Page 301 of Sin Bin

There was a muffled yelp followed by the sounds of a struggle as the guards wrestled with Logan, trying to restrain him and drag him away. He was putting up one hell of a fight, yelling and cursing at them between begging Meadow to open the door.

She screwed her eyes shut, shaking so violently it was a miracle that her bones didn’t crash together and shatter. She could barely pull air into her lungs.

Just when she feared she was having a panic attack, she heard two more male voices. Reinforcements had apparently been called.

There was more angry shouting and grunting as the four men grappled with Logan. A reverberating thud rocked the door, startling a gasp out of Meadow.

As tears squirted out of her eyes, she screamed shrilly across the room, “Stop it, Logan! I don’t want to see you anymore, so please just leave me alone!”

The yelling and scuffling abruptly stopped.

She closed her eyes, releasing her breath in stuttering half gasps.

A long silence followed. Each second stretched into agonizing eternity.

Finally Lucien spoke reassuringly through the door, “They’ve taken him away, Meadow. Are you all right?”

No! she wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. I’ll never be all right again!

“Y-Yes,” she managed to stammer.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” She swallowed sickly. Then, in a tremulous half whisper, she asked, “Was he…Did they hurt him?”

“No.” There was sardonic amusement in Lucien’s voice. “It’s my men you should be worried about. They don’t call my son Bruiser for nothing.”

Meadow sank down weakly on the bed, her hands shaking in her lap.

“Do you need anything?” Lucien asked.

Other than a new heart to replace the mangled mess in my chest?

“No.” She closed her eyes. “I-I think I’ll just go to bed, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course.” His voice gentled with sympathy. “I’ll make sure my son is kept away from you for the duration of the trip. Tomorrow morning I’ll have two of my guards escort you safely to my private plane, which will fly you home. Logan will travel separately.”

Meadow swallowed painfully. “Th-Thank you.”

“No thanks necessary.” He paused for a long moment. “I’m sorry that your visit had to end on such…unpleasant terms.”

“So am I,” she mumbled.

She thought he would leave after that. But then he said grimly, “I’m afraid I’m largely responsible for creating that monster—”

“Don’t you dare call him that! He’s not a monster! He’s just…broken. And I can’t fix him,” she said in a painfully raw whisper. “No matter how much I wish I could, I can’t fix him.”

There was silence on the other side of the door.

Anger flared in her chest. “And, yes, you are responsible for his demons. Your absence from his life devastated him and left him vulnerable to unspeakable abuse and neglect. As for your actions tonight, I don’t know your motives or what you were hoping to achieve. But I hope you can see how much you hurt your son with that stunt you pulled. He’s an amazing man, Mr. Brassard, and he deserves so much better than what you and his mother did to him. He was fortunate to find a loving father in Mr. Tavárez, but it’s never too late for you to play a role in his life. If he ever decides to let you in, don’t you dare hurt him again. Be there for him. Earn his trust. And maybe someday, if you’re lucky, you can earn his love and respect.”

Another long silence fell.

“Goodnight, Meadow,” Lucien said quietly.

After he left, she slid off the bed and dropped to her knees on the floor, burying her face in her hands. Her tears came fast and hard, the sobs strong enough to convulse her entire body.

Damn you, Logan, she silently railed. Why did you have to destroy our one true shot at happily-ever-after?

---