Page 37 of Keeping Kasey (Love and Blood #3)

CHAPTER THIRTY

Kasey

I’m ready at seven on the dot, but the bastard doesn’t come.

I shouldn’t be surprised that Logan’s playing with me. There was a time when I enjoyed our games, and I’d be plotting my next move right about now.

But instead, I just sit and wait for him.

This is a game, but it’s one that I will lose if I show any sign of force. I’ve always been the charging bull, but Logan ripped the horns from my head, and now I need a new strategy if I’m going to get out of here.

Being back in this manor is a nightmare.

At least if Logan had taken me to a cell, I wouldn’t be forced to live and breathe in a space that carries so many memories I’ve spent months trying to repress. I can’t fathom why this room has remained untouched, and the mix of emotions it inspires makes me sick to my stomach.

Or maybe that’s the disgusting pasta Logan made me eat for dinner.

I could kill him for that alone.

Kane is my only saving grace. Spending time with him has recharged me—grounded me.

James never came for Kane, and I’m so glad. Thanks to the time change from Payson, it took hours for sleep to finally take me, and sleeping with my dog curled up beside me was a comfort I needed more than I realized.

It reminded me of who I used to be before Logan Consoli came into my life and took everything from me.

I’m strong, independent, capable, and—most of all—cunning.

I may not be a charging bull, but I’m not helpless, either.

I just need a new strategy.

It’s almost nine when Kane starts whining at the door. I have no idea what his schedule is these days, but with me, he was always outside by eight. He’s been pawing at the door for fifteen minutes, and I’m starting to feel like I need to do something.

Logan was explicit about my confinement, but that was assuming I wouldn’t have Kane with me. Surely, he can’t blame me for taking my dog outside to use the restroom.

Of course, he can—and probably will.

I could just open the door to let Kane out and assume someone else will take care of him.

But he’s my dog, and I want to care for him.

I’ll come right back.

“Come on, boy,” I say, and open the door.

“What part of ‘ under no circumstances are you allowed out of this room without my permission’ was too subtle for you?” Logan asks, leaning against the wall beside my door.

How long has he been there?

Even if it were only a few seconds, he would’ve heard Kane begging.

Bastard set me up.

“Kane needs to go outside.”

“I don’t care if Kane’s on fire,” he says, kicking off the wall to look down on me. “You do not leave this room without my permission.”

The need to crash headfirst into him simmers under my skin, but I can’t.

Bide your time.

“It won’t happen again,” I say, tone even and face perfectly neutral.

“No, it won’t,” he agrees, stepping aside for me to join him in the hall.

I don’t.

His smile drips with condescending pride. “Come on, liar.”

I follow him down the stairs to the kitchen. Kane runs to the back door, and I look to Logan, who nods before I open it and step outside.

Looking to Logan for constant permission is going to kill me long before a bullet does—but in an odd way, I’m grateful for it.

Every time I’m forced to look at him to tell me what to do, I hate him even more. It’s a constant reminder of the kind of man he is.

I have so many memories that tempt me to believe there’s a real human being under the monster.

There isn’t.

It’s freezing outside as I watch Kane run back and forth across the yard, but I don’t mind the cold. I missed him so much.

Leaving Kane behind was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I’ve had him since he was a puppy, and he’s been my only companion for so long.

But I had to leave him.

I didn’t have a choice. There was no way I could’ve gotten to the Consoli house to get him without being caught. Traveling alone was hard enough—having to care for him would’ve made it impossible to stay hidden.

That doesn’t mean I didn’t regret the choice every single day.

The back door opens, and Logan’s voice cuts through the air. “Let’s go.”

I call Kane in, and he darts past me, racing upstairs. I want to follow him, but Logan guides me to his office, where his brothers are already waiting.

This room hasn’t changed one bit. The bookshelf-lined wall is still organized exactly as it had been—confirming a suspicion I once had that Logan isn’t much of a casual reader.

The tall windows allow warm sunlight to stream into the room, though it does nothing to ease the thick, ominous air.

Logan’s desk is still set in front of a TV, with a coffee table, two armchairs, and a leather couch placed in the center of the room.

The last time I was in here, I spent hours lying on that couch, listening to music and taunting Logan into make-out sessions that distracted him from whatever work he’d been trying to accomplish.

Now, I wait for his permission to sit on that very same couch.

He grants it, and I sit as he leans against the desk, arms folding over his chest. James and Damon stand on either side of Logan, and the brothers look every bit like the force to be reckoned with that they are, but I know it won’t always be this way.

If the Consolis are a force to be reckoned with, then I’m destruction incarnate. One day, the tables will turn, and I will bring this entire family to its knees.

“We have questions,” James says in a level tone. “Things that don’t quite make sense about when you left.”

Logan takes a remote control from his desk, points it at the TV behind him, and presses a button.

The screen lights up, and my mouth goes dry at the scene.

It’s a live feed of Mark’s hospital room. His eyes are closed, but I can make out the rise and fall of his chest—still alive.

“Fail to answer our questions and, well, you get the idea,” Logan says.

As he says the words, the soldier that stayed behind—Ryan—steps into the camera’s view. He sits in the seat beside Mark’s bed, kicking his feet up like he doesn’t have a care in the world, even as he twirls a knife between his fingers.

“You don’t need to do that,” I say, my voice steady despite the rapid pounding of my heart. “You don’t need to do any of this. I have no reason to lie to you.”

“You’ll forgive me for not taking you at your word,” Logan says with a haughty grin.

“You’re past the point of forgiveness,” I whisper.

“How will I go on?” he deadpans.

“What really happened the day Brandon attacked you?” James asks, pulling my attention to him.

“He recognized me,” I answer. “He accused me of ‘playing both sides,’ and said you’d kill me for it. I had no idea what he was talking about, but I could tell I was in danger, so I stalled.” I meet Logan’s eye. “I even tried to message Logan to send help.”

He doesn’t react, but I hadn’t really expected him to.

“He caught me sending that message and got violent. He kept asking if you knew who I was. Then, Ford came in, and you know the rest.”

The three of them study me with narrowed eyes, and it’s like taking the world’s most intimidating lie detector test, but I don’t cower.

I have nothing to hide.

I would’ve told Logan all of this in a heartbeat if I had the chance.

“You didn’t know who he was? That he aligned with Mason?” James asks.

“No.”

A slow, menacing smile spreads over Logan’s lips.

He puts the phone to his ear. “Go ahead.”

Ryan stands, takes Mark’s hand, and brings the knife to it.

“What are you doing? Stop him. I’m telling the truth!” I try to stand, but Damon steps forward and grips my shoulder, trapping me where I sit.

“We have proof of a transaction from Brandon to you three years ago,” James says, face devoid of emotion.

Ryan starts to press the blade into Mark’s hand.

“You asked about the attack ,” I rush out. “I didn’t know who he was until later!”

“Stop,” Logan says into the phone, and Ryan drops back into the seat with a bounce.

“If you didn’t know who he was, why would you lie about what happened?” James asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

“All I knew was that he knew me , and something about him was familiar. I didn’t know what to think, and then you were asking so many questions. I just needed more time to process it all.”

“ More time? You didn’t work for an entire week after the attack. That wasn’t enough time to process ?” Though venom drips from Logan’s every word, it’s the hatred laced through them that stings the most.

But if he thinks he’s the only one with the right to feel betrayed, he’s dead wrong.

“When I asked what would happen to the traitors, do you remember what you told me?”

His gaze—still sharp with anger—doesn’t ease, and he doesn’t answer me.

He knows damn well why I didn’t tell him.

“It was the second time in twenty-four hours that I was told I’d be killed. I might not have known what Brandon was talking about, but I knew something wasn’t right, and I needed the chance to figure out what it was.”

“When did you?” James asks.

“My first day back at the base. As soon as I realized the program you were looking for was one I made, I put the pieces together.” I meet Logan’s eyes again. “You called me right after I figured it out. You made Damon take me back to the manor because of how out of it I was.”

His jaw ticks, but that’s his only response.

“Why not tell us then?” James asks.

“Because all of a sudden, I knew exactly what Brandon was talking about, and worse—I knew he was right. If I told you about the program, I would’ve had to come clean about the attack, too.

I knew it didn’t look good,” I say, drawing in a deep breath as I fight off the lump trying to claw up my throat.

Now is not the time to let my emotions get the best of me. These men have taken too much from me as it is—they won’t take my dignity, too.

“I decided to give it a day. Just one day. I knew how the program worked, so I knew I’d have the list after a few hours, and if I told you everything after you had it, you’d know I never betrayed you. Which is more than you can say after having Kade dig up dirt from my past.”

Logan cocks his head to the side, ignoring the accusation. “And you just accidentally deleted everything instead?”

“I didn’t wipe the program,” I say, and brace myself for the worst. “ You did.”

Logan laughs, lifting the phone to his ear again.

“I’m telling the truth,” I say, injecting as much resolve as I can muster into the words.

“I’ll admit you’ve been able to fool me in the past, but that’s a very bold attempt.”

I drop my hands on my thighs. “What’s the point of all of this if you’re not going to believe me anyway?”

“Good point. Maybe we should take this to the base and see how you fare in an interrogation there?” Logan’s smile is a threat in itself.

“I’d give you the same answer. The list is gone because of you, not me.”

“How could we have deleted the list?” James asks, voice far calmer than Logan’s and mine.

I tear my eyes from Logan to address James, who watches me with genuine curiosity rather than loathing.

“I was in the program. I had the names. All I had to do was wait for the list to compile—which it almost had when Ford shut down the base.”

Logan cuts his eyes at me. “A security measure that you installed.”

“Well, it screwed everything up,” I snap, feeling more like myself than I have since he stormed back into my life.

“The program had a failsafe that would erase everything if it was under attack—it’s why I didn’t answer your calls that day.

It took all of my focus to keep it from self-destructing.

” I shake my head. “But it didn’t matter.

That lockdown registered as an attack, and everything was gone. ”

Silence.

Thick, smothering silence fills the room as each one of them processes what I’ve told them.

James’s expression is purely analytic, but the hint of resolve in his gaze says it all. He believes me.

Damon’s face is blank—as it’s been the whole time—and while I have no idea what’s going on in his head, I know he sees the truth, too.

My eyes fall on Logan.

He’s no longer smug, but his anger is palpable, and I can’t tell if it’s because he doesn’t believe me or because he does .

I look between the three of them and scoff.

This time, when I stand, Damon doesn’t stop me.

“You didn’t need to hold me at gunpoint. You didn’t need to shoot Mark. You didn’t need to take me as your hostage. All you had to do was listen . I would’ve told you all of this if you’d given me a single chance to.”

I close the distance between Logan and me, meeting his cutting glare with my own. “I should’ve told you the truth about Brandon and the program, but do you know what my biggest regret is?”

He doesn’t say anything, even as I shove my finger into his chest.

“I regret every second I wasted believing you were anything other than a vile, cruel monster.”