Page 64 of Puck'N Enemy
I arrange everything on a plate and put it inside the microwave. While the food heats up, I grab the pot of soup from the stove and dig in.
Within minutes, I’m wolfing down the hot food. For a while, my mind goes blank as I focus on filling my belly.
I’m almost done scraping the last bits of food from my plate when my phone buzzes. Frowning, I pull it out of my pocket and take a look.
There’s a new message waiting to be read. But it’s not from Logan.
Putting my fork down, I take a closer look. The message is from a blocked number.
My gut tightens. I open it and find a video clip.
With a pounding heart, I tap it.
The screen lights up with a grainy image of a familiar neighborhood. Eva, Logan’s mom, and Maddie are walking down the neighborhood street. Maddie holds an ice cream cone in her small hand and is talking animatedly. Eva smiles at her, holding her own scoop, carefree and utterly unaware.
My blood turns cold.
Another message comes in. This time, it’s a text.
“Your boyfriend has a nice family. It’d be a shame if something happened to them. Meet me in our usual place within the hour or else...”
The text doesn’t mention an address or a name but I know exactly who it is.
Pete Volkov.
The “usual place” is a location I know all too well. It’s got to be the old, abandoned warehouse Pete used as his base all those years ago.
I grip the phone so tightly, my knuckles turn white. Maddie and her mom have no idea they’re being watched. They’re in danger and there’s nothing I can do to help them.
For a moment, I can’t breathe.
Pete’s doing it to me again. He’s holding Logan’s family hostage and threatening me to give in to his demands.
An overwhelming urge to call Logan flares up within me but I know I can’t risk his safety. I can’t drag him into this mess again. He has to be safe and whole to look after Maddie and his mom.
My gut twists as I realize I have no choice.
I have to face Pete Volkov and sort this mess up.
Slipping my phone into my pocket, I straighten my shoulders.I’ll handle this, I decide.Alone.
I finish washing the dishes and clean the kitchen. Once everything’s in place, I walk out.
Coach looks up as I walk into the living room.
“Are you heading out again?” he asks.
“Yeah,” I say, struggling to keep my tone casual. “I… I’m going to Logan’s place. I might even stay the night there.”
Coach’s expression softens with a faint smile. “You can’t stay away from him for a single night, can you?”
I fake an awkward grin. “Yeah...kind of...”
Coach chuckles and nods. “Alright, then. Just be safe, okay?”
“Always,” I say, forcing myself to smile while the lie sits heavy in my gut. Swallowing a choke, I step out of the apartment and close the door behind me.
A cold gust of wind slaps my face the moment I walk out of the building. Fear and anger slam inside my chest as I force my feet to keep moving down the street.
