by Haley Weir
“You were going to use me to keep yourself from sleeping with your ex?” Brock tried to hide the anger and the sadness in his voice, but if the pitying look on her face was any indication, he had failed miserably. “How bad does your self-esteem have to be for you to stoop to such low levels just to prevent yourself from having sex with a man who tried to kill you?”
Destiny was not ashamed of who she was, but she also understood that she needed to change. Now that the world had slowed down enough for her to take a good look in the mirror. So much pain could have been avoided if she had possessed the strength to get away from Logan that day on the roof. Destiny picked up her cell phone and dialed Dorian’s number.
Chapter Eighteen
She showered and braided her hair down the length of her back before tucking the loose fabric of Brock’s shirt into the waist of her jeans. Destiny threw on a hoodie and some sneakers and met Dorian outside in his new car. He gave her a droll expression when he caught sight of the shirt beneath her sweater and she blushed.
“What’s this about, Destiny?”
“I need your help,” she said. “I’m about to do something really stupid and I need you to come with me. Sapphire is coming too, so we won’t be stupid alone.”
“Sapphire White is a magnet for trouble, you do realize that, right?”
The woman in question came around the corner and flipped Dorian the middle finger. “I heard that, jerk.”
“I know.”
Sapphire punched Dorian so hard that the bear actually flinched. The shortest woman in Haden Springs packed more punch than most people expected. Destiny waited until they were in the car and headed toward the forest before revealing her plan. “If this goes wrong, all of us die. But if it goes right, Michael will have my father’s location without having to endanger the entire town.”
“And how do you expect to do that?”
“I called Logan after I called you,” she admitted. Destiny paused long enough for the onslaught of profanity from her friends to come to an end. “As I was saying: he agreed to meet me privately. I gave him a sob story about Brock and I breaking up. With Brock out of town, he bought into it rather quickly.”
“How does that help?”
Destiny thought back to the conversation she had with Logan the first day he arrived. She remembered the honesty in his eyes when he confessed his feelings for her. In fact, his love for her was the only thing she was certain he hadn’t lied about in all the time she knew him.
“Why work for him? Why put yourself back under his control?”
“Because it was my last connection to you and he knew that.” Logan ran a hand through his blond locks and then put his arm around her. “You know I’ve always loved you, Des. It won’t ever change, but I know the only way for you to be happy is if you’re with someone else.”
“I had no idea that you loved me,” she gasped. “There was a time that I suspected we had a connection, but why didn’t you ever say anything?”
“He’s in love with me,” she informed Dorian and Sapphire. “I told him that I was ready to talk about our future. He asked me to disappear with him the last time we talked. I want to see if the offer is still on the table.”
“Why are we going with?”
“I’ll give him an ultimatum. Either we disappear or he takes me to my father. He’ll most likely want to talk things through, but I know how to get him to spill on my father’s location. In Logan’s mind I’m still the frightened girl he used to know.” Destiny gave them some time to come to terms with what she said before continuing. “I need Sapphire in the trees with her rifle and I need you hidden somewhere on the ground.”
“What if he senses a setup?”
“Don’t worry about that,” she said dismissively.
“You’re asking us to place a lot on trust alone. Does your brother know where we’re headed?” Dorian gave her a skeptical look through the mirror. “He doesn’t. Of course you wouldn’t tell the one person who could talk you out of this besides Brock.”
“My brother would kill Logan before we got anything out of him. Michael needs the information I can get out of him. Please…”
“I don’t know how Brock is able to get anything done when you give him those puppy eyes. God, I hate how you women can manipulate me with just one look.”
“That’s why we love you, Dor,” Sapphire teased. “But I agree that this plan is batshit crazy, and that means a lot coming from me.”
They arrived a few miles away from the meet up location. Destiny gave Sapphire the coordinates of where to hide and did the same for Dorian. Having them nearby would give her the courage to do what she needed to keep Brock and his friends safe. The entire security of the town would depend on the information she obtained from Logan. “Showtime,” she whispered under her breath.
Destiny followed the path laid out before her, smart enough to notice the various boot prints in the dirt as she strolled. She expected Logan to survey the area before putting himself in a position to be ambushed. What he didn’t know was that her time with Corey had been well spent. Her brother taught her how to navigate the forest and the mountain, to hide and forage in case her life was ever in danger and she got lost.
When she arrived at the chosen location, she heard Sapphire’s signal and the answering signal from Dorian. Destiny took a deep breath and waited for Logan. He showed up right on time, making his presence known by brushing against her shoulder. It took every ounce of her self-control not to flinch away from his touch.
“You came,” she said.
“I did.” Logan came to stand in front of her. He looked around, always aware of his environment in case he needed to make a quick escape. “You said you wanted to talk to me about that boyfriend of yours.”
“Ex-boyfriend.”
“So I’ve heard,” he retorted, a cocky smile curling on his lips. “I had a few of my men follow him out of town in case he was up to something. He really did a number on us when he took it upon himself to insert himself in my business.”
“You mean when you took Patrick and the sheriff hostage?”
“I’m impressed.” Logan’s smile turned into a mocking pout. “Daddy’s little princess is all grown up, is that it?”
“Nah. She just learned how to pay attention. I guess I have you to thank for that. All these years of running from you finally paid off.”
“And are you done running?”
“I think I am,” she lied. Destiny could see the hope in his eyes and it made her feel terrible even though it served him right. He had manipulated her emotions for years. It was only fair that she give him a dose of his own medicine. “Brock and I broke up because he accused me of using him as a distraction. He said that I dated him to keep myself from sleeping with you again.”
“Was he right?” Logan walked up to her and brushed his fingers down the side of her face. The touch of another man-made her want to be sick, but Logan’s touch made her stomach roil painfully. Still, Destiny found it within herself to keep her nausea in check and nodded.
“He was. It took me a while to see it, but I think I was forcing myself into something I never wanted. Brock might love me, but I didn’t choose to be his mate.”
“Dang,” he chuckled. “Never thought you were so coldblooded. I think I like this side of you, Destiny. If I had known my advances were breaking down your walls, I wouldn’t have let you run at all. We’ve wasted so much time, sweetheart.”
She plucked up the last of her courage and ran her fingers along the collar of his shirt. “Do you still want to run away with me?” Destiny asked, using the voice she had practiced in the mirror a hundred times before leaving the apartment. “If you don’t, then I’m going to find my father. I don’t want to be here anymore, Logan.”
“How are you going to find him without me?”
“I’ll figure something out,” she snapped. Destiny knew she had him caught in her trap when his brow raised at her tone. “You seem to think I’m helpless, Logan
.” It helped that she knew he underestimated her at every turn.
“Something tells me you wouldn’t be able to find him in Alaska, sweetheart. But you’re welcome to try.” The patronizing laughter that swirled around her was more than obnoxious. But at least she knew her father was hiding in Alaska. “It’s a good thing he’ll be here soon.”
Destiny’s stomach dropped to the ground. Her eyes went wide. “What? Father’s on his way to Haden Springs?” she asked. “Why? It’s dangerous for him here.”
“Well, when I told him that his precious daughter was shacking up with an abomination, he was a little...peeved. Of course, that’s the more polite way of describing the way he flew into a blind rage and shot three men.”
“When will he be here?”
“In about three months. Don’t worry, we have time to come up with a plan before he arrives,” Logan said confidently. “Once he’s here and in the line of fire, we can hop in that helicopter of his and get lost somewhere. Just the two of us.”
“I don’t think so,” Destiny said, wiping that smile off of his sickeningly handsome face. She never knew someone could be so ugly and so classically beautiful at the same time. Destiny pulled the pistol that Corey gave her out of the back of her pants, pressing the barrel under Logan’s chin.
Logan’s painful grip on her arm was so different from Brocks, for her former friend now held her with contempt. He tossed her across the room, sending her sprawling on the floor. The tip of Logan’s knife pressed into the underside of her chin.
The severity of his position registered in his gaze. “What are you doing?”
“It’s taking everything in me to keep myself from pulling this trigger.”
“If you kill me, there are plans in place,” he snarled.
Instead of shooting him as emotionlessly as he had done to the only person to show her brother some kindness since they were separated, Destiny shot Logan in both legs. Dorian came to her aid, but she held her hand up to stop his advance. She knelt beside Logan as he writhed in the dirt. “This could have ended in your execution. Never underestimate me again.”
“You’ll regret this.”
“Maybe,” she admitted. “But now I know that we have a window of opportunity. My father is willing to risk his life to come here. He’s desperate to protect Daddy’s little princess no matter the cost. I can’t wait to see what happens when Michael tears him apart.”
“They will all die before they get the chance. Everyone you love will be ripped from your life because when he gets here.”
“Then I’ll happily put a bullet between his eyes.” Destiny stood up and picked up a scrap of fabric. She shoved it into Logan’s mouth to gag him. “Just know that it didn’t have to be this way. But you tried to kill my mate and the only family he’s ever known. For that, you’ll pay one way or another. If not my hand, I’m sure one of the others would revel in the pleasure of making you squirm.”
There was still a bit of doubt in Logan’s eyes that she erased with one name.
“Anders McKinney.”
Dorian threw his head back and laughed. “Oh yea, I’m sure the doctor has been itching to get his hands on one of Hydra’s men now that we all know the truth. Best make sure you’re out of this area before his shift at the clinic is up or else you’ll wish she had shot you just to put you out of your misery.”
Sapphire hopped down from the tree. She gave Logan a little wave and put her arm around Destiny. “I’m tempted to help him. Might be a good date night for us to exact a little revenge on the ass-hats that ruined his life.”
Chapter Nineteen
The annoying shrill of the fire alarm woke Destiny up out of deep sleep. She climbed out of bed and winced when the floor beneath her feet was hot to the touch. Her bedroom door opened with a loud bang. Corey closed it behind him and threw open the window. “We have to go now! The entire bookstore is on fire. If any oxygen hits this fire, the whole place will go up in flames.”
She saw smoke crawl under the door and her joints locked in place; terror filled her veins with ice. Destiny was caught somewhere between the past and the present as memories of the hospital fire poked holes in her psyche. She could hear the sound of her brother shouting her name in the distance, but it mingled with the ghosts of her worst nightmares.
Destiny dropped to her knees and covered her ears. Her eyes watered as two strong hands lifted her from the floor and pushed her through the window.
Broken glass stung her arms and legs. Pain caused Destiny to lose consciousness over and over again. She was vividly aware of the wet concrete beneath her cheek as a loud explosion shattered the windows of the fourth floor…
“Des!” Corey barked. He shook her shoulders until she blinked the past away. In the back of her mind, she could still feel the flames licking at her arms. Destiny coughed and sputtered. Her mind tried to force back the images of her being trapped against the wall as her room was engulfed in flames. Jumping from the window had been her only choice. “Destiny, I need you to focus, alright?”
She nodded.
Corey pulled her onto his back and walked gingerly across the roof of the building. The fire escape of the neighboring shop was too far for him to throw her. Destiny saw real fear in her brother’s expression when the roof began to crack beneath his feet. Flames crawled up the walls. Corey stiffened, his muscles tensing before he jumped. His body smacked into the brick wall as she held onto his shoulders tight.
He was able to dig his fingers into the side of the building to slow their fall. Corey landed on his feet but collapsed to his knees. His breathing was labored and Destiny realized that he was fighting his jaguar. She climbed off his back, her fear for him greater than her fear of the fire. Sirens sounded somewhere down the street, but her focus was on keeping her brother safe. “Corey, listen to my voice…”
His eyes flickered between forms and claws appeared on his hands. Destiny placed her hands over his heart and spoke directly into his ear. “Do you remember when we were kids and I was afraid of storms?” she asked. “I used to wander the halls in the dark until I found your room. You would always build us a fortress out of blankets.”
Corey gasped for air, his back bowing as his body contorted painfully. She refused to remove her hand from his chest. Her voice became gentle as she spoke to him. “I was never afraid when you were with me. You knew just what to say to make me feel better. Well, this is just another storm. Come on, Corey. I need my big brother right now. Just stay with me like you did when the thunder scared me.”
Slowly, awareness returned to his eyes. Destiny didn’t release her hold on him until the claws retracted and he took a big breath of smokeless air. She pulled him against her chest and cried in his shoulder. For a few minutes they felt like children again, finding comfort in one another until the rainbow appeared in the sky.
Dorian called up to them. “You two alright?”
“We’re good,” she replied. Destiny and Corey made their way down the fire escape as her beloved bookshop was reduced to ash. The fact that her brother was safe was all that mattered in that moment. Her life had gone up in flames, but somehow her world seemed brighter than ever. She passed Corey off to Dorian and heeded his advice, taking an ambulance ride to the clinic.
Anders seemed happy to hear that she hadn’t gone down with her shop. “I’m glad you made it out of there alive. The ladies are worried. I’ve got them banned from the area until you’re ready to see them.”
“I want to…”
“But?”
“But I need to talk to you first,” she said. Anders placed an oxygen mask over her face with a stern look, but still allowed her to speak as he checked her over. “I know you and Corey have some sort of ceasefire in place, but I need to know why you despise Brock so much.”
“I figured you and I would get around to talking about this.” He sighed as though the weight of the world rested on his shoulders. “For the record: I don’t despise Brock. My issue with him isn’t just about rec
ent events. I’m glad he’s starting to take responsibility for his actions, but he doesn’t understand the pain he puts his brother through.”
“What do you mean?”
“They’ve never been close, but Brock doesn’t help matters. He constantly makes a mess of things and just expects Michael to be there to pick up after him,” Anders explained while marking things off on his chart. “Sapphire told me about your talk with the others during the book club meeting, but I don’t blame you for all of this. Brock should have just talked to Michael before doing what he did.”
“He didn’t mean—”
Anders lifted his hand to cut off her rant. “I know you feel obligated to defend him, that you see things differently because you’re in a similar position, but things are complicated with the brothers. Until Brock does his part to fix it, or at least meet his brother halfway, then I can’t see us being anything more than civilized toward one another for a long time.”
“I can tell this means a lot to you. And it probably means a lot to Michael, too. I’ll do what I can, I promise. I want them to make peace as much as everyone else. If I didn’t have Corey in my life now, I wouldn’t be here right now. I would have died.”
“Why?” Anders asked.
“I froze.” Destiny chewed her bottom lip.
“We all live with some sort of fear, Destiny. The important thing is that we don’t let it consume us. For a long time I lived in the darkness, too afraid to live life because of what happened to me. But Sapphire broke me out of a prison of my own making.”
“You love her a lot, don’t you?”
“More than anything,” he answered. “Not a day goes by that I’m not grateful for her giving me a second chance. Don’t worry, Brock isn’t as foolish as I was. He’ll be back when he’s ready. Just give him the time he needs.”
The glass door of her room slid open. Sapphire pushed a wheelchair inside and closed the door. She pulled the curtain until they were hidden and pressed a finger to her lips. A stampede of clinic staff ran past the door, their silhouettes ran by in a flash. When the hall was quiet, Anders’ mate fell against the glass and laughed until her face turned bright red. Destiny was surprised to see her brother in the wheelchair, joining in her friend’s merriment at causing such mischief.
