Page 38 of Short, Lethal & Claimed

“That’s probably for the best,” she said with a firm nod, knowing that if her father knew that she was alive that he would do whatever it took to find her, and then, he’d most likely send her back to the Sentinels.

“And why’s that?” Logan asked as her gaze shifted back to the red skin marring the back of his hands.

“Why did I change so much during my transition?” Jill asked instead as she thought about everything that she’d learned so far.

“That’s not how this is going to work, Angel,” Logan said, letting her know that he was done answering her questions.

“Then, tell me how this is going to work,” Jill said, releasing her hold on the hem of her dress as her gaze once again flickered to his hands and-

He wasn’t healing.

That much was clear, but something told her that her transition and her blood had something to do with it. After he drank her blood, she went after him, expecting to find him on the floor, crippled with pain only to watch as he stormed out of the penthouse. When everything that she’d asked for on the liststarted showing up a few hours later, she knew that he was still alive, but she didn’t know how.

“You’re going to start answering my questions,” Logan said firmly.

“Or…” Jill said, wondering what he would do if she stopped playing along.

“I’ll stop answering yours,” he said, making her slowly nod as she thought that over.

“Fair enough,” Jill said as she stood up, deciding to have another look around his room while she debated her next move. “What do you want to know?”

“Tell me about your mother.”

“She’s not worth mentioning,” Jill said with a shrug as she paused by his bureau.

“That doesn’t answer my question,” Logan pointed out.

“She was a horrible human being, a worse mother, and got off easy at the end for what she put us through,” Jill said, remembering the moment when she realized that her mother was leaving them to die to save herself.

“Are you going to tell me why you think you were a bitch?” Logan asked as she reached for his cellphone.

“Because I was one,” Jill said, holding up his phone as she sent him a questioning look. “Password?”

“You’re not going to try to guess?” Logan asked with a tsk.

“I like to save time,” Jill murmured, shifting her attention back to the password prompt.

“And I’d like a better answer,” Logan said as Jill tapped the screen only to have a mini keyboard popup, letting her know that the password contained letters.

“I’m not sure what else there is to say. I was an angry, miserable kid who did a lot of stupid things, hoping to make the person who destroyed me give a damn about what she was doing to me,” Jill said, shrugging it off as she typed in “revenge” onlyto have the phone vibrate and clear the prompt, letting her know that the password was incorrect.

“And when that didn’t work?”

“I made everyone around me miserable until I got the reality check that I desperately needed and channeled all of that anger into something else,” Jill said as she typed in “blood” only to have the phone vibrate again.

“Working at the shelter,” Logan murmured, sounding thoughtful.

“Exactly how much do you know about my life?” Jill asked, throwing him a questioning look as she placed the phone back down on top of the bureau.

“Do you really want to know?” Logan asked, watching her as she made her way over to the bed and ran her fingertips over the dark comforter.

“Probably not,” Jill said as her gaze landed on the closet door before she forced herself to look away, wondering if there was something in there that could remove her cuff.

Then again, Jill thought as her gaze found its way back to Logan, she might already have the key to her freedom.

“You never answered my question,”Logan said as he watched her fingertips glide across the comforter while he imagined just how good it would feel to have those fingertips running over his body.

“And which question was that?” Jill asked, seeming lost in thought as she continued making her way around his bed.

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