I take the stairs two at a time, furious he’s answering for me. I’m not some unhinged, upset woman who’ll get over this. I want him out of my life and Logan out of my house. I stop in the doorway, my mouth falling open at the sight of Donnie kneeling over Logan, who is gurgling with blood pouring from his mouth. It takes a second for my brain to engage, but when it does, I scream. Donnie laughs—actually laughs—before pushing off the bed and tucking his knife away.
“What did you do?” I cry, grabbing a clean sheet from the end of the bed and pressing it over the gaping wound on Logan’s neck. “Oh my god.” Usually, I’m calm in emergencies and know exactly what to do. But as Logan stares into my eyes, the life draining from him, I’m suddenly lost. I have no idea how to stop this man dying. He takes one last gasp and then falls silent. “No,” I cry desperately. “No, no, no.”
“Xanthe, it’s too late,” Fury whispers gently, and then his hands grip my wrists and remove them from Logan’s neck. “He’s gone.”
“No,” I repeat, staring at Logan’s open eyes. “Oh god.”
“Shall we talk downstairs?” asks Donnie, smiling before leaving the room.
I begin to hyperventilate. I can’t seem to fill my lungs with air, and as they tighten, I gasp harder. “Relax,” says Fury, bending slightly at the knee to look me in the eye. “It’s okay,” he adds. “Breathe slow, in through the nose and out through the mouth.”
I scowl, shoving him from me and crouching down to rest my forehead on my knees. I squeeze my eyes closed and focus on my breathing.How fucking dare he tell me to relax?Relax! I’ve just gotten the man killed. I lift my head and look directly at Logan’s hand hanging limply off the edge of the bed. “Oh god,” I whisper again. “What have I done?”
“Look, we have to go downstairs or things will just get worse,” says Fury.
“Worse?” I hiss, pushing to my feet. “He just fucking killed a man in my spare room. How can it get any worse?” I storm from the room and head downstairs to find Donnie waiting patiently in the kitchen.
“Have you had time to process?” he asks casually.
I don’t think, acting clearly on anger as I pull my hand back and slap him hard. He doesn’t react. Instead, he smiles again while rubbing his cheek. “What do you want?” I ask, folding my arms over my chest and avoiding his evil eyes.
“Candice Bowman . . . she’s your boss, right?” He moves closer to me, taking my chin between his thumb and finger and tilting my head so we’re eye-to-eye. “I can be patient, Xanthe, until you’re ready. But for now, I’ll settle with your help.”
“Help?” I repeat, still reeling from how he knows my boss’s name.
“Friday and Saturday nights are fight nights at the club. You’ll patch the fighters up.”
“But I can’t do that,” I begin, frowning.
“I’ve arranged for your shifts to work around when I require you.”
I gasp. “What?”
“Like I’ve said, I know people.”
“What people? Why the hell are you messing with my job?” I pull my chin free and glance back at Fury lingering in the doorway. He looks angry. I can tell by the subtle way his jaw is clenched and how the vein in his forehead is protruding a little. “Do something,” I demand angrily.
“He works for me, Xanthe. No one is going to rescue you,” sneers Donnie. I pull my glare away from Fury and focus back on the monster before me. “You have no choice but to agree.” He looks happy, and I wonder how I never noticed the way his eyes twinkle with an evil glint. Maybe because his true happiness is causing others misery.
“What did I ever do to you?” I whisper sadly.
His hand cups the back of my head, and he slams his mouth against mine. I push against his chest, but he only holds me firmer until I stop struggling. When he finally pulls away, I wipe my mouth on the back of my hand. “Disgusting,” I hiss.
He chuckles. “I’ll be in touch.”
He heads for the door, and my heart slams hard in my chest. I rush after him, grabbing his arm until he’s forced to slow. “Wait,” I cry. “What about the . . . the body upstairs?”
His grin only widens. “Fury will help you.” And then he shrugs free and leaves. I stare after him, waiting until the door slams closed before I slowly turn to Fury.
“What the fuck just happened?”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Fury
“We need to find you somewhere to stay,” I mutter. “Let me call Axel.”
“Are you being serious?”