Page 144 of Coff

“This is Lightning’s cabin. A couple of the guys will meet us here, and we’ll work out our next steps.”

“Okay.”

He gets out of the car and punches numbers into a keypad, which then opens the garage door. He gets back into the car, and we drive in.

I follow him into the house. The first thing I notice is the view of the lake.

“Yeah, that never gets old,” he says as he walks up behind me, wrapping me in his arms. “I need to set something straight.”

I turn in his arms. “What?”

“Your coming here was not a mistake. I’ve been miserable without you. And I have no idea how we can be together, but I’ll do everything I can to make it happen.”

All the emotions I’ve been trying to keep contained bubble to the surface as I sink into his arms. What he says is what I want, but now I see it’s too dangerous. I know my dad had many enemies, and if they are all truly out to get me, it’s just a matter of time before they find me. The fact someone was watching where Logan works for two months tells me they aren’t giving up. It’s not fair to force him to jeopardize everything in his life for me.

Dammit! Why couldn’t I see before that coming here like this is selfish?

His phone rings from the counter, and he steps away from me to check it. “It’s my brother again.”

“Can I talk to him?”

His brows go up. “You want to? He’s pretty pissed.”

I nod, and he hands me the phone. “Brian, it’s me.”

“What the hell were you thinking?” he yells through the phone.

“I’m going to see if there is any food here,” Logan says, then walks into the kitchen.

I wander down the hall into a back bedroom. It’s better if Logan doesn’t hear what I need to ask. “I’m sorry. I was going crazy without Logan, but I see now the danger I’ve put him in. Is there any way I can go back to Missoula tonight?”

“Delaney, no. You rented a car in your new name. It won’t take much for someone to figure that out and then find your address in Montana.”

“Oh.” I sink onto the bed. For some reason, I thought I’d just be able to go back and maybe visit Logan now and again until this was over. Clearly, I hadn’t thought this through.

“I might be able to get you relocated with a new name again. But if I can pull this off, you have to let my brother go. Understand?”

I swallow back the sob that tries to escape, but I sniffle. “I understand.” And this time, I really do understand.

Brian sighs. “Okay, I’ll see what I can do. Where are you?”

“Logan says it’s Lightning’s cabin.”

“Okay, I’ll see if I can pull this off. But it might be a day or two.”

“Okay, thank you.”

He ends the call. And I sit there on the bed, staring at the wall. Start over. Again. Without Logan. Again. I wipe away the tears.

It’s not just Logan I have to leave forever. Duke and my mom. I miss them. When I was told I had only hours to leave with my new identity, somewhere in the back of my mind, I thought it was temporary. But now I realize it’s not.

While I have the phone, I call Duke.

“Hello?”

“Duke, it’s me.”

“Delaney? Is that really you?”

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