Page 24 of Ruthless Rebel

After spending the night with Logan, I was forced to leave early to get back to Black Hallows, but I left him feeling lighter than I had in a while. His presence tends to do that, but his declaration for how he felt about me, even after finding out about my childhood, left me a little surprised. I mean, I’m not stupid, I knew we had a connection, I felt it from the moment we met, but I thought it was surface level, sexual attraction and nothing more. Yet the past few months all he has done is surprise me, and in agreeing to be with him, I have surprised myself even more. I never thought I would have a boyfriend, that I would follow in the same path as my brothers and allow someone to share my burdens, yet here we are.

Yet there is still a voice inside my head that taunts me, that wonders if he would still be so understanding if he knew how I truly spent my nights. It’s not like he doesn’t know I’ve killed people. He knows, he knows more than most, but he thinks it's a part of my past, not my present. A present that I can’t let go of, not when so many crimes go unpunished, when so many people go unsaved. I don’t kill men without reason, I’m not that much of a monster, but I am still a monster, and how could someone ever love a monster?

That thought plagues my mind as the next couple of weeks pass in a total blur. Work has been extra busy as we all prepare to be out of the office for the wedding, so I have been working pretty much non-stop. I have been taking extra meetings daily, which means my extracurricular activities have had to take a little break. Mostly my time has been spent dealing with clients, annoying Asher, and fucking my boyfriend any chance I get.

Everyone is now aware of the fact that Logan is my boyfriend, not that any of them seemed to care, well except a certain someone in denial, but apart from that, they are all happy for us to do whatever we are doing. Logan and I have still pretty much only seen each other over the weekends, except for the impromptu trip I took to see him, but we have been speaking more and more on the phone and text every day, which has been surprisingly nice. I’m actually looking forward to getting away and being able to spend some more time with him.

I’ve never been on vacation before, it’s not something my father ever cared about when I was a child, and my foster homes certainly weren’t rushing to take us foster kids anywhere. So the fact I get to go away now, and do so with all my family is something I am really excited for, not that I would admit that to them. I know that apart from Jace they all grew up with a privilege that I could have never imagined, one so stark that I still struggle to get used to it now. Not that it’s their fault, I don’t begrudge them for growing up wealthy, but given my background I do still find it hard to feel deserving of being in their world.

It’s Thursday now, the day Elle and Marcus are leaving with the rest of them for the wedding, and I’ve left the office early so I could come home and see everyone off. The house is a hustle of chaos when I walk through the door as everyone prepares to leave, people shouting back and forth, cases piled high in the lobby, and the best kid I have ever known twirling around in her peach dress without a care in the world.

“Superman,” Cassie yells out as soon as she sees me. “Look at my twirls,” she adds, spinning herself on the spot once more.

“Wow, they are the best twirls I’ve ever seen,” I tell her, and she squeals in excitement as she runs towards me, and I bend to catch her in my arms. “We are going on vacation today, are you excited?”

Her enthusiasm is infectious as I respond with a laugh, “I’m so excited, but I’m not actually traveling with you today.”

She frowns at first, but then I watch as if a little light goes off in her head. “Oh yeah. You’re coming out with daddy, aren’t you?”

The man in question storms in from the living area as if she has just ran away from him, and looks less than delighted to find me here with her. “Yes, I’m coming out with daddy,” I repeat, just to watch him squirm even more, as Cassie claps her hands.

“So cool, my daddy and Superman together,” she giggles, as Asher storms towards us.

“Last bag check, Angel,” Asher tells her, reaching his arms out to take her from me, and I pass her over without pause.

“Goodbye, Linc, see you on the beach,” she smiles, and my smile back is even wider.

“See you on the beach, Princess,” I tell her, as I watch the two of them walk away.

“You’ll see me on the beach too,” Logan purrs, and I turn to find him leaning on the doorframe with a bag in his hand. “You’ll also see me by the pool, at the bar, and in your bed,” he adds with a flirty wink, as I move toward him and take his bag from him.

“And when I see you in all those places, what will you be doing?” I ask him softly, dropping the bag to our feet and pushing him up against the wall.

“Taking your cock hopefully,” he replies bluntly, at the same time Lily walks around the corner and groans.

“And apparently I’ll be bleaching my ears out on vacation,” she sarcastically drawls, as her twin laughs.

“Might want to do your eyes too given the plans I have,” he adds, looking up at me with nothing but lust and mischief in his stare, that it makes me wish we had a little more time before he has to leave.

I clear my throat, stepping away from him, not wanting to make Lily uncomfortable as I mumble an apology to her, at the same time the rest of the people leaving start filtering into the lobby.

Arthur and Helen are first, followed by Zack, Marcus, Elle, and an annoyed looking Asher, who is still holding his daughter like he doesn’t want to let her go. The sight hits me in the gut, because I know there was a time when he always had to say goodbye to her just to protect her, so how must it feel now to say goodbye again when she isn’t in any danger? I watch them closely as he talks to her quietly, so quiet that I can’t hear, but I can see her smile, the way her eyes shine as she looks at him. The perfect picture of what a father should be like, and it makes me happy to know she has it.

The security guys are the next to come through to the lobby, no doubt they have secured Elle’s side of the house, and ensured all security measures are in place. We have gone over the protocol of leaving the house and all traveling separately multiple times this week, and I know it’s on me and Ash to make sure everything is perfect before we leave on Monday.

They all make quick work of loading up the two town cars, waiting outside to take them to the private airport that Zack owns, and then all that’s left to do is say goodbye. I get hugs and handshakes from the Roytons, a fist bump from Marcus, and a kiss that leaves me half-hard from Logan before they all climb into the cars. Then I turn to find Elle embracing Asher and promising him that she will protect their daughter with her life.

“You know I’ll take care of anyone who tries to hurt her,” she whispers just loud enough for me to hear, and the look of vulnerability in Asher’s eyes as he hands Cass over to her affects me more than I care to admit.

Of course he hides his feelings with a soft smile as he replies, “I trust you, Hells Bells, there is nothing to worry about, I’ll be fine.”

Elle pulls him into one more hug, one that lingers longer than the last, and when they pull apart he drops a kiss to her head and then to Cassie’s, ruffling her hair afterwards to break the tension. When she moves toward me I can feel his stare on us, but I keep my focus on the girls.

“Look after yourselves,” I tell her with a smirk, knowing the only person more dangerous in this house than me, is her, and she laughs.

“I think you’ll get in more trouble on the island than I will.” Her smile is all knowing, but I don’t question it, especially when she pulls me into a hug and whispers, “Look after him for me please.” She knows I know who she means and wordlessly I nod in her embrace, and when she pulls back she smiles bright. “I’ll see you in a few days, Superman.”

I watch the two of them leave, feeling Ash’s presence at my back as he joins me to watch them, and neither of us move until the cars are out of sight and our family is gone.

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