Of Loss & Betrayal (Madison & Logan Book 2) (29 page)

“Why did you go along with all of this?” I asked in disbelief. “The woman you love is plotting to get back with her ex, and you’re just letting it happen?”

Mack’s expression turned hard. “I’m not stupid. I know it sounds like I just followed her around like a lost puppy, but I knew she would realize that it was me she loved when she finally got it through her head that Logan didn’t want her.” His expression softened. “And she needed me to stay with her. I really did come here for work, but after she flew out here because of Logan’s accident, I stayed behind since I knew what a fragile state she was in.”

“Why did you pretend to become my friend?” I asked, repulsed that I had ever considered Mack a good person. “What was the point of all that?”

Mack shrugged. “I genuinely felt sorry for you. And I was on your side. I wanted you to end up with Logan, because that meant Kristina would be free.” He gave me a rueful look. “I wasn’t lying when I said I developed some feelings for you. I figured we could just fuck, but when you told me you weren’t interested, I dropped it. I have to admit that the thought of screwing the woman Logan is in love with was pretty appealing. Kind of like getting revenge, in a twisted way.”

I felt sick by his admission. I felt even sicker by the casual way he admitted it all.

“And Kristina didn’t care that you were becoming friendly with me?” I asked disbelievingly.

Mack had the audacity to look a little embarrassed. “She actually encouraged it. She wanted me to get close to you so that I could get information about you and your relationship with Logan. I was also a connection for her to you guys. Without me, you would have never known about her suicide attempt or have taken pity on her and invited her over for Thanksgiving.”

My eyes narrowed. “Was that a real suicide attempt?”

Mack shrugged. “It was real enough. I didn’t want her to do it because I was afraid it could be fatal, but she was convinced that she knew the exact amount she needed to take for it to look like a suicide attempt, but not die. She knew it would take something drastic to get Logan’s attention.”

“That’s sick,” I hissed. “And you went along with it.”

Mack had the gall to look defensive. “I couldn’t stop her. I told you I thought it was a bad idea.”

“Did you know she was planning on killing me and making it look like a suicide attempt?”

Mack dropped his gaze. “I knew, but she said she was going to kill Logan too. Nothing I said could convince her not to take it that far, but I was satisfied that she was planning on killing both of you.” His expression hardened. “She lied to me.”

“So why are you doing her bidding now?” I cried out. “You’re going to take the fall for her.”

Mack looked at me, his heart in his eyes. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought he was simply a man in love. But I did know better. He was sick and twisted.

“She told me she finally realized that I was the only one for her. But she couldn’t live knowing that you two were going to live happily ever after. She needed me to prove my love and loyalty to her by killing you both.” Mack’s body tensed. “So that’s why I’m here.”

“Mack, please,” I begged, my voice trembling. “She’s lying to you, again. We became friends, didn’t we? I know you don’t want to do this. You don’t want to kill me, and you have no reason to kill Logan. If you leave, I’ll pretend none of this ever happened. I swear.”

Mack shook his head. “I’m sorry,” he said, having the nerve to look apologetic. That meant shit when he was planning on carrying through with Kristina’s demands. “I have to do this, otherwise Kristina will never want to be with me.”

“Kristina’s crazy!” I screamed, no longer able to hold it in. “And you’re just as crazy as her if you pull that trigger!”

It was the wrong thing to say. Mack’s expression grew angry and he stood up abruptly. His hand steadied the gun and he looked straight at me. “I have to kill you first to make it look like a murder-suicide. I’ll shoot you in the head to make it quick and painless.”

I heard a growl and both of our heads whipped toward the direction of the sound. I had completely forgotten about Lola, but she was focused on Mack, her stance aggressive. It was all the distraction I needed and I flung myself towards the poker. My hand grasped the cool, metal rod but before I could lift it and use it as a weapon, I heard the ear-splitting crack of a shot being fired.

I flinched, thinking that I had been shot, but there was no pain. I whirled around, afraid of what I would see. I dropped the poker and burst into tears of relief when I saw Logan with the gun in his hand, standing over Mack’s lifeless body.

“Logan!” I rushed to him, throwing my arms around him. He wrapped his free hand around me, but I could still feel how weak he was. I guided him to sit down and he laid the gun on the coffee table. I looked over at Mack, feeling sick. There was a hole in his chest and a rapidly growing pool of blood beneath him. Regardless of his intent to kill us, I was heartsick that it had come to this.

“Maddie,” Logan rasped. “Are you all right?”

“I’m okay,” I reassured him. I looked away from Mack’s body. “We need to call 9-1-1.”

Logan was silent as I called the police and to come quickly. Lola padded over to Logan and put her head on his lap. When I got off the phone, Logan was stroking her head with his eyes closed.

“You need to go to the hospital. They’re sending over an ambulance.”

Logan shook his head. “I’m okay,” he said tiredly.

“You’re
not
okay,” I said firmly. “Don’t fight me on this. You’re going to the hospital.”

Logan nodded wearily, showing just how affected he was by whatever Mack had drugged him with. I wanted to ask him questions, but Logan was in no condition for an interrogation, so I just sat next to him, content to be in his arms.

The police and ambulance came quickly. I tried to explain what happened as quickly as possible, insisting that Logan needed medical attention. We got into the ambulance to head to the hospital, where the interrogation would continue.

It was a whirlwind at the hospital between getting checked out and answering endless questions. I learned that Mack had shown up at Logan’s office, saying that he had come into town unexpectedly. He had said he wanted to talk to Logan to apologize for any inappropriate feelings he had developed for me. During the conversation, he had somehow been able to slip Rohypnol into Logan’s water on his desk, and it had all been downhill from there. The next thing Logan knew, he was lying on my couch and Mack was pointing a gun at me. After he had roused, he pretended to pass back out, but he had been waiting, biding his time for a chance to take Mack off guard. Lola had provided the perfect opportunity, and when I turned my back to grab the fireplace poker, Logan had tackled him and the gun had fired. Fortunately, it had been Mack who had been shot, and not Logan.

They kept Logan overnight for observation and I stayed with him. He was still a little lethargic, but he held onto me tightly that night. We didn’t say much. Being together was enough. Despite all the tragedy and turmoil we had been through the past few months, I finally felt like things would be okay. A sense of peace settled over me and for the first time in a long time, I felt safe.

Chapter Twenty-Three

I closed the lid of my laptop, happy to be done working for the day, since it meant the weekend had started. I looked out the window at the rain and frowned. At least it wasn’t so cold anymore, I thought to myself, as I got up and threw on a light jacket.

“Lola,” I called. She came bounding off the couch and skidded to a halt in front of me, her tail wagging happily and her tongue hanging out. I scratched her between her ears. “Silly dog.”

I didn’t bother with an umbrella since the rain was so light. It felt good to be outside after being cooped up inside all day. The rain actually felt refreshing and I found myself smiling as I watched Lola sniff a flowerbed as if it held the answers to the mysteries of the world. It apparently met her approval, and she crouched down to relieve herself.

The past five months had been amazing in some ways and difficult in others. Going through Kristina’s trial had been painful, since I had to testify. As angry and disgusted I was at her for trying to ruin our lives, she had been a pitiful sight in the courtroom. She had lost a lot of weight, and her eyes were glazed and dull. It was like she had sunk into herself and was only a shell of the person she used to be. She didn’t seem fazed at all by Mack’s death, even though she had been partially responsible for it. She had stared at Logan during the entire trial, even calling out to him a few times, but he just ignored her. I was relieved when the jury came back with a guilty verdict for attempted murder, rejecting her insanity plea. She was given a life sentence, although she would be eligible for parole after twenty years. I tried not to focus on the possibility of her release.

I pushed aside the dismal thought as Lola pulled on the leash, eager to sniff everything in her path. We took a leisurely walk in the cool April weather, until I realized that it had turned from a light drizzle to a more steady rain. We walked quickly back to my apartment where I dried Lola with a towel before changing into dry clothes.

I checked my phone and saw I had missed a text from Logan while walking the dog.

Leaving work now. Will be over soon. Love you.

It was such a simple thing. A text from your partner telling you he was leaving work and that he loved you. But I treasured it, because all of the past turmoil had taught me that there weren’t any guarantees in life. I wanted to embrace every beautiful second of it, because I didn’t know what would happen in the next minute, let alone the rest of my life.

My phone rang and I picked it up with a smile on my face.

“Hey! How are you?”

“The question is, how are
you
?” Emily said. “Just one more week until your wedding!”

“I can’t believe it,” I admitted, feeling giddy by the mention of it. “It came quicker than I thought it would.”

Planning a wedding in five months had been no small feat, but with help from Emily and Logan’s mom and lots of caffeine, we had somehow pulled it off. Exactly one week and one day from now, I would become Mrs. Logan Delaney.

“I still can’t believe you didn’t want a bachelorette party,” Emily said grumpily. “I live for bachelorette parties. Especially if they’re in Vegas.”

I laughed at her disgruntled tone. “I promise we’ll go to Vegas for your bachelorette party.”

Emily snorted in disbelief. “I don’t think Vegas will be as much fun when we’re in walkers, which we’ll probably be using by the time I ever get married.”

“Oh, please,” I said dismissively. “You have plenty of fawning admirers to choose from. You’re just determined to be a career woman and take over the world.”

“That’s true,” Emily said, laughing. We talked for a while about the wedding, as well as Emily’s life in New York. By the time we got off the phone, I heard the key turning in the front door.

Lola ran to the door, her tail wagging. “Hey, girl,” Logan said, reaching down to scratch her head. He looked up at me and smiled, and for the millionth time, I told myself I was the luckiest girl in the world. It didn’t matter that he still hadn’t regained his memory. Amazingly, his love for me was constant, despite not remembering our past.

“Hi,” he said, dropping a kiss on my mouth before taking his jacket off. “I missed you.”

I smiled at him. “We’ve only been apart for nine hours.”

Logan raised an eyebrow. “Only? That’s nine hours too long.”

I rolled my eyes at his cheesy line, but it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I watched as he took off his tie, his shirt stretching across his wide chest as he lifted his arms. I wondered if it would always be like this between us. That I would see him and instantly want to jump his bones. Luckily, I had a lifetime to find out.

“What do you want to do for dinner,” he asked, oblivious to the fact that I was drooling over him.

“Want to be really bad and eat a big plate of nachos?” I asked, knowing he would never refuse the suggestion. “I know I should be worried about fitting into my wedding dress next week, but the call of chips smothered in cheese and sour cream is just too tempting.”

“If your body is the result of too many nachos, I think you’ve found the next fad diet. Eat nachos all day long and have a body that any man would want to fuck.” Logan raised an eyebrow. “Of course, I’m the only one that’ll ever be inside you again.”

I blushed at his comment, but waved him away. “Hurry up and change so I can do my part in keeping my bangin’ body,” I joked.

After Logan had changed and we had given Lola her dinner, we went to the Half Pitcher. It was crowded, which was the norm for a Friday night, but luckily we were able to snag a table. I leaned back in my chair after we had ordered the nachos and gotten our beers. Life was so good right now, I was afraid to blink and miss any moment of it.

“Anything interesting happen today?” Logan asked as he took a swig of his beer.

“Not really. I was chained to the computer most of the day,” I said. “I did talk to Emily. She’s pretty excited about next Saturday.”

“Hey, I’m pretty excited about next Saturday too, considering I’m the groom.”

“I know,” I said, smiling. “It’s just the first time she’ll be back in Chicago since she moved. It’ll be nice having her back.”

“Do you know if Cassie’s parents are coming?”

I sighed. Mrs. Brooks had been making progress, but it had been very slow and steady up until about a month ago. She had made a breakthrough in admitting that Cassie was dead and never coming back. I hadn’t visited her since she had been committed because Mr. Brooks thought it best, but I had invited them both to the wedding.

I shook my head. “Mr. Brooks still hasn’t said anything about the wedding and the RSVP date passed a while ago. I just never felt comfortable bringing it up during our phone calls. I think it’s safe to assume that they won’t be there.” I took a sip of my beer. “I really didn’t think they would come, anyway. It just didn’t feel right, not inviting them.”

“Do you think the date has anything to do with them not responding?”

Friday was the anniversary of Cassie’s death, and I had hesitated in choosing a wedding date just a day after that date. But it was the only day available at the church where we wanted to get married for the next two years. I had come to terms with it, telling myself that Cassie would always be with me in spirit, and dates didn’t matter.

“I hope not,” I finally replied. “I can understand that it would be kind of jarring to see that we’re getting married the day after the anniversary of her death, but I don’t want that one day to rule my life. I’d rather celebrate the happy days, like her birthday. It’s this Monday.”

Logan reached across the table and took my hand. “Do you want to do anything for it?”

“I’ve been thinking about it, and I know it sounds kind of crazy, but I want to go to the amusement park where we spent her last birthday together.” I pressed my lips together. “We were so happy that day.” I frowned as I thought about my statement. “Actually, I wanted to be happy that day, but I was too guilt-ridden to enjoy it. I want to go this year and just let loose and have fun, the way I would have if I had known it would be our last moments together.” I looked at Logan. “Does that sound crazy?”

“Of course not,” he said, squeezing my hand. “We’ll go.”

“What about your work?”

“Screw work. Sometimes there are more important things than work.”

Before I could express my gratitude, the waitress came over with our nachos. We dug in, and for the rest of the night we kept the topics light, but my mind kept straying to Cassie. I knew in my heart that she would be happy for me on my wedding day. I just hoped her parents understood.

The weekend flew by, and Monday was upon us before I knew it. We made the long drive to Michigan, and I was relieved when we finally made it to the amusement park. It was a perfect day, with blue skies and a warm breeze. Logan and I walked around the park, holding hands and just enjoying the day. We rode on almost every ride and ate way too much junk food. I saved one ride for last. The one Cassie and I had ridden on, both in reality and in my dreams.

Logan and I got into a rollercoaster car and I squeezed his hand. “Are you okay?” he asked me, looking concerned.

I nodded my head. “Yes, I just feel…I don’t know how to describe it. I feel so sad and so happy at the same time.” I took a deep breath. “I just feel so close to Cassie here. I miss her so much.”

“From everything you’ve told me, she sounds like an amazing person.”

I was used to Logan not remembering Cassie by now, but it made me realize that I was alone in my grief for her. I was lucky that the guilt no longer weighed me down. Cassie was indeed an amazing person, because her presence in my dream had been the catalyst for allowing me to forgive myself.

The ride started and my stomach clenched. It was as if I was reliving the past. When we went down the first hill, I screamed my heart out, and suddenly Cassie was with me. We were flying through the air, the wind whipping our hair around our faces as we laughed, feeling free and alive. I knew she wasn’t actually sitting next to me, but in my heart, I knew she was with me.

The ride ended all too soon. “Do you want to ride it again?” Logan asked, seeing the disappointment on my face when the ride came to a stop.

I shook my head. “No, once is enough.” I gave him a small smile. “There’s always next year.”

We made the long drive home afterwards, and I debated whether I should call Mr. Brooks. It had been about a month since we had last spoken, when he had updated me on Mrs. Brooks’ breakthrough. In the end, I decided to call him. I knew the only reason I was hesitating was because I was afraid the topic of my wedding would come up, and I didn’t know what to say to him about it. I waited to get back to Logan’s place before making the call.

My stomach was in knots while I listened to his phone ring. I half-expected it to go to voicemail, but then he picked up.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Mr. Brooks, it’s Madison. How are you?”

I wanted to kick myself after I asked that question. How would anyone be on the birthday of a daughter they had lost? To his credit, Mr. Brooks didn’t seem put off by the question.

“I’m doing okay. I’m actually at the hospital with Judith now.”

“I just wanted to call, since it’s Cassie’s birthday,” I explained. “How is Mrs. Brooks handling it?

“She’s doing well. Do you want to talk to her?”

I swallowed hard. He had never suggested that before. “Does she want to talk to me?”

“Yes, I think she’ll be happy to hear your voice. She’s just been improving more and more since the last time I spoke to you.”

I was apprehensive about talking to her, because I was afraid that I would say the wrong thing. But I told myself I needed to be strong. Cassie would want me to be there for her parents. “Yes, I would love to talk to her.”

I heard Mr. Brooks talk to his wife, but I didn’t know what he was saying because it was muffled. It was a few moments before she got on the phone.

“Hello, Madison?”

“Hi, Mrs. Brooks. It’s so good to get a chance to talk to you.”

“You don’t know how happy it makes me to hear from you. It’s been so long.”

Mrs. Brooks sounded clear-headed and strong. Hope bloomed in my chest.

“I know. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to visit.”

“It’s okay, dear,” Mrs. Brooks said reassuringly. She hesitated before continuing. “I just wanted to apologize for everything I put you through. It must have been frightening for you.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for,” I said, tears rolling down my face. “You’ve been there for me when I needed you the most. You’ve been through so much pain. I’m sorry that I haven’t been there for you.”

Mrs. Brooks sighed. “There’s only so much you can do when someone refuses to face the truth. I miss Cassie so much, but I know she would be unhappy with the way I’ve been denying her death.” Her tone lightened. “Charles and I have been reminiscing all day about Cassie since it’s her birthday. There are so many happy memories of her. I want to focus on that.”

“I’m so happy to hear you’re doing so well. I can’t begin to imagine how these past few years have been for you.”

“On the bright side, I’m so looking forward to coming to your wedding,” Mrs. Brooks said.