Torn from You (24 page)

“Baby, you’re
the one who gave me the strength to survive Raul. It has always
been you. It will always be you. Emily ...you’re my trophy. And I
lost you.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I can’t lose
you again. I have to do whatever it takes to win you back.”

“And you never
lose.” I whispered more to myself then him.

He remained
quiet.

I straightened
my back and raised my chin, fighting against the urge to back down
after hearing the most touching words I think I ever heard coming
from Logan. My insides were churning and I was having trouble
controlling my tears.

But I’d fought
hard for two years to regain my confidence and like one of my
rescue horses, I finally had some dignity again and I couldn’t. I
just couldn’t let him in.

A knock on the
door had me jumping away from it, and I looked from the door back
to Logan. Eddie the doorman must have recognized Deck and sent him
up. I was thankful and yet in some masochistic way disappointed at
our interruption.

Logan watched
me, and I nervously licked my lips under his gaze. His eyes
followed the subtle action, and I quickly slammed my mouth shut
then rubbed my arms as the shivers coursed through me.

Logan managed
to erase every thought except for him and pulled me into a place I
had no intention to ever go again. I was going to have my own farm,
my business, and help save the horses that needed me. I’d never
submit to another man again and be that weak.

Another
knock.

“Do you want
me to get that?”

“Um, no.” I
reached for the door handle, then stopped. “Sculpt?”

“Yeah,
baby.”

God, when he
called me that I felt like I could just erase everything that
happened and start over.

Another knock.
Louder.

I looked at
the door then back to Logan. “I’m not something to win.”

Logan frowned.
“No. No, you’re not. But you’re something to treasure.”

“Logan—” I
stopped as soon as his name passed my lips.

He began his
approach, slow and steady. I thought he was going to touch me, pull
me into his arms, even kiss me. Instead he reached by me, his arm
brushing my lower back.

“And a trophy
... I will always treasure.” Logan pulled the door open.

Deck stood in
his faded jeans and black T-shirt as he looked from me to Logan
then held out his hand, and Logan shook it. “Logan.” I jerked. Deck
called him by his real name. “Band sounded great last night. All
good?”

“Could be
better.”

Deck’s eyes
swung to me. He was scowling, not that scowling was unusual, but it
was directed at me, and I wasn’t sure why. “You tell her?”

Tell me
what?

“Don’t go
there, Deck.” Logan’s voice was low, and he ground out the
words.

Go where? It
was like suddenly I wasn’t in the room and the two most assertive
and self-assured men in the city were having a private conversation
despite the fact that I was standing right there.

Deck gave a
curt nod to Logan. “You coming with us?”

I stiffened
and looked at Logan. “To Georgie’s? Why would you come to
Georgie’s?”

Deck and Logan
exchanged a look then Deck said, “Georgie invited the band over for
brunch last night, Emily.”

“Oh.” I didn’t
like that. It meant Logan integrating into my life.

Logan put his
hand on the small of my back. It was barely a touch, a light
dusting of his hand, but it was possessive and ... it felt
protective.

“I need to
meet up with Matt then I’ll be by. But you know what Georgie said
last night?”

Deck
nodded.

Logan’s
fingers squeezed my waist. “I want to see you before I leave,
Mouse.”

“What
for?”

Deck’s brows
rose, and I noticed the slightest twitch at the corner of his
mouth.

Logan’s hand
found mine and he interlinked our fingers and squeezed. “See you in
a bit, Eme.” And then he was gone.

A whirlwind
had just swept through me. I was so confused and uncertain at how
to feel about Logan right now that I felt sick to my stomach. It
was too much. The same friends, him owning the farm. It was like I
was being thrown at him from every direction, and Logan was right
there waiting with open arms.

It took ten minutes to reach Georgie’s, and
Deck was silent the entire way. He wasn’t a talker by any means,
and I normally wouldn’t have noticed if he didn’t speak. Except
Deck’s expression was foreboding. Scowl in place, brows lowered,
stiff shoulders, and lips tight. Something had pissed him off, but
I had no idea what. I mean, he acted like he and Logan were cool
with one another. Actually, it seemed like I was the one Deck
wasn’t cool with, and being on Deck’s uncool side ... yeah, that
made me edgy.

He pulled up to Georgie’s semi-detached
house in King Liberty Village, and we were walking through the
alley between the houses to the backyard when Deck snagged my hand
and brought me to an abrupt stop.

He was frowning in a way that caused shivers
of insecurity to waltz across my skin. “You into him?”

“What?” Oh. My. God.

“You heard me.” Sometimes his no-bullshit
attitude was really annoying.

“Fine, I heard you. I just don’t know what
to say.”

“Easy—yes or no?”

“Why, Deck? What does it matter? Especially
to you.”

“Beautiful, get your head out of your butt.
No guy goes through what he went through if he isn’t into her.
Logan is into you. I know you’re having trouble dealing with the
shit that went down, but if you knew—”

“Deck—”

“I’m not done yet.”

I bit my lower lip.

His tone softened. “What I just saw between
you and Logan looks like something. Logan got you out of that shit,
and he went through hell. You ask him what happened after you
left.”

“I know what happened. He fought for his
father and—”

He cut me off. “No. You think you know. Ask
him. You owe him.”

“
I owe him?”
I couldn’t believe he
said that. Deck was as upfront as they came. He gave it to you
straight. But in this case he was wrong. I owed Sculpt nothing, and
yet, Deck was avoiding telling me something.

“He didn’t have to come after you, Emily.
Did you ever think about that? We could’ve got his mother out from
under Raul and disappeared. Logan never had to see his father again
or go back there. Yes, I would’ve come for you, but by then you
would’ve disappeared. Logan made certain that didn’t happen by
acting fast and doing what he did.” He put his finger under my chin
so he could see my face. “He hated his father. He asked me when he
was eighteen, way before any of this shit went down, to try and
find a way to get to Raul. But I couldn’t locate him. The guy
relocated after Logan and his mother escaped.” I closed my eyes
against the tears. “Beautiful, he risked his life for you. And if
you think for one second his life was not at risk even more than
yours, then you’re mistaken.”

I nearly jumped out of my skin when the back
gate clanged open interrupting us. Deck’s hand dropped, and he put
his hand on the small of my back.

“No screwing chicks in the alleyway, Deck.
Fuck, thought you were over that teenage shit.” I turned around,
and the guy’s eyes rose with recognition. “Oh shit, you’re Emily.
Finally I get to meet the hottie Sculpt’s been pining over.” I
couldn’t imagine Logan pinning for anything. “I’m Crisis.”

Oh, the band’s guitarist. His blond curls
blew in the cool summer breeze while his eyes danced with mischief.
His blue eyes drooped in the outer corners, and his soft features
made him look cute. He also had a killer smile.

“Deck giving you trouble? ’Cause I’m capable
of kicking his ass.”

“I doubt it,” I whispered, but he heard me.
Crisis looked lean and agile, but Deck was taller and had more
bulk.

Crisis put his hand to his chest and
staggered backward. “Ohhh, wounded.”

Deck shook his head back and forth then
urged me ahead of him into the backyard. My head was still
spinning, and I couldn’t get a handle on what Deck had told me.
What was Logan hiding? Obviously, Deck thought it was important
enough to push the issue.

The small backyard had a patio table and
chairs with a gaudy orange, yellow and purple umbrella, a BBQ and a
rock garden along the edge of the back fence. Georgie called it her
postage stamp backyard, but for the city it was a good size.

When Georgie saw me, she squealed and ran
over and hugged me. “Hey, Eme.” She lowered her voice. “Oh my God,
you should’ve seen Ream and Kat last night. Talk about a chemistry
experiment gone wrong.”

I raised my brows. Wow. Kat hadn’t mentioned
anything.

“Come meet Raven.” Georgie pulled me to a
girl sitting at the table with an untouched orange juice in front
of her. From behind she looked frail, thin shoulders slouched
forward as if she was trying to hide, and her hair hung in waves
down her back. “Raven, this is Emily.”

Raven lifted her head and our gazes
locked.

I gasped. It was her. Kai’s girl. That
vacant look was something I’d never forget. I stood staring, and
then I stared some more until Georgie nudged me, and I held out my
hand.

“Hi, ah, Raven. Nice to meet you.” I wasn’t
certain what to say really. I was so shocked the girl was here that
I fumbled over my words.

The girl shook my hand, if you could call it
a shake. It was more like she touched my hand. By the way her eyes
widened, I knew she recognized me too.

I glanced over at Deck. He gave a subtle
nod, and that’s when I knew. He had gotten her out. Had Logan asked
him to? When had it gone down? It had been two years since I’d seen
her.

The screen door slammed, and Raven jumped.
By the way she looked and reacted, my guess was she hadn’t been
rescued for very long. It was also bizarre she was here instead of
with her family and friends.

Georgie’s mom Karen came out and smiled when
she saw me. I met Karen when I started working at Georgie’s coffee
shop a couple months before I met Logan. “Sweetie. Come give me a
hug. We never see you anymore since you moved out to the farm.” She
squished me to her bosom then kissed my forehead. She lowered her
voice and whispered in my ear. “You look better, sweetie. But still
tired. You getting enough sleep? Do you need anything?”

Georgie’s mom was the closest I had to a
mother, and I suspected Georgie had told her about my mom being a
bitch and thankfully out of my life.

“Deck,” she yelled, “get Emily a drink.” She
lowered her voice. “Men these days, all macho and no gallantry.
What happened to the James Stewarts of the world.” Karen was into
classic movies.

I wasn’t going to tell her that Deck was
better than James. All sweet was out; hot and scary with a teaspoon
of sweet was in. Deck had that. Damn, Logan had that.

Deck poured me a glass of orange juice,
passed it to me then slid into the seat across from Raven. She
looked ready to bolt at the sight of him, although I noticed her
eyes never directly looked at him. Instead, she kept her head down
and her hands on the edge of the chair as if ready to push off and
run at any second.

Deck sighed then glanced over Raven’s head
to Georgie. Georgie put her hand on Raven’s forearm and crouched
down quietly talking to her.

“Hey, Emily. I’m Ream.” Oh wow. No wonder
Kat didn’t want to come today. Ream was here, and he was super-hot.
He sat beside Deck, legs outstretched, hand casually turning
his—beer.

I remembered Logan telling me that Ream and
Crisis had been friends with Deck and Georgie before they even
hooked up with Logan and Kite.

Ream looked at Deck. “Sculpt coming by?”

He nodded.

Deck glanced at me, eyes narrowed and his
face pensive. Damn, the guy could send a girl to her knees with
that look—except Georgie. I took a sip of my juice. When I glanced
back at Deck he was still watching me.

I shifted uncomfortably in my chair.

Raven shifted uncomfortably in her
chair.

Karen broke the silence. “Deck, you ask my
daughter out yet?” That unhinged the stare, and he looked at Karen
and there was a hint of a smile on her face.

Crisis opened the barbecue lid and checked
the bacon. “So what the shit, Emily? Where were you last
night?”

“Cussing in front of the girls. No
gallantry. If Georgie’s father were here right now, he’d cuff you
to the bumper of his car and drag you ten miles.”

“Fuck, I love your mom, Georgie,” Crisis
said.

Deck may have smirked, but it was more of a
grunt.

Karen left before brunch was served,
claiming she had to get home and feed the dog. Anyone who knew
Karen, knew she was going home to her husband Frank who was usually
gardening on a Sunday and she liked to be with him. When I met
them, I instantly saw the love they had for one another. And now
that I knew they’d lost their son ... it was nice they had one
another to depend on after something so tragic.