Page 66 of Fierce Secrets

"Yeah, that's weird. Either really bold or really stupid on his part," she muttered as she sunk onto the couch beside me. "Honestly, I swear, your life these past few days has been insane."

"Tell me about it." I checked my phone, looking at the message from Gray I'd gotten on the drive over here.

How he'd found Logan's ring on the bedside table at my place and taken it. So Logan had taken it off. The sting from that hadn't been as much as I'd expected.

"So, the hoe who fucked Logan, who was she?" Sofia focused on something to keep us occupied while we waited for answers.

"Shannon Peters."

"Maybe I should drag her ass through the mud," Sof mused as she began googling instantly. "Make sure everyone knows she likes to fuck engaged men."

"Sof, it's fine. Like you said, she'll get her just desserts," I said as I covered her phone with my hand, not wanting to add yet another thing to the long list of wrong moves.

"Ugh, fine. So, what'd you bring from Gray's? Did you check all your stuff? Did he get everything?" She fired off the questions as she nodded at my duffel bag discarded by the hallway.

"Well, the wine we were meant to pop on our wedding day, Gray got that out. Along with the keyboard and headset I got Logan. And his engagement ring," I said, unable to contain the devilish smile.

"Oh, god, I love him now," she said dramatically. "We should get the ring appraised, get the money back. I know a guy actually, get you closer to retail value," she said thoughtfully. "And taking his gaming stuff, man, I wish he'd taken the whole damn PC. That would've ruined his day for sure."

"I think Leo beating him into the hospital did that enough," I shot back.

"Yeah, true."

"But Gray got all my main things, which is good." Even with me shutting him out, he was still looking out for me. It was all he'd ever done, and I couldn't fault him for it. We'd get past this, somehow.

"Perfect! I'd suggest popping that bottle now, but I'm still…" She scrunched up her nose as she held her stomach with one hand, and I laughed.

"Don't worry, I'm in no rush either. I might actually have a coffee and bite to eat. Was doing that before Shannon and Andrew messed up my afternoon," I said, and she was already on her feet, headed to the kitchen.

I watched her quietly as I wondered why my life had decided to implode right now. It wasn't like I'd kicked someone's dog or smashed a mirror. I'd always tried to do the right thing in my life.

Sof was back with two mugs of coffee and some pastries in record time. She must've ordered the food while I was gone.

"Now, we need to figure out what our plan is. Are we going to Lake Forest?" She peered at me over the rim of her steaming mug.

"I have no clue. I'm still figuring things out," I said softly, my mind jumping right to Leo. We needed to talk about so many things. About my boozy kiss, about how I felt. Logically, I knew I should take Gray's offer and leave Ironstone, to turn my back on this mess and set myself free. But would I truly be free? Gray was still tied up with the Donati family and had blood on his hands, and Leo… I'd always think about him, about what he'd done for me, how he'd felt that night, how he'd cared for me.

I'd always wonder 'what if?'

"Hey, you okay there?" Sof drew my attention back to her. "You looked deep in thought."

"Just Leo…" I admitted as I stared into my coffee. "I do care for him, Sof. But I know how risky it would be to want to be with him. He's killed for me. Hell, he kills for a business. He's a dangerous man."

"All men are dangerous," she stated blatantly. "But is he dangerous toyou?"

I'll always protect you.

"No," I said honestly. I knew he wasn't a danger to me. He was a dangerforme. Which was what I was struggling with.

"You don't like the idea of the things he'd do for you, right?" she confirmed, and I nodded. "You know, some women would throw themselves at a man like that. A man made of money who'd bury anyone who put you at risk. But it's also so muchbetter as a fantasy than an actual fact," she noted. "Definitely something more terrifying in reality. At the end of the day though, I think I'd look at my options. You had Logan, a cheating shitbag who used you for your money in a lot of ways, you could wind up with an abuser like your father, a gaming deadbeat, or you could wind up with Mr. Golden Retriever and live in a town far away from here, raise a family away from all this madness, and never look back." She studied me for a moment as I pondered this. "But would you always think about Leo and what he did for you? How he makes you feel? How life could've been with him? Sure, it's a dangerous, bloody, and risky world, I would know, I chose to leave it, but it's also a powerful, rich, and freeing one. You'd also lose Gray, your brother, the man who killed for you to save you. "

"You know, you're the worst at helping me figure some things out." I chuckled, and she shrugged.

"This is for you to decide, I'm just helping you see all sides. Know your options all round."

This was not going to be an easy choice at all. When she put it the way she had, I knew the smart move was to just pack up and leave entirely, move to some small town and never look back. Meet my Golden Retriever husband and have a beautiful family. Maybe it would work, maybe I could do it. But if I did, would I have to change my name? Cut myself off from Gray and everyone here so there were no ties? I'd have to in order to be safe.

Would I have to cut off Sof?

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