Logan Kade (Fallen Crest #5.5)(56)

My heart had lodged in my throat. “I’m sorry.”

He grinned, but it didn’t reach to his eyes. “You shared. I wanted to share something, too.”

The more I stared into his eyes, so close to mine, the more I could see the deeper pain hidden there. I was getting a glimpse few others had been granted. My heart picked up its pace, and the longer I stared into his eyes, the faster it beat. The world had melted away.

I was pulled even closer to him.

This was Logan. He drew people to him, and I was no different. My heart was perpetually pounding in my chest, trying to get to him. With another slight movement, my lips rested against his. Our eyes held, staring into each other. I wanted him to kiss me. I swallowed, and when his eyes closed, his lips pressed more firmly into mine.

Then we heard a gunshot below.





CAR BOMBS.





#HEREWEGOAGAIN


LOGAN


For a moment we were frozen, staring at each other, not sure what we heard. Taylor seemed paralyzed, and after that, I didn’t think.

I launched out of the car, told her to stay put, and headed to the ground as fast as I could go. She needed to be safe. That was my first thought, but I needed to know what was happening. If people were coming in here shooting, Taylor was going to be the farthest place possible. I ducked, weaved, and jumped from one section of the walkway down to another. When I got close enough, I leaped over the fence around the roller coaster, and once my feet touched ground, I ran toward where I thought the shot came from.

I kept low, running for my Escalade, and hugged as close to the buildings as I could. When I heard the yelling on the other side of the gate, I relaxed a little. Only a little.

“I told you to get the f*cking money!”

“I tried, Rankin. Okay?”

“Not okay!”

There were more shouts, but they were muffled, and I slowed down so they couldn’t hear my approach. I went to the gate. Thank shit I’d decided to park on the inside, not out on the street like normal. I moved so I could see through a tiny hole in the wall. I couldn’t make out their faces, but there was a group of them. They surrounded one guy in the middle.

He stuffed his hands into his pockets and said, “I’ll get the money, okay?”

The other voice replied, “Fuck that, Delray. You’ve been missing payments for three months. It won’t fly anymore.”

“Delray?”

No—I glanced behind me and Taylor was there, her eyes wide, her mouth open. As I watched, the blood drained from her face. She’d braked suddenly a few feet from me, and I went to her and grabbed her. Pulling her to my chest, I held her close and froze in place. Not one move. Not one word. When she pulled back to speak, I shook my head. My finger went to my mouth, and I pointed at the gate. They were ten feet from us. Ten f*cking feet. They couldn’t know we were here.

“Logan?” she said, so quietly that I almost didn’t hear her.

I looked down and shook my head. It was all I could do; my mind was spinning. She heard her buddy out there. I didn’t know Delray well, but I knew enough to know he was screwed. He did illegal shit for Sebastian last year, and word from Blaze was that he’d gotten into even worse shit this year.

But even if I hadn’t known that stuff, I still would’ve known those guys out there were bad news. The gunshot must have come from them. I didn’t want to think about whether they’d already shot someone.

I held Taylor’s shoulders. She started to say something again, but I shook my head. I mouthed No to her and moved back enough so I could pull out my phone. No calls. No talking. I texted Mason instead. My phone buzzed back in seconds. Got it. Coming.

I showed Taylor the text, then pointed to my vehicle. I wanted her to get inside.

She shook her head.

I pointed again.

She shook her head again.

I thought about carrying her in there, but could tell from the set line of her mouth she wouldn’t go for that. As if sensing what I was thinking, she crossed her arms over her chest. I was still considering what to do when I caught a tear in the corner of her eye. Her hand whisked up and brushed it away as quickly as it had appeared. She raised her chin, and her eyes cut to the gate.

She wasn’t hiding. I rolled my eyes. Girl drove me crazy sometimes. I’d known from the beginning that she had trauma in her life. I could sense it, and instinct had me holding back. I wanted to swoop in and take her home with me that first night at Blaze’s party, but I refrained, a very unLoganlike quality.

But tonight, after hearing what she went through, I knew it was worth it. I’d been right to move slowly, and I knew another thing about her: she wasn’t going to hide. I couldn’t begrudge her that. Delray was her friend, her family. If it had been Nate, Mason, or Sam—no f*cker would hold me back.

I gave her a reluctant nod. Her relief was evident immediately. Her arms dropped from her chest, and she nodded back to me. I saw the silent thanks on her face.

I looked back to the gate. I didn’t know what Mason was planning. He did the planning and I did the talking. Then we both did the busting. I figured I could improvise until he showed up. I could feel Taylor’s anxiousness behind me. She wouldn’t look away from the gate, but she was waiting for me.

I sighed and looked again through the little hole. No one was leaving. A few of the guys sat on the curb. A couple sat on two abandoned cars, and Delray was still smack in the middle. The leader dude was facing him.