Page 1 of Sinful Palace

1

Willow

The gunshot roaredthrough the cold night air, almost deafening me. I fell to my knees with an agonized cry.

For a terrifying moment, I was paralyzed on the cold ground, limbs frozen with terror. My ears kept ringing from the shot as dizzy nausea bubbled up in my throat, and I panted like an animal, struggling to fill my lungs with air.

There was no pain. I was completely numb. I knew I’d been shot, though. I didn’t imagine the gun going off.

It had to be shock. I’d read articles about people who didn’t even realize they’d been shot for several minutes after the incident due to systemic shock. Now it was happening to me.

With a whimper, I clawed at my face and neck before moving down to my chest and abdomen. There were no gaping holes in me. No blood. Teddy must’ve missed.

I finally opened my eyes and let out a sharp yelp at the sight before me. Teddy was lying on the concrete path in front of me, lifeless eyes staring at nothing.

Blood oozed from a singular bullet hole in the center of his forehead. Even more blood was leaking out and pooling around the back of his head, a sticky, inky mess in the darkness.

I jerked my head up and around to see Logan standing behind me. He held a pistol in one hand, jaw clenched as he stared at his friend’s body.

“You,” was all I managed to choke out.

He turned his gaze to me. Then he dropped the gun, strode over to me and pulled me off the ground in one rough movement. He slammed me up against the shipping container on my left, and I let out a gasp as the back of my neck hit the cold metal. The sound was smothered as Logan dug his nails into my shoulders and kissed me.

His kiss was equal parts frantic and anguished, tongue sliding in and hitting all the right spots. Despite everything that had just happened, along with the dead body of his friend lying only inches away, my tension melted away and butterflies filled my belly. I lost all composure and wrapped my arms around him, moaning into his mouth as he kissed me with everything he had.

He held me even tighter, devouring my lips with passion and longing, pulling me against his hard, muscular chest. I sighed as he briefly moved his hot mouth to my neck, and then I let out another moan as his tongue dived into my mouth again.

My body was ablaze with a desire I’d never known. More than anything, I wanted Logan to hold me like this. Kiss me. Roughly grope me with those big hands. Take away all the fear and confusion.

He suddenly broke the kiss and pulled away, breathing heavily as he wiped his face and pressed his lips together in a grimace. When he dropped his hands, the chest-wracking chills returned, my body instantly feeling the absence of his touch. My mouth dried up as he turned away and stepped over to Teddy’s body.

What the hell just happened?

What did it mean?

Shock and confusion coursed through me, making me tremble and struggle for breath again as my knees buckled. I sank down by the shipping container, eyes never leaving Logan as he crouched over Teddy, head slightly shaking.

After a minute, he rose and headed farther up the walkway between the containers, right up to the old pier by the water’s edge. I saw him grab an old rusted anchor that was lying next to a metal barrel on the pier, and then he returned to Teddy’s body.

He wrapped the clanking anchor chain around Teddy’s legs and locked it in place. Then he hoisted him into his arms, dragged him over to the pier, and dumped him in the murky water with a pained grunt. The anchor scraped against the pier with a horrible grinding sound before slipping into the water as well. I cringed at the sound of the heavy splashes, unable to stop myself from picturing Teddy’s body sinking to the bottom of the bay.

Logan returned to me, face expressionless. He held out one hand. “Phone.”

With a shaky hand, I pulled out the cracked iPhone and gave it to him. He returned to the pier and hurled it into the water along with Teddy’s briefcase. Then he strode back over to me and grabbed me by my left arm.

He didn’t say another word to me as he dragged me through the various lanes in the port. I didn’t say anything to him, either. I couldn’t think of the right words to express how I felt, and even if I could, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get them out. I was still finding it difficult to breathe, and burning tears were clouding my vision. If I opened my mouth to speak, I would probably start crying or hyperventilating.

When we reached the edge of the abandoned port, Logan gestured to his car. “Get in,” he said tersely, eyes not meeting mine.

I quietly slipped into the front passenger seat, swallowing the lump in my throat and squaring my shoulders in an attempt to keep the tears at bay. Chin quivering, I turned to Logan. “You saved me.”

“Shut the hell up,” he muttered, still refusing to look at me.

He turned the car on and tore down the road. Hot tears started streaming down my face, but I didn’t make a sound.

My body kept shaking like mad, and I wrapped my arms around myself, eyes stinging as tears continued to leak out. Beads of perspiration popped up on my face, covering it in a thin sheen of sweat and mixing with the tears.

I was a total mess, but who could blame me after what I just witnessed?

---