41
Logan
She’s gone.
I think I knew it before I forced open the bathroom door and saw the open window, the breeze from outside causing goosebumps to ripple across my skin.
I knew it the moment I looked in her eyes, after that piece of shit talked about her like that, and I let him. It was the moment that her pain grew to be too much.
Now, it’s too late.
And it’s all my fault.
Fuck!
“Hey, Logan…” The mayor’s voice rings out behind me, grating on my nerves. I turn around slowly to face him. “Hey, you didn’t answer my question. Have you considered endorsing me again like you did last time? Maybe now’s not the time, seeing as you’re with your caged pet, but… oh, shit!”
He just has time to take in the gun I’ve whipped out from my inside pocket before I shoot.
Everest appears just then. He stares at the body thudding to the floor, then at my still smoking gun. An arched eyebrow is the only sign that he’s mildly surprised. But I guess he’s seen a lot worse from me.
“Hmm. Damien’s gonna be pissed.”
“What does that window lead out to?”
“Want to make a run for it?”
“No, I don’t want to make a run for it. I want to know what that window leads out to.”
Before he’s had time to answer, I’m already there, grabbing onto the ledge and pulling myself up. It’s a tight fit, one she could manage easily, but I’m not sure it’s big enough for me. I don’t have time to go around the house and catch up to her, though.
The window gives out onto a patio bordered by a sprawling lawn, which leads, on one side, to a dense forest, and a swimming pool on the other. She’s already disappeared, and I can only assume she’s gone for the woods.
I flatten myself against the thick ledge, pushing myself through with difficulty, my suit jacket coming apart in a loud ripping sound.
“Yeah, good thinking,” says Everest, leaning casually against the door frame. “Damien’s not here, and I’m pretty sure only he can get you out of this mess.”
I don’t even bother answering him, landing outside on the soft ground.
Then I scan the place for her. No doubt about it; she set off for the forest. I can make out her footprints on the lawn, turned muddy from the light drizzle.
The minute I find you… the minute you’re mine again… it’s going to be so different. I promise, Lia.
But she’s nowhere in sight. The footsteps stop abruptly near a small forest path, and I can just make out the dirt bike tire marks that tell me… the Puicin Gang got to her first.
Damien’s words come back to me in full force. One day, they’re going to come and collect. Without even thinking, I take out my phone and dial the person I always turn to.
“Damn.” His voice comes through just one ring later. “The mayor. That’s cold, Logan. Do I have to put you on time out again?”
“Damien.” I wipe my brow, panting from my running. “They got her. The Puicin Gang came for her. They took her from me.”
I can’t help it. I fall to my knees, loud sobs wracking my body.
“Hey, Logan. Hey.” Damien’s voice grows a lot warmer. “It’s going to be okay. Deep breaths, now. Where are you?”
“In the… in the forest.” I choke out the words. “Behind Gloria Everton’s house. I followed her footsteps here, but they stopped, and now there are tire marks. I’m following them.”
He huffs out in exasperation. “Well, don’t do that, idiot. How the hell are you going to follow a bike on foot? Get back to your car and drive. Fuck, I wish I’d gone to the gala. I needed a break from diaper changes, anyway. None of this shit would have happened if I’d been there.”
I ignore his light tone, and I don’t ask him, either, how he could have prevented the mayor from talking about her that way, or prevented me from allowing it. “How can I know where the bike went if I don’t follow the trail?”
“Well, it’s the Puicin Gang. I don’t think they’re all that discreet. Don’t worry, Logan. We’re on it. Get to your car and I’ll figure out the address. In fact, Vincent is figuring it out as we speak. He’s an idiot, but he’s good at tracking. You’ll find her before they kill her. I promise.”
Groaning, I walk back far too slowly. Slowly, because I feel hopeless. And because my energy is gone. It hurts to breathe.
“C’mon, man. It’s going to be fine. You’re going to find her. Vincent’s on it. Keep your phone handy, I’ll text you as soon as he finds something. Everything’s going to be okay. Now, I hear you walking, but you’d better start running, man.”
I tear the phone away from my ear, hearing it vibrate as my feet hit the ground. I grind my teeth as I take one step after another. It’s not like I’m not in shape; I have no idea why my body is reacting this way to what is only mild exertion.
No, I think I do know. I’m in pain, that’s what it is. And there’s only so much your heart can take before it spills out into your bones.
I grind to a sudden halt when I catch a glimpse of something red, floating in the pool. Hair, red curly hair, spread out in a halo, and a body just visible underneath.
Oh… fuck.
Forgetting all about my car, ignoring the police sirens that tell me it wasn’t the best idea to shoot the mayor just now, I plunge fully dressed into the pool and yank her up.
It’s only when I’ve pulled her out of the pool that I look down at her face and realize… she isn’t Lia.
She looks a whole lot like her though. Like a younger, more innocent version of her. Nearly identical to Piper, too, except her face is slimmer, more delicate. Her skin is as pale as a ghost’s, and when her eyes flutter open, I can see they’re a deep green flecked with yellow.
“Jane,” I breathe.