Page 80 of Puck'N Enemy
Soon, Logan and I are seated at the table. Mellow afternoon sunshine comes in through the curtains, creating a warm atmosphere.
The pancakes smell amazing. Paired with fresh fruit and a drizzle of syrup, it tastes like the most delicious thing in the world.
For a while, we eat in comfortable silence.
Logan makes a move only when the last speck of food has been polished off his plate. “Hey, you okay?” he asks, squeezing my knee.
I look up at him and nod even though my throat feels tight. “Yeah…I just…I didn’t expect your mom to… You know, be okay with me.”
“She knows what you did for me and this family,” he says, giving me a serious look. “She also understands that I care about you. She knows how unhappy I was while you were missing. To be honest, I think she’s kind of glad you’re back.”
“No way that’s true.”
He chuckles but his serious expression returns. “Mom wants me to be happy, Dylan.Youmake me happy. So, she’s not going to be complaining anymore.”
My chest squeezes. Lowering my gaze to my plate, I toy with a stray blueberry to distract myself from the wave of emotions threatening to overwhelm me. “It’s just… It’s been so long since I felt… welcome anywhere. I forgot what that feels like.”
“You’re always welcome in my home,” Logan says quietly but firmly. “Always.” There’s no hesitation in his eyes. Only certainty.
“…Logan,” I whisper, unsure what else to say.
“Finish eating already,” he says gently. “You need your strength.”
I nod, picking up my fork to eat the eggs remaining on my plate.
When I’m done eating, I lean back in my chair. Now that I’m fed and rested, I need to know everything that happened yesterday. “How did you guys get to me last night?” I ask. “What happened to Pete?”
“He’s dead,” Logan says in a low, grim tone.
“Dead?”
Logan nods. “Mitchikov told me a week ago that Pete was on the hit list of every Bratva clan. He grew too ambitious and went after territory that didn’t belong to him. It was only a matter of time before the major players put him in his place.”
“Did Mitchikov tell you to follow me all the time until that happened?”
“Yeah. I was supposed to keep an eye on you and keep you safe.”
“Is Mitchikov related to these mobsters?”
“He’s not directly connected but his family has connections,” Logan says. “It’d be great if you could keep it to yourself. He doesn’t want the attention to create any trouble with his career as a hockey player.”
“He need not worry,” I tell him, grinning. “I kind of owe him my life.”
Logan grins. “Mitchikov won’t think of it that way. He helped us because he thinks of me as a friend. He knew the kind of danger I was willing to throw myself into and he couldn’t let me do it alone.”
“Again, I owe him so much more than just my life,” I say, feeling another wave of gratitude wash over me. “He protected you, too.”
Logan nods. “He did.”
“So, what now?” I ask.
Logan shrugs. “I want to take another nap.”
I chuckle. “You know what I mean. Are we seriously free from Pete’s clutches?”
Logan nods. “It’s over, Dylan. He can never hurt us again.”
His words send a rush of cool relief through me. The mobster who haunted my life all these years is finally gone. I can be with Logan without any hesitation or fear.
