“I love you too.” She hugs me tighter. “They better come back.”
“They will.” This time it’s me being strong for her. “Love always wins.”
It better. Or I’ll kill my husband myself.
22
Logan
“You need a hospital.”
I cough, and blood splatters on my hand. “No.”
“Boss, we can’t just go back to the warehouse and—”
“We’re going.” I jolt as Ben lands roughly, getting the job done as he cuts the engines and slows our speed.
“If I take you back and you die in Quinn’s arms, she’s not going to be happy.”
I sit up, ignoring the pain in my ribs. We barely made it out of the shit in the desert. But not before I made my mark. A week of picking off those assholes, stalking them, and destroying them. It all ended with a bang. Literally. We blew up one of their outposts and fought off half a dozen of them in hand-to-hand combat.
Ben winces as he opens the airplane door. He’s fucked up too. Took a bullet in the shoulder and a blade to his hand.
“You don’t want to get back to Nova?” I ask as I follow him out of the small plane and land—still pretty steadily—on my feet.
“I do.” He grabs our beat-up duffle bag and throws it over his good shoulder. “But we look like ten pounds of shit stuffed into a five-pound bag.”
I’m not too worried about my appearance. I used to always clean up before going home. But now that Quinn knows the truth, I’m going straight to her. These days apart have been a living hell. Even though I’ve been wreaking havoc on the assholes who attacked us, every moment I’ve spent without Quinn is one I regret. Simply because I can’t get that time back.
“Do you think Nova gives a shit what you look like right now?” I ask.
He shrugs. “I mean, I always look good.”
I take in the swollen lip, black eye, bandaged hand, and the rest of his injuries. “We’re alive. That’s all that’ll matter to them.”
We load into my SUV, and I head for the driver’s seat, another cough wracking me.
“I got this.” He guides me around to the passenger side. “If I don’t get you back alive, Quinn will kill me. No, thanks.”
“She wouldn’t hurt a fly.” I say it, then realize she might do just what Ben says. There’s a strength inside her, one she doesn’t even realize. I think it’s why I was so drawn to her in the beginning. Trusting another person—especially a person like me—that takes a steel spine. Dangerous acts and rough living aren’t true indicators of bravery. Of strength. It’s trusting someone else with your heart, it’s being kind and caring even though you could get hurt—those are what really make a person tough. And Quinn has all that in spades.
“You awake?” Ben asks.
I realize I’d closed my eyes, because when I look around, we’re almost at the warehouse. “I’m awake.”
“Could’ve fooled me. Damn, Logan, I should’ve taken you to the hospital. You’re a fucking mess.”
“I’ll live. Doc Lewis is waiting for us.”
“That guy is a menace. Does he even still have a medical license?” Ben enters the gate code, and we both give a curt nod to the Brotherhood member eyeing us from a spot along the fence. They’re spread out all around us. I can’t see them, but I feel their gaze on me. Good. That’s what Clevenger promised me. He’s true to his word, though I’m not too keen on owing him a favor.
We roll through the fence. My heartbeat kicks up a notch at the thought of finally having Quinn back in my arms. I couldn’t contact her while I was doing dirty work. Ben and I were silent, untraceable.
“Doc Lewis is the best in his line of work. Don’t worry about it.” I feel lighter the closer we come to the warehouse. “He took care of Nova, didn’t he?”
Ben nods slowly. “Yeah, and I’m grateful to him for it.” He slows as we wait for the garage door to open. I’d jump out of the car and run if I weren’t so beat up.
“Hey...” He hesitates so long I think he’s forgotten to finish what he was saying.
“Yeah?”
“Have you ever thought about maybe … I don’t know … like maybe not doing this anymore?” He pulls into the garage.
I’ve already got my door open, but I pause at his question. “You mean give up the life? You?”
“Not me. I’ve got years of work ahead of me.” He rolls his eyes and climbs from the car along with me. “You.”
To be honest, the thought has crossed my mind. Especially after Quinn told me she was pregnant. But is this life something I can just give up? It’s all I’ve known.
“You’ve got a family now, Logan. Things are different. And—” He gives me a cocky smirk. “I can do all the heavy lifting while you’re in early retirement.”