Page 19 of Fierce Secrets

Warren looked ruffled and uneasy, but kept his mouth shut as Cooper appeared to give him a pointed look.

What was all that about? Too bad my mind was a mess now, still reeling from everything.

"Will he..." My voice cracked, and I had to swallow hard before continuing. "Will Logan be okay?" Why did I even care after what he'd done? Why did some stupid part of me worry for him?

"He'll pull through," Cooper assured me, his fatherly tone somehow making it worse. "Some broken ribs, facial fractures. But he'll recover."

I nodded as the two Detectives put their notepads away, although Warren gave Leo a careful look before heading towards the elevator.

Why had Cooper stopped him from questioning Leo more?

As Roman escorted them out, my eyes fixed on Leo's hands. Those split knuckles that I'd noticed last night now seemed to scream with guilt. The dinner that had taken so long to retrieve from a place nearby... Had those hands that had so gently comforted me through my nightmare also delivered brutal justice?

"Mer?" Sofia's voice was soft, worried. Her hand rubbed circles on my back. "You okay?"

I nodded mechanically, but my mind was reeling. Had Leo really done this? Gone after Logan while I soaked in his tub, oblivious? The timing fit perfectly. The injuries matched his damaged knuckles.

"You should rest," Leo said, loosening his tie with those same hands that might have broken my ex-fiancé. "You need to focus on moving forward."

I looked up at him then, really looked. His face was an expressionless mask, but his eyes... there was something dark there, something satisfied and primitive that made my breath catch.

"Yeah," I whispered, the word hardly more than a breath. "I guess."

Sofia guided me back to the couch, but all I could think about was Logan in a hospital bed, his face swollen and broken because of what he'd done to me. Because of who I'd called. Because of who my brother had sent.

The worst part wasn't knowing Leo had probably done this. The worst part was that I didn't know how to feel about it. Relief warred with horror, gratitude with fear. And underneath it all was a whisper of something else – something that felt dangerously like validation.

That terrified me most of all.

"Your brother wants to do dinner tonight at his place," Leo said after a moment of heavy silence. "He'll be back in town by then, he's flying home."

I blinked as I sunk onto the couch, processing his words after what the Detectives had just told me.

"She should come stay with me for now." Sofia said as she began gathering her things. "After everything that's happened?—"

"No." Leo's tone was not one to be questioned.

"Excuse me?" Sofia's eyes narrowed. "She's my best friend, and I have a perfectly good guest room."

“Don’t you think I should have a say?” I mumbled, both their gaze locking onto me.

"She stays here where she's safe." Leo’s gaze was heavy as he stared at me for a moment before refocusing on Sof.

Something passed between them, an unspoken communication that made Sofia falter. "You can't just?—"

"I can and I will." Leo's jaw ticked. "Leave it, Sofia. She’s safest here."

The tension in the room was thick enough to cut. I watched as Sofia's resistance crumbled, wondering what exactly passed in that loaded look between them.

As if on cue, her phone rang. She checked the screen, her expression shifting to frustration. "Damn it. There's a situation at work. Since I skipped out on the presentation stuff and came back… crap."

"Go," I said softly. "I'll be fine. I'm sorry too."

"Don't be, they just know I'm back in town and we're short-staffed. Big accident has happened, so they're trying to get everyone in…" Her brow furrowed as she scrolled through a message. She sighed and shook her head before focusing back on me, her expression torn.

"I've cleared my schedule," Leo added, his eyes still on Sofia. "She won't be alone."

Sofia hesitated, then pulled me up from the couch and into a tight hug. "Call me if you need anything. And Mer?" She pulled back, glancing at Leo before meeting my eyes again. "Don't worry too much about everything. I know I have my... feelings about Leo, but I believe he has your best interests at heart. He always has."

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