Page 115 of Treacherous

"Wait. Let me get this straight." I pressed my thumbs against my temples as I desperately tried to take on board what Logan was telling me. "Noah's life was traded for his mother's?"

"Antonio Messina was George's right hand man," Logan explained. "His best fighter, his faithful dealer…the whole nine yards."

"Wait, George deals drugs, too?" I felt my body break out in a cold sweat. "Of course he does." Laying my head back I let out a sigh. "I bet he sells women and murders puppies, too…"

"He dabbles in prostitution," I heard Logan say and I felt like weeping. "But as far as I know he's not into puppy slaying."

"How do you know all of this?" I demanded. "Did Noah tell you?"

"I have ways of finding out what I need to know," was all Logan replied before continuing with his tale of horror. "When Noah's parents met, their lives pretty much went up shit's creek without a paddle," Logan said with a sigh. "Apparently, Antonio had a soft spot for blondes and Noah's mother was one hell of a prize. It was the affair from hell," he told me. "Two extremely impulsive people, with addictive personalities living in a hazardous conditions with every type of lethal temptation at their disposal…"

"What happened to them?" I heard myself asking. "What did they do?"

"Drugs happened, Teegs," Logan replied sadly. "They fucked up – got hooked on heroin – and then they made the mistake of shitting on their own doorstep." Logan rubbed his hand over his face and sighed heavily. "When Noah was fifteen, his mother and father stole a shipment of heroin they were supposed to be delivering for George – they were caught."

"What happened?" I asked, barely breathing.

"George was so pissed when he discovered their betrayal that he put a bullet in Antonio without thinking twice about it."

"Stop," I screeched. "Just…stop for a sec and let me take this in."

Logan sat patiently beside me as I struggled to come to terms with what I'd just been told. We were parked a half mile away from the warehouse on the dirt road and I was having a mini breakdown.

"George killed Noah's dad?" I turned to face Logan, and looked him straight in the eye, praying he was bullshitting me. The serious expression on his face proved he was telling the truth. "I can't believe this," I muttered, shaking my head.

"Yeah, well neither could I when I discovered it," Logan replied calmly. "It's not every day a guy finds out his best friend's life is the price of his mother's."

"What?"

"You haven’t figured it out by now?" Logan mused. "I thought you would've…"

"Uh, no, sorry, Dr. Evil, I haven’t," I grumbled. "I'm from a small town in the back ass of nowhere. Things like this don’t happen to people like me…"

Logan smirked before shaking his head and continuing, "With his best fighter dead and a hugely important fight right around the corner, George found himself in a pickle – so to speak."

"A pickle," I repeated in a flat tone.

"George turned his sights on Noah." Logan shrugged uncomfortably. "He knew he needed Noah – he could see the potential in him – but he also knew he would need an… incentive in order to get Noah on board and fighting for him."

"So what, he used Noah's schizophrenic mother as anincentive?" I snapped. "Logan, that's sick."

Logan nodded slowly and I could see the anger in his gray eyes. "I know, and I couldn’t agree more with you on that, Teegs, but it doesn’t change the facts. In exchange for his mother's life, Noah agreed to step into his father's shoes… George married Kelsie, dumped her in a psych ward, tossed Noah a few bones in the form of visitation papers, and took total control of him."

"Why?" I demanded. "Why would George want Noah? He was only a teenage boy for Christ's sakes."

"A teenage boy who was groomed from birth to follow in his father's steps," Logan informed me in a tight tone of voice.

"You didn’t know him then, Teegs," he added softly. "Noah at fifteen was as ruthless in the ring as he is now. He was tossed in a ring as soon as he was old enough to block a punch – breed to inflict pain and cause damage. Noah Messina's path was written for him before the guy was old enough to comprehend what was happening…" Logan shook his disgust and let out a pained growl. "God, I hope he hasn’t fought Javi. That guy is a killer, Teagan. The only way to beat him is to take him out permanently….there is no other way."

"If that's the case then why is hehere…" I screamed, gesturing in the direction of the quarry. "Instead of on the way to the airport with me?" My whole body shook as I stared at Logan, looking for answers. "Why didn’t he run with me when he had the chance?"

"I don’t know, Teegs." Logan stared at me for a long moment before finally saying, "I can only assume George has threatened him somehow – maybe with his mom, or maybe with…"

"Me?"

Logan nodded. "It's possible...shit, Teagan, get down…"

The passenger door of Logan's car flew open and I found myself looking into the cold gray eyes of none other than JD Dennis.

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