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“Do you understand why I’m telling you this, baby girl?”
She shook her head. “Is it because you think Logan wants to be with you and not me, but will leave you for Bethany?”
I almost hit my head on the counter. How could she get most of the pieces and still be so far off the mark. “No, it’s because Logan wants me, but I think that he will ultimately leave me behind for you. You can give him things I can’t.”
“What? Like a family?” Hana shrieked. “News flash, but I can’t have kids.”
“I know that, but you’re what he’s used to. Loving a woman is what he’s used to, and after last night…” I trailed off.
“What happened last night?” Hana asked, her innocent eyes flicked to mine.
“He understands what you’ve been through with him now. That’s all I’m going to say in your parent’s house.” I peeked at Hana and wasn’t surprised by the level of shock on her face.
“What did you do to him?” she croaked.
“Nothing he didn’t deserve, baby girl.” I placed my hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged me off.
“That’s not up to you to decide for me, Joseph!” she yelled out.
I shushed her, not wanting her parents to come check on us. I didn’t want them asking questions about why we were fighting. “Perhaps, but it’s something I could decide for myself.”
Hana just didn’t get it. She had some kind of Stockholm syndrome from the twins. I was sure of it. She didn’t understand that I was protecting her.
“You need to leave,” she stated calmly.
My heart leapt into my throat as I heard her words coming down a long, dark tunnel.
“I can’t abide what you did, Jojo. I need to think. I need time.”
“You don’t even know what I did.”
“I can imagine it. I know you love me. I know what you would do for me.”
I took a calming breath before I said or did something I would regret. I wanted to force her to leave with me. Force her to be with me so we could discuss this more in the privacy of our apartment. But then I would be no better than the Cartwright twins. As it was, my darkness was comparable. The only thing I had over both Luke and Logan was that I protected Hana’s innocence and light where they corrupted it.
“This isn’t over, Hana,” I finally said. “One way or another, you are coming home with me to confront your demons. You can’t keep hiding like you do when adversity comes your way.” I kissed the top of her head even though she tried to pull away from me and left like she asked.
I climbed into my truck and sped off. Pissed at the world and pissed at the situation. Logan needed to pay. She was just blinded from the brainwashing he and his brother put her through. Whether she realized it or not, the two of them broke her. Compounding that with her losing her child after being beaten, sodomized, and mutilated, there needed to be an equalization of trauma in the relationship, or Logan would never learn to treat her right or care for her properly when she was so broken.
Hana didn’t want to go to counseling. Fine. Then vengeance it was. There was something comforting in revenge. She might not see it now, but when she came to terms with it, it would make her feel better. She would find comfort in knowing that someone was looking out for her. Putting her first.
I should have brought her back to the apartment to confront Logan. I could have thrown her over my shoulder and forced her to come kicking and screaming. But I hadn’t. I let her call the shots because that’s what she needed at the moment. She sure as fuck didn’t need another alpha male commanding her on how to live her life. I wouldn’t do that to her. She would come around on her own.
But you want to.An eerie dark voice rose unbidden from inside of me.You want to command her.
It felt like more and more of myself was being eaten up by these feelings. By this darkness. I wanted to hurt people. That was something I never thought about before. I’d never wanted to be the guy who hurt others. Protect myself? Yes. But I didn’t go out of my way looking for victims. Logan was too easy to count. Plus, until I found out what he’d done to Hana, we had been best friends.
Before I knew it, I was pulling into the back lot of AiCart. My blood boiled. My nostrils flared. I was ready to hit something or someone. In a blink, I found myself outside of Logan’s office. Bethany was nowhere in sight.
I waltzed through like I owned the place, not bothering to knock. Logan didn’t even glance up. He was squinting at his computer. The sheer concentration on his face was seductive.
“Hello lover,” I cooed. But anger laced my words.
Logan flinched at the sound and looked up. “What are you doing here?”
“I went to see Hana.”
“Hana?” He pulled away from his computer at the mention of her name. Obsessed, I swear. “How was she?”
