Henry wasn’t what he said he was—or he wasn’t what he’d said he’d been. Gemma was right. Caleb was right. They were new eyes looking at something that seemed normal.
Seth knew. Damn it. Seth knew the truth. Seth had something to do with this. There was a cover-up, and Seth was right at the heart of it.
“Nate, I need a couple of hours.” This couldn’t wait. He needed to talk to Seth. He needed to figure out a whole bunch of things.
“Take the rest of the day.” Nate had a smile on his face. “We’ve had our crazy shit happen today. Max was damn near bent in two, I tell you. I have no idea how he kept a hard-on through that. And he just kept calling her ‘Rachel, Mistress of Pain’ through the whole episode. What’s wrong with them?”
Logan didn’t think there was a damn thing wrong with them. There was probably a Hurricane Rachel out there and Max loved the winds. It took a special kind of man to take that much woman, but he was up for the task. And he knew Seth was, too.
Logan hit the door at a run and went straight for his SUV. He had questions to ask and stories to tell.
Georgia ran from the station house, up Main and past Stella’s, and she caught sight of Win almost immediately. He stood out in any crowd, much less the jeans-loving, granola, cowboy crowd. He was still wearing his Armani suit and Louis Vuitton loafers even at nine thousand feet plus above sea level.
“Win!”
He stopped and turned, his whole being laser focused on her.
Win. So much of her life fell into place as he stalked toward her. She’d spent a lifetime depressed because her mommy and daddy didn’t love her. They’d been shitastic parents, but that didn’t matter. Biology didn’t mean anything in the end. It was a starting point, a place on the map, but in the end as long as the destination was reached, it didn’t matter which route a person took.
Love was the end all, be all of existence, and now that she looked back at her life, she’d had it in spades. It didn’t matter where it came from, only that she’d had it.
“Win!” She screamed his name, not to stop him from searching for her, but to let him know she saw him, wanted to be with him. Win. Her rock.
Win had a grim look on his face as he stalked toward her. Damn. She had some work to do, but now she was ready to do it and as a woman, not a girl.
She reached for him, her arms open, because no matter what happened, he was her big brother. “Win. It’s so good to see you.”
He enveloped her in a bear hug. “You, too, sis.” He pulled away, and his handsome face became a mask of implacable will. “You will get your things, and we’re heading to Colorado Springs and catching a plane.”
Oh, how she loved him. And she wasn’t about to tell him yes. “What’s wrong now?”
Win’s jaw clenched. “Logan Green. He’s not who he says he is.”
A deep serenity fell over Georgia. Of course. Win loved her. He’d been her everything for so long. He was just being the superhero he was. “He says he’s a fuckup who got into a shitload of trouble.”
Win’s eyes narrowed, a sure sign that she’d thrown him off. “He’s been in a lot of trouble.”
Don’t engage with the Neanderthal. It was a lot like the granola except with fangs and claws. “He’s so sweet. Did you see our cabin? Ten thousand square feet of paradise.”
She didn’t mention the moose. It would only throw Win off. Then he would be worried about her being killed by a moose.
“I don’t care about the cabin, Georgie. And that’s Seth doing.”
So Seth was good and Logan was bad. It was good to know the score. “It’s so beautiful, and you should see the closet.”
Win looked down, catching sight of her feet. “What the hell? I haven’t seen you out of heels since you were sixteen.”
She’d been trying to fit in with the upper classman. So much time spent trying to get to a place that she didn’t even like. “I let a friend borrow my shoes. It’s totally reminding me of what it means to walk without pain. Maybe that’s why I’ve been so grumpy the last couple of years. My feet always hurt.”
Win shook his head. “You’re not doing this to me. Do you think I don’t know all your moves? I’m not going to let you distract me.”
“I really wish you would.” By this point in the conversation, Ben would have handed her a credit card. Chase would have been fixated on something shiny. Mark and Drew would just be scratching their heads wondering how to get the conversation back on track, but Win never got the chance to play it dumb. He couldn’t.
“Not happening. Now let’s go to this amazing cabin and grab your things.” He glanced down at his watch. “If we hurry, we can make it to Colorado Springs before dark.”
She reached out and took his hand, leading him to the bench that sat right outside of something called Blissful Art. There were lovely pots and ceramic work in the window front along with a bunch of flyers someone had taped on the “public forum” section of the store. From the words “tofu sit-in,” “cruelty-free,” and “fair wages,” she was betting on Nell.
“Georgie, we don’t have time for this. I have a meeting in the morning.”
Of course Win had a meeting, but he’d made time to ride to her rescue because that was just what he did. “I’m not going home with you, brother.”
His jaw tightened, a sure sign that he wasn’t happy with the way things were going. “I don’t want to have to tell you this, but Seth’s gotten you involved with a rather unsavory character.”
Logan was totally savory. He was a big old gorgeous hunk of man meat, but she thought pointing that out to her brother might not be the best way to go. “I was involved with Logan before I ever met Seth.”
“Did you know he’s been involved with drugs?” Win asked the question with the gravity of a man dropping a hammer, about to shatter her life.
She wasn’t that fragile. And Win’s statement didn’t surprise her. After what he’d gone through, she was surprised Logan wasn’t still involved with them. “He’s perfectly sober now.”
If she didn’t count the tequila incident.
“I don’t care. He was apparently in to a drug dealer for ten thousand dollars.”
She felt her eyes widen. “Seriously? Damn. Well, Seth can cover it.”
“From what I can tell, he already did. Not that he knew it. Your friend lied.”
“My boyfriend lied,” she corrected. So much of what Win was telling her didn’t make sense. She’d known Logan back in Texas, and he’d been a solid guy then. “And this incident was a while back, wasn’t it?”
Win frowned. “It was last year, yes, but people don’t change. If he was an addict once, he’s always going to be one.”
She reached out and put her hand in his. “Oh, Win. We’re all addicted to something.” She’d been addicted to fitting in rather than making a place for herself. Seth was addicted to plotting and being the king of the mountain, and Logan’s real addiction for the past year had been his own misery. “It’s how we handle it that makes us who we are. It’s really easy to get addicted to being the victim, you know.”
He frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about Logan. He was brutalized, and I think it was probably the first time he’d had something really bad happen to him so he decided the world was a piece of crap for a while, but he’s strong. He’s going to come out of it.” He’d started today. By the time they were done, he’d been relaxed and happy, as though something had settled deep inside. “I’m also talking about me, though. Logan hasn’t been able to let go of what happened to him, but I’ve been the same way all my life.”