But he was scary. Whatever he had planned for Lefty would probably give most people nightmares. Logan wouldn’t bat an eye. He was on executioner autopilot. The night he rescued her, he radiated rage and fury. Today? Today there was nothing but cold calculation and acceptance of what was to come.
A killing.
“I’m not calling the club.”
Oh, shit.
She shot off after him back into the house, no longer concerned about her home being contaminated by a sadist.
“Logan!” she said when she caught up to him in her kitchen standing over Lefty’s body. He flicked her a glance over his shoulder then walked around the body toward her counter. She followed, grabbed his arm, and turned him away from…her knife set?
Double shit.
It took a monumental amount of effort, but she managed to ignore the fact he was now holding her butcher knife. “What do you mean, you aren’t calling the club? Logan, you can’t do this by yourself. That’s crazy. Copper will flip his shit.”
“Go back outside, Chloe,” he said, voice hard.
“What? Go back outside? That’s all you have to say?” She threw her hand up. “Logan, you told me what Copper said. Lefty belongs to the club. Now, I may not have been around your club much, but from what you told me, you don’t ignore an order from your president.”
“Chloe, outside.”
She seethed; fists clenched at her sides. What the hell was wrong with this stubborn man? “Logan. He could kick you out of the club. Or worse!” Her stomach hurt all over again. She’d been completely wrong about Logan being calm and unaffected by Lefty’s presence. He was affected to the point he was no longer thinking rationally. He was willing to toss his life away over this.
And Lefty would win. He’d die, but part of him would win if Rocket went against the club. Against his family. What the hell would happen to him without his brothers?
“Logan, please,” she said as she grabbed his forearm. She absolutely had to stop him. Had to find a way to make him listen to reason. She’d do anything short of diving in front of the knife. “Stop and think for a second. You’ll realize how reckless this is. You aren’t reckless. You don’t act without thinking.”
He looked down at her with much the same ice-cold gaze he’d had in her front yard. “Go. Outside.” Each word was punctuated with a narrowing of his eyes.
Chloe swallowed. It was a wasted effort. He wouldn’t see reason.
“Fine,” she said as she stepped back from him. Without another word she turned and walked outside. Once the front door had closed behind her, she sucked in a huge breath. She knew what she had to do. The one thing that would save Logan from himself.
Even if he’d see it as a betrayal.
Even if it might make him walk away from her forever.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
HE’D BRUISED HER. Again. Cut her face.
And Rocket hadn’t been there. Hell, he hadn’t even checked the house. Just let her hop off his bike and go on her merry way. Guilt swamped him until it felt like a physical ache.
The motherfucker had touched her for the last time. In fact, Rocket twirled the knife by the handle, Lefty was about to breathe his last breath.
Rocket shoved the sight of Chloe’s worried face from his mind as he stood over Lefty. She’d come around later, after the shock of finding Lefty in her house waned.
He was loyal to his club. Always had been. Never once had he been tempted to betray his patch or buck Copper’s orders. Until the very moment he’d heard Chloe’s fear-filled voice through his phone. Until he saw the angry bruises that would take weeks to fade. The club took a backseat to Rocket’s need for retribution, and for the first time since he patched, he was willing to throw it all away.
From his spot face down on Chloe’s kitchen floor, Lefty groaned and turned his head to the side.
A grin curled Rocket’s lips. “Wakey, wakey, motherfucker,” he said right before using his heavy boot to shove Lefty onto his side. A surge of pride in Chloe raced through him at the sight of Lefty’s ravaged face. She’d fought like a wildcat and beat his ass. Rocket laughed. “Damn, she did a number on you, huh? Guess you’re not much without your little gang.”
God, he’d waited for this for so long. Lived for this moment. He was going to prolong the execution as much as possible. Savor it. Soak up every ounce of Lefty’s misery.
Fucking Esposito. The bastard must have suspected Logan didn’t complete the mission. Otherwise why fuck with him this way? He was a problem that would have to be addressed once Lefty was on ice.
“Rocket,” Lefty said, in a nasally whine due to the broken nose. “Been hoping you’d visit.”