Of Loss & Betrayal (Madison & Logan Book 2)

by S. H. Kolee

  I dialed his number and listened to his phone ring, but he didn’t pick up. I hung up when it went to voicemail without leaving a message. I tried his office line, but it went to voicemail as well, since his assistant would have already left for the day.

  I went into the living room, where Lola greeted me with a wagging tail.

  “Hey, girl,” I said, scratching her on the head. “Do you know where Logan is?”

  Lola wagged her tail harder, nuzzling her head against my hand, which usually meant she had to pee. I bundled up and put her leash on, my breath taken away when cold air blasted me outside. Lola took take forever to relieve herself, and as soon as she did, we bounded back inside. I fed her dinner and checked the time again, frowning that I still hadn’t heard from Logan. Where could he be?

  I didn’t know who else to call, so I sat on the couch, unable to concentrate on anything besides wondering where Logan was. Lola padded over and put her head on my lap, looking up at me with soulful eyes as if she knew something was wrong. Minutes passed, turning into hours, and Logan still wasn’t home. Worry turned into fear and I wondered if he had been in some kind of accident. What were the odds that he would be in yet another accident, but I didn’t know what else would detain him for so long. I called the non-emergency police line, but they had no reports of an accident involving someone of Logan’s description. I then began calling hospitals, but none of them had records of a Logan Delaney being admitted, or even a John Doe that fit his description.

  It was almost two o’clock in the morning when my cell phone rang. It was from a blocked number, and I grabbed it and hit the button to accept the call.

  “Hello?” I said, not bothering to hide the frantic tone in my voice. “Logan, is that you?”

  There was silence on the other end but I could hear someone breathing. “Who is this?” I cried out frantically. Something was very wrong, but I didn’t know what. I just had a gut feeling that Logan was in trouble.

  “Madison, calm down.”

  I swallowed hard when I recognized the voice. “Mack, what’s happening? Do you know where Logan is?”

  “He’s with me. We’re about five minutes from your apartment. We’ll buzz the front door when we get there. Just let us up.”

  Something wasn’t right. Mack sounded calm, but why was he here in Chicago? Why hadn’t he said anything when I first answered the phone? Nothing was making sense.

  “Can I speak to Logan?” I asked cautiously.

  Mack paused before answering. “He’s almost passed out drunk. I doubt he can hold the phone up to his ear, let alone put together a coherent sentence. I’ll see you soon.”

  Mack disconnected the call before I could say anything else. I paced the floor while I waited for them to arrive. Why would Logan be drunk? Where had he gone when he was supposed to come straight home? For a split second, my heart dropped and I thought of Kristina. But that was impossible. First of all, she was still in jail. Secondly, Logan would never have anything to do with someone who not only tried to murder me, but entertained the idea of murdering him. I couldn’t see him calmly having drinks with Kristina, even if she hadn’t been locked up.

  I jumped when the buzzer sounded, and I pressed the button to unlock the apartment building entrance. I opened my front door, anxiously waiting for them to appear. I could hear footsteps as well as shuffling. When I finally saw them, I realized it was because Mack was practically dragging Logan up the stairs. I opened the doorway wide so that Mack could half-carry him in. He lugged him to the living room and dropped him unceremoniously on the couch. I rushed over and kneeled next to him.

  “Logan,” I said worriedly. “What happened?”

  Logan was stretched out on the couch, and he rolled his head towards me. His mouth was working but no sounds were coming out. He definitely seemed incapacitated, but drunk wasn’t the first thought that came to mind. I looked up at Mack.

  “Where did you find him? And what are you doing back in Chicago?”

  “I had to come into town suddenly to tie up some loose ends and I called Logan to see if he wanted to meet for a drink,” he explained. “Whereas I only had a couple, he kept throwing back drink after drink.” Mack shrugged. “He seemed a little stressed out. Maybe that’s why he drank so much.”

  I frowned. “That doesn’t sound like Logan. Not only would he have called me to tell me he was meeting you for drinks after work, but he never drinks to the point of being out of control.” I glanced back down at Logan. “Plus he doesn’t look drunk to me. He looks more like he’s drugged.” I looked up at Mack. “We should take him to the hospital. What if someone slipped something into his drink?”

  Mack sighed and dropped onto the armchair. He rubbed his forehead tiredly. “There’s really no need to continue this ruse.” He pulled his hand out of his jacket pocket and pointed a gun at me.

  Shock wasn’t the right word to describe what I was feeling when I saw Mack pointing a gun at me. To say I was stunned was ludicrous. That word was too mild to describe the emotion that rushed through me. Was this some kind of joke?

  “What are you doing?” I asked incredulously.

  Mack gave me a grim smile. “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m getting ready to kill you and Logan.”

  Terror overwhelmed me as I stared down at the barrel of a gun, once again. This must be a nightmare. This couldn’t be happening.

  “Why?” I managed to croak out. “Why would you want to kill us?”

  Mack leaned back in his chair casually, as if he wasn’t pointing a gun at me and hadn’t just told me he was planning on killing both Logan and me.

  “It’s a long story. I doubt you want to hear it all.”

  As long as I could keep him talking, it meant that I had a few more minutes to figure out what the hell I was going to do to get us out of this situation.

  “Why don’t you humor me,” I said, trying to pull my composure together. I didn’t want Mack to see how shattered I was.

  Mack gave me a rueful smile. “I’m sure you’ll be upset to learn that Kristina is the cause of all this. I’m here to tie up loose ends for her.”

  “Why?” I asked, unable to hide the edge of hysteria in my voice. “Why the hell would you do that?”

  Mack was silent for a while before answering. When he did, there was pain in his voice. “I don’t know when it happened, exactly. Logan was dating Kristina, and I was dating whatever flavor of the month I was screwing at the time. I don’t even remember her name. But the four of us spent a lot of time together when Logan was living in L.A. One day I looked at Kristina and I knew. I knew that I loved her. I’ve been through so many countless women in my life, and I had finally found the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.” He gave me a humorless smile. “The only problem was that she was hopelessly in love with my good friend.”

  I wanted to interject, to ask him more questions, but I was afraid if I did, he would stop talking to me, so I stayed silent, letting him lead the conversation.

  “I didn’t try anything with her while they were together. What kind of person would I be to fuck my friend’s girlfriend?” He raised an eyebrow at me. “From what I know about your past, you aren’t as self-controlled.”

  His comment seemed offhand, but it sliced through me like a dagger. Still, I kept silent.

  “When Kristina moved here with Logan, I thought I would never see her again.” He gave me a half-smile. “But then she came back to L.A. She was torn up about Logan choosing you instead of her. I was there for her. I comforted her and consoled her through her breakdowns. I can’t even tell you how many nights I rushed over to her apartment after a call in the middle of the night where she was sobbing hysterically. And slowly, she got over Logan.” He dropped his gaze to the gun in his hands. “And then one miraculous day, she looked at me differently. Not as a friend and a shoulder to cry on, but as a man.” He looked back up at me, his eyes intense. “The word love pales in comparison to the intensity of our feelings. I had
never been so happy in my life.”

  Logan groaned, his eyes fluttering open. My heart dropped when Mack sat up and pointed the gun at him. Logan looked up at him, although I wasn’t sure if he actually saw Mack since he seemed so out of it. His gaze shifted to me, and then his eyes fluttered back closed again.

  “What happened to you and Kristina?” I asked, wanting to direct Mack’s attention away from Logan and keep him talking. I was eyeing the fireplace poker, wondering if I could grab it before Mack was able to shoot. I wasn’t sure if I could make it, but I didn’t know what other choice I had.

  Mack’s eyes narrowed at my question. “That idiot got into a car accident in L.A. and Kristina found out about it through one of their mutual acquaintances. She acted like the world was coming to an end and begged Logan to let her see him. And that bastard agreed because he felt so bad about her insisting that she was traumatized, because it was bringing up all the old memories about her father dying in a car accident.” His mouth twisted. “She was beside herself with worry and grief. She didn’t want Logan to know we were together, so we visited him separately. After she saw him, she told me that we were over. She needed to be there for Logan, and she realized that she could never love anybody but him.”

  Mack laughed, the sound ugly and twisted. “I have countless beautiful women begging me to give them the time of day and I have to fucking fall in love with the one woman who couldn’t care less about me.”

  “Did Logan and Kristina really get engaged?” I couldn’t resist asking, since Mack seemed to enjoy pouring out all the details of their dirty past.

  Mack curled his lip. “Kristina was fucking delusional. She begged Logan to give her another chance, but he told her that he was in love with you, and he could never be with anyone else. She was convinced that if she could just break the two of you up, Logan would come back to her. On the day he was supposed to fly back to Chicago, she begged him to meet her for coffee. He kept refusing until she said that she was having thoughts of harming herself.” He shook his head. “I don’t think he even noticed the ring on her hand. She told me she begged for one last picture of them together to remember him by, so she had a waiter take a picture of them.” He grimaced. “That’s the story behind the picture that she claimed was their engagement photo. She was planning on using it, somehow, to break you guys up, but the perfect opportunity presented itself when Logan lost his memory.”

  “Why did you go along with all of this?” I asked in disbelief. “The woman you love is plotting to get back with her ex, and you’re just letting it happen?”

  Mack’s expression turned hard. “I’m not stupid. I know it sounds like I just followed her around like a lost puppy, but I knew she would realize that it was me she loved when she finally got it through her head that Logan didn’t want her.” His expression softened. “And she needed me to stay with her. I really did come here for work, but after she flew out here because of Logan’s accident, I stayed behind since I knew what a fragile state she was in.”

  “Why did you pretend to become my friend?” I asked, repulsed that I had ever considered Mack a good person. “What was the point of all that?”

  Mack shrugged. “I genuinely felt sorry for you. And I was on your side. I wanted you to end up with Logan, because that meant Kristina would be free.” He gave me a rueful look. “I wasn’t lying when I said I developed some feelings for you. I figured we could just fuck, but when you told me you weren’t interested, I dropped it. I have to admit that the thought of screwing the woman Logan is in love with was pretty appealing. Kind of like getting revenge, in a twisted way.”

  I felt sick by his admission. I felt even sicker by the casual way he admitted it all.

  “And Kristina didn’t care that you were becoming friendly with me?” I asked disbelievingly.

  Mack had the audacity to look a little embarrassed. “She actually encouraged it. She wanted me to get close to you so that I could get information about you and your relationship with Logan. I was also a connection for her to you guys. Without me, you would have never known about her suicide attempt or have taken pity on her and invited her over for Thanksgiving.”

  My eyes narrowed. “Was that a real suicide attempt?”

  Mack shrugged. “It was real enough. I didn’t want her to do it because I was afraid it could be fatal, but she was convinced that she knew the exact amount she needed to take for it to look like a suicide attempt, but not die. She knew it would take something drastic to get Logan’s attention.”

  “That’s sick,” I hissed. “And you went along with it.”

  Mack had the gall to look defensive. “I couldn’t stop her. I told you I thought it was a bad idea.”

  “Did you know she was planning on killing me and making it look like a suicide attempt?”

  Mack dropped his gaze. “I knew, but she said she was going to kill Logan too. Nothing I said could convince her not to take it that far, but I was satisfied that she was planning on killing both of you.” His expression hardened. “She lied to me.”

  “So why are you doing her bidding now?” I cried out. “You’re going to take the fall for her.”

  Mack looked at me, his heart in his eyes. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought he was simply a man in love. But I did know better. He was sick and twisted.

  “She told me she finally realized that I was the only one for her. But she couldn’t live knowing that you two were going to live happily ever after. She needed me to prove my love and loyalty to her by killing you both.” Mack’s body tensed. “So that’s why I’m here.”

  “Mack, please,” I begged, my voice trembling. “She’s lying to you, again. We became friends, didn’t we? I know you don’t want to do this. You don’t want to kill me, and you have no reason to kill Logan. If you leave, I’ll pretend none of this ever happened. I swear.”

  Mack shook his head. “I’m sorry,” he said, having the nerve to look apologetic. That meant shit when he was planning on carrying through with Kristina’s demands. “I have to do this, otherwise Kristina will never want to be with me.”

  “Kristina’s crazy!” I screamed, no longer able to hold it in. “And you’re just as crazy as her if you pull that trigger!”

  It was the wrong thing to say. Mack’s expression grew angry and he stood up abruptly. His hand steadied the gun and he looked straight at me. “I have to kill you first to make it look like a murder-suicide. I’ll shoot you in the head to make it quick and painless.”

  I heard a growl and both of our heads whipped toward the direction of the sound. I had completely forgotten about Lola, but she was focused on Mack, her stance aggressive. It was all the distraction I needed and I flung myself towards the poker. My hand grasped the cool, metal rod but before I could lift it and use it as a weapon, I heard the ear-splitting crack of a shot being fired.

  I flinched, thinking that I had been shot, but there was no pain. I whirled around, afraid of what I would see. I dropped the poker and burst into tears of relief when I saw Logan with the gun in his hand, standing over Mack’s lifeless body.

  “Logan!” I rushed to him, throwing my arms around him. He wrapped his free hand around me, but I could still feel how weak he was. I guided him to sit down and he laid the gun on the coffee table. I looked over at Mack, feeling sick. There was a hole in his chest and a rapidly growing pool of blood beneath him. Regardless of his intent to kill us, I was heartsick that it had come to this.

  “Maddie,” Logan rasped. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m okay,” I reassured him. I looked away from Mack’s body. “We need to call 9-1-1.”

  Logan was silent as I called the police and to come quickly. Lola padded over to Logan and put her head on his lap. When I got off the phone, Logan was stroking her head with his eyes closed.

  “You need to go to the hospital. They’re sending over an ambulance.”

  Logan shook his head. “I’m okay,” he said tiredly.

  “You’re not okay,” I said
firmly. “Don’t fight me on this. You’re going to the hospital.”

  Logan nodded wearily, showing just how affected he was by whatever Mack had drugged him with. I wanted to ask him questions, but Logan was in no condition for an interrogation, so I just sat next to him, content to be in his arms.

  The police and ambulance came quickly. I tried to explain what happened as quickly as possible, insisting that Logan needed medical attention. We got into the ambulance to head to the hospital, where the interrogation would continue.

  It was a whirlwind at the hospital between getting checked out and answering endless questions. I learned that Mack had shown up at Logan’s office, saying that he had come into town unexpectedly. He had said he wanted to talk to Logan to apologize for any inappropriate feelings he had developed for me. During the conversation, he had somehow been able to slip Rohypnol into Logan’s water on his desk, and it had all been downhill from there. The next thing Logan knew, he was lying on my couch and Mack was pointing a gun at me. After he had roused, he pretended to pass back out, but he had been waiting, biding his time for a chance to take Mack off guard. Lola had provided the perfect opportunity, and when I turned my back to grab the fireplace poker, Logan had tackled him and the gun had fired. Fortunately, it had been Mack who had been shot, and not Logan.

  They kept Logan overnight for observation and I stayed with him. He was still a little lethargic, but he held onto me tightly that night. We didn’t say much. Being together was enough. Despite all the tragedy and turmoil we had been through the past few months, I finally felt like things would be okay. A sense of peace settled over me and for the first time in a long time, I felt safe.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  I closed the lid of my laptop, happy to be done working for the day, since it meant the weekend had started. I looked out the window at the rain and frowned. At least it wasn’t so cold anymore, I thought to myself, as I got up and threw on a light jacket.