Page 69 of Winter’s Fire

Was it safe to drink from the bottle of water she’d found beside her?

Had the second bloody nose she’d dished out stopped bleeding yet? Served the bastard right for trying to maul her when they’d come to check up on her after she’d regained consciousness.

Those matters scurried through the cracks and crevices between the bigger issues, the ones she didn’t want to face, but which lurked in the shadowy corners of her mind.

Where was Logan?

Was he still alive?

Even as she asked herself that last question, Lucy was determined not to give up. Logan was still alive, he had to be—she’d find him, and then they’d escape together and bring this whole vile operation down.

The jarring sound of metal grating against metal came from the door—one, no, two heavy bolts being drawn back. The thick chunk of wood with its iron straps swung into the cell and hung there, sparking her wild imagination into producing visions of some inhuman monster lurking on the other side. Instinctively she shrank back, pressing against the chill of the wall behind her. The abrasive surface prompted her to scramble to her feet—on the floor she was vulnerable, but upright, she could fight back.

Propelled by a vicious shove, a body stumbled and sprawled across the uneven stone slabs in front of her. The door closed, followed by the sound of the bolts being slammed home again. Lucy turned her attention to the man pushing himself up from the floor.

She knew that back, was intimately acquainted with it. “Logan?”

Hardly daring to breathe his name in case she was wrong, Lucy took a couple of faltering steps towards him. He slumped to his knees and twisted to look at her. “Princess?”

Thank God. Relief churned her stomach. She flung herself across the cell to collapse at his side and cup his beloved face between her hands. The light was poor, but enough for her to get an idea of the damage to his eye and lip. Her heart broke again.

It shattered when his arms closed around her and he pulled her hard against him.

“Thank you,” she whispered to the universe. She wanted to hug Logan so tightly, but she was afraid to, in case he’d sustained fractures to his ribs. The thought of him being in pain made her want to weep. Knowing what had been done to him already made her eyes sting, but crying wouldn’t change anything. There’d be time enough for that once they were safe.

Time enough for her to tell him how she felt about him.

“What happened?”

Lucy winced as his fingertips probed her jaw. She hated to think how big the bruise must have been for him to be able to make it out in this light. Still, in her opinion, she’d come off better than her assailant.

“One of them didn’t take too kindly to the bloody nose I gave him. What about you?” She touched his lip, careful to avoid the cut.

“I’ll live. Could do with a drink, though.”

He wasn’t the only one. Lucy eyed the unopened bottle they’d left for her. She picked it up. “I wasn’t sure whether I should risk this or not.”

Logan cracked the bottle open, gave it a sniff and a cautious sip. “Warm, but I think it’s safe. Here.”

Though she could have chugged the whole bottle in one go, Lucy drank just enough to take the edge off her thirst before handing it back to Logan. “Your turn. Now tell me how you really are.”

He took a healthy swallow. “So you punched another one’s lights out? Remind me never to get on your bad side.”

“Logan!”

“I told you, I’m fine. Better, now I know where you are.”

“I know what you mean, but… where exactly are we? Do you have any idea?” With Logan safe enough for now, Lucy’s other fears took front and centre stage, though she’d never let him see that—she wasn’t going to be a burden. “If you’ve found out anything, please tell me—and don’t sugar-coat it. We’re a team, remember?”

“Okay. First of all, there’s no guarantee we’re still on the same island—they could have taken us anywhere, but I doubt we’re too far away from the resort. As for this setup—we already know Hugo’s a part of it, but von Brandt’s the man in charge. I would assume Petra’s in on it too.” He paused, as if gathering his thoughts. “We were right—they are trafficking women for sex.”

For a moment, Lucy’s head swam. Even though they’d discussed it, hearing Logan confirm it made her feel physically sick. “Did you manage to find out anything about Diana and her boyfriend? Are we too late?”

Logan looked as if he wanted to say something about her avoidance of the grenade he’d just dropped into the conversation, then shook his head. “From the sound of it, Diana was pretty much kidnapped to order, but the buyer reneged on the deal. She hasn’t been sold yet, but I don’t know where they’re holding her.”

“And her boyfriend?”

He hugged her even closer. “Right now I don’t give a shit about either of them. I have to protect you.”