Page 17 of Now You See Him

Chapter

Twelve

T ina slept like shit that night at the hospital.

She could’ve gone back to the house, but she was still engaged, still committed to Logan.

Not to mention the guilt that plagued her.

Even if she was giving her body to another man and the love had gone, there was still a promise to be there and take care of him.

So she curled up in the chair and went to sleep to the sound of Logan’s deep breathing and the soft chime of the BP machine that went off every hour.

When she woke for the last time the next morning, Logan was sitting up in bed, a cup of coffee in his hand that a nurse must’ve brought him. He was staring at her, quiet and pensive. There were dark smudges under his eyes, as if he’d had just as difficult a night sleep as she had.

Which couldn’t be true. She saw that he was sleeping whenever she woke to check on him. Right?

Before she could ask him if something was wrong, the attending physician walked in to complete the final exam. Tina sat and waited as he was poked and prodded and cleared for discharge. Then she sat and waited while the nurse went over discharge instructions.

Finally, she got up and retrieved the car so that he could be wheeled downstairs and escorted out of the hospital.

The whole time, Logan remained silent. He didn’t even utter an irritated retort when she needed help to get him into the passenger’s seat since his arm was in a sling.

He also remained silent when they got stuck in construction traffic, and he hated traffic.

He always used it as an excuse to complain about being back in the country.

She had to wonder if he knew something, knew anything, about the secrets that she was keeping. Had he found her out?

Would it be so bad if he did?

The urge to tell him what she knew about the house and his past was so strong that it robbed her of any conversation. Lucia, his ex, and his complicated relationship with the Sutter brothers. She even knew about the way he destroyed Damien’s life.

When they were almost to their destination, Logan cleared his throat.

He reached out, brushed his fingers over her arm.

“Tina, I really need to get some sleep tonight. That hospital bed was terrible. Would you mind if you took the couch tonight? I hate asking, but I just need to stretch out a bit and have some quiet.”

She wasn’t exactly a noisy sleeper, but she nodded.

Truthfully, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to sleep next to him, anyway.

It felt like a relief not to have to share a bed with him again.

“I know it’s only one in the afternoon, but why don’t you go upstairs and relax now?

” she motioned to his arm in a sling. “I’ll give you those painkillers and get you some water. Rest as long as you need.”

The corners of his mouth fluttered in a smile. “Thanks, sweetheart.”

She flinched at the endearment and bit the inside of her mouth to stay quiet.

They drove in silence for another ten minutes before Tina spoke again. “Do you want to talk about what happened? What scared you that you fell off the bed?”

Logan turned to face the window. Tina could see the lines of his jaw tense from his profile. “It was the storm. The freak thunderstorm.”

“Yeah, that was wild.” She didn’t correct him even though she knew that neither of them believed it was a storm. When the ambulance had come to pick him up, the grass and pavement were completely dry.

Tina pulled into the driveway and slowly nosed her car into the empty garage bay.

She helped Logan get out of the passenger seat and led him upstairs to the primary bedroom, where she made a show of retrieving his pajamas and helping him get settled.

She then came back with his medication and water that she sat on the bedside table.

She closed the blinds, so the room was plunged into darkness, before making a noncommittal sound as he turned his back towards her and curled up on his side with his arm and a cast draped across the bedspread.

Something had changed. He wasn’t the Logan that was charming, confident, and self-centered.

Everything had been fine at his parents’ dinner and when they had gotten home, but Damien must have done something or appeared in some sort of way to spook him into a shell.

She wondered if this was going to hinder her ability to figure out what Damien wanted.

Tina left the room silently and made her way down to the great room.

It was still early, so she debated getting some work done but opted for sitting on her deep, comfortable couch and watching some TV.

She made herself a quick sandwich, then nestled into the corner of her sectional.

There was a reality TV marathon happening, which was exactly what she needed.

Her phone buzzed halfway through the first episode of House Hunters.

SUTTER CONSTRUCTION:

Okay?

She smiled, then on impulse, went to edit the contact information and changed sutter construction to derrick . If Logan found out, it was no longer the end of the world.

TINA:

Okay. I’m sleeping on the couch tonight.

DERRICK:

Good.

TINA:

I feel like I should tell him tomorrow.

DERRICK:

Wait. Just a bit longer. We’re still missing a piece of the story. I know my twin.

TINA:

Okay, I trust you.

She must have fallen asleep, because the next moment she opened her eyes, and the room was dark. Her sandwich plate was empty and sat on the cushion next to her, and someone, or something , had taken the throw that was draped over the back of the couch and covered her with it from neck to toe.

Tina wasn’t sure what had woken her until she heard a whimper and then a moan come from upstairs.

She bolted to her feet and raced to the second floor, down the hall, and into the primary bedroom.

The room was dark, so it took her a moment to realize that no one was in bed.

The curtains were pulled back, and moonlight cast an eerie glow against the hardwood.

“Logan?”

She heard the whimper again and turned to see her fiancé huddled in the corner of the room with his arms wrapped around his calves and his head buried in his lap.

“Oh my god, Logan! What happened? Are you?—”

Tina stopped in her tracks when he lifted his head to reveal a bloody nose and dilated pupils. She scrambled forward and reached for him, but he cowered even farther into the corner.

“D-don’t touch me!”

Tina silently cursed Damien as she got on her haunches in front of Logan. “Logan, tell me what happened. Did you fall out of bed again? Did you hurt yourself?”

He used the back of his good arm to wipe the blood under his nose, smearing red across his face. “I didn’t fall.”

“Then what?—”

“You know what,” he hissed with so much venom, she almost fell back on her butt. “You know he’s here, watching me, fucking with my head.” Using his good hand, he pressed fingers to his temple and tapped twice. “He’s in there, laughing at me.”

“ Who? ” she cried, hoping her acting skills were good enough that he’d buy her confused tone. “What are you talking about? And come on, let’s get off the floor.” She reached for him again, and this time he let her help him to his feet.

She nudged him to the bed again so he could sit on the edge, one hand holding his casted arm close to his chest. Tina bent forward so they were at eye level. Logan’s hair was disheveled, with chunks sticking up at odd angles. His beautiful complexion looked gray and dull.

“Logan, talk to me.”

Some of the haze seemed to clear from his eyes. “I can’t be here.”

“W-what?”

“I can’t be here,” he repeated. “I think this house is haunted, Tina. I can’t explain it, but I’ve been having dreams, and then when we were about to…well, I didn’t fall off the bed.”

“You…didn’t?”

Logan shook his head. “It’s more than that.

The water is always cold. The doors slam open and shut when you’re not here, and I was sleeping but something woke me.

When I opened my eyes, this…this person from high school I once knew was staring back at me.

His head was bleeding, and he had these pointed, razor-sharp teeth. ”

“Oh my god, Logan,” Tina said, her voice soft and filled with understanding. “I had no idea that you were having these nightmares. I’m so sorry. I…I can’t say I understand what you’re going through, but I can see that you believe it.”

His eyes narrowed on her, as if assessing whether she was telling the truth. “You haven’t felt or seen anything ?”

She cocked her head. “I mean, the basement door still opens, but I thought that was faulty hinges, and it hasn’t for a while.”

“No dreams?” he pressed.

She shook her head, even as there was a cold prickle at the base of her neck. “Do you think it’s because you’re back in this town and you’re seeing all of the places you left behind when you went to the city?”

“Maybe.” He continued to watch her with skepticism, as if staring at her long enough would reveal whether or not she was lying to him.

It was a reminder that Logan wasn’t clueless.

His shrewd intelligence was one of the first things she’d noticed and admired about him.

It was also one of the first things that she’d forgotten when Derrick and Damien came into her life.

She had to be a bit more discerning about what she shared with him or he was going to figure out something was up before they were able to learn what Damien really wanted.

She had to ask herself again if that was really so bad.

But there was Derrick’s feelings to consider, too. He wanted answers about his brother’s death which meant she’d stay quiet for him.

Tina crossed her arms over her chest as she looked down at her fiancé.

“Look, some of the medication you’re taking for pain relief has gnarly side effects.

I’m going to say that whatever you’re feeling about the house and moving back are amplified because of the drugs.

But I’m not going to force you to stay here in the house we live in together.

I’m not going to keep you against your will.

What do you need? What can I do to make you feel better? To help you heal.”

He let out a deep, shuddering breath. “I’m sorry Tina, but I can’t be here. In this house. I—I think I want to go to my parents and stay with them for a bit.”

“Okay. We’ll get you to your parents’, then,” she said.

Tina helped him back under the covers to rest as she flipped on all the room lights, walked into his closet, and pulled a medium-size suitcase from the corner luggage-storage rack.

“I’m just going to put some of your casual clothes in here, okay? ” she shouted.

“Okay,” he called back, his voice thick with fatigue.

She started with his underwear drawer, rolling her eyes at the way he folded his briefs. Then she moved on to his T-shirts. She filled half the suitcase before she found it.

The women’s white slim-fit T-shirt that was stuck to the back of his gray athletic shirt thanks to static cling.

It wasn’t Tina’s.

Logan’s mother had done some of his laundry, since Logan had avoided the basement for weeks, and she’d managed one measly load for him.

But this shirt wasn’t Cynthia’s style, so it couldn’t be hers.

When Tina checked the tag, she realized that the size wasn’t Cynthia’s, either.

Logan also had a laundry service in New York City, so it wasn’t something he’d picked up from a public laundromat.

Which meant there was only one reason why he would have a women’s white V-neck shirt in his drawer.

Tina’s heart pounded so hard, it echoed in her ears.

Her blood roared in her ears as all of the details over the last few months, hell the last year, came into focus.

She didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but with what she learned about Logan, it was hard not to think the worst of him.

Even if she didn’t consider Derrick’s story about her fiancé, she knew this man and what he was capable of doing.

“Tina, are you almost done?” Logan called out.

She had to work at keeping her voice even, her tone bland. “Yeah,” she called out. Then she separated the women’s shirt from Logan’s and quickly stuffed it back in the drawer. “Ah, you want shorts or pants?”

“It doesn’t matter,” he called back.

“I’m going to pack some button-downs for you in case you get tired of trying to put shirts over your head,” she called out, surprised at how cool her voice sounded. She proceeded to finish with his clothes, then his toiletries and the rest.

When she stepped out of his closet pushing his suitcase bulging with belongings, he had a smile on his face. “See?” he said, almost cheerful now. “You do pack my things for me when I leave on trips.”

She thought about the T-shirt she’d just found and had to bite back the vicious retort. “I guess I do. I’ll take this downstairs. Let me know when you’re ready, and I’ll drop you off.”

He waved his good hand. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll text my mother to come and pick me up. She and Dad have been itching to see me since they found out I was in the hospital.”

Tina wondered if he planned to see the woman he had obviously been sleeping with.

Was he really going away on business trips this whole time, or was he with her?

How long had he cheated? How many times had he cheated?

They hadn’t slept together in so long, and he always wore a condom.

Hopefully it was just one person, but she had to get tested now.

Was this why he stopped asking to get married?

More importantly, was his infidelity the reason Damien put Logan through mental torture?

If he already hated Logan, that made him the perfect target for a pissed off poltergeist.

“Tina?” He cocked his head to the left.

“I’ll take this downstairs,” she repeated as she pointed to the suitcase, then left the room.