A Debt To Pay

40

The next time I woke it, it was to a thunderous booming that reverberated through the house, causing the bed to shake beneath me. I jolted awake, my hand going to my chest where my heart hammered loudly. Behind me, Logan tightened his grip on me. "Are you okay?" He grunted, his voice low and dangerous.

I nodded. "What the hell is going on?"

I turned to see his eyes darker than I had ever seen them. He carefully rolled me off him and strode towards the window. Despite the loud series of gunshots coming from just downstairs, I couldn't help but stare at him. He stood, completely naked, with his back to me. His broad back had a long scar shooting from the top left to the bottom right, it was faint but visible and I wanted to know where he got it. I watched his muscles flex when he reached the window, crossing his arms over his chest. My eyes then fell to his perfect ass and I couldn't help but lick my lips at the sight.

"Someone's attacking me," he seethed through clenched teeth, pulling me from drooling over his mouth-watering body.

I rolled off the bed, joining him at the window to see two large white vans parked outside. Crimson splattered over the white paint and from where I stood, I could see a couple of bodies on the floor. I glanced to Logan out the corner of my eyes. "How many men do you have here?" I asked him.

"More than one hundred," he said, "and the rest of my employees have all been trained in self-defence. Most of the mafia's soldiers are positioned within a few miles of here and one call would have them swarming the place."

Gun shots continued to echo through the house as I turned fully to face him. "So, they're walking into a slaughter?"

A small flicker of a smile crossed his face. "Exactly." The power that resonated from his voice sent a shiver down my spine. After last night, I'd managed to forget just how dangerous this man was.

He moved away and started to get dressed, sliding into his suit trousers and buttoning up a crisp white shirt. I watched in awe until he was fully dressed and started back towards me. Another round of shots sounded and he stiffened. "They're coming up," he growled. He crossed the room and pulled a gun from the dresser opposite me. "Stay here."

My eyed widened at the sight of him. He looked deadly. "Wait," I called when his words registered in my mind and he started towards the door, "I thought you had enough men to deal with this."

He nodded. "I do," he stated, "but they're not just attacking for the sake of it. If they're trying to come up, they want something and I'd like to find out what. For that I need them alive. Now stay here."

I watched him leave and sighed. The thunder of gunshots continued and the house felt like it was shaking. I moved to the closet and grabbed a pair of Logan's shorts and a t-shirt. Once I finished dressing, I searched the dressing table for another gun, deciding it would be smart in case I needed to defend myself.

Feeling the metal in my hand reminded me of the day before. It felt heavy. I could see my hands shaking and did my best to block out the memories of the previous day. Of the blood, the pained groans, the bodies everywhere. I pushed it all aside when the house fell completely silent.

My stomach churned. It felt wrong, eery. My gut was telling me that something was seriously wrong and I inched towards the door, pressing my ear against it. I still couldn't hear anything and tried the door, finding it locked. With a huff, I turned to the small table that sat beside the door. There was a single drawer and when I pulled it open, I found a small, silver key. With baited breaths, I tried it in the door and startled a little when it unlocked. I peeled the door open slowly, listening for any indication that Logan was okay.

When I heard nothing, I crept out of the room and down the stairs. My palms were sweaty and I was scared the gun would slip out of my hand. Every step seemed too loud and I was certain my location would be given away by the pounding of my heart in my chest. Bile rose in the back of my throat at the sight of blood staining the carpet and I gasped, right before a hand clamped over my mouth and nose.

I struggled against the hard body behind me that had come from the top of the stairs. The gun was knocked out of my hand before I could even lift my arm and panic settled in my chest. "Well, well, well," a deep voice growled in my ear. I squirmed in the hard grip as I was forced down the remaining few steps and down the hallway.

I could feel my lungs squeeze in my chest and my vision started to fade. "Drop your weapon," the voice next to my ear demanded and tears rolled down my cheeks. Everything around me seemed to blur but I was pushed against the balcony on the first floor and could see men gathered downstairs. Bodies littered the floor around Logan's feet, some dead and others groaning in pain.

He turned and our eyes met. My limbs trembled and I could almost feel myself fading away. "You don't want to do that," Logan snarled, his voice dangerously low.

"Call off your men or I put a bullet in the woman you don't want people to know you care about." I swayed in the man's arms, my head light and dizzy. My lungs squeezed, desperate to draw in breath.

"I'll kill you," Logan snarled.

"If you do, your little whore will fall from the balcony."

My tears flowed faster. The railing of the balcony pushed deep into my abdomen and my feet barely brushed the floor. I was practically hanging over the railing and I knew the man was right; if he let go of me, I'd fall head first over the balcony.

"You've already lost," Logan growled, "the rest of your men are mine."

"And your girl is mine," the man spat. He released his hand and I heaved in a gush of air, choking as I was shoved further over the railing of the balcony.

I kicked at the man behind me instinctively, holding the railing as tightly as possible to keep myself from toppling over when his grip loosened. Logan fired immediately, sending the man backwards from the force of the bullet through his shoulder. His gun clattered to the ground beside me and I dropped to the ground, my legs too weak to hold me up any longer. I heaved, trembling as I caught my breath.

Before me, the man that had attacked me lay, groaning in pain, clutching his shoulder that now had a hole in it. Logan appeared in front of me immediately, crouching in front of the man. "You'll pay for that," he growled before slamming the butt of his gun against his head, knocking the man unconscious.

He turned to me, eyes softening a little. "Come with me," he ordered, reaching a hand out to help me up. I took it, standing with shaky legs and following him into the office. Once we were inside, he pressed the door closed behind me and trailed a hand down the side of my face.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

I nodded, raising a hand to feel the raw skin around my neck. I was certain that it would leave bruises. "What did they want?" I asked him.

He seethed through his teeth for a moment, his hands clutching at me. "You."