Logan Kade (Fallen Crest #5.5)(59)

We’d ridden home mostly in silence, but the tension was brewing. I wanted to explode now, and I was damn near ready to let loose. I took a step toward him, but a hand touched my arm, and I swung around to see Mason.

He took a step back. “We can deal with him in a minute. Let’s talk first.”

Fuuuuck. I wanted to pound something or someone, but I nodded and let out a ragged sigh. I turned to follow Mason to his bedroom, and my eyes caught and held Taylor’s for a moment. The pain I saw there pulled more of the anger from me. I seared Delray with a look, but reminded myself he was her buddy.

“Dudes.” Nate’s voice broke through my reverie. He was standing at the bottom of the stairs, a bag full of bats thrown over his shoulder. “You guys are back?” His hand slid off the railing with a thud. “Oh, man. I just grabbed these from my room upstairs.”

“You were coming back?” Mason asked.

“Yeah.” Nate nodded. “We haven’t had a decent rumble in forever.” He gestured to me. “Most times it’s because his mouth gets us in trouble. This time was legit, right?”

My eyes narrowed. “Are you kidding me? You were the entire reason we had problems last year.”

Nate moved back. “What?” His hand tightened around the bag strap.

“That’s not fair.” Sam stood up from the couch.

“Sebastian would’ve come after us anyway,” Mason added.

“But not the fraternity.”

That shut them all up. As I said those words, whatever fight Nate had left him. His eyes darted to the ground.

“They wouldn’t have gone after all of us, on three different occasions, if you hadn’t f*cked things up,” I added.

His jaw clenched as his gaze found mine again. “That’s not fair, Logan.” His voice was heavy, raspy. “I made a mistake my freshman year of college. You make mistakes all the Goddamn time. Every fight we had against people in high school—”

“—was because of Mason,” I cut him off.

“Logan!” Sam’s voice was a reprimand.

I shook my head, looking at all of them. “It’s true. All of our fights have been because of Mason in some way.” I turned to him and held up a hand. “I’m not throwing shade at you. I’m really not, but it’s because someone wanted to control you or girls wanted you.” I flung a hand toward Sam. “Girls going at Sam because of you, or it’s just some dickhead like Sebastian who wanted to take you down because you hurt his ego. I deal with my fights. I always have.”

“You didn’t tonight.” Sam crossed her arms over her chest. Her eyes sparked with anger. I’d gone after Mason as far as she was concerned, but I was speaking the truth. It needed to be put out there, or—I glanced at Taylor and my anger damn near raged a bonfire in me—maybe I was pissed and taking it out on other people.

A savage curse slipped out, and I brushed past Mason as I went to his room. “Let’s get this talk done.”

“That *—” Sam said behind me.

But Mason shut her down. “He’s upset.”

“I don’t care.”

“His girl was in danger tonight,” Mason added softly.

I sucked in my breath and closed my eyes. Goddamn. He was right. I’d been lashing out, and…I was a dumbass. As soon as Mason and Sam came into the room, I apologized. “I’m sorry—”

They were holding hands, and Sam shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. I get it.”

“Sam.”

“I mean it.” Her voice softened. “I really do, Logan.”

The understanding in her voice had me gritting my teeth. It was like she saw something for the first time, and it all made sense to her. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Something dark in me wanted to lash out again. I didn’t want anyone to see inside of me, or understand me. Not unless I gave them that right. I felt stripped bare. No f*cking way.

“Can we discuss this and get it over with?” I asked.

Mason nodded. “Sure.” After shutting the door, he turned and leaned against it, his hands tucked behind him.

He was waiting for me. So was Sam. Both remained quiet, and somehow that irritated me, too.

I growled at them. “What?”

Mason shook his head. His mouth remained shut.

“That’s your girl out there,” Sam said.

I cut my eyes to her. “What the f*ck does that mean?”

Her top lip quivered, like she was fighting a smile. She made a concerted effort to control her features and schooled them so they were blank. “Nothing.”

“What?”

“Look, whatever happened out there, for whatever reason, it happened,” Mason finally said. “We could have a serious problem on our hands.”

“Because of Delray.”

“Because of you.”

I looked at my brother. “What?”

“What were you doing there in the first place?”

I lifted a shoulder. “We were going for a drive, ended up there somehow.”

“You were going for a drive?” Sam narrowed her eyes. “I don’t believe that.”

“I don’t care.”

She looked like I slapped her, but she continued to study me. “Are you this upset because of how you feel about Taylor? I mean—”