Page 23 of Short, Lethal & Claimed

“Because you want something,” Logan reminded her.

“You mean besides my freedom?” Jill asked, blinking at him.

“The children,” Logan said, watching her curiously.

“I believe that’s already been settled,” Jill said, counting down the minutes until she could return to her closet. She didn’t want to be here, not in this room, and not with him, not when he was the reminder of everything that she lost.

It was funny how one moment could change everything.

If she knew what was waiting for her, she never would have gone into that room, never would have looked up when she heard the voice that used to terrify her because once she did…

It was all over.

Everything that she’d worked so hard to forget came back, slamming into her, and left her reeling. If she’d been anywhere but at that compound, she could have lost herself in her work,spent time with her grandmother, found something, anything, else to focus on so that her past couldn’t swallow her whole, but there’d been nothing to catch her when her entire world was turned upside down.

Until she spotted the vampire that she never thought she’d see again sitting in a cell.

“Start talking,” Logan said, leaning back against the chair as he placed his elbow on the armrest and propped his chin on his fist, looking completely relaxed. When she didn’t say anything, he added, “We had a deal.”

Knowing that she really didn’t have a choice, Jill leaned back against the wall as she said, “About?”

“Anything.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Jill said as she picked up the stake and absently turned it over in her hands. It definitely wasn’t up to her father or brother’s standards, but it should do in a pinch, Jill thought, running her fingertips over the rough surface.

“I doubt that,” he said, making her lips twitch as she dropped the stake on the floor, knowing that she had bigger problems than the man who apparently had nothing better to do.

She needed to make a choice.

Figure out how she was going to get three marked shifter children through that door or find a way to call for help. If it was still just her that she had to worry about, she’d take her chances with whatever was waiting for her outside that door, but she couldn’t take that risk, which meant…

She was going to have to find a way to call for help, which was going to be a problem since there was no one left that she could trust.

“Figure out how to escape yet?”Logan asked as he found himself watching her.

“I’m still working on it,” Jill said, looking lost in thought as she absently rolled the stake between her hands.

“Will you let me know when you figure it out?” Logan asked, taking in her long, dark hair pulled up into a messy bun, the way that she worried her bottom lip between her teeth, the thin white straps that stood out against sun-kissed skin that held up a bright white sundress that hugged every mouthwatering curve before running his eyes over short, curvy legs that ended with small feet with the cutest fucking toes that he’d ever seen.

“You’ll be the first to know,” she said, making his lips twitch.

“I’m sure I will,” Logan murmured, wondering what it was about her that drew him.

He had so many questions…

“Tell me what you were like as a child,” Logan said, deciding that was the best place to start.

“Angry,” Jill said, shrugging it off as she tossed the stake back on the floor.

“You can do better than that, Angel,” he said, once again gesturing for her to get on with it.

“I was a bitch,” she said, making him frown.

“The deal’s over if you lie, Angel,” Logan said, wondering just how much she was going to tell him.

“I didn’t know there were rules,” Jill said, sounding bored as she got to her feet.

“There are always rules, Angel,” Logan said, watching her as she smoothed down her dress.

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