Page 87 of King of Ruin

Her brows pulled together.

"Outside?" she repeated, confusion creeping into her voice. "How do you even know where I am?"

A weary sigh came through the speaker.

"It's all over social media."

Elise frowned.

"What is?"

"The business party." Logan's voice was unusually subdued, almost drained. "People have been posting videos ever since the guests started arriving. I saw one of them... and I recognized the yacht."

He fell silent for a moment before continuing.

"I tracked down the marina."

Another pause.

"So I came."

Elise straightened in surprise.

"You came here?"

"I'm outside."

The words were accompanied by the distant sounds of traffic and waves crashing gently against the docks.

"I tried getting on board, but security stopped me. They won't let me onto the yacht."

Almost instinctively, Elise stepped closer to the railing and looked toward the marina entrance at the far end of the yacht, as though she might somehow catch sight of him through the sea of people and lights below.

Of course, she couldn't.

"Logan..." she said softly, brushing a strand of windblown hair behind her ear. "Go home. We'll meet tomorrow, okay?"

Silence answered her.

She could hear him breathing.

Nothing else.

Then—

"Elise..."

His voice cracked ever so slightly.

"...please."

She froze.

Her grip on the phone tightened.

In all the years she had known Logan, she had never heard him sound like that.

His voice was low.