When he left her apartment that afternoon, Gina's wrists and arms were black and blue, her throat and body bruised. The other woman lay on the bed, moaning—an awful, disturbing sound. He was too stoned to be concerned—he could barely think, let alone drive. It was amazing he made it home without crashing the car or getting stopped.
Most of his energy had already been released on Gina and the other woman, but the actual events were indistinct. Since his nerves were still electrified, he was skeptical about touching Kristen. Once he was tempted, he didn't trust himself anymore.
The lights were off; he could barely see her curled up on the couch when he entered the apartment. She wasn't acknowledging him.
“What's wrong?” Bending over her, he planted a feeble kiss on her cheek, holding back.
Stunned, she jolted upright. Although she had been preparing this confrontation in her mind all night, his sudden appearance spooked her.
His eyes narrowed as he looked at her, trying to read her face. Something was wrong, there was fear in her eyes. Fear he hadn't seen for a long time. Sitting on the couch in front of her, he blocked her in. “Talk to me, Krissy. I know you. What happened?”
She couldn't look at him.
I am living with a murderer; one I swore to protect. But I never knew for sure he killed Ray. I didn’t even know he was dead then. It’s not like he actually told me any details.
The frenzied thumping of her heart paralyzed her.
Logan’s paranoia was explosive, his nose running profusely. He had no idea how much coke they'd done. In what seemed like a futile attempt, he repeatedly whisked his hand across his nostrils trying to keep them dry.
“I'm not fooling around, Kristen. Tell me what's wrong with you!”
“Where were you Logan? Another long meeting?”
A powerful wave of dizziness hit Logan by surprise. He gripped the edge of the couch, sniffling and struggling to think straight. It was useless. He slid down to the floor, dropping his head onto her lap.
“Logan! What's wrong with you?” As soon as she fully focused, she knew. “You're fucked up!” She wanted to throw him off of her. Instead, her fingers were in his hair as she fought the nervous fluttering in her stomach.
“Aww, fuck…I really messed up this time, Krissy, I'm sorry.”
His slurred speech terrified Kristen even more.
She inched away from him, her panic stricken eyes shining in the dark. “What did you do?”
Did you kill someone else?
When he didn’t answer or look up, it hit her. “You were with her again, weren't you?” Now her fingers locked in his hair, pulling his head back without mercy.
Logan’s eyes were filled with despair when he raised them to her. Wincing, he fought to disregard the pain as she continued yanking his hair. In a moment of weakness, it dawned on him: this time he might've inflicted serious injuries on that other woman. In desperation, he reached for Kristen. She released her grip, permitting him to crawl onto the couch, bury his face in her hair and cling to her. When he started sobbing, she was baffled.
“I promise, I won't see her anymore...” His anguished cries were lost in her hair.
She gaped at him, unsure if she should hold on and console him or give in to her urge to rip him to shreds. “I don't know what to do with you, Logan.”
“Just please give me another chance, Krissy. I love you... I can't lose you! Sometimes I lose control... I can't help it.”
The disappointment rendered her speechless. It was obvious he was back to doing tons of drugs. “Logan, you need to get some rest. Come on.” Taking his arm, she waited until he pulled himself up so she wouldn't have to exert too much energy. Still disoriented, he wobbled to his feet, letting her lead him to the bed. When they reached it, he held her arms, grunting as he pulled her down with him.
“I'm not that big, Logan. Cut it out!” She couldn’t resist a chuckle.
“Then stay with me.”
Those magical eyes begged her. With a defeated sigh, she allowed herself to curl up next to him.
“After the baby, when you're back to normal, I won't be so tempted, sweetie. Do you believe me?”
She closed her eyes, a low groan escaping her lips. “We'll see, Logan. You have a lot to prove. I'm afraid something really bad is going to happen one day if you keep this up.”
“That's why I need you to stay with me, baby girl, to help me. You're the only one who can. You’re my anchor.” He rubbed his hands along her stomach, sucking her neck at the same time. She flinched uncontrollably at his words. It’s ironic—once I felt the same way about Jake. A lifetime ago.
“Go to sleep, Logan. I'm exhausted.” Rolling onto her side, she pushed her face into the pillow, wishing that she could just end her misery and die.
SATURDAY
JAKE
It had been a long, difficult week for Jake. Talking to Kristen only served to increase his stress over the Logan situation. He was baffled about his feelings for her, and the fear he harbored for her safety. Attempting to put it on the back burner for a while, he concentrated on the revelation about Tia. When she came to the club, he would end it with her, despite how much she tried to seduce him. Dealing with another dishonest woman was not part of his plan, and he knew it was sure to end in similar disaster. His creativity had suffered the entire week, and he was determined to fire it up again.
It wasn't until almost midnight that she finally showed up. Unexpectedly, she was with Marty. Jake took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves for the assault.
As soon as Tia touched his arm, it was impossible to quell the butterflies in his stomach. He had to keep reminding himself that it was strictly physical attraction, and there would never be any emotional or spiritual connection. She was the trouble he was striving to avoid. Despite his efforts, the spark of electricity was powerful.
From the puzzled expression on Tia's face, he was certain she sensed his withdrawal. Marty watched with intent interest, lingering at the bar after Tia sprinted into the crowd with her beer.
“How's it going, Jake?” She motioned toward Tia.
Jake wasn't comfortable getting personal with her, especially when her cousin was involved. “It's not.”
He made an effort to keep it short as he tried to remain emotionless. Since it was really busy and he had to keep moving back and forth between customers, it made it a little easier.
Marty’s desire to talk kept her from straying too far. “Tia doesn't seem to feel that way.”
Jake folded his arms across his chest in a defensive gesture, positive it was the only way to handle it. “Yeah, well that sucks for her, doesn't it? I had enough of her games.”
Marty flinched, surprised by his sudden hostile attitude. Her conversation with Kristen ages ago about his temper entered her mind. She longed to confide in Ray.
“Don't say I didn't warn you.” She scrutinized him, desperate to reveal what happened to Kristen the day Logan swooped down on her.
“I didn't say that, Marty, did I?” They were cousins, she was Kristen's best friend, which made her an adversary in his head. And the scenario was very distressing.
“Just saying.” Her voice softened.