Page 173 of Keeping Kasey
I walk to the far side of the room and turn on my phone. There are almost a hundred missed calls from Mark.
I dial and bring the phone to my ear.
He answers on the first ring.
“Katie! Are you okay? Where are you? I’ve been trying to—”
“Mark,” I cut in, keeping my voice as low as I can, though I’m sure my audience can still hear me. “I’m fine. You need to stop looking for me.”
“He’s there, isn’t he? The Consoli guy, he’s with you?”
My stomach drops. Saying Logan’s name in front of Mark was careless, but I never imagined he’d figure out who Logan actually is.
“Listen to me, I’m safe. What you saw back at my apartment, I know it looked bad, but—”
“Looked bad? I was shot, and you were kidnapped.”
“I know, and I’m so sorry you got mixed up in my mess, but right now, I need you to listen to me. I am safe, but you aren’t. You need to stop trying to find me. Forget you ever met me and go back to your life, okay?”
His pause is brief, then his voice drops low. “I can’t do that, Katie—”
“Kasey, my name is Kasey. You don’t even know me.”
“Katie, Kasey, it doesn’t matter what you go by. I’m not letting you live as that bastard’s prisoner, and I found someone who can help.”
I steal a glance over my shoulder at the men watching me intently.
“Who?” I ask, disguising the word with an exhale.
“I can’t tell you that, but don’t worry. You won’t be there much longer, I promise.”
“Mark, I’m only going to say this one more time, then I’m hanging up. You haveno ideawho you’re dealing with. If you don’t stop looking for me and go back to your normal life, theywillkill you. I’ve done everything I can to protect you, but if you don’t drop this, there is nothing more I can do.”
I hang up, close my eyes, and vow to never get close to anyone again.
Mark already took a bullet because of me. If he loses his life just because I was lonely…
I won’t forgive myself.
The door opens and closes, but I don’t need to look to see who left and who is still here.
I don’t owe Logan anything, but for some reason, I find myself saying, “He isn’t my boyfriend. He was a nosy neighbor with a Superman complex who I had dinner with to forget how pathetically lonely I was. He’s a nice guy who found himself at the worst place at the worst time.”
“I didn’t ask.”
“No, you didn’t,” I say, turning to face his blank expression. “You just shot him.”
Logan doesn’t say anything, but I didn’t expect him to.
“Let’s just get this over with,” I mutter and shove past him into the hall.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Kasey
When I get to the dining room, the table is set, and almost everyone is sitting. Damon nods to the empty seat beside him, and I take it, even though it puts Elise at my other side. The only good thing about the seating arrangement is that Logan is on the other side of the table, out of my direct eye line.
Light chatter and classical music fill the room, and while it’s better than silence, the atmosphere buzzes with an unsettling energy, and I’m not under any illusions as to why.
