Of Loss & Betrayal (Madison & Logan 2)

I suppressed rolling my eyes and went into the bathroom off the bedroom. After I finished brushing my teeth, I opened the small box I kept on the counter to store my jewelry in for safekeeping while I showered. I froze, looking at the box disbelievingly. I had put my heart pendant in there earlier today after I had taken it off to wipe down since I had gotten some food on it while cooking. I had intended to put it back on after showering, but in my hurry to get ready before Mack and Kristina arrived, I had left it in the box. And now it was gone.

I checked the counter and scoured the floor, thinking maybe I had dropped it, although I clearly remembered putting it in the box and closing the lid. Panic began to rise as I checked and rechecked every crevice in the bathroom. Where the hell was my necklace?

“You’ve officially taken too long,” Logan called out from the bedroom. “I’m not opposed to carrying you out and throwing you onto the bed.”

I opened the door and Logan’s grin vanished when he saw my face. “What’s wrong?”

“My necklace. My heart pendant. It’s not in the bathroom where I left it.”

Logan got up from the bed and came into the bathroom. “Are you sure? Where did you put it?”

I pointed to the jewelry box. “In there. I know I put it in there, but now it’s gone.” I shook my head, confused. “Where could it have gone? It’s not like it just walked off on its own.”

Logan froze. He turned to me, a worried expression on his face. “Kristina used this bathroom earlier.”

“When?” I asked, my voice rising. “I would have noticed her going into the bedroom to use the bathroom.”

“It’s when you were using the bathroom out there. She said she couldn’t wait, so I told her she could go ahead and use this bathroom.” Logan grimaced. “I’m sorry, Maddie. I never thought she would steal something.”

A ball of anger was growing in the pit of my stomach. “That bitch. I can’t believe she stole my necklace. And then had the gall to sit there, shoving my dessert in her face, pretending not to be a thief.” I wanted to sit down on the bathroom floor and cry. “I can’t lose that necklace. I can’t. It’s my connection to Cassie.”

Tears were rolling down my face, an ache in my heart at the thought of losing that necklace. It was the one thing that made me feel close to Cassie. “Does she know the significance of it?”

Logan shook his head helplessly. “I don’t know. I certainly haven’t told her anything about it, but I don’t know what I’ve told her before I lost my memory.”

Rage was quickly overtaking my sorrow. I stalked out of the bathroom, through the bedroom and into the hallway, opening the entryway closet and grabbing a coat.

“Where are you going?” Logan asked, close behind my heels.

“To Kristina’s hotel. I’m getting my necklace back from that bitch,” I said, shoving my arms into my coat.

“Wait,” Logan said, grabbing my arm. “We’ve all had a little too much to drink. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go storming over there.”

I shook his hand off my arm. “I’m fine. And I’m going.”

“Maddie, wait.” Logan moved quickly so that he was between the door and me. “I’ll call her and talk to her. I just don’t want you to get hurt. A confrontation after drinking isn’t a good idea.”

“You think she’s going to admit to stealing it?” I asked incredulously. I made a sound of anger. “This is what I get for trying to be nice to her.”

“You don’t even know her room number,” he reasoned. “They’re not going to just tell you at the front desk. And if they call up to her room, it’s not like she’s going to let you waltz upstairs because she’ll know why you’re there.”

I wanted to scream in frustration because he was right. Then I had an idea. “Mack must know her room number because he took her home the other night. I’ll ask him.”

Logan sighed but was silent as I called Mack. My frustration grew when it went straight to voicemail.

“I’ll call Kristina,” Logan said gently. “It’s probably better if I confront her.”

“Fine, call her,” I said shortly. I crossed my arms while I watched him dial her number.

“I knew she wouldn’t answer,” I snapped when he hung up the phone after it went to voicemail. “She knows why you’re calling.”

“Why are you angry with me?”

“I’m not.” All my anger deflated, replaced with heartache. “You just don’t understand. You’re not the Logan that understands. You didn’t know Cassie. Even though I’ve told you what happened, you can’t understand it unless you’ve lived through it. I need the Logan that understands.”

I could feel Logan withdraw from me, both mentally and physically. “I’m still the same person,” he said in a flat voice. “Am I supposed to apologize for having lost my memory?”

I made a sound of frustration. “That’s not what I meant!” I threw my hands up in irritation. “I don’t know what the hell I meant. I just can’t deal with this right now.”