Page 134 of Ghost Hunted

I probably do have a concussion, because my vision keeps fading to black, but it doesn’t matter. It took most of the energy I had to sit up, and the remaining energy I had to pull Lia into my lap and lock my arms around her.

But she’s a good little captive. She knows she’s back in my cage, and she also knows it’s useless to fight it. She’s angry, I can tell, furious even, and devastated. But the need to know forces the question from her.

Now that she’s safely back in my arms, though, I’m not all that anxious to tell her. I don’t really know if it’s a good idea, anyway. I can barely believe I have found Jane, and I don’t know what would happen if I told Lia I had. I don’t know if it would make her stay or leave.

But it’s the fifth time she’s asked the question, so at last, I give in.

“I found her.”

“You… what?” She bolts up, and I crush her to me. “Where is she, Logan? Where?”

“Shh.” I rest my aching head against the space between her neck and her shoulder. “Be my good girl and… be quiet.”

“No, I won’t.” Her voice comes out tense. “I’m not your good girl, and I won’t be quiet. You can force my body back into captivity, Logan, but not my mind, or my heart. I don’t want to belong to you anymore. I don’t belong to you.”

“Okay, Lia. Okay.” Each of her words kills me, but I guess if it comes down to it, I’ll have to satisfy myself with just her body. “What can I do to make it right?”

“Nothing.” She swallows. “You can let me go.”

“That’s not going to happen, baby.”

“I know.” She tries to wipe away a tear, but I’ve got her pinned helplessly to me. “I know it won’t happen. I hate you, Logan.”

My own tears must wet her neck, because she turns to me in surprise. “Are you… crying?”

I don’t answer, merely hugging her to me closer, and crying against her dress. I don’t care that Igor’s behind the wheel, listening to the ugly sobs that leave me. I’m broken, horribly broken, and she’s the only one who can fix me, but she won’t.

“I don’t hate you,” she whispers at last. “Please don’t cry, Logan. I should hate you, but I don’t. I just need to be free. I’ve never known freedom before.”

“I’ll give you some freedom, Lia.”

“But that’s not enough.” She brings up a hand to wipe the tears that are now spilling out of her eyes in earnest, and this time, I let her. “Some freedom isn’t enough. Please, Logan.”

“Okay, Lia.” I rest my throbbing head against her shoulder. “Please stop talking, baby, and... let me think.”

45

Logan

“Are we sure the threat is dismantled?”

Somehow we’ve managed to make it back to Devil Tower in one piece. The doctor’s looking me over, and despite my half-promise to Lia, well, I did handcuff her to me… just in case.

Damien has joined us, and so has Everest, much to my despair. He should be with Jane. But he assures me he left her in her foster brother’s hands, who promised he’d take good care of her. The expression reminds me of what Jane said: He takes good care of me… sometimes.

But I guess I’m going to have to satisfy myself with that. At any rate, the way he treats her is probably better than the way I treat Lia.

“Yes, the threat is over,” snaps Lia. “The guy who took me told me he’s the one my father owed money to. He’s dead now, so we’re safe, and there’s no more excuse to keep me locked up. The Puicin Gang may still be a threat to Devil as a whole, but I personally don’t give a fuck if you all rot, and anyway, it’s all the more reason to let me get as far away from Devil Tower as possible.”

“Okay, Lia,” I murmur, trying not to show her how much each of her words hurt.

“Besides, even if it weren’t safe,” she continues, “I don’t believe you could keep me safe. It’s not like you found me. I was there for hours...”

“You can’t have waited for me that long,” I cut in.

“I didn’t wait for you at all. I knew I couldn’t count on you. I knew the only way you’d come for me was with a gun or handcuffs.” She clanks the metal of her cuff against mine. “Clearly, I was right.”

“It’s temporary,” I tell her. “Just until I can convince you to stay.”