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Staring at him now, she let him see. “I’m not even going to tell you who. You know who.”
****
Arriving back at his house, Ava pulled away from him and started for the stairs. Logan watched her. When she realized he wasn’t following, she stopped and turned toward him.
“You’re not coming?” she asked. She wouldn’t look at him.
She’d not spoken to him in the car either.
“You’re free to roam the house. You’ve got clothes, and you can wear them whenever you want. Try to escape and I’ll remove the privilege. You can’t call anyone nor have anyone come and visit you.”
She snorted. “I don’t have anyone to have visit me.”
“Good.” He turned on his heel and walked away.
“Why?”
He stopped and turned toward her. “What?”
“Why are you letting me free?”
Logan chuckled. “You’re not free. You’ll never be free. Don’t try to make this more than it is.”
He watched her this time, heading upstairs, going to her room.
Hunter cleared his throat.
“The sheriff is waiting for you in the library.”
“Excellent.” He walked into his office, going to the window, overlooking the gardens.
“You’re not in a rush?” Hunter asked.
“No. That bastard shouldn’t be sheriff.”
“I’ve got all the necessary paperwork to end his employment. Just tell me when.”
“I will, but not yet. I need him in place.” He tapped his leg, trying to get the image of Ava’s body out of his head. There had been bruises he’d not seen, not as he fucked her from behind. He’d not allowed her to come, hadn’t even cared to take care of her.
“Is everything okay?”
“I want you to do some digging for me,” he said. “Wait, where’s the guys?” He turned, giving Hunter his full attention.
“They’re at the country club enjoying women and gambling as per your request.”
“You didn’t stay with them.”
“You didn’t say I had to.”
“Right.” He ran fingers through his hair. “I want you to look into Luke’s past.”
“Why?”
“Ava said she reported him for rape.”
Hunter raised a brow.
“I need to know if there’s something we’re missing. Some clue.”
“You think she’s lying?”
“I have no reason to believe she’s telling the truth.”
“That’s a pretty big allegation,” Hunter said.
He agreed.
“What do you think?” Hunter asked.
“Luke went into her room this morning, and Ava now has bruises. The way she reacted last night, she was different.”
“So you think she’s telling the truth?”
“I don’t know. I know Luke and he’s many things, but a rapist?”
“A part of you must believe it.”
“He could have anyone. Why would he resort to raping a girl who didn’t want him?” He remembered the time he’d been with Ava twelve years ago. It was only one afternoon, and it was a time that stayed with him forever.
Running fingers through his hair, he could even remember the vanilla scent of her and how she felt against his body. He’d not been an asshole to her then or a bully in that room. He allowed himself to have a little taste of her.
“I don’t want to accuse him, Hunter. I need proof.”
“I’ll go and do some digging. I’ll see what I can come up with. Do you want me to start now or would you like some company with your sheriff?”
“No, go. I don’t need any help with the sheriff. I’ve also given Ava free rein. Make sure the men know not to let her go. I want an eye on her, but I don’t want her hurt. Got me?”
“Yes.”
Hunter left then, and Logan gritted his teeth.
Pulling out his cell phone, he dialed Grant.
“Hello, boss, what can I do for you?” Grant was one of the best men he had at garnering information from powerful men’s wives. He’d sent him many times into different lions’ dens to get him what he needed, and he always made sure he was well compensated.
“Ava,” he said.
“What do you need to know?”
“Did she ever talk about what happened to her twelve years ago?”
“No. She spoke of something bad happening, but she never wanted to go into details. I figured she was referring to you.”
“Was there anything that happened you found odd?”
“Not really. I mean, I went to take her to the swimming pool, but she had a panic attack. She wouldn’t wear a swimsuit and she doesn’t go as far as I can tell.”
“That it?” he asked.
“It’s all I can remember. Once you had the video, you weren’t interested in me learning more. You want me to come and help?”
“No, you keep doing what I need. Thank you.”
“Got it.”
He hung up and rubbed at his temples. Nothing was helping him right now.
Going to his whiskey, he poured himself a generous shot and drank it down in one go, loving the burn.
With his head back in the game, he headed toward the library, and sure enough, there was the sheriff. The abusive prick that he was.
He wondered if he hated being controlled rather than being the one doing the controlling.
