Page 52 of Coff

Speak of the devil, Nelson walks in the front door wearing a fitted suit. The first time I saw him, I was a teenager, and I remember thinking he was hot. That was before I got to know him. Now all I notice is the strong angles of his face and how he’s always angry.

“I have an important delivery coming in tomorrow, and I need to make sure the Miller warehouse is clear,” he says.

No, hello, how are you? Not that I care to have small talk with the man, but he’s never even tried to make this a real marriage.

Duke once told me all the threats and the marriage were all with one goal in mind: Nelson wanted access to our resources for himself. Now that I know Nelson agreed to the marriage in exchange for not killing Duke, I have to agree. It certainly wasn’t me he was after.

And boy, did he get access. He lives in our house and works for our company. The only thing he doesn’t have access to is the safe. Only my dad and Duke ever knew that combination.

“I’ll make sure no one uses the warehouse tomorrow,” I assure him. “Do you need anything else?”

He shakes his head.

“What is being delivered?” I ask before I think it through.

His gaze whips to mine. I never ask for details. As soon as we married, he made it clear to never ask questions.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to ask.”

His hand strikes my cheek before I see it coming. “It’s none of your business.”

Shit, that hurt. He struck the same place as before but much harder this time. No doubt it will leave an obvious mark. I turn away, holding my cheek, hoping he will leave.

“Look at me when I’m talking to you!” he shouts.

Slowly I turn back to him, but before he can hit me again, glass shatters outside. Then a car alarm goes off.

“My car!” he yells as he runs outside.

I breathe a sigh of relief as I walk to the window to see what’s going on. Nelson’s precious Porsche has a shattered back window, and the alarm is blaring. Movement to the left catches my eye. A man in a hat is walking away from the area. The hairs on the back of my neck go up. The way he moves is familiar. And then I feel him again.

Logan.

Nelson is cursing as he gets into his car and drives off. This is my chance to find out if that is Logan. I leave the office and walk in the direction the man went. As I approach the next block, I spot him ducking into a car. He pulls out from the road before I can get close.

My head falls back as I look at the sky. Am I losing my mind, or do I just really want it to be Logan? If he is back and watching me, could he save me? Getting lost in fantasy land is the last thing I have time for now. He can’t save me without putting Duke at risk. No, I got myself into this mess, and I will get myself out.

When I get back into the office, my phone is ringing. “Hello?”

“I got the perfect plan!” Samantha says.

“What?” I ask.

“Become a nun. That gets you out of the marriage and that house.”

I fall back into my chair and rub my eyes with my free hand. “Samantha, I’m not Catholic or a virgin or whatever their requirements are.”

Even if I were, there is no way Nelson would let me run off and join some church like that. I know too much now. I’d be a liability. Maybe that’s why I want Logan to be here. When we were together, I had no idea what my family did. I wish that was still the case.

“Well, look into it. I think it would really work,” she says.

“Okay, I will.” No, I won’t. “I have to go. Talk to you later.” I end the call before she comes up with more ideas like that one.

Duke walks in, scowling. Usually, I wouldn’t talk to him when he’s in a mood, but today I need to.

“Duke, Nelson requested that the Miller warehouse be empty tomorrow for some delivery. Do you know about it?”

Duke spins on his heel to face me. “Miller? No, I don’t. That’s our biggest space. Did he tell you what’s coming in?”

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