Page 90 of Wrecked for Love
Logan sighed, his tone too forced, trying too hard to convince me. “El, let the sheriff take it from here. We’ve got a witness—proof Claire was innocent. She hit Armand in self-defense!”
I tucked the map under my pillow, not trusting Logan to keep the cops out of this. He meant well, but I couldn’t risk it. If the Vosses got spooked, Claire would disappear, and I’d be back to square one.
After Daniel and Annette left, Logan continued his warning, “If you walk out of here like this, you’ll be worse off than aWalking Deadextra.”
My body was wrecked, my mind teetering on the edge, but none of that mattered. Not the blood in my throat, the pounding in my skull, or the searing pain with every breath. The only thing I cared about—the only thing I could see—was Claire. And I would tear through anyone who stood in my way.
Walking dead or not, I’d crawl out of this hospital if I had to. Because against all odds, I wasn’t letting her go.
38
CLAIRE
Everything led back to New York. Hard to believe it could end like this. I always knew my path might cross with The Revenants again, but never in this way. I thought I’d be ready, that I’d prevail, that the fight was mine alone to face. But now, I had no idea what had happened to Elia, whether he was still alive or if Lucien had already…
No. I couldn’t let myself imagine the worst. Yet the mental torment burned, even as my body shivered with cold. I wrapped my arms around my midriff, the gesture appearing to be nothing more than an attempt to warm myself—just what the men in the room would assume. Still, my thoughts kept circling back to the father of my child.Bless my man—I hadn’t taken a test, but I didn’t need one. A mother knows. I was carrying his baby.
They kept me locked up in another house, and I was forced to endure the last few days in silence. Lucien didn’t have to say a word. I was aware of his actions. He was stalling, piecing his plan together, trying to get everything just right. He thought dealing with New York’s underworld would elevate him, but I knew better. Lucien was in way over his head. Still, the money was too tempting for him to back out.
“How much did they promise you?” I taunted.
“None of your business,” Lucien replied.
He watched me struggling with the cold. All I had was my thermal and shirt, but I didn’t regret giving my jacket to Elia after the fight. As for what Lucien had done to him, I’d stopped asking. Had he left him in the snow at The Cove? Or maybe he’d taken Elia somewhere just to savor his reaction when he revealed I’d been handed back to The Revenants? My captor was capable of anything.
Lucien tossed me a jacket again—his, of course. It had to be the third time he’d tried.
I tossed it back. This time, though, he didn’t ask. His men forced it on me.
“We wouldn’t want our client to receive frozen goods now, would we?” Lucien sneered.
The oversized jacket nearly swallowed me whole as I was caught between the stifling scent of him and the unwelcome warmth.
“So that’s it? You’re just letting me go?” I asked, trying to make him second-guess handing me over to The Revenants. “Think I’ve been punished enough? No more fun?”
“Oh, Claire. I’ve dreamed of round two, where you’d return the favor with him watching.” His eyes darkened, painting vivid images of what Elia would witness. I clung to the faint hope that it meant Elia was still alive. “But money…well, that’s always sweeter than any spectacle. Hate to burst your bubble.”
With that, he motioned to his guards. Their grip was rough as they dragged me toward the door. I knew what was next. We’d be on the move again soon.
“How much did they pay for me, Lucien?” I prodded. “Fifty? A hundred grand? That’s all it takes to buy you? To make you forget the past?”
His brow twitched, but he didn’t bite. He just pretended I wasn’t there.
“If you think you’ll see a dime of that, you’re delusional,” I said, throwing it right at him. “The Revenants will tear through you and toss the scraps.”
I let the words linger, watching his expression falter—just barely. “I cost them,” I continued. “Took a lot from them—time, men, money.”
Cody’smoney. No matter how shady my brother’s deals with The Revenants had been, he earned it.
“They know most of what I stole is gone,” I added. “I’ve lived off scraps for years. A girl’s gotta eat, right?” I shrugged. It wasn’t like I hadn’t given most of it away—to charities, to folks down on their luck. “Sure, I’ve got a few grand left, but that’s pocket change. Why would they pay more? Take my advice, Lucien.”
He paused, signaling for his men to stop.
My tone dropped. “Leave me here. Cut your losses while you still can. Then we can have round two.”
For a split second, I thought I’d planted doubt. But then he smirked, stepped closer, and cupped my chin in his hand. “I’ll miss you.”
With a flick of his wrist, he signaled his men to continue, and just like that, we were back on the road.
