Fallen Crest Family
Page 33
"Logan Kade just walked in here," she hissed. Her hand tightened on my arm. I gritted my teeth against the pain from her hold but processed her words. Sure enough. Logan waltzed through the front door as if he owned the place. His eyes were narrowed, but the same cocksure smirk was there as he scanned the room. When he saw me, he paused in question, but I shook my head so he nodded and turned to the bar. He lifted a hand in the air. "Yo."
"Kade!" Brandon boomed from the bar. "Get your ass over here, man!"
The two bumped fists together when Logan claimed a stool at the bar. The two acted like long-lost best friends. It wasn't long before they were having shots. After an hour, the enjoyment of each other's presence wasn't fading. I was mystified. Logan never sought me out. He seemed content to swap stories with Brandon, who I was reminded had played football with Logan and Mason a year ago. That startled me as well. Heather's brother owned and ran the bar, but he had only graduated high school a year ago. That was a lot of responsibility, but he seemed to handle it fine, like Heather did with running the diner.
Just then, she slapped a hand on the counter beside me. "I need a smoke break. You game?"
"Game?"
She jerked her head through the back door. "Come with? You're up for a break soon, aren't you? Lily and Anne can handle our tables for awhile."
"Tables? You mean my two and your ten?"
She flashed a grin as she reached for her purse under the counter. "Come on. This'll be interesting."
"What will?"
But I didn't have to wait long. The second we went through the door, Logan popped out behind us and shut both doors so no one could see or hear us. He claimed a chair on the other side of Heather since I was next to the door.
She lit her cigarette, took a drag, and leaned back to watch us.
"You don't want to talk to me in there?" Logan leaned forward on his elbows. He'd been happy inside, he was intense now.
I ignored that question. "Mason told you?"
"You yelled it across the room."
"Oh." I flushed as I remembered. With Mason shirtless, I hadn't noticed anyone else. But he wasn't there to question me about my job. "What's going on?"
He expelled a breath and glanced at Heather.
She blew out a long puff of white smoke before she lifted the cigarette again. "I ain't going anywhere, pretty boy. This is my place. This is my break. She's my friend now. You got something to say, share it here or keep it till later, but I ain't going anywhere."
He frowned and then shot her a dark look. "Whatever."
She rolled her eyes and took another long drag from her cigarette.
"Logan."
His eyes jerked back to mine. "Right. So." His eyebrows furrowed together.
"So?"
He chewed his lip for a second before bursting out, "Why didn't you say anything about what your mom was going to do? You told Mason, he told Nate, but no one told me. What's up with that?"
My stomach clenched in knots. I leaned forward and lowered my voice, "Why didn't you bring this up in the car, when it was just you and me?"
He shot me an incredulous look. "Because your mom just went to the hospital. You were doing your numb shit."
"My numb shit?"
"Yeah." He jerked his head in a quick nod. "When you don't want to feel all your crap or your mom's crap so you shut down—but it wasn't working then. You were feeling it and you were freaking. I could see it. Remember? I distracted you."
I rolled my eyes. "That would've distracted me too, and it would've been a lot more private."
Heather snorted but turned her head and blew out her smoke again.
"Or tonight too. You could've waited until tonight."
Logan snorted this time. "Yeah, right. Like I could tear you away from my brother. If you're home and he's home, you two are always with each other." His voice went low, almost threatening. "It sucked being a third wheel before, but I don't appreciate being a fourth wheel now."
I sucked in my breath. What was he saying?
"If Mason doesn't tell me, you should. Don't kid yourself, Sam. Nate's not here for you or me. He's here for Mason. If my brother wasn't so straight with you, I'd think those two were a happy g*y couple. They're so giddy living together and making their plans for college." Logan kicked up a leg to rest on the edge of my chair. He pushed his chair in the air so it rested on the back two legs as he grumbled, "I forgot what those two were like when Nate actually lived here."
I sighed. What the hell did I do here? Logan was hurt, that was obvious. Mason had been shutting him out lately, but why? Was it my place to intervene? As I considered that, I remembered the party two months ago when Mason and Nate worked together like a slick team and manipulated Logan. He meant to protect me while Mason wanted to protect his relationship with his brother as well as with me. It worked. The threat had been silenced, and Miranda never even knew she had hit the one button that could've unraveled the brothers' relationship.
I was seeing another button now, the tight bond between Nate and Mason. Logan was hurting because of it, and he was right. If Mason wasn't going to look out for him, I would. He'd done it for me too many times to count.
I leaned over and touched his arm. "I'm sorry, Logan."
"For what?" He had tensed under my touch but didn't take his eyes away from me.
"For not telling you. I don't care what Mason says, I'll tell you from now on."
Some tension left him, and his shoulders relaxed. "Thanks, Sam. I know he does it to protect me, but it pisses me off."
I bit my lip. What would happen if Logan ever found out how they had manipulated him? A knot formed in my throat at the idea of that day. I knew it was coming. All secrets came out, no matter how long or deep they were buried.
Then Logan switched his gaze to Heather. The cocky smirk slid back into place. "So, how's Channing?"
Heather froze, but then threw him a seductive look and blew a puff of smoke into his face. "Oh, you know. He's probably still sleeping from all the sex we had last night."
Logan's eyes lit up. "Yeah?"
"Oh yeah." She nodded. Her voice lowered to a husky tone, full of promises. "I tired him out, especially when I brought out the handcuffs. I hope I remembered to uncuff him this morning." She feigned concern before her lips curved into a sultry smile. "I'm sure I did and if I didn't, I'll have to make it up to him tonight."
"Kade!" Brandon boomed from the bar. "Get your ass over here, man!"
The two bumped fists together when Logan claimed a stool at the bar. The two acted like long-lost best friends. It wasn't long before they were having shots. After an hour, the enjoyment of each other's presence wasn't fading. I was mystified. Logan never sought me out. He seemed content to swap stories with Brandon, who I was reminded had played football with Logan and Mason a year ago. That startled me as well. Heather's brother owned and ran the bar, but he had only graduated high school a year ago. That was a lot of responsibility, but he seemed to handle it fine, like Heather did with running the diner.
Just then, she slapped a hand on the counter beside me. "I need a smoke break. You game?"
"Game?"
She jerked her head through the back door. "Come with? You're up for a break soon, aren't you? Lily and Anne can handle our tables for awhile."
"Tables? You mean my two and your ten?"
She flashed a grin as she reached for her purse under the counter. "Come on. This'll be interesting."
"What will?"
But I didn't have to wait long. The second we went through the door, Logan popped out behind us and shut both doors so no one could see or hear us. He claimed a chair on the other side of Heather since I was next to the door.
She lit her cigarette, took a drag, and leaned back to watch us.
"You don't want to talk to me in there?" Logan leaned forward on his elbows. He'd been happy inside, he was intense now.
I ignored that question. "Mason told you?"
"You yelled it across the room."
"Oh." I flushed as I remembered. With Mason shirtless, I hadn't noticed anyone else. But he wasn't there to question me about my job. "What's going on?"
He expelled a breath and glanced at Heather.
She blew out a long puff of white smoke before she lifted the cigarette again. "I ain't going anywhere, pretty boy. This is my place. This is my break. She's my friend now. You got something to say, share it here or keep it till later, but I ain't going anywhere."
He frowned and then shot her a dark look. "Whatever."
She rolled her eyes and took another long drag from her cigarette.
"Logan."
His eyes jerked back to mine. "Right. So." His eyebrows furrowed together.
"So?"
He chewed his lip for a second before bursting out, "Why didn't you say anything about what your mom was going to do? You told Mason, he told Nate, but no one told me. What's up with that?"
My stomach clenched in knots. I leaned forward and lowered my voice, "Why didn't you bring this up in the car, when it was just you and me?"
He shot me an incredulous look. "Because your mom just went to the hospital. You were doing your numb shit."
"My numb shit?"
"Yeah." He jerked his head in a quick nod. "When you don't want to feel all your crap or your mom's crap so you shut down—but it wasn't working then. You were feeling it and you were freaking. I could see it. Remember? I distracted you."
I rolled my eyes. "That would've distracted me too, and it would've been a lot more private."
Heather snorted but turned her head and blew out her smoke again.
"Or tonight too. You could've waited until tonight."
Logan snorted this time. "Yeah, right. Like I could tear you away from my brother. If you're home and he's home, you two are always with each other." His voice went low, almost threatening. "It sucked being a third wheel before, but I don't appreciate being a fourth wheel now."
I sucked in my breath. What was he saying?
"If Mason doesn't tell me, you should. Don't kid yourself, Sam. Nate's not here for you or me. He's here for Mason. If my brother wasn't so straight with you, I'd think those two were a happy g*y couple. They're so giddy living together and making their plans for college." Logan kicked up a leg to rest on the edge of my chair. He pushed his chair in the air so it rested on the back two legs as he grumbled, "I forgot what those two were like when Nate actually lived here."
I sighed. What the hell did I do here? Logan was hurt, that was obvious. Mason had been shutting him out lately, but why? Was it my place to intervene? As I considered that, I remembered the party two months ago when Mason and Nate worked together like a slick team and manipulated Logan. He meant to protect me while Mason wanted to protect his relationship with his brother as well as with me. It worked. The threat had been silenced, and Miranda never even knew she had hit the one button that could've unraveled the brothers' relationship.
I was seeing another button now, the tight bond between Nate and Mason. Logan was hurting because of it, and he was right. If Mason wasn't going to look out for him, I would. He'd done it for me too many times to count.
I leaned over and touched his arm. "I'm sorry, Logan."
"For what?" He had tensed under my touch but didn't take his eyes away from me.
"For not telling you. I don't care what Mason says, I'll tell you from now on."
Some tension left him, and his shoulders relaxed. "Thanks, Sam. I know he does it to protect me, but it pisses me off."
I bit my lip. What would happen if Logan ever found out how they had manipulated him? A knot formed in my throat at the idea of that day. I knew it was coming. All secrets came out, no matter how long or deep they were buried.
Then Logan switched his gaze to Heather. The cocky smirk slid back into place. "So, how's Channing?"
Heather froze, but then threw him a seductive look and blew a puff of smoke into his face. "Oh, you know. He's probably still sleeping from all the sex we had last night."
Logan's eyes lit up. "Yeah?"
"Oh yeah." She nodded. Her voice lowered to a husky tone, full of promises. "I tired him out, especially when I brought out the handcuffs. I hope I remembered to uncuff him this morning." She feigned concern before her lips curved into a sultry smile. "I'm sure I did and if I didn't, I'll have to make it up to him tonight."
