Logan clenched the steering wheel hard, rage pumping through his system. The asshole who had hurt Grace, and the man his team was chasing, were one and the same. And he was here, in Cradle Mountain.
He wanted to find the son of a bitch and tear him apart limb by limb before setting his body ablaze. What was his game? Why was he here? Why the hell had he taken the photos of Grace and left them for her to find? To taunt her? Terrify her before he made his attempt to grab her?
No way in hell was that happening—and it would be a deadly mistake for the guy to try.
He shot a glance at Grace. She was quiet, her spine unnaturally straight.
Reaching over, he wrapped his fingers around her knee. There was the tiniest jolt. Like she’d been caught up in her mind and he’d tugged her out with a touch. “It’ll be okay, honey.”
Without looking at him, she gave a small nod.
She didn’t believe him. Her nod was merely reflex.
He trailed his hand up to hers, placing it on top. Ice cold.
Logan pressed his foot harder on the gas. He needed to get home, contact his team, and have an emergency meeting.
Now that they knew Ice—Kieran Hayes—was in Cradle Mountain, they could narrow down their search. In theory, it should be easy. But Logan knew better than anyone that nothing was easy in warfare, and this was most certainly a war.
“I’m going to call my team over and we’re going to come up with a game plan. We’ll find him.”
More silence.
His jaw tensed. He wished she’d say something. He was almost certain that even though she was here in person, her mind was elsewhere. She’d gone inward to protect herself, and who knew when she’d come out again. Tightening his hand around hers, trying to warm her, Logan breathed through the churning in his gut.
Once he pulled into his garage, he’d barely stopped before Grace was climbing out. The woman looked like she was on a mission. To do what?
He trailed closely behind as she went straight to the guest bedroom and pulled out her suitcase.
Hell no. If the woman thought she was leaving, she had another thing coming. She was clearly so caught up in what she’d discovered that she wasn’t thinking straight.
“Grace, you’re not going anywhere.”
She didn’t stop. Didn’t even pause. Her suitcase now lay open on the bed, clothes being thrown in madly as she moved faster. So desperate to get out, she wasn’t even folding anything.
“If you leave town, he’ll follow.” More clothes thrown in. “Grace, stop.”
When yet again she didn’t react to his words, he walked up to her, taking her wrists in his hands and turning her to face him. He held her as gently as possible, while also making sure his hold was unbreakable.
“You’re not leaving.”
Terror and determination glazed her expression, confirming for him that her actions were straight-up inspired by fear.
“But I am, Logan.”
Get out. Leave town. Disappear.
Those were the only thoughts she could manage right now. Her thin connection to the only safety she understood.
But Logan was stopping her. For the first time, his touch felt like shackles. Restraints designed to hold her in place, rather than keep her safe. Because she wasn’t safe. Not while she was in the same town as the man she’d spent years hiding from. She couldn’t be.
“Let me go.”
Kieran was here, in Cradle Mountain. Had been since…God, maybe since she’d been in Cradle Mountain herself. Watching. Toying with her.
Kieran didn’t fear Logan or his team. He didn’t fear anyone. The man was so confident that he wanted her to know he was within reaching distance. He wanted her to fear him before he took her.
Just like last time.
“Grace, you’re not thinking—”
“He did this last time. Stalked me while I worked. Wanted me to know that he was watching.” She shook her head, the panic now bubbling up her throat, choking her. “I didn’t get out. I didn’t leave. I trusted someone else to protect me and they ended up dead! I can’t make that mistake again!”
Nausea swelled in her stomach, but she pushed it down. She couldn’t be sick now. She had to stay on her feet. Keep moving. Survive.
“I’m not just anyone,” Logan said quietly.
“Do you know how I found my bodyguard? In pieces. First, I spotted the thumb. Then a foot…” She was certain she would have found more of the guy if Kieran hadn’t taken her so quickly. Grace’s voice caught, but she forced herself to finish what she was saying, needing Logan to understand. “Kieran killed him and cut him up!”
An old fissure that she’d thought was healed cracked open in her chest. A sob tried to escape, but she swallowed it, not allowing it out into the light.
“I know you’re fast and strong, but you’re not bulletproof. I don’t want you to die protecting me.”
If something happened to Logan because of her…God, it would kill her.
She tried to wrench her arms free of his hold, but yet again, his grip was impenetrable.
Logan stepped closer, his proximity almost suffocating her. Her mind in a battle between wanting him close and pushing him away.
“No one will get past me or my team. No one will hurt me.”
She wanted to believe that. But for eight years, fear had motivated her to stay hidden. Kieran knowing where she was and her remaining safe, didn’t go together. It didn’t make sense in her muddled brain.
She tried yanking her hands away yet again, but his hold didn’t give. Not even a little. “Please, Logan!”
Every second she stood there, her breaths came out quicker. Her heart soared faster in her chest. Another second passed and the shaking in her limbs intensified. If he didn’t let go, it would become more violent. Then she’d succumb to the panic.
As if he’d read her mind, he finally released her wrists.
She didn’t think. Just turned back to her suitcase and continued packing. Where would she go? It had to be somewhere far. She’d drive as far as she could, for as long as she could, without taking a break. She’d tried small towns; now she’d go big.
She’d also need to call her dad.
Oh, God—her dad. He’d be so worried. What happened to her had almost destroyed him as well.
For a moment, she stopped. Closed her eyes and sucked in some deep breaths.
Focus, Grace. Panicking won’t help.
All panic did was slow you down. She had to accept that she wasn’t safe. Accept reality. Then survive.
Grace went to the bathroom to grab her toiletries. She felt Logan’s eyes on her the entire time. Intense as they watched. Tracked her. She had no idea what his plan was. She couldn’t think about that right now. She literally didn’t have the energy.
Shoving the last couple of items into her bag, she lifted it before heading into the hall. Luckily, she’d finally gotten another rental car late yesterday. One small saving grace.
Crossing to the front door, Grace came to an abrupt stop when Logan appeared out of nowhere, barricading the exit.
“I’m sorry, Grace. I can’t let you leave.” He took up all the space. There was no way to get past him.
“Logan, you need to move.”
He stepped toward her. Grace stepped back.
“I care about you. And I’m not letting you go God-knows-where unprotected.”
“You don’t have a choice.”
Another step forward. Another step back.
He shook his head. “Fear is clouding your judgment. Stop and really think about what you’re doing.”
She was intimately familiar with fear. She’d lived with it for years. Fear of being found. Fear of ending up in that basement again. Fear of being touched, not just by Kieran but by anyone.
Her stomach twisted as she whispered her next words. “You can’t keep me here.”
He reached for her again, but she flinched away. “Grace—”
“No! You don’t get to decide how I keep myself safe! You weren’t there. He took me from my home! A home that was supposed to be my safe place. He held me in his basement for days. Hurt me, tortured me. I almost died because of him!”
The ever-present trembling in her limbs had now become so violent it was like the earth was moving beneath her feet. The small semblance of sanity that she’d been hanging on to by a thread finally snapped.
“He destroyed me, Logan! I shattered into a million pieces, and it’s taken years for me to put myself back together, and I’m still not whole. I’ll probably never be!”
She was shouting now. Each word wrenched from somewhere so deep, she had to dig to the depths of her soul to find them.
“I can’t do that again. I can’t be thrust back into that hell! I won’t survive.”
When the last word left her mouth, her legs buckled. Her sobs were tortured and carnal. The black cloud of fear that had muddied her mind since the hospital finally clearing, and pain—piercing and raw—took its place.
Strong arms came around her before she hit the floor, scooping her up and holding her close.
Air caressed her skin, then she felt Logan dropping onto the couch. She leaned into him. Wanting his heat to replace her cold. His strength to replace her weakness.
She cried long and hard. For the parts of her that had been stolen. For the years that had been lost. For the fear that had become her very existence.
Logan held her the entire time. His hand rubbing her back in soothing circular motions. His silent support was louder than any words could be.
Minutes passed, many of them, until finally she had no tears left to cry. Her limbs felt heavy, her chest aching. Her cries became soft hiccups, and the shirt beneath her cheek was soaked.
She felt his face pressing into her hair, stopping beside her ear. “I need you to be okay. I need you to be safe.” There was a small pause. “I need you, Grace.”
She nuzzled herself closer to his powerful chest. “I need you too. But I can’t lose you—and I can’t lose myself.” Because she would. If Logan was hurt because of her, if she was taken again, she would lose it all. “It’s hard for me to trust someone else with my safety.”
“I know. I’m a risk. But so is leaving. I’m asking you to choose me.”
Choose Logan. The beautiful man who had broken down her walls and pierced the hard casing of her heart.
Could she stay? For him? Trust him with her life, even though Kieran was so close? Seconds ticked by, but the time felt meaningless. It was the thoughts darting through her mind that took up all the space.
Finally, she whispered one word that both terrified and soothed her. “Okay.”
Suddenly, the pressure on her chest lightened.
Someone was going to fight by her side to bring down the man who hunted her.
In one swift move, Logan stood, keeping her in his arms. He moved down the hall toward the bedroom. Not hers, not the one she’d just emptied of everything she owned, but his. The room where they’d spent the previous night together.
Tugging the sheet down, he lay her in bed, removing her shoes and then his own, before climbing in after her.
They were both fully clothed, and it was the middle of the day, but Grace didn’t question it, not when she felt Logan curl around her, surround her. His strength…her everything.
