Unbound Trilogy Boxset

by Coopmans, Kathy

  Next to the taste of Logan’s lips, all of it was the best thing I’ve ever tasted.

  I raise my face to the sun, thankful that the outcome of Shadow’s intentions are only skin deep and not as brutal as they could have been.

  My brain starts to spin, though, my entire being swaying with not knowing where my dad’s guns are. I want them. There’s a nagging in the pit of my stomach that there are more things too.

  An outbreak of optimism whips through me. An upheaval brought on by the years I’ve lived knowing Elizabeth sabotaged everything my dad worked hard for, the years of fear I lived with, and all they put me through has me realizing I’m not alone anymore. I have Logan, his brothers, and Gabe to help me find the missing pieces of my life.

  But I don’t want to dwell or think about it until I talk to Logan. I want to think about what this house and this town means to me.

  A smile tweaks at the corners of my mouth, both sorrowfulness and fortunate seeping from deep inside. Because here amid tragedy, is the most peaceful I’ve felt in a long, long time.

  “There hasn’t been a single moment since both of you died where I haven’t wished you were here. I’m home now, and I’m going to find your guns, Dad, and who knows, maybe there’s something of yours too, Mom.” I murmur to myself, well aware my parents can’t hear me. It isn’t the first time I’ve talked to them; it won’t be the last.

  I’m not a superstitious person. I do find it comforting how the little bit of time I’ve spent here has the power to ease my stress, how it’s cleansed away filth and healed my wounded heart in a way almost nothing else can. I feel my parents’ presence far more than I ever have before. It’s strange. It’s sad; it’s uplifting. It makes me happy.

  Cinching my silk robe tighter, I look to my left and notice Seth, Gabe, and, who I assume is Rocco, sitting at the other end of the deck, their feet propped up on the railing, cups of coffee in hand, heads tilted this way.

  Embarrassment flushes under my skin, knowing Rocco and Seth saw parts of me they shouldn’t have when they saved me.

  “You doing okay down there?” I meet Seth’s eyes; he looks tired but good. As our gazes hold, I hate that I notice a cautiousness in his I never saw before. It’s like he wants to get up and hug me, but he’s afraid I’m too fragile. On any other day, I’d call him out on it, but being that I know deep down the Mitchell brothers are as soft on the inside as they are hard as steel on the outside, I leave it alone.

  He cares, and that’s enough for me.

  “I’ve had better days. In the long run, I’m going to be better than I was.”

  At least I was coming to grips with it all until I catch the same look in Gabe’s eyes as Seth’s. Now I feel unsettled. The only one not looking at me as if I might lose my shit and breakdown in a puddle of tears is Rocco. I don’t know him to decipher his stare. If I had to guess, it’s admiration and approval.

  It’s then I notice Lane’s missing. “Where’s Lane?” I ask, thankful he isn’t here because all I want to do is thank them, go into the house and calm down.

  “He flew home after he found out you were going to be okay,” Gabe answers without telling me that he left to get home to Lexi. The thought of him leaving Lexi brings tears to my eyes I don’t want to shed. So I don’t. At the same time, though, it makes me love that man all the more.

  God, I could use a heavy dose of that precious little girl right about now.

  “Thank you for saving my life and thank you for taking care of Logan.” I squint to see better, swinging my gaze to each man; it’s Rocco who I end on. I might be agitated over the awkwardness between the four of us, but I’m still the same person I was a few days ago. The woman my parents taught me to be. Respectful and kind so I introduce myself. “It’s nice to meet you, Rocco.”

  He quirks a brow, a smirk on his lips. The man is definitely hard to read.

  “You too, Ellie, and you’re welcome. Appreciate if you’d stay out of trouble from now on. Wiring a house isn’t my expertise. It’s a good thing Gabe showed up when he did, or I might have blown myself up right along with those dirty fuckers who will never bother you again. Think I can speak for all of us when I say you and Logan take care of each other, that’s all the thanks any of us need.”

  I can’t help myself; I giggle with images of Shadow’s body burnt to a crisp. Serves him right after everything he put me, Logan, and these men through.

  “I’ll try on both accounts,” I say, still sputtering a laugh that eases the tension between us all. It’s a good thing too because the last thing I want from these men who mean the world to me is for them to feel sorry for me.

  It doesn’t matter how I survived or why. What matters is I did. Shadow didn’t break me. He didn’t turn me fragile or weak. I’m strong, and that’s the way I’ll always be. I only hope once everyone’s emotions calm; they’ll see that I’m simply Ellie. A survivor and not a statistic.

  “I’m going to grab a cup of coffee and to check out that noise coming from my kitchen. Can I get you anything?” I point behind them to where I hear Renita, Norah, and my aunt through the door. I was on my way to get a cup of coffee when I heard the waves calling out to me. Amongst clearing the air, making sure Logan is doing okay by seeing him with a clear head, coffee is the other thing I crave.

  “No,” they say in unison and glance at a stack of papers on the table in front of them I didn’t notice before.

  “Seth, I’m sorry you were hurt. You’re going to be okay too, you know.”

  His eyes flick my direction, and I see it there, his determination to beat the disease. Weariness hanging over him like a storm cloud. Haunting eyes filled with hope just out of his reach.

  “We’re all going to be okay, Ellie.”

  I leave them there doing whatever it is there were doing before I walked out and silenced them. The second I walk into the house and am out of sight, I place my forehead against the wall and close my eyes, counting backward from ten. Then start over again. I stay this way for the longest time reminding myself I’m a survivor. I’m not weak, not fragile, not broken, and they weren’t looking at me as if I was. Maybe it’s my imagination, my raw emotions taking over. My need for more sleep. My need to be with Logan. My need for my mind to finally relax. The details of my father’s guns. Answers. That’s what I need.

  I slowly walk toward the kitchen, pausing in the doorway as I’m gifted with a sight that shifts my soul in the direction it needs to go—toward happiness.

  Renita had already informed me they were going to utilize my kitchen and not let the food go to waste, and they have. All three of them are around the island with containers of food in front of them along with a mess. A disaster is more like it. There’s flour all over the floor; dishes piled in the sink and laughter. So much of it, I stand there and let it flow through me. It fills in the cracks that Shadow tried to break into a million unfixable pieces.

  Just like that.

  They are singing, swaying hips and the laughter coming from my aunt as she watches from the stool she’s sitting on as Renita and Norah belt out a song with wooden spoons in their hands sends calmness through me.

  It’s like an out of body experience. It’s like right here; in this very moment, I feel my parents heave a sigh and tell me they are one step closer to resting in peace. They are just waiting for me to find mine.

  I grip the frame of the door, and I stare at them, these women who I love, who love me back, who shut a door to a wicked and horrible past and open a new one waiting for me to pass through.

  This is normal, this is life, this is comfortable, and I wish with everything in me, I wasn’t in physical pain to join them.

  Norah’s eyes go wide when she sees me. All I can do is let the tears that want to fall fill my eyes because I’m so overwhelmed, so disconnected from life over everything that’s happened that whatever is coursing through my system right now is stronger than any panic attack I’ve had.

  I don’t even know how to describe it. It’s
not a bad feeling; it’s home.

  It’s like that saying from The Wizard of Oz. There’s no place like home. No place that lifts my spirits and settles the shakiness in my bones. No place that reminds me of who I am and who I want to be.

  And I owe all of this, plus so much more to one man.

  All these years, I’ve built walls to protect myself. In a matter of weeks, Logan has knocked them down just like I knew he would. He made me believe I was enough; he made me fall in love with him. He killed for me, and he’s given me this perfect disorder in my kitchen — a family who can sing and dance and laugh because they don’t have to worry about me anymore.

  I can honestly tell myself I’m destined for good things now. It begins and ends with Logan Mitchell.

  Selflessness and love. So much of it that I skip down memory lane when I glance back at Norah just as she’s bringing a wooden spoon dripping with chocolate to her mouth. So many memories of baking in this kitchen, of the messes we used to make, licking the cake batter, the brownie mix, the cookie dough off the spoons. It feels like forever ago and yesterday all at the same time.

  It makes me want to create memories here of my own.

  I start to laugh, well, it’s more like a coughing fit around laughter with how dry and rough my throat is, but it’s the best I can do. I can’t even lie to myself that hearing me laugh twice in a matter of minutes is music to my ears. It’s a reminder that I survived a madman who could have done far worse to me than he had.

  “Oh, look who decided to join us. Come here, sweet girl.”

  I go to my aunt without hesitation, soaking the abundance of warmth and love in her arms. Feeling a bit guilty she was uprooted once again because of me.

  “How are you feeling, Aunt Sandy?” The hoarseness is my voice coming back.

  “There she is, that kind girl I fell in love with many years ago. I’m great. Much better now that I’m able to see you. You’re going to be okay, Ellie. I have a feeling you’re going to be much better than okay.” She brushes the tears away from my cheeks with her knuckles. A knowing smile set deep in her eyes.

  I can only nod because this was how my life is supposed to be.

  Happy and content. I just needed to see Logan and everything would be alright again.

  “Want some?” The question is barely out of Norah’s mouth when I snatch the spoon from her hand, indulging in the chocolate goodness.

  “God, that’s delicious. Are you making a sheet cake?” I finish licking the spoon, toss it in the sink and grab a sticky bun off the cooling rack.

  So many memories crashing down around me. All of them filled with family and love.

  “Of course it is, nothing but my girl’s favorites is what we’ve been doing. Norah was just stirring the ingredients. Lord knows as well as you and I do she can cook, baking she cannot. Remember that time…” Norah stops Renita from spilling whatever story she was about to tell by throwing flour at her.

  “Hey, you know the rules, you make the mess you clean it up.” Renita winks, leaving the flour on her shirt and face, goes about picking up the bowl to start pouring the batter into the pan.

  All I can do is let the laughter erupt. So much love and thankfulness filling me to the brim. That is until Norah lifts a cup of coffee to her mouth.

  “Please tell me there’s more?” My gaze roams around the kitchen, looking for the coffeepot. When it lands on the Keurig in the corner, I let out a heavenly sigh.

  It dawns on me then as I stop and recall the other night when I walked into the house. For a man who didn’t have shit in his home in Louisiana, Logan has everything and then some here.

  All of it for me.

  “The cake is the last thing we have to make. Then we were going to make breakfast before we leave.” Aunt Sandy’s voice breaks through my thoughts.

  “Leaving? Why?”

  Renita’s expression softens, and my heart sinks as I swing a concerned look her way.

  Tears fall again; my emotions are scattering as I walk around her and start making a cup of coffee. I stand there with my back to them, trying to hold the sobs that want to take off and splinter me in two.

  “Yes, we are. Let me ask you something, Ellie. Do you want us here, or do you think you do?” Renita takes hold of one of my hands, forcing me to face her. Her brows rising in typical I’m-going-to-answer-my-own-question-so-don’t-bother-but-listen-because-I-have-more-to-say. “You aren’t mine to take care of anymore, baby girl. Let Logan take care of you the way he wants. The way it should have been. You’re safe, you’re going to be okay, and you need time with Logan as much as he does with you. You don’t need us here.”

  Our gazes hold, and I know she’s right. Still, my heart breaks for so many reasons.

  Answers. That word comes to my mind again.

  I huff out a breath as her hand cups my cheek.

  “We’re a phone call away. If you need us, we will stop what we are doing and be here straight away. Once again, we don’t want you to worry about the store. It’ll be there when, and if, you decide to come back. In the meantime, Sandy is going to move to New Orleans and help us. Search your soul, baby girl. I think it’s time for a change. For both you and Logan.”

  For the first time in forever, I’m not worried about the store, or anything else except for the man I love and me getting our feet flat on solid ground. Honestly, there’s been nothing but ruts and holes knocking us down since we met.

  “Your home, Ellie Mae, do you hear me? I want you to heal; I want you to have fun. I want you to live, laugh, and love. You are free, and there is nothing I’ve ever wanted more for you out of life than for you to be free to love someone as much as they do you. Ellie, you can do whatever you want now. You can finally live.”

  Tears slide down my cheeks. I never had the chance to appreciate what Logan did for me by giving me this house. Now I can. I can do whatever I want without fear consuming me. I can visit my parents every day if I want to. I can walk down the street without looking over my shoulder. I can sleep without nightmares because the one I had is dead.

  Something pops in my chest, and with it, so does the last bit of ever having to fear for my life again.

  Chapter Twelve

  Logan

  I crack open my eyes, body stiff, muscles wound tight, nerves on edge. I need to see Ellie, attest with my own eyes once again that she’s doing okay.

  I grab my phone from the nightstand to check the time, it’s not only mid-afternoon, but there’s also a missed text from Lane.

  I don’t have to open the message to know what it says, not when I know he’d follow through with something I wasn’t able to do. Seems fitting he’d be the one to finalize making sure Ellie got what rightfully belonged to her.

  When I set it back down, it’s then I see the file containing papers for me to sign. A reminder of the few things I wasn’t able to tell Ellie about before our lives came to a near-deadly crashing halt.

  Signals. They are there in a text, there in black and white. In addition to how everyone came together to save Ellie. All signs of a bond that will never break. Family, loyalty, and the love of a good woman.

  Feeling a heaviness on my chest, I grin, lips twitching when all I see is a tousled mess of shiny black hair spanning across my chest — a sight for sore, still tired eyes.

  I push out a relaxed breath, knowing she’s here, wrapping me up in all her layers of sweetness.

  Ellie is curled up on her side next to me with her head on my stomach. Somehow, my arm is slung around her, holding her close — one of those tiny hands of hers splaying across my heart. Swear to God; I feel it clench around it, securing it tightly in her palm.

  Don’t think she has to worry about my heart going anywhere except following her around like a puppy.

  “You’ve flipped a switch in me, baby. Turned me into a man who never thought he’d drop his heart, let alone fall in love. Proves you were meant to be mine all along,” I mouth.

  The woman has a way of doing just that
. I knew she would. Guess I didn’t think it was conceivable for Ellie to want a washed-up whore like me. But she does. She’s taken hold of every part of me I’d hidden for very few people to see. Exposing it in a way I never thought would be possible, let alone she’d forgive me for my wrongs.

  Christ, I can’t believe Ellie truly is mine. I don’t think it’ll fully sink in until I slide that ring on her finger and she says yes. Know damn well she will.

  Doubt.

  It’s gone with just about every negative emotion I’ve clung to for years.

  More than anything, I can’t believe how much she’s changed me from a man who screwed a variety of women for a living to a man who wants no one else but her.

  I inhale, taking in Ellie’s scent, fingers twitching to feel her pulse, to smash my face into all that hair, and breathe her in.

  Raptured.

  Goddamn.

  Comfort and warmth and home. Right where we were meant to be.

  I don’t have the heart to wake her, don’t have it in me to break into her mind and ask if she wants to talk about what happened, not when I feel peace radiating off her as much as the warmth of her surrounding me.

  “You have to tell her the first chance you get about her parents’ things. And, the club.”

  My throat loosens, stomach untwisting from those knots that squeezed me tight when she was missing as I recall Lane’s words as we raced home so I could get to her after watching Cole’s house go up in flames — feeling years of anger. Years of revenge going up with the smoke.

  My throat locks back up when Ellie moans, shifts her body a few inches away, and looks up at me.

  My gaze drifts over her face, going as deep as I can to get beneath the bruises without an audience watching, in search of the strong woman full of passion — the woman who captured me with a glance my way before I knew she’d be mine. Heart as big as anyone’s I’ve met once I got to know her.

  “I’m okay. I just need a good cry in your arms.” All that Ellie’s been through pours out of her as she puts her head back on my chest and sobs.