Page 276 of Sin Bin

She swallowed painfully. “I received a phone call yesterday from my mother’s sister.”

Logan’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Your birth mother’s sister?”

She nodded slowly. “Somehow she tracked me down. The sound of her voice…it triggered a traumatic memory I’d been suppressing since I was six.”

Logan stared at her, barely breathing. “A memory of what?”

She looked into his eyes. “The night my uncle killed my parents.”

Logan’s face went slack with shock. “What?”

As she burst into tears, he shot out of the chair and joined her on the bed, pulling her onto his lap and wrapping his arms around her. He held her tight as she wept uncontrollably, her body wracked by sobs that hurt inside and out. He whispered soothingly and kissed her brow, pressing his mouth to every part of her face he could touch. His tenderness made her cry even harder, her tears wetting his neck.

When her sobs subsided enough for her to speak somewhat coherently, the story came pouring out of her like muddy floodwaters. Logan listened in stunned silence as she told him about the harrowing night her parents lost their lives over an argument about money.

Though she couldn’t see his face, she could feel the shock and horror reverberating through him as he absorbed her devastating revelations. She could feel his heart thundering beneath her ear, his thigh muscles clenching beneath her bottom, his arms tightening around her as she described the suffocating fear she’d felt while hiding in the closet, the panic and terror that engulfed her when she saw her murdered parents.

“Jesus Christ,” Logan breathed hoarsely when she’d told him all of it, every heartbreaking detail. “I’m so sorry, baby. So fucking sorry for everything you went through.”

She let out a shivering breath and lifted her head from his chest. His eyes were shiny, fierce with emotion.

“So many things make sense now,” she said quietly. “The panic attacks. My fear of being in the spotlight. Of being seen. My mother told me to hide in that closet and ‘Be invisible,’ and I’ve spent all these years trying to do just that. Even though I couldn’t remember what happened that night, my psyche associated visibility with danger.”

Logan nodded, his eyes sweeping over her face. “Now I understand why you stayed away from social media. You didn’t want to be found, and you had every reason to feel that way.”

She nodded, resettling her head against the warm wall of his bare chest.

“I would have killed him,” he growled, raw fury throbbing in every word. “If your uncle had come here looking for you, I would have fucking killed him with my bare hands. He didn’t deserve a quick, merciful death. He deserved to suffer, and I would have gladly made sure he did.”

“I know you would have.” Meadow didn’t doubt him for a second. She’d seen him lose his temper. She knew how brutally dangerous he could be.

Swallowing tightly, she reached up and fingered the scar hidden below her hairline. She could almost feel the butt of her uncle’s pistol crashing into her temple and opening a gash, causing her to lose consciousness. “At least now I know how I got this scar.”

Logan pressed a kiss to her hair, soothing her with tenderness. “I know there’s absolutely nothing I can say to take your pain away, but I want you to know how truly sorry I am. I’m here for you, sweetheart. I’m gonna do whatever it takes to help you get through this.”

“I know you will,” she whispered achingly. “And I’m so grateful for that. Right now it’s enough for you to just hold me.”

“I can definitely do that.” He leaned back against the headboard, holding her so close it was a miracle their bodies didn’t fuse together. With his arms banded around her and her cheek resting on his powerful chest, she felt safer than she ever had in her life.

As the heaviness of exhaustion seeped into her limbs, she closed her eyes and mumbled softly, “Thanks for nursing me through my hangover.”

His lips curved against her hair. “Just returning the favor.”

All hell broke loose after a video of Logan’s brawl at the club went viral overnight.

Later that afternoon, he and Meadow were reclining on the couch watching football when his phone started blowing up. First his agent called in a panic because Rebels management wasn’t happy with Logan’s off-ice antics. They were worried about the negative publicity and were threatening to fine him for violating the morals clause in his contract. His publicist called next to discuss damage control.

While Logan took the call in his library, Meadow’s phone buzzed. When she saw her boss’s number, a knot of dread formed in the pit of her stomach. The last thing she needed right now was to be fired from her new job.

“Hello?” she answered nervously.

“Meadow? This is Dirk.” He sounded excited, not angry. “Apologies for calling you on a Sunday, but I just saw the viral video and wanted to reach out and make sure you’re okay.”

“Um, yeah. I’m fine.” Other than having my whole world turned upside down in the past twenty-four hours.

“I’m glad you’re okay. I was worried about you.” Dirk paused. “Is everything cool with you and Logan?”

Her brow furrowed at the question. “We’re fine—”

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