Page 59 of Logan
Chapter Twenty-Five
Mac
But you won't break me
You'll just make me stronger than I was
Before I met you, I bet you I'll be just fine without you
And if I stumble, I won't crumble
I'll get back up
’Stronger Than I Was’ - Eminem
It takes a second, maybe longer, for my brain to understand that it’s over.
That Anthony’s not on top of me.
That the pressure on my wrists is gone.
That the screaming has stopped.
For a moment, the room is too quiet. My ears are still ringing, the sound like a swarm of bees trapped inside my skull. My body refuses to believe what my eyes and skin are telling me. I’m still on the bed, curled so tight against the headboard that my knees are digging into my chest, my breath coming in short, frantic gasps. It feels like I’m still fighting him off, like if I loosena single muscle he’ll be there again, his weight crushing me, his voice in my ear.
But I’m not.
I’m not.
Somewhere past the ringing, I hear Logan’s voice again low now, raw and ragged, like it’s been torn from somewhere deep inside him.
“Mac. Baby, it’s me. I’m here.”
The sound of him cuts through the static in my head in a way nothing else could. But I can’t lift my head. I want to, I really do, but every part of me is frozen, locked in place. Like if I look at him, if I let him see me like this it’ll make it real. It’ll makemereal, in this state.
There’s movement in the room. The sound of duct tape ripping, rough and sharp. Maybe rope being knotted. A groan. A dull thud. Then silence, heavy and thick.
Boots cross the carpet. Slow. Careful.
And then he’s there, kneeling beside me. Not touching. Not crowding. Just there, close enough for me to feel the weight of his presence like a wall between me and the rest of the world.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he says gently, each word deliberate, each syllable steady. “You’re safe now. I’ve got you.”
That voice, it’s more than sound. It’s a lifeline. It’s the first breath after nearly drowning.
My body moves before I even think. I reach out, a blind, desperate motion, and he catches me instantly, pulling me into him like I’m something breakable. His arms fold around me so carefully, like I’m all sharp edges that could cut him open. And that is when I break all over again.
The sob rips out of me before I can stop it. I bury my face against his jacket, my fists clutching the front of it like if I let go, I’ll disappear into the dark that’s still clawing at the edges of my mind.
“I…I tried to fight,” I gasp, the words tumbling out between sobs. “I swear I did. He—he was going to…”
“You don’t have to explain,” Logan says. His voice is hoarse, cracked with something deeper than anger. There’s grief there. Guilt. Maybe both. “You don’t have to say a word. I’m just so damn glad I got to you in time.”
His arms tighten around me. Strong. Solid. Home.
I want to say something brave. Something strong. Something that tells him I’m okay, that I’ll be okay. But the truth is all I can do is cry, my chest shaking against his.
Because I thought I’d healed from the last time.
