Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 55599 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55599 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
When I told Logan to get in, he shook his head, blood smeared across his face, forehead, hair, and hands. He said, “No, I’m driving you to the police station.”
He follows the GPS on his phone in the passenger seat.
“What’s your plan after dropping us off?” I ask quietly.
“I’m waiting for you. I’m only taking you because the police will want to speak with you, too.”
I swallow and nod, remembering the tender kiss on the forehead. That was before he charged into the house, before people started spilling out, yelling. Two men came running out, still wearing their rabbit masks. Then, as I watched the police arrive from my spot near the end of the street, I saw a shifting shadow in the semidarkness. I looked closer and saw a large silhouette, so I followed.
“After that,” he says, “we can drive back to get my rental car. I doubt the police will think to check it.”
“I don’t think you’d get in trouble,” I say softly.
Logan laughs humorlessly. “I’m not so sure. I’ve heard of it happening—excessive use of force. I hurt those bastards badly, Emma, and I’d do it again. I was thinking…”
“What?” I ask, drawn in by his intense blues gleaming in the rearview when he glances at me. “Logan, what were you going to say?”
“I was thinking…” He swallows. “What if this was my daughter? What would I do then? But that was a bad thing to think. I could’ve killed them, and I wouldn’t have felt a damn thing except that they deserved it.”
There’s something like awe in his voice, as though he never suspected himself of so much savagery. I knew it was in him, watching the Ice Demon on the rink, looking up at him the night he took my virginity, the fire in his eyes.
“They would have,” I say firmly. “What should I say happened when the man in the mask followed me out of the party?”
Logan sighs and turns a corner. His phone says aloud, “Three-point-four miles until destination.” He reaches over and adjusts the volume. “I won’t ask you to lie to the police.”
“I’m offering. It’s not like you did anything wrong.”
He shakes his head. “They might use footage from people’s dash cameras if any are on that street. Maybe somebody was recording. No, don’t lie to them. Tell them exactly what happened.”
“I’m not giving them your name,” I snap. “You obviously don’t want me to.”
“Everything except for that,” he says. “Tell them a man came out of nowhere, headbutted the asshole, put on the mask, and ran into the house. You drove away because your friend wanted some space. Then you decided to drive to the station.”
I nod, though maybe I shouldn’t be accepting all this so easily. I can’t risk the father of my child going to jail, especially since he did the right freaking thing. Maybe we’re being irrational. Perhaps we should just be honest, but this is what he wants. I’m going to stand by him.
We park up the street from the station, and Logan opens the car. “I’ll be nearby waiting.”
Excitement is the last thing that should flurry through me right now, especially considering what I just saw. Yet it almost feels like we’re on some adventure together. A second after this thought slams into me, guilt wraps around me, binds me tight, and twists. I nod, leaning over and gently rocking Chrissy.
“H-hey,” she murmurs, pushing against me.
“You seem a little more alert.”
“Uh, yeah…” She looks up, eyes narrowed and still heartbreakingly hazy. “Is that the Ice Demon?”
Logan offers her a warm smile or his best attempt at one. It’s the effort that counts, and I can tell he’s putting a lot into this, trying to make her feel better. It’s so easy to imagine him doing the same thing with our daughter, if we have one, when she needs to know her father will always be there for her, just like mine is.
“Chrissy,” I say quietly, guilt twisting my stomach, but I have to say this. “Can you forget you saw Logan?”
She lowers her gaze and closes her eyes. “I already have.”
I’m in the police station for under an hour, explaining everything that happened. I wonder if I should be worried about how easy it was for me to conceal Logan’s name. It felt as natural as being loyal to my man, the father to my child. When I said stranger—the whole point of the lie—I swear, this glow was inside me. This warm orb expanded from my womb like my baby was talking to me.
As soon as I get out, I call Chrissy. Stupidly, we brought her here to the station. She should’ve been at the hospital so they could check the drugs. Anxiety hammers in my chest as the phone rings. Then her mom answers.