Page 69 of Hearts Storm

Through the struggle, I manage to find my voice. “Becca was my twin sister. She... She drowned, and I… I couldn’t save her.”

“Fuck.” He nuzzles his face into my neck. “I’m so sorry.”

His arms tighten, heart a steady thud against my cheek.

“We were ten,” I whisper, my voice cracking. “Our parents were... pretty awful. My dad took us to the lake, got drunk and passed out.”

Logan stills, jaw tensing against my temple.

“She got a cramp, and she just... went under.”

My words feel like broken glass in my throat, each syllable more cutting than the last.

“I tried to save her. I tried so hard.” My voice breaks into a sob. “But I couldn’t get to her. She just kept sinking.”

He strokes my hair. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“That’s what everyone told me.” I pull back slightly, needing to see his face. “But I was her sister. I was supposed to protect her.”

“You were a child,” he says, eyes searching mine. “You both were.”

Tears stream down my face. “She was everything to me. When she died, something inside me died right along with her. My dad went to jail. My mom was already hooked on pain pills. She couldn’t handle the grief of losing a child, so all she did after that was get high.”

Logan’s expression darkens. “How did you survive? Who took care of you?”

“I took care of myself,” I shrug, giving him a watery smile.

He brushes a strand of hair away from my face, touch lingering. “Thank you for trusting me with this.”

I lean into his hand, craving his touch more than I should. “I don’t know why I told you. Other than my two best friends, I’ve never told anyone else the whole story before. Brex knows I had a sister who died, but...”

Stiffening slightly at the sound of Brex’s name, his voice drops lower, rougher. “Maybe because deep down, you know I’d never judge you for it.”

My breath catches. “Logan...”

“Reyna, I—” He hesitates.

Hands palming my face, his thumbs trace small circles over my cheeks, brushing away my tears as his gaze locks in on my mouth.

My lips part in expectant surprise when he starts to slowly move in, breath ghosting against my mouth, closer and closer, until...

The soft look in his eyes shifts, warmth flickering before it dies, replaced by an all too familiar, impenetrable wall.

Gently pushing me away, his words are clipped as he stands. “I should go. I’ve got a ton of paperwork.”

My stomach drops. And, just like that, the moment is gone. Fizzled out. Extinguished. Leaving me raw and exposed, while he retreats behind his broody mask.

“Logan... wait.” Back to me, he fists his hands at his sides as he heads for the door. “What happened? Is everyone okay?”

Shoulders rigid, he pauses in the doorway and turns to look at me. “The town library’s second floor caught fire.” His tone stays flat, all business as he fills me in. “We pulled Mrs. Holloway out of the stairwell. She’s stable and the building’s still standing. Gonna take a while to investigate the root cause.”

“Is Brex okay?”

Something too quick to read flashes across his face before he nods. “Yeah. He’s fine. Everyone’s fine.”

“Good.”

“You should get something to eat,” he growls, more of an order than suggestion. “You need to keep up your strength.”