Chapter 13
No More Secrets
Julia’s POV
The moment Logan’s phone buzzes, the shift in his expression is immediate. His jaw tightens, his eyes darken, and a muscle ticks in his cheek. The air in the kitchen thickens with tension. I feel it like a weight pressing against my chest.
Tonya shifts uneasily beside me, sensing the change. She’s grippingher mug so tightly I think it might shatter.
“What is it?” My voice wavers despite my best efforts to keep it steady.
Logan doesn’t answer right away. His thumb hovers over the screen as he reads the message, his entire body going rigid. Finally, he turns the phone toward me.
We need to talk. Julia isn’t as innocent as you think. She’s been keeping secrets—dangerous ones. If you want the truth, meet me alone. Midnight. Pier 7. Don’t bring her. Don’t tell anyone. Or you’ll regret it.
A cold dread slithers down my spine, locking me in place. My pulse pounds in my ears. The words blur together, suffocating me. But it isn’t just the words that terrify me—it’s what follows.
A list of dates. Locations. Names of places I’ve never stepped foot in, yet they’re all tied to criminal activities Mac was involved in. And my name is in the middle of it all.
My stomach lurches as I scan through it. Transactions from a bank account I never opened. Business deals under my name that I never signed for. Properties bought in places I’ve never been.
I know exactly what this is.
A setup.
A warning.
And worst of all—a test.
I swallow hard, forcing myself to meet Logan’s gaze. His stormy blue eyes pin me in place, filled with a mixture of hurt, frustration, and something else—something I can’t name. But I don’t see doubt in his expression. He’s angry, but he isn’t pushing me away.
“Jesus Christ,” Logan mutters, his grip on the phone tightening. “Julia—explain.” His voice is calm. Too calm. A controlled storm on the verge of breaking.
”My fingers curl into the edge of the counter. “It’s Mac. He’s trying to turn you against me. He wants you to think I was involved in his business.”
“I didn’t do this.” My voice cracks as I force the words out. “Logan, I swear to you, I never—”
Tonya shifts uncomfortably beside me. I don’t dare look at her. She knows more about what I’m about to say than anyone.
Logan crosses his arms, his stance unyielding. “Then tell me the truth, Julia. No more half-answers. No more waiting. I want all of it. Now.”
I nod, exhaling shakily. There’s no more running. No more hiding.
“He was never my boyfriend. Never my anything. He was Tonya’s mistake first, and then he tried to make me his next.” My voice shakes, but I push through it. “Tonya introduced me to him when we were younger. He was… charming at first, but it didn’t take long to see what he really was.”
I risk a glance at Tonya. She’s staring at the table, her hands clenched in her lap.
“He was possessive. Manipulative. Dangerous,” I continue. “And he didn’t like hearing ‘no.’ When I tried to pull away, he found ways to keep me in his orbit. He had money. Connections. People who did whatever he told them to.”
Logan’s expression is unreadable, but he’s listening. That’s all I need right now.
“He started putting my name on things,” I admit, my voice barely above a whisper. “Business transactions, bank accounts I never touched, properties I never even stepped foot in. On paper, I looked like I was involved. But I wasn’t.”
I see the moment Logan realizes what that means. His eyes flicker with something sharp.
“He was setting you up,” he murmurs. I nod. “Insurance, in case he ever needed someone to take the fall.”
Tonya finally speaks, her voice hoarse. “When I left him, I told Julia she needed to run too. I knew he’d never let her go otherwise.”
I swallow the lump in my throat. “So I disappeared. I cut off everything and everyone. I started over. I thought I was safe.”
Logan exhales sharply, rubbing a hand down his face. He doesn’t say anything right away, and the silence stretches between us, heavy with everything I haven’t told him. Everything I still haven’t told him.
“I believe you, Julia”
His words hit me harder than I expect. My breath hitches, and I stare at him, searching for any sign of doubt. But there isn’t any. His gaze is steady, unwavering.
Tears burn behind my eyes. He still trusts me. Even with this—this damning evidence staring him in the face, he doesn’t question me.
And that realization makes me love him even more.
But it also makes the guilt unbearable.
I should have told him about Lily. I should have trusted him with the truth the same way he’s trusting me now.
The urge to tell him about Lily claws at me. The weight of that secret is crushing me. But I can’t—not yet.
Tonya clears her throat, breaking the silence. “This… this is what Mac does,” she says quietly. “He sets people up. He uses them as shields so when things go bad, he walks away clean.”
Logan glances at her. “You knew about this?”
She nods, shame flickering across her face. “Not everything, but I knew enough. I was young and stupid when I got involved with him. He made me feel important, like I mattered. Until I realized I was just another one of his pawns.”
I swallow hard. “When she left, I knew I had to leave too. But I was already in too deep. Mac had my name tied to things I didn’t even know about.”
Logan exhales sharply, rubbing a hand down his face. “And you didn’t think to tell me any of this sooner?”
“I was scared,” I admit. “If I told you, it would have put you in danger. And Lily—I had to keep her safe.”
His jaw clenches, and for a moment, I think he’s going to press for more. But instead, he steps closer, lowering his voice. “I don’t care what’s in that message, Julia. I know who you are. And I know you would never be a part of something like this.”
Tears blur my vision. I want to tell him everything. I want to tell him about Lily so badly it physically hurts.
But before I can gather the courage, Tonya stands abruptly, grabbing her purse. “I need to go. I shouldn’t have stayed this long. If Mac knows where Julia is, he’ll know I’m here too.”
I reach for her hand. “Tonya, maybe you should—”
She shakes her head. “I can’t stay, Jules. If he’s coming for me, I won’t let him find me here. I won’t put you and Lily in more danger.”
Logan eyes her carefully. “Where will you go?”
“I’ll figure it out.” She offers a weak smile, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “I always do.”
A knot forms in my stomach as she walks to the door. She hesitates, glancing back at me. “Be careful. He’s worse than we ever imagined.”
Lily’s soft footsteps enter the kitchen before I can stop her. “Are you leaving, Tonya?” she asks, blinking sleepily up at her.
Tonya crouches down, a soft smile tugging at her lips despite the tension in the air. “Yeah, sweetheart. I have to go, but you be good for your mama, okay?”
Lily nods solemnly, throwing her arms around Tonya’s neck. “I love you.”
A sharp ache forms in my chest as Tonya hugs her tightly. “I love you too, Lilypad.”
When she pulls away, she presses a soft kiss to Lily’s forehead before standing. “Take care of each other,” she murmurs as she hugs me. “I love you Jules”
I don’t know why, but something about that goodbye feels too final.
Later that night, Logan and Lily sit together on the couch, an awkward but endearing sight.
Lily fidgets with the hem of her pajama top before finally speaking. “Did you always want to be a sheriff?”
Logan leans back, a smirk playing at his lips. “No. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a cowboy.”
Lily’s eyes widened. “A real cowboy?”
He chuckles. “I had the hat and everything.”
She giggles, and warmth blooms in my chest as I watch them.
He’s already bonding with her, and he doesn’t even know she’s his.
The moment shatters when my phone rings. The sound makes me jump
A blocked number.
Logan and I exchange a look. He gestures for me to put it on speaker.
Dread coils in my stomach. Logan stiffens beside me.
I answer. “Hello?”
A slow chuckle. “Julia,” Mac’s voice croons. “I knew you wouldn’t stay hidden forever.”
Ice floods my veins.A blocked number.
Dread coils in my stomach as I hit answer, bringing it to my ear. “Hello?”
A low chuckle sends ice skittering through my veins.
“Julia,” the voice croons. “Did you really think I wouldn’t find you?”
My grip tightens on the phone. “Mac.”
Logan stiffens beside me.
“You always had such a bad habit of running,” Mac continues smoothly. “But it doesn’t matter. I always catch up eventually.”
My stomach churns. “What do you want?”
A dark pause. Then —
“I want my property back.”
My breath catches. “I’m not your damn property.”
A humorless laugh. “Not you.”
A scream rings through the line, sharp and unmistakable.
Tonya.
My blood runs cold. “Where is she?!”
Mac asks. “Now, now. If you want her back in one piece, you’ll listen very carefully.”
Logan rips the phone from my hand, his voice lethal. “You’re done, Mac.”
A slow, lazy chuckle. “Oh, Sheriff. I was hoping you’d get involved. This makes things so much more fun.”
The line goes dead.
I grab my coat. “We have to go.”
Logan blocks my path. “No. You’re not coming.”
My temper flares. “The hell I’m not! That’s my cousin, Logan!”
“This is a trap. You know that.”
“I don’t care!” My voice wavers. “I won’t sit here while she suffers. I won’t!”
His hands grip my arms. “I need you safe, Julia.”
“I’m going,” I say firmly. “With or without you.”
His eyes burn into mine, searching, before he finally exhales sharply. “Fine. But you listen to every word I say. No heroics.”
Logan doesn’t hesitate. “Frank is on patrol. I’ll call him in. We’re ending this tonight.”
I nod, barely breathing as he makes the call to Frank for backup.
“We need to go,” I breathe.
The abandoned warehouse is silent. Too silent.
Logan, Frank, and I move cautiously through the shadows, guns drawn. My pulse pounds against my ribs, my breath shallow as we inch forward.
A sudden rustling from the far end of the warehouse makes us freeze.
Then—gunfire.
Logan shoves me down behind a stack of crates, shielding me as bullets whiz past. Frank returns fire, his voice sharp. “We’ve got at least three!”
I peer around the edge, spotting a dark figure slipping through the chaos. Mac.
“Logan!” I point, and he sees him too.
Logan bolts after him, but Mac is fast. Too fast.
I scramble to my feet, my heart racing as I chase after them, ignoring Logan’s shouted order to stay back. I won’t hide. Not this time.
Mac reaches the exit and spins, his gun aimed directly at me. I freeze.
His grin is sharp, eyes wild. “You never learn, do you?”
Before he can pull the trigger, a shot rings out. Logan.
Mac stumbles, clutching his arm, but it’s not enough to stop him. He ducks into the night, disappearing into the shadows.
Silence crashes around us.
I sag against the doorway, my breath coming in short bursts. Logan grips my shoulders, his eyes searching mine. “Are you hurt?”
I shake my head. “Tonya?”
“She’s alive,” Frank calls from inside. “Shaken up, but she’ll be okay.”
Relief floods me, but it’s short-lived. Because on the wall behind us, written in blood-red spray paint, are the words: You can’t protect her forever.
My stomach clenches.
He doesn’t mean me.
He means Lily.
Logan reads it too, his grip tightening. When he turns to me, his eyes burn with a promise.
“We end this. Now.”