Elena knelt to examine some of the chains still on the floor, but she didn’t see a break in them either. Reaching forward, she found the thick lock once binding them together. Beneath it was the key.
“Maria must have unlocked it,” she whispered as she pulled the lock and key toward her. Then she looked up at Juan, who was staring at her with a mixture of disbelief and horror. “Why would shedosuch a thing?”
“Love makes some people do crazy things,” Juan muttered.
His look at her was a little too pointed, and though she couldn’t recall the last time she blushed, her cheeks started to burn.
Juan took the lock and key from her. “Maybe she believed he was better, or maybe she thought freeing him would make him better. Maybe he promised her something.”
“Why would she take such a risk when she has a child?”
Juan patted her shoulder. “I don’t know, Elena. And we’ll never know the answer to that.”
She shook her head and looked toward the door. Yes, she was in love with Logan, and yes, she would do anything for him, but she couldn’t imagine putting a child's life at risk for him. She couldn’t do that. Shewouldn’tdo that.
Anger at Maria burned inside her. Then guilt rose to tug at her emotions. She was incensed at a woman who probably believed she was saving her husband—a woman who paid for that mistake with her life. Shame burned through her, but she still couldn’t quite douse her anger.
Allof this was so unfair. She knew life always was and that it was pointless to get angry about it, but she didn’t try to squelch the emotion. It was a welcome reprieve from the sorrow that had become a constant companion.
Movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She glanced over at Logan, who had risen from the bed and taken a step toward her. Asher hurried around the cot to help him, but Logan waved him away.
Elena tried to clear the emotions from her face, but she must have failed as he started toward her. However, he had to rest, and she would not let him injure himself further because of her.
Straightening her shoulders, she rose and strode toward him. She dodged his hands when he tried to grasp her shoulders and ducked under to slide her arm around his waist; she steered him back toward the bed.
“Sit down and let the doctor take a look at you,” she ordered.
“Diego and Leonardo are more important,” he said.
Not to her, but she didn’t argue with him. He was right, they were in worse shape than him and required more attention, but she didn’t like it.
Logan clasped Elena’s chin and turned her head toward him. He saw the ire simmering in her eyes before she lowered her lashes to cover them.
“She made a mistake,” he whispered.
“She made a lot more than a mistake.”
Logan draped his arms around her neck and pulled her close. No one glanced over at them, but then, he’d already realized their secret was out of the bag. He wasn’t sure how much the hunters knew about them, but it didn’t matter. When she didn’t shrug him off or shoot him an irritated look, he realized how much she needed him right now.
“We all do foolish things,” he whispered in her ear. “Some of us are lucky we don’t have to pay for all of them.”
“She paid far too much.”
“She did.”
“We have a problem over here,” Dr. Espinosa said.
The doctor’s tone drew Logan’s attention. Juan set down the chains and walked over to where the doctor stood beside Diego, examining the hunter. He had a flashlight out and was shining it on the hunter’s face.
Logan glanced over at Asher, who gazed at him with a look of dread. He was sure that if he had a mirror, he would see the same look on his face. When the doctor’s hand trembled, Logan knew it was bad. The man may have had a few drinks tonight to celebrate with his wife, but he’d been rock steady since starting his examination. Now, he looked as if he could use about a gallon of alcohol.
“What is it?” Juan asked as he strode toward the doctor.
“Look,” the doctor said and pointed at Diego’s mouth.
Juan stopped beside the bed and leaned over to look. His entire body froze, and he stopped breathing. The second hand of the clock on the wall loudly ticked the seconds passing by. Then, Juan’s shoulders slumped as he stepped away from the bedside.
Logan shifted his hold on Elena as Asher and some of the other hunters edged closer. Elena made a sound of protest when he rose from the bed, but she didn’t try to stop him.
