Rescued

Chapter Sixteen

Sheridan had not heard from Payton again. She had continued to check her home messages and refused to let her cellphone out of her sight, but there had been no word. Logan had been open with her about his ongoing conversations with Rhys. She could tell that he wasn't fond of the interaction and he had finally opened up about his own guilt in regards to his aunt.

The last couple of days and nights had bled into one another - it was like a blur, all bright lights, music, laughs, Vegas. She was more nervous about this job than she had ever been before. There was so much riding on it. Payton. Logan.

Sheridan had come to realize that as crazy as it seemed she was falling in love with Logan. At first she couldn't make heads or tails out of the flood of emotions she was experiencing, but slowly and somewhat to her horror, the meaning of her feelings had dawned on her. She couldn't tell him. Could she?

Sheridan was trapped in her own thoughts as she stretched for her last day of rehearsal. After the party the next day she wouldn't be coming back. She was leaving with Dean. Or so that would be the story everyone would be told.

She didn't know what her future held for her, but she knew this would absolutely be the last game she was ever involved in. Sheridan was finished one way or another. Payton, if he survived and she had to believe he would, could make up his own mind. She couldn't keep living her life for him.

"Sherry? Earth to Sherry." At the sound of Kate's voice, Sheridan looked at her and laughed.

"Sorry. I don't get much rest when Dean's in town." She added a wink that seemed to please her friend. Friend? Could Sheridan call her that? Kate didn't really know her. Sure, Sheridan could call her that because she had no reason to believe Kate to be anything other than what she presented, but she was living a lie. Her entire life had been a snowball of lies on top of lies.

"If that man is as good as he looks then I would say it's worth being sleep deprived."

"He's asked me to move in with him." She and Logan had decided it was best to begin planting the seeds.

Kate's eyes grew wide with excitement. "Well, what are you going to do?"

Sheridan shrugged off the question. "I mean I really want to. I'm in love with him," which was not a lie at all, "but what am I going to do in Atlanta?"

"You're from the South right? I mean you definitely have a southern accent."

"I grew up in South Carolina," a partial truth, "but I haven't been back in a long time."

Kate bent over to touch her toes but glanced up to "Sherry". "What about family?"

Sheridan shook her head. "No one close. Both of my parents are dead."

Kate straightened and mimicked Sheridan's move of stretching her arms over her head. "You're an only child too, right?"

"Yep."

"Well, it seems like a no brainer to me. You have a gorgeous man who's rich as hell and he wants you to live with him. It's like Pretty Woman come true, except you're not a hooker."

Sheridan laughed. Kate made her do that often; she would truly miss her. "When you put it like that..."

***

"Don't call me again; I'll call you when it's done." Logan was ready to be done with his cousin. More than ready.

Rhys laughed. "Come on, Cuz - don't be such a bitch. I'm not that greedy; you'll get your cut."

"I'm not interested in the money," Logan replied, "the deal is Payton Ramsey, unharmed."

"Yeah, yeah, I understand."