Page 48 of Never Sleep with the Enemy

Logan drops his jaw. “Katrina, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“So you just happened to book a room at the Plaza the same weekend of Jonah’s wedding?” I ask.

“If I could have convinced the girls to go elsewhere, I would have, but Tesla likes blue shit and Goldie likes... well, gold shit. Add in the Halloween decor and parties galore, and I had no choice. And we had to be here anyway.”

“For the Battle of the Bands?”

Logan sighs, leading to a light groan of disappointing. “Yeah. Only a matter of time before one of us brought that up, eh?”

I cross my arms and wait.

“We had a gig,” he says. “Tonight. You were there! You saw it.”

“That’s the only reason you’re here?”

Logan pauses, his eyes fixed to mine. “What other reason is there?” he asks, canting his head to one side, making the question feel more like bait than a genuine inquiry.

“I don’t know,” I say. “But given our history, one may assume that there may be some... nefarious purpose.”

“Nefarious?”

“Sinister. Wicked.”

“I know what it means.” His lips curl. “Just not a word one hears very often. You think I’m here to pull off something sinister or wicked, then?”

“Are you?”

“No,” he answers, unblinking. “I’m not. I understand why you’d think that, but it’s not true. I’m here to reward my girls for a tour well done, play a satisfying gig—mission accomplished tonight, thanks to you. And sure, I’m here to practice and perfect a few new songs so come Halloween night, I can once again reward my girls with everything their heart desires because when we win, we’ll officially be free to do whatever we damn well please.”

My brow stays arched.“Ifyou win,” I correct.

His smile grows, but his stay locked on mine.“Whenwe win,” he says again. “With Paul Monroe out of the picture, our contract with Sugar Sound isn’t as locked as it was before.”

“It’s not?”

“It expires soon. End of the month, actually,” he says. “But we win the Battle of the Bands against Criminal fucking Records and we can sign just about anywhere we want. We have a lot riding on this, more so than you do, and I’m not saying that for your pity or your mercy. It’s just fact.”

I pause, the weight on his shoulders far more noticeable now.

“And don’t think that anything I’ve done tonight is to influence you in some... nefarious way,” he adds, his gaze falling to the sidewalk. “Is it really so strange that I simply enjoy the pleasure of your company?”

I consider a moment, allowing the stiffness to melt off my shoulders as I let my arms unwind and drop to my sides. “No,” I say, then… “Maybe.”

“How do I knowyou’reon the up and up? Mm?” Logan asks. “For all I know,youcould be here trying to sabotagemyband.”

I roll my eyes. “That’s ridiculous.”

“I don’t think so. Here you are, showing up at my hotel room. Coming to our show.”

“You gave me your room key!” I argue. “And you put that flyer in my dress pocket!”

Logan smirks. “Prove it.”

I glare. He winks.

We reach my house and I angle us down the sidewalk across the lawn

“I had a good time tonight,” he says as we step up onto the porch. “Didn’t you?”

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