Chapter 69
oran
“Church in ten minutes.”
I sat on the bed, letting Jake’s voice fade to a buzz as I tried to catch my breath.
The call had been a lifeline. A fucking escape hatch. A reason to pull away before I did something stupid way she was looking at me.
Like I was everything she needed.
Like she wasn’t afraid of me wrecking her entire goddamn life.
like give in to the
I shoved my phone back into my pocket and left the bedroom. Turned to head downstairs, but I froze when I saw her.
She was inside the apartment now. Standing right next to the open window I just climbed through. Her arms were crossed… eyes burning into me.
God, she was beautiful
“You’re not leaving until we finish this,” she said, still fuming
I clenched my jaw, making myself stay detached. “Church, Hailey. I don’t got time for this.”
She stepped closer. “Bullshit. You’re running again. Logan. You’re scared, and you’re using Jake as an excuse.”
I turned toward the door. I was fuckin wrecked and she didn’t need to see it. “I’m not scared.”
“Then stop running away!” Her voice broke. “You don’t get to push me out of your life because you’re afraid of letting anyone in. I’m not just anyone, Logan*
No. She wasn’t.
I stopped in the doorway, gripping the frame. “I don’t do relationships, Hailey. You don’t understand-”
“Enough!” She slammed the window shut so hard it rattled the glass. “I’m sick of hearing what I don’t know, what I don’t understand. You think I don’t see you, Logan? I see you. Every dann part of you.”
God, she had fire. And every time she turned it on me, it made me want her more.
Made me weak.
I turned to face her again. “That’s the problem, Hailey. You shouldn’t. It’ll only get you hurt.”
She stepped closer. Her eyes were blazing. Those perfect blue eyes
“Stop telling me what I should or shouldn’t do. I’m not some fragile thing you need to protect. I’m here because I choose* to be. Because I love you, Logan. And if you can’t handle that, then that’s on you, not me.”
Her words hit me like a brick to the dome. I had to look away again. “You don’t know what it costs, Hailey“.
“I’m pretty sure I do.” She closed the gap between us. “I took a bullet for you. Logan. Did you forget?”
Fek How could I forget? Every goddamn time I closed my eye I saw her bleeding Every time she got close to me, i wondered if I would be the reason she bleeds again.
It’s why I couldn’t do this.
65 vouchers
Because I knew she’d do it again. She would keep trying to save me. And eventually she’d end up in the ground.
And that would fucking destroy me. I’d have nothing to live for
“I have to go to church,” I muttered, turning back toward the door.
She followed me. Her footsteps were quick and angry behind me “Fine. Go. But I’m not done with this conversation. You don’t get to walk away from me, Logan. Not this time.”
I didn’t respond. Just kept walking down the stairs. Her voice trailed after me like a damn tornado I couldn’t outrun.
“You think you’re protecting me?” she said, louder now.
Yeah. That’s exactly what I was doing. Because if anything ever happened to her again because of me… I’d burn the whole world down and still never forgive myself.
“You’re not. You’re just pushing me away because you’re afraid you’ll hurt me. But I promise you… nothing could happen to me that would hurt me more than you are right now.”
I reached the bottom of the stairs and headed for the chapel. Her words were absolutely destroying me.
Honestly, I didn’t know how I was still walking.
“You don’t get to decide what’s best for me.” She continued her verbal assault. Everyone’s eyes were on us as we passed through the main room. “I do. And I’m telling you, Logan, you’re worth it. You’re worth every goddamn thing.”
I stopped at the chapel door with my hand on the handle. She was ripping me apart, but I couldn’t let her see it.
“Hailey,” I said, my voice low. “This isn’t the place.”
She stepped in front of me. Her eyes were locked on mine. “Then pick one. Because I’m not done.”
I stared at her. Raw and aching. She was relentless, and I didn’t know how to fight her anymore without breaking us both.
“Church,” I said finally. Pushed the door open.
She grabbed my arm. Her fingers were burning hot. “Fine. But this isn’t over, Logan.”
I sighed. Pulled my arm free and stepped into the chapel. I felt her lingering at the door as it swung shut behind me.
“Logan,” Jake said, “thanks for joining us.”
I pulled out my chair at the table and sank into it. Jake started the meeting, but my head was somewhere else. Still tangled up with Hailey’s words.
–
“Alright,” Jake said. “Ledger got us some intel. The Russians are moving something into Riverstone. Tonight. Two shipping containers, coming in at the docks. Meth, weapons we’re not entirely sure yet. Doesn’t matter. Could be fuckin flowers for all I care. Anything they bring into the city is bad. We’re gonna intercept it.”
I barely registered the words. All I could think about was Hailey standing outside the chapel door. Her eyes burning into me like she could see straight through my bullshit.
“Logan,” My old man’s voice cut through my thoughts. “You and River were on recon. What’d you find?”
I blinked, cleared my throat, forced myself to focus. “Right,” I sa, leaning forward on the table. “We didn’t find much that Viktor hadn’t already gotten. We scouted their main operation, and it’s big. They got heavy security
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cameras, patrols, the
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Chapter 69
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“They’re definitely movin‘ something big,” River added. “We couldn’t get too close, but we saw trucks coming in and out. Ledger’s right, it’s not just drugs.”
Ledger chimed in. “I have eyes on their IT systems. I’m working on cracking their communications, but it’s taking time. We need to move fast before they lock things down.”
I nodded, but my gaze drifted back to the door. I could feel her presence like a weight pressing against my chest. She wasn’t gonna let this go.
And honestly, I wasn’t sure I wanted her to.
“Logan,” Jake said. Loud and impatient. “You with us?”
I dragged my focus back to the table. To Jake. “Yeah. I’m here.”
But I wasn’t. Not really. My mind was still stuck on the way she looked at me. Like I was worth something.
Like I wasn’t just a ticking time bomb waiting to take her down with me.
Jake’s eyes narrowed. “I need you in on this, Logan. We hit them hard, fast, and clean. No loose ends. We need to show ‘em what happens when they ship things into our city without asking nicely.”
I nodded, but I was barely there. “Understood.”
“Talon,” he continued, moving on. “You’re leading the op…”
I tuned him out. His voice turned to a dull buzz again, and the meeting dragged on. Plans being laid out, strategies discussed.
My thoughts kept circling back to Hailey. To the way she’d stepped right into my chaos. The way she actually… fit. Like it was something she could handle.
Like I was something she could handle.
When I finally heard the gavel hit the table, I was the first one out the door.
But Hailey wasn’t in the hallway. She wasn’t in the main room, either.
She was gone.
Good. She finally listened. Finally.
And I felt like my ribs were caving in.
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
