Page 50 of Two Sticky Nuts

“Yes. I’ll be there.” I go back inside to throw on a sweatshirt and jeans. I’m about to text Sofie just so someone knows where I’m going, but something stops me. I know she’ll try to talk me out of this. But I have to find out the truth.

Is he one man or two?

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

“What do you mean I can’t see her?” Carter (or Logan?) yells at the guy sitting at the security desk.

“It’s after hours.”

“I need to see her,” Logan seethes.

“I’m sorry, sir. But we can’t have people wandering in and out all night. The staff is limited, and they need to give their attention to the patients.”

I come up behind Logan (or Carter). “It’s fine. We’ll come back tomorrow.” Or never. Because honestly, at this moment, I wouldn’t put it past him to select some random old woman and claim she’s his mother. Oh, but miraculously, she won’t be able to wake up. Or, if she did, she wouldn’t recognize Carter, so he can claim she’s just forgetful. And miraculously, she’ll have a different last name, but he’ll have some clever reason. This guy is a master grifter. I don’t know why I gave in to my hope that Logan is real.

“You won’t believe me until you have proof,” he says.

“Well, yeah, but if I really did just mess up your life, then what good will proof do now?” I shrug. “So if you don’t mind, I’d like to go back to bed. Some of us have real jobs with real people in the morning.”

“You will issue a retraction and apologize publicly.” Logan points at me bitterly.

“Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. For what? And did I get a public apology? No. I got more bullshit and lies with a plea to have me gulp down another serving. But no one came and issued a public apology to me, did they? My life was violated. My home was violated. Hashtag privacy rapist.”

“What the hell is that?”

“It’s something Sofie came up with. Totally trending right now. Never mind.”

“No.Notnever mind. I might be many things, Mila, but I am not a scam artist.” He grabs my wrist, and I jerk it back.

“Hey!” I protest.

“You’re coming with me.”

“Why? So you can chop me to bits and secretly film that, too,Carter?” I say.

“I’m Logan. Not Carter.”

“Oh. Is this like that reality showDo or Die?” the security guy asks.

I roll my eyes. “Some protector you are. Also, what kind of crap show is that? Sounds awful.”

The security guard shrugs.

“I’m taking you to my mother’s house,” Logan says.

“Why?”

“Because my crazy coward of a brother has been camping out in his old room.”

“While your mother’s here?”Dying?

Wait. Hold on.I can’t start buying into his stories, no matter how much I wish Logan was a real person.

“I’m merely asking that you allow me to prove what I’m saying. If after this, you don’t believe me, then I’ll never darken your doorstep again.”

“What about Carter?” I ask with a smirk.

“I can’t control what he does.”

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