Chapter 49
Serena
The scent of Francesca’s perfume fills my nostrils, overwhelming my senses so much I have to reluctantly pull away from the hug.
Her phone beeps, so she checks it, and then she smiles, putting it away before leading me to the bed to sit. Stroking my hair when we are settled, she says, “You are so brave, Serena. What you did was necessary.”
“Was it?”
Francesca reaches for the box of tissues on the nightstand and pulls one out. “Absolutely. This woman was going to kill you and Logan. You have to protect yourself. Always.”
“Yeah.”
“You are not convinced?”
Shaking my head, I sigh. “Well, I mean, I am but I’m not. Maybe there was another way? We’ll never know.”
“You can’t think like that, dear girl. It will only lead you down a path that will drive you nuts.”
“I know.” Pausing, I want to ask her if she has ever killed anyone, but that would out myself as knowing about the Society.
“You know about us, Serena. That places you in a very exclusive position.”
My blood runs cold at her words. “Uhm, what do you mean?”
She giggles. “Don’t play coy. I know. Solitaire wants to recruit you, Serena.”
Meeting her gaze, I hold it for a moment. I don’t see any murderous intentions behind her statement, but who knows with this crowd? Killing seems to be a weekly thing with them.
“Solitaire.”
“It’s okay, Serena. You do not need to be afraid. You have impressed us, and Rue is so enamored with you. She rarely finds people she connects with, not even her old friends, but you…she loves you.”
“I love her too.”
“This predicament was interesting. You have done Solitaire a favor by ridding us of this woman.”
“What do you mean?” Maybe I’m slow on the uptake, but what did she have to do with Solitaire? I thought she was just an ex of Logan’s who went a bit crazy.
“Let’s not get into that right now. Just know that this has put you on the map, Serena. Your actions were courageous and necessary. You did what you needed to do with no hesitation.”
How does she know I didn’t hesitate? I mean, I didn’t. I saw Kelly off balance, and I shoved her. Simple in the way that spontaneous murder can be.
Murder.
There’s that word I was trying to avoid thinking about.
The weird thing is, I don’t feel that shaken up. I didn’t know her. I certainly didn’t care about her. She tried to kill me and Logan. If it hadn’t been her, it would’ve been me. Maybe not Logan; he’s got more experience in surviving, I feel, but definitely me.
“How do you feel?”
“About Kelly or about Solitaire?” I ask boldly.
“Both.”
“Kelly was a threat.”
“She was.”
“I’m not broken up about her, more that I didn’t think I was capable of this.”
“We never know what we are capable of until the right circumstances present themselves.”
“True.”
“You did a good thing for Solitaire. We owe you a debt of gratitude.”
Shaking my head, I smile sadly. “No, that’s not right.”
“But it’s true.”
“Thanks, then, I guess.” I have no idea what else to say.
“Don’t thank me, just say you will join our family, yes?”
“Do I get much choice now that I know?” It’s a valid fucking question.
“Of course,” she scoffs, but I have a feeling it’s a lie, luckily, it is what I wanted. I said I didn’t want to be on the outside looking in, and I meant it. Logan doesn’t get to be some big hot shot Secret Society man, and I’m the little girl tagging along and clueless. No chance.
“Well,” I huff out a breath. “It’s a good thing I want in.”
Beaming at me, she says, “Fabulous! Rue will be so excited to have someone to talk to about things!”
Returning her smile and feeling weirdly okay about what just happened, I blow my nose and brighten up a bit.
My life has crashed so badly again, but I can’t keep doing this.
I can’t keep falling down and expecting Logan to pick me up.
He will get annoyed with me and my whining, and eventually, he will leave me, and I wouldn’t even be able to blame him.
I not only look to him to be my protector, my savior, but I look up to him.
He can teach me so much about the world and myself and how to love deeply and irrevocably.
If I don’t do this for myself, then I have to do it for him and for us.
It scares me a bit, knowing that I have to be stronger and more capable, to accept the darker aspect of life, but I will.
I know the dark exists, I’ve witnessed it several times, but I’ve survived, and Logan has made me stronger.
“So what do I have to do?”
“Just be you, Serena. Your wonderful, perfect self. If we need you, we will let you know.” After that rather ominous-sounding statement, Francesca rises and cups my face. “Are you okay now?”
Nodding, I reply, “Yes. I’m good. Thanks for being here. I think Logan would've handled that a lot differently.”
“Oh, you mean like a man?” She snickers at her joke.
“Yep, he has his methods, and I love them, but I guess I needed a softer touch today.”
Francesca looks down at me, her eyes serious. “If you ever need me, Serena, I will be here. You are like my little protégé. I feel we are going to have a magnificent time.”
“Hope so and thank you.”
With a glorious smile, she drops her hand and leaves me to contemplate everything on my own before Logan will inevitably come up here asking how I am.
I want to tell him with no uncertainty that I’m fabulous, and while killing Kelly was a shock and will be something that sticks with me for a while, I don’t regret it.
That’s the main thing, right? No regrets.
Rising steadily to wash my face and tidy up a bit, I coil my hair up into a braided bun and stick some pins in it.
I’ve been wearing it this way for days, hoping Logan would grab it again and use it to hold me in place while he does dirty things to me, but so far, that hasn’t happened again.
He’s been gentle and loving. Maybe it’s time to take the bull by the horns and force him to be rough with me.
Needing it, craving it, I want to be slammed against the wall, fucked over the dining table where I leave boobprints on the clear glass, ravaged, savaged, cut, my hair tugged, my pussy battered by his enormous cock.
Is that too much to ask? I don’t think so, so I will force him to make the first move and then it’s up to him to pick up what I’ve laid down.
Wondering what has happened to Kelly, I round the corner from the bedroom and peek down the stairs. She's not there anymore and the blood has been cleaned up from the parquet floor.
The cleaner.
I guess that’s why he has the title.
“Can I come down now?” I call, biting my lip and rolling my eyes at the absurdity of my question.
But I really don’t want to walk downstairs and unexpectedly find the cleaner stuffing Kelly into a suitcase to walk off with.
That would be a bit too much for my conscience to bear. I’m toeing the line as it is.
Logan appears with that smile, the wicked curve of his lips that thrills me to my very core. “Yes, baby girl. It’s safe.”
Nodding, I take the stairs slowly. Walking my way through Kelly’s last moments, wondering what went through her mind as she fell to her death.
By the time I’ve reached the bottom and Logan takes my hand, kissing my fingers, I realize that I don’t really care.