only because of who she is.
Pouring myself a Scotch from the bottle that seems to be permanently out on the side now to dull the pain in my face and ribs, I take a savoring sip, closing my eyes at the pleasant burn of the alcohol mingled with the extremely satisfying memory of Serena pushing her ass back to encase my cock in her pussy.
“Fuck,” I breathe. I’m ready to go with her again, and I wish we could’ve, but there will be time.
Plans need to be made, and orders defied.
But I’m prepared to leave Solitaire over this because if I see only one way out…
I’m taking it. Logan Carter doesn’t get trapped.
I’m like a snake and will find a way to slither out every single time.
Crossing to the safe, I move the painting and unlock it, staring at the gun. My fingerprints aren’t on it. Shelley’s are. And wherever she is, if she survived, she will find herself with some explaining to do. If not, well, my hands are clean.
Speaking of which, she is a loose end that has escaped my attention the last few days. Guy hasn’t checked in, and I need to know if he’s found her yet.
Sending a message, I check the app again to make sure Serena is still at Rue’s, noticing how much time has passed. I was ruminating over my plans for longer than I realized.
A firm knock at the door makes me look up and frown. Striding over, I pocket the phone and open the door, half expecting Quen to be standing there.
“Rue,” I say, stepping back. “What can I do for you?”
She shoves me aside. “You’re a fucking dick.”
“I know, usually. But why now?”
I slam the door shut and watch as she strides over to the terrace and slides the door open, stepping out into the cold night. Having no choice but to follow her, I do, leaning in the doorway as she stares out over the city, her hands on the railing.
“You know you are messing up over her.”
“She’s worth it.”
“Not to me!” she hisses, her temper flaring, but then she calms instantly and smiles.
“Not to my parents. Serena is special, I get it. I do. I was never meant to become so involved, but she is like a sister to me. I care deeply for her, which is astonishing, but it makes me fiercely protective of her. My parents sent me here to audit you, Logan, to see if you are fit to move up the ranks past Quentin. But right now, you are making it very difficult for me to recommend this course of action.”
“Oh, so that’s why you’re here,” I chuckle softly. “I did wonder why Viktor and Francesca allowed their heir to become a receptionist at a law firm a hundred miles from Coe Bay.”
“Well, now you know. I’m only telling you this, so you get the bigger picture. I’m here covertly; no one knows who I am apart from you.”
“Well, Quentin knows.”
“What?” she spits out. “You told him?”
“I had to. You shouted out your full name while he was standing right here, for fuck’s sake.”
She presses her lips together. “Dammit,” she mutters. “Does he have any idea why?”
I shake my head. “He was still talking about me taking his place when he moved up. I’m guessing Vik and Fran have decided otherwise.
” The Di’Castellos are Solitaire insofar as humans go.
No one is higher up than them, except for one man.
I knew Rue coming here had something to do with Solitaire, but I didn’t question it because who am I to question anything the higher-ups do?
Plus, it never really interested me. If I thought about it at all a few years ago, I probably assumed she was here for Quen.
But I’m starting to get the feeling she has no idea who he even is or was until she befriended Serena.
The sector she comes from is separate, and this isn’t an everyone knows everyone kind of deal. In fact, it’s the exact opposite.
“You know,” I say casually. “If I get even a whiff of betrayal from you towards Serena, I will kill you.”
“Oh, I know,” she says. “Like the guy in the alley, Paul, was it? Like poor dumb Dave earlier. You’re losing your shit, Logan, and my parents don’t like shit being lost. They like it all packaged up in a neat little pile of crap that can be swept up with no mess, no fuss. Am I making myself clear?”
“You assume I want what you’re offering. This is the first I’ve heard of it, and the only reason you’ve come clean is because of Serena, so you’ll forgive me if I’m a little hesitant to ask, ‘how high.’”
She grimaces at me before looking back over the city. “Fair enough. I hear you. You want details?”
“Not really. What I want is Quen to leave Serena and me alone.”
“I can’t make that happen. If I could, he would be out of her life after everything that’s happened in the last few days. She is sweet and kind; she doesn’t deserve to be dragged under.”
“Isn’t that what you're doing by lying to her?”
“I’m not lying to her,” she says quietly. “Everything she knows about me is the truth.”
“Except that you’re a Secret Society princess with a very detailed undercover life.”
“I said, everything she knows about me. The real stuff,” she says stiffly.
I give her a startled look before straightening up. “You want to tell her, don’t you?”
“I can’t.”
“Your parents are hardly going to kill you for spilling the secret.”
“It will be out of their hands. You know how this works.”
“Then recruit her.”
She looks back at me, pushing her lips out in a pout that I guess some would call sexy. To me, it’s just a facial expression.
“You’re trying, aren’t you? That’s your end goal, here.”
“No, my end goal is to get your ass moved up the chain. But based on current events, that’s not happening. In fact, you’re headed for the shredder.”
“Ouch.”
“You told her to ask me to be my plus one for the masked ball. Are you fucking out of your mind? You know that high-ranking members of Solitaire will be there.”
“Only because they’re on my board of directors. Still my company, Rue. Don’t forget that.”
“How could I forget? I work there.”
“What a joke.”
“Fuck you. I do a fucking good job, and you know it.”
“Oh, you do a great job. But it’s not surprising, really, when the most vicious person in the room currently isn’t me, now is it? It kind of dims the brightness of your guard dog capabilities when you probably threaten them with an evisceration followed by a Colombian necktie.”
She smirks. It’s cold, cruel, and utterly beautiful. Not in the sexual sense, but it speaks to me, nonetheless. “Well, go with what you know, yes?”
“Always. Hurt her, and I will do all of that to you and more.”
“Never,’’ she hisses. “And if you hurt her, I think my reputation precedes me. Get your shit together, Logan,” she says, brushing past me. “Before Quentin Livingstone catches on that not all is as it seems.”
“Noted. Goodnight, Rue. Close the door on your way—”
It slams, and I turn to glare contemplatively at it, only slightly surprised by what just happened. Especially maybe Rue’s confession. All I know is that she has handed me exactly what I need to get rid of Quen once and for all.
A slow smile spreads over my face. “Oh, you’re a sly one, Ms. Di’Castello. Very sly indeed.”