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“We need information,” he says calmly. It’s just a reminder. He makes no move to stop Logan from choking the life out of the piece of shit who failed to raise me and Chloe, and Logan doesn’t act like he heard anyway, so I figure it’s a done deal.
And I’m not fucking sorry, either.
Frank gurgles again, his face turning a color that shouldn’t exist in nature, and I can’t look away. He deserves everything he gets. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have a reaction to seeing him get it.
My adrenaline is so high it takes me a minute to realize I’m gasping for breath, panting, filled with an echo of residual terror that freezes my blood as Logan’s unexpected rage wakes up memories of being held just like that, his fingers digging intomythroat, choking me, bruising me…
But it’s not just terror that has me panting.
In my entire life, no one has ever come to my rescue when I needed it. No one gave a single solitary shit that Frank was a pathetic excuse for a parent to Chloe and me. Not until now.
I don’t really know what triggered it, because Logan’s reaction is clearly not part of the Reapers’ plan, but watching him unleash all that deadly fury on Frank settles something that’s been broken inside me for a long time.
Maddoc’s right. We need to know if Frank can help us find my sister. But if that doesn’t happen? If Logan finishes this?
I can’t say I’ll be sorry. In fact, watching it happen has a soul-deep satisfaction that almost feels as good as sex welling up inside me.
“Logan,” Maddoc says softly.
Logan blinks as if he’s coming back to himself, then opens his hand, releasing Frank. His face is completely shuttered again, but there’s a slight tremor in his hands as he tucks them behind his back and steps away, letting Maddoc take over.
Frank falls to the floor, hacking and coughing as he clutches his throat. He’s fucking pathetic. Face covered in tears, sweat, and snot, and body reeking of other fluids.
Maddoc crouches down next to him, ignoring all of that, and fists his hand in Frank’s hair, yanking his head up. “What do you know about Chloe?”
“N-N-Nothing,” Frank wheezes, cringing away from him.
Dante saunters over, tsking as he shakes his head. “Come on now, Sutton. That can’t be right. Not after you cozied up with McKenna and his fucking weasels, promising them they’d get good value out of her.”
“I didn’t—aghhhhh.”
Logan’s face doesn’t change expression as he delivers the vicious kick to Frank’s ribs, but his hands steady again, and when he flicks his gaze toward me, I give him a small nod, that weird sense of satisfaction inside me turning into a bright glow.
Both Maddoc and Dante act like nothing happened.
“What was that?” Dante asks Frank, cocking his head as he stares down at him like he’s been a naughty puppy. “Couldn’t hear you very well. Wanna try again?”
“I don’t… I didn’t… wait!” Frank gasps, flinching as Maddoc suddenly straightens up, hand still gripping Frank’s hair as he drags him to his feet at the same time. “Okay, okay, okay. I, uh, I haven’t heard from Chloe in a long time! Not since before the, uh, the arrangement. You know, with West Point. Austin never said! Never said she’d got away from them. I swear I didn’t know! I’m not even doing business with them anymore, and I haven’t heard from either of my girls since that call from Riley the other day.” He turns watery, bloodshot eyes on me. “I didn’t know it was about this!”
“What?” I say as all three of the Reapers swing around to look at me too.
“You called him?” Maddoc asks, his eyes going cold.
“Fuck no, I didn’t call him,” I say. “How would I have even done that? He’s a fucking liar.”
“No! No, I’m not, I swear,” Frank babbles, hands scrabbling in his pockets.
Maddoc immediately twists him around, slamming him face-first into the wall and immobilizing his arms. “Watch it.”
“It’s… it’s just my phone. I was just getting my phone out for you,” Frank whines, his body going slack. “Let me show you! Riley called me. She did.”
Maddoc frowns, then jerks his chin at Dante.
Dante pats Frank down, grimacing because yeah, he’s fucking disgusting. “No weapon, Madd,” he finally says, gingerly pulling out Frank’s phone. “You wanna look at this?”
“Chloe has my phone,” I whisper, my heart suddenly racing as I put it together.
“Unlock it,” Maddoc says, releasing Frank and shoving it into his hand.
