Page 31 of Logan
One week since she said she was mine.
I have stayed away from the club every night since, doing everything I could to put distance between us. I told myself it was better for her. Better for me. Safer. Cleaner.
But tonight, I do not have a choice. Landon had other shit to deal with and could not come in to collect the deposit. The officers handle that kind of money because of the risk involved.
All I need to do is go in, grab what I came for, and get out.
No detours.
No slipping into old habits.
No getting caught in her orbit.
I park my bike, but I do not move right away. The engine ticks as it cools, the sound like a clock counting down to something I am not ready for. I grip the handlebars harder than I need to, my leather gloves creaking. It would be so much easier if I could just be with her. If there was not this minefield between us, if the weight of what I carry did not make me poison for her.
When I finally get off the bike, the air smells like rain even though the sky is clear. It should calm me. It doesn’t.
Inside, the lights hit me first, flashing over the crowd and bouncing off sequined costumes. The bass from the music thuds low in my chest. I scan the bar and see Shaina working alone. That means Kenzie is on the floor tonight. The thought makes my jaw clench hard enough that it aches.
Allison never should have let her do that. Not in those tiny shorts that look painted onto her skin. Not in that top that pushes her breasts together like an invitation to every lowlife in here. I tell myself to focus on something else, but my eyes find her without permission. She moves through the crowd with easy confidence, smiling just enough to keep their wallets open.
Get a grip, Logan.
I force myself onto a barstool. Shaina slides a glass of soda across the counter without a word. She has not spoken to me since she took Kenzie in, and we blew up about it at family dinner.
That argument still plays in my head.
“It’s not your fucking business!” I slam my hands on the table, doing everything I could to keep from yelling louder.
“Sit down.” My father didn’t raise his voice. He never needed to. His presence carried weight, the kind that kept people in line. “What were you thinking, Shay?”
Shaina shot me a look like I was the lowest kind of idiot. “It is not my fault my brother keeps stringing that poor girl along. He wants her, then he doesn’t. He pushes her away, then fucks her, then leaves her at his place like she’s disposable. She needed someone, and I like her.” Then she turns back to me. “If you don’t want her, then let her go before you run her out of town again.”
She storms out, and my father’s eyes go to mine. “She may not have said it kindly, but she isn’t wrong. I told you the other day, Logan. You need to make a choice and live with it.”
I nod, but it didn’t satisfy him. “If you care about her, why fight it?”
I take a deep breath and tell him everything. The real reason we were not together. He listens without interrupting, and when I finish, he only repeated the same thing.
Make a choice.
Live with it.
Back in the present, I try to keep my gaze on the shelves behind the bar, but she pulls me in again. She is not just working tables; she is flirting, leaning close, laughing at their pathetic jokes. Letting them think they have a shot. Every time she bends over, I want to tear my chair apart. I grip my glass so hard the condensation runs down my wrist.
When Shaina disappears into the back, Kenzie slides behind the bar. She moves like she owns it, all self-assuredcontrol and deliberate sways of her hips. By the time she reaches me, I have lost the thin thread of patience I walked in with.
“Can I get ya anything else?” Her hand rests on her hip, the casual stance daring me to say the wrong thing.
“What the hell are you trying to prove, Kenzie?” My voice is low, clipped, each word pushed out past the tightness in my chest.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about, and I told you my name is not Kenzie anymore.” She turns to leave, but I grab her arm.
“No touching the workers. Or have you forgotten your own rule?” She arches an eyebrow, mocking me with that calm stare.
I keep my hand where it is. I am not ready to let go yet. Not ready to lose the one point of contact I have had with her in a week. She calls for Hank without breaking eye contact.
Hank appears at the bar, glancing between us. Kenzie smiles at me, then tilts her head toward him. “Hey, this customer needs a reminder not to touch the girls.” She gestures to me like I am any other asshole in the room.
