In to Her

I chuckle in the mirror. Because sometimes I find myself ridiculous.

But then I frown and stare at my features again.

Perhaps I should’ve let her give me a shave? Just to make the edges of my ever-present stubble sharp. Because damn. I think my plan worked maybe a little too well.

They made a connection. Which I wanted, but only because I felt like Yvette and I were out ahead of Logan and he needed to catch up.

But now… I feel a little left behind.

How did that happen so quick?

That’s why these threesome trysts we have are always temporary. It’s really hard to love two people at the same time with equal measure.

I’m not worried about me. Or Logan, for that matter. We know how to share. We know how to detach from the jealousy.

But Yvette… she’s not used to this the way we are.

Could she, one day, maybe… choose one of us over the other?

It’s always a risk. But we’re about to take so many risks that I’m not sure this is one we need at the moment.

What if we get to that island and she decides she likes Logan better? What would I do?

Or what if Logan is really into her now and she decides she likes me better? What would he do?

Would we fight over this woman? Would we erase the history we have to possess her? Would we stoop to any level to get what we want?

You don’t have to look too far back into history to see that men do lots of stupid things for a woman. They ruin friendships, and families, and sometimes whole civilizations over their possessiveness. And Logan and I are already that guy to some degree. The kind who wants what he wants and does whatever it takes to get it.

That’s us.

Is it stupid to think we can pull this off? Not only the part about escaping Damon. That’s its own monster. But the part about taking one woman between us.

It can’t ever work, can it?

Good fucking God. What did I do?

My phone rings. It’s in my pants, which are on the bathroom floor.

I know who it is without looking. Only one person it could be.

I pick it up, tab accept, and say, “Damon.”

“AJ,” he says. “You’re still alive.”

“Yeah.” I laugh. “Sorry about that. Fucking huge-ass blizzard came through here yesterday. We got stuck in the bar.”

“Is she dead?”

“Uh…” I want to lie. But I don’t know what Logan’s plan is. So it’s a bad idea. “No,” I say. “Not yet.”

“Well, that surprises me.”

Here’s the really creepy thing about Damon. He’s an asshole to the nth degree. He loses his temper regularly. Just goes off on tantrums and rants. Like all the time. But he has this other side to him too. This side he’s showing me right now. The calm, evil side that says, with a straight face, to the men in his wedding party, “Go ahead and fuck my new wife.”

Anyone who thinks Logan is the world champion of zero emotions hasn’t seen this side of Damon.

“We’re gonna do it now,” I say. “Then head out. Probably be back tonight.”

“Both of you?” he asks.

Which puzzles me. “What do you mean?”

“I mean what I said. Both of you are returning home?”

“Yeah,” I say, getting a very bad feeling about this.

“Well, that’s why I’m surprised.”

“What?”

“Because I told Logan to kill you before he came home. And obviously he hasn’t done that either.”

“What?”

“You heard me, AJ.”

“Why the fuck would you tell him to kill me?”

Damon sighs on the other end of the phone. “Because, AJ. I’m done with you. And it was a test for Logan. To see if he would. Obviously he’s failed. Miserably. So I’ll tell you what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna give you the chance I gave him. Kill my wife, then kill Logan, and you can come home and keep your job. Keep your life. Keep everything just like it was when you left.”

I am literally speechless. There’s so much to unpack in that statement.

“AJ?” Damon barks.

“Yeah. I’m here.”

“Did you understand my instructions?”

“Yeah. I’ll get it done.”

I can almost feel his evil smile on the other end of the phone conversation. Almost see it in the mirror in front of me.

“Good. Then I’ll see you tonight.”

He ends the call and I’m left standing there in front of the mirror. It’s fogged up again. The steam still swirling around in the bathroom.

So I can’t see my face.

Which is a good thing.

Because I don’t know who I am right now.

Chapter Thirty-Two – LOGAN

Downstairs it’s cold and it takes me a few minutes to find the bedroom she’s talking about. There’s a hospital bed in there. So… guess this is where her father-in-law died.

Pretty. Sad.

Choosing clothes for us yesterday must’ve been a thoughtful decision for her, because there’s a pile of them on a chair near the window. I walk over to it, then instinctively pull the curtain open to look outside.