Logan
Anxiety, fear, dread…they war within me as my presence causes a bit of a stir in the clubhouse. Viking and Priest don’t seem to care that everyone stares at me like I’m an alien. They just threaten everyone within an inch of their lives.
After leading me to the bar, where a prospect serves drinks—Neo, maybe—I’m only given a grape soda and painkillers because my body is on fire again, and I’d like to sleep for the next three weeks if I could.
One of the girls approaches me. “Brutal shiner,” she says.
On edge, I mumble, “Feels as good as it looks.”
She smirks, accepts a drink of amber liquid, then tosses it back. “Name’s Macy. You’re Logan, right?” I nod, not trusting this woman. “Trista has had a lot to say about you since your appearance.” Not surprising. “She’s all bark, not a lot of bite.”
“Tell that to her.” I’m going for invisible, and this girl isn’t helping. “I never intended to cause trouble by showing up here.” Trista was a lifeline I’d been holding onto to escape my hellish home.
“I get that. She’s had a rough life. Her mom kind of sucked.” Yeah, I remember how horrid the woman was. “She needs some time to wrap her head around the fact that she was lied to about you for so long. You understand?”
Shrugging, what am I supposed to say…no? “I’m not here to cause problems. I’ll be leaving soon anyway, and she’ll forget I ever existed.”
Neo snorts. “You really believe that?” He hands me another grape soda.
“Yes.” I frown.
Macy and Neo share a look, clearly understanding something I don’t. “They’ve all but dragged you back to their cave and laid claim to you. You don’t believe they’re letting you go, do you?”
“I’m not a piece of property.” They both laugh at my sassy tone.
Frustrated, I take my drink outside, glad that I grabbed my phone before leaving the guys’ room.
The front of their property isn’t much to look at. A neatly cut lawn, tall iron fence that needs to be buzzed through, and a couple of picnic tables. Pulling out my phone, I notice that it’s not too late and call Carly.
“Hey girl!” Her eyes widen as she gets a look at my face in the dim light. “What the hell happened?”
“Connor found me.” A sob cracks my voice, and I feel so damn defeated.
“Son of a bitch! How?”
“I have no idea.” It’s not like I could ask him while he was trying to kill me.
“Where are you now?” She looks ready to race to come get me.
Wiping my eyes and taking a drink to clear my throat, I answer, “The clubhouse. Trista doesn’t want me here, so I’m not staying long. I just needed time to think about what I’m going to do.”
“She needs to take her head out of her ass and get over the lies her mother told her. You were four for crying out loud. How is anything your fault?”
I love how fiercely protective Carly is of me.
“This is her domain. I’m not about to invade it unless she asks me to.” It’s not how I want our relationship to be.
“And that’s not about to happen.” At Trista’s cold tone, I quiet as I turn to face her, while Carly curses up a storm, getting inventive in her word choices. “You need to leave,” she demands, tossing a bag towards me. “And you need to never come back.”
I look over my shoulder when I hear the gate opening. “Are you kidding?” I ask. It’s dark. Even I know not to wander around in the middle of nowhere this late.
“I don’t fucking care. About any of it. You and your poor-me act can take a fucking hike and never come back. Forget you ever came here and forget my bikers.”
Swaying slightly when I notice the small pistol in her hand, my eyes shoot to the front door for help, but no one is there.
“Lo, don’t leave.” Carly’s voice penetrates my brain fog.
Trista raises her arm, cocks the gun, and waves it towards the gate. “Like you were never here,” she hisses.
This was not how I saw the evening ending, but I also can’t fight a gun. “Fine, I’m leaving.” Picking up the small backpack I take with me everywhere, extremely glad one of the guys grabbed it from the motel, I inch my way towards the gate.
“Logan, you don’t know what’s out there!” Carly yells at me from my phone.
As I exit and the gate closes, I don’t look back. “Better than what’s in there,” I mutter, starting the walk back towards Gulfport. It’s not that it’s a long one, but at night it’s scary as hell. “Will you stay on the phone with me?” I finally ask Carly, who fumes on the other end.
“Of course. Don’t you have the guys’ numbers? Can’t you call them?”
I shake my head no, wishing that I did.
We don’t say much as I walk in the middle of the road, hoping to avoid any creepy critters in the ditch, until I comment, “I feel like I’m in the Blair Witch Project.” Shivering, I stop for a minute and say, “I’m putting you down so I can grab a sweater.”
“Stay in my sight.” Carly’s frustrated growl used to make me laugh; right now, I’m holding onto it like a damn lifeline. A hissing sound comes from beside me. I squeal and dress quickly before picking Carly up and running until my lungs hurt. “What was that?” she shrills.
“I think a snake, but I wasn’t sticking around to find out.” Glimpsing the flickering city lights in the distance, I start feeling better about things. “I can see Gulfport now.” We share a brief smile.
“Who knew where you were staying?” Carly’s sudden question makes me stop and stare at the phone screen.
“He found me at work first. Maybe he followed me home?” I reply, but the question remains the same: how? “You, Miles, and the PI are the only ones.” Our eyes widen at the same time. “John sold me out,” I say. That thought is kind of terrifying.
“He wouldn’t do that,” Carly counters, but she doesn’t sound any more convinced than I am. “I’ll talk to Miles, see what the hell happened. They’ve known each other so long, I just don’t see him doing it.” I wish I had her faith.
Traffic is slow as I enter the city, and disappointment squeezes my chest as I realize it’s been almost an hour, and the guys haven’t come looking for me. They probably figure that they’re better off without my baggage. Still hurts like hell though.
“The battery is almost dead, so I’m going to let you go. I’m in the city, and I still have some money left for another cheap motel for the night.” I hope.
“Text me once you’ve got a room, and I’ll help you figure shit out, even if you have to move again.” God, I really hope I don’t have to.
“Love you,” I mutter, wishing I could hug her one more time.
“Hey, stop looking like this is goodbye. We’ll talk in the morning.” She waits for me to agree before hanging up.
Crossing the street when the light turns green, I hear a motorcycle, and my heart races until I see it’s not them as three bikers ride in the opposite direction.
At a well-lit bus stop, I dig through my bag to check how much cash I have, grateful that Miles gave me so much.
I count out a hundred, hoping to find somewhere for less than that.
Spotting a fast-food joint a block away, I head towards it.
After ordering my meal, I find a table near the front where people can see me, and I can plug in my phone.
The girl behind the counter brings my tray of food with a smile, and I eat the burger and fries while sipping the Mountain Dew I got to go with it.
As soon as my phone is charged enough, I start searching up motels and overhear the two girls at the counter talking about needing a third roommate now that their rent has been raised again.
Taking a fortifying breath, I empty my trash and approach them. “Hi, uhm, I couldn’t help overhear you say you’re looking for another roommate?”
Their eyes roam my frame, pausing at the bruising on my face. Clearly, they’re apprehensive, and I don’t blame them one bit.
“We are,” the one girl hedges.
“I’m new to town. I’m a server at Euphoria, and I could really use a place to stay.” Do they hear the desperation in my tone?
“What happened to your face?” the second girl asks.
I nibble my lip and fight off the tears. “My stepbrother tracked me down and attacked me in my motel room last night.” Saying it out loud really brings home how horrible a situation I’ve been in.
“Tracked you down. So, you’re like, what…on the run?” the same girl asks.
“Not because of something I did, but because he and my stepdad have control issues. I’m eighteen; I’m allowed to be on my own.” Defending myself feels weird because I’m an adult, technically speaking. Having my own life shouldn’t be something I need to fight for.
They carry on a silent conversation with their eyes before the first girl finally nods and says, “I’m Connie, and this is Marie. Welcome, roomie!”
Relief sags my shoulders, but I keep it together.
“Thank you, I really appreciate it.” The lifting of this one weight makes me nearly sick to my stomach.
“Your portion of the rent is $400. That includes utilities. We pool money and do grocery shopping together. That said, if there’s anything you want that’s just yours, either keep it in your room or write your name on it.
” She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a few keys.
“This is yours.” I accept the single key.
“We’ll bring you home after shift if you want to chill here, and then in the morning, we’ll go over all the things you need to know. ”
I nod. My emotions are almost too much, and a stray tear slides down my cheek.
“Hey, don’t cry,” Marie says, reaching out and rubbing her hand up and down my arm.
“It’s just been a few tense days. Thank you.”
I text back and forth with Carly for a bit, then rest my head down on the table, using my bag as a pillow. A while later, I’m gently tapped on the shoulder.
“Hey girl, we’re ready to go, and you look like you could use a comfy bed to sleep in.”
Agreeing, I follow Marie and Connie out to their car and hop into the backseat.
The drive is quiet, and I wish my apprehension would disappear because I don’t like the feeling of living on the edge.
Unaware of what might happen next. Thankfully, their apartment isn’t too far from Euphoria or their work.
“So, enter the building code.” Marie rattles off the number, then they show me the mailboxes, manager’s office, and the laundry room before we arrive at our fourth-floor apartment. Mercifully, there’s a working elevator.
“Home sweet home,” Connie gestures and smiles.
“Everything in the common areas is for everyone to share. Your room is here.” She opens the door to reveal a futon bed, dresser, lamp, and night table in a decently sized room with a large window overlooking the city. “I hope it’s okay.”
“It’s perfect.” Ten times better than the motel.
“You can change anything you like, get a proper bed. This is just what we had.” Marie smiles.
Returning the smile, I can tell they’re tired and ready for bed, so I say, “This will do for now. Is there a bathroom I can use?” I’d like to wash my face and brush my teeth before crashing for a few hours.
“Right here.” She points across the hall to a larger-than-average bathroom. “We have our own shampoos, conditioners, and body wash. Feel free to use anything until you get your own.”
Tears spring to my eyes. “You’re being so nice to me.” I don’t know how to handle this type of kindness.
“Get some rest, Logan. We’ll have a nice big breakfast in the morning and talk once we’ve all rested.” They both give me a quick hug and say their goodnights.
As I walk out of the bathroom, Marie pops out of her room. “I put a water and snack on your night table, just in case.” She’s gone before I can thank her again.
Dropping onto the bed, I quietly sob when I see the bottled water and what is obviously a homemade carrot muffin on a plate, with a knife and a side of butter.
Aside from Carly, no one has ever put this amount of effort into taking care of me. It’s overwhelming in a way that makes me feel unworthy.
God, how messed up must I be that even kindness from strangers is unfathomable.
I eat half the muffin and drink some water before slipping into a clean shirt and lying down for the night. Which is followed by dreams of two men worshipping my body.
Exhaustion will likely be my new friend.